A thousand years she was in the moon, now she's back and living in a strange new world. Her friends and comrades gone, nothing but dust in the dirt. With only her sister Luna look towards the future, but the past keeps calling her back.
A thousand years she was on the moon, now she's back and living in a strange new world. Her friends and comrades are gone, nothing but dust in the dirt. With only her sister Luna looks towards the future, but the past keeps calling out to her. Her beloved soldiers of the night calling out to her through the ages.
What words did they leave her? What mystery did they leave for her solve? What will happen when she opens the doors of the past? Will it bring a new age of hope and peace, or destruction and misery?
“Princess Luna. Princess Luna, are you here? Please answer me, your highness!”
“I am here, please stop shouting. This is a library.” Luna, Princess of the Night, scolded the gray guard pony. The bluish armor he wore was supposed to mark him as one of her night guards, a new division of the royal guard that was started after her return from her one thousand year banishment. Really they were just the nightshift guards given new armor and told to follow her around by the Captain of the Guard, Shining Armor. The older brother of her sister’s prized student Twilight Sparkle, the pony that brought her back from the darkness of Nightmare Moon and for that, the lavender unicorn had her eternal respect.
Respect Shining Armor did not have at this moment. Not that Luna hated or despised the white stallion personally. The captain of the Guard simply has yet to earn her respect, as she has not had the chance to test his metal in a spar or see him on the battlefield. Someplace she was certain he’s never been to because of the peaceful times they live in now. Seems Equestria’s monster problem has been significantly reduced to nearly nothing during her absence. A joyful thought no doubt, but Luna couldn’t help but worry what the long terms effects could be as there was no way to keep their soldiers up to snuff without the constant threat of attack. Course then again, maybe it was already too late. The royal guards of today were not much when compared to Celestia’s two guards in the past, Bison and Stronghold, and they weren’t even on the same page if she compared them to her night patrollers. Maybe that was being too unfair, her patrollers have been the best warriors anypony could have asked for and not just that, they had been her friends.
“Princess… Princess Luna, are you listening?”
“No, I’m afraid I am not… hmm… what is your name?” Luna has been having a hard time telling ponies apart these days. Specifically the royal guard ponies, it white, more white, and then gray and then more gray and they all had the same hair color and style. It was honestly kind of creepy to her. Almost like Celestia somehow cloned them from some magical pool of water… that actually exists now that she thinks about it. She would have to ask Celestia about this later.
“Oh, I am Goodnight, Goody for short; I’ve been following you around since I was assigned to you last week.”
There was hurt in his voice and Luna felt a little bad about that, on the other hoof he nor his fellow guards could not seem to understand the concept of leaving her alone, even after her ordering them to do that just that. She could not for the life of her understand this idea of constant guards around her. A thousand years ago was much more dangerous with monsters, assassins, evil mad scientist ponies trying to gain immortality and much, much more, but she never had constant guards back then, she certainly didn’t need them now.
Deciding to ignore Goodnight for now, since he seemed fine standing there and staring at her all day, so be it. She had better things to do, things such as figuring out these damn tax laws. How in Equestria did this work? Why was everything so confusing and complicated? Who made this?
If Luna was to be co-ruler again, she would need to familiarize herself with current affairs. Some things have been easy. Celestia wasn’t inclined to changing things often and since she was the sole ruler, not much was changed during Luna’s time gone. Not that didn’t mean there was progress, in fact, technology has progressed swimmingly with trains and airships carrying ponies all over the place. Gadget or Starwind the Beardless as history remembers him would be proud to see his inventions prospering.
Language has also stayed the same or at least similar. Some vocabulary has changed and some new words and new meanings for old words appeared here and there from Luna could understand. Really though ponies weren’t speaking much different than a thousand years ago. Clearly, the way ponies write has changed, gone was the old Roan writing, replaced with a modern version of the Albion writing style, overall nothing too difficult for Luna to read.
Setting the tax code aside for now Luna stared out onto the training fields below. Watching the royal guards go through their drills. Sadly she lifted her scrawny leg, once big and powerful like her sisters. A month has passed since her return and she has yet to regain her former power and form from before Nightmare Moon. It sickened to her feel so weak. She needed to regain her magic and quickly. The only way to do that was to start from the beginning again with her training.
“I am going outside. I assume you’ll be coming to, Goodnight?”
“Yes, ma’am,” The stallion saluted enthusiastically.
“Very well, try to keep up please,” She told him vanishing from sight with a quick teleport. From outside the window Luna snickered as the guard pony ran off in a panic trying to find her. Maybe she was being a bit mean, but the princess really just wanted to be alone at the moment, though Celestia would probably be paying her a visit later tonight after she finishes her duties for the day. Wanting to know how Luna was adjusting and all that. Not that Luna minded her sister’s mother-Henning; she would probably be doing the same if their roles were reversed. It was just that stupid pony with the pocket watch always following her sister annoyed the living Tartarus out of her. Timekeeper was his name, or was it she? Either way, the pony was annoying and she wanted to throw that stupid watch out the window! Luna was surprised Celestia let Timekeeper get away with interrupting their conversations all the time, complaining about a schedule that only he/she seemed to know and care about.
(Really got to start writing down names, I wasn’t always this bad at remembering names was I?) Luna pondered as she lazily flew through the air. She needed to work her body to regain her strength. Having a sparring partner would be helpful. Celestia was too busy to spar anymore. Were there any ponies worth asking in the guards?
“Hey look out!”
“What?” Luna snapped awake spotting an incoming blur of orange, blue, and yellow at high speeds. Nimbly she twisted and turned, barrel rolling over the incoming pony as they crashed into a pile of clouds. When the pony emerged they were sporting a big fluffy cloud beard. Luna couldn’t contain herself and snickered at the pony’s misfortune. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh, but it is hilarious if you think about.”
The pony growled as they removed themselves from the cloud and angry approached Luna and did something the Princess of the Night thought no pony in their right mind would have the stones to do. The pony, a mare, poked her in the chest. Rather hard to.
“What do you think you’re doing feather brain? Do you even know where you’re flying right now? I bet you don’t, otherwise you won’t be here would you?”
Now the pony was yelling at her, that was certainly new, still, what was she talking about? There was nothing here except for that military base over there… Oh, Luna suddenly realized. She was at the pegasi airbase. Seems she interrupted a drill or something.
“My apologies, I was simply lost in thought and did not realize where I was going. I’ll be getting out of your mane now. Feel free to carry on.” Luna said brushing aside the pony, wanting to quickly leave less she embarrass herself further, but strangely enough the pony flew and front of her and blocked her path.
“Do you think you can just fly away like that? Do you know who I am? I’m Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts and you’re trespassing in a restricted air space. I hope you ready for…” Spitfire’s voice trailed off as she suddenly realized the pony she was yelling at was not shrinking back like usual; in fact, she was looking quite mad and was that a horn on her head? It was she concluded and she just made possibly the biggest mistake of her career, yelling at the newly returned Princess Luna, “Uh oh.”
“Uh oh, indeed,” Luna seethed flaring her magic, turning the white clouds black as the wind blew and thunder rumbled. “Never in my centuries of life as pony has such brutish gull to brush aside an apology for such a minor mistake! Why if I felt so inclined I would be having you fly circles till your wings bleed! However,” Luna said calming down, the wind and thunder dying away, “I have a use for a pony of your talents. Humor me and I’ll overlook this little scuffle and it need not go any further than that.”
“Wait, so you’re not going to banish me or court martial me, or send me to the moon or something?”
“Well, I can arrange that if you really want, the moon isn’t all bad really,” Luna replied with a smirk.
Spitfire laughed uncertainly, unsure if Luna was joking or not, “I see, and what can I do for you, Princess Luna?”
“Nothing much, I simply find myself in need of a sparring partner and you look like you would be up to the task. What do you say Captain Spitfire? Think you can keep up with an alicorn?”
When Spitfire had accepted her challenge Luna did not imagine it would lead to her joining the mare in the Wonderbolts’ lockerroom. Struggling in vain to pull a flight suit over her body, even with her reduced size Luna was still slightly bigger than the average pony and her size was showing as her frame was forced into the skintight suit, the material stretching particularly tight against her nether region.
“Must we wear these? I fail to see the point of needing such attire for only a minor challenge.”
“They’re standard issue,” Spitfire replied, “Every Wonderbolt and Wonderbolt in training wears a flight suit to help with wind resistance, rain, and a bunch of other stuff. These suits are designed to help you fly faster and provide protection and it will help you blend in more. I remind you, you were the one that didn’t want to draw a lot of attention. Also, the news ponies have been hounding to see me without clothes and I’m not looking to be some snoop’s exclusive, so please, please just wear the suit.”
(First I hide my horn, change my coat color, and now this? The lengths one must go for a good spar partner. She better be worth the effort.)
“Is not wearing clothes such a scandalous thing now?” Luna asked the captain. From what she’s observed it seems ponies, at least in Canterlot, liked to wear more clothes then way back when only nobles could afford to, but there were still a lot of ponies that didn’t too, such as in Ponyville.
Spitfire leaned against a locker and signed, “Only if you’re famous.”
“Famous… that means you are very well known correct? Meaning you are renowned or legendary for doing a great feat, if I may ask what deed did you do? Have you slain a terrible monster or perhaps fought off a dragon?”
“I’ve done some of that,” Spitfire said, looking up at the ceiling. “But that’s not why I’m famous. I’ve flown dozens of missions for Princess Celestia, risking life and limb, but what every pony praises me for isn’t my military record, but the tricks I do for the crowds during our shows. Ponies would be surprised to find out I’ve done anything other than perform tricks for crowds.”
“You wish to be recognized for your heroic deeds then?”
Spitfire shook her head, “No… well yes actually, but… are you done getting that suit on yet?”
That rude demanding tone of voice again. Luckily for Spitfire Luna found it rather charming. Thus she decided to drop the matter of the Wonderbolt’s fame as it seemed to be a sour topic for her.
Now to defeat her skin tight nemesis, revealing her horn Luna grabbed the suit with her magic and pulled. The skintight fabric slowly moving against her coat till a sudden “Slip” and it was in place. Moving around Luna found the suit to be very unrestricting, acting almost like a second skin against her body. Her wings sprung free out the slits located on the side of the suit and she gave them a good stretch. These flight suits might not be so bad, just for one little thing that was still bothering her.
“Must these be so tight in thy loins?”
Spitfire chuckled as she led Luna out the door, “Be happy you’re not a stallion.”
That imagine stuck in her head, Luna couldn’t help but blush at the thought of perhaps seeing Sixes in such attire. Thinking of her old friend quickly brought down her cheery mood as she was once again reminded that he and the others were gone, perhaps nothing but dust and bone by now.
“Hey, are you ok?” Spitfire asked.
They were outside now, about to take off for their challenge, but more importantly something to distract her from her depressing state of mind.
“I’m fine, just thinking of some old friends, let us begin our challenge. As I am the one who issued the challenge, you may select the arena, and I shall choose the style of combat.”
“This area over here is free; it had plenty of obstacles and cloud cover, perfect for summoning thunders clouds and such.”
Luna nodded with approval, “Good choice. We shall compete in air combat, to be fair I shall not use my unicorn magic.”
The ground rules made and agreed upon, both mares readied themselves for battle. Luna observed Spitfire going through her stretches; the mare was in top physical shape. The Princess of the Night was impressed; perhaps there was hope yet for this new generation of warriors. Neither the less, Luna had her own stretches to go through. Taking a deep breath she looked into herself, letting her magic rise like a fire throughout her body, warming her muscles and sharpening her mind to a razor’s edge.
“Ready princess,” Spitfire taunted.
“Born ready,” replied Luna scooping up a puff of cloud with her hoof. The cloud blackened and cracked with thunder unleashing her old friend Nightingale’s favorite move, the thunderhoof, upon the wonderbolt captain before Spitfire had a chance to know what hit her. Thunder crackled and lightning exploded in every direction, ripping the clouds asunder.
From the other side of the arena, Spitfire stood atop a mountain of clouds looking flushed and panting for breath from avoiding the attack. She hadn’t been expecting such an attack right off the bat or at all.
“What kind of spar is this?” She cried out as Luna gathered up more bits of cloud.
“The kind that can leave you hurting if you don’t take it seriously, I know not how you do things in this day in age, but I will be doing things the old fashion way!”
Spitfire yelped as she jumped over to another cloud as a bolt of lightning tore the one she was standing on apart. Quickly she scooped up a pile of cloud turning it black and tossing it just in time to block Luna’s next attack. She knew about the thunderhoof, it was the first attack they learned after becoming wonderbolts; it was considered the granddaddy of all cloud-based attacks. The thunderhoof could be used a close, mid, or long ranged attack depending on the user. Spitfire found it to be no surprise that the Princess of all ponies would know the most advanced form.
(The technique was made a thousand years ago; realistically she could have known the creator.)
That being said many more techniques have been invented over the years. Techniques that could defiantly out power the thunderhoof. There was just the issue of getting enough time to set them up. The thunderhoof may not be the most powerful technique, but it could be easily charged and used in under a second.
Making a break for it Spitfire broke from her cover carrying four tufts of clouds, one on each hoof, and tossed them at Luna’s incoming attacks; matching her thunderhoof with the princess’s while she prepared for her real attack as she ducked behind cover again.
From her position, Luna wondered what Spitfire could be up to. The yellow mare has done well to counter her and seems to be preparing to engage her in close courters. Deciding to wait and see what Spitfire had in store for her, Luna held her position, keeping a storm cloud at the ready just in case.
Spitfire burst out from underneath and circled around Luna in a spiral, leaving a trail of black storm clouds in her wake forming a cage of crackling storm clouds around the princess. At the top of the cage, Spitfire turned delivered a thunder charged punch at the highest point.
“THUNDER CAGE!” She roared activating the attack. Bolts of lightning traveled down the spiral of clouds creating a complex network of lightning strikes. Spitfire smirked as the full charge of the attack focused in on Luna; however her smirk vanished as Luna held up her hoof holding a pitch black cloud and punched at the gathering lightning strikes, the two attacks struck and a huge explosion followed. Spitfire was sent flying and crashed through several clouds before stopping with smoke rising off her body, while Luna stood where she was with her flight suit in tatters and sporting several burns.
“Perhaps,” Luna said coughing up black smoke, “We should call it a day.”
Spitfire lied back and sighed, her body numb from the shocks, “Agreed.”
Back in the wonderbolt lockerroom Luna stretched her sore muscles. She could feel the drastic difference in her power already and for that, she was thankful for Spitfire’s assistance. Celestia and her doctors suggested a tame and steady workout, but nothing really got your magic organs working like real fight or in this case intense spar. Already she could feel the growth in her magic reserves, thus increasing her overall strength, a couple more spars like this and she could be back to normal in no time.
“Would you like me to escort you back to the castle Princess? I know the guards there must be searching frantically for you, having me with you should calm them down.”
“Fine,” Luna agreed, not really caring, she was just happy to spend more time with Spitfire. The wonderbolt captain reminded Luna a lot of Nightingale, “But only if you call me Luna. I don’t like my friends calling me Princess.”
The blush on Spitfire’s cheeks was quite amusing.
“Alright, but only in private, I have a professional appearance to keep up.”
Luna smiled, “Of course. Come let us return to the castle.”
“Actually,” Spitfire said having a sudden thought, “Since you’re still in disguise Princess… I mean Luna, would you like to come and hang out with me and the other Wonderbolts? We’re meeting up at our usual bar for some fun. It would be a great chance for you to mingle with everypony.”
“An interesting idea, very well, I shall accept!”
“Alright!”
Luna followed Spitfire to the seedier part of Canterlot. Her disguise still active Luna took pleasure in the fact she looked like any other Pegasus right now. Ponies weren’t scrambling to get out of her way, planting their faces in the dirt, or any of the other things that came with being a princess. It has been so long since she felt… well like a normal pony. With her power reduced she could hide herself much longer than she could in the past. Before when she donned a disguise she would have to suppress her magic so ponies couldn’t sense it was her. She and Celestia learned in their first attempt to hide among the common ponies that even if they changed their appearance, they still had much more magic than the average pony. They could hide their magic for an hour before it became too much to hold back and they would blow their covers.
(I wonder what I look like.)
When crafting her current disguise she had failed to put any thought into when Spitfire first suggested it and had yet to look in a mirror. The spell she cast made her look different to others, but if she wouldn’t see any different unless she were to look in a mirror.
As they passed a window shop Luna took a moment to look at her reflection and was once again was assaulted with bad memories. She was green, not just green; she was a beautiful shade of emerald. The same shade as her old friend Emerald Cutter, one of her night hunters, the first pony that tried to stop her when she became Nightmare Moon. An image of Emerald lying on the ground with a hole in her barrel and covered in blood appeared in the window, startling Luna and making her step backward into the street. She was so in shock that Luna didn’t notice the carriage coming at her, till Spitfire pulled her out of the way!
“Whoa, that was close,” said Spitfire while she pats Luna down for any injuries. The wonderbolt breathed a sigh of relief when she found none, though the blank look in the princess’s eyes did have Spitfire feeling wary. “Hey, are you alright? Are you not feeling well? If you’re not just say so and I’ll take you back to the castle. We can hang out another time.”
Luna shook her head, a deep frown marring her features as she did so, “No, no, I’m fine. What I really need right now is a drink of hard cider.”
“Well, you’re in luck because we’re here! Welcome to the Rusty Horseshoe.”
The building Spitfire was enthusiastically presenting to her was, for the most part, a dump. In the sense that it seemed the owner did not care to take care of his property. From what she’s read on the recent building codes, something they didn’t have a thousand years ago, this establishment is probably due to be shut down sometime in the near future if something is not done to fix it soon.
“How charming,” said Luna as they entered the bar. Inside smoke filled the room and there was a roar of chatter mixed with music. In the corner of the room, a blue and white haired mare waved them over.
“That’s Fleetfoot, she’s another wonderbolt. I’ll introduce you… um on second thought; do I tell her you’re a princess?”
Luna didn’t get a chance to answer when Fleetfoot ran up to meet them, “Hey Spits, whose your friend? Is this the awesome mystery recruit I heard about earlier? She doesn’t look like much, but I heard she gave you a run for your bits.”
Spitfire nervously scratched her mane, “Yeah, she’s a potential recruit. She’s… ah…”
“Emerald Moon,” said Luna extending her hoof to the blue wonderbolt, “A pleasure to meet you Fleetfoot. Captain Spitfire has spoken well of you.”
“She speaks a bit formally, she some noble’s kid? Somepony asking you for favors again Spits?”
Not wanting this lie to spread too wildly out of control, Luna decided to cut to the chase and change the subject to something more pressing and much more alluring.
“My heritage is of no importance, nor is my mannerisms, what is important is whether or not you can hold your liquor Miss Fleetfoot.”
“Oh I like her, but you can drop the Miss part, just call me Fleetfoot or Fleet for short. Hey bartender, bring us a bottle of…”
“Applejack’s Sucker punch hard cider,” Luna interrupted causing the entire bar to gasp. The bartender handed her the bottle with a smirk, she’s tasted this brand of cider before, it was said to be so strong that it felt like somepony hit you in the face. It was not a drink for the meek.
Taking the bottle Luna uncorked it and much to the amazement of the entire bar took one long ten-second gulp. Her face scrunched inwards, the alcohol burning her throat and making her feel light headed, but she stood strong and remained standing.
“Who’s next?” She said offering the bottle. Reluctantly Fleetfoot took it and tried to match her, it did not go well for the blue pegasus as she gulped down five seconds of the bottle she started swaying on her hooves. Luna watched with amusement as Fleetfoot twirled around the room before finally went crashing into the wall and fell over unconscious.
Luna chuckled as she trotted over to the fallen mare, making her she hadn't hurt herself, finding any serious injuries and finding comfort in the fact Fleetfoot was sound asleep. The Princess of the Night turned to the crowd and held up the bottle of cider in challenge.
“Shall we partake in a drinking challenge?”
Goodnight frantically flew down the dark alleys of Canterlot, sweat running down his brow like a river; he’s been flying all night. He was tired both mentally and physically, but he could not rest, not without finding his charge, Princess Luna. How could have he lost track of her! She was an alicorn princess! There’s only two… ok three of them in all of Equestria! How could have no pony not seen her?
All Goodnight had to go on was that Luna was last spotted heading towards the Wonderbolt’s Canterlot flight camp and had been seen with Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts before disappearing. Spitfire was later seen with a green Pegasus afterward.
He cursed under his breath. How could he have been so foolish! The green mare was Luna, casting a simple illusion spell would be easy for her, even if she was in a weakened state.
So logically speaking to find Luna, he must find Spitfire and to find Spitfire on a Friday night was to go to the Rusty Horseshoe. Meaning Princess Luna was there, at a bar, with Spitfire; who was notorious for getting hammered.
“I’m gonna get court marshaled for this.”
Goodnight soared as fast as he could to the bar, landing hard he dashed inside to find… everypony knocked out, except for Luna, who was sitting in the middle of the room with bright red rosy cheeks and a bottle between her hooves.
“I guess (hiccup!) I win…” She fell over, Goodnight catching her before she touched the ground. Slowly and carefully he carried the princess on his back out of the bar and took off towards the castle. His body tensed as she rubbed her cheek along the back of his neck making him very grateful when he landed on her balcony. Quietly he placed her on the bed and covered her up with a blanket and slowly he retreated, ready to get out as fast as he could, only to bump into somepony on his way out.
“Seems my sister had a fun night,” the voice of Princess Celestia said behind him. Goodnight cringed, thinking this was it and he was going to the sun. However, he was in for surprise as Princess Celestia levitated him out of the room, gently shutting the door behind them. “Let’s let her get her sleep. We have a public event in the morning and I imagine she will not be in the mood for it. I’ll have to get the staff to make her favorite coffee to raise her spirits.”
Goodnight watched like a deer in headlights had the sun princess went about her musings, still waiting for some sort of rebuke or condemnation from her, but none came even as she finished talking and began to walk away. The smart thing to do would have been to keep quiet, but he couldn’t help but speak up.
“You’re not mad at me Princess?”
Celestia paused and looked at him strangely, “Mad? Whatever for? My sister ordered you to leave her be and you did and you brought her home safely. I consider that a job well done. Keep that up and she might start to like you more.”
“But I brought her back drunk!”
Celestia chuckled, “She’s over fifteen hundred years old. I think she can make her own choices, besides I’m her sister, not her mother. Now goodnight, Goodnight, I expect a great deal from you, as does Luna.”
“She does?” He replied stupidly, Celestia’s smile widened at his comment as she waved goodbye. Leaving Goodnight baffled and confused.
Luna awoke the following morning with a massive headache. The only relief she received was that of the soft sheets caressing her body, the bed was the perfect temperature making her want to just laze about in bed. Lass, she knew she could not. There was a public appearance today. Her first public appearance since Ponyville and it would be damning if she did not show up. Namely, those nosey news ponies wouldn’t leave her alone if she didn’t show.
Flinging the warm blankets off with her wing Luna crawled out of bed, noting the nest that was her mane, but choosing to ignore it for now. Eyes heavily with sleep she stomped out of her room and into the hallway passing by a barely awake Goodnight.
“Go to your barracks and rest Goody, somepony else will take your spot today.” She told the sleepy stallion. He gave a weak saluted and trotted off her eyes following him as he walked away. She had the vaguest memory of flying last night and Luna knew she had been in no condition to fly. She had been certain Goodnight had flown her back to the castle, but looking at him she couldn’t see any wings on him.
Strange, Luna mused, wondering if perhaps somepony else had flown her back. Deciding to leave the matter for now, Luna trotted down to the dining hall where Celestia was already eating. Sitting across from the Sun Princess was a big cup of hazelnut coffee, Luna’s favorite. Eagerly Luna sat down and raised the steaming hot beverage to lips, ready to taste the brews stress relieving goodness.
“Breakfast time is over your majesties! We must be moving on!” The shrill voice of Time Keeper said with the infernal ticking of his (He was a he Luna confirmed) pocket watch’s ticking.
Luna took one look at the thin stallion, grabbed the watch with her magic and slammed it closed and placed it on the table next to her. When Time Keeper tried to retrieve the watch she held it down with her magic, prevent him from retrieving it.
Across the room Celestia chuckled warily, knowing exactly the mood Luna was in. “A few more minutes please Time Keeper. Princess Luna is not a morning pony.”
The thin stallion grumbled, but nodded and left, muttering about this and that and what adjustment would be needed to be made for today’s schedule. Luna paid him no mind and sips her coffee, enjoying the taste; because she had feeling it was going to be the only enjoyable thing for her today.
“Ready to go,” asked Celestia after several tense minutes.
“I suppose,” Luna replied setting down her empty cup. It was going to be a full day today, museums visits, followed by some more public appearances, and a parade. What a day this was going to be.
“Things certainly have changed,” murmurs Luna as she and Celestia climb up the tall stairs to the museum. Their first stop of the day according to Time Keeper and perhaps a good place for her to visit. It was one thing to read about the events she missed on the moon, but an entirely different to have the actual artifacts and ponies, who have been studying history for a career be present for the opening of the museum. She was actually looking forward to this public event. If nothing else it was nice to spend some time with Celestia outside the castle. Her sister was constantly busy with the daily affairs of the kingdom and she was always locked up in the library trying to learn as much as she could about the workings of this new age.
“Ah good morning, your highnesses,” greets a white unicorn stallion with a blue mane and mustache. He was of noble looking descent, wearing a funny little round glass over one of his eyes, a monocle if Luna was not mistaken. The stallion shook hooves with Celestia and then turns to do same with her.
“This is Fancy Pants, the owner of the museum,” states Celestia with a hint of pride in her voice, suggesting that Fancy Pants was a pony of great stature in her eyes and not just for his noble blood. “He is one of Canterlot’s most influential ponies and has helped me more times than I can count with public projects and the like. He is a good pony to have as a friend.”
“I see,” Luna replies evenly, not sounding overly excited nor disinterested as that would be rude. Sizing up the stallion before her, Luna concludes he at least seems likable for a noble, but she would hold off any more judgment till she got a better grasp of his character. “I am interested in your historical collection building, would you be so kind as to begin the tour?”
Fancy Pants gave a polite smile, “Of course, everypony is inside waiting already. I apologize for holding your majesties up, I know you are both very busy.”
(Not particularly) Luna voiced internally, again not wanting to be rude.
They follow Fancy Pants inside, meeting a crowd of important looking ponies or ponies that like to think themselves important. Luna had to give Celestia credit, it took over a thousand years, but her sister finally managed to wrestle complete control of the nation. There was no council or anything to second guess her or plot against her. Instead, she turn the nobles attentions to the public having them spend their wealth for the common ponies through various means rather than fight for political power. Whether or not it was a good thing her sister had complete control would remain to be seen, especially once Luna regains her power and took back her throne. Hopefully, Celestia stood by her desire to rule together again. Those were thoughts for another time, today she was here to learn.
The first exhibit was about zebras and their history and how they grew into a network of tribes, united, but separate to ward off outside invaders. Along the wall were jugs, masks, and various artifacts and artwork depicting points in time. Luna was interested in their military advancements.The short spear was the trademark of the zebra, but they also added bits of light armor made of bones and carved wood. The picture of a young zebra mare looked quite imposing in the full suit, though it would still be primitive by Equestrian standards.
The armor did have a very intimidating look to it that she admired. Maybe the could use that in their own armor. Shiny gold was not as intimidating as wearing a skull on your head.
Moving onto the second exhibit Luna was disappointed to find it was about the three tribes. Not that it wasn’t interesting, but she lived through those times and they were nothing but bad memories and heartache.
The narrative the guide was lecturing seem… too rosy to her. Even after the tribes united there was still much famine and conflict, it’s not like everything was resolved in a day. The old proverb about old habits was very true. Especially between tribes that had been at war with each other for decades. Even a thousand years ago some issues between the tribes have not been solved and she has seen examples even today of old insults rising to the surface when ponies started to argue heatedly.
Losing interest in the lecture Luna quietly pulls Fancy pants aside and whispers in his ears, “Pardon me Sir Fancy Pants, but do you perhaps have an exhibit featuring history within the last thousand years? Preferably after the appearance of Nightmare Moon.”
The stallion’s eyes sparkle as he led her by the hoof to a different room, “I believe I have just the thing my dear Princess of the Night. Though I do not know the exact time period of the displays, it is something that has baffled many historians since the discovery of these certain artifacts.”
Excitement flutters in Luna’s chest as they round the corner to this excitingly mysterious exhibit. From the looks of the entrance, they weren’t even done setting everything up yet. Peering inside with wide wonder-filled eyes Luna wonders what she would see. What she saw shook her to her core.
Celestia heard Luna gasp and wondering what was going on, went to investigate. Emerging through the doorway Celestia’s ears flop down when she saw the exhibit, “Oh no…”
Inside the room rest a massive skeleton of a pony being strung up with wires from the ceiling. The giant grinning skull resting on the ground as a team of ponies struggle to raise it. The skull could only belong to one pony, P-Rex, the giant pony, one of Luna’s Night Patrollers.
“Put him down…” mutters Luna, hot tears rolling down her face. The ponies moving the bones didn’t hear her, her voice too soft and too choked up to be heard. Angry Luna dug her hoof into the tiled floor, sucked in a deep breath and screams at the top of her lungs, “Put him down this instant! We command you!”
Everypony stops what they were doing and quickly got out of the blue princess’s way as she stomps over to P-Rex’s bones, leaving a trail of craters in her wake. With tears streaming down her face Luna presses her body against the cheek bone of her lost friend, her wails echoing off the walls of the building.
Through her tear stain eyes, Luna looks around at the rest of the exhibit. More skeletons lining the walls, bones of dragon ponies, pieces of rusty patroller armor were displayed in glass cases along with pieces of broken weapons and body parts.
“Everypony please leave,” commands Celestia, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. “My sister… needs some privacy. As do I.”
“Your majesty, I’m sorry I had no idea,” Fancy Pants began, but Celestia stops him short.
“I know, I know, just go please,” She commands. Making sure everypony was out of the room Celestia seals the entrance with a spell, walks over to her sister, and drapes a wing over her shivering body. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know, I really didn’t."
Luna threw herself against Celestia, tightly hugging the elder alicorn as she hid her sobbing face in her sister mane. “They're gone… their all gone! My patrollers, my ponies, my friends, their all dead. It just never hit me… no… I knew, but I didn’t want to accept it. I tried to distract myself from the reality of it, but… seeing this… I miss them so much!”
“I know,” Celestia cooed, “I miss them too.”
They stood there holding one another, surrounded by the remnants of their forgotten friends, the last piece of evidence they had ever existed beyond their memory. When Luna’s cries stopped the smaller alicorn stepped away from her sister’s embrace with fire in her eyes.
Fancy Pant paces outside the exhibit, worry etched on his face, he had no idea the princess would have such a reaction to the exhibit. He wonders why. No, that was not his business. Truth be told it should be obvious, to Princess Luna those weren’t just bones. She had known the gender of the giant, something researchers had spent months debating before finally concluding the gender of the bones was a male pony by what they knew. Princess Luna had known the moment she saw the giant, meaning the giant had been a pony she had known.
“Dear gads, I hope I can set this right,” Fancy mutters worrying this could damage his relations with the princesses.
From the other room out walks Princess Celestia, looking as regal as always, but Fancy could tell she was not her normal self. He’s come to pick up when the princess was being genuine and when she acting, and right now she was acting.
“I’m so sorry, I had I known…”
“It’s alright Fancy, it’s understandable you couldn’t have known. I bare no ill will and neither does Luna… but I would suggest you don’t push that too hard.”
Fancy breaths a sigh of relief, “Well, if there is anything I can do, please just ask.” Celestia’s smiles widened, her eyes darting to and fro, was the princess nervous, Fancy wonders?
“You say anything… but…”
“I am a pony of my word Princess, please just ask and I will do all I can to help.”
“Since your offering there is something,” said Celestia with raising nerves, she hated to do this to Fancy. She really did. Those bone were probably very expensive, but… it was for her sister. “We’re going to need the bones… all of them…”
Fancy’s eyes widen, the numbers running through his mind at a mile a minute, yet the price of the Princess’s friendship, for both professional and personal reasons outweighed the numbers. “Consider them a gift for the unintentional heartache of Princess Luna. I shall have the best ponies available take them to where ever she wants.”
“Does that include the Everfree forest?”
Fancy’s ears flatten, “I suppose for a few more bits, yes.”
“I will remember this, my friend. Your kindness and generosity will be rewarded,” promised Celestia as she pats the stallion on the shoulder. “And not just from me, but my sister as well, you’ve given her something no pony could.”
“And what is that?”
Celestia smiles, “Closure.”
Fancy was puzzled by the statement but chose to nod along with it, it wasn’t his business. He was just glad to be of help.
“Shall we continue with the tour? My sister will be busy for the remainder of it and we mustn’t keep the others waiting.”
“Of course, allow me to lead the way.”
Back in the exhibit room, Luna was busy gathering the bones of her fallen comrades, taking great care not to damage them as she laid them in the center of the room. Horn glowing brightly with magic she began to circle the pile of bones, chanting as she did. With her magic still weak she would have to resort to more primitive magic by drawing a magic circle and calling on the magic that lay within the earth. Once the circle was complete she stood at the start point and envision the place she wanted to go.
“What are you doing?” A shrill voice angry yelled.
Her concertation broken, the magic circle broke and disappeared. With rising anger Luna looks to the pony, no the fool, that interrupted her. The pony in question was a thin stallion, standing just a few inches taller than her, with a mane half past bald, he wore glasses and carried an air of self-importance, reminding Luna of the noble blood families. She hopes this was not one of their descendants. She met Blueblood the other day and was not impressed.
“I am taking my friends remains for a proper burial. Who are you?”
The stallion looked a gasped, “Me? How can you not know me? I am the world renowned Professor Cleft hoofen, archeologist, and discoverer of these fascinating bones. With them, I was able to cement my theory of Dino ponies and bring the mythical giant pony to reality! I will not have my work tarnished by some mare…”
“Princess Luna! I finally found you,” interrupts Goodnight as he trots across the tiled floor. “Sir Fancy Pants has given me his seal and has offered move the remains at his own expense in apology for the unlawful unearthing of your… friends. He wanted me to assure you, that he will cover all burial expenses and more. Here this is the document giving you ownership of the remains. Princess Celestia urged me to give this to you right away. Saying it was of the utmost importance.”
“Thank you Goodnight,” smiles Luna as she accepts the papers to read them over. Ignoring professor what’s his name as he stood a gasp. Everything seemed in order, though she would prefer to handle the bones personally. It would be rude to refuse Fancy Pants gesture, he seem like a likable enough pony. She would defiantly have to reward him for his chivalry.
“Well, as you can see by these documents Professor you will simply have to find some new research. Besides you theory was wrong anyways, I am sorry to inform you. The bones over there are not of dino ponies, whatever those are, but rather dragon ponies and the giant pony, while being a giant pony is not some missing link to some lost tribe, rather something entirely different.”
“And what would that be? What possibly could this be if not proof a giant pony tribe?” The professor demands angrily as Luna and Goodnight walk away to rejoin the tour. Luna decides to give the Professor some leeway with his tone as she has just stripped him of his life’s work. Still, Luna felt the need to correct him one last time.
“A friend, Professor, he was a friend and they all were. I urge you to remember, what you think and theorize. I have lived. Please feel free to come visit me if you ever need some fact checking.”
“You really dropped the mike on him, Princess,” snickers Goodnight, imagining the princess in shades and a backward cap.
“Thanks… I think… what is a mike? And why is it so funny that I dropped it?”
Goodnight could only bite his lip to suppress his laughter, “It’s a new culture thing, go to a DJ-pon3 concert and you’ll understand.”
“DJ-pon3… what weird names we have nowadays,” Luna says aloud as they met back up with Celestia and Fancy Pants. She exchanges strained smiles with the two, still trying to reel in her emotions. Together they continue viewing the museum with thankfully no further emotional outbursts.
“Come along your majesties, it is nearly time for the parade,” Time Keeper announces leading the royals towards the exit.
From the hallway Hoofen growls as he watches the princess and her guard leave. Seething he stomps out of the exhibit room in a huff as Fancy’s little helpers came to collect the bones. They could have the damned bones! He still had his other discovery in hoof and no pony was going to take it away from him!
“You there!” He shouts at some museum staff, lounging around the storage room. “Help me move this to my private residence.”
The ponies nod and quickly set about lifting the giant black statue of two alicorn like ponies locked in conflict, another recent discovery from the southern plains where he had found the bones. He had no clue what kind of relic this was, only that it hummed with magic, the surface of the statue turning from hot to cold every second. It was sure to be the biggest discovery of his career once he found out the secrets behind it.
And no pony was gonna take it away from him. No pony. Not even the princesses.
The time for the second public event was on and it had Luna’s stomach in knots. She and Celestia were to appear in a parade. A parade to celebrate her return the city of Canterlot’s denizens, much like they had done in Ponyville. There was no real reason to be nervous. She was not afraid of the crowds or anything, just the fact she didn’t see the point of it. Everypony knew she was back, so why the big need to put her up on such a grand stage. Also if she were honest the fact she still held her weakened form bothers her, if she were to appear in public it should be as she was when she was filled with power and magic, not looking like a lanky teen that just reached marehood. She wonders if this was Celestia idea to soften her image to the populous.
Her eyes wonder over to her sister, who was busy waving at the crowds as they slowly moved along the streets. Luna caught Celestia eye for a breath moment and they share a brief stare down. Reluctantly Luna gave up, smiling and waving to the crowd, but this was not over.
From inside the crowds along the street, two small figures ran between the legs of the taller ponies. The two peek out from time to time, catching glimpses of their target, Princess Luna.
“That’s her, that’s her!” The young colt of the two excitedly points out. Quickly he pulls his companion along through the forest of legs in order to keep pace with the princess’s float.
“We won’t get near her, just give it up already!” The colt’s companion, a young pink filly, complains.
“No, granddad’s counting on me,” the colt retorts hotly as he ran ahead of the float. Carefully he spread his wings and aims for the platform in front of the Princess’s mobile thrones. There were a lot of guards, but he was sure they wouldn’t hurt him too bad as he was only a colt. That is if they didn’t kill him on the spot.
“Here I go!”
“Thrice, no!” The little filly screams as her bullheaded brother broke out of the crowd, flying into the path of the princesses float. The guards were upon him instantly.
“Let me go! Let me go! I have to tell Princess Luna something really important!” The young gray colt exclaims as the guards wrestle him down. He stares at the princess his grandfather had told him about, she was a bit different from what he described, but that might because of how old his grandfather was, either way, he had a message to deliver and he only had this one chance to say it.
Taking a deep, deep breath, he screams at the top of his lungs, “303! I have a message from Night Patroller 303!”
“Stop talking nonsense kid!” Goodnight growls finally wrestling the kid under control. The colt sure was strong for being so small. “The princess doesn’t have time for your games.”
“Let him go!”
All the guards froze and turn to Princess Luna who had left her throne and to approach them. They stood dumbstruck, even Goodnight, as they couldn’t comprehend their princess’s order. This colt disrupts a public event and they were just suppose to let him go because he shouts out a few words and numbers? Has the princess gone mad?
Goodnight gulps loudly as Luna approached, “Your highness, he…”
“I’m disappointed Goodnight,” Luna said in a low tone. “Soldiers do not question their orders when they trust their leaders, you hesitation shows you do not trust me. This matter will be discussed later. I have much more pressing things to attend to.”
Luna kneels down and lifts the colt up by the scruff of his neck with her mouth, setting the little guy properly on his hooves. “Are you hurt?”
“No ma’am!” The colt salutes proudly.
Luna grins, “Good to hear. Now I am to understand you have a message for me. Please state your name and relay your message.”
The little colt puffs out his chest and stood proudly before the princess, “I am Thrice the fifth, I have an urgent message from my great, great grandstallion, patroller 303, Thrice the first. I am to bring you to him as soon as possible. We need to hurry, he doesn’t have long left!”
Before Thrice could process what was happening he suddenly found himself on the princess’s back and in the air.
“Where is he?”
“Canterlot general hospital,” replies Thrice. Luna took the sky, looking for the large red cross that identified the hospital.
“Hang on tight, little Thrice,” She warns the colt as she spread her wings. “This will be a bumpy flight!”
Windows shatter as Luna took off flying as fast as she could towards the big white building. She came barreling through the front door, still in midflight as her hooves touch the tile ground. Thrice yelling out which way to go as they barrel through the hallways, till he finally yells for her stop in front of room number 303, how ironic.
Letting the little colt off her back Luna enters the room. Inside a dozen ponies stood around the bed in the center of the room. Ponies, she first mistook for bat ponies, but quickly realize that there was a hint of dragon in their blood as some of them were sporting small barely noticeable patches of scales along their spines.
They part ways for her, giving small little head nods as she pass, when she reached the bed she couldn’t help but gasp. There withered and old was Thrice, patroller 303, one of the triplets, one of her ponies, one of her friends.
“Thrice…Thrice is that you?” She gently asks placing her hoof in his open claw. His claw twitches and tightens around her hoof, his grip was weak, so very weak. He had none of his strength of his youth left. That was no surprise; he had to be almost as old as her now. Tears fell from her eyes, she couldn’t believe he lived this long.
The old dragon pony’s eyes open, gray and faded, a smile playing on his lips as he opens his mouth to speak, “Thrice… reporting in… Princess…”
His breathing was labored. He was using everything he had just to talk to her.
“I’m here Thrice, its ok, I’m here. You can rest now.”
“No,” Thrice moans, his voice hoarse as the machines next to his bed began to scream loudly with a horrible buzzing sound. “One last mission… must finish mission… waited so long…”
Luna held his claw tightly between her hooves, putting up a protective shield to keep the nurses and family members away and to silence that horrible buzzing.
“What mission Thrice? What is it you need to do?”
“Sixes… castle… three keys… open the door… Allure…Nightingale…Applejack…”
“Sixes… is Sixes alive? Thrice! Thrice tell me…” it was too late. The dragon pony was gone, his claw slipping away from her hoof, limp and lifeless. Luna steps back, allowing Thrice’s family to surround him in moaning. The old dragon pony died with a smile on his face. His mission was complete.
Luna removes herself from the room. Unable to face Thrice’s family. She had stolen away his last moments from them, they probably didn’t understand the significance of those moments, but none the less she had taken them.
“Princess Luna,” a voice hesitantly asks. She looks over to see little Thrice the fifth, the colt that had brought her here and next to him a much taller pony that looked like a young Thrice. No doubt this was Thrice the fourth, Thrice’s great grandfoal.
“Yes?”
Thrice the fourth coughs, looking rather nervous, “I want to thank you for coming. I have to say, none of us believed great granddad when he said he was waiting for the Princess of the Night to return. I suppose he was in luck Fifth here, did believe him and is apparently young and stupid enough to charge out into the streets during a royal parade to get your attention.”
“He is a bold one,” chuckles Luna ruffling Thrice the fifth’s hair, “though I would advise not to such a thing again unless it is of the utmost importance of course.”
“Aye, Ma’am!” The little colt exclaims excitedly, though his excitement quickly fades as he looks into the room where his grandfather lay. Thrice huddles against his father does leg, hiding his face from the princess to try and hide his tears, his grandfather told him never to cry in front of other ponies.
“There, there, it’s ok, it was his time,” Thrice the fourth consoles his son. “Still even I’m surprised the old stallion died. Seemed like he was gonna live forever, but I guess that was foolish to believe.”
Though Luna felt the same sadness as little Thrice, but she kept herself composed, knowing the time to mourn would come later, but a question still plagued her, “How did Thrice stay alive for so long? I know dragon ponies can live for several hundred years, but how did Thrice live so much longer than the others of his kind?”
Thrice the Fourth hands his son over to a mare that could only be the foal’s mother and gestures for Luna to follow him. She did and Thrice explained.
“The old stallion told us all stories about his life as all old stallions do. He told us about his brethren and they discovered they could slow their aging by entering a deep sleep as dragons are known to do. He said it was simply a matter of timing for him. He fell as sleep five hundred years earlier than the others, never waking up once, thus drastically slowing his aging. He met some of his brethren when he awoke as they were passing through the final stages of their life. He retained some youth, probably aging fifty years in his sleep, yet still appearing relatively young. He quickly got to work courting mares and popping out foals like no tomorrow. He gave all the first born colts the name Thrice and it became sort of family tradition. He outlived his son, and his son’s son, my father Thrice the third. Saying he couldn’t die till he told you his message.”
“I see. Thank you very much for tolerating my intrusion, I know it must have very confusing for you all with my sudden and rushed appearance.”
Thrice shook his head, “No, it’s no trouble at all. Seeing you again must have been the happiest moment in the old stallion’s life. When he was hospitalized he was really troubled by the prospect of not seeing you again. He was close to having me give you the message, but he was stubborn and wanted to do it himself. Probably why he encouraged little Thrice to go get you, we adults were very unbelieving that the old stallion actually knew the newly returned the Princess. Hopefully, you can forgive us for our ignorance.”
“If you are willing, would you mind aiding me in burying Thrice? I wish to send him away like in the old days and I could use some help.”
“Princess Luna,” said Thrice the fourth. “We would be honored to help you lay him to rest.”
Evening fell over Equestria, the moon was shining high in the night as a crowd of ponies gather in the courtyard of the Castle of the Two Sisters in great numbers. Luna was amazed by how large Thrice’s family was, counting over two hundred ponies. Ponies that braved the dangers of the Everfree to come and lay to rest their sire. For without him, none of them would be here this day.
Of course, Luna personally ensured their protection by guiding them here with a few guards to help.
The bones of P-Rex and all those who had been on display were also here. Delivered by Fancy Pants ponies with the pony himself in attendance, saying he would like to pay his respects. A gesture she could not tell was genuine or political, but he seem sincere and that was enough for her. Even Celestia was here, after dealing with the fallout of the parade being interrupted and hearing the situation the elder alicorn cleared her schedule to attend. Something Luna was very grateful to her sister for.
Standing in front of the recently dug graves Luna levitates the bones of the dragon ponies first. Wishing she knew who they were, to give praise for their service to her and Celestia and Equestria as a whole. Sadly they would be only ever remembered by headstones of unknown heroes.
Next was P-Rex. The giant pony’s bones were heavy and hard for her to move, but Luna was determined to put him to rest personally. Once P-Rex’s remains were in their proper place, she looks the final pony to be laid to rest, Thrice.
Thrice’s body was covered in a midnight blue cloth, his helmet resting between his claws; it had been his only memento from his days as a patroller. Levitating his casket Luna laid him to rest and turn to the gathered ponies. She stares at them and they stare back, waiting for her to speak.
“I have known many ponies over my long life. I am sad to say not all of them have a special place in my heart, but this is not the case of Thrice. Once a long, long time ago, Thrice and his brothers, Trinity, and Trifecta served under my command. They were strong, loyal ponies that had a habit of being reckless in battle. Yet together they stood strong and they fought as one. In one of our major battles they had my flank and they kept me safe as we breached the enemy stronghold to rescue our friends. I am embarrassed to admit it, but at that time, if it had not been for the number on their flanks I would not have been able to tell who was who as they were triplets.” The crowd broke out into a subdued chuckle, the dreadful atmosphere lifting just a little. “If that wasn’t bad enough, sometimes they would wear cloaks and pretend to be one of the others to confuse me. They were pranksters and well as warriors and I have much admiration for them and I am proud to stand here before you all and tell their story. I do not know the life Thrice lived after my imprisonment on the moon, but looking at you all here today. I can safely say it was a life well lived and though I know there must have been trying times and troubles as with all families. It is the love we have for one another that forge a bond greater than anything we can ever imagine. I would like to conclude this service in the traditional way if would please join me in song.”
Taking the place of Alto, Luna stood tall and proud and began to sing, the crowd following her lead.
Once the song ends and the crowd began to file out to go home, Luna ducks from sight and enters the old castle. Thrice’s final words playing over and over in her mind like a movie reel. A fabulous new invention that plays prerecorded plays. That was beside the point; Thrice mention something about Sixes and the castle and some sort of keys.
She moves the lower levels, looking for anything out of place, passing by the memorial wall along the way. Pausing in her search she quickly adds Thrice’s name to the list, as she finishes carving in the stone Luna notices a beam of moonlight pointing at the wall. Looking up she saw that the moonlight was shining through a small window, maybe only an inch wide. Following the light she began to tap the wall, hearing a hollow sound.
“Is this… a door?” She wonders using her magic to pull the two stone slabs that made the door apart, revealing a flight of stairs. “Well, this is new.”
Trotting quickly down the stairs Luna found herself in a white marble room with a huge door! In front of the door were three statues of three very familiar ponies.
“Allure, Nightingale, Applejack… three keys…” Luna looks closer at the statues, comparing them to the memories of her friends. Something seemed off. She looked at Applejack’s statue and then Allure’s. “Applejack’s hat… it’s missing, and so are Allure’s earrings, as well as Nightingale’s medal, could they be… could they be the keys? If so, keys to what?”
Luna looks up at the huge imposing door. Something was behind it, something for her from her friends. Something important enough that they didn’t tell Celestia about it, there was no way her sister would keep something like this from her. Not that she could.
“I’ll figure this out! I swear!” Luna yells running up the stairs, excitement rushing through her as she seals the door behind her. Did she dare hope? Did she dare even dream what could be behind that door?
“Hmm, this is not it either. Damn, time to move on to the next one.” Luna disposes of the book she had just finished with a quick flick of the horn and summons another to take its place. She was reading through Equestria’s extensive genealogical records looking for the descendants of the three key bearers, Applejack, Allure, and Nightingale.
Applejack had made it easy for her. From the Apple family record, she discovered every first born daughter was given the name Applejack. The current Applejack that had helped free her from the bonds of Nightmare Moon would be Applejack Apple the ninth. Though she doubts the current Applejack ever referred to herself as such as it was a bit of a mouth full. Hopefully, this will be the last time the Apple family will need to confine themselves to the name, but that too was doubtful, even if they didn’t know the reason behind it, the name was a family tradition by now. Also there was no harm in letting it continue, it was actually kind of nice to know there would always be a Applejack around to befriend.
Opening the book Luna began searching through the list of names. She was searching for Allure’s bloodline now, something that was bound to be much more difficult than Applejack’s. She found Allure’s name and began to follow the bloodlines. The tip of her hoof ran down the extensive family tree to the present finding that Allure’s family had changed locations many times over the centuries moving to a new location every hundred years or so, from Canterlot to Las Pegasus to Manehatten back to Canterlot and then to Ponyville.
“That’s ironic.” She said making a note of the living family member’s names and locations.
From below Celestia’s voice calls out, “Luna? Luna are you in here?”
“Where else would I be, sister?” Luna lazily calls back as she continues with her note taking. She would need to visit them all in order to find Allure’s earrings.
Celestia approaches the mess that was Luna’s desk, her face scrunching up at the sight of a dry piece of vanilla cake; she would mourn the waste of cake later.
“I was hoping you would be outside, maybe getting to know your subjects again?” Celestia implored, hoping for a favorable reaction from her sister, but only getting a casual wave.
“I already had my daily spar with Spitfire. That should suffice. I have more important matters to attend to.” Luna said keeping her attention on her work, fully expecting Celestia to leave like she always did, but she didn’t. Her sister continued to stand there as the minutes slowly passed by. A surprising thing for her sister, since such an action would cause Time Keeper to throw a royal fit.
“Is there something else?”
“I worry for you, Luna. You’re not your usual self.”
That made something spark inside Luna, a feeling that she couldn’t describe, but she was certain it wasn’t a happy one. Carefully Luna set her book aside, being sure to bookmark the page and turns to give her sister her full attention.
“Not my usual self? May I dare ask what thy usual self is? For I certainly do not, at least not in these new times I find myself in. Usually, I would be inspecting the soldiers under my command and preparing them for the night’s hunt or I would be teaching the foals of the castle, or reviewing policy. But there are no monsters to hunt, all the foals go to their schools, and my opinion on policy seems to be out of date according to today’s mindset. So tell me dear sister, what is my usual self?”
There was a lot of heat in Luna’s tone. Heat Celestia hadn’t been expecting. She had given her sister space to adjust to the new era, but Celestia wondered if she failed again to understand Luna's feelings. Luna’s words played in her mind over and over till finally, she had the answer.
“Those are things you did, but they are not you, you were happy, charismatic, and determined to do whatever you set your mind to. You complain about the royal guard, and I’ll admit they are not what they should be, but what’s stopping you from training them yourself? Why not just train them like you trained the night patrollers? I certainly wouldn’t stop you. As for teaching, if you want to teach take on a student like I have and policy too, you just need to ask! You don’t need to seal yourself away Luna!”
Silence filled the air between the two sisters. Celestia stood firm, determination etched on her face, while Luna… smiled?
“What’s so funny?”
Luna’s grin threaten to split her face in half as she tries to suppress her giggles, Celestia’s firm posture changed from standing firm to looking befuddled.
“I’m sorry, I’m truly am,” giggles Luna. “I am certain anypony else would be terrified of you looking so serious, but to me, you just look so funny! Did you know you still pucker up your lip when you try to look serious?”
“Well, I tried to mimic your war face,” Celestia pouts, wondering when she went from the scary older sister to silly face maker. “And do not pucker my lips!”
“Yes, you do!” Luna laughs hysterically, “Remember when you made that face to Discord and he put lipstick on you? Saying if you wanted to kiss him you should at least put in some effort.”
The two of them share a laugh as they remember the lighter moments of their epic battle with the god of chaos.
“I did kiss his statue after the battle. Left a big red mark right on his check! It stayed there for weeks remember?”
“I do, I do,” Luna wipes a tear from her eye as her laughter finally died down. It was fun remembering the past, but she supposed it was time to address the present problems. Starting with the ones Celestia just listed, “Serious time okay?
Celestia finished her own giggles and nods, her face stiff as stone.
Luna took a deep breath and spoke, “Look Celestia. I’m well aware I could do the things you said. I could train the new guards and I’ve tried, I’ve tried to go to your school to teach, and I’ve tried to think of policies that would be of aid to you, but the truth is… I don’t want to go back to being a princess again.”
Silence fill the air as Celestia stared wide eyed at her sister.
“At least not right away,” she quickly clarifies before Celestia could speak up. “I’ve been away for a thousand years, there's a whole new world to explore and then there’s Sixes message and my powers not being restored yet. I know it sounds like I’m making excuses, but I really just want to find out what Sixes left behind and maybe go see the changes in the world for a bit. Be an adventurer again, like in the old days.”
“I understand your feelings Luna, but Starswirl…”
“Starswirl is dead!” Snaps Luna. “He’s was the one that forced this role upon us, saying that once things settled down we could return to our lives once the tribes could take care of themselves again. Well, that never really happened did it? But he got to do what he wanted. He was a candidate for the throne, but he pawned it off on us so he could go off and do his research. Never minding what happened to anypony else, including you or me!”
If there was a rebuttal to Luna’s words regarding Starswirl, Celestia did not know it. Despite having much respect for the unicorn still, she harbored feelings of betrayal against him for what he did. But that was just the way friendship was to Starswirl, a one-way street.
“Will you leave me to rule alone then?”
Luna looked away, but then quickly met her sister’s eyes, “Not forever, just for now, I ask that you please tolerate my wonder lust for just a short while longer.”
“I suppose I was foolish to think things could go back to the way things were before right away. Your right, you have the right to lead your own life. I’ll leave you alone.” Celestia turns and began to walk away, but stops midway out the door. “Will you at least consider going to the Grand Galloping Gala? You might enjoy it this year for once, Twilight and her friends will be in attendance.”
“I will consider it,” Luna answers neutrally, and adds, “You have the right to lead your own life to Celestia.”
Celestia looked gratefully up to her sister with a big smile, “I know, and I am.”
Goodnight sat staring at his drink. He has not taken one sip since ordering it, the foam off his beer having long since disappeared. In all honestly, it was really killing the mood of the room in Spitfire’s opinion as she orders up her second drink, it was just another off-duty night at the Rusty Horseshoe, except tonight the atmosphere was much more depressing.
“Goody, I bought you that drink because you seemed down, and now you wasted it. Rest of the night is on you.” Spitfire grumbles with mild annoyance about having her bits wasted. She didn’t order cheap drinks.
“Sorry, Spits. I’m just…”
“Disappointed that you disappointed Luna, yes I know, I’ve been here listening to you wallow in your superficial crap for weeks now. Look you did what you thought was right at the time and that’s all anypony can do. It’s not like Luna kicked you off her guard detail.”
Goodnight shook his head, “No, she didn’t. Still, it’s not easy getting the cold shoulder from Princess Luna.”
Spitfire’s mouth pressed into a thin line as she glares at her friend, “So what?”
“So what? That’s all you gotta say? Princess Luna probably hates me!”
“I’ll say it again, so what?” Spitfire spat getting right in Goodnight’s face, the entire bar falling silent. “It’s not your job to be pining for the princess's favor or try to be her friend, your job is to throw yourself into harm’s way and be a pony meat shield! That’s your job! That’s what you chose to do, if you can’t do that because you think the princess might not think the kindest things about you right now, then either quit or transfer!”
Goodnight’s ears flops down as he push Spitfire away. Leaning against the bar he held his head between his hooves muttering, “Maybe you're right.”
It didn’t sit well with her to see her friend so depressed, maybe going drill sergeant on him wasn’t the answer, but it was how she was used to doing things.
“Look, Goody,” Spitfire mumbles trying to find the right words to say. “What I’m trying to say is don’t take this personally. The princess is busy doing her own thing right now, heck she’ll hardly speak to me outside of our sparring routines since she started that personal research of hers. From the rumors I’ve heard not even Celestia can get through to her, so I doubt she even cares about what happened during the parade.”
Goodnight scoffed, “So it’s ok for you to be friends with her, but not me?”
“I didn’t go trying to be her friend, it just happened,” she said narrowing her eyes at him. “You don’t have feelings for Princess Luna, do you?”
“What? No!” Everypony in the bar turned towards him. Goodnight lowers his voice and whispers, “No that’s not it. It’s just… I was in the same unit with one of Thrice’s kin, that old stallion that actually knew Luna. I used to visit their home and listen to the old stallion tell stories of her and well, I guess I just wanted to try and relive those stories. Fighting by the princess’s side and being a trusted comrade and all that. It’s one of the reason’s I wanted to be on Luna’s guard detail.”
Spitfire stirs her drink with her hoof thinking back to when she first joined the guards before applying for the wonderbolts. She would be lying to say if she hadn’t had the same naïve thoughts about wanting to serve beside the princess. Her own father filling her head with his stories of heroic deeds and what not, but what he didn’t tell her and it may have been his intentions from the start, was that the royal guards almost never saw action. They hardly ever left the castle. Only on occasion when the princess was to visit someplace and only a select few were chosen for that job.
If a pony wants to see action in the Equestrian Army, they had to join either the wonderbolts or PTB, the Pony's troopers’ battalion, which the wonderbolts were a subgroup of. The battalion only numbered in a hundred ponies or so and they were the ponies that Celestia sent out to deal with threats too major for the local ponies to deal with, but still too minor to warrant her attention.
“I’m gonna go,” she told Goodnight, tonight was not the fun night she planned, maybe she could go somewhere else and salvage what she could of her last off-duty day till the Gala, but chances of that were slim as all the other wonderbolts were still on duty. “Try to cheer up, if it helps I’ll see what I can do with Princess Luna. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try and see how much she actually cares about your actions. Who knows maybe she’s already moved on?”
Goodnight slumped, his chin resting on the bar, “Yeah, thanks.”
Throwing her bits on the bar Spitfire left. Trotting out into the cool night she spread her wings and flew into the sky taking in the sight of Canterlot at night. Lazily she glides not really sure where she wants to go. She didn’t want to waste any more bits at some bar truthfully, but didn’t want to go home either.
Her eyes wonders towards the castle. “I suppose, I could go see Luna.”
Outside of sparring and that one night at the bar she had spent little time with the Princess of the Night. From their princess’s own words they were friends and by that extension her friend seems to be bothered by something. She could tell during their spars that something had Luna distracted. Spitfire had a feeling it had to do with recent events.
Changing directions Spitfire glides over to the castle. Landing outside one of the main doors, as it was illegal to just fly in through the window, wonderbolt or not. After a quick inspection by the castle guards, she let herself in.
“Let’s see I think Luna’s room was…”
“Captain Spitfire?”
The hair on the back of Spitfire’s neck rose as she turns around coming face to face with a tired looking Princess Celestia.
“What brings you here tonight?” The princess asked tilting her head in curiosity. “Nothing troublesome I hope?”
Spitfire shook her head, “No, no, I was just flying by and thought I would come and see how Princess Luna is doing. It seemed like something is bothering her since that incident at the parade two weeks ago.”
Celestia smiled, “I’m glad to see my sister has made such a good friend. She is over yonder in the study, I too have had my concerns, but I’m afraid despite leaving on good terms, things are still not well with her.”
“Did you two fight? I mean none of my business of course, but…” Celestia stops her by covering Spitfire's mouth with her hoof, a smile still plastered on the princess’s face, though it was noticeably smaller.
“Yes, we did fight, as sisters tend to do. In truth, I only desire her to take a break and relax. Hoping that perhaps the Gala might provide the chance, but Luna has a… bad history with the Gala. Perhaps you will be better up to the task.”
As Celestia walked away Spitfire could not help but call out, “If she won’t listen to you, her sister, what chance to I have?”
Celestia paused in her trot looking up at the moon in the starry night sky with a mournful expression, “It is because you are not me that you have a chance.”
The Princess of the Sun left leaving Spitfire alone in the hallway with a feeling of uncertainty as she trots for the study. She hesitated at the door, wondering if Luna would even want to see her, but she gathers her courage and enters, knocking on the door as she opened it.
“Luna? Are you still here? It’s me, Spitfire.”
“Did Celestia send you?” Luna asks from her perch up above, giving a harsh glare at that wonderbolt captain that said to choose her words carefully.
“No, I came here on my own, though I did speak to her in the hallway. If I’m intruding I’ll just leave and come back some other time.”
“That will not be necessary. Perhaps it is time to take a break anyway.” Luna levitates Spitfire up to the second level and places her on an extra stool with a cup of coffee and a brownie. “Hast thou come to part take in mare talk?”
“No, that’s not really my cup of tea, but should you be having coffee this late at night? It’s about one in the morning.”
“That depends, should you be drinking so much when off duty?” Luna shot back taking a sip of coffee followed by a bite of her brownie.
Spitfire shrugs, “Fair point I guess, and I don’t drink that much.”
“Says the mare with alcohol still on her breath, another half a dozen rounds of fireball whiskey?”
“That drink was named after my dad. Of course, I would order it, but…” Spitfire said as she meekly nimble on her treat. “Maybe three to five shots every weekend is a bit much, and weekdays, and after work when I’m not on long missions… ok, I might have a slight problem!”
“The first step is admitting it,” Luna said smugly.
Spitfire crossed her legs in a huff, “Fine, if that’s what you think, why don’t you admit you have a problem?”
“I am not on the verge of becoming an alcoholic,” Luna rebukes.
“No, but your practically a hermit since the parade, no pony outside of me and your sister hardly ever see you outside of this room! It’s not healthy!”
“I fail to see how me researching Thrice’s message, that he fought death till the last second to tell me is a problem! If I am too believe Thrice’s message Sixes maybe be alive!”
“I understand this is important to you and I’m not asking you to stop, no pony is, but can you at least slow down? Even if your right and this Sixes Thrice told you about is alive somewhere, would he really want you killing yourself because of malnourishment to find him? It’s not like Thrice actually said Sixes was alive right?”
Luna hung her head, “You are correct, Thrice did not say Sixes was actually alive, only that something is resting under the castle for me, but if he is and he’s been waiting a thousand years…”
“I think he can wait a little longer then as you research in a healthier manner,” Spitfire said, a huge gulp suddenly forming in her throat as Luna’s gaze fell upon her. “And with my help of course!”
“Truly? You wish to aid me in my quest?”
(There go my weekends.) but Spitfire nodded with determination, “You bet and Goodnight wants to help too. He’s been feeling down after the parade thing and really wants to make it up to you.”
“Hmm, I had noticed he had seemed a little down lately. I assumed he caught a cold.” Luna said aloud, making Spitfire sweatdrop. “Neither the less I will heed your advice, so what do you advise we do to relax?”
“How about going to the Gala?”
“If this is a joke, then I suggest you find better material.”
“No, no hear me out! Remember when you changed your appearance and introduced yourself as Emerald Moon to the other wonderbolts?”
Luna nodded, wondering where this was going.
“Well, what if you do that again and you attend the Gala with me and the other wonderbolts? I guarantee it will be much more fun that way than getting all dressed up.”
Luna tapped her chin in thought, trying to imagine such a thing as her enjoying the gala, but perhaps Spitfire was onto something.
“Very well, I shall attend.”
“Perfect now we just need to make you a wonderbolt in a week! I hope you're ready to study!”
The hall was a lit with dazzling bright lights and the chatter of Canterlot’s most important ponies as they dance and made merry. For once she, Luna Princess of the Night, was not being hounded by said noble ponies as she casually sips her drink in the corner of the room, dressed not in a fancy dress or anything such as that, but in a wonderbolt uniform.
Spitfire had loaned her spare uniform for the occasion, since her or Emerald Moon’s, uniform wouldn’t have been finished in time for the Gala. An unexpected twist to coming undercover to the event was the fact that Spitfire had made her take the Wonderbolt trials, which she passed, thus making her an official wonderbolt or at least her disguise Emerald Moon one.
When she asks Spitfire about the fact that there could only be six wonderbolts, the captain could only stare disbelieving at her. Asking where she heard such a thing. When told from the official wonderbolt history book, the Captain groaned aloud in disbelief.
“They still haven’t fixed that! That mistake was there when I first took the test! Of course, there are more than six wonderbolts! How else could we do shows and do missions for Princess Celestia at the same time? There are about fifty wonderbolts. Six of us just do the shows on the side to help fund the camps and stuff. Heck, only Soarin, Fleetfoot, and I are the only regular performers, the other three are always being switched out, but nopony notices, probably because I’m so good.” Spitfire finished with her patient smirk.
Spitfire had continued to rave about her own skill for the rest of her celebration dinner, which had been held at the Rusty Horseshoe. Where Luna had eaten her first hayburger and fries and found she loved them to the point of ordering the castle staff to make them for her. That stopped after she found out how fattening they were.
After the celebration, Luna spent the last week till the Gala going about her usual routine, with some exceptions. Seems many wonderbolts were eager to meet “Emerald Moon” since Spitfire has been so graciously singing her praises. Leading her to have to adopt her disguise more often than she had ever plan to. If Luna was being honest she loved the fact she got the chance to just “hang out” as the new term was and be a normal pony. What she didn’t like was she couldn’t do it as herself. She had once represented the element of honesty, it didn’t sit well with her to pretend to be somepony else.
“Hey Emerald, why are you sitting in the corner, it’s a party out there!” boasted Fleetfoot with a deep red hue on her face, meaning she was drunk. “Spits is chatting up with the winner of the young fliers competition. Seems she scouting her next recruit, don’t get jealous now.”
“I am hardly concerned. In fact, I welcome any new flier as long as they pass the standards,” Luna replies, knocking cups with Fleetfoot.
“Ahem sister! Can’t have any snowflakes in the bolts! Wahoo!”
Fleetfoot flew off into the crowd, snatching a dance partner from the mass of ponies. Luna could only shake her head at Fleetfoot’s antics. She was certainly an easy going mare when off duty. Kind of like Nightingale, actually Spitfire was a lot like Nightingale too.
“Seems your spirit lives on my friend,” she said under her breath, thinking fondly of the metal winged pegasus. She would never forget what Nightingale did for her and Luna liked to think she would be proud of the wonderbolts that Firefly and her trained. They have truly restored her faith in Equestria’s new military.
“There you are Emerald! Look who I go here,” Spitfire boasts presenting a star struck blue mare with rainbow hair. “Emerald Moon meet Rainbow Dash winner of the young flier competition, Rainbow Dash meet Emerald Moon our newest Wonderbolt. If you’re serious about joining the bolts look no further than the new recruit that got a hundred percent score!”
“I only got a ninety-eight percent overall,” Luna rebutted, not wanting to lie more than she had to. Especially to the mare that now bared one of her former elements, the element of loyalty. One of the ponies that freed her from Nightmare’s control, she would be more impressed if Rainbow’s cheeks didn’t look like they were about to explode from excitement.
Spitfire shrugs off her comment, “I round up. Anyway, I’m gonna leave you two alone. I gotta go pull Soarin away from his pie. He owes me a dance.”
(Did she just dump Rainbow Dash on me?) Luna wonders as she stood nervously under the blue mare’s excited gaze, it was the same look she got when she was the Princess, the look of somepony thinking you were a god or something. She didn’t like it.
“Hi…”
“Oh my gosh! It’s so great to meet you! I mean I never heard of you before, but Spitfire talks so highly of you, so that must mean you’re really, really, awesome! Please, please tell me how you became a wonderbolt? What it the greatest moment of your life or what?”
(Ok… she’s excited…)
Coughing into her hoof Luna took a moment to try and organize her thoughts. Did she tell the truth or tell an embellished lie? To be frank, she’s had enough dishonesty lately, so it was time for some truth. She hopes it doesn't sour the young pegasus’s mood too much.
“Well… one day I was found wondering the Wonderbolt base by accident and I challenged Spitfire to spar, saying if I win she would let me go and I won and she later asked me to take the wonderbolt test and I passed and here I am.”
Rainbow Dash only stared at her, unblinking with her jaw slacked.
“Is that it? You weren’t training and dreaming for this your entire life and you didn’t have to go through the academy either?”
“Nope.”
“That is… AWESOME! You must be the greatest flier in all of Equestria! I gotta challenge you someday! Hey if I beat you does that mean I can bypass the academy too? That would be so awesome!”
(Wow, she has an ego. Yet she has a charm to her too, another one that might have Nightingale’s spirit. I wouldn’t be surprised if all of them were descents of Nightingale.)
As Luna opens her mouth to speak, but Spitfire came back with a swaying Fleetfoot underwing. Spitfire looking none too happy with her wing pony, if Luna was into making bets she would say Fleetfoot got in the way of Spitfire’s and Soarin’s dance. Most likely Fleetfoot was about to do something embarrassing and there was no way Spitfire could let it slide. As captain, it was her job to keep up the wonderbolts public image.
“Hey, Emmy wanna help me with Fleetfoot here? She needs to lie down… um… Em….”
“Do not call me that,” Luna snaps at her making everypony recoil at just how angry she sounded. Ponies turned to see what the fuss was about making Luna hide her face beneath her bangs as she walks away, leaving Spitfire stunned.
“What was that about?” Asks Rainbow Dash, saddened she didn’t get to hear Emerald’s answer to her question.
“I don’t know,” Spitfire replies dejectedly, “Here take care of her; just don’t let her end up with some stallion.”
Spitfire didn’t stay for Rainbow’s gushing over being given custody over Fleetfoot’s wellbeing and quickly chased after Princess Luna. At one of the corridors that led to the bathrooms, she saw a trail of wet droplets. Great, she had made the princess cry.
Tapping the bathroom door she got no reply, after making sure no pony else was around, she entered. Inside Spitfire found Luna still in disguise staring at the mirror with a river of tears falling from her cheeks.
“Um… Luna… are you ok? I’m sorry if I said something I shouldn’t have,” Spitfire said gently, uncertain what was wrong with the princess. She wasn’t wailing, so that was good, but she wasn’t making any other sounds either except for breathing as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.
“I shouldn’t have taken this face,” Luna said suddenly, touching her face with her hoof. “This face… a face of a friend. A friend I killed. Her name was Emerald Cutter, but her nickname was Emmy. She was one of my patrollers, a pony I trusted and wanted to protect. She was the first to try and stop me after I had become Nightmare Moon. Two times she rose up to stop me. The first time I hurt her, the second, I killed her. I blew her heart to pieces all over the castle walls. I watched her die as our friends surrounded her in shock of what I had just done.”
Speechless Spitfire walks up and sat next to Luna and laid her wing on the princess’s back and held her close. The princess continued to cry in silence, mourning the friend she killed.
Another year another boring Gala standing and greeting ponies, really she should outsource this job. Sure one of the perks of attending the Gala was to meet the princess, but did she have to greet everypony? At least this year she had someone to suffer alongside her, her faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. That may sound mean, but watching her student's adorable antics were her only source of entertainment. Though she had feeling Twilight would rather be discussing spell mechanics then shaking hooves, which made two of them.
Smiling at another faceless noble, not that he was faceless, she just stopped paying attention. She was almost like a machine at this point. Say ‘welcome to the Gala’ watch Twilight make a funny face as she was interrupted, shake a hoof and repeat.
(I wonder if I could make a machine me to do this. No, the mirror pool! Make one mirror pool clone and teach only how to greet and shake. Hopefully, no pony else finds that. Also, I should probably try and find the last of the clone pony guards and dispel them. I like the Bison and Stronghold clones, but I suppose it’s time to get rid of them. I wish Shining armor hadn’t started dying everyponies coats white, I can’t tell which ones are the clones and who are the real ponies!)
“Um… Princess Celestia… what are you talking about?”
Celestia’s eyes widened, was she muttering her thoughts again?
“Talking about what Twilight?” She smiled hoping her student didn’t overhear too much.
“Um… something about clones…?”
(Crap.)
Celestia smiled and patting Twilight on the head while laughing, “Oh Twilight, I was simply thinking of… a book… I read recently… a fiction book about clones. Certainly, I would not suggest twenty-five percent of the royal guards are actually ponies I cloned using a magical pool of water.”
Twilight blinks, “That’s… oddly… specific.”
“I jest Twilight, I jest, I was merry testing your sense of humor. I was curious to see if your new friends have had any effect in that regard is all.”
“Oh,” Twilight said suddenly beaming with excitement, “did I pass?”
She managed to dig herself out a hole, time to fill it in, “Yes. You passed, let’s go get some refreshments.”
“But what about the… oh… we’re done. We’re done! Yay!”
(I feel her excitement) thought Celestia, usually she was greeting ponies till the Gala ended, but with Twilight’s help, she managed to get done in half the time. (I’m outsourcing that job next year. Maybe Fancy’s wife can sub, she’s beautiful mare. Put a crown on her head and ponies probably can’t tell the difference between her and me. Speaking of which, did I clone myself once?)
As Celestia and Twilight enter the main hall they came upon a scene of chaos as animals ran rampant and ponies scurried about in a panic. A yellow mare, who Celestia recognized as Twilight’s friend come screaming in from the gardens, while a white mare screamed at Blueblood, both covered in cake, pillars were on the ground, it was just like the Gala her last… second to last student… attended when she brought her friends.
Luckily for Twilight, who was looking ready to freak out, she knew the answer to the situation. Celestia whispered “Run” to her adorable student, who called her friends to her and together they all from the rolling dumpster fire that was the Gala, one of Twilight’s friends breaking a glass slipper on the stairs as they ran. Celestia picked up the shattered shoe and tossed into the trash as she followed the six mares to a local donut shop where Spike was eating his fill on the sugary pastries.
It was here Celestia imparted some of her vast wisdom upon the young group of mares, “Oh Twilight, the Grand Galloping Gala is always awful. That’s why I was so glad you and your friends wanted to attend. I was hoping you could liven things up since Luna didn’t want to come.”
“Princess Luna didn’t want to attend? I mean I can see why now, but still wouldn’t she want to meet everypony after getting back?”
The question though innocent brought about much darker memories for the alicorn, but she put on her best smile to keep the lively atmosphere alive.
“Luna and the Gala have never mixed well. She’s had… some really bad times there.” (Like getting cow manure dumped on her by Yellowblood) “Really I wanted her to come meet a certain pony tonight more than anything.”
“Who is that if I may ask?” Asked the white mare, Rarity was her name if Celestia remembered correctly. “Must be somepony important?”
“She’s important to us,” Celestia answers. “Though she may not know how much, she’s descendant of a friend we knew long ago, I was hoping to introduce them, but perhaps tonight was not the best time.”
“Oh, oh who is this pony? Do we know them?” The pink one, Pinkie was her name, shout excitedly.
“You certainly met her, actually there were two ponies I wanted her to meet,” Celestia said looking right at Applejack, though the others didn’t seem to notice, “But perhaps another time would work better. I bid you fillies good night. I must retire.”
“Goodnight Princess Celestia,” they all said, quickly falling back into their conversation.
Outside Celestia orders the two guards that finally caught up to her to stand outside the donut shop and ordered them to make sure the group of friends made it home safe or if it was too late to make it back to Ponyville then to bring them to the castle. They had plenty of room there and it would be a long ride back to the little town by carriage.
Flying up to the castle Celestia flew into Luna’s room, fully expecting to see her sister hard at work again, but instead found the room vacant. Doing a quick search spell she found her sister’s presence not far away within the castle bounds, but defiantly further than the kitchen or the bathroom.
“Did she go to the Gala after all? How nice. I hope she enjoyed herself and at least got to hear Octavia play.” Celestia looked over the notes spread about the table, not really reading them as she was thinking of when Octavia’s next concert was, she was sure Luna would love to go see it. As she neared the end of the notes though a picture circled in red caught her attention. The picture was of the medal she gave Nightingale for her service during the Crystal War. Why would Luna be looking for that?
The door to the study opened. Not wanting to be accused of spying Celestia quickly hid, which in hindsight would look like spying, but it was too late to change her mind now. Spitfire and Luna climb the stairs with both of them clad in wonderbolt uniforms.
(Interesting. She went in disguise. How clever of her, I hope she got to enjoy… and those are tears on her face. Dammit! Can’t Luna ever just enjoy a night of dancing and merry making; was that so wrong for harmony’s sake?)
Spitfire helped Luna to the stool, standing beside her sister and asking if she was ok. Luna, of course, answered she was fine because she didn’t like ponies worrying about her and urged Spitfire to go home. The wonderbolt captain did so, but clearly very reluctantly.
“You can come out, I know your there Celestia,” Luna said aloud.
She stepped out nervously, “Sorry I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”
“I know,” Luna replied, “I sensed your presence just before we entered. If you’re gonna hide at least shield your magic.”
“I’ll remember that for the future,” said Celestia walking up to stand beside Luna as her sister began to peer over her research. “So these are the keys you are searching for that will open the door beneath the old castle?”
Luna nodded, “Correct. I have found one, but Allure’s Earrings and Nightingale’s badge are still from my grasp. I want to find all them as soon as possible.”
“Perhaps, I could be of help.”
Luna’s body went rigged as she slowly turned to stare at her, “You know the locations of one of the keys? Where and for how long?”
That distrustful tone again, it saddens her to be reminded of the trust lost between them, “Only till now. Had you told me what you were looking for I would have told you right away,” Celestia points to Nightingale’s badge. “After she left to see the world Nightingale left her most treasured possessions to a certain pony.”
“Who,” demanded Luna.
“I will tell you, but I want you to do something for me first and before you ask it’s nothing political. I just want to spend time together and I know the moment I tell you, you will go rushing off. I want to spend just a little quantity time together before you go world trotting.”
“So the location is outside of Equestria’s borders then, fine I will agree to your terms, what do you want to do?”
“I wish for us to see a concert together. One of the performers is a pony I think you would like to meet.” Luna stares skeptically at her, which was fine, she didn’t like being so cryptic with her sister, but she also wants this to be a surprise. “Please, Luna?”
Luna sighed in defeat, “No need to beg, I will attend thy concert wholeheartedly. The music of this new era has proven to have much appeal. Now the location and the pony I seek.”
“Like I said Nightingale gave her badge to a certain pony in a faraway land in the east.”
“A pony in the far east…Kira!” Luna shouts with excitement upon her realization, “Does that mean?”
Celestia nods, “Nightingale’s badge is in Nippon.”
Octavia Melody, earth pony and renown cellist known far and wide throughout Equestria for her skills and talent. A reputation she was bound and determined to keep as she thought of the embarrassing debacle that had been her Grand Galloping Gala performance. She fears all her hard work would be for not after that night. Luckily before anypony could begin to question her skills after that dreadful pink pony made her play the pony polka, an envoy from the palace arrived with a letter, a letter that could just save her career.
The princesses, both Celesta and the newly returned Princess Luna, were to attend the next concert! What luck on her part!
Alas, all good news comes with bad. Her bandmates, ponies she had thought she could count on through thick and thin, have deserted her after mutters of her career possibly being over. Many of her sponsors didn’t want to associate with her because of what happened at the Gala. Asif she had been the one to incite all the chaos! Noble logic at its best! None the less she now found herself in a solo act with the two most influential ponies in all the land to attend.
Her nerves were at their wits ends as she checked over her beloved cello, a gift from her sister, for any defects in sound. A task usually left to the tuner after she had begun to make it big and a skill she was out of practice in. There was no pony better than Perfect Pitch when it came to tuning instruments and she wishes more than ever he was here. No matter what she tries she could not seem to get her cello in tune. With no other ponies playing with her, any mistake or out of tune sound would be heard loud and clear. She had to get it just right!
A knock at the door broke Octavia’s concentration. She grumbles under her breath at the disturbance. None the less she put on a smile; one must never be rude when answering the door, her mother always told her. You never knew who could be on the other side.
“Who is it?” There was no answer. A normal pony would think this was the work of a prankster, but Octavia knew better. She opened the door, her smile becoming genuine at the sight of her blue-haired unicorn sister, DJ-Pon3 or as their parents named her, Vinyl Scratch Melody. “Vinyl, you came!”
Vinyl nods her head while keeping in beat with whatever tune was playing in her headphones. The white unicorn producing a box of Octavia’s favorite chocolates and embracing her sister, mindful not to mess up Octavia’s hair or makeup.
“For me? Oh Vinyl, thank you! They’re such a thoughtful gift.” Octavia places the chocolates on the table beneath the vanity mirror and opens the box. inside was her favorite candy, peanut butter, and caramel chocolates made all the way back in their hometown of Ponyville.
She removes two of the tasty treats and hands one to Vinyl, “One before the show for luck and one after celebration or heartbreak. Mom’s old motto, remember?”
“Why’d you think I brought them? I knew you’d be nervous playing in front of the princesses alone (cough, cough),” Vinyl broke out into a violent coughing fit that seemed without end. Quickly Octavia reaches into Vinyl’s saddlebag and produces a needle and stuck it in the unicorn’s neck! Pushing the plunger, Octavia releases the medicine inside. The coughing stopped instantly.
“Vinyl, you just finished having surgery on your throat! You know you can’t speak until you’re fully recovered!” Chides Octavia, Vinyl mouths a silent sorry as she held her throat. “I know, I know, you just wanted to encourage me and I appreciate it, but you need to think of your health.”
Vinyl paws at the floor with a sullen face as she mouths words that only Octavia could understand. The gray earth pony’s ears flop down against her head as she interprets her sister’s speech.
“I’ll come home soon, I promise. I just need to stay here a little longer to get the money needed to pay the medical bills.” Vinyl mouths some more words. “Yes, yes, I know it would have been cheaper to go to the hospital in Ponyville, but they have better doctors here in Canterlot. Sure it was more expensive, but you were able to see the best throat doctors in all of Equestria and that’s what counts. I would do anything to hear your voice again all the time, even if it means playing in this dreadful city for a few more months.”
Vinyl sighs, her sister didn’t get it. She just wants her home, it was lonely coming home alone and she knew Octavia felt the same. She was just too stubborn to admit it. With nothing else to say, Vinyl mouths, ‘good luck’ and left Octavia to her tuning, only to stop when she heard Octavia play a few cords. Turning around Vinyl grabs the cello from her sister, who fumes at her.
“Vinyl I appreciate the visit, but there is very little time and I…” Octavia’s words died in her throat as Vinyl began to tune her cello to near perfection. Once her DJ sister seemed satisfied with the sound she hands it back via magic and left to take her seat.
“Wait Vinyl… when… how… since when do yo know how to tune a cello?”
The unicorn stops in the door, turned around, then smiles and winks at her sister and continues on her way. Vinyl wishing she had a camera for the look on Octavia’s face. It was priceless.
“I suppose that can wait till later then,” Octavia muses as she heard her cue to go on stage. She really hopes the princesses liked her performance. She needs to keep her fame just a little while longer to get the money she needs.
“This event seems…”
“Empty?” Spitfire states as she sat red faced, tugging at the dress she was forced to wear. Why did she need to wear a dress? Sure she was invited by Luna to come to the concert, but why did the royal dresser guy force her into one of these frilly things? Also, why was it pink!
“Huh, I’m certain this is the night of the concert, is it not Time Keeper?” Celestia asks the royal scheduler.
Timekeeper, noise in the air, checks his watch, “It is indeed is your majesty, the show is set to start in less than two minutes. Shall I countdown the remaining time aloud?”
“No, that will not be necessary.” Celestia turns her attention to her sister. “When you said you were bringing a guest I had hoped you might have a coltfriend, but marefriend is ok too I guess.”
Luna rolled her eyes, “You teasing is in need of upgrading, dear sister. Now tell us, who are we about to watch upon the stage? You have kept very tight-lip about the performer’s identity since bringing up this concert. Surely there is no need to keep it a secret even now is there?”
“Be patient Luna, you already waited a week, why ruin the surprise? Your flight to Nippon is not until tomorrow anyway.”
Luna crosses her forelegs in a huff, “I suppose. I hope the military airships are better than the civilian ones I have seen. I know we live in an age of peace, but to have no armament on any vessel is truly foolish. How do you fend off air pirates?”
“A team of fliers usually accompanies a military ship for security, while most civilian ships hire their own private security force from some merc guilds or anypony willing to take the job,” Spitfire answers in a bored tone. “There really isn’t much for pirate activity. At least in the air, by sea, you’ll still find a good number of pirate ships sailing around.”
Spitfire felt a chill down her spine and looks over to see Princess Celestia giving her a stern glare. Seems she wasn’t supposed to tell Luna about the pirate problem in the Saddle Arabian Sea.
“Oh look the show is starting!” Spitfire announces as the curtains rose, taking the attention of both sisters of her. She really didn’t like sitting between these two.
Thankfully for Spitfire, Luna seems fine with letting the matter go as her attention turns towards the stage, finally laying eyes on the pony Celestia wanted her to meet so badly. The Princess of the Night gasps at the sight of the lone gray mare holding a cello on stage.
“Alto… no… her descendant,” Luna remarks taking note of the mare’s lack of a crystal coat and the different, yet musical themed mark upon her flank. A feeling of overwhelming joy spread throughout her chest as she watches the gray tone mare get into position. “What’s her name?”
Celestia felt overjoyed by her sister’s reaction, she knew Luna would be interested once she saw Octavia, “Her name is Octavia Melody. Alto’s direct descendent, I’ve kept watch on her family over the years. Her parents left the city before she was born to a smaller town, I believe she has a sister… oh, there she is, the white unicorn in the front row. I can’t quite remember her name I’m afraid.”
“You mean the only pony here besides us?” Luna asks looking down at the seats below. Why were there no other ponies here? “Did you buy all the tickets for the show?”
The Sun Princess shook her head, “Of course not. I wonder what’s going on. I know she’s very talented and has gained much fame since she began her career. It is strange no other ponies came to see her.”
“I think,” Spitfire spoke up while pointing down at the stage. “The empty seats might be getting to her.”
Down on stage Octavia stood with her bow down by her side with wet hot tears falling from her face. She’s been expecting a low turnout due to recent events, but this? This was inconceivable, it was downright soul shattering to the point she hadn’t even noticed the royal guests sitting high on the second floor.
She just broke down.
Luna, not one to sit idly by when a pony was in distress. Jump from her seat and took flight, gliding down to the main floor of the theater, Celestia and Spitfire not far behind her. She trots straight towards the crying mare, passing by Vinyl who had been on her way to comfort Octavia with her own tears seeping out from behind her shades. The white unicorn came to halt, awestruck as Luna passed by, walks onto the stage and led a hoof on her crying sister.
“What is wrong?”
Octavia wiped at her tears with her foreleg, thinking Vinyl was the one to come confront her. Her ears were hurting from the stress, so she couldn’t tell the difference between voices.
“I told you can’t talk yet, you're still recovering,” Octavia chided, as she tries to compose herself. “And can’t you see what’s wrong! Your eyes still work last I checked! Look around! No pony… no pony came. Not even the Princesses. I’m a failure. My reputation was ruined thanks to the pink pony at the Gala, now… now I won’t be able to pay for the rest of your treatments! And on top of that, I got a runny nose from the crying and it’s all over my leg and… are you laughing Vinyl? I assure you this is no laughing matter!”
Octavia’s vision finally cleared and immediately wished a piano would fall on her. “You’re… not Vinyl…” She said slowly as her brain tried to do a quick reboot realizing she had just been yelling at Princess Luna! With snot running down her face!
“Indeed I am not,” Luna grins as she levitates over some Kleenexes and began to clean Octavia’s muzzle like a mother would a child. Octavia’s face lit up brighter than heartwarming decorations. “I apologize for laughing, though. You seem to be having a bit of rough time. Forgive me if it seemed like I found your troubles humorous, I do not I assure you, but… well… you remind me of an old friend. Who was once in a similar situation and I found the parallel rather ironic.”
“I see,” Octavia said as she peeks her head around Luna’s body, only to hide it again once she caught sight of Celestia and Spitfire standing behind her. “I should be the one apologizing. You came to see my show, but I was so overwhelmed by the… lack of attendance. I went into shock and… it was just very unprofessional. I can’t imagine you would still want to see me play after this.”
“Quite the contrary actually, I would love to hear you perform, once you are ready to of course. What say you sister, Spitfire? Shall we wait?”
“Fine by me,” Spitfire shrugged, “Shows been more interesting than any other I’ve been dragged to before.”
“Seems like a good time to get some snacks too, and perhaps some better seats,” Celestia said smiling. “Mind if we join you down here Miss Vinyl? The view is much better as is the sound.”
Vinyl nodded as she trotted over and helped Octavia to her hooves.
“Actually,” Octavia said getting everyponies attention, “If you don’t mind waiting a little longer. I would like to turn this solo into a duet. I promise it will be worth the wait.”
“Sounds exciting, we will be waiting,” Said Luna following Celestia to concessions.
Once they were gone Octavia turns and embraces her sister, “You know what to do right?”
Vinyl nodded, grinning as she gave a hoof bump and mouthing a long list of words.
“I couldn’t agree more, this will be awesome.”
The two sisters quickly set to work. Calling on the stagehooves for help, they brought in Vinyl’s large speakers and a turntable in record time. Why her sister had all her musical equipment mounted onto a cart Octavia didn’t know or care. This would probably her last show; she might as well go out with a loud bang with her uncouth sister beside her.
The princesses and Captain Spitfire return from their snack adventure. Clearly in awe of the new set up on stage. They took their seats in front and wait.
“I apologize for the delay your majesties, I fear my sister and I will only have time for one song, but it is one we have created together. This will be the first show we ever perform in Canterlot together and most likely the last, but I’m proud to sing this song that was written with the help of my dear sister.”
She nodded to Vinyl, who nods back as she plops on her headphones. The sound of the music machines buzz as Octavia raised her bow, this was it. Her and Vinyl’s creation, she just wished Vinyl was the one singing.
Octavia started to hum as soft piano music plays from Vinyl’s machines. The song grew, gaining power as more interments joined in and as the growing roar of sound grew to even higher heights Octavia began to play her cello and then she began to sing. The music growing with power as their marks began to glow creating a visual spectacle that depicted their lives growing up. The images showed their youth, their fights and their reunions. As the song drew to an end, the image of Vinyl being attacked appeared and Octavia rushing to her side. The song ended with the light image of Octavia staying by her sister’s side fading away. The two sisters exchanged tearful smiles as their meager, yet ecstatic audience jumped to their hooves and gave a thunderous applause.
“Thank you, thank you, your majesties and Captain Spitfire, you are too kind.” Octavia bowed, Vinyl ran up and caught her in a flying hug; bring the gray mare to the floor. “Vinyl, must you be so silly? I’ve been embarrassed enough this night already!”
Vinyl just snickered silently at her as she got off. Octavia rolled on her side, springing to her hooves in a practiced motion that said she did this often. Once she’s cleaned the dust off her coat she was curious to find the Princesses having a soft conversation, each one wearing a big grin of excitement. She wondered what they were talking about. She didn’t wait long as Luna came bounding up to her, grabbing both her and Vinyl around the neck with her forelegs.
“We have decided, we as in my sister and I, not the royal we as I, have decided to invite you to supper tonight with us. After such a fantastic performance I am certain you are well famished.”
“We appreciate the offer, but…” Octavia’s and Vinyl’s stomachs did a duet of their own, in loud growls of hunger. “We will accept it seems.”
Both Octavia and Vinyl blushed red, holding their stomachs.
“Fantastic, come we will escort you,” Luna said ushering the two down the center alley towards the exit. Celesta and Spitfire followed, enjoying the sight of Luna being so happy.
The group of five broke out onto the streets with collective amounts of gasps and chatter in their wake. Many of the denizens of Canterlot despite living in Canterlot never thought they would see the Princesses just walking down the street, with no royal guards escorting them none the less.
“Is Captain Spitfire their guard?” One noble mare questioned another.
“She can’t be, look she’s wearing a dress! I’ve never seen her in such a thing, not even during the Gala!”
Another noble, a stallion, pointed towards the two musicians, “Look, is that not Octavia Melody and DJ-Pon3? What are they doing with the princesses?”
“Indeed,” The first noble mare scoffed, “After the Gala, I would have thought she would have left the city by now… wait how do you know that unicorn is DJ-Pon3?”
The noble stallion looked back with frantic eyes, “How do you know who she is?”
They both turned away, pretending to have never spoken, leaving the third bluffed and confused.
The restaurant ‘La hoof’ was their destination. Naturally, the princesses had a standing reservation as the establishment was one of Celestia’s favorites. In order not to disturb the other customers, a private section was set aside for the royal guests. Allowing her to dine in peace and not have to remove any guess from their table. Extra chairs were acquired for the royal entourage, menus were disturbed and the privacy curtain was closed, allowing the five mares to talk amongst them in peace.
“I’m curious dear Octavia, how is it that your sister, who is also very musically gifted, ended up with the stage name of DJ-Pon3? Also why it is she is not able to speak? Was she born mute?”
Octavia set down her tea and sighed, “That is a rather long, funny, yet depressing story. I suppose could just as well start in order. Starting with the fact Vinyl’s real name is Vinyl Melody, not Scratch; she changed it to Scratch when we decided on creative differences to go our own separate ways in our musical careers. I had gotten my first big gig before her and in a foolish, yet sweet gesture, changed her name so the press couldn’t link us together. Canterlot high society was not very inclined with the raising dance club music genre.”
Vinyl lightly hit Octavia, speaking a lengthy silent sentence to her sister, “Sorry, sorry, dubstep or pop or rock, whatever you call it! Sheesh. Moving on, Vinyl gets a gig at a club and to further separate herself from me she took on the much more ridiculous manicure of DJ-Pon3. Needless to say, it was a very effective idea.”
Setting down her drink Luna said, “I see. I find myself embarrassed to admit I had thought DJ-Pon3 was your real name. I had feared things have changed beyond my comprehension. On the other hoof though I suppose having a number in a name should not be so foreign to me. One of my best friends was named Sixes after all.”
Octavia chewed her cheek as she mulled the name over in her head, “Sixes… I feel like I’ve heard that name before, but I don’t know where. What about you Vinyl? Anything come to mind?” The white unicorn shrugged and pointed to her neck. “Oh, right, sorry. On to the topic of Vinyl’s muteness, though I fear it is a far less humorful tale.”
“If it is too hard to speak off, you need not tell it,” Luna said sensing the change in mood. She peered closer at the spot on Vinyl’s neck the white unicorn had pointed to and found a discoloring in her coat in the shape of a long thin line. She knew what that meant.
“Well, Vinyl doesn’t seem to mind. It was only a few months ago really. Vinyl started to really gain popularity, which was good. I was always worried when she would perform at those seedy venues. Unfortunately, some crazy fan didn’t seem to like that Vinyl was moving up to better things. He waited outside the rear exit and attacked her, slashing her throat with a knife. Luckily the wound wasn’t deep, and some of the club workers were able to get her to a doctor, but the surgery was… messy. Vinyl’s vocal cords were extreme damaged and I… I…” Octavia began to tear up. Remembering just standing there useless as her sister lay on the operating table, her white coat stained with blood. A gentle hoof rubbed her back and she turned to see Vinyl smiling and mouthing ‘it’s ok’. Smiling back Octavia composed herself, coughing in her hoof as the others diverted their gazes. “Yes, well, let’s just leave it at that.”
“Sounds good to me,” Spitfire said soberly. “I think I need a drink after that. Anypony wanna join me?”
Octavia nodded, “I think I shall, and so will Vinyl.”
“As will I,” said Luna, her anger boiling beneath the surface. That pony better be in the deepest pits and if he wasn’t, she would ensure he was.
The food arrived with their drinks and for several minutes only the sound of chewing was the only sound being made. The mood for talking sullied by the dire story of Vinyl’s attack and their hunger. During the course of enjoying her potato, onion and carrot soup Octavia asked a question.
“Pardon me, Princesses,” Octavia said setting aside her empty plate. “While I’m thankful for you attending my show, I must admit something has been bothering me.”
Celestia wiped the cheese from her cheesy broccoli from her muzzle, giving Octavia her full attention, “And what is that?”
“Well… it’s just… no pony else came to my show, but you did, not only that you even waited longer than normal for it to start and saw my… embarrassing scene. I know you have always been kind Princess Celestia, and you to seem very kind as well Princess Luna, but I can’t help but find it weird you would treat me so nicely. Again not to say your majesties are unkind, it’s… I’m just a mare from a small town trying to make it in the big city. Why are you giving me so much attention?”
Celestia tapped her chin, “I suppose I can see why would be so confused. Very well, I will be frank. I wanted my sister to meet you.”
Octavia recoiled at the statement in surprise, her eyes wide with shock, “Me? But why? I’m no pony special.”
“Alto Melody,” Luna answered looking nostalgically at Octavia, she was almost a carbon copy of Alto, minus not being a crystal pony. “She was a dear friend to us a thousand years ago and your ancestor. My sister believed it would help me adjust to the new era by meeting you, thinking perhaps your resemblance to your ancestor would offer me a bit of familiarity.”
Luna looked sharply at her sister, who smiled sheepishly back. “At least that’s what I assume her plan was. Neither the less, it was nice to see a familiar face again. I hope we can become friends Octavia and you as well Vinyl.You two are an interesting pair of ponies. You remind me a lot of me and Celestia actually.”
Octavia picked at her meal, a tidal wave of emotions rushing through her. Here she had thought she was beginning to think she was somepony special, like Twilight Sparkle and the like. Not that she really wanted to be like the princess’s student, but well… she wasn’t sure what to think. She just happens to look like a pony they knew. Then Luna’s last sentence registered finally.
“We remind you of you? I find that unlikely. No offense, but I don’t really see the similarities.”
Giggling Luna took a moment to regain her composure by taking a drink of cider before answering Octavia, “Sorry, but without knowing Celestia’s and I’s personal history I suppose you probably can’t see the similarities. Just looking at you two I see a lot of us in you. Such as your coat colors are opposite, yours being gray and Vinyl’s being white, such as mine is black and Celestia’s white, you two are both talented musicians yet practice different styles, again similar how Celestia controls the sun and I control the moon, and finally you are like me, Octavia. We are both serious, while Vinyl and Celestia are playful.”
“I guess, I never thought of it like that.” Admitted Octavia, she was beginning to see what the princess was talking about.
Luna nodded, a smile playing on her lips as she played with her glass of cider, “All it takes is a different perspective and some insight and you will begin to see things in a different way. I digress, we have asked questions of you and your past is there anything you wish to know about us?”
Anything she wanted to know? How many ponies had a chance like this? Still was there anything she really wanted to know? She wasn’t a historian. Not that history didn’t interest her, it’s just wouldn’t really affect her very much. Should she ask what kind of music they like? No, that would be a waste, they seemed like they liked just about any music. They were a thousand years old. Did she… did she dare ask about what happened to Luna? No that seemed too personal, perhaps…
“Can you tell us about Alto? It would be interesting to hear more about the pony that started our family. We have a few records or her, but nothing much in detail.”
“Very well,” Luna replied, thinking back. “Let’s see I didn’t know her for long, only a few years before I was sealed, but I guess a good place to start would be the fact Alto originally come from the Crystal Empire and was a pony of high status there. I don’t know how much, but she was high enough nobility that she attended a dinner during my final visit there before the Empire was destroyed.”
“Wait,” Interrupted Octavia, “We, as in Vinyl and me, are descendants of some foreign noble?”
“Yes,” Luna confirmed, “And not only that but a crystal pony. Though it seems your family has suppressed the crystal coat genes through the years, but I’m sure if you wanted to you could activate a crystal form. Not that it would really change anything; you would just be see-through and shiny. Alto did have a talent for creating light shows like you did earlier.”
Octavia looked perplexed “Light show… I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about. Vinyl did you do something with your magic?” The white unicorn shook her head, equally confused.
A knowing smile spread across Luna’s lips, “I see. Seems you activated the spell unknowingly. I imagine with some practice you could learn to do it at will, which would certainly be a great boon to your shows. I could see it becoming the greatest show in Equestria.”
“I think I would like to return home to Ponyville before doing any more shows. There are some things that Vinyl and I need to address before we can think about starting our music careers again.”
“Vinyl’s medical bills I assume?”
The gray mare nodded, a deep sigh escaping her lips as she calculated the amount of money left to repay. It wasn’t a great amount, but it was a bit overwhelming with the income from her shows gone. Vinyl did her best to chip in, but DJ’s in small towns don’t get paid a lot or very often. Even being a popular DJ in Canterlot didn’t really equal big bits. There were a lot DJ’s and only so many high paying gigs. Things certainly would be tough for a while.
“What if I paid them,” Luna offered, surprising the Melody sisters.”
“We couldn’t ask you of that.”
“You’re not, I’m offering if you don’t want to I understand. Not many ponies like to take charity. I would urge you to take it, though, money is not a large concern for beings as old as Celestia and me, assuming our mountain of treasure is still safe and plentiful after a thousand years.”
Celestia softly laughed at Luna’s accusing glare, “As if I could spend that much even in a thousand years. I did take a few million bits here and there, and little for cake, but rest assured sister your share is left untouched.”
“Good to hear,” replied Luna, thankful Celestia hadn’t used her gold. Yes, money did matter a bit for her, but no because she was greedy. She worked hard for that gold. Beating Dragonlord Torch in a gladiator match was not easy. She would hate to have to fight him for his gold again, if he was still alive that is. “Now here is my offer, half a million bits, for you to use however you please. Think of it as me buying all the empty seats for tonight’s show if you must.”
Half a million bits? That would be more than enough to cover Vinyl’s medical costs, the fee for using the theater, and finishing paying off her apartment! It would all be gone by the time she was done with all that, but she would be debt free. Could she really afford not to take it? But what if this was a test by the princess? They said they wanted to be friends; this could be a way to weed out those only in it for fame and money. What was the right decision?
“It’s not a test,” Spitfire said suddenly, gaining the attention of everypony. “Luna is not a pony to buy friendship. I’ve only spent the last few months as her friend, but I can safely say she wouldn’t offer to help you and then demand repayment or anything. She just wants to help you. Whether you want to become friends or not is up to you, but refusing a gift is rude regardless of what your think or feel about it, so just take the money, pay your bills, and move on.”
Octavia turned towards Spitfire and then back to Luna and then to Celestia and finally to Vinyl, who nodded. “Alright, I will accept your generous offer."
The supper finished all small talk exhausted, as well as their bodies. The princesses and Spitfire waved goodbye to the Melody sisters. Luna especially enthusiastic, yelling out she hoped to see them again soon. The trio took flight into the night, bound for the castle. Spitfire breaking off to go sleep in the wonderbolts’ barracks. Luna and Celestia flew between the two towers that held their rooms and floated there.
“That was a very kind offer Luna. Very like you, though it did seem to make Octavia very nervous.”
Luna agreed sourly, “Yes, I had not meant to cause such distress for her. I had not thought about how she might think of the gesture. I forget these ponies of today do not know me. They only know the title.”
Celestia nodded, “Yes, at times it seems that all any pony sees. At times I wonder if that’s what my beloved student only sees sometimes. None the less, I believe Octavia and Vinyl will come around much sooner than later.”
“I hope so,” Luna let out a long drawn out yawn, earning a laugh from her sister. “Yes, yes, I’m tired. I will be retiring for the night. I have an airship to catch in the morning.”
The princess of the Night flew away, leaving the Princess of the Sun alone in midair. She Looked far below down into the castle gardens, her gaze fell on the statue of their old enemy Discord. The magic surrounding the statue was growing, he would be free soon. She should tell Luna. Her sister would want to know about the coming escape of her enemy, but Celestia herself didn’t want her sister to have to face the lord of Chaos in her weakened state or ever again.
“Besides, it is not our duty to defeat him this time,” stated Celestia. The elements had told her this day would come. Another day she would be forced to sit aside and let another full fill the role she was willing to take, but was no longer allowed to.
“If we did not need you, I would fulfill my promise to destroy you,” She muttered flying to her room. Her head fell against her pillow with unease as she sealed her mind away from Luna’s dream magic. She didn’t want her sister stumbling on her dark thoughts.
“There are no cannons,” were Luna’s first words when she saw the ship that would be carrying her to Nippon. The ship was a fragile-looking thing named The Le flur. The Le flur was a gaudy gold color with purple accents; she didn’t know what it was that the captain of the ship was saying as he gave her a tour, but she found it of little importance. Following her were her ‘bodyguards’ for the trip, Spitfire, and Goodnight. She had personally requested Spitfire, Goodnight was having been recommended by Spitfire and if Spitfire thought the guard pony was up for the task then she saw no problem with the selection.
“Sorry sister, but The Royal Equestrian Airship hasn’t used cannons in five centuries.”
Her sister Celestia was also here to see her off and looking very sheepish as the tour progressed. No doubt Celestia knew she would not find The Le Flur adequate transport and she would be right. One barrage from her old flagship the Moon Cutter would send this ship crashing to earth.
“Is this not the most elegant ship you have ever seen Princess Luna? Much more tasteful than the old rugged airships crafted after old sea vessels, much more fuel efficient and aerodynamic,” boasted Captain Vain Gull. “Please do not hold back, tell me what you think of my beauty!”
Celestia tensed as Luna sucked in a breath, “She looks as tough as a fragile flower in front of a stampede of buffalo and could be easily taken as a young virgin mare in at a ball by the most spineless of stallions and left with a ruffled dress and streaking mascara.”
The captain and crew stood with mouth’s hanging. Celestia gave them an uneasy smile, while Luna tapped at the deck with disdain. “This wood would never survive a single attack, it’s too flimsy. Is there not another ship we could take? Perhaps an older vessel, preferably with cannons?”
“Just what are you expecting to encounter during this flight Princess?” Captain Vain Gull demanded looking to Celestia for help. The older princess stepped back, not wanting to get involved. Ponies would have to get used to her sister with no filters. That was her mistake last time and she would not repeat it. Besides Luna was correct about the ship, it’s been awhile since Celestia used it herself. Sure they switched out the cannons for unicorns firing magic, but the last time she flew in an airship about… three hundred years ago? The ships were at least still armored for combat, she trembled to think what the rest of the fleet looked like.
“I don’t know what to expect Captain and that is the problem. You must prepare for the unexpected and you have clearly failed to do that. What would happen if we were attacked? The only fighters aboard are me and my guards, a total of three. What countermeasures do you have?” Vain Gull backpedaled as Luna walked sternly towards the captain. “Well? Tell me?”
“We have never been attacked, though, what would be the point?”
Luna shook her head in dismay, things were even worse than she thought. Still, she didn’t have much choice at this point, however, she was not about to leave with things like this. “Spitfire, Goodnight, please go find some additional security. Pick whoever you like, but they must be capable.”
“Roger that ma’am,” saluted Spitfire, “Come on, Goody, I know who just to get!”
“Coming,” the night guard yells chasing after Spitfire. Luna found something funny with the way he flew. She had been under the impression Goodnight was an earth pony as she’s never seen his wings, why did he hide them?
Disregarding the matter, for now, Luna looks to Celestia, who was clearly uncomfortable as the crew of the ship sulked away. “Did I overdo it?”
“Only a little,” replied Celestia with a forced smile. “Your criticism was harsh but true. However, I think you forget the times we live in. We are not at war Luna, nor have we been for some time.”
“I think you forget the times we have lived in, if there is war then peace will come someday, if there is peace then war will come someday. Do not forget we battled the griffons twice only a few decades apart. Also, I do not know these new allies you have spoken of.”
“You will meet them soon enough, they are planning a visit in the coming year or so.”
Luna asked, “What of the griffons?”
Celestia’s face turned grim, she walks towards the ramp with her head bowed low “Don’t worry about the griffons. Sixes ensured they would never do what they did a third time, even to this day they feel the effects of his deeds.”
That caught Luna’s interest, “What did he do?”
Celestia didn’t turn around, “You don’t want to know. You really don’t. He… he was different without you around.” She said no more on the matter nor did Luna ask. Celestia taking her leave before she could.
“Curious, I’ll have to look into that when I get back.”
Spitfire and Goodnight return roughly thirty minutes later with two more ponies in tow, both wonderbolts, a bit overkill probably, but Luna likes the wonderbolts. She found them to be very competent during her time disguised as Emerald Moon. They were out of doubt the most comparable to her Night Patrol of old. However, she failed to recognize the two before her.
Both of the unknown wonders were mares. One had a dark blue coat and white mane and the other had a tawny brown and a strange mane that resembled a rainbow, but instead of a multiple of bright colors, it changed from different shades of black turning to gray, before finishing with white.
Spitfire introduces the two, “This is Night Glider, Fleetfoot’s cousin; she joined the class after you… I mean after Emerald Moon, so she’s kind of rookie. This one here,” Spitfire points to the tawny mare, “Is one of our more experience bolts, codenamed DD.”
“Call me Daring,” introduced the mare, “I just happen to have a mission in the direction you’re going, so I’ll be leaving you after you reach Nippon.”
That peaked Luna’s interest, “What kind of mission if I may ask?”
Daring smirked placing her hoof on her head like she was going to tilt a hat, “Forgot I’m not wearing that right now…” she mumbles earning a few curious looks from the group. “Ah sorry, force of habit. I can’t tell you the exact details, but I can say my mission in archeological in nature.”
“Archeological,” said Luna frowning, “In other words legalized grave robbing.”
“Better me than somepony else,” was Daring's reply letting loose a long yawn. “If you don’t mind, I’m gonna catch a nap. Just got back from a long flight back from the zebra jungles and I could use some Zs. Wake me up for the last watch.”
“She certainly is very carefree,” Luna notes with distain as Daring trots away. “She kind of reminds me of you Spitfire.”
Spitfire’s face turns sour, “Thanks for that.”
“Did I cause offense?”
“No,” sighs Spitfire, not really sure how to reply. “Daring is a pony Celestia trusts a lot, so she gets cut a lot of slack. She doesn’t have to show up for annual training or ever perform in shows. She doesn’t even need to follow any pony’s order except for Celestia’s. We call her the rogue wonder. Rumor is Celestia trained her personally.”
“Interesting,” Luna mused wondering what purpose Daring’s missions served her sister. (Probably looking for lost powerful artifacts if I were a gambling pony.) “Let’s leave her be then.”
The wonderbolt captain nods, knowing better than to poke her muzzle into affairs she clearly wasn’t meant to poke in. She had her issues with the rogue wonder, but Daring was a wonderbolt at the end of the day and could be trusted. Looking at her other last minute teammate Spitfire found Night Glider still stiff at attention.
“You can be at ease now. Don’t be so uptight Night Glider, I need you loose and alert.”
“That’s kind of a contradictory statement ma’am,” Night Glider points out, still maintaining her stiff posture. Gulping as Spitfire leers at her with what looked like an irritated glare, one she remembered from her time in the academy. The wonderbolt captain gave her a pat on the back rather than the ear chewing she had been expecting.
“You're defiantly Fleet’s cousin. She acted the exact same way you are now when she first started, but don’t worry I’ll crack that shell soon enough. Then you’ll be a real wonderbolt. You just have to find your switch.”
“My… switch…uh, ma’am?”
She chuckles ruffling Night glider’s hair, “Yeah, your switch, you can’t be a wonderbolt all the time. You gotta learn how to go from cold professional back to normal you or what you’ll consider normal after a couple of missions. Whatever the cause you and Goody will take first watch after we take off, it will be a good warm up for your first mission.”
Night Glider salutes with a wide grin, “Yes, ma’am!”
She was going to do fine mused Spitfire as she trots to the cabin. The ship rumbling beneath her hooves, meaning it was time to take off.
In the cabin looking over the controls was Luna, if there was one thing she could give this ship credit for, it was the fact the controls were much more streamlined. The Moon Cutter, even when upgraded, still needed a crew of twenty to fifty ponies just in the command room alone. The Le Flur only needed five. The number of gauges and gadget’s to keep an eye was drastically reduced.
The ship took off with great speed, much faster than the Moon Cutter. A set of Gem Thruster Engines, GTE, one of Gadget’s later inventions pushed the ship forward rather than the ship riding on clouds. This did, however, mean the ship would go crashing down if the engines were cut, rather than float on the clouds. The Moon Cutter could lose its engines, but as long as the cloud machine worked it would still fly using its sails via wind or wing power.
“I expect you will come to love this ship more by the time this trip is done your highness,” said Captain Vain Gull as he left the first mate to take the helm.
“Love is a strong term, but I will adjust the best I can. Clarify for me Captain, you ever been in conflict before?”
“No,” The Captain answers while looking a bit embarrassed, “I am afraid I have not, at least not real combat. I’ve done some mock battles with some of the other captains, but that is it.”
“I see, let us hope should the need arise you will be up to the task. Forge by fire is the best way to test one's abilities. On that note, I will be resting in my cabin. So close to home I have little fear of attack, so best to relax now. I suggest you do the same Spitfire.”
“I’ll be right behind you ma’am, just give me a few minutes to catch up.”
Once Luna left the cabin the air changed drastically. Vain Gull huffs and wrestles a pipe from his coat pocket taking a deep long drag as he ignites the tobacco inside. Angrily he ground his teeth against the carved wood, letting out a huge puff of smoke that fills the cabin.
“The nerve! She acts like I haven’t been serving for the last ten years! She’s nothing like Celestia, just like the rumors said! All posh and hot air! No respect!” Spitfire grabs him by the collar, the wonderbolt jabbing her muzzle right into the other captain’s face with clear irritation.
“I suggest you remember who you’re talking about! She maybe Celestia’s younger sister, but doesn’t mean she’s some immature brat throwing her title around, she’s the co-ruler of Equestria, the highest authority next to Celestia and don’t forget for however young she may appear she is still far older than you or me or anypony else on this ship combined and has lived through several lifetimes. She does not need your respect and if you want any from her then earn it!”
She sent the Captain sprawling to the ground, snorting hot air as she looks at the rest of the crew. None dared matched her gaze. Satisfied she left.
“Hey… hey… HEY!”
“Whoa! Don’t scare me like that!” Night Glider screams, “Why I… oh Daring! I thought you were asleep!”
Daring glares grumpily at the new wonderbolt, “I was, but my room is right below where you’re pacing back and forth!”
“Oh… sorry… I’m just so nervous! This is my first mission and for a princess no less. I mean I just got out of the academy about twelve hours ago, I probably shouldn’t even be here, but my cousin Fleetfoot vouched for me to come to Spitfire, and I went along with it because I was so excited but now that I’m here I… are you… are you writing this down?”
“Uh? Um yeah, I keep accounts of all my missions. It’s part of my job.”
“Wow, from what Fleet was telling me, you probably have enough to write several, if not an entire series of books!”
Daring laughed awkwardly, “Books yeah… maybe someday… when I retire.”
“So…” Night Glider said looking dreaming eyed at Daring.
“So… what?”
“What’s it like being a wonderbolt? Fleetfoot told me a lot of stories, but she’s family so I think she kind of sugarcoats it. I want to hear another pony’s experience!”
“I’m not your typical bolt,” Daring said submissively, wanting to be done with the conversation. Night Glider was sticking close though not letting up at all, much like a certain other pony she knew, herself of course. There was the rainbow hair mare Spitfire was talking about that apparently looks like her, but she was sure they were nothing alike after that. It’s not like they were long lost sisters separated at birth or something. Her mother would have told her that if that was the case.
A nudge in her side brought an end to her musing, “What?”
“Sorry, you were kind of zoning out? If you don’t want to tell me your stories it’s fine, I can go ask Captain Spitfire. I think my shift is almost over anyway.”
Daring looks up at the night sky. Night Glider has been on watch since they departed several hours ago, that’s some dedication and probably one of Spitfire’s tests. (Spitfire’s probably been evaluating her the whole time too. Best not say anything; I don’t need Captain Fire head making things more difficult for me.)
“I need a few minutes to wake up, so stick around a bit,” advised Daring. “Now as I was saying I’m not a typical bolt. Celestia trusts me to go on a multitude of dangerous life threatening solo missions that a team would be too slow for. You see kid, when you work alone there’s no waiting up for anypony or worrying about injured; it’s just you, yourself, and whatever you go on you. You need to be resourceful, quick-witted, and carry a neckless of ancient lucky charms around your neck.”
“What…”
“Don’t believe me? Look at these babies?” Daring dug into her suit, pulling out a heavy gold chain with a number of different charms attached to it. “This charm here stopped an arrow. This one stopped a door from sealing me into a viper pit, and this one was in my soup, which had been poisoned.”
Night Glider stared unbelieving, “What kind of work do you do?”
“That’s classified,” Daring snaps turning serious as she stuffs her charms back into her suit. “But someday, if you get good enough I might drop your name for my replace in a few years. You’ll have to start learning ancient Equestrian and reading a lot of books, and I mean a lot of books. Now off to bed, I’ll take over from here.”
“I’m not a kid,” huffs Night Glider.”
Daring smiles ruffling her mane, “No, but you are a rookie and I outrank you, so… go to bed and don't give me any of that I can’t sleep crap either. When a wonderbolt is ordered to do something they do it!”
“Again, I’m not a kid!” Night Glider groans as she trotted away, only to blush red at the fact she just sounded like a child. Daring’s hushed laughter making her ears burn with embarrassment. “I think I hate you.”
“Join the club!” Daring laughs as she fell onto her side. Once she was certain she was alone she walks over to the lantern by the door and produced a book within Nippon dialect. “Let’s see Celestia wants me to go…”
“Celestia wants you to where?” A voice asked startling Daring. The rogue wonderbolt bounced her book back and forth comically between her hooves before finally getting a firm grip on it and pulled it close like it was her child. Still panting hard from the shock of being surprised, she looks up to see Princess Luna ominously standing over her, the shadows of the night turning her meek figure into a rather imposing one. Almost like the darkness was being drawn towards her. “I’ll ask again, where does Celestia want you to go?”
Sweat began to pour down her head. She was under-expressed orders not to tell Luna of her mission if there was not need to. Too bad Celestia didn’t factor in just how intimidating her little sister could be. She was just glaring demandingly at her and already she was ready to spill the beans about everything!
“I um… your kind of scary… you know that? I mean did you have to sneak up on me?”
“I am the Princess of the Night. Not the Princess of Sunshine and happy feelings, there was one at some point, two, in fact, they were sisters. Sadly they are both long dead.”
Daring sheepishly peered out from behind her book, “Is that… is that a joke?”
“Does our face look like it is jesting?”
“No…”
“Then we are not joking,” said Luna with a solemnly stone expression. “We will drop the matter for tonight, but know we have our eyes upon you.”
Luna left, her booted hooves ominously clicking against the wooden deck. Daring nervously looks around for any signs of the Princess and found none. Sighing in relief she returns to her book, only for the lantern to die out. Groaning she stood up and relit it, Luna’s face appearing right in front of her.
“Boo…”
“AGHHH!”
The next morning everypony gathered for breakfast, the table was silent save for the clattering of plates and the barely suppressed chuckles of laughter. The object of said laughter sat with her legs crossed and glaring at everypony that dared to be more open with their amusement at her expensive. One pony, in particular, held more of her ire than the rest, the pony that caused this situation to happen, that pony was Princess Luna. Eating her morning pastry as regally and dignified as a princess would be expected too. Never even acknowledging the fact she was being glared at with immense malice.
“Do I have something on my face Daring,” asked Luna wiping her muzzle with a napkin. “Have I removed it? I would hate for you scream in terror again.”
The table rumbles with laughter as Daring fumes, her face turning red as she sinks into her chair. “No Princess, there is nothing your face.”
“Good to hear,” replies Luna setting the napkin down. A wicked smile playing her lips. “Really though I do not see what is so embarrassing, you’re a mare; it’s only natural that you would scream like one when frightened.” Daring huffs as she resumes eating.
“Don’t let her get you down Princess,” said Spitfire from across the table. “She’s just mad that you caught her off guard is all. That and we all found out she screams like a scared little filly!” The wonderbolt captain burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter, pointing her hoof directly at Daring while the other pounded against the table. “This is the best trip ever! I’m telling the entire barracks when I get back!”
“Do it and I’ll tell everypony the screaming you do with Soarin! I know what you two do!” Daring said snarling at the wonderbolt captain, who had been rendered silent and equally red-faced.
Hiding her own faint blush Luna fake coughs to break the tension. “Yes, let’s leave it at that then, we are all friends to a degree here.” She said looking around the table with a serious expression. “I want to keep it that way. Any secrets learned and to be learned from here on will be kept as such. Anypony that breaks this pack will be answering to me directly. Are we all clear?”
The entire table replies, “Yes, your majesty!”
Luna nods, satisfied with the response. “Good to hear. Now let us finish our meal and travel to the upper deck. According to Captain Vain Gull, we are out of Equestrian territory and thus I want everypony alert. I should not need to remind anypony what could happen if we are taken out the sky over the ocean.” Spitfire, Goodnight, Night Glider, and Daring all nod in affirmation. They all knew the warning that had been drilled into their heads at junior flight school so many years ago, wet wings get you nowhere.
Setting their dirty plates in a stack for the cleaner the five of them venture up to the top deck. Already the morning sun was peeking over the horizon, shining its magnificent light up on them. Spitfire, Daring, and Night Glider trot out to soak up the sun’s rays of vitamin D. Luna and Goodnight hid in the shadows.
“You do not care for the sun either Goodnight?”
“Not really, it hurts my eyes more than other ponies, it’s kind of trait in my family.”
Luna found that curious, but Goodnight was becoming a much more curious pony then she first thought. Such as the fact he had wings. “Why did you hide your wings from me?”
Goodnight was taken by surprise by the question. His wings moving slightly from their hiding place, but not enough for Luna to get a good look at them. “No reason. I just thought it would be a good surprise in a fight. A lot of ponies underestimate you if they think you’re an earth pony.”
“They still do that,” Luna sneers with disgust. Seems something remain the same, no matter how much time passes. “What a foolish mistake. One I hope you do not make Goodnight. Some of the most dangerous ponies I ever faced were earth ponies.”
“Really?” inquires Goodnight. His ears flopping down tight against his head under Luna’s vicious glare.
“Yes,” she replies with venom. Silently she trots away into the light, leaving Goodnight feeling like he just got on her bad side again. Timidly he steps out after her, remembering Spitfire’s words to him. He didn’t need to impress her, he needs to protect her, whether she likes him or not.
Moving the bow of the airship Luna slants her gaze down to the ocean. The light of her sister’s sun did make a very vibrant display of color against the waves below. The variety was nice, but she still preferred the colors of the night.
As she admires the view she took notice of three black dots moving across the waves. They moved in a pattern with one dot leading the other two, almost like a formation. (Must be a couple of ships transporting goods.) She reasons, but something felt strange to her. The speed of the airship should be far greater than any ship at sea is capable of due to that lack of resistance from waves crashing against the ship. So how where those ships keeping up with them?
The black dots lurch up and gain altitude, their shape becoming much more distinct. The two ships in back broke formation, going in opposite directions and continuing to travel upwards, keeping the sun behind them. The front ship was now climbing almost vertically straight up, flying ahead of them and higher. She knew what this meant.
“Prepare for combat!” Luna screams whipping her horn around and throwing up a shield in front of the ship. Smoke erupts from the attacking ships, two cannon shots from each, the shots hit her shield making her buckle. Why did she have to be so weak right now! “VAIN GULL! Move! Dodge! Do anything but sit here like a lame duck!”
The ship lurches right, sending everypony flying at the sudden shift. Another barrage of cannons flew past, missing the ship entirely.
“Good, good, keep it up! Spitfire, Goodnight you take the port side, Daring, Night Glider take the starboard side, keep close! Gull turn left and fly under them! I’ll try to disable them!”
“Roger that ma’am!” Vain Gull calls over the speaker. The ship turning as Luna directed.
“We need to get closer! Fly up!” Luna yells as she calculates her shot. A magic beam or bullet should pierce the hull, but if she was too far away the spells would be too weak to do any real damage with her current strength. “Somepony grab me some clouds!”
“I’m on it!” calls Night Glider veering off towards a patch of clouds. Cannons roar as the attacking crews fire scatter shots at her. She flips and turns, flying over the shots, crashing into a cloud. Her target secured Night Glider grabs the entire cloud and drags it back to the ship, landing hard on the deck she slumps to her belly. Relief flooding her system at the face she made it back unharmed.
“No time to rest kid, get up!” Daring shouts. Night Glider nods standing up on excited legs and jumps back into position. “Stick close and you’ll be fine.” Assured Daring whatever help it may be. Night Glider smiles and nods back, flying ahead with determination.
On the deck, Luna pulls a clump of cloud the size of her head. Squishing the cloud between her front hooves Luna compressed it into a small black clacking ball of thunder. Grabbing the thunder ball with her magic she creates a solid magic sphere around the ball and waits for the ship to turn around. The enemy ships came into view again. She orders Vain Gull to keep the ship steady as she lined up her shot. Rearing up on her hind legs Luna launches the thunder ball. The ball sparks across the sky crashing into the side of the middle ship and exploding! The ship lurches, tilting and falling, the cannons of the ships went off hitting the ship to the left of it. Fire breaking out as the second ship began to descend towards the water. The third ship open fired and Luna flung up another shield to block. The barrage ended, but Luna was panting hard.
“You ok Luna?” Spitfire asked.
Luna tiredly nods, her coat dripping with sweat, “Yes, just let me take a moment to catch my breath. I am still unused to having such limited magic.” She tries to take flight, but Spitfire blocks her and pushes her back towards the deck.
“Leave this to us,” the wonderbolt captain said smiling. “We can handle one ship by ourselves. Wonderbolts! Grab some clouds; we’re going on a bombing run!”
Spitfire, Goodnight, Daring, and Night Glider grab clumps of cloud from the cloud on the deck and fly up towards the last ship. Dodging cannon fire they flew up above the ship. The pirates panick as the wonderbolts line up their dive. The pegasus ponies flew straight down, leaving a trail of black clouds in their wake as projectiles ranging from arrows to tea cups were thrown to try and stop them. They broke off their drive dropping the thunder charged storm clouds and pull up. A chorus of explosions follow in their wake. The bombers turn around to admire their work. The deck of the ship caught fire and the crew desperately tried to put it out, but it was no use. Broken bits of flaming wood fell to the lower decks, igniting the gunpowder, the ship explodes into a massive fireball and fell into the ocean on top of its brethren ships.
The le Flur pulls up beside them. Luna flew off the deck and points down towards the wrecks. “Let us go meet out opponents.” The five nod and follow her down to the burning ships.
The six equestrians land on the pirate ship that most intact. The ship was taking water and slowly sinking. However, there was something strange, the deck of the ship was completely clear of any signs of life. Trails of blood show signs of bodies being dragged across the deck to down below, but why? The ship was sinking. They should be going to life boats or standing here begging to be let on to the Le Flur. This was not a normal pirate crew.
“Should we check below deck,” asks Goodnight looking down the stairwell down to the lower levels, but not daring to take a step down in fear of ambush.
Luna walks to the captain’s quarters and opens the door. Lighting her horn she peers inside and found no pony inside, but something did spike her interest though. “No, not yet at least, Daring, Spitfire come inside, Goodnight, Night Glider stand by the door and keep watch.”
The two reply, “Yes, ma’am,” taking their positions on either side of the door.
The desk inside the cabin held Luna’s attention as she trots around the room. It was clean, organized and covered with maps and letters, nothing unusual for a captain’s desk really. Be that as it may, it was a bit too clean in her opinion. Either this pirate was very tidy or they weren’t pirates.
(Maybe I’m being a bit too ignorant in my deduction. Most pirates are Navy defectors; a clean desk wouldn’t be so strange from a former naval officer. Still, this desk is too clean.)
Grabbing the letter lying on top of the desk Luna proceeds to open them. The letters were thick, made from expensive paper, the words were written were hard to read and in a language, she didn’t know. She calls Spitfire over and held the note up for her to read.
“What does this say? Do you know?”
Spitfire cocks her head to the side, frowning as she looks over the page, “Nope, sorry. Foreign language is not my strong suit.” From the other side of the room, Daring scoffs in irritation. Trotting over to the pair she grabs the note from them.
“It’s modern Germane, nothing too hard to read,” Daring said laying the letter back on the desk. She picks up another tears it open, reads it and then places it next to the first letter. A smile dancing on her lips as she looks between the two notes. “Huh, interesting.”
“What is it, what do they say?” asked Luna standing behind Daring, peering at the letters.
“Nothing much except that these guys aren’t pirates, but privateers.” Explains Daring much to the shock of Luna and Spitfire. “Seems the Kaiser of Germane gave them permission to attack other vessels in order to mess with the trade markets, they were allowed to keep whatever goods they found in return.”
“I see, so this is an international issue. Still, that does not explain where the crew as gone. The lower levels should be flooded by now.”
Daring stuffs a letter into her suit while Luna and Spitfire weren’t looking, Princess Celestia would want to know this as soon as possible. Kind of sucks she couldn’t just tell Luna, but orders were orders. “Never mind them, they probably died or escaped by now. We should go; water is seeping up through the floor.”
Luna lifts her leg feeling water touch her coat, “Indeed, come everypony, we are leaving.” They took flight, leaving the ship to its fate as it sank below the waves. Once they were back on the Le Flur they resume their journey to Nippon, confident the matter of the Germane Privateers could be settled until later.
On a distant isle made of small rocks, the captain of the pirates crawls onto the wet surface, falling onto his back as he coughs up water. He was the only survivor. A shadow fell on him and he looks up at the tall black imposing figure with a crooked horn.
“My Queen…” he said with desperation as the figure raised her jagged hole filled hoof and brought it crashing down on his skull.
The eastern pony nation of Nippon, located far across the eastern sea of Equestria, long and noble ally of the royal sister's thanks to the sacrifice of Kira Perfecta, who married Prince Shinto one thousand years ago. To this day Kira’s descendants rule the eastern nation. King Kusanagi, Kira’s great times six grandson rules as King, alongside his Queen, Haibara, together they sired three foals.
“Or was it four?” Luna questioned with doubt. This would be her first visit to Nippon in thousands of years, her last long before the founding of Equestria. She wanted to make a good impression on the royal family, they were descendants of her dear friend and she wants to get on the right hoof right away. Which is why she was reading Daring's very detailed report of the royal family and how to pronounce their names, her Nippon was very rusty.
Standing at the bow of the Le Flur, Luna looks out to the clear skies and seas, since the pirate attack three days ago they had been on high alert keeping an eye out for any more pirate vessels. Thankfully the days have been calm and uneventful. Leaving her with much time to think and ponder on what she discovered on those pirate ships along with her Nippon studies.
The Kaiser pony of Germane had been the one to organize the pirates. Whether or not he was intending to attack only Equestrian vessels or all vessels was unknown, but she worries what he could be planning. Her old enemy Hoofenstein had been from Germane, as had many of his followers. It's been a thousand years and she was uncertain where the country stood in the world. She’s looked at hundreds of documents and news from all over the world, but she found little on Germane during her studies after returning. They have been quiet for many years since they helped Belgiumane in their Zebra campaigns nearly twenty years ago.
“Is that Nippon?” Night Glider excitedly asked running to the tip of the bow.
Off in the distance a wall of low hanging clouds cleared away, revealing a city in the horizon filled with tall castle-like structures and ports lining the water’s edge and two castles six tiers tall overlooking it all on a hill.
“I believe it is,” answered Luna with a smile, her chest swelling with excitement, if not for her turning evil she could have seen the beautiful city back then. She even missed Kira’s wedding.
(Kira, you have created a wonderful kingdom my friend; I hope you were happy in the end.)
“Ships incoming!” Vain Gull hollered over the speakers, “Everypony prepare for the inspection crew!”
The Le Flur stops on a floating cloud as several battleships that reminded Luna of the Moon Cutter circle around them, lowering boarding ramps. Nippon was a land of mainly earth ponies, with few pegasi, and even fewer unicorns, it was no surprise they wouldn’t just have a team of pegasi fly up and check them. As a line of five armored ponies march down from one of the ships, Luna couldn’t help but notice the pony in front seemed familiar somehow.
The pony was a mare with a pink coat, adorn in blue armor; the ponies behind her wore red and they all stood behind her in a perfect line as she step forward, her gaze landing on all of them before stopping on Luna. There something strange happened. The mare gasped doing a little skip and jump, a pair of wings popping out of her sides as her jaw drops to reveal tiny sharp teeth, the mare was part dragon pony!
“Are you Princess Luna?” The mare asked excitedly, the line of armored ponies behind her murmur with excitement. Luna wondered what all the fuss was about.
“I am…”
“Oh my gosh, this is so exciting! I can’t believe I get to be the first pony to welcome you to Nippon! This is such an honor! I’m a huge fan, well everypony is a huge fan, but I’m one of the bigger fans! My mother told me stories about you passed down in our family and she said someday you would return and you’d come visit and you did! Oh, my sisters are going to be so jealous! Oh, I’m Cherry Blossom by the way!”
Luna blinks, (Wow, I think I just found the Nippon version of the element of Laughter, so much energy.)
“A pleasure to meet you Cherry Blossom, but…”
“Oh, you can call me Sakura, it’s how you say my name in Nippon. We kind of did a weird switch after the Mother Queen came into power a thousand years ago, we started speaking more Equestrian, but we kept naming ourselves in Nippon dialect. Oh sorry, I interrupted you, how rude of me.” Sakura bows deeply, seemly reigning herself in at the same time. “How shameful, and I wanted to act all cool too… now you probably think I’m an airhead, oh shimata! I’m on duty too! Ugh, Lord Kiri is going to scold me again!”
“Now, now, calm down. I do not know why you are so eager to meet me, but it is appreciated if a bit unexpected. No harm was done.” Luna hoped her words would reassure the mare, but instead it only caused Sakura and her entourage of soldier stare back at her with what could only be described as disbelief and horror. “Is there something on my face?”
“I beg your pardon Princess, but you’re the Tsukihime! The Princess of the Moon! Why wouldn’t we be excited to meet you? The Mother Queen told any and everypony your stories of valor and heroics and they intern told their foals and they theirs! You’re basically a living legend to us!”
(My own country nearly forgot about me and this one practically worships me, quite the contrast.)
“I hope I don’t disappoint, it’s hard to live up to a thousand years of hype,” chuckles Luna, uncertain what to do. What kind of stories had this Mother Queen, who she assumes was Kira, told them? Acting natural was probably her best bet till she found that out.
Sakura coughed awkwardly as she blushed, “Well… you are a bit shorter than I imagined you’d be… I was kind of thinking you’d be as tall as Princess Celestia.”
Again with the difference in height between her and Celestia, she was a younger and still growing! Alicorns take longer to grow! Holding back her irritation, Luna put on her best smile, “So I am, now if you could please inspect our ship so we may go to port…”
“Oh, right sorry,” Sakura frigates under Luna’s narrowing gaze. “How to say this… foreign airships can’t dock on the mainland.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Well, it’s just… who was it… King Yamato! Yes, King Yamato, about two hundred years ago made a law that said foreign ships could not dock on the mainland after the Poreans hid a bunch of soldiers on several merchant ships and burned down the capital. So what we do is we leave your ship on a cloud, your crew will be left at one of the floating fortresses in the meantime, while I take you and your guards abroad by ship to the mainland.”
Vain Gull approached the group lighting his pipe, “That’s standard procedure your majesty, don’t worry we’ll be fine.”
Everypony waited for Luna to reply, many expecting some sort of outburst or something, but not a smile and joyful laughter, “My, my, what an ingenious security set up. Very effective and interesting, I rather like it; I might have to set something similar up back home.”
Sakura hesitated, most foreign royalties raised a fuss, “You’re… not mad?”
Luna blinks at the question, “No, of course not. Why should I be? This is your country, these are your borders, you may manage them as you like.”
“Oh… good point,” Sakura coughs and directs her troops to encircle the princess and the others, “We’ll be escorting you, your guards are to stay near you at all times, I probably don’t need to tell you how bad it would look if we caught them wondering around on their own.”
Luna’s eyes feel to Daring, who was looking away, and whistling, what a picture of innocence she was. “Don’t worry; my guards are fully capable and dependable.”
“Of course they are! You wouldn’t have picked them if they weren’t! I mean you’re the Tsukihime,” laughed Sakura causing Luna cringe, she really needs to found out what stories Kira passed down and how embellish they were.
The ship that was to ferry them to the harbor had a familiar feeling to it as Luna walked upon it's deck. It was a remodeled Nippon sea vessel configured for flight, much like the Moon Cutter had been. The shape was more rigid and rectangular, unlike the Moon Cutter, which had been more oval shaped. The sail was also different, looking like a fin of fish, rather than a square like in the old days. She wondered what the advantage of it was. It was a fine vessel none the less and Luna desired to have one. Perhaps she could trade the Le Flur for one?
“What’s the plan when we land? Keep a solid square formation around you?” Asked Spitfire, looking back to Daring with a frown. “Assuming we still have four after we dock that is.”
“I’ll be with you till she goes home,” Interrupted Daring. “I may be separating from you here, but I still have to complete this mission first. Besides I need to do some research and the city will be a perfect place to do that.”
“How wonderful,” growls Spitfire, keeping her tongue tied from saying anything more.
Luna ignores the tension between Daring and Spitfire, hoping their relationship was simply a friendly rivalry and nothing more, “A simple box formation will be fine Spitfire. Hopefully, after we met with the king you will all be given more free reign to move about, this looks like a wonderful city to sight see.”
“Oh it is Princess,” Sakura jovially intruded, “We’re even having a festival this week, so you came just in time for some fun!”
Luna’s eyes shrank to that of pins, (A festival? Another visit during a festival? Gods I hope there isn’t another invasion!)
“How… wonderful… there isn’t perchance an arena is there?”
“Of course! We love dueling! Would you be interested in partaking in the fights?”
“Probably not, last time the Crystal Empire was invaded and wiped off the face of the earth. The time after the second Griffon War started not two days after I participated in a fight against the griffons.”
Sakura blinks, “Oh right… I forgot… but that doesn’t mean you still can’t come and watch? One of my sisters is fighting and I know she would be excited to have you come and see her, she’s another big fan like me!”
Luna chuckles, “I can only imagine. Speaking of which, you spoke of stories passed down by your family and I can see you are part dragon pony if you don’t mind. Who are you descended from?”
“I was wondering when you’d ask that. My family came here a thousand years ago, my ancestral grandfather is Trinity,” Sakura said with pride, “He mated with one of the rinin that had settled here during the time. Kind of weird, but my family has an unusually high amount of triplets in it. In fact, my sisters and I are triples, Peach Blossom, and Kaki Blossom, Momo and Kaki in Nippon.”
“I can only imagine Trinity was one of the Triplets, three Rinin that looked exactly alike. His brother Thrice just died a little a while ago. I suppose Trinity is already gone?”
Sakura nodded solemnly, “Yeah, I got to meet him once when I was very young, but I don’t really remember him very well.”
The vitality of dragon ponies would forever impress her. Leaving Luna wondering how many of her former patrollers were able to leave their stories behind to their descendants. The thought brought a bit of happiness to her as not many ponies beyond her and Celestia could do such a thing, not that she or Celestia have any descendants any more. Politics made that too much of a liability, unfortunately.
However, her happiness quickly fades as her mind drifted to the darker realities of living for so long. Thrice had made it nearly a thousand years, bitterly clinging to life just to see her again, she wondered how many others were doing the same? How many dragon ponies were fighting for every minute just for the chance to see her again? One, a dozen, a hundred or even worse none, maybe Thrice was the last? If so, how many held on for so long and got nothing for their effort?
“Princess, we’re disembarking,” said Spitfire, looking at her with worry. Luna quickly wipes away the tears that threaten to fall and trots down the ramp, Spitfire’s eyes following her with every step.
Ignoring Spitfire’s worries, for the time being, Luna excitedly trotted up the main street that overlooked the harbor. All around Nippon ponies buzzed around in high spirits as stalls with goodies lined the streets, presenting customers with their wares. Everypony dressed in elaborately decorated kimonos as they partook in the festival. Much like before with the airship, she desired one for herself finding the eastern clothing very intriguing.
“And you were worried about us running off,” said Spitfire appearing at her side.
“Sorry, I enjoy seeing new things and there are many new things to enjoy after a thousand years.”
“I suppose you have a point. I know you came here to look for that medal thing, but why don’t you try and enjoy yourself too,” suggested Spitfire.
“You’re such a mother hen Spitfire, but it would be nice to take some time to enjoy the festival. Hopefully, there won’t be an invasion this time. Sakura would it be possible if we take a more scenic route to the castle?”
The pink pony nods, “Of course, the king is in a meeting right now and probably will be for the next hour or so, as long as I have you at the castle by then everything will be fine. How about we go meet my sisters? They should be at the fairgrounds getting ready for their matches.”
“Sounds fun, come along everypony.”
The Nippon fairgrounds or at least the constants part of it was an array of tents lined up in numerous rows. One row, in particular, row 11 tent 33, housed one Peach Blossom or Momo. Momo looking just like her sisters wore a grease-stained green headband to separate herself from her sisters. Wiping the sweat from her brow she stepped back from her life’s work with pride. She was sure to win this year!
“Momo, Momo are you here?” The voice of her sister Sakura called, she knew it had to be Sakura because of the clunking sound of her armor. She wondered what Sakura was doing here; she was supposed to be out on harbor duty today.
“I’m here Sakura, but what are you doing here?” She replies trotting towards the other side of the sheet that divides the tent. She didn’t want the other teams to see what she was working on. Rounding the corner she saw her fellow triplet standing at the tent entrance with a big grin. “You didn’t skip out on your duties to enjoy the festival, did you? Kaki will scold you once she finds out.”
If anything Sakura’s smile grew wider, she rocked back and forth, a habit she did when she was excited about something; it usually meant bad things for Momo, though, more than likely a prank. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything! Also, I’m doing my job, it just happens to involve wandering around the fairgrounds for a little bit. Also, I have a surprise for you!”
Momo turns and scoffs, “Whatever it is I want nothing to do with it! Last time I fell for one your surprises I found myself covered in cream in the public square, I was dubbed Princess Peaches and Cream thanks to that, also all these weird stallions keep asking me out!”
“I said I was sorry, and I’m making it up to you, look who I ran into at the harbor!”
Momo turns around, “No pony could possibly make me forgive… OH, MY SWORD! Is that Tsukihime!” She screams as Luna enters the tent with her escort. The Princess of the Night smiles and waves at her and she felt like her heart was going to explode with excitement! “Sakura! Sakura do you know who this is!” She yells shaking her sister violently.
Princess Luna chuckles at the display, they were truly sisters. She wondered if the third was the same as these two. “I know Sakura said you were also a fan of me, but I did not expect you would match her in enthusiasm.” Momo stops her shaking of Sakura, the grease covered triplet seem to be on verge of passing out with how fast her breathing was. “Are you ok?”
“Ok… ok… I’m more than ok! I’m great! I get to meet you! I mean, do you even know what kind of impact you had on everyponies life? Well… I guess you might not if you consider the sealing, but your back and I get to meet you! This means I can show you my life’s work!” Momo grabs Luna and drags to around the curtain, Spitfire and the others quickly chasing after them. When they round the corner to the other side they all stop and stare in awe as Momo grandiosely posed in front of her project, an AT-1 Night Patroller Tank. “What do you think impressive, right?”
The four Pegasus nod, while Luna slowly approach the tank brushing her hoof along the armored side of the war machine. She looks at Momo, noticing all the smug and soot covering her body as well as the filthy bandana around her head, the pink pony was the picture of what the tanks mechanic looked like a thousand years ago.
“You made this?”
Momo smiled broadly and nodded, “Yep! I found it in Great Grandpa’s Trinity’s estate and he said if I could fix it, I could have it! It’s taken me nearly sixteen years, but I finally restored it to combat operating status! Now I can finally enter the tank dueling competition!”
Luna blinks, her mind trying to process such an event, “Tank dueling?”
“Aye ma’am, I don’t know about Equestria, but after Lord Starwind moved here a thousand years ago he submitted a lot of designs and the tank was one that really caught fire here. We Nippon’s been using them for as long as we can remember and we’ve even started designing our own a few centuries ago. However that led to a surplus of tanks, so in order to make some money the royal army sold them to private owners and Tank dueling started up. We ram each other and fire disabling rounds till the other tank can no longer operate, the King really enjoys it, so he made a part of the festival and this year I finally get to show my stuff! This old girl may not look it, but I’ve made a few modifications of my own.”
“You still don’t have enough ponies to operate properly,” deadpan Sakura. “Kaki has her own competition and I’ll be on guard duty.”
Momo hmphed, “A minor setback, so Tsukihime… I mean Princess Luna, will you be watching me this year? The Tank Dueling takes place the day after tomorrow; I would be honored if you could come watch me.”
“I will see what I can do, I can make no promises, but I would like to see you in action. This tank… it brings back memories.” Luna lovingly caressed the armor plate. She’s never ridden in one of Starwind’s tanks before, but she’s seen what they can do and her ponies loved them. Too bad they were so expensive to make, even with her vast treasure making the one and then the ten after that had really made a dent in her gold stockpile.
“Princess, the hour is almost up, if we want to get there on time we’ll have to fly the rest of the way,” Warns Sakura.
“Is that so, then we best be going then. It was nice to meet you Momo.”
“Same, tell Kaki hi for me Sakura!” Momo yelled as they exit the tent.
“Ah good… we’re not late,” Sakura sighs in relief as they land at the top of the stairs leading to the castle. The two pony guards by the door roll their eyes as this was a common accordance for the pink pony. How she reached captain rank was beyond them. Nether the less they step out of the way, letting Sakura and company enter without a fuss. She mouthed a silent thank you as she pass by. Not till the doors closed did the two realize just who was with the pink pony captain.
“Was that…” said the guard on the left
“Indeed,” affirmed the guard on the right, “quite the interesting day.”
Inside the castle, Luna and company were amazed by the grand hall. An either side tapestries hung down from the rafters depicting Kings and Queens long pass. At the end of the hall, closest to the thrones, a tapestry depicted Kira and her husband Shinto. A smile spread across Luna’s lips as she looks at the artwork depicting Kira and Shinto side by side. She chuckles at the fact Kira stood taller than Shinto.
Turning her attention to the couple sitting on the thrones… or rather pillows… was the current King and Queen of Nippon. On the right was King Kusanagi, a white pony with a green and white mane, and he sports some rinin features, dragon wings, claws, and horns, looking very similar to Kira, lean and deadly looking. He wore a breastplate and a sash that held his swords. Next to him sat his wife and Queen Haibara, she didn’t have many features that Luna could pick out. What with the white makeup that completely covered her face and her body covered completely by her red kimono that seemed to almost engulfs her in its size. The only feature that she could make out was the Queen reddish brown hair done up in a bun with chopsticks, Kira’s chopsticks.
“A pleasure to finally meet you, Princess Luna, our family has waited a long time to meet you face to face. Forgive me for not meeting you at the docks personally. Had I’d known you were arriving today, I would have been there.” said Kusanagi bowing deeply to her, something a pony of his status did not need to do.
Luna returns to the bow, “Do not let it trouble you King Kusanagi, I am merely thankful you indulged in my selfish request. I trust my sister’s letter detailed my presence?”
“Oh yes! She stated you wished to vacation in our wonderful country while you search for relic correct?”
“Vacation… I suppose I’m doing a bit of that too,” mumbled Luna, she entrusted Celestia to deliver her request to Kusanagi, seems she added a letter of her own too. “Forgive my impatience, but the item I seek, Nightingale’s medal. Do you have any clues as to where it could be?”
The king rubs his chin in thought, “Hmm, forgive me I have not the slightest clue. I had meant to consult the royal treasurer about the item in question, but my meeting delayed me. If you would like, you and your party look warily from your travels. My wife will escort you to your rooms so you may check your possessions, they should have arrived from the harbor by now. After that I would encourage you to enjoy our hot springs before supper. I’m certain by then I will have the information you desire.”
“If you would please follow me,” said Queen Haibara raising off her seat and walking away. She didn’t wait for them respond, indicating they had no choice in the matter. So they bow farewell to the King and hurry after the Queen.
After checking their possessions in their room, which was on the fifth floor, they all walk down to the hot springs behind the castle. There an army of hoof maidens surrounded them and before anypony realized what was happening Luna was stripped of her royal accessories, while Daring, Night Glider, and Spitfire were stripped of their uniforms and Goodnight was pulled away to parts unknown as the maidens tossed them into the open bath. They stood awkwardly with their towels as the Queen bathed in front of them.
“Please, enter, this spring is good for your coat, herbs mixed into the water help keep it soft and silky,” She said inviting them. Luna used to public bathing entered without a second thought, while the other three mares hesitated.
“Where is Goodnight?” Asked Spitfire, not seeing any sign of the stallion, from the water the queen laughed, while Daring scoffed. Unable to glare at royalty Spitfire’s eyes turned to Daring, “What?”
“Nothing, your just ignorant,” Daring entered the spring, leaving Spitfire fuming, Night Glider following her in.
“What’d you say?”
Again Daring scoffs, further angering Spitfire who’s cheeks were puffing up in frustration. “I’m saying you spent too much time in the locker rooms. It may be ok for mares and Stallions to mingle in the wonderbolts shower room, but look where we are. We’re in a foreign country! Bathing with the Queen of said nation, what fool would think it was ok for a stallion to be alone in the same room, let alone bath with her.”
“But’s she not alone, we’re here.”
“Like that would make it better. Really you should study politics and cultural norms more.”
“Enough you two,” Snaps Luna using her magic to clamp Daring’s mouth shut and throw Spitfire into the spring. “I ordered you to behave and you will. Got it?” Both mares nod. “Good, sorry you had to see that your majesty. They’re actually quite dependable when they need to be, off duty they seem to like to act like school fillies, though.”
“Call me Haibara, please. I don’t mind their behavior. We have a few warriors like them as well, I assume you met Sakura?” Luna nods, smiling fondly at the mention of the two triplets. “She and her sisters act in much a similar way, Kaki Blossom is the usually the most serious of the three, have you met her yet?”
“We met Momo, but we haven’t met Kaki yet. She is much different than the other two?” Inquires Luna, imagine what a hoofful the three could probably be.
Haibara tapped her chin, “Not really. Like I said she’s much more serious, almost deadly serious. Probably because Kiri trained her for a little bit when she was young.” Luna’s ears popped up at the name.
“Kiri…?”
“Yes, Kiri, my son, he is the heir to the throne as well. He’s a very stout and serious stallion, wanting to do his best in everything. For one of his leadership lessons he had to teach a class of ponies the way of the sword, and Kaki was part of the class. It’s my hope that they move beyond master and student someday. I’ve invited both to supper tonight, so you’ll be able to meet them soon. Speaking of supper, we should go get ready.”
“Has it been that long already?” Luna looks up in the sky as the sun wanes across the horizon, the moon peeking out to the east. She felt the overwhelming urge to raise the moon, a duty she’s has been unable to do with her reduced magic. None the less her horn sparked to life, trying to move the massive rock in the sky, only for her sister to wrestle control from her and finish raising the moon.
(I have everything in hoof Luna, please relax.) Celestia told her, severing her connect to the moon. Luna look sourly at the moon. It was her moon! Not Celestia’s! Angrily she smacks the water’s surface, growing tired of her sister’s mother hen routine, even a thousand miles away she couldn’t escape Celestia’s dotting. She understood well enough why Celestia was being so protective, but she was equally getting sick of it!
“Luna, we’re going up for supper,” Spitfire said, bring Luna back to reality and the fact she was the only one left in the hot spring. She sighs as she got out, immediately the hoof maidens from before arrived without warning, drying, combing and grooming her mane and coat. When the assault ended she found herself wearing a midnight blue kimono with the moon and stars stitched into the silky fabric. Spitfire was also dressed in one, an orange one with little yellow firebirds on it.
“That suits you nicely,” comments Luna, trying to lighten her mood. She didn’t want Spitfire to worry and mother hen her too.
Spitfire blushed, “It suits you better. I don’t have the looks for such things.”
Smiling softly Luna activates her magic, pulling at Spitfire’s still damp hair and gently twisting it in a bun. She summoned a hoof maiden who quickly provided her with a hair pin, with it Luna stuck it in Spitfire’s hair to keep it in place, a single band fell between the wonderbolt captain’s eyes, but it suited her.
“Don’t sell yourself short, a little effort and you can look as good as any noble mare, if you wanted to that is. Now come on, I don’t know about you, but I’m getting hungry.”
After exiting the bathhouse and catching up to the others, Haibara led them to the dining hall. Along the way, Luna observed the kimono’s given to the others. Daring was sporting a simple olive green kimono with no designs, Night Glider was dressed in a light pink kimono that really contrasted her dark blue coat, and finally Goodnight, who wore a green kimono.
Her eyes drifted to Goodnight’s wings, still tucked tight against his body and hidden under the folds of his kimono, why was he so dead set on hiding them?
“Princess Luna! I hope your bath was enjoyable!” Kusanagi shouted happily as he enters the room. Hugging his back was a little white filly with wings and antlers. “This is my daughter Miso; she’s very excited to meet you. Miso, this is Princess Luna.”
Miso pokes around her father’s head, staring with big silver eyes that made Luna gasp, she looked like a mini Kira! The little filly hopped off her father’s back and flew around the moon princess with an observing gaze that ended with Miso giving Luna a light headbutt and flying back to her father’s back.
“Sorry about that, that’s her way of saying hello, she’s rather shy.”
“It’s no problem,” smiled Luna as she cranes her neck around Kusanagi to get a closer look at Miso. The filly shies away, digging into her father’s long mane to hide. Stepping back Luna looks over the table, filled high with food. Her ponies took their spots on the right side of the table for guests, with her spot nearest to the king. Across the table sat what looked like a male Kira, who she assume was Kiri and beside him a pink mare in a red kimono, who must be Kaki. “I thought you had three foals? Was I mistaken?”
“Our eldest daughter, Sake… is abroad right now,” Haibara answered neutrally.
“Big sister is treasure hunting!” Miso shouts suddenly, causing all eyes to turn to her. The little filly’s eyes locked with her brother’s as if daring him to speak. Kiri sighed as he morphs his hoof into a claw to pick up his chopsticks.
“As the little princess says, Sister Sake is treasure hunting and not running away from her duties.”
“She did not run away!” Miso cried with big tear droplets swelling up around her eyes. A tense silence fell over the dining hall. Haibara stared blankly ahead, leaving Kusanagi to speak, who was looking conflicted as he looked between his youngest and oldest. Wanting to make up for causing the awkwardness Luna picked the filly up with her magic and carried her to the table, setting Miso down between her legs.
“Of course your sister didn’t run away, sister’s don’t abandon sisters, she’ll return and I’m sure she’ll have a ton of stories to tell you when she gets back.” Luna smiled down at the little filly who nodded as she wiped her tears away. “Now which one of these dishes should I try first?”
“Rice balls!” cries Miso pointing to the platter of delicious looking rice balls, though they look more like triangles to Luna. None the less she levitates over a pair, thus beginning the feast.
The rest of dinner proceeded without incident though some of the food selections made the Equestrians grimace from the usual taste. The Nippon royal family laugh it off, saying it was a common occurrence. Even Luna was not unable to stop her mouth from contorting into a pained smile as she bit into an egg roll. Miso laugh joyfully as she raised another to the moon Princess’s face, who felt she had no choice but to take it.
Across the table Kiri and Kaki ate in silence, barely commenting on the presence of Luna or the other Equestrians. The two excused themselves early and left together.
“Time for bed little one,” said Haibara as Miso yawned, laying her head against Luna’s belly. Muttering “wana stay with Princess una” as the Queen lift her from Luna’s care. “Thanks for the help,” Haibara whispered to Luna as she placed Miso on her back.
Now it was just Kusanagi and the Equestrians. The king clears his throat as he finished his drink. “Regarding the matter we spoke of earlier, I have good news. I have acquired the location of the item you see.”
“That’s great, where is it?”
Kusanagi grimaced, “I’m afraid there is also some bad news. The location of the item is in the Mother Queen’s castle, which has been sealed.”
“So just unseal it,” said Spitfire.
“Obviously if he could he wouldn’t have mentioned it,” retorted Daring. Goodnight and Night Glider quickly got between them before they could escalate their argument.
“As your ward says, I cannot unseal the castle, only when the moon eclipses the sun does it open and even after that it is very dangerous to enter. The mother Queen placed all of the Nippon’s treasures inside for safe keeping and placed a security system so dangerous no pony that enters comes out.”
Luna frowned, (What was Kira keeping in there? She wouldn’t go through the trouble for just Nightingale’s medal.) “I can eclipse the sun with my powers; if there are traps inside set by Kira I am certain I will be able to disable them. With your permission, I would like to enter the old castle tomorrow morning.”
Kusanagi looked uncertain but reluctantly nods, “I can’t only assume there is something the Mother Queen only wanted you to have if she set up such a method, but I urge you to be careful. Feel free to take any armor or weapon available in our armory. I know not what is in there, but I know it is something alive. I know this because I remember the stories my grandfather and father told me when the door was opened. We began tossing in items when the door opens and the next time it would open again the items would be gone, taken deeper into the castle. Something stalks those old halls, something dangerous.”
“Understood, can I trust you three to be by my side?” Luna asked looking to her three companions.
“As if we would let you go in alone,” stated Spitfire for the group.
A smile grace Luna’s lips and she places her leg around Spitfire’s neck, “I’m glad to know you have my back, my friend.” Luna turned to Kusanagi. “We will be retiring for the night. We will see you in the morning, your highness.”
“I will make the preparations for you,” said Kusanagi as the Equestrians file out of the room. He look to the old castle wondering if the Princess of the Night was truly ready what was in store. Maybe he should have told her the truth, about what was really in that castle, but the instructions left by the Mother Queen were absolute and even he, the king could not go against them.
They’ve been waiting a thousand years for this after all.
Late that night Spitfire awoke with a burning pain in her back. She wasn’t a softy by any stretch of the imagination, but Nippon beds were glorified sleeping bags! There was a double thick blanket to act as a mattress and that was it.
Nursing her back Spitfire rose from her futon to walk around and loosen her muscles. Since she was already up she decides get some water. Thus she entered the hallway going for the fountain located at the end of the hall for such occasions. Now that was an idea she would like back home.
Trotting at a brisk pace, yet slow enough to still be quiet. Spitfire reach the fountain, dipping her muzzle into the cool water, lapping it up greedily. Some of that food at supper was a lot saltier than she originally thought.
Spitfire’s ears twitch, she immediately spun around, whipping water onto the two approaching ponies that turned out to be Daring and Night Glider. Daring glares as she wipes the water droplets from her coat.
“Thanks for the bath Captain,” Daring sarcastically said as she brush pass Spitfire and dunked her head into the water.
“Excuse me Captain,” bid Night Glider scooting around Spitfire, who quickly stepped aside to let her through.
“You too having a hard time sleeping on the ‘beds’ too?” asked Spitfire wanting to break the silence. Daring raised her head from the water, fighting back a chuckle.
“Hardly, this one was too afraid to walk down here herself.”
Spitfire turned to the blushing newbie, “Really?”
“Something like that, I’m a little homesick. I didn’t know I would be going so far away so soon.”
“You’re a wonderbolt, that’s what’s expected of you,” Spitfire callously stated. Night Glider looked away in shame. Kicking herself mentally, Spitfire decided she better throw out some encouraging words to the young wonderbolt, “Buck up, it’s your first mission, four or five more and you won’t even notice.” The words seem to help as Night Glider smiled. “Ok enough chit chat, time to get back to bed; we only have three hours before we have to be up.”
The two follow Spitfire back towards their rooms, but noise from the Princess’s made the all stop and rush to the door, their ears pressed hard against the thin wood. Giving a few signal commands via tapping their shoulders, Spitfire directed Daring and Night Glider to enter behind her and spread out alongside the walls. It was probably nothing, but they wouldn’t be doing their jobs if they didn’t investigate.
Inside the Princess’s room, the three fan out, Spitfire heading straight towards the Princess’s bed. There was no sign of any pony else as she approached, the Princess was tossing violently in her bed, mumbling a bunch of nonsense she couldn’t make out. It seems even the Princess of the Night could have nightmares.
Softly tapping her hooves against the floor, Spitfire orders the two to leave. Once they were gone she turn to leave herself, accidently catching some of Luna’s ramblings.
“Kira… I’m sorry… forgive me… I didn’t mean to kill Emmy.”
Uncomfortable, yet still wanting to help, Spitfire crept close to Luna’s side and whispered, “I forgive you.” Luna’s struggles stop, her body relaxing. Happy that even if only for the night Luna was untroubled Spitfire turns to take her leave, only for Luna to grab and pull her into the tightest embrace of the yellow Pegasus’s life. She struggles in the Princess’s grip, but it would not break no matter how hard she tried.
“Well… this is going to be an awkward morning.” Spitfire said residing to her fate as the Princess’s stuff animal.
It was early morning, very early morning. The moon was still in the sky and the sun hadn’t even peaked over the horizon yet. Celestia was still asleep. True to her nature Celestia has not changed her sleep schedule in over a thousand years. Luna has become very well versed in Celestia’s schedule, Celestia’s schedule organizer, Time Keeper, was very thorough. Though it did lead Luna to worry how easy it would be for an assassin to strike if they were able to obtain said schedule. Such information could be used to any ponies’ advantage.
Now was actually one of those times. She was going to take this chance while her sister slept to take control of not only the moon but the sun, allowing her to make an eclipse. Something Celestia would be against.
Luna had thought of simply asking her sister to perform the task, but if Celestia refused she would be left with no options till her powers returned. She did not know why, or maybe she did, but Celestia was nervous about eclipses and not just for the obvious reasons. An eclipse was when she made her debut as Nightmare Moon.
And there were other reasons. Much to Luna’s chagrin, there was a sun and moon schedule now. Many nations, not Equestria, have made prophecies modeled on the sun and moon cycle as well as calendars and other special events. An unscheduled eclipse could send many in the world into a chaotic rage of hysteria. End of day’s kind of nonsense.
That was the reason why she was doing this so early in the morning; most of the world was still asleep. Hopefully, she could activate the eclipse, get in the doors and give up control before Celestia even knew what was happening and retook control.
She just needed to somehow gather enough power to do it.
“Is everypony ready?” Luna asked her sleepy quadrate of guards. They nodded drowsily causing her to roll her eyes as she arranged them with a pair on either side of her. She didn’t have the power to move the moon and the sun in her present state. However if she could recreate what she did with Sixes and the others during the battle of the Crystal Empire, then maybe, just maybe she could do it.
Closing her eyes Luna let loose her aura and covered Goodnight, Night Glider, Daring, and Spitfire in it. Instantly they woke up, fully awake and aware as she worked to connected time into one giant battery.
“What’s going on? What are we doing?” Spitfire demanded failing around. She’d been so sleepy she didn’t even realize she was in front of the old castle.
“Relax, I only need to borrow some magic,” Luna assured them. “Now please keep quiet, this is hard enough to do as it is.” Magic flowed into her, giving her power and strength almost on par with what she had before. Almost being the key word.
“You look a little short hooved,” chuckled Kusanagi walking up to the group with Miso on his back. “I can be of help if you wish. Thanks to this little one I was awakened much earlier than expected.” Luna smiled and nodded as Kusanagi laid a sleepy Miso onto the grass.
Kusanagi stepped into Luna’s aura, granting her access to his magic reserves. Instantly she felt a boost in power. Closing her eyes she gather all the magic of her friends into her body and focused, her eyes snapped open, black as the void, shadows slithered beneath her as she called out to the moon.
She felt its presence. She could feel the moon, high in the sky, seemly cold and distant, but soft with a confronting white glow. Severing Celestia’s connection to HER moon, Luna felt its strength and reassurance filled her, longing for her and she longed for it.
(How dare she keep us apart, even if I have not the strength to move you, but I can still feel you…) Anger boiled beneath Luna’s skin. Celestia kept what was hers away from her! How dare she… how dare her! (No, no, I must calm down, focus, focus… I must find the sun. I’m running out of time.)
Luna called for the sun with her magic. Instantly she found it, hot, bright and unapproachable, an accurate depiction of her sister if she were asked. In retrospect, they were both much like the celestial bodies they controlled. She was a bit cold and distant, and she took some time to grow on ponies and them her. Celestia like the sun was warm and inviting, but no pony could really get close to the real thing. She wondered what ponies would think of Celestia if they could ever get past her sister’s masks.
(Enough mindless dribble, I need to focus,) Luna berated herself. Time was of the essence after all.
Keeping control of the moon, Luna made a grab for the sun, forcing her will upon it. It didn’t like that. The sun flared, burning hotter as if snarling at her.
(Luna…? What’s going on?)
Great, Celestia was waking up. Baring her teeth Luna grabbed for the sun again, imagining a lasso tightening around the big glowing sphere. She jerked it from Celestia’s control, completely shell shocking her sister.
(Luna! What are you doing? Do you have any idea what will happen…)
(ENOUGH!) Luna screamed as she pulled the sun into the sky, feeling its warm rays brush against her coat. Quickly she pulled the moon in front of it, the sky darkened as the moon overlapped the sun. She released both when she heard the sound of mechanical gears turning behind her. The doors of the castle were opening!
“We must hurry!” She ordered running for the doors. She had to completely abandon control of both sun and moon; it wouldn’t be long before Celestia put them back where they were supposed to be.
Luna, Spitfire, Goodnight, Night Glider, and Daring all made it into the old castle as the door slammed closed behind them. Kusanagi stood outside as the sun and moon separated. Satisfied that the Mother Queen’s wishes would finally be fulfilled, now all there was to do is wait for Luna’s return. Hopefully, she did return, it was rather dangerous in there after all.
“She is the legendary Tsukihime, she will be fine,” Kusanagi reassured himself. He really didn’t want to write a letter to Celestia saying her sister’s been killed. With nothing else to do but wait he decided to go enjoy breakfast with his wife and daughter.
“Daddy look! This cloud is made of cotton candy and rains chocolate milk!” Miso declared happy, making Kusanagi stop in his tracks and look up at the sky, which was filled with pink clouds.
“That’s not good.”
“Princess Celestia it’s terrible! The moon is eclipsing the sun, has that vile Nightmare Moon returned?” Time Keeper screamed skidding into Celestia’s room. The Princess of the Sun was busy returning the moon and the sun to their proper places. She turned glaring at Timer Keeper. “Um forgive me, your majesty, I misspoke…”
“Enough games, I know it’s you Discord. I didn’t place your statue in view of my window because I enjoy looking at your frozen face.”
Time Keeper’s expression went from worried to annoyed, “Oh poo, and here I thought I would lighten the mood. You’re such a stick in the mud Celestia.” Discord said reappearing as himself with a mere snap of his claw. “You should really learn to lighten up; it’s not every day a dear old enemy returns or is it? You always did favor the seal it away for later method. As do most goodie two shoes. Really, though, I must thank you.”
Celestia growled at the spirit of chaos, “For what?”
“Why releasing me of course! I mean, I started to break free yesterday after these three little fillies starting arguing in front of me, but that would have taken weeks if I only relied on that. But then!” Discord created a stage and made several unsuspecting maids his actors. “Then the unthinkable happened, an eclipse! Only when there wasn’t supposed to be one! The chaos around the world! Ponies, griffons, dragons and all in-between screaming to their gods for salvation for it were surely the end times! Really glad I took a moment to go out and enjoy it all. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the more primitive tribes were sacrificing virgins already.”
Celestia slammed her hoof down, destroying the scene of Discord dangling her maids over a fire. “All of you leave, now!” The maids scurried out of the door, only to be brought back by Discord so they could run out again. Celestia slammed her hoof again, creating a shock wave, “Leave them alone!”
“Oh fine, they were getting to be no fun anyway,” Discord pouted as he let the maids go, but not before changing their uniforms into something a little more… explicit. “I wonder how long it will take them to realize what they're wearing. What do you think Celestia? Will they be called hookers or sl…”
“Enough!”
Discord chuckled, “Is that your safe word? Well if you’re telling me yours, I guess it is only fair I tell you mine.” He disappeared and reappeared as a black stallion in lots of leather. “It’s Q. Wink, wink. Get it? Q?”
“You made that joke last time.”
“Really? Huh, you’d think after a thousand years I would have better material. That being said something seems… different about you, you seem to be glowing brighter than before. Has somepony been doing their magical pushups? You seemed have gained some bulk or maybe that’s fat, how’s the cake diet treating you?”
“Why don’t you find out?” Celestia’s mane and tail ignited into a blaze of golden fire as she pounced on the spirit of chaos. The floor cracked and crumbled from the heat as she charged tackling Discord and stabbing him with her horn. They both crashed through the wall and fell down into the roof of the building below.
Celestia staggered out of the crater, her body returned to normal; annoyingly flicking the inflatable of Discord off her horn and glared as the spirit of chaos reappeared in front of her with a certain box. Carefully she hid her grin.
“Let’s see what’s in box number one, oh yes, the elements of harmony. Was this your plan, to try and use these little trinkets against me again? And here I thought I was reusing old material.” Discord laughed as he summoned a vortex. “Perhaps these would be better served in some other plane of reality or maybe…” Discord held the box between his mismatching hands. “I should just destroy them.”
Celestia snarled as she flared her magic again, summoning the bright gold aura around her once again, “Go ahead.”
“Really? You want me to destroy these trinkets, the McGuffin of problem solvers? I guess I did say you should relax and have a little more fun, but this… this is almost sexy. Are you on the path to becoming a villain like your little sister? Now that would be interesting!”
“Don’t you dare talk about my sister like that,” snarled Celestia charging at Discord, her power was certainly stronger than a thousand years ago, almost dangerously too powerful, even for him. She came charging so fast, the room disintegrating around them from the intense heat! It was as if she was the sun itself! She might just kill him! Discord’s mind went blank and for a moment he was at a loss at what to do, so he held up the box of elements as a defense. Much to his surprise, it worked, Celestia stood paralyzed in place.
“Oh Celestia, I knew you didn’t really want the elements destroyed. I’ll be the bigger man and admit you got me, but… Celestia… um, Celestia… hey, I’m trying to give a villainous speech here!”
Discord marched up to the frozen princess, waving his claw in front her eyes. She remained frozen, but her eyes continued to glare, but not at him, but the elements of harmony. He stepped back making the connection. Looking into the magical plane he saw multicolored chains binding the princess, the elements of all things had just saved his life!
“Oh my, my, this is indeed an irony. You were actually trying to destroy the elements! What’s more they have placed a curse upon you! Let me take a look at what we have here. I see I see, oh this is rich!” Discord tucked a finger under Celestia’s chin giving her a wide cheeky smirk. “You're actually rebelling against the elements! And such power just boiling under that lovely white coat, yet constrained by these seemly harmless shackles known as the elements of harmony. So much power and they won’t let you use it. Why is that I wonder?”
Celestia’s jaw tightened, “Shut up and just destroy them! I’ll finish you off with my own power this time!”
“I think not,” said Discord closing the box. “As much fun as not having these little things around would be, I’d rather be sealed then destroyed.” Snapping his fingers Discord repaired all the damage from their brief fight. “Tell you what, I’ll go and hide these and you can call whoever the new bearers are and I’ll play with them. You can just sit back, relax and watch as I make your little ponies my new playthings. I’ll even give a play by play. Bye, Princess.”
Celestia’s face contorted in anger. That had been her one chance. Her one chance to get rid of the elements! To make them pay for what they did to her sister!
“No, there will be more chances to come. In the meantime, the elements still have a use,” Summoning a scroll and quill Celestia began to write, “Dear Twilight…”
The door closed leaving Luna and her group in darkness. Her four guards huddled close, close enough that their coats were brushing together. The princess rolled her eyes and squeezed between them for some room. If there were indeed some sort of dangerous creatures in here then she wanted to be able to move around and not be part of a multi-kill streak. She’s seen that happen before. She’s done it herself a few times. Once during the changeling invasion of the Crystal Empire, she had cut up five or more changelings with a single attack.
Pulling her star blades free from their holster Luna unfolded her old weapons to make sure they were in working order. The pin that the blades turned on was properly oiled and the arms of the blades slid with practically no resistance. Not bad for a one thousand-year-old weapon. Folding the blades closed she holstered them leaving safety latches unsnapped for easy drawing.
Looking to her guards she took a tally of their own gear. Before coming here they had stopped by the armory and outfitted themselves with some Nippon weaponry and armor. How useful they would be was up in the air, but it was better than nothing.
Focusing on their surroundings Luna took note of the pile of treasure before her. Seems Kusanagi’s story was true, they were really throwing treasures in here with disregard. She wondered what was so terrifying in here to make them do this.
“It’s so dark in here,” Night Glider complained stepping away from the group. Blue flames ignited on the touches on the wall, giving off an eerie presence. The young Wonderbolt’s ears flopped against her head and she quickly rejoined the group.
“Now that’s creepy,” Spitfire commented stepping beside Luna. She was going to ask what the battle plan was but stopped when she notice the princess looking up. Following suit Spitfire and the others saw a picture revealed by the blue flames.
The picture was a pony completely covered in armor and bright glowing blue eyes. Below written in old blood, complete with the artist’s skeleton laying blow the picture was the words ‘BEWARE!’ scrolled on the wall.
(What did you put in here Kira?)
“What’s the plan? Should we split up and look for the stairs?” “Spitfire suggested flying up to the ceiling. “The halls are tall enough to fly in; we could send a pony in either direction and be there and back before you know it.” Daring chuckled, earning a glare from the wonderbolt captain. “What’s so funny now?”
“You. You see a skeleton with beware written in blood and you want to split up? You’re really showing that tactical mind of yours Spitfire.”
“Oh yeah, Then what do you suggest? You’re the Tomb Raider after all.”
“Tomb Raider was my mother, but since you asked I’d say we go off in pairs and search or move as a group. Either way, it’s up to you Princess, what do you want us to do?”
Giving the present danger staying together was a safer option, but even if the halls were tall, they were not overly wide, not with the treasures taking up most of the space. Speed maybe their ally. The quicker they find Nightingale’s amulet, the faster they could get out of here.
“We will split into two teams; Daring and Night Glider, you two will go right, while Goodnight, Spitfire and I will proceed down the left hallway. If neither finds the stairs in an hour we will reconvene here, if one team finds the stairs they will leave a pony stationed there as the other goes to inform the other team. Be sure to mark your paths. These old castles can be like mazes.”
The four Pegasus saluted and they all parted ways.
Daring looked longingly with bright and mischievous eyes as she and Night Glider made their way down their respected hall. The treasures lining the walls were ones she would have a fair amount of interest taking back home. Some were ones her mother had told her about. Ones that her mom had spent many years searching for, it was a shame she wasted her time crawling through the muck and swamps when they were lined up here, perfect for the taking.
(No, no, Daring you’re not a thief, these treasures have a home and they're well-guarded. Besides bad things happen when you take stuff in places like this.)
Turning the corner she and Night Glider entered a small room with even more treasures. However one item in particular caught her eye, the blue rosary necklace sitting on the pedestal, the Kori beads. Her mother had been searching for those for a long time… maybe she could just…
“This looks like a dead end,” Night Glider said trotting around the room. There didn’t seem to be any secret switches or stairs, not that she dared to touch anything. The room was creepy, especially the suits of armor besides each pedestal, with six in total. “We should probably head back.”
“Right, right, I’ll be there in a minute,” Daring said not even turning to acknowledge Night Glider; all of her focus was on the rosary. Taking her helmet off Daring held it beside the pedestal and knocked the rosary into it and then placed it on her head. “Ok I’m ready, let’s head back.” She said turning around only to run into Night Glider.
“Hey watch where you’re walking kid!”
Night Glider didn’t apologize; she stood frozen with her hoof pointing straight ahead. Daring followed the pointing hoof to see it aimed at the suits of armor… which now had glowing blue eyes. Daring knew that that meant.
“Crap… run kid!” Daring screamed sprinting ahead at full speed. Night Glider yelped and followed after like a rabbit being chased by a fox. Behind them, the suits of armor came to life and moved their heavy iron hoof steps and came thundering after the two mares.
“What happened?” Night Glider screamed as the statues began firing arrows at them.
“Must have triggered the security system somehow, not a big deal, I’ve dealt with things like this before.” Daring turned and dug into her slight suit and pulled her necklace of good luck charms out. Night Glider looked at her god smacked, Daring just smiled back at the young wonderbolt as she pulled one of the gold charms free from the chain.
“Like I said, always keep a necklace of lucky charms!” Giving the charm a toss Night Glider watched as the gold charm hit one of the metal guardians in the head. The Guardians looked down at the coin and back up towards Daring and Night Glider only find they weren’t there anymore.
“What the fuck was that!” Night Glider screamed as they ran full bore back to the entrance.
“Impromptu distraction, you’d be surprised how often that works. I mean it doesn’t work on the same pony twice, well… scratch that… sometimes it does, but best not to press your luck. Either way, just keep running!”
Arriving back at the main hall they saw Luna’s team up ahead. Spitfire waved them over as they approached, the two Pegasus passing right by the three screaming, “RUN!”
At first, the three didn’t know what was going on. Then the six guardians rounded the corner. Luna moved firmly in front of Goodnight and Spitfire with her horn charged with the Magical drill horn blast spell. Luna released the spiraling blast of magic; the spell flew hitting the lead guardian right in the torso and knocking it back into the others behind it. She smiled and looked on with satisfaction at her work.
“Even in this state I still got it,” Walking closer Luna inspected the moving suits of armor. Her blast had drilled through the breast plate with ease and even dug into the plated steel beneath. A sudden sinking feeling developed in her gut as she removed the guardian’s helmet, her blood freezing at the sight of its metal face.
“Iron ponies,” gasping in horror she dropped the helmet and fired another blast into the iron pony, the blue flame ignited in it and its brethren’s eyes and they rose back to their hooves. They weren’t as tough as the iron ponies she fought before, but they were still tough. Grabbing one with her magic she used it as a wrecking ball against the others, causing minimal damage. Now was probably the time to retreat she figured turning and running way. Her breathing labored from using her magic.
(Curse my depleted stamina!)
Had she been at full power iron ponies the likes of these would be nothing for her, but she wasn’t at full power, so she has to contend with what she had.
“What do we do Princess?” Spitfire asked as Luna rejoined the group at the other end of the long hall. They watched as the six iron ponies suddenly gained more allies as more iron ponies crawled out from beneath the piles of loose treasures.
“We do the only thing we can, go up, come the stairs are this way,” Luna said leading the way. The five rounded the corner following the marks left by Luna’s team earlier towards the stairs.
“Hey wasn’t there a suit of armor here before?” Goodnight pointed out as they passed one of the many dead ends along the way.
Spitfire nodded, remembering it, “Yeah, a one with Pegasus wings attached.”
Luna looked up at the ceiling and fired a blast of magic, “Everypony run!” She yelled as an iron pegasi came crashing down to the floor. The iron pony shook itself off and rose once gain as the others come around the corner.
Up head, more iron ponies amassed, and Luna threw up a shield and kept running, plowing the iron ponies down, “Hurry the stairs is not much further!” Climbing a set of half stairs that turned and lead upwards the five arrived at the second floor.
“There!” Luna pointed to the next flight of stairs across the room, “Hurry!”
The five ran into the wide open room, only to realize half way across they had been lead into a trap. Lining the walls on either side of them were twelve unicorn model iron ponies, with six on each side their horns ignited with blue flames. The iron unicorns fired, letting loose a barrage of blue fire bolts.
Luna threw up a shield, but not before two bolts slipped through and hit Daring in her front shoulder. The first blast destroyed the armor she had been wearing there; the second blasted her side between the gaps in her side. The rogue wonder faltered and fell.
“Daring!” Night Glider screamed scooping up the tawny mare quickly and tossing Daring on her back. The group continued to run, running pass a makeshift barricade left behind by previous intruders. Luna passed through the stairway first and stopped to better focus on her shield. Goodnight and Spitfire passed through next, but Night Glider didn’t or rather she couldn’t. A blue barrier rose up between the door frames stopping her from advancing.
“What the hell is going on?” Spitfire screamed pounding her hoof against the barrier, it wouldn’t let her back through!
“A trap to separate us, very clever,” Luna grimly admired. Kira defiantly had a claw in making this. She tried to force her way through, but the shield was too strong. They’d have to find the source that was powering the shield and the iron ponies to put a stop to them. “Night Glider take refuge in the barricade! We will save you as soon as we can!”
Night Glider nodded, already hiding behind the wrecked defenses with Daring out cold beside her. She took up the bolt thrower she had taken from the Nippon armory and fired a few warning shots from the large cylinder through a small window in her meager defense wall. The bolts struck the iron pony, tearing through its armor and sticking into its body, it fell to the ground but didn’t get back up like before, the arrow seemly messing up its gears or something.
“I’ll do my best! You guys just keep going! We’ll be fine!” Night Glider said as encouraging as she could. For a moment Luna and the others looked on helplessly, before nodding and rushing up the stairs. With them gone Night Glider’s bravo faded as she looked at the remaining iron ponies, there seemed to be almost twenty of them left and though they seemed a little more cautious about charging her now, that wouldn’t last long
She held up the bolt thrower, took aim and waited. She only had maybe forty bolts and this thing fired in bursts of three, she needed to conserve her ammo and hold out. Besides her Daring groaned and tried to stand up, Night Glider held her down.
“You just lay there; I’ll get us out of this.”
Luna hurried to the next floor of the castle Goodnight and Spitfire hot on her heels. Coming to the top she slowed spreading her wings to stop Goodnight and Spitfire from running ahead of her. Cautiously Luna stuck her head out from the stairwell, scouting the room, what she saw surprised her.
Skeletons, piles, piles and piles of skeletons draped in Nippon armor lay scattered about the destroyed room. Signs of a massive battle were everywhere. Among the dead were broken iron ponies. These were a different model; they were not unicorns, pegasi or earth design, but alicorn. One lay not far from her, the sculpted face gave her chills, it looked like her.
“Princess,” Whispered Spitfire as she poked her in the side, “We need to get going.”
She nodded and waved them up, “Proceed with caution some of them may be playing possum.” She warned as they trekked through the remains of the Nippon soldiers. From the flags it was obvious they belonged to the royal family. So they probably weren’t rebels. From the looks of things, it seemed as if they deliberately attacked the iron ponies.
Speculation was best left for later Luna concluded, best focus on the task at hoof, but Kusanagi would have some explaining to do once they got out of here.
As the three walked, mindful not to disturb anything, they felt a presence watching them. Luna and Spitfire acknowledged the presence. Turning their eyes to glance closer without giving away the fact that they noticed, Goodnight was not so experience he turned his head spotting the watchful pair of glowing eyes. He stared and they stared back. He stood frozen in place.
“Goody, what’s keeping you?” Spitfire inquired softly, she cursed under her breath as she spotted the iron pony Goodnight was engaged in a staring contest with. Freezing in place she found another just to her right hiding under a pile of corpses. “Princess…”
“I know,” Luna replied, ahead of her were two more iron ponies by the stairwell rising out of the bones and rusty armor. All around them more iron ponies rose. Luna counted fifteen of them; some were in better shape than others. Some had exposed gears and joints and were nearly devoid of any armor.
Regardless, they were surrounded.
“Run!”
They broke into a gallop. The iron ponies came charging at them their heavy hooves crushing the skulls of their previous victims beneath their heavy stomps. Luna looked towards the exit, dodging blue fireballs that singed her coat. The smell of burned hair made her snort and sniffle making her eyes close for a brief moment. When they opened two iron ponied barred her path. She fired a magic beam at them though watery eye and missed! The iron ponies reared back, blue fire dancing around their horns. She braced for the pain.
“Look out!” Another body crashed into hers, sending her sideways, Goodnight flashed ahead of her with greater speed then she thought her guard was capable off, Goodnight’s wings were a black blur of movement as he tackled one of the iron ponies taking a fireball right in the barrel! He rode the iron pony down and snarled at the other revealing long white fangs.
Luna had to do a double take as she finally got a real good look at Goodnight’s black leathery wings. He was thestral! Goodnight was a bat pony!
Goodnight let loose a high pitched scream at the other iron pony blocking the staircase. The pony’s metal body shook and rattled as the pins and bolts holding it together shook loose and the iron pony fell in a heap of scrap to the floor.
Taking the chance Luna and Spitfire passed through the entrance to the stairwell. The same blue barrier rose, blocking Goodnight from continuing on with them.
Luna screamed as she slammed her body against the barrier, “Goodnight!”
Goodnight looked at her with wide fearful eyes as he equipped his wing blades. He smiled at her, a wide shaky smile she’s seen plenty of young stallions and mares as they found themselves on the battlefield for the first time. Luna pressed against the barrier trying to reach for her child of the night.
“Go,” He said turning around to face the approaching iron ponies. “I’ll do my duty.”
He let out a sonic shriek, attacking with vigor against the iron ponies. Slashing and bashing his way through their ranks. Luna watched as six iron ponies’ dogpiled on top of Goodnight. He let loose a scream and climbed out from under the pile, bleeding and screaming as he held the horde at bay.
Spitfire laid her hoof on Luna’s shoulder, “Come on, we can’t help him.”
Luna looked on as the brave thestral fought for his life. Why hadn’t he told her he was a bat pony? What reason could there be to hide his heritage from her? The questioned swirled around in her mind, but she pushed them aside, now was not the time for such things.
“We will come back! Just hold on!”
Goodnight blasted an iron pony with a sonic blast and smiled at her, his chest heaving heavily as sweat dripped from his coat, he was being pushed hard. “I will!” He yelled returning to the fight.
Turning away from her soldier Luna lead the charge up the stairs.
Throwing caution to the wind Luna and Spitfire stormed the fourth floor immediately prepared for battle. The fourth floor was much like the third, a wide open room covered in corpses, however, there were far fewer this time. From what she could see in the dim blue light only ten of the Nippon ponies that stormed the castle made it.
Inspecting one of the corpses closer, Luna found two large puncture wounds in the corpse’s side running through his armor and body and out the other side. Whatever did this hit like a battering ram, the corpse’s bones weren’t just broken, they were shattered!
“This seems familiar… but why?” Luna wondered thinking of all her past battles, but coming up blank. She looked around the room, not finding any signs of iron ponies. Perhaps they were taken out? “Let’s make a run for the stairs Spitfire,” She whispered leading the way, gently they flapped their wings and hovered over the ground so they wouldn’t make noise, their eyes scanning for any movement.
The exit was just ahead, they were almost there! This was going to be easy, too easy… now that Luna thought about it. She stretched out her leg to stop Spitfire just as two massive shadows came charging on either side of them. Luna turned to face them, Spitfire had another idea. The wonderbolt captain turned and bucked Luna past the entry way, the same blue barrier appearing, trapping Spitfire.
“Spitfire!” Luna ran against the barrier watching as Spitfire nimbly dodged the massive iron ponies. They were bigger than the previous models, bulkier, and had bull horns. One turned and snorted blue fire out its nostrils, giving Luna a clear look at its face. Now she knew why those wounds looked so familiar.
These iron ponies were based off Bulldrake, one of her Night Patrollers, he was called such because he looked more like a bull dragon hybrid then a pony, his bull horns being the main cause of this. That was beside the point. She knew who made these iron monsters and that pony was Starwind the Beardless or Gadget as he was called sometimes, another one of her Patrollers. He was the only one who had the genius to do such a thing, but why did he do it?
The answer, as well as the means to stop these metal monsters laid most likely upstairs.
“Hold on Spitfire, I will return for you!”
Spitfire flipped and spun, dodging the stream of flame fired by one of the iron Bulldrakes, “I’ll appreciate it!” She cried as she equipped her wing blades, dancing like a whirlwind around the Bulldrakes her swords creating a shower of sparks and earring cringing clanks against their iron skin.
Spitfire looked at her chipped blades and then to Luna, giving the princess a desperate look, “Are you still here?” She cried as she quickly ducked out of way of the iron rinins charge.
Luna shook herself and got going. She hadn’t meant to stand there like a dunce, but seeing Bulldrake, even if only an imitation was startling. That and the thought that Starwind would make these metal monsters after their encounter with the original iron ponies really disturbed her. However, as she climbed the stairs to the top floor a sickly feeling arose in her gut.
Starwind was a clever pony, Starswirl’s parallel when it came to engineering, but he was not a rich pony. He wouldn’t have the funds to create this many iron ponies, nor would he have a reason to, unless somepony gave him the material and bits to do so and a reason.
As she climbed the final steps the mystery unfolded as she met face to face with an iron pony replica of Kira. The iron rinin stared blankly at her with cold eyes of blue fire. It stood firmly in place, Kira’s personal treasures behind it, such as her swords, hair sticks, and even Nightingale’s medal.
It was clear to Luna now. Kira had asked Starwind to create the iron ponies so they could protect her family’s treasures. However, with both Starwind and Kira dead, the iron ponies went rogue, killing any pony that entered the castle. The dead soldiers must have been part of force meant to reclaim the castle. Once they failed the Nippon royal family built a new castle instead, while using the old castle as a vault to protect treasures they could never get back.
A lump filled in her throat as Luna looked at the iron replica, the attention to detail was startling, if not for the iron ponies gray skin, she would had thought the iron pony was Kira.
“What possible reason is there for such accuracy? Will you tell me? Is there a practical reason besides the pain on my heart?” Luna asked the iron pony as tears rolled down her face. She couldn’t help but think in the deepest craven of her mind that this was Kira’s punishment for killing Emerald Cutter.
Emerald and Kira had been like sisters, their bond forged over their shared oddity of being rinin born with six legs and their time spent on the battlefield together.
The iron Kira did not speak, only stared with dead blue flame eyes as it drew its swords with a ‘Skink!’ Luna pulled her star blades from their holsters, the blades unfolding with a ‘click’ she held her star blades up, waiting for the iron pony to make its move.
Luna took a deep breath and released. Metal rang as star blade and katana in a clash of sparks! Luna pushed will all her might against the heavy push of the iron Kira, the iron ponies metal body making it difficult to overwhelm her. Iron Kira’s mechanical limbs squeaked and creaked as they pushed against her blades and much to Luna’s horror her hooves began to slide across the floor. Gritting her teeth and she pushed back with more power! Her magic’s flaring up like a flame.
For a brief moment, Luna held her ground.
Not a second later she was being pushed back again. Iron Kira’s eyes were glowing brighter as her legs pushed harder and harder! The iron pony was like a steam engine pushing Luna along the tracks. Luna knew she could not overpower her opponent, so she chose to outsmart it.
Jumping to the side Luna let iron Kira zoom past her the moment she withdrew her star blades. She watched with satisfaction as the iron pony went barreling into the adjacent wall with a loud crash! Knowing this wasn’t the end Luna took a moment to regain her breath and ready her defense.
As she raised her blades for another round Luna made a horrifying discovery. Her star blades, gifted to her by her precious Night Patrollers, were cracked!
Rage boiling over Luna ignited her horn and let loose a powerful beam of magic that slammed iron Kira against the wall! Steam rose off the moon Princess’s body as she pressed her attack, a burning pain rose in her muscles making her cringe and falter in her steps, but she pressed on, till her horn overheated.
Luna’s attack died, leaving her panting heavily, her coat drenched in sweat as she dry heaves, her throat dry as the desert. Silently she cursed her own foolhardiness. She lost control and wound up with magic exhaustion again!
(Celestia will be so mad if she finds out. That is if I live through this.)
From the rubble of the wall, Iron Kira emerged, her armor gone, but her swords intact. The side of her head was cracked, the parts of her body where Luna’s attack hit directly were shaved away leaving the iron ponies left front legs weak, but still functional.
Carefully iron Kira stepped forward, testing how much weight her damaged limbs could take. After a few cautious steps, she seemed to conclude she was ok and took up her swords and charged towards Luna in a lancer's pose.
Luna tried to get out of the way, her body screaming at her as her muscles locked up, locking her legs stiff as steel. She couldn’t move!
“Dammit,” she cursed forcing her magic to work, her horn sparking in protest as she lifted her star blades and spun them. Taking aim she fired her first blade like a buzz saw and let it loose aiming for Kira’s injured limbs. The blade whizzed through Kira’s poised swords and hit the iron pony’s injured shoulder, the thin metal did little to stop the spinning blade as it pierced through the metal skin.
Kira’s left front legs locked up, and she was forced to drop her left katana, but it didn’t stop her.
Taking aim with her second star blade Luna was quickly running out of time as Kira was barely six feet away. Sweat poured down the princess’s brow, the star blade felt heavy in her magic and it wobbled as her focus faded in and out. With a final chuck, she let the blade fly! The star blade spun, but something was wrong, it’s veered off course the blade splitting in two with the two halves embedding themselves into the floor.
(The pivot pin must have been cracked.) Luna concluded tiredly as her body gave out. She slumped to her flank, staring her impending death in the eye.
Suddenly an overwhelming amount of power filled her! The shadows gathered beneath her and rose up like tentacles ensnaringthe charging iron pony in their inky black grip. From the depths of Luna’s mind, an angry scream shouted forth from the darkness.
“I’M NOT READY TO DIE!” The voice screamed desperately as Luna held her head in great pain, staggering around as the shadows consumed iron Kira. She knew that voice. After how could she forget it?
It was the voice of her nightmares, the very same voice that mocked and haunted her for a thousand years, the voice of Nightmare Moon.
“No… it can’t be,” Luna panted heavily, her head hurt like somepony was pressing a drill to her skull, but her magic kept raising, raising to even greater power! Her eyes fluttered open and then widened in shock by what she saw. It was her hair, her hair was floating! Not only that but she was taller, more muscular, more… her! She had regained her true form!
“I’ll deal with you later,” Luna warned her dark counterpart as she turned her attention to the opponent at hoof. Readily Luna summoned up her shadow shroud, the inky black mass of magic draped over her like a protective cloak. Iron Kira desperately tried to escape the inky black web of darkness, but Luna would not allow it.
“Be gone from thy sight imposter!” She commanded, the shadows slithered across the ground and wrapped the iron pony up in its grasp, the darkness eating away the iron pony’s body entirely.
Letting out a deep sigh Luna recalled her shadow and stepped forward to grab her prize, Nightingale’s medal. She took the medal off the wall and placed it in her holster. Next, she raised her horn and cast a scanning spell, looking for the source of the iron ponies’ power.
A bright blue light came from behind the wall. Focusing Luna reached out with her magic and pulled the object from the room hidden on the other side. The wall shattered as a blue gem embedded on alicorn engraving floated before her.
It was the blue Alicorn Amulet, somehow she was not surprised.
“Hopefully this will put an end to these iron ponies,” Luna said as she descended the stairs.
The barrier to the fourth floor was gone and the two Bulldrake iron ponies were frozen in place, their horns pointed to a heavily breathing Spitfire with her back against the wall. The wonderbolt captain looked at her with wide and wondering eyes, before looking back to the horns that had just about impaled her.
“Took you long enough,” Spitfire cried with exhaustion as she slumped to the floor. Luna chuckling as she picked the fiery mare off the ground and placed her on her back, happy that her friend was safe and even happier to be back to normal.
“Let’s get the others,” Luna smiled as she raised her horn, she quickly found the presence of the other and with a mere flick of her horn disappeared.
Goodnight let loose a scream destroying another iron pony and then spun and destroyed another! Quickly he wiped his brow of sweat and blood, swaying on his hooves as he tried to keep the horde of iron ponies at bay. An arrow shot from somewhere and hit his shoulder plate, the arrowhead piercing through into his shoulder. He hisses and let loose a blind scream into the darkness.
He fell to his belly. Exhausted. He couldn’t even lift hit wings anymore, let alone his legs. He looked up as an iron pony stood over him and aimed it’s horn downwards like a spear.
This was it.
At least he got to go into battle with Luna once. Shame she didn’t see him, he managed to fight off all but four of them.
Content Goodnight closed his eyes and waited for the final blow that never came. After a few seconds of waiting he wonders if he was already dead, but once he opened his eyes he was relieved to find that he wasn’t. The pain was a good indicator unless you could feel pain when you're dead, and if so, then his priest lied to him.
Opening his eyes he saw the iron ponies frozen, it’s horn a mere inch away from piercing his skull.
“Goodnight!” The princess’s voice called out from the dark room, all the torches were out, the only light coming from Luna’s horn. The light was white, warm and inviting.
“Maybe I am dead,” he chuckled, “I’m seeing angels.”
Luna picked him and placed him beside Spitfire on her back, “Thanks for the compliment, but I’m not an angel and you're not allowed to meet them just yet. Understand soldier?”
Goodnight chuckled as he snuggled against Luna’s coat, probably the only time he would ever get to do so, “Understood ma’am.”
She smiles and descends to the next floor. There were two more to save.
Night Glider fired her last arrow bolt, but there were still a lot of iron ponies left and now that she was out they had no hesitations left. They charged and they charged all at once! She hit the first to climb over her barricade with the bolt launcher.
She brought the launcher around to smash the second one, but the third knocked her flat on her back. She falls beside Daring, rousing the mare from her slumber. Daring looked up with blurred eyes, reading the situation.
Reluctantly she reached for the Kori rosary in her helmet. She hadn’t wanted to use it, she didn’t want anypony to know she had it, but she had no choice. The magical necklace circled around her leg as she pulled it out; a cold sensation crept up her leg as she felt the magic imbue her.
Suddenly the iron ponies stopped cold and Daring quickly replaced the rosary back in her helmet just in time for Luna to appear. In a brief second, the iron ponies were swallowed by what could be best described by her as ‘pure darkness’ and crunched and crumbled into tiny little metal balls of scrap.
From their spot in the corner, Daring and Night Glider sat slacked jawed, “Holy sweet Celestia! Is that you princess?” Daring asked already knowing, but the Princess of the Night looked so… different. She was more power, more imposing, more like Celestia-given the height gain. Before Luna had barely been taller than her, now Daring was feeling a little short.
“Indeed, it is I,” Luna said gather Daring and Night Glider up with her magic. “And I believe it is time to leave this place.”
In a flash, Luna teleported them all outside, where Kusanagi was waiting with several medic ponies. Seems he had been expecting them for some time as there were tents set up and everything.
“I see you have regained your true form, your highness,” Kusanagi said bowing before her. When he rose he waved over several ponies who took Spitfire, Goodnight, Daring, and Night Glider away for treatment.
As Luna watched her friends be carried away she looked up to the sky, it had been morning when they entered, now it was nearly evening. The perfect time to show the world she was back.
Raising her head Luna called out the moon, this time there was no need for others, she pushed Celestia’s control away from the celestial object with so much force and power that it was clear to her sister that she was taking back her moon.
In her mind, Celestia’s voice whispered, “Welcome back sister.”
Luna smiled as the sun lowered and the moon rose, revealing the stars. She let loose, letting the stars shine brighter then Celestia could ever make them. She looked out at the black sky that was her canvas and rearranged the stars to her liking creating new star formations for the first time in a thousand years. She even wrote four big letters for north, south, east and west so ponies traveling at night could still find their way.
The air was electric, cheering crowds, vendors shouting about their fresh and tasty wares and the ringing of steel as two ponies clashed in the ring at the center of it all. This was the Nippon sword pony tournament. The final match was between Kaki Blossom and another rinin name Korok. The dragon ponies circled each other, swords gripped in their claws and fangs, dancing the deadly dance.
From up above the guest of honor, Princess Luna of Equestria watched with baited breath and frayed nerves. At the offer of Emperor Kusanagi, she indulged herself in the Nippon festival, delaying her departure to home if for nothing else but the smile that Kusanagi youngest daughter Miso projected. The pure innocence of it captured her heart, while the excitement of throwing down bets on matches captured her wallet. For the past twenty matches witnessed today Luna and Kusanagi have been in constant feuds over who was going to win.
Each ruler had made a pick of their chosen warriors before the matches even started. The game was a bit rigged in Kusanagi favor as he knew all the warriors, thus he could pick the most skilled right away. However, he did not decide the order and some of Luna’s picks had proved to be up to the task. Their ferocity in battle seemed to grow once they knew the Princess of the Night had placed her bet on them. Making for some unexpected turn outs.
The score between the two rulers was currently an even ten to ten. This final match would be the determining factor.
“Kick his butt KAKI!” Miso shouted excitedly bouncing all over the viewing box. Kaki performed an impressive spinning maneuver that knocked one Korok’s swords from his claws.
Korok was Luna’s bet.
“You can recover! Use your fire!” Luna screamed in support of her champion.
Funny enough despite being a ‘sword’ tournament, there were no restrictions on rinin using their breath magic or earth ponies using their enhanced strength or anything of the sort. Nippon ponies believed a true sword master can overcome any challenge.
Korok seemingly took Luna’s advice and ignited the entire field in a blaze of fire. The temperature rose dramatically, Korok took the air waiting for Kaki to emerge. Being a rinin herself the flames were not actually hurting Kaki, but everyone pony knew Kaki didn’t like ruining her kimonos. So, when Kaki didn’t immediately fly out the fire it caught every pony off guard.
“I believe I have won this round,” said Luna holding out her hoof to except her bits.
Kusanagi smirked, crossing his forelegs over his barrel, “The match is not over yet Luna, but it will be.”
Luna diverted her eyes back to the arena as the flames died away. In the center of the arena stood Kaki completely shell shocked. Wordlessly she looked down at her naked self and then to the pile of ash that had once been her Kimono, her face was flush from the heat and embarrassment. The pink tone of her cheeks bending by her pink skin. That embarrassment turned to anger when she looked up at Korok.
“Uh oh…” were Korok’s final words as Kaki came spiraling up in a fury of blades and blue fire hitting Korok like a hurricane. The screams of the rinin stallion echoed through the arena, the audience wincing as the blue storm that trapped him continuously pounded him without mercy. When the storm ended, after five full minutes, Korok was sent crashing to earth. He was completely covered in bruises. Kaki had not slashed him but bashed him.
The referee called the match and Kaki descended, clad in Korok’s olive Kimono having at some point disrobed him during her rampage.
“Kaki is a bit shy, she doesn’t like to be seen without clothes,” Kusanagi informed Luna before leaning over with his hoof out. “Now I believe it’s your turn to pay up.”
“Fine,” grumbled Luna levitating a bag of bits into Kusanagi’s claws. As father and daughter celebrated their winnings Luna took out her program and began scanning the names for the tank dueling competition. The tank teams were listed as well as the model of the tank they piloted. Luna was determined to win her money back!
There were six teams for the tank dueling. The battle was a free for all with all six teams fighting at once. She’d only have three choices. However, there was one team she for sure wanted, Momo’s, she found the pink triplets name and no pony else’s.
“Momo blossom still doesn’t have a team?”
Kusanagi stopped his playing with Miso and took his own program to confirm, “Seems so… not that it matters. The rule allows for only one operator, it just makes it harder for said pony to win. Single operating tanks are impossible to make, though some have tried. Shame her sisters are unable to help.”
“I heard Momo and Sakura talked about that when Sakura took me to visit Momo’s tent. Sakura said she would be on duty, but surely Kaki would be able to help? She is done with her competition for the day is she not?”
“I am,” Kaki said walking onto the view deck in a new kimono, this one blue with pink flowers on it, “But I must rest for my matches tomorrow and riding in those iron machines can be very taxing. Also, I have no interest in my sister’s… hobby… it is her endeavor and it is her responsibility to prepare for it. Sakura and I made it very clear she could not rely on us for this as she wontons to do.”
Kaki took the empty seat on the left side of Kusanagi giving the king a short bow and Miso a brief smile as the little filly hopped onto her lap, chatting excitedly about how awesome her match was.
“Miso has grown rather fond of Kaki since Sake… left… and Kaki has taken on the role of a subordinate older sister to Miso.” Kusanagi whispered to Luna. Who could see for herself that the two were close and that the real reason Kaki wasn’t helping Momo was in her lap.
(Love is certainly one of the cruelest emotions.) Luna mused thinking back to the days when she and Celestia would pine for their mother’s attention. She hoped Kaki’s kindness doesn’t place a wall between her and her sisters. (Then again maybe if Celestia and I had taken more time apart from each other we would have turned out better. Such is the sadness of what ifs.)
“I have made my selections! You may have the rest, Princess.”
“Wait, what!” Luna grabbed the program that she and Kusanagi had marked their champions on. Sure, enough he had already marked his, leaving her with Momo and two other mystery teams. Sure, they were all mystery teams to her, but at least she could have picked a good one by chance! She couldn’t do that now!
“How do you stand before your mother’s grave with deceitfulness such as this!”
Kusanagi gave a hearty laugh, “Who do you think taught me to be so devious?” A punch in the shoulder was his reward for his snark. “You’re lucky you have diplomacy immunity, something like that could land you in jail normally.”
“And here I thought I was a friend,” Luna feigned hurt. The two rulers shared a laugh together, right now they were not two foreign rulers, but friends enjoying the moment like every other pony. A rare and truly underappreciated thing for pony’s of their station.
Speaking of friends.
(I wonder how the others are doing?) Luna thought as she refilled her cup of sake as the announcer stepped out onto the field. The tank dueling was about to begin and she couldn’t wait!
In the streets of Nippon walked Spitfire and Goodnight. They were given leave for the day by Princess Luna to go enjoy the festival and they did just that. They were ordered to after all. Thus, they dawned their kimono’s and entered the city together. Just them and the ninja ponies following their every move, not that they knew they were there.
“The tank thing is about to start, let’s go check it out!” Spitfire said eagerly as she ran towards the maintenance area for the tank compotators, Goodnight hot on her hooves. As they flashed their royal passes, a gift from the king himself, they overheard the sounds of an argument near one of the tents.
Momo’s tent.
Curious as to what was going on the two foreigners snuck closer for a better listen. Stretching their heads around the corner they saw Momo in some sort of skin tight green suit with their ever-present greasy green bandana glaring daggers at her triplet Sakura, who wore her blue armor, which was the only way they could tell either of them apart.
“Come on Sakura! I really need your help this time! Look no pony will even notice it’s you if you wear the helmet and suit!”
Sakura just rubbed her temple, letting out a groan of displeasure at her sister, “Momo, I told you, I can’t help you with the tank dueling I’m on duty! I’m supposed to be guarding the west corridor and I’m here!”
“Because you wanted to help your little sister?” Momo replied cheekily, earning a heated glare from Sakura. “Ok, I’m sorry I tricked you here!”
Sakura jabbed her booted hoof hard against Momo’s barrel, “You lied! You said you saw some suspicious ponies and I came here because I trusted you. I know it seems like I goof off on duty, but I do take my job seriously Momo! You are on your own! I’m going back to my post and I don’t want to see you until the evening!”
“Does that mean you you’ll forgive me when you get home? We live together and you know I don’t like having awkward silent meals! Please answer! I don’t like awkward moments like this either! Sakura!” Her fellow triplet refused to turn around and eventually disappeared into the crowd. “Great… now want am I going to do?”
“We can help,” Spitfire said appearing in front of Momo with a wide eager smile.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea captain…”
“Quiet Goodnight, the superior officer is talking.” She shushed. “So Momo was it? My friend and I couldn’t help but overhear you need some teammates and just so happen to be looking for something fun to do.”
“No were not!”
“Don’t listen to him, he would be excited to volunteer. Just show us what we need to do and we’ll be set!”
Momo hesitated, “I don’t know… I appreciate the help, but you two are foreigners. Foreigners part of foreigner leaders guard, Princess Luna’s no less. If anything happens the King would have me drawn and quartered!”
Spitfire waved off her concerns, “Ah don’t worry about it, the Princess would be cool with it, even if something happened. It’s not like this is a fight to the death, right?”
“Um… no, not officially, but it happens sometimes. You’ll have to sign a waiver.”
“If you have the paper, I have the ink!” The Wonderbolt captain said pulling an official Wonderbolt pen from… somewhere.
Momo looked anxiously between the two, debating what to do, with her competitive nature winning out in the end. “Alright, I’ll get the waivers from inside.”
Once Momo wandered inside the tent Goodnight got in Spitfire’s face. “What the in Celestia’s name are you thinking captain? I shouldn’t need to tell you how stupid this is! Why in the hell would YOU a Pegasus want to be trapped inside that metal can? Also, why did you drag me into this?”
“I thought bat ponies liked enclosed spaces,” She replied, earning a flat look from Goodnight.
“We do, but that’s not the point here and you know it.”
She nodded, looking longingly at the tank, “I’ll admit, this isn’t a long-held dream or a filly fantasy from foal hood, in fact, this is my first time seeing one of these things. Still, I want to drive it. Do you remember Goodnight? Do you remember asking where the word tank came from? It’s in our language, but not our history, no it was erased from our history. This thing, this tank, was originally made in Equestria. Call it national pride, but I think as Equestrians we should take this chance to pilot it.”
Momo emerged from the tent with the waivers in mouth, “Here you two, just sign here and I’ll show you what I need you to do. I also put these on.”
“Is there a reason we need helmets and protective gear?” Goodnight asked warily while Spitfire eagerly put her tank suit on.
“Normally no pony gets hurt during these duels because the non-piercing rounds we use, but sometimes things happen, like the interior of the tank explodes and sends shrapnel everywhere... look just keep your helmet on and you’ll be fine… maybe.”
“Right… um, Captain, I’m having…”
“Put the helmet on and get in the tank, Goodnight.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
--break
The energy in the Nippon arena was electric as the pony crews made the final touches for the tank dueling stage. Large dirt mounds, stone walls, shrubs, trees and even a small river and three bridges were made in record time as the Nippon earth ponies used their magic to shape the land to their will. From up above a Pegasus mare donned in ceremonial dress descended from the sky and took up position in the cloud resting above the arena.
The Pegasus cleared her throat as a microphone was set up for her use, another pony placed a sheet a paper before her and left as the lights turned on her.
“Good evening Mares and Gentle colts! I am tonight’s hostess for this year’s Tank dueling match! Ginseng!” The crowd erupts into cheers. “Good, good, I’m glad every pony is excited! Now let’s begin by introducing our six tank teams!”
A Pegasus flew up and gave Ginseng another note. She took it with a smile, quickly opening it and reading it, “Hmm… seems there has been an update on the teams. Oh, Momo found some teammates. That’s good. Hopefully, she didn’t just pick some random ponies off the streets…” Ginseng stop mid mutter, realizing she’d been talking in the microphone the entire time. “Oops… sorry, Momo! Um… let’s introduce our teams! For those new this years, teams are named after the first letter of each member, the leader being the first initial.”
“Piloting an NT-8, Team H.N.T.I!”
“Piloting an AT-12, Team Y.O.A.I!
“Piloting a PMK-8, Team Y.U.R.I!”
“Piloting an AT-35, Team E.C.C.H.I!”
“Piloting an AN-4, Team C.L.O.P!”
“Piloting a classic AT-1, Team M.S.G!”
The crowd went wild as the tanks rolled out, the team leaders waving from the top of their tanks.
King Kusanagi poured over the updated list of teams. His gaze fixed on the two new names next to Momo’s. His brow creased in confusion as he read the teammates and then the team name. This caught the eye of the mares sitting around him including the Queen Haibara, who had come to watch the match with her husband. She was the first to ask what had him so puzzled.
“What is wrong dear?”
The king snapped from his thoughts, giving his wife a gentle smile, “Oh nothing serious my love, it’s just I find Momo’s teammates names… strange.”
“What is so strange about them?” Inquired Luna taking another look at the list. The names Oyasumi and Kushi Kasai were listed next to the triplet. They seemed like normal Nippon names to her. Though they didn’t match the team initials, maybe it was a typo?
“Well, I find it strange that Momo would find two ponies with the same names as your guards is all. See here, Oyasumi is pronounced Goodnight in Equestrian, and Kushi Kasai is Spitfire. Rather ironic really.”
Luna’s eyes widen as Momo’s team rolled into position, her eyes narrowing on the two helmeted ponies that stood on the tank with the triplet. “Yes, ironic.”
“She totally knows it’s us.”
“You’re just being a worry wort Goodnight! Just keep waving and pretend you don’t know her.”
“Spitfire, she’s looking right at us, also she just teleported this note to me.” Goodnight raised up the note with Luna’s seal, complete with both of their names on it. “I have money put on you, if you win I will forgive your foolishness, lose and you’ll be keeping toilets in the barracks. Is what the note says.”
Spitfire took the note, reading it for herself, seems the stakes have been raised. She has not cleaned the toilets since she had been a recruit and she wasn’t doing it again!
“So Momo, what are our chances of winnings with this thing?” She asked the Nippon mare, who gave a warily smile as she rubbed her leg nervously.
“Well…”
“All teams prepare for combat! T minus one minute!” Ginseng yelled.
The three ponies quickly rushed into the cockpit taking their positions. Momo took control of the cannon, Spitfire oversaw driving and Goodnight’s job was to keep the cannon loaded.
“You two remember what I told you? Just listen to my commands and we’ll make through this. If we get hit don’t get to rattled this thing maybe be old, but she’ll survive a few hits.” Momo said as she adjusted her sights and made sure her stomp trigger was clear. She licked her lips as she peered through the cannon’s telescope staring at the team positioned across from them. “When the bell rings reverse, and turn right Spitfire, Goodnight load a green tip round and then a blue after that.”
“Roger!” The two replied.
The tank’s engine’s rumbled as the twin gem turbines revved to life. The loading door of the cannon slammed closed and they all waited as the final countdown began.
“5…4…3…2…1…0… BEGIN!”
“REVESERE NOW!” Momo screamed firing the cannon at the ground! Dust filled her scope as the tank lurched backward. Spitfire masterfully maneuvered them around the wall just in time for an enemy shell to come screaming past them! The sound of rubble pelting against the side of the tank echoed throughout the metal hull of the tank.
For a moment, all was quiet as every pony took a moment to catch their breath. The only sound was the rumble of the tank and their own heavy breathing or rather Momo’s. Spitfire and Goodnight, while excited, were professionally calm and waiting for orders.
“I’m guessing this is your first time being in command kid?” Spitfire asked as her hooves twitched on the controls, wanting to keep the tank moving, but she couldn’t see a thing. Behind her Momo nodded, looking on the verge of being shell shocked.
“Yeah, it is…” Momo admitted shamefully.
Spitfire smiled and nodded, “It’s ok, I was the same way on my first mission. Now pull yourself together and tell us what to do! We’re sitting ducks here!”
Momo nodded firmly, steeling herself and calming her heart rate. Just in time as the sound of enemy tank creaking up being them could be heard.
“Turn into the wall and rotate turret!” Momo ordered. The tank rumbled into action barreling through the stone wall with ease, the scream of a shell passed by, the sound of metal hitting metal made all of them grateful for their ear protection. “It’s just a scratch! RETURN FIRE!”
The cannon roared and the blue tipped round hit the ground creating a wall of ice to slow the other tank’s advance. Rotating the turret back to forward position Momo called for a red tip round to be loaded as they moved into the center of the field. All around them explosions reigned as the other teams duked it out. Everypony was probably trying to take out whoever they found first. Meaning the tank behind them was their primary opponent for the moment.
“Turn so the front is facing the way we just came and press the rear against the wall but don’t knock it down. We need it to cover our ass for the time being. One or two good hits in the rear and the engine is done for!”
A loud CLANG resounded through the tank. Momo peered through her scope spotting the enemy tank in her sights. It was the NT-8, Team H.N.T.I’s tank. At the edge of her field of vision, she saw the piece of the plate they shot of the front of the tank. They wouldn’t be able to take many more of those, even in the front armor.
“Fire! Keep loading reds!” Momo screamed as she zeroed in on the NT-8. She fired. The shell bounced off the NT-8 angled sides, doing no visible damage. “Reload!” Her leg jittered nervously as she waited for the next shell to be loaded. In the scope, she saw the NT-8’s barrel adjusts for another shot, the NT-8 had a bigger cannon, but it took longer to reload due to the heavier rounds.
“Loaded!”
Aiming lower Momo yelled for Spitfire to move and circle around the NT-8’s side. The move would expose their track, but they would have a chance to get their enemy’s tracks too. The little AT-1 zoomed around the lumbering NT-8, Momo rotating the barrel and firing point blank into the enemy’s tracks! Metal threw up in the air and pelted the side of the AT-1, but the NT wasn’t moving anywhere. The sound of the breach closing gave Momo the signal for her next shot, which was right in the NT-8’s engine.
“First kill,” She said with a smirk as she blasted the enemy’s tank’s rear. Leaving a nice round hole in its back end. Black rose up, followed by flames forcing the crew to evacuate. A team of rinin and Pegasus quickly flew down and picked the defeated tank team.
Momo took a moment to relish her victory, but two hard hits from behind quickly brought that to an end. Whirling the turret around she saw the AT-35 at the end of the alley. Another shot rebounded off the side plate of their hull and the controls began to spark.
“Get us out of here!” She yelled to Spitfire who took them around the downed tank, only to run into the other remaining tank! The massive PMK-8! The lumbering green machine was more like a battleship on land then a tank and its sights were set on them!
“BRACE FOR IMPACT!”
Three subsonic rounds hit the AT-1, the shells were so powerful that the dents reached all the way to the interior of the tank. Goodnight stared wide-eyed at the three dents that formed just a mere few inches from his head.
“Holy sweet Celestia!”
“I know, I know! Just load me up and keep loading, we don’t have much time!” Momo screamed as she lined up a shot. Knowing the PMK-8 like she did, she knew how slow it’s reloading speed could be. Ten seconds, they just had ten seconds.
The loading door closed, she stomped her hoof on the trigger, her shot flew under the PMK’s barrel. She adjusted her sight up aiming for the barrel itself. The only cinch in the PMK’s armor that her rounds could penetrate. The loading door slammed closed again and she fired, the round skimming the top the barrel this time.
Momo cursed under her breath, “Shit, brace for another barrage!”
The PMK zeroed in letting loose another barrage. One round blew their track armor apart, along with the track leaving them immobile, another blew a piece of the turret off and the third round went low and blew up in front of the tank, creating a smoke screen.
“Crap, crap, crap! I’m blind!” She growled trying to see through the smoke to no avail.
“Move!” Spitfire said suddenly getting Momo out of the gunner’s chair. “Goodnight load a blue, a green and then a red! Double time!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Spitfire stomped her hoof on the trigger, shooting at the ground and creating a wall of ice with the blue round. The wall shattered as the PMK’s rounds hammered it. Next Spitfire fired the green round, the round creating a vortex of wind that cleared her field of vision. She zeroed in as Goodnight slammed the red round in the chamber!
“Eat this!” She stomped on the trigger and watched with Pegasus sharp eyes as her shot flew as if it was in slow motion. A smirk danced on her lips as she calculated its trajectory, which was the hole of the tank’s barrel. For a moment nothing happened, the round simply disappearing into the narrow void, but it wasn’t long before the PMK’s crew came scrambling out of the hatches with flames chasing their tails.
“YES!”
“Yahoo!”
“YEAH!”
The three celebrated their victory over the goliath only for the ‘creak, creak’ of the forgotten AT-35 to remind them they still had one more enemy remaining. Spitfire turned the turret just in time to see the barrel of the AT-35 pointed right at them!
“Brace for impact!”
The cannon of the AT-35 roared blowing the armor off their backside clean off! The gem engine whined and moaned as scraps of metal tell between the gears and shafts making a horrible grinding noise as smoke bellowed up from the ruined hood. Inside the cockpit, the gauges went wild, the needles quickly climbing into the red as a loud buzzer screamed into everyponies’ ears.
“What is that noise!” Spitfire demanded as she pressed her hooves against her ears, trying to block out the noise. Goodnight was doing the same, his bat ears making him even more sensitive to the annoying buzzing.
Momo rushed to the controls, twisting valves, pulling leavers, and punching the console to no avail. “Damn! The engines are cooked! It’s only a matter of time before we catch fire!”
From the back of the cabin, black smoke was already pouring into the cockpit, causing everypony to go into a coughing fit. Through watery eyes, Momo looked at the two coughing ponies and made a choice. She reached for the latch on the door, willing to admit defeat for the safety of the two ponies that helped her, only the latch wouldn’t release!
“Shit shit come on! Don’t do this now!” She screamed using all her strength to push against the hatch, but it wouldn’t budge! Something was blocking it! “Stand back! I’m going breath fire!”
The two Pegasus screamed, “What!” As Momo reared back and let loose a stream of pink flame on the door, turning it red hot. The temperature in the tank spiked and she pressed her attack, hoping the door would reach it’s melting point before it became too hot. The latch began to warp and twist, but before it could truly fall off Momo broke into a coughing fit, killing her attack. She fell to the floor of the tank as black smoke surrounded them. She tried to stand and use her fire again, but there was no longer enough oxygen. There was barely enough oxygen breath, let alone make fire!
A feeling of light headiness overcame her and she fell to the floor beside Goodnight and Spitfire, both were taking light shallow breaths to preserve as much oxygen as possible. Thought it might be too late Momo noted as her eyes fluttered between open and shut. Flames were already eating through the engine block and working their way into the cockpit.
“Sorry I dragged you two in this,” She said as her vision turned completely black and a feeling of weightlessness overcame her. At first, she thought they had died, the flames consuming the rest of the oxygen and suffocating them in a haze of black smoke. However, as the seconds passed she noticed she could fell the wind in her mane, and the noise of ponies cheering.
Momo inhaled deeply, taking in massive amounts of fresh cool air as she snapped back into the world of the living. The first thing she notices was Spitfire and Goodnight floating beside her, both greedily sucking air like it was going out of style. The second was the blue aura that surrounded them all. She looked up to see Princess Luna floating above her, carrying them all in her magic. She looked down spotting the fireball that had once been her tank. She had been saved, no they had been saved, by the Princess of the Night no less.
“Thank you…” Momo croaked out, her throat dry from the smoke and heat. Luna smiled as she floated them down to the medics waiting for them.
“I think that’s enough excitement for today,” Luna winked as she handed them over the medics.
Momo smiled as she rolled on her side, rubbing her cheek against the soft bed sheets, “Yeah… (cough, cough) … me too.”
As the three were carted away Sakura and Kaki flew down offering their thanks to Luna, who merely motioned for them to go after their sister, which they did promptly. Their concern bringing a bittersweet smile to the princess’s lips as she followed after Spitfire and Goodnight.
At the edge of the Nippon city, a shadowy figure crept along the shadows. Bright raspberry emulated through the darkness as their owner did one final check of her processions before leaving the city border.
“You’re leaving Daring?” Night Glider said emerging from the darkness with a frown as she took in Daring’s attire. Gone was her Wonderbolt uniform, in its place was an olive green shirt and tan hat.
“Whoa! Sweet teats of Celestia! Don’t sneak up on me like that! What are you half ninja? I didn’t even hear you.” Daring said looking around to see if any pony else was around. Hearing nothing, she cautiously laid her wing around Night Glider and pulled her close as she walked so they could speak softly without being overhead. “Yes, I’m off on my mission for Celestia. Why you want to come with me?”
Night Glider shook her head.
“Good, I wasn’t bringing you anyway. Not that you didn’t really show your stuff in the castle against those metal ponies, I just work better alone.”
Night Glider frowned as they reached the North city gates, which were strangely deserted of any guards, or any pony for that matter. She looked to Daring to ask what was happening, but Daring silently shushed her, while tapping her wing against her back to message that they were being watched.
“This is where we say goodbye Night Glider, I’ll stop by and see you when I get home. Take care, I’ll be sure to show you any cool treasures I find!”
With those parting words, Daring flew off into the night. Leaving Night Glider standing awkwardly at the gates as two shadowy figures gave chase after the rogue Wonderbolt. She stood there for a full minute before walking away. Feelings of uncertainty whirling through her mind.
She had wanted to go with Daring, but she also wanted to go home. Seeing Nippon was a grand and wonderful experience, but she longed to see her family waiting for her and to tell them of her adventures. Then she’d be ready to leave home again.
“Night Glider,” A voice called out to her. The dark blue mare turned to see her similarly blue shaded princess trotting up behind her with Goodnight and Spitfire asleep on her back.
“What happened to them?”
Luna smiled and laughed, “They had a little too much fun, but they are not seriously harmed. They will recover just fine on the voyage home. Come, the ship is waiting for us.”
Night Glider glanced towards the dock and towards the direction Daring had gone, “Princess…”
“I know,” Luna said stopping in her trot. “She has her own mission now, but you still have yours, now come Night Glider. I have no wish to leave you behind, but if you feel the need to stay, I will not be looking back if you do.”
Luna resumed her trot to the ship, Night Glider hesitated, looking towards the north one last time before heading south with her Princess.
On the dawn of the sixth day that Luna left for Nippon, Princess Celestia finally found some spare time to inspect the Equestrian Air Naval Fleet. Something she had not done in a while. But now that the matter of Discord was settled for the moment and Twilight wasn’t spelling ponies to a fight over a doll. Now seemed like the perfect time. In these peaceful times, it was hard to justify the need for such a large fleet. Thus the matter of maintaining it was pushed to the side as more pressing matters needed to be addressed. Now she stood on the catwalk overlooking the fleet’s harbor with utter shock and horror.
Her fleet of airships had rotted away.
The fleet, numbering one hundred and seventy-eight ships, stood desolate, the wood rotting of the sides of the ships, the cannons piles of rust, the sails mere rotted tattered rags. She did not even want to think of the engines and what poor shape they might be.
She called for the royal engineer. A stout pony with a bushy beard named Tinker. Asking for an estimate on what it would cost to repair the fleet. Celestia listened to Tinker ramble to himself for several minutes until he gave his answer and she found it less than appealing.
“To repair this rotted mess… three hundred billion bits. Give or take, that’s including material and labor costs. Frankly Princess, it would be far cheaper cost and time wise to scrap the fleet and rebuilt it from scratch. The hulls of these ships are so worn we would basically be rebuilding the ship anew anyway.”
“How much would it cost to rebuild the fleet?”
“Depending on the design and size, the cost could very a few million in either direction. To keep it simple, to rebuild a hundred of this same class of ship, which are twenty-gun battleships with a single mast. I would suspect it would be in the range of two hundred billion bits.”
Seventy-eight ships less, but they would be operable. Seems like a fair enough trade-off. It’s not like they needed them right away either. “Very well, I want at least three different designs of ships with their cost and pros and cons on my desk by next week. That will be all Tinker.”
“I will get right on it ma’am.”
Satisfied with her actions Celestia moved on in her inspection only for not one, but two letters to appear before her. One from her sister and one from Daring. She opened Luna’s first.
Dear Celestia,
A Canterlot huzzah for my retrieving of Nightingale’s memento. My excitement knows no bounds as I eagerly return home to continued my search. However, this is not all I have gained this trip. Besides the friendships of King Kusanagi and Queen Haibara and their children, I have regained my true might!
Unfortunately, there is some ill news in my writing. Upon our second day of voyaging, we were attacked by Germanian Privateers, ordered by the Kaiser himself to disturb trade. I am sorry I did not inform you sooner of the matter but rest assured I have informed King Kusanagi.
I hope to see you soon, love
Luna
P.S. I have found a most interesting artifact, I cannot wait to show it to you! I think you will be most surprised!
“The Kaiser of Germane? What is he up too now?” Celestia wondered as she switched over to Daring’s letter. Who was the current Kaiser anyway? The ponies of Germane have been so quiet in recent years and they never attended any summits. It was rather worrying. “Let’s see what Daring has to say.”
Opening the rogue wonder’s scroll, which was magically sent by a special glyph Celestia herself taught the tawny mare, the Princess of the Sun was surprised to find a letter written in Germane sealed inside. Her eyes scrolled through the writing. Several times she had to stop and reread as her Germane was lacking. She could make out the gist of the letter though. The letter was directly from the desk of the Kaiser, granting permission to attack Equestrian ships.
Specifically, ships that looked like they were carrying relief supplies. Celestia recalled signing an order to provide relief effort to several zebra nations. The letter dictated that the supplies were then to be given to waiting Germane ships, who would then deliver Equestrian supplies to the Zebra nation under Germane.
A cold shiver ran up Celestia’s spine. Such actions would be cause for war. Not only that but it made her nation look bad in the eyes of the world. Promising aid, but then not delivering on said promise was a very big deal when it came to trading and alliances. Why would the Kaiser do this?
(No, I must think more clearly. This could be a plant by some other nation to blame Germane for their crimes. I need more evidence, before rushing to judgment.)
As she folded the letter, another slipped out and fell to the floor. This one was written personally by Daring, “Luna has blue Alicorn Amulet.” It read, peaking Celestia’s interest as she rolled up the letter.
As of today that would mark the third Alicorn Amulet Daring has found. The others being the pink and teal Amulets. With the Yellow amulet being eaten by Sixes, and the green and orange by Emerald Cutter and Overheat, there hopefully are not much more left in the world.
“The red amulet that Sombra used is probably still in the Crystal Empire, I’ll have to think about getting that soon…” Celestia muttered, deep in thought, until a light poke in the side made her aware of her surroundings again. Confused she looked down to see Timer Keeper looking nervous while fiddling with his watch.
“Um… Princess, are you listening? We have to move onto the next item on the agenda for today. You a meeting with the Majors of Equestria’s major cities today.”
Celestia pressed her hoof to her nose and huffed. The majors were important, but the Kaiser and the Amulets were more pressing. “Cancel everything and reschedule Time Keeper, I want Vice-Captain Fleetfoot and Commander Bricks to be in my office in five minutes.” Celestia vanished, leaving the watch carrying pony a dazed and blubbering mess as all of he dropped all of his carefully planned time sheets to the ground.
“Well… ok then…” he mumbled wandering off like a zombie.
Fleetfoot hurried through the Canterlot castle halls, still in her training flight suit and sweaty from running drills when Celestia’s personal assistant came and told her she was needed in Celestia’s office. Orders such as these were rare. Meaning it was probably a high-profile mission! What fun!
Rounding the corner, she bumped into the last pony she wanted to see right now, Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor. “Move it Captain Purple, I have somewhere important to be, unlike you.”
To the other branches of the Equestrian military, such as the Wonderbolts, which were separate from the Royal Guard. Shining Armor was despised. Not that he didn’t have talent in his shield spells, but given his familial relationship with Celestia’s student Twilight Sparkle, and then his rumored relationship with lesser known Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, who was Celestia’s niece. He wasn’t making a lot of friends after his recent promotion.
“Oh yeah, what would that be? Hard to believe YOU the sub to Captain Spitfire would need to do anything other than keep Spitfire’s seat warm,” Shining sneered, tired of the outright disrespect he was shown by the other division leaders. Things have gotten worse after rumors circled around that even Princess Luna, a pony that didn’t know about the scandals around him, didn’t seem too fond of him. It really frustrated him that the position he worked so hard for was being undermined by his happenstance of being related to Celestia’s student and dating Celestia’s niece. He didn’t want special favors and he wouldn’t have accepted any if they were offered!
At least he had Cadence to confine in. Complaining about his situation to the higher ups would only make things worse.
Fleetfoot’s heckles rose, “I outta!”
“Vice-Captain Fleetfoot,” Celestia said poking her head out the door of her office. “That is quite enough. Please enter, now.”
“Yes, ma’am!” The Wonderbolt saluted, shooting a nasty glare at Shining as she passed. That really got Shining’s blood boiling. Keeping his cool he faced the princess as the Captain of the Guard was expected to.
“Is there anything I can do to assist, your highness?” He stood nervously as Celestia looked at him as if she was just noticing him.
“No,” She said flatly, “I’m afraid this matter is beyond the scope of the Royal Guard. Please continue on with your duties.”
Shining’s ears fell flat as the door slammed shut. Times like this he really wished Cadence was back from her trip. He could really use her support. Putting on a stonily expression Shining Armor trotted down the halls of the castle. He would prove his worth. Not just to the princesses, but to everypony!
Inside Celestia shuffled some papers around as Fleetfoot took a seat next to the other pony in the room. A white earth pony donned in blackish/gray armor with a skull and lightning bolt patch on the shoulder with the letters S.E.A.L stamped below the patch. The stallion was Commander B. Bricks of the Special Equine Assault Legion. Also known as Celestia’s horn. As they took all important missions beyond Equestria's borders. If the princess wanted something done, she called in SEAL.
“Commander Bricks,” Fleetfoot saluted taking the chair next to him. Giving her full attention to the Princess as she laid out several files. Levitating them for both commanders to read.
“I don’t need to tell you why I summoned you both here. I have a mission. A team consisting of both Wonderbolts and ponies of the SEAL will be sent on a top-secret recon mission to Germane. Your mission is to determine whether the Kaiser of Germane is organizing pirate attacks against us or if he is being framed. If it is the former, report back immediately, if is the latter, follow the trail as far as you can while keeping me posted.
“Yes, ma’am,” The two ponies saluted taking their leave. Bricks holding the door for Fleetfoot. The princess chuckled silently as she watched Fleetfoot fought between her pride and looking flattered. The light blue mare seemed to settle for flattered as a blush rose in her cheeks and she stepped through the doorway. Appreciating the old fashion jester.
Reorganizing her papers Celestia recounted the number of times this has happened. There was no doubt in her mind that Bricks would be the center figure of Fleetfoot’s fantasies for a while. The Princess of the Sun could already picture her next annual meeting with Spitfire, grumbling about Fleetfoot’s ramblings as the Wonderbolt captain doled through her reports. Wishing under her breath that Fleetfoot would just pick a stallion and be done with it.
It amused Celestia to hear the usually professional Wonderbolt Captain vent to her. She rather enjoyed their semi-professional relationship. It was nice to not have a pony be so uptight around her all the time and with Luna befriending Spitfire. Perhaps the Wonderbolt captain would loosen up even more.
“Maybe I should go in disguise and join the Wonderbolts? I mean Luna can handle covering for me for a few weeks… Nah, better not. Luna could handle it, but I doubt everypony else could.” Oh, the faces on everyponies faces of having to work with Luna. Not that Luna was bad to work with, she was… different. “I’ll put a pin in that idea. It sounds amusing at the very least.”
Clearing her desk of the clutter. Celestia went about organizing files, requests and everything else on her desk. Slowly, yet surely the mountain of papers diminished. She stopped once to begin lowering the sun. The moon just beginning to peak out over the skyline. Her sister’s aura surrounding the white marble in the sky. The sight brought a smile to her lips as she turned back to her desk, now cleared of everything, safe for a single book.
“So that’s where it’s been.” Celestia chuckled levitating a copy of Starwind’s fundamentals of magic and mechanics. She should really return this to the royal library. Less it falls prey to her desk again. “There’s some time left in the day. I might as well go visit the library. Perhaps I’ll select a more leisurely read this time.”
Humming a soft tone Celestia trotted to the royal library. Seamlessly popping past the iron bars over the entrance via teleport. She was rather confused about why they were there, it’s not like the guard wouldn’t let any pony in. Knowledge of the Royal Library was free to everypony at any time of day or night.
“Here you are, home sweet home,” Celestia chimed, returning the book to its proper place. She popped over to the fiction section. Intent on checking out a nice steamy romance novel for her enjoyment when she spotted lavender in the corner of her eye.
Placing her raunchy novel away, Celestia trotted towards the mass of purple, a devious grin playing on her lips as she rested her head beside the unwitting pony’s ear.
“What are you reading?” She said. Her grin widening as her adorkable student flew out of her seat, screaming in surprise. “Energetic as always I see.” Celestia laughed as Twilight came crashing down to earth. Clutching her book for dear life.
“Princess Celestia! What are you doing here? Isn’t it a bit late for you to be up?” Twilight said in a jittering mess.
That really peaked the Princess’s interest. Is her adorable student reading something naughty? Probably not, but she relished the chance tease her uptight student. Twilight really needed to learn how to relax more.
“I’m more surprised you’re here in Canterlot. Usually, you send a note unless you didn’t want me to know you were here.” Celestia leaned in close to the purple filly, a mischievous grin dancing on her lips as she watched her student sweat. “Why don’t we see what you're burying your nose in this time!”
“Wait, Princess NO!”
The book flew from Twilight’s grasp, her forelegs flailing after it as Celestia turned the cover towards her. Celestia was hoping for a romance novel or something like that, it would be nice for Twilight so show some interest in something other than magic for once. But Celestia knew her student, so she wasn’t surprised to see it was merely a spell book. However, the type of magic made her pause.
“Want it, need it, Tier 5 theory and method… and I here I thought you’d have enough of this spell to last a lifetime.”
Twilight withered under her curious stare. Before her very eyes, Twilight seemed to unravel once again. As she had the other day when she spelled almost the entire town of Ponyville to fight over a doll. As serious as mentally altering a pony mind was, Celestia had to admit seeing ponies fight over a doll was rather amusing.
What wasn’t so amusing was seeing her student on the brink of insanity. As she seemed to be doing again right before her eyes. Twilight’s hooves were nervously combing through her mane, her pupils seemed to shrink as she muttered out what sort of punishment she would have to endure for reading the spell book.
It pained the Princess to see her brave student break down so easily.
“Twilight,” Celestia said softly, “ Take a breath.”
Twilight did as she was told. Taking a long drawn out breath and then exhaling. A blush adorned the lavender mare’s cheeks as she hid her face beneath her violet hair.
“Sorry, it’s been a few days, but I still feel… nervous… after the Smarty Pants incident.”
“I can see that,” Celestia said with a grin, hoping to liven up her student’s spirits. Yet as her eyes darted to the book in her grasp, her own fears rose to the surface. “What are you indenting to do with this book, Twilight?”
“I just wanted to find out what went wrong. I’ve seen Cadence use that spell so many times in the past and she never caused anything like I did.”
Celestia groaned, “Oh by mother’s mane! I told her not do that anymore!”
Twilight blinked, looking confused, “Do what anymore?”
“Look Twilight, I won’t go into detail, but what Cadence did with that spell… I would… no, I command you, as both your Princess and Teacher, to never to do. It is lucky that you only merely started a brawl over a doll. Things could have been much, much worse. Simply ask Cadence next time you see her.”
“Oh… ok…” Twilight said warily as the Princess rubbed her temple
Taking a deep breath of her own Celestia regained her smile, “That matter aside. Are you studying anything else?”
“Just some history. Ever since the return of Princess Luna, I’ve been fascinated by her. I would have just asked you directly, but you seemed busy lately or I guess all the time. I was going to ask Luna face to face, but I wasn’t able to find her.”
“Ah, I see, I’m sorry to tell you my sister has gone on a diplomatic mission to Nippon. She should return in less than a week. I’m sure she would be happy to tell you her war stories.”
“War stories…”
“Yes, she has many. I suppose I do too, but I’d rather not talk about them. Oh my, look at the time. I really must be going Twilight. Promise you won’t stay up too late. A young mare needs her sleep.”
“I will,” Twilight waved as the princess disappeared in a golden light.
As the final gold sparks of Celestia’s magic faded Twilight noticed the Princess had taken her book with her! Whether it was by accident or intentional, it left Twilight lacking reading material.
“Maybe I should read some history books for a while.” She mused deciding that playing with mental magic could wait for another day. Perhaps after she runs into Cadence again. She was curious about what happened with the pink Princess and her own trouble with the want it, need it spell. “Now to figure out this gap in history.
Since Luna’s return, Twilight has been looking for any book that might have to do with the Princess of the Night. Surprisingly or maybe not so surprisingly, there wasn’t much material on Luna in the past thousand years. Going back any further in time really didn’t shed much light either. There was, of course, the founding of Equestria and in the original texts, it did detail the two sisters, while as more modern only referenced Celestia. That would have to be changed.
What really had her attention was the early years after Nightmare Moon/Luna’s disappearance. There were no records of Luna. As if she didn’t even exist. The books only talked about Nightmare Moon and her defeat.
(Maybe Celestia did that to preserve Luna’s image. So, ponies wouldn’t think of Luna and Nightmare Moon as the same pony.)
The ethics of altering history aside. There was one book Twilight stumbled across in her search. It was not so much a history book as more so a journal. She had found it via a book broker and has yet to read any of it. The journal was old, with six red claw marks on the cover, mostly likely that had been the writer’s cutie mark or emblem as they called them back then.
“I’ll just read a few entries and call it a night,” Twilight said aloud, opening the old journal. Excitement building as she flipped opened the cover. Before she could even begin reading the book suddenly slammed shut and flew from her hooves! Twilight blinked, rubbed her eyes, and blinked again. The book floated in midair. As if mocking her and then flew down the rows of books shelves.
“HEY! THAT’S MINE!” She screamed galloping after the book. “This isn’t funny! You don’t come between a mare and her book!” Twilight reached out with her magic, holding the book in place for a second, before a black and silver aura of magic overtook her own purple/pinkish magic. Pulling the book away.
Whoever was stealing her book was powerful, but that did not deter Twilight as she continued her pursuit. Rounding the corner at the end of the library Twilight come to the dead end, where a tall cloaked figure stood still holding her stolen book.
“That’s mine! Give it back!” Twilight demanded. Charging up her horn.
The cloaked pony peeked an eye from under her hood, silver magic shimmered brightly like lightning in her black iris as she pulled the book under her cloak. “This does not belong to you, nor are you ready to read what’s inside. Now, be a nice little filly and SLEEP!”
A wave of drowsiness overcame Twilight, her mind became hazy and clouded to the point she could no longer stand up straight. Her eyes rolled back and she fell in a heap to the floor. The cloaked pony leaned over the fallen mare, black hair with glints of silver sparkles fell out from her hood. With a tawny hoof, she poked the sleeping lavender mare.
“Good, sound asleep, now just a little memory altering here and there. And there are now no witnesses, just as it should be.” The cloaked mare gathered the sleeping Twilight up in her magic and teleported to an empty bedroom and tucked the sleeping unicorn into bed. “I don’t know if this is the right room, but it’s better than the floor. I expect a thank you next time we meet. Whenever that is.”
There was a soft tug at her horn, the cloaked unicorn sighed, knowing what that meant, “Sorry to just cut and run, but my goddaughter is in trouble… again…” With no more than a flash and whisper on the wind, the cloaked mare vanished, as if she was never there.
Daring galloped through the hordes of animated metal ponies, the same kind she fought in the Nippon castle not two days ago.
“Or maybe it was three, how long has it been?” Daring wondered out loud as she kicked a metal pony in the face. The rusted pony’s neck twisted and snapped, the magic powering it flew away, deeper into the temple.
Like before the metal ponies were being powered by a powerful artifact, more specifically an alicorn amulet. In the case of this temple, there were two different colored energies, black and purple. Meaning the black and purple alicorn amulets rested here.
Hammering her way through the hordes of metal ponies, Daring pushed her way through to a larger room with even more metal ponies waiting for her!
“Oh buck,” She jumped to the side as a wall of arrows came flying at her. Diving behind an old shield. Daring waited for the barrage to end and hopefully quick as her meager shield was showing its age as the arrow heads broke through the thin metal.
The arrow’s stopped.
Taking the chance Daring jumped out from her cover and took the air. Another barrage of arrows already coming her way! Acting quick Daring flew up, but it quickly became clear she wouldn’t make it!
“Shit!” She cursed closing her eyes, bracing for the pain. Only it didn’t come, instead, there was lurching feeling like she was being pulled by something. She opened her eyes and found herself in a completely different spot with all the metal ponies defeated. Their body’s disintegrating into a rusty dust.
This was not the first time this happened.
“So now you decided to show up! Some guardian angel you are! Where the hell were you when I was pinned down in the castle?” Daring screamed. Her voice echoing throughout the old tomb, but no pony replied. No one ever did.
Grumbling Daring continued onward. Kicking away the piles of rust dust as she went. Her mother, Tomb Raider, always told they had a guardian angel watching their backs. At first, Daring had assumed it was just a story her mother told her when she was young to chase away her fears. However, when she first started exploring ruins and then working for Celestia to find the Alicorn Amulets. She’s noticed strange things happening around her.
Traps that caught her off guard would be disabled before they hit, puzzles too difficult for her to solve would be solved magically behind her back, any rare ancient book she needed was available at any bookstore she walked into. And much, much more.
At first, she had played it off as just unnatural good luck. As she took on more dangerous missions, not only did these events become more frequent, but gaps in her memory began to emerge. She noticed when she was writing her cover up book, the Daring Do series, there were parts of her adventures she had no recollection off.
Things had gotten so bad that she had gone to see her mother before she passed, and explain was happening. Her mother’s response? Was to smile and say, “Oh good, she’s still looking out for you.”
Since then Daring has been trying to draw out her supposed ‘Guardian Angel’ with no luck. She could tell when the mysterious mare was interfering in her life though. Kind of like a sixth sense.
“Fine, keep quiet! But the treasure here is mine!”
Running into the next room Daring was surprised to find next set of traps were already disabled. In the distance, she heard a faint, click, click, of booted hooves up head. Could this be the time she finally meets her guardian angel in the flesh?
Spreading her wings Daring flew for all she was worth, passing through the remaining chambers with ease. The puzzle and traps already disabled.
(How did she get through here so fast? Even with magic, it would take more time than this!)
Coming to the deepest chamber, Daring stopped on the bridge that spans across the underground lake, up ahead standing by the altar in the center of the lake. Where the two Alicorn amulets rested, stood the mysteriously cloaked mare. A long horn poking out from her hood as well as black and silver tufts of hair. She turned towards Daring. The two Amulets aloft in her black/silver magic.
“Those are mine!” Daring crossed the distance between them in a second, ready to fight for the amulets, but before her hoof could even touch the mystery mare, she was gone! There had been no aura of magic, no flash, no nothing, she was simply gone!
Coming to a stop Daring looked down at the dropped amulets, confused and flustered. Whipping her head around she spotted the cloaked mare at the other end of the bridge, staring at her with blackish silver eyes.
“What do you want! Who are you!” Daring snarled at the mare. The mare looked solemnly at her, her eyes shimmering in the darkness as she faded away. Daring looked frantically around for the unicorn, expecting her to pop up and take the amulets from under her nose. She looked for a full minute. Before finally picking up the two amulets and tucking them away in her pack.
A week pass since Luna’s return from Nippon. The Princess of the Night overjoyed by her bounty of winning bets and the possession of Nightingale’s medal. Now there were only two more keys to find to discover the secret of the secret door in the old castle. Luna only hoped the other two keys would be easier to retrieve. She only wanted to go through a death maze every other time on an adventure.
Lucky for the Princess of the Night the location of the next key was well in hoof. If her research was to be believed, the location of Allure’s earrings was Ponyville. In the possession of Allure’s descendant Rarity, the element of generosity. Really could this be any easier?
Of course not!
For during her studies Luna heard whispers of a coming holiday. One that made the castle maids and guards clam up when they spotted her. Their excited chatter dying when she passes by. She went to go Goodnight to ask what was going on, but even he seems nervous to talk about it and Spitfire was away at training camp. Leaving Luna little choice but to search the records for the event.
That proved difficult as there were about a million different holidays! Really, there were that many! Frustrated Luna went to her sister.
“What holiday is this weekend?” Luna demanded, full Canterlot voice, barging into the throne room. Her sister and the ponies hanging up spooky decorations all froze at the sight of her. She looked at the dark theme of the room with a curious and pleased smile. “I see you're finally seeing the appeal of the night dear sister. How wonderful! But there is more to the night than bats, spider webs and… pumpkins… ok… what’s going on?”
Celestia gave a shaky smile, clearly not sure how to answer, “Well… um… you see Luna…ahhhh… happy Nightmare Night!” The Sun Princess said cheerily, Luna noticing that her sister was donned in similar attire to Nightmare Moon. “Um… this… looks bad, doesn’t it?”
“That depends, dear sister… what in the holy hay is going on? I would have thought you, of all ponies, would despise that form as much as I? Or am I wrong?”
Celestia let out a haggard sigh, waving at all the servants to leave. “Please leave us.” The ponies did as commanded, leaving the two Princesses alone. Celestia shrinking on her throne under Luna’s glare. “Allow me to explain Luna.”
“Please do.”
“Very well. As you know during your time as Nightmare Moon you… caused a lot of harm. Stories, both true and not true rose. Creating the modern legend of Nightmare Moon. Some time ago when fact became fiction, ponies created Nightmare Night, a night in which ponies would dress up and get scared for fun and get candy. Before I even knew what was happening the festival had become so popular I had not the heart to bring a stop to it. Mainly because with it, ponies no longer assume you and Nightmare Moon were one and the same and or real. Even now only the residents of Ponyville know Nightmare Moon is actually real.” Celesta cringed waiting for Luna’s reply. Her sister’s expression cold as stone.
“I can understand that much,” Luna said evenly, “but why are you dressed as Nightmare Moon?”
Celestia laughs embarrassingly, “Oh, well you see… I might have unknowingly agreed to pretend to be Nightmare Moon for a school fundraiser. I honestly just found out this morning. I had hoped you’d be gone before I had to go perform. I find the whole ordeal very embarrassing.”
“Well your imitation of me is rather poor, sister,” Luna said with a smile. Much to Celestia’s relief. “Very well, you go and do your fundraiser and I shall go on my quest for Allure’s earrings in Ponyville and while I’m there I will set things straight with the townsfolk.”
“Oh Luna, I don’t think you need to do that.”
“None sense! I want to do it! And I shall do it by embracing this holiday! I shall show them the true face of Nightmare Moon! Mine! And thus, they will not be afraid!” Luna excitedly trotted out of the throne room, leaving Celestia perplexed and worried. Her sister and ponies didn’t mix well most of the time.
“I’m sure she’ll be fine…” Celestia told herself, sweat dripping down her brow. “Maybe I should warn Twilight. Just in case.”
Marching down the halls Luna spotted Goodnight chatting with another bat pony, a female. A rare sight, especially in the castle. “Is this your marefriend Goodnight?” She asked stopping to talk to the two. Goodnight and the mare both turned red, quickly moving away from each other, giving Luna a better look at the bat mare donned in guard armor. “Or perhaps I’m mistaken?”
The mare had a gray coat and electric blue hair, a strange color for a bat pony, it reminded the princess of Octavia’s sister, Vinyl Scratch.
“This is Sweet Dreams, we came from the same colony. She just finished training, so I’m showing her the ropes.” Goodnight explained with a rather deep blush. Implying Luna maybe be closer to the mark than they let on.
Sweet Dreams bowed low, accidentally dropping her helmet and bonking her head on the floor. “Nice to meet you, princess. It’s an honor.” She said rubbing the bump on her head.
“Same. And what luck! I need two bat ponies! Would you mind coming with me?”
“Of course, ma’am!” Sweet said eagerly, only to suddenly deflate. “But Captain Shining Armor told us to stand guard tonight.”
This caused Luna to laugh, “You need not worry. I do believe I out rank Captain Shining Armor. Come, the night is calling!” She trots ahead, leaving both bat ponies to shrug and follow her. After all who were they to argue with a Princess? They follow Luna all the way to the chariot bay. Where the princess was looking over the rows of flying chariots.
“Hmm, none of these quite fits with this festival’s theme. I shall have to improvise!” A flash of magic later and the seemingly dull chariot was turned into a spooky black thing of nightmares. Both bat ponies image the cart looked like something the specter of death would ride to collect the souls of the dead.
“Princess, what exactly are we doing?” Goodnight asks warily as the Princess fashions a cloak made of bats.
“We are on a twofold mission to Ponyville. One mission is to recover the second key that slumbers there and the second is to engage in the festival of Nightmare Night! I will use the later to show the citizens of Ponyville they have nothing to fear from me by partaking in the festival. The details of which I am a little fuzzy on, but I am confident I can show them the true face of the Princess of the Night!” Luna explained, or rather yelled, causing both bat ponies hair to be blowing back comically as they stood there blinking.
“Ok… and what are we doing?”
Luna blinks, “Oh right sorry, I need you to pull the cart I’m afraid. I wish to make a grand entrance to make a good first impression. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Of course not! This is so awesome!” Sweet Dreams screamed before Goodnight could voice his opinion.
“I knew I could count on you two. I knew it in my heart! Now come my children of the night! Let us fly to Ponyville!” Luna struck a dramatic pose, raising on her hind legs and pointing to the sky. A flash of lightning thundering the in background turning the princess’s eyes white and casting her in complete darkness. It was kind of scary. “Like it? I plan on surprising the ponies of Ponyville with it during my entrance.”
Goodnight and Sweet Dream smiled widely at the princess, neither brave enough to tell the truth.
“It’s perfect princess. I’m sure they’ll love it!”
“I’m glad you think so, now let us be off and spread the joy of the night!”
Goodnight and Sweet Dream hooked themselves to the flying chariot. Flying the black nightmare through the sky, they heard the screams of children below as they passed over them. Luna laughed loudly with delight, sounding a little, if not completely menacing as she did. The bat ponies grimaced as the small town of Ponyville come into view.
Flying down they watched as the Princess did her grand entrance and really, really wished they had spoken up as the entire town went nuts.
And not in a good way.
Ponies were trembling before her. Luna did not like that. She did not like that at all! Her entrance was meant to be in the spirit of the holiday, a sign that she was ok with it. Despite the insult, she found it to be. Her bravado fades, replaced with uncertainty and worry as the adults of the small town lay on their bellies shivering in fear. It brought back bad memories. Memories of when she was Nightmare Moon and when she terrorized Equestria’s neighbors. The Griffons suffered more than others.
But what really got to her. What truly tore her heart from her chest was the bear of the element of laughter and her accusing screams of her wanting to feast on ponies. The pink pony leads a group of foals away screaming in sheer terror. Her words and actions cutting worse than an assassin’s knife in the back.
(She should know I’m not Nightmare Moon! She was there! She helped free me!) Luna raged, seething between her teeth. Deep in the far reaches of her mind, she could hear her darker counterpart’s mocking laughter. (One thousand years later and still all the same. Poor, poor Luna. Are you going to go cry on your pillow now?) Nightmare Moon cackled, further irritating the princess as she pushed the dark entity back down.
(Shut up…) Luna said tightly as she struggled to control her magic. Her shadow reaching out and twisting the ground hungrily. She reeled it back and took a deep calming breath. She needed to get out of here, fast!
“Very well, we shall take our leave,” She told the townsfolk hotly, spinning on her hooves she decided to go get Allure’s earrings from Rarity and leave. They were the main reason she was here after all. But first, she needs to cool down.
“Goodnight and Sweet Dream,” she said, the two bat ponies snapping to attention. “You two go sit about. I’ll come get you when I need you.”
Ignoring the bat ponies salutes she wanders into the nearby forest to cool her head. Unfortunately, fate seemed to have a sense of ironic humor, because she just happens to walk straight towards a statue of Nightmare Moon. Great. Was it a crime if a princess destroys public property?
Between her debating of doing just that, an excited voice called her name, a chorus of bells accompanying it. Luna turned around and was surprised to see Starswirl the bearded! Or at least a pony dressed as him. Either way, it didn’t help her mood. Starswirl may be dead, but she still has some misgivings with the old mage. However, the sight of her sister’s student did fill her with hope as she seemed to be the only pony with some good sense.
“Hello, Princess Luna. It’s very nice to see you. I’m…”
“Starswirl the bearded. Very fine hoof work, thou even have the correct number of bells. The infuriating accuracy of Starswirl’s attire is remarkable.”
The lavender unicorn chuckled uncertainly, “Hahaha…um what do you mean by, infuriating?”
“I merely mean your costume is detailed to the point that my misgivings with that batty bearded pony rise to the surface. He, my sister and I have share a strained history. But I hope that does not sour your fondness for him. Starswirl was a shut-in lay about with little sense of long term responsibility, but he was a talented one at least.”
Twilight stood stunned, “Um… thanks for the compliment… I think? My real name is…”
“Twilight Sparkle,” Luna answers for her, speaking in a loud dramatic voice. “You are my sister’s student and the bear of the Element of Magic. My sister speaks fondly of you and your friends often. Though your exploits are not always the most rousing to hear when compared to the great feat of freeing me from darkness and the second sealing of Discord. None the less, I commend you and your friends for freeing me, though I must also chide you for your foolishness of doing so woefully underprepared.”
“Um… thanks… and sorry? I guess?” Twilight replied with uncertainty. The two mares stared at one another, awkward silence filling the air. “So… um… I see you’re a bit different since last time. How did that happen?”
(Thank mother’s mane! A change of subject!) Luna cried silently to the heavens. “My previous form was a result of server magical depletion after being released from my dark powers. Again, thank you for that. I recently regained my true might and form while I was away to Nippon.”
“You’ve been to Nippon! I’ve always wanted to go there! And Griffonstone and the dragon lands and…”
Twilight rambled on and on about all the places she wants to go. It warms Luna’s heart to hear she even wanted to know more about her and the magic she used as Princess of the Night. She never met a pony with such a desire to learn!
“Then why not go? Surely if you want to go visit other lands I’m sure my sister would happily grant you permission. In fact, I doubt you even need to ask.” Luna said, stopping Twilight’s rant. The mare looked like she was about pass out from a lack of oxygen if her flustered cheeks and panting breath were anything to go by. This could be the first time Luna ever saw somepony pass out from talking too much.
Amusingly all the color drained from Twilight’s face. “Go? Without Princess Celestia’s permission? But I’m her student! I can’t do that!”
“Why not? Did she say you couldn’t?” Now Luna didn’t know how Celestia taught her students, but she was sure her sister wasn’t that strict. From the sheepish look on Twilight’s face, it was clear it wasn’t Celestia holding the young unicorn back, but herself.
“Well no… but I haven’t finished my friendship studies here yet! So, I just can’t leave!”
Luna chuckled softly, “If that how you feel, then I won’t push the issue, but know time waits for no pony Twilight Sparkle. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be taking my leave.”
“WAIT!” Twilight shouted, making Luna go rigged as the lavender mare raced in front of her, blocking her path. The princess’s amused smile slipping into an irritated stare. “Um… I mean please wait.”
“Better,” Luna bit out evenly.
Twilight gulped, a shaky smile stretching across her muzzle. “I kind of got off track, but I actually come to help you make a better impression! That is if you don’t mind.”
“Are you implying we are incapable of making friends? We will have you know we have made plenty of friends, both in this time and in the past!”
“No, no! Of course not, Princess! I’m merely saying I could help you adjust is all. Ponyville is really different from Canterlot.” Twilight said frantically, making Luna sigh.
“We merely were jesting Twilight Sparkle. We would find your help most refreshing.” Twilight sighed in relief, making Luna’s heart crumble further. Has she become that distant from other ponies that they can’t even tell if she’s joking or not? “What do you suggest we do Twilight Sparkle?
Twilight coughed nervously, but stood tall before the princess, “First I think we need to work on your… vocal volume… and I know just the pony to help!” Why did this feel like it was going to be a chore? Luna wondered as she rubbed her temples, “Very well, lead the way Twilight.”
Twilight led her to a cabin. A cheery little place even on this spooky night, even the menacing presence of the Everfree forest failed to take away from the cabin’s tranquility. It was a lovely place indeed, yet it also felt isolated and lonely.
While Twilight exposits on about the cabin’s owner, the Princess of the Night couldn’t help but feel the area was familiar. A feeling she’s had since arriving in Ponyville. As if she’s been here before, and she didn’t mean during the summer sun celebration. This place was very close to the old castle, maybe her patrollers had set up an outpost here or something once upon a time.
“Princess Luna, this is Fluttershy,” Twilight said presenting the obviously frighten mare. Luna recognized her as the Element of Kindness. The Princess of the Night watches dryly as Twilight wrangles the pegasus out of her home so the shy mare could give her voice lessons.
The idea was frankly beyond silly, but the yellow Pegasus’s meek voice did create a perfect contrast to her own war horn loud one. She had forgotten to undo the voice amplifier spell! How embarrassing! To save face Luna played along with Fluttershy’s lesson/cowering while slowly lowering her voice back to normal. She even gave the Pegasus the royal thank you by kissing and hugging the frightened mare in the old way. And was about to let the mare return to home when…
“Nightmare Moon stole Fluttershy’s voice so she can’t scream when she gobbles her up!”
SHE returned! The damnable pink chicken costume wearing pony! She and her entourage of screaming children ran away in terror. Luna called out to them her voice ticking up to scary again. She quickly corrected it, but it was too late. They were gone and the ache in her heart worsened.
“Don’t worry Princess. I have another idea.” Twilight said quickly to lift Luna’s spirits. The Princess of the Night stared at her sister’s student with a disbelieving face.
“Very well, we shall heed your advice once more,” Luna replied, following the lavender unicorn back to town. To no surprise, the townsfolk were shrieking in terror and falling to their bellies or flat out running away as she and Twilight passed by. Even Twilight’s optimist smile was waning.
“It is no use Twilight Sparkle. Ponies have always feared me and they always shall.” Well, that wasn’t true. Sixes and the ponies of Night Patrol didn’t fear her, but they were far from the typical pony. They were warriors like her. They understood each other in ways that peaceful ponies like these could never understand.
“Don’t worry Princess, my friend Applejack is the most likable pony there is I’m sure…”
Luna did not give Twilight the time to finish. For she saw her, Applejack, her most loyal friend, and commander. She could not even form words to describe the swell of emotions she felt as she looks upon the farm mare’s orange coat and bright blond hair. All but running to her old friend Luna threw her forelegs around Applejack’s neck and pulled her into a deep embrace.
“Applejack! It is so good to see you!” Luna cried with joy, tears threatening to fall as she nuzzled the farm mare’s neck.
Applejack flinched in the princess’s embrace but did not pull away as she felt the Princess quiver. Deciding play along Applejack wrapped her legs around Luna, all the while looking to Twilight for an explanation. The unicorn merely stood stupefied, looking completely bluffed. Applejack figured that to mean she was on her own.
“Um… hi… nice to see you too Nigh- I mean Princess Luna!” Applejack corrected quickly.
Maybe it was the break in her voice or the shaking or maybe it was just her brain finally rebooting, but Luna finally lets Applejack free of her embrace. It had only been a moment, barely a flicker, but in those brief seconds, she had her friend back. That was enough to make all the heartache of this night worth it.
“My apologies Applejack. I lost myself to a memory. You bear an uncanny resemblance to you ancestor by the same name. I’m glad to see the Apple Clan is still around and very prosperous from what I hear. Your clan just an established a new settlement a few months ago correct?”
Applejack dumbly nodded, her brain having to reboot from the information. That the princess knew her and her family. “Um yeah… my cousin Braeburn and a few others did. Had a bit of rough time with some buffalo at first.”
“Buffalo? Do thou need us to smite them for you? Fear not a dear descendant of Applejack! We, Princess Luna of the Night! Shall keep true to our promise to thy predecessors and ensure the Apple clan’s prosperity! Now, where are these buffalo?” Luna declares menacingly, lightning rumbling in the sky.
Applejack took two steps back, “Um that’s ok. We got it all settled. My cousin might be getting engaged to the Buffalo’s chief’s daughter, so…” Luna demure completely changed, from threatening to joyous in only a second.
“Oh, how wonderful! I will have to attend the wedding! That is if you’ll have me. I wouldn’t want to be rude and just barge in. Maybe I’ll go in disguise. That seems to work much better for going out in public. The news ponies of today are just as bad, if not worse than ponies a thousand years ago. Can you believe they find my choice of breakfast breaking news? What utter nonsense.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more. Canterlot ponies, not you, of course, Twilight. Seem to have a strange idea of how to do things. I’m glad Princess Celestia has a good head on her hunches.” Applejack said falling on her rump, Luna doing the same, both seeming much more comfortable with each other.
“Well, my sister can be a bit naïve sometimes.” Twilight gasps! “I mean she’s well intentioned, but she has a horrible habit of putting things aside for later. Discord is one of those. I personally wanted to take a hammer to that annoying spirit’s statue the first time.”
Applejack chuckled, imaging Luna doing just, “Well that would have made things a lot easier. Quick question, how many more villains like Discord are around like that?”
Luna mumbled softly as she counted on her hoof, “Um… sealed in a landmark or sent to Tartarus? I can safely say there are two more sealed with in Equestria. Then there are the foes we fought before Equestria was made. Like this one, we sealed in a volcano. There are quite a few, my sister believed in second chances a lot more than I did.”
“Um, Princess Luna don’t you think we could get back to trying to befriend the townsfolk?” Twilight interrupted, not liking what was being said about her teacher.
“I am content to speak to Applejack, Twilight. Why don’t you go and enjoy the festival? I will stay here and…” Luna caught sight of little foal about to fall into the apple bobbing game. Quickly she vanished in flash and caught the little foal by his pirate vest and pulled him to safety. Joy swelled in her chest as she set the little foal down.
Then it all went away.
“Nightmare Moon is devouring Pipsqueak! Everypony run!” The pink abomination screamed. Luna dropping Pipsqueak out of shock. The little colt ran away screaming and Luna’s heart shattered, the little happiness she found tonight crumbling away. Bitterness and anger taking its place.
“Princess are you ok?” Twilight inquired, noticing the tear droplets threatening to fall from the princess's eyes.
Luna angrily whipped away the tears. Pure seething rage bleeding into her eyes as she looked over the crowd of terror ridden ponies, the fading dust trail of her pink tormentor, and everything this dreadful festival represented. It was like that time the nobles humiliated her at the Gala.
She’s had enough.
“No Twilight, I am not ok. In fact, I am far from it! I came here with the humble and simple intention to befriend the ponies of Ponyville. To partake in this festival, no this insult, in a jester of good faith, but that good faith has been trampled, crushed and piled on with manure to the point of madness!” Luna reared back, summoning a smog of black clouds. “I will no longer tolerate it! From this day forth Nightmare Night is canceled! Forever!”
All ponies stood with jaws hung open as the Princess of the Night made her decree and vanished.
--break
“Oh, sweet Celestia, you guys really screwed up,” Goodnight said startling Twilight.
“Goodnight! What are you doing here?” The unicorn asked, switching between looking for the princess and trying in vain to figure out a solution to this problem. The chorus of crying foals was heartbreaking and hard on the ears.
The bat pony merely rolled his eyes, “I was one of the ponies pulling Luna’s cart. I came to see what in the name of Tartarus was going on. Gotta say way to go on getting the Princess pissed off.”
“Um sorry to interrupt, but is Nightmare Night really canceled?” Applejack asked. “I mean Luna is the princess and all, but Granny is on the township board and it’s not that easy to change laws and holidays. There’s like a million different legal things to go through.”
Goodnight nods in agreement, “Correct ma’am. Legally Luna would have to go talk to Celestia, who when then cosign the decree to make it law as per the two rulers rule. So, if you want to save Nightmare Night you have until we take Luna back to Canterlot. Luckily Luna has other business here tonight, so you have a few hours to do that.”
“Princess Celestia wouldn’t do that, it’d make too many ponies sad if she canceled Nightmare night!” Twilight argues. Goodnight merely snorted, trying to hold back his laughter. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, it’s just your Celestia’s student and you don’t even realize how far Celestia would go to make things up with her sister. Princess Celestia probably wouldn’t hesitate to sign if she thought it would make Luna happy.” Goodnight drew a haggard breath and sighs. “Personally, I don’t care one way or the other, but I think in the long-term Luna will probably regret it. So, Miss Sparkle, you better fix this.” Goodnight did an about face and walked away.
“What are we going to do Twilight?” Applejack said frantically. “The kids love Nightmare Night. It’ll break their hearts if it’s canceled for good!”
Spotting Luna on a bridge and a certain pink pony Twilight got an idea. “Leave it to me!”
--break
(Let’s see, I did not see Rarity at the festival, so she must be at her home. Somehow, I find that rather endearing.) Luna mused, feeling somewhat happy that the white unicorn had chosen not to partake in Nightmare Night. (Now, where was her house again? Shoot! I forgot to look up her address! I suppose I could ask one of the townsfolk… providing they don’t run away again.)
“Princess!”
Twilight Sparkle. What could she want now? No matter, she was done with Nightmare Night! As soon as she returns to Canterlot she would make it official.
“Princess, please wait!”
Then again, it wouldn’t be the end of the world to hear her out one last time. “Make your case Twilight Sparkle and then please be gone. I am in no mood for any further humiliation and disrespect this night by ponies that don’t even know me.”
Twilight trotted in front of her, panting from trying to keep up with the Princess’s longer strides. “Sorry, let me catch my breath.” She took several deeper breaths before finally settling down. “Ok, sorry. You walk a lot faster than most ponies.”
“Get to the point Twilight, my patience is at an end. I merely seek the abode of the Element of Generosity and I shall be on my way.”
“You’re looking for Rarity’s house? Why?” Luna glared at her. “Right, right, none of my business. Look I have one more idea, please at least hear me out?”
Luna begrudgingly agrees, “Very well. One last time and that is it!”
“Follow me, Princess, I have somepony I want you to meet!” Twilight trots off. Luna following her with mild interest. Curious as to what the lavender pony had up her sleeve or rather her cloak. Her expectations were low as they walked into the clearing where the statue of Nightmare Moon rested. Standing by it was the devilish pink pony.
“So, what’s all this then?” Luna demanded sternly before the two mares. Her bold stance making them shake where they stood. “Speak quickly. The morning comes soon and I intend to be back in Canterlot before then.”
Twilight coughed and stepped forward, “This is Pinkie Pie.”
“I know her,” Luna said narrowly. “The ringleader of the screaming children and the element of laughter. I should feel grateful for your role in freeing me, but sadly I am not feeling it right now.”
Pinkie Pie’s ears droop, “Oh, sorry. I was just having fun! That’s what Nightmare Night is all about! Ponies dress up, play games and eat lots and lots of candy! But what really makes tonight fun is getting scared!” Luna’s expression didn’t change. “So, um… sorry again, I guess I got too caught up in the moment. Usually, I’m more considerate of my pranks.”
“Pranks,” Luna laughed with mirth. “What a funny way to excuse one’s hurtful actions. Do not think me thin skinned, but I have had enough of ‘harmless’ pranks to last a millennium. Did it ever occur to you? The element of Laughter. That screaming ‘Nightmare Moon!” every time you saw me, accuse me of the horrible act of cannibalism and other such things may be a bit on the extreme? Did you ever stop to think that a pony such as myself, that have done things much, much worse, and who is trying to improve their image would find such things, as you say, fun?”
Pinkie Pie shook as Luna’s angry eyes bore down on her, “Um… probably not, now that you point that out.” The pink pony’s lips bizarrely stretch towards Twilight, whispering, “I don’t think your plan is a good idea anymore, Twilight.”
“And what plan is this?” Luna inquired setting both mares in her sights. Both mare’s chuckled uncertainly under the princess’s stare.
“Well…” Twilight explains her plan.
The children ran away as fast as they could. Luna watched them go with a plethora of mixed emotions. On one hoof, it was fun to intentionally be scaring somepony, and on the other, it probably wasn’t going to help her image. Oh well, at least she managed to relieve some of the stress of the night and there was a pile of candy at her hooves, so that was a plus. She could give to the foals of the castle staff.
Ready to be done with Nightmare Night and Twilight’s plans and schemes of friendship, Luna set herself towards Rarity’s. The location provided by Twilight in exchange for doing this last scheme. However, before Luna could even step one hoof forward something tugged at her mane. A little-spotted foal, dressed as a pirate, was the culprit. The little guy shy dug at the ground, asking if she’d come scare them next year. What a strange request.
Looking at the other foals Luna could see their curious eager stares, waiting for her answer. Her heart turning to a puddle of goo before the little foal as he declared his love of Nightmare Night. Looking upon the little colt’s joyful smile Luna realized how foolish and most of all childish she had been in her cancellation of the holiday. Though she still found little enduement for the holiday. To deprive the foal’s enjoyment of it would make her like the monster she hated so much.
“Well, I suppose we’ll just have to bring Nightmare Night back then!” Luna declared, much to the delight of the foals and all the townsfolk.
“Really! Thank you! You’re my favorite Princess!” The little foal cried with joy hugging her leg. He ran off shouting the joyous news to his friends. Giving the Princess of the Night the joyous treat of laughing foals playing in the night. A sound she had not heard in many years.
(Best quit while I’m ahead,) Luna mused deciding to leave on a high note. Sinking into the shadows Luna was finally about to go finish her little fetch quest when Applejack came charging into her path.
“You aren’t leaving now are yah? Fun’s just starting!”
Luna giggled, “I hide myself in magical shadows and yet you of all ponies still find me. You never cease to amaze Applejack.” She looked back towards the clearing, Twilight and the rest of her friends calling out for her and wondering where she went. “I’ll join in the festivities soon enough, but there is a pony I need to see first. Care to accompany me?”
The earth mare shook her head, “Sorry, I gotta keep things running. Next time you’re in town stop by the farm for a visit. I’d like to hear more stories of my fore ponies.”
“We would be happy too. Thou may not be the Applejack we once knew, but thou are much like her. Strong, caring, determined, and perceptive of the feelings of others. Please have a bottle of your famous cider waiting for us when we visit. We miss its taste.” Luna said with a wink, teleporting away, leaving Applejack to attend to her duties.
Now finally, finally! Luna reached her objective. A white and purple carousel looking building. That was exactly within sight of where she first landed when arriving in town. She maybe could have started here first in hindsight.
Never the less she wasted enough time. Time for action! By politely knocking on the door. A call of ‘just a minute’ followed by hoof steps and the door was opened by one Rarity Belle. Belle being the actual clan name of Rarity’s family. It was kind of strange how few ponies seemed to use their clan names anymore.
The door swung open, Rarity standing in the entry way with a bowl of candy levitating before her, “Happy Nightmare Night! Now you may pick whatever you want… oh… Good evening Princess Luna! How are you this evening? I don’t suppose you came to my humble abode for candy, have you?”
Thank the gods’ she did not freak out! Were Luna’s thoughts as she stepped into the white unicorn’s home. “No. Candy is not my objective for this visit. Even if it were, I had received more candy than needed already.”
“I see. Well, would you care for some tea instead? Please have a seat while I whip up a fresh pot.”
“I’m fine, thank you, I am only here on business,” Luna replied, not wanting the caffeine so late at night. Not that she couldn’t use it. Feeling herself nodding off already, she was so tired from the night's events and finally sitting down was bringing it all down on her at once.
Rarity looked at her unconvinced, but let the princess be. “Very well. So, what do I owe the honor of this by the Princess of the Night herself? Perhaps you are in the market for a new dress? I must admit I’ve had several ideas I’ve been brewing up since that fateful night. I’ll have to change the shade of the colors; your darker coat would work much better with silver now. Originally, I was planning a little less flashy, but the color contrast would really suit you now.”
The townsfolk could really learn a lot from Rarity about interacting with royalty. The verdict of whether the towns ponies were really scared of her or simply acting along with the tradition of Nightmare Night was up in the air. Frankly, Luna was thinking the former was much more accurate.
“That all sounds lovely, but I’m afraid I’ve come here for a different kind of business. Before that thought might I ask you one question?”
Rarity smiled brightly, “Why of course you may Princess. I will answer the best I can.”
“Please, call me Luna. This may sound strange, but I would have expected a mare so enthralled in the making of clothing would be out on a night like this. Out flaunting some latest creation, yet you are home. Why is that?”
The dressmaker’s smile sunk a bit as she slumps on the table. “Oh yes, I did have the perfect costume for this year. A sea pony. Complete with a lovely tail complete with actual sea pony scales sewn into the fabric. Sheded scales of course. Alas, my order was delayed and rather than make a new costume I put my efforts into my sister Sweetie Bell’s costume, as well as her friends. Making them last minute really worn me out, so I merely chose to spend Nightmare Night indoors this year. It would be awkward to walk around and be the only pony not dressed up after all. I hope that answers your question, your majesty.”
“Luna, please, and it does fair Rarity. I’m sorry to ask such a personal thing right off the bat. I was merely curious.” Rarity waved her off, urging her to continue to the point. “On to business, I am in search of an object in your possession. A set of gold earrings with orange diamonds fashioned to them.”
“Oh, I know the pair! My mother claims they have been in the family for generations. While they are valuable it’s hard to believe they could be so old with such little wear. Not to call my mother a liar, but I had them appraised once upon a time and the appraiser said they were only with a few hundred bits. Not quite the family fortune, are they?” Rarity giggles, only to stop once she noticed the princess not laughing. “Right um… I’ll go get them.”
Rarity ran upstairs, returning moments later with the earrings. “Here you are Princess.”
Taking the earrings in her magic, Luna began to tear up at the sight of Allure’s earrings and the magic surrounding them. “She wore these the day I met her and every day after. Even in the sweltering fires of the forge she never took them off.” Luna floated the earrings towards Rarity, locking them onto the mare’s left ear. Good thing Rarity already had her ears pierced or this would have been rather painful and awkward. Next Luna adjusted Rarity’s hair ever so slightly and just like that Allure was standing before her again. “You are most defiantly her descendant. You look just like her.”
Looking at nearby mirror Rarity looked at her reflection with a feeling of uncertainty. The princess was acting strange like she was looking at somepony else and maybe she was.
“Pardon me, but who is it I resemble?”
Luna shook herself free of her nostalgia, coming back the present. “Sorry, I should explain myself.” She said as she floated the earrings back to her hoof. “These belonged to a pony named Allure of Firehorn. Once upon a time, she was my blacksmith and your ancestor. These earrings are a key to something left behind by Allure and my other ponies of the night after I was sealed in the moon. With your blessing, I would like to borrow them.”
“If they are meant for you, then I would say their yours Princess.” Rarity said with a big smile. Perhaps too big of a smile as Luna could clearly see the edges of Rarity’s lips twitching, eager to ask for a favor in return, but trying her best not to.
“In fairness, I will pay you the value of the earrings.” Luna figured that’s what the seamstress wanted, but to her surprise Rarity’s face drooped in disappointment. “Unless there is some other form of repayment you desire?” Rarity’s smile returned, but she remained hesitant. “Please, speak your mind. For this treasure, I would gladly give you the crown atop my head.”
“A very tempting offer, your highness, but if you don’t mind, I would rather you wear one of my dresses.”
Wear a dress? That’s all she wanted? Such a favor was almost laughable, if not for the hope shining in Rarity’s eyes. Luna would have dismissed it as a joke. Still, if that’s what she wants.
“Very well, upon my next invitation to a Gala or ball, I will seek your services.”
Rarity squealed with delight. Affectionally hugging Luna around her neck. The princess of the Night was uncertain what to do in response. After several seconds, she opted to merely pat Rarity on the back.
“Yes, yes, I’m very glad you are happy with your possibly once in a life time royal request. If it is not too much trouble could you please release me?” Luna asked, watching Rarity’s eyes comically pop open in the mirror reflecting the mirror behind them. Rarity had a lot of mirrors around here.
“Right, right sorry.” Rarity said quickly retreating to her seat.
Luna waved off her apology finding it unnecessary. She bid the unicorn good night and trotted for the door, only to stop and look back at the pony that inherited one of her elements. “I’m happy it is you who now bears the elements of generosity. You have helped not once, but twice and have asked for so little in return. I’m very proud.”
Rarity’s cheek burned as she bowed to the princess, “The honor is mine, Princess. I’ll be sure to live up to your standards.”
“Just do your best, that’s all we can do in the end. I bid you goodnight.”
Luna stepped out into the cool night. The moon calling out to her, telling her the time to wane to the coming sun was soon. Sending up a flare she called for Goodnight and Sweet Dreams. The two bat ponies arriving in record time with the cart. Tiredly Luna climbed onto the soft silk seats, resting her head against the cushion as they took off.
“Did you have a fun time princess?”
“I did, maybe not at first, but this holiday as warmed up to me. Now quiet, I tire.” Luna said nuzzling into the seat. Pulling the moon down from the sky so the sun could rise on a new day.
Luna rolled in her bed pulling the shade to block the bright rays of the sun from disturbing her. She was so tired, more so than usual. At least she had gotten the second key! Nuzzling into her pillow Luna prepared to drift off into her own dream world. Only to suddenly spring up in bed and slap herself in the face!
“Applejack was right there! Why didn’t I get her key too?” She screamed in frustration. Realizing it was probably because the farm mare hadn’t been wearing her usual hat. Still too tired to do anything about Luna settles back down and closes her eyes.
“Lord Kaiser! I beg your audience Sire!” A guard shouts through the thick oak doors of his room. He, Kaiser Hades, rolls from beneath his silky sheets with a displeased groan. The black crooked horn and silky green mane of his lover fray out from under the blankets.
“This has better be urgent.” He growls stepping down from four post bed. His long blond bangs falling over his blue eyes. He needs a haircut, but the masses and his lovely Kaiserin prefer it long. His Kaiserin said it made him more handsome than the military crew cut he had before meeting her. He wants nothing but to please his Kaiserin. Opening the door Kaiser gives the messenger a dead-eye glare, making the Platinum blonde peach mare shrivel in her armor. “What is it?”
The guard mare stood straight, saluting him, “I bring important news Lord Kaiser. Our neighbors, Hispania and Prance have broken out into war, Sire.”
“That’s it? That’s all you have to say? You’ve woken me up and force me to present myself in an unfashionable manner because the frog and pepper lovers are in a quibble?”
The guard mare blushes. Taking note of the Kaiser lack of clothing and the semi-stiff member below his belly, still wet and dripping with fluid. Her mouth dry she struggles to speak before the naked Kaiser. “That… that is not all my Kaiser. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of Equestria is here as well with an escort of Austoponains. Seems Emperor Otto is asking we give her asylum as the sudden outbreak of war as blocked her path home.”
“Mi Amore Cadenza, Celestia’s niece, is here?” Kaiser smiles slyly as the guard mare nods. “That… that is wonderful! Lady Weiss please go and entertain the Princess. The Kaiserin and I will be there shortly. We need only a few minutes to freshen up.” Shutting the door Kaiser Hades goes and shakes his Kaiserin awake. “Wake up my Kaiserin. We have a guest to entertain.”
“I heard. The pink broodmare is here?” His Kaiserin snickers while raising out of bed. They lock lips in a hot clash of lips and tongue, the tips of her fangs poke his lips, but he didn’t care. He loves her natural form rather than the fake image his love must don to be in public. “I’ll have to take notes. This could be an opportune moment. In more ways than one. It’s not often the womb of an alicorn is so easily available.”
He scoffs, “She’s merely a Pseudo-alicorn. From the stories, Cadenza was merely a pegasus until a fateful encounter with a witch. I doubt she’ll produce any offspring of significance. Unlike you my dear. I am eager to see how this batch of hatchlings turns out.”
The Kaiserin raises fully. Her insectoid wings spread wide as she stretches her long black limps, but still mindful of the bulge in her stomach. The hundreds of precious little eggs inside her were going to be latest additions to her hive. Lovingly she caresses her stomach.
“The last batch had blue eyes. Perhaps this time I might produce another Queen too. I wouldn’t mind a daughter with your lavish blond mane.” The Kaiserin, or rather Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings said to her lover. She had bred many times during her many breed cycles. This would be the third time she’s bred with the Kaiser. Something that's never happened before. She inhales. Taking only a hint of the love he felt for her to eat. There was always more after all. “I love how much you love me. It is most delicious and the spice of hatred for Celestia gives it extra spice. I’m curious, what makes you hate her as much as I do?”
“I think you ask too many questions,” Kaiser replies pressing Chrysalis back onto the bed.
“Don’t we need to go greet the Princess?” Chrysalis says coyly as her lover’s member regains its vigor.
Kaiser scoffs, “Let the Pink Bimbo wait. I have much more indulging matters to take care of.”
“Indeed,” Chrysalis smirks as they kiss again.
The two royal lovers engage in another round of lovemaking. The Kaiser taking great measure to show his love to his love sucking lover of just how much he loved her. A lass they were forced to conclude their session quickly. Twenty minutes have already passed since the guard told them of the Princess’s arrival and they have yet to even dress.
“I have a fun idea, my love,” Chrysalis, now don in her disguise of simple green and black unicorn. A bit on the muzzle, but he liked her green/blue mane and black coat. Really other making herself a little shorter, removing her fangs and the holes in her legs. She looked mostly the same, just a little more normal is all. As she whispers into his ear, he couldn’t help but grin.
“That will be most amusing.”
Together Kaiser Hades and Kaiserin Chrissy (Chrysalis) made their way to the main hall where Princess Mi Amore Cadenza stood waiting. They laugh silently as the young pink Princess’s legs shook from having to stand for such a long time. As she is here to seeking their help it was unthinkable for her to do anything that might be considered rude. Thus, she had to wait with no complaints and had to stand until offered a chair. It’s not like she was an invited royal guest after all.
As the two took to their thrones they couldn’t help but smile slyly as the young Princess of Love sniffs the air. Her eyes widening as her cheeks turn a flustered red. She could smell the sex on them and clearly was uncomfortable about it.
“So,” Kaiser began, “For what reason does the Princess of Love stumble upon my doorstep? I hope not to preach to me about how to make love with my love. I assure you. I am rather skilled in such things. That is unless you need to see for yourself, dear Princess of Love?”
Cadence coughs uncomfortably, her ears burning like heartwarming lights, “Um… no…Your fears are not warranted. I can smell… I mean I can see your lord’s and lady’s relationship is strong and whole. I admittedly wouldn’t be much help in such an area yet.”
“Celestia keeps you on a tight leash then?” Chrissy teases with a laugh. Cadence entire body was nearly completely red now. This may be the first case of dying of embarrassment to happen before her.
“That’s one way of putting. Aunt Celestia is rather cautious about my… indulgent tendencies… Besides that, I am engaged to be married soon. So, there is no reason for me to engage in such behavior.”
“A virgin bride. Quite the lucky stallion.” Kaiser says loudly for the entire hall to hear. Cadence bites her lip with her tail presses firmly against her nethers as literal steam rose off her coat as the guard ponies lining the hall tried to suppress their chuckles and their leers. Either way, the Kaiser, and Kaiserin were loving the flustered Princess’s performance for them. Still, that was probably enough for now. If they push her any further Cadence might lose control of her magic. Pseudo Alicorn or not, the pink Princess still had an incredible amount of magic. “I apologize Princess. I couldn’t help but partake in some fun. Finding out the Princess of Love is a virgin is rather ironic.” He needed one last jab.
“I suppose it would be funny, but my love is a more metaphorical than physical,” Cadence says while trying to regain her composer. Aunt Celestia always told to never show weakness before other rulers and she had just been played. Very badly too. She needs to gain some ground! “Now that you’ve amused yourself, Sir Kaiser. Would you be willing to hear my plea?”
“Oh, yes, yes,” Kaiser waves, “The small matter of Prance and Hispania blocking your way home. But before we discuss that. Could you inform me as to why you are here all by your lonesome? I would think Celestia’s backup Princess would have more protection.”
Cadence’s hears flatten at the “Backup Princess’ remark. What had been a silly joke started by some political bullies has become an international slur. Of course, after the return of her Aunt Luna from the moon Cadence was saddened to discover the phrase had been true. Celestia had even told her so after she returned from the bunker the Sun Princess had placed her in on the night of Nightmare Night’s return. That should have the two sisters killed each other or Celestia died, but Luna returned to good. She would have been left to rule in Celestia’s place. What should have been an honor was merely a matter of, “You’re the only one left.” It didn’t help that she would have and still does, live in the massive shadow of her Aunt.
“Yes, I’m afraid I was separated from my guards after leaving Austopona by a Hispania air raid. Luckily the Austopona guards escorting my ship picked me up and brought me here. As your country borders the sea I was hoping you would allow me and my mares in waiting to go home by going around Prance to the north. Or at least drop us off in Britannia or Nippon.”
Kaiser nods, “I see, but you still haven’t told me why you are so far from home. Forgive my unfriendly questioning, but as you are the last pony I would suspect as a spy for Celestia, it makes perfect sense for you possibly be a spy. That is if you’re really Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and not just a unicorn with fake wings.”
“I assure you. I am no fake.” Cadence replies by floating off the ground. “As for why I’m so far from home. I was sent on a peacekeeping mission to visit nations in the Zebra and east Europona who needed aid.”
The Kaiser waves his hoof dismissively, “Prosthetics wings. They’ve been around for a thousand years. And your reason is generic, any pony could claim that.”
Cadence rolls her eyes and pulls a feather from her wing. Cringing as tears form around her eyes from the pain. “See?” The Kaiser steps down from his throne and approaches, offering a hoof. Cadence magics the feather down to the earth pony ruler who inspects it.
“Hmm, defiantly real and a fair trade for protecting you, but I’m afraid we’ll have to wait a bit before I can bring you home. War has just broken out and I do not want to cause a stir by rallying my airships so soon for no reason. Besides. El Cid and D’arc never fight long before they settle down again. For the time being, just relax and enjoy your time here. I’ll send a letter to Celestia telling her you’re here.” The Kaiser pockets the feather and turns away from the Princess. Cadence frowns as he walks away. “My dear Kaiserin will escort you around. Please make yourself at home.”
The princess of Love bows her head, cringing as a shiver of fear ran down her spine. Her Aunt told her never let any pony take her feather and she had just foolishly given one away by accident!
“Come along dear, let us go out to the garden. Leave the boring stuff to Kaiser.” Chrissy says motioning for Cadence to follow.
Once the two mares were gone Kaiser takes out the feather and smirks. “This was much easier than last time.”
Chrysalis leads Cadence through the royal gardens. Enjoying the pink Princess’s quivering lips as they trot past her personal treasures. The bright blue and green flowers glow eerie under the night sky, the long-tangled vines stretching menacingly across the stone pathway. As if they might suddenly rise and snatch an unsuspecting pony. And they could. It’s how she gets her breakfast when Kaiser was too busy to feed her.
As they walk Chrysalis eyes the pink princess. Observing the exact way, she moves her hips, how fast she trots, how loudly she speaks, everything! She was watching and studying everything princess did down the last detail. After if she was going to play the role of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, then she’d need to act like her. How lucky the real one happens to drop in on her doorstep. This would make her and Kaiser plan much easier.
(Still…) Chrysalis’s eyes wander to the mare’s in waiting trailing several feet behind them. As lesser mares of their status were supposed to do. (I may need more than one disguise. I doubt I can keep the smiley, hug and kisses princess act up for too long before my perfect self-shines through. Hell, as delightful it is to see her creeped out by my lovely plants. I still can’t stand to look at her gaudy coat.)
A sudden pain from her abdomen causes Chrysalis to stall and hunch her back as a sudden feeling of vertigo hits her. Her little hatchlings were getting hungry and raising a fuss! Now could not be a worse time!
“Are you ok?” Cadence askes quickly, concern lacing her worried tone as she helps her stand straight again. Chrysalis licks her lips as compassion and love practically oozed from the Princess. Seems she found her meal.
“Yes, I’m just feeling a little tired. I’m carrying a little extra weight you see,” Chrysalis pulls back the folds of her dress to reveal her bloated belly to the pink alicorn.
Cadence gasps, “Oh my gosh! You're pregnant! That’s so wonderful! I love babies so much! Would you mind if I touched your belly?”
“Not at all, but not here,” Chrysalis smirks dropping her dress. Budding up close to Cadence she turns the younger mare away from the guards and her mares in waiting towards a small gazebo. “Over there. The Kaiser and I want to keep it a secret. I trust you can keep our secret?”
“Oh yes! Of course!”
“Excellent. Yes, right here should do.” Chrysalis sits down on the bench in the gazebo with Cadence and pulls up her dress again. The pink princess’s eye shines bright with wonder as she leaned down to rub her belly. Taking one final look to make sure no pony is around, Chrysalis opens her mouth, revealing her long fangs and plunges them into Cadence’s neck! The pink Princess’s body jumps from the puncture, but her body quickly relaxes and her eyes flutter close as the changeling queen uses her magic to put the pink princess in a deep trance. Allowing her to take her fill of the Princess’s love. As Cadence is the Princess of Love there was plenty to take. “Ah… that was a nice meal. And you know what? I think I’ve changed my mind. I might enjoy having you around for a snack for a few weeks.”
Setting Cadence upright Chrysalis calls out for the guard to come help her bring Cadence to the guest rooms. The young princess was so tired after all. Doing her best motherly impression as Cadence’s mares in waiting fretted over the fainted princess. Chrysalis waits till they’re deep in the confusing maze of the castle before pulling one of the mares aside, away from the group.
“I need but a moment my dear, please come this way.” The Changeling Queen purrs leading the mare down a dark hallway and into a large even darker room. “Yes, right here. Please stand right there.” She told the mare walking back to the door. The mare looked confused as the Queen shut the door, the loud clang of a heavy metal latch vibrates through the mare’s bones as the door was shut tight. The mare ran pawing at the door while screaming for help.
“Your Highness! Please let me out! This is not a funny prank!”
“Oh, my dear,” The Queen’s voice said from the other side. “This is no prank, tis a feeding.”
The mare stiffens. Turning around she saw the hundreds of glowing blue eyes peeking out from the darkness. She let out one last horrified, yet short scream as the horde of eyes descended upon her. Chrysalis walks away from the door chuckling as a shadowy figure fell beside her. Once in the light, the same mare stood beside Chrysalis.
“Go to the Princess’s side. You know want to do.” The fake mare nods and walks away. Leaving Chrysalis grinning ear to ear.
(The garden perimeter 5 minutes earlier)
“Did you see that?” Fleetfoot gasps watching Cadence and Chrysalis exit the gazebo. She hands her binoculars to Bricks.
“I do, that’s Princess Cadence. Why is she here? She’s supposed to be in Austopona. I don’t see her guards either.” Commander Bricks hands the binoculars back, rubbing his scruffy beard as he thought over the situation. They’ve only just arrived for their mission to determine Germane’s involvement in the pirate attacks. Nothing so far on that angle, but Princess Cadence’s presence complicates their mission even further. If caught they would have to exact the princess. It would be chaos. And chaos leads to death.
“Fleetfoot check around, see if any pony is trailing the Princess.”
“She’s in a foreign country, of course, they would be watching her.” Fleetfoot retorts peering through her binoculars. “Uh, that’s strange.”
“What?”
“I was wrong. There is no pony watching her. At least none that I can see. Unicorns under a cloaking spell maybe?”
Bricks shook his head, “Doubt it. Germane has a low unicorn population. The Kaiser wouldn’t waste his mages to simply follow the princess around. He would know or at least assume Celestia trained her to sense unicorns under a cloaking spell. Did you see an anti-magic ring on her horn?”
Fleetfoot shakes her head.
“Hmm… hard to imagine they would let her roam free and unbound. They’re either very trusting or they don’t see her as a threat.” Bricks conclude. Still, something didn’t feel right. “Did the Princess look weaker after exiting the gazebo?”
“Kind of, but it’s hard to tell from here. She looked half asleep.” Fleetfoot replies. Trying to think of the Princess’s condition before and after the gazebo. “You don’t think they drugged her? Do you?”
“It’s possible. It’s not like Alicorns are magically immune to drugging. Princess Celestia can attest to that.”
“You drugged Princess Celestia?”
“Only under her orders,” Bricks quickly explains. “Keep your head in the game Vice Captain. You see over there by that leaf? The big blue one hanging off the roof of the gazebo.”
“Yeah, I see it. What about it?”
“I thought I saw it move,” Bricks says sharply. “Why don’t you zoom in with those keen pegasus eyes and tell me what you see.”
“Fine, let’s see leaf, leaf, leaf… there! I see something. It looks like a tiny pony… with insect wings and antennas. I think it’s what they call a Breezy or something like that.”
“Let me see that,” Bricks demands quickly taking the binoculars from the pegasus mare. Cursing under his breath when he saw the little pony insect. “Shit, this is trouble.”
Fleetfoot looked perplexed as she gazes at the harmless bug pony. What was so bad about it? “Do those things explode or something? What’s the big deal?” Glancing at Bricks she found her earth pony partner flipping through a small notebook with diagrams. He stopped on the page depicting a Breezy. “What’s that? Some sort of monster thesaurus?”
“A copy of Celestia’s list of troublesome beasts. Right here, it says Breezy cute, tiny, colorful Equine Insectoid like creatures genetically made to be the perfect spies. Breezies can send sound and visual images to whoever controls them and where there is one, there is a hundred more. Beware, if you’ve spotted one, they’ve spotted you long ago.” Bricks close the book. “Our cover was blown before we even begin. This is above our pay grade. Let’s get back to the team and decide on a course of action.”
Fleetfoot nods, her eyes darting every direction in search of the little bug ponies. “Sounds good. After hearing that, I can’t shake the feeling of being watched now.”
“Same.” Bricks agreed as they silk back to base as cautiously as they could. They found a cave soon after the chopper dropped them off. Being as it was large enough to provide protection for all nine of them it was the perfect setup. It also wasn’t far from the clearing where they deployed so that was a plus too.
“Hey.”
“Yeah, Fleetfoot?”
“Should we really be going back to base? I mean if those things are watching us, we would be jeopardizing the entire mission.”
He had thought of that too. But what could they do? They hadn’t brought any gem communicators when they went out to scout today. Couldn’t risk somepony calling them and giving away their position. Also, couldn’t let that kind of magical tech fall into other nations hooves. Sure, other nations had similar devices, but none were quite as advanced as Starwind’s communicators.
“We’ll have to risk it.” Bricks answers reaching a conclusion. “Our base camp might have been found already and if it hasn’t it won’t stay hidden for long. They know we’re here, it would be only a matter of time before they find the others. This is their territory after all. For all, we know we set up base camp in the Kaiser’s foalhood hideout.”
For the remainder of their journey, Fleetfoot and Bricks kept quiet as they approach upon the cave. At a glance, everything was quiet, perhaps too quiet. Cautiously they step out of the brush, quickly trotting across the small clearing to the mouth of the cave. Inside the cave entrance was dark, as it should be, that’s why they picked the location after all. Hugging the wall, they follow it to the end, where the cave makes a turn into a large chamber. Where they set up base camp. The smell of smoldering wood made their nostrils twitch as they peer around the corner. Inside was a horrible sight! Their fellow Equestrians, two Wonderbolts, and five SEAL ponies lay in puddles of their own blood. The dim embers of the scattered firepit the only light source. Fleetfoot moved to help their comrades, but Bricks grabs her and covers her mouth in the nick of time as heavy metal hoof beats thunder through the cave. Emerging from the darkness were three Germane shock troopers. Germane’s elite special forces.
“Where are others? I see nine packs, but only seven ponies.” Demands the lead shock trooper as she stomps her hoof on the skull of one of the dead Wonderbolts, crushing completely. “Neigh, what do the Breezies report? Are the other two here yet?”
“Ja Dame Weiss, they are right over there by the entrance.” The trooper on her left points.
“Gut, Neigh, kill them. I will dispose of the bodies here.”
“Ja Madame! Leave it to us!”
“Shit!” Curses Bricks as he throws Fleetfoot on his back and sprints out of the cave. The two shock troopers rocketing after him. Literary. They had rockets on their armor. In the light of the moon, he got a full view of their armor and he could not tell if it was a unicorn or a pegasus inside as both helmets were fitted with a slot for a horn and both wore metal on their wings.
(Are they prosthesis? Did they put fake wings on unicorns or fake horns on Pegasus?) Bricks sprints into the forest weaving between the trees as fast as he could with Fleetfoot on his back. (Doesn’t matter. One of us must get back to Celestia and only one of us has the ability too.)
“Fleetfoot!” Bricks yelled as he spots a river up ahead. “You have to fly home! Don’t bother going to the chopper, they might have found that too. Just get home and tell Celestia what going on! And sorry about this!”
“What are you talking about?” Fleetfoot yells as Bricks chucks her into the raging river with no warning! She flounders in the water, watching as Bricks is tackled by the two Shock Troopers. Taking a deep breath, she dives under the black water, straining her eyes to avoid the rocks hidden beneath the rushing stream. A sudden feeling of vertigo hits her as she finds herself falling down a waterfall. Bracing herself she dives into the water, but quickly recovers from the shock and swims to the corner of the falls and tucks herself into a small crack in the rock wall. Even with her small frame she barely fit inside the crack. Looking through the falls she spots the two shock troopers flying overhead. Looking for her. They float there, arguing with each other as hundreds of Breezies gather around them. They yell some more and the Breezies scatter, traveling downstream. The two troopers stayed where they were.
One hour passes and Fleetfoot is shaking from being submerged in cold water, but she dares not move. The two shock troopers remain rooted in their positions above her. She was beginning to wonder if they would stay there forever, until a flock of Breezies return. They say something to ponies. Something they clearly didn’t like as they yell at them and point downstream again.
Another hour passes and the Breezies once again speak to the two ponies. The leader of their unit joins them as well and they talk amongst themselves. Fleetfoot was too far away and the waterfall was too loud to hear what they were saying, but she was confident they didn’t know she was here. How much longer she could remain here was in question as her entire body was nearly frozen stiff. The water spraying off the waterfall preventing her from drying the past two hours. This was really testing her pegasus cold endurance.
Finally, the three flyaway downstream, but Fleetfoot doesn’t move, even when they were out of eyesight. She waits five minutes and then another five to be sure they were gone. Leg’s trembling with possible hypothermia. She enters the water and slowly floats through the water to the shore. Climbing up the flat face shore. Fleetfoot beings to walk, not daring to fly just yet in fear of being spotted and also to get her blood moving again. She needs to warm up before she freezes to death!
“Gotta get home, gotta get home,” She chants as she begins to break out into a fast trot.
(Four days later, Nightmare Night, Canterlot)
Fleetfoot flew lopsided, swooping heavily one way and then the other way, her eyelids heavy as they threaten to close at any minute. Ahead of her was Canterlot, light brightly in orange lights for Nightmare Night. She kept her eyes fixed ahead. She’s flown for four days straight. Her black flight suit was nothing but tatters from the journey. She had thrown through two countries, hitched a ride on a Nippon trade ship while flying over the sea and then flew from the edge of Equestria to Canterlot in a single day. Basically, she was shot.
(I’m so tired…) Her eyes flutter shut and she begins to fall, her wings flailing uselessly in the wind as her body literary shutdown. She fell straight down. Falling past the surprised pegasus guards in the sky. They yell for help. For somepony to catch the falling Wonderbolt. Everypony dived after her, but none were fast enough to catch up. None of the unicorns could get a fix to catch her in a levitation spell. All the guards watch in horror as the Wonderbolt vice-captain fell towards the street below. Their shouts catching the attention of the citizens who looked up and gasp at the sight.
Fleetfoot’s eyes flutter open, as she regains consciousness from all the screaming. She knew she was in trouble. She was in free fall and couldn’t stop. Her wings wouldn’t even move. It seemed like the end, but a warm aura of magic waff over her as she was saved by… Nightmare Moon? No… Nightmare Moon with a white coat?
“Princess Celestia?” She questioned, uncertain if the pony before her was really the Princess of the Sun.
“It is I, Fleetfoot,” Celestia said softly as she carries the Wonderbolt in her magic towards the castle. “Don’t worry I have you. I’ll get you help and then you can tell me what happened.”
“Ok… sounds good,” Fleetfoot sighs as Celestia lays the Wonderbolt on her back. Minutes later Fleetfoot was placed in the royal baths. Two of Celestia’s finest healers tending to her. Several hours passing until the Wonderbolt was finally able to relay her message. A message that had Celestia running to her sister.
(Oh, for the love of Gaia!) The Kaiser growls as he lay atop his Kaiserin at full mast. It was late in the night, about eleven from what he could tell from looking out the window. He needs a clock in here. The guard outside knocks on the door. He also needs a do not disturb sign too.
“I’ll be right back my love,” He whispers, nuzzling his Chrissy’s neck. She affectionally nuzzles back, taking little nibbles of his neck with her fangs, siphoning little sips of his love. “Save some for later my dear, unless you’ve become fond of your new midnight snack.”
Chrysalis snickers, licking her lips as she stole another helping of love for herself. She’s gotten rather gluttonous in the past week and a half. Gorging herself on the love of Princess Cadence regularly. The princess just had so much love to take! It was like a drug and she was addicted. The best part. Cadence’s love was so vast she could take her fill and the Princess suffers only minor effects. Such as dizziness and feeling tired. Any normal pony would be an irrational, psychotic mess by now from being drained so regularly.
“Only as a side dish. I still prefer my main course.”
Hades grins at her crude humor, finding it refreshing. “I may be feeling a tad jealous.” He laughs as he trots towards the door.
“I could always hypnotize her and let you have a quick lay or better yet.” Chrysalis takes Cadence’s form, posing in a very provocative way. “I could play the part myself.”
“I prefer originality over copies.”
“And that’s what I love about you.”
Finally answering the door, the Kaiser was once again greeted by Lady Wiess, fully exposing himself to her once again. As much as he loved the deep blush on one of his most loyal and fierce shock troopers, he should really stop meeting her like this. This is how rumors start after all. It was also unfair to her for her own private life. After all what stallion would want to mess with the Kaiser’s rumored side candy?
“How may I help you today Lady Wiess? And by today, I mean eleven at night? This had better be important. I know you know what happens to ponies that disturb me for unimportant things so late at night.” The punishment for disturbing him needlessly was to be thrown into the changeling hive and fed upon. Depending on the offense victims could experience an uncomfortable hour to being feasted on for an entire night or simply never leaving the pit.
Wiess gulps, “Well miene Kaiser, I don’t know how important this is, but Prince Kiri of Nippon has just landed in our courtyard.”
Prince Kiri? What in Gaia’s name was he doing here? Nippon ponies hardly ever leave Nippon, let alone a member of the royal family! This. This could be troublesome. Nippon is a long-standing ally of Equestria. Could this be a plot by Celestia? His letter should have just reached her in the past day or two, there’s no way she could organize this fast. Unless.
“Lady Wiess, when you chased off those Equestrians did you ever find the one that got away?” The blond mare fell to her knees, her eyes refusing to meet his. He looks sternly at her prone form. His blood boiling. “I see. I will go attend to the Prince. I’ll leave you in the care of the Kaiserin.”
“Oh, that sounds fun,” Chrysalis said appearing her in Queen disguise, a black unicorn with a green mane, leering longingly at the blonde mare. “I’ve wanted to spend some ‘personal’ time with you for a while. Please stand and follow me.”
“Yes, Madame,” Wiess’s body shook in terror as she follows the queen into the royal chambers. The door slamming shut behind her.
Taking a brisk pace, the Kaiser made for the throne room, cursing whatever gods were listening. He’s gotten lazy lately. Brushing off a third-tier princess like Cadence wasn’t a big deal, it’s not like she ruled any lands herself and Celestia was very unlikely to go start a war over someone snubbing the pink alicorn. Ignoring Prince Kiri was a different matter.
Unlike their allies in Equestria, Nippon, while seclusive, took great pride in their warriors and military. And they, unlike Celestia, weren’t afraid to use that military strength. The ponies of Nippon made that very clear when they attacked Porea after their surprise attack two hundred years ago and several other times since.
Arriving in the throne room the Kaiser quickly took his seat. Below standing on the red carpet was Prince Kiri himself and one guard. A pink mare wearing a blue kimono. Hade's leg fidgets as he eyes the two dragon ponies. His guards could take them if needed. He would handle the political fallout later, but what worried him was how many they would kill before going down. He knew from personal experience how tough rinin were to take down.
“Prince Kiri, sorry for the delay. You caught me by surprise! What are you doing here?” Could he be here for Cadence? He thought again. Wondering if Celestia and Kusanagi devised a plan to come and take the pink Princess back.
(No, that would be too elaborate. Besides Cadence is not so valuable to me that I wouldn’t give her up in a second if Celestia showed up to retrieve her. I had planned to give her back anyway. There’s something else going on here.) The Kaiser and the Prince stare each other down in a battle of wills. Hades becoming annoyed with the Prince’s tardiness to answer his question, but he kept calm, trying to figure out the white rinin’s game.
“I heard rumor my lost sister, Sake, was here. I merely stopped by to confirm if this was indeed true or not. Rinin are a rare sight outside of Nippon. A silver and white colored rinin is even rarer, as very few bloodlines carry those traits. So, have you heard any such rumors?”
His sister? Right, right, Princess Sake, the runaway Princess of Nippon. Hades remembers hearing about that. The reason for the Princess act of rebellion was never stated, but it was always a known fact that any deeds to finding/bringing her home would be met with great rewards. However, any false information would inquire the wrath of Nippon.
“Hmm, the missing Princess Sake, no can’t say I’ve heard any reports of late. But that doesn’t mean there isn't any merit to your rumors. Allow me to probe my information network and see what I turn up. If you’re willing to wait a few hours. I imagine you’re a busy pony, Prince Kiri.”
“I am, but mother would be disappointed if I didn’t at least hear you out. If it’s not too much trouble perhaps you could provide me and my escort a room to wait in?
“Not at all. Please wait here. I’m afraid because of the late hour I’ll have to rouse some maids to find out what rooms are available. Please wait here.”
“Of course,” Kiri gave a slight nod in appreciation. He kept his head bowed, his eyes following the Kaiser’s every step till he was out of sight.
“There are three hidden guards in the chamber, Master,” Kaki said huddling close to him. She lay her wing over his body, cling him to like a lovesick floozy. Her posture, clothing, and hairstyle resembling that of a Geisha mare. “One is in the rafters, and two hidden in passages behind the drapes.”
“Understood. Keep up your role, we must distract the Kaiser for as long as possible.” Kiri whispers, his tail wrapping protectively around Kaki’s rear. The Kaiser’s guards were leering a bit too often for his liking. Their lack of discipline disgusts him. Or maybe Kaki’s performance was too good, he must admit, even he was feeling a little hot under his kimono with her clinging to him like this.
“How long must I play the fool?” Kaki pouts, laying her head on his neck, trying to look curtsy and innocent to all onlookers.
“Until Princess Luna finds Princess Cadence and Commander Bricks if the Commander is even alive,” Kiri replies, speaking in old, old Nippon. Even if by chance the Kaiser had a translator listening in, which was unlikely given their sudden arrival. They would have to study for weeks to transplant a language even they don’t speak anymore. He also added a bit an of accent just to really keep things private between him and Kaki.
A blond mare, blond in both mane and coat enters the room. She was clearly a maid. A recently awaken maid by her disheveled mane and hastily thrown on uniform. “Please come this way my lord and…” The maid hesitated, uncertain of Kaki’s status.
“Lady Kaki,” Kiri states, much to the surprise of the mare beside him.
The maid bows, “Of course, please follow me.”
Luna trek through the forests surrounding the Kaiser’s castle. Gone were her royal garments, her crown, yoke, and boots left behind in Canterlot. Instead, she dons her old adventuring garb. Skillfully reconstructed by the Canterlot armorer. A black cowl hung around her neck obscuring the bottom of her face, leather armor covering shoulders and flank, hiding her mark. She also wore a saddle bag and her star blade holsters. Finally, specially made boots to muffle her hoof steps. The last item was proving most useful as it allows her to travel swiftly and quietly through the forest. Right now, she wants to keep her wings hidden.
Now one might be made to wonder why a Princess was seeking around a forest in a foreign country. Well, it was a question with a few different answers. A week and a half ago her sister, Celestia, came barging into her room demanding help with a situation involving the third Princess of Equestria, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza or Cadence for short, and the task force Celestia had sent to investigate Germane’s role in the recent string of pirate attacks.
Her mission, to find out what happen to the task force and retrieve Princess Cadence. Her plan was twofold. She would infiltrate the Kaiser’s castle looking for the task force and evidence for the pirate attacks. Meanwhile, Kiri and Kaki, who she enlisted as aid, would enter from the front and keep the Kaiser’s attention. The two would ‘accidentally’ find Cadence and offer her a ride home. If the Kaiser didn’t want a war on his hooves he would comply willingly.
Naturally, Celestia was nervous about her going alone, with only Kiri and Kaki as back up, but it was better this way. A mission with such high stakes needed to be kept under wraps and kept in the hooves of only the most capable of ponies. Nothing against Spitfire and the rest, but this was a role more suited for her, and her alone. Their bright colored coats and mane didn’t lend them stealth missions. As for Kiri’s and Kaki’s involvement they were happy to help… after King Kusanagi told them too.
The choice to go to Nippon for aid, other than the fact it would help deceive the Kaiser. May or may not be attuited to the fact Luna liked the Nippon airships more than Equestria’s. Lack of cannons being a big factor, but more than that she really wanted to work with rinin again. There was something about having a dragon pony on your team that was reassuring to her.
“Well this is the place,” Luna said checking her map in the moonlight. Ahead of her was the cave in Fleetfoot’s report. The same cave the task force set up as a base camp. Here she would begin her search. Dimming the moonlight, she enters the cave. Her eyes instantly adjusting to the darkness.
Inside she found the cold smoldered remains of the team’s campfire. But nothing else. All their equipment, even their bodies were gone. Dark splotches marring the walls and floor of the cave were the only evidence that somepony had died in here.
Walking deeper into the darkness Luna follows the tunnel that leads deeper into the cave, hearing a dull roar coming from its shadowy depths. Like in the report there was no evidence of the task force assailants entering from the front of the cave. Granted the attackers could fly, but the entrance wasn’t that big and flying well possible, wouldn’t have been the best idea while wearing wing armor. One bump and the sound of metal grinding against stone would be enough to wake the dead. Besides from their reported positions, seems the attacking shock troopers attacked from deeper within the cave. As Luna walks deeper into the winding network of tunnels, it was seeming more and more likely that the attack came from inside the cave rather than outside.
Coming to open chasm with a large roaring waterfall. Luna could see why the task force ponies didn’t hear their attackers coming. The noise was deafening!
Hugging the rockface Luna follows the winding narrow path, finding large heavy hoof prints in the soft dirt along the trail. Dim blue crystal illuminates the path, but she knew better than to use them. Clearly, this wasn’t a normal cave.
“Hey, did you hear what happened to Commander Wiess?” A voice said up head. Luna stops cold, sinking to the shadows as two shock troopers in full armor walk towards her. Stopping right in front of her to have their conversation. How typical of the situation, she thought rolling her eyes. None the less she listens intently, hoping to get some useful information.
“Ja, I did,” The second trooper said, clearly a mare from her high pitch voice and smaller stature. “It’s awful. She got taken in the Kaiserin’s chambers! You know how unpleasant that can be, right?”
The stallion trooper chuckled nervously, “Yeah, mare or stallion, it’s no fun for either when the Kaiser’s mare is involved with your punishment. She’s harsher than the Kaiser himself sometimes!”
The mare visibly shivers, “Yeah, I got thrown into the pits a week ago. Her ‘children’ are so… yuck! I don’t even want to think about it! They were so slimy and they bite you all the time! A lot of them bit my… you know what’s like I was some common milkmaid! I was in there for two hours!”
“Yikes, what did you do?”
“I almost let that stallion Wiess and her team captured escape! He nearly made it out too! He knocked me out when I was feeding him and I woke up I was being dragged to the pits! It was awful.”
“Wow, that sucks, Crepe. What happened to him after that?”
“As if I’d tell you, Bockwurst. I’d only get into more trouble! And I am not going back to the pits anytime soon, hopefully never!”
“Alright, alright, let get out on our patrol. The Kaiser is busy with that Nippon Prince, but that doesn’t mean we can stand here and skip out on patrols.”
“You’re the one who started talking,” Crepe objects, giving Bockwurst a good jab in the side. Her wing suddenly twitched. She groans, pressing her body against the stone wall and rubbing against it. “Urgh! These stupid wings are so itchy!”
Bockwurst chuckles, taking his horn, he presses the tip under Crepe’s other wing and began scratching it, making her sigh and moan in relief. “Oh, Great Gaia, that’s the spot! Oh, gods… yes… I might need to reward you after patrols are done and we’re out of this armor.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
The two stomp away. Their heavy hoof falls overpowering the waterfall before disappearing into the distance. Luna waits and waits. Wanting to be completely sure they were gone and no pony else was coming.
Slipping out of the shadow Luna hurries through the winding caves to the open area of the waterfall. As she ran her mind drifts to the horns and wings both ponies had. Fleetfoot had mentioned that too. She had thought the same thing as Fleetfoot had. That the ponies in the armor were either pegasus with fake horns or unicorns with fake wings, but they were both wrong. The weight of that armor, the swearing to Gaia, and irritation of their wings, all point to those ponies being earth ponies with fake wings and horns. Prosthetic wings were nothing new to her, but prosthetic horns? Well, only one group of ponies ever used those.
“What’s going on here,” Luna wonders aloud, coming to the open chamber with the waterfall. She stood at the edge of the pond hoof prints littering soft dirt floor, all coming from the water. She enters the pond. The water bone-chillingly cold as she wades through it. After searching around a bit, she disappointingly comes to conclusion as to where the secret passage lies. She could see the outline of a pony made tunnel behind the waterfall. “Here goes nothing.” Taking a deep breath, Luna bit into the cloth of her cowl and walks through the waterfall. The use of magic was too risky, so she got soaked.
“What an unusual place for a hidden entrance, but I can’t argue it isn’t effective… at least I would if I hadn’t found it so quickly.” Now thoroughly soaked from mane to tail. Luna observes the room that made her go through so much trouble to enter. It was a dungeon. A dank, moist, dark and possibly mold-ridden, dungeon. “Well, it’s a start.”
Following the line of glowing crystals. (They sure do like using Crystals for light.) Luna took note of the rows of mold ridden bars of the cells. Seems this was an abandoned dungeon. Like the crystal catacombs beneath Canterlot Castle.
(Maybe abandoned is not the right word.) Luna muse as she came into a larger room. Perhaps a guard outpost or something. It was very spartan, with only a small chair and table in the center. A plate with a half-eaten sandwich lay on the table. Meaning more ponies were down here. Bending the shadows, Luna sunk into the corner where a pile of crates was stacked. Swooshing away the mice that gathered to feast on the grain spilling out of the corner of the crate. Not a moment too soon as two guard ponies enter the room.
The guards were less armored then the previous two ponies she spied upon. In fact, they wore no armor, instead, they wore simple, yet clearly professionally made garb that could only be their uniforms. The pair were once again a stallion and a mare. Taking seats at the table they began to talk.
“That stallion Weiss captured is nothing but trouble!” The stallion rages, unbuttoning his shirt. “Look at this bruise! It’s huge!”
“Awe, I think he’s sweat.” The mare swoons. The stallion scoffs.
“Yeah, he was flirting with you. I do the same thing and get nothing for it!”
“He’s just more charming. Your…” Her words die off as the stallion tore into the sandwich. She sighs laying her head on the table. “Your uncouth, Bratwurst.” She mutters, the stallion not even paying attention to her words.
“What was that Streusel?”
“Agh… nothing. Carry on.”
From her position, Luna observed the bruise. It was fresh and new, inflicted probably one to two days ago. By the stallion’s testimony, it was likely yesterday. Now which way to the cell holding the stallion who inflicted the wound? The chance of it being Bricks was very high. Now how to find the cell?
“So, why guys still in cell block C?” Bratwurst asks. Spitting crumbs as he chews his sandwich. “He keeps escaping, so wouldn’t it be wiser to put him in a sturdier cell?”
Streusel wipes the crumbs from her muzzle. “Yes, he’s still in Block C. It’s not like we have another place to keep him down here. This old rusty pile of crap was decommissioned years ago. Anyway, it’s time to go meet the others. With that Nippon Prince here, the Kaiser will be raging for everypony to be on guard. We’ll be in trouble if we're not at our posts.”
“Right, right,” Bratwurst down the last of his sandwich and the two trotted off.
Again, Luna waits a minute before moving from her hiding spot. Creeping out from behind the crate she observes the letters above the three corridors. She had come from tunnel B, the two ponies left down tunnel A, leaving only tunnel C and D.
“C it is then,” She mumbles dashing across the room. This corridor. The same as all the others were lit with gems. Perhaps it wasn’t the time or place, but they had Luna’s curiosity, so she braces her front legs on the wall and leans up for a closer look. She squints, not seeing anything special about them, not sensing any overt charm or spell, so perhaps they were just a natural glowing stone?
“ACHOO!”
Luna blinks. (Did that gem just sneeze?) The gem in question unfolds, a pair of cute little eyes looking out at as two antennas pop out of its head. Luna’s chest contracts in horror as the small creature’s wings unfold around it, showing off its small shining equine/insectoid body. It was a Breeze! Not just any Breeze a crystal Breeze! Meaning all these lights were Breezes!
“Moon crap…”
Luna takes off running! The Breeze letting loose a high-pitched wail! Awakening its brethren. They swarm from their resting places. Some chasing after her and others flying the way she came. No doubt running to get the guards.
No point in being sneaky now Luna does an about-face, her horn blazing with magic! “BE GONE! FOUL CREATURES!” The shadows reach out, like claws of the beasts of Tartarus, snuffing out the lights of the Breeze’s, the screams of thousands of the tiny creatures silenced in an instant.
Panting Luna pulls the shadows back, the only light now the glow of her horn. She cringes the light of her horn revealing the thousands of red botches marring the floor. She had gone overboard. In her rage accidentally tapping into ‘her’ power.
(It’s both of our power, you know that Luna.)
“Shut up,” Luna sneers beating Nightmare Moon back into the bowls of her soul. She knew better then use magic in anger. It brings her other half to the forefront and she didn’t want to start conversing with her darker self. She’s had a thousand years too many listening to that voice.
“Princess Luna? Is that you?” A dreary and beaten voice said from the darkness. Luna shines her light into the cell. A battered and beaten white stallion hung from the ceiling inside.
“I am, are you Commander B. Bricks?”
“I am.” He replies, a smirk playing at his lips as he chuckles. “Never thought Celestia would send you to get me. Nice to know I’m important.”
“My sister cares for all that serve under her, now I’ll have you out of there in a bit. You just need to answer a few questions. What is your mother’s grandmother’s father’s clan name?”
“Bricklayer.”
“Correct. Let’s get you home Commander.” Bending the bars with her magic Luna enters the cell, breaking the chains that Bricks hung from. The stallion fell on his rear, his face sunken from a lack of nutrition and sleep. He stood, but his legs were weak from a lack of use. “Here, lean on me.” Luna places the Commander on her back, trotting out of the cell Luna debates which way to go the way she came or deeper it into the dungeon?
“Princess, wait there’s something I need to tell you.”
From the direction of the guard post came a song of voices and thundering echoes of rushing hooves. Luna looks down the darkened corridor. Seems her choice has been made for her.
“Tell me later, when we're out of here.” She replies taking off into the darkness. From behind the approaching guards shout for her halt. When she didn’t they fired a barrage of magical blasts towards her, most missed, but a few nicked her flank armor. The scarps of leather were torn from the steel ribbits pinning them together and sent flying. Luna rounds a corner as another magic bolt blasts through her saddle bag! She hisses as she stumbles, grinding her body against the wall to stay upright. She stops to catch her breath, feeling hot sticky blood roll down her coat and onto the floor.
“Can’t have that,” She groans lighting up her horn. A blinding white flash engulfs the corridor, burning away the grim, dirt, and blood, the once gray bricks were now white as marble. She’s seen what her blood could do in the wrongs hooves. She would not be so careless again.
“They're over here! Don’t let them escape!”
Acting quick Luna begins running again, casting a low-level healing spell for her wound. The hallway seems to grow narrower. She notices there was a slight incline, meaning they were going up towards the surface. Sure enough, stairs carved into the stone floor appear and she began to climb. The smallest of lights shining up ahead in the outline of a door. With no regard, she broke through the door coming to a stop in a lavish hallway. She stood in the middle looking frantically around as dozens of guards surrounded her as well as Kiri? No not just Kiri, Cadence was with him too. She was looking a little worn out, but ok for the most part. There was a blonde stallion standing beside Kiri, his presence was that of somepony important. On a guess, she assumed him to the Kaiser.
The Kaiser steps away from Kiri, raising his hoof he points towards the hidden stairs where the four guards Luna encountered earlier stumble out into the light. “Seize the rebels!” The guards surrounding Luna jump on her pursuers before they could even make a move.
Luna circles around to Kiri, the Kaiser moving out of the way, a smirk playing on his lips. Already she didn’t like him, but she couldn’t place why. Something about him just screams for her not to trust him.
“Princess Luna, I presume.”
“That is me,” She answers cautiously. Uncertain of the Kaiser’s intentions as she eyes the hidden entrance. “This is our first meeting I believe.”
“Indeed, and what a great meeting it is. You have done me a great boon for flushing out those rebels.”
“Rebels?” Luna questions.
“Oh, yes! Recently a fraction as grown disdained with my rule. I have tried to appease them and subjected them, but nothing seems to work. They remain a thorn in my side, yet they can do little to oppose me forthright. Thus, they have taken to cowardly tactics. I believe I have stated this in my letter to Celestia.”
“What letter?”
“You have not gotten it? I had sent a letter regarding my offer of protection to Princess Cadence when she appeared on my doorstep and an estimated time I could deliver her to you. Unless your sister chose to come and bring her home herself. I also included a letter regarding the matter of Pirates attacking your ships in my name. I’m afraid the rebels reach has reached my desk and seal, and my navy has been unwittingly having been following false orders without my knowledge.” The Kaiser said looking as sympathetic as possible. Luna could not tell if he was acting or being sincere.
“How convenient,” she says warily. “What of our Commander here? Do you claim no knowledge of him too?”
The Kaiser nods, “Of course! Had I known I would have placed him in the suit next to Princess Cadence. Unfortunately, he was captured by Wiess and her band of traitors. Only till tonight did I gain this knowledge, but I wanted to get Princess Cadence and Prince Kiri on their way home, lest they get caught up in the crossfire. Who knows how large Wiess’s numbers are? It would be a tragedy if royalty from both Equestria and Nippon were to get hurt or worse in Germane while under my care.”
Luna continues to stare the Kaiser down, her feelings of mistrust unshaken. Something wasn’t right with all this. It was… too perfect. Everything was being wrapped up in only a few seconds. Recusing the Commander, getting Cadence, the pirate matter. Complex political matters are never solved this fast or conveniently.
“Not to intrude on your conversation, but perhaps it is best we get going. I am most eager to return home as soon as possible.” Cadence said, her tone pleading. Her body motions almost panicky as she presses herself close to the Princess of the Night. “Besides we need to tend to your and Commander Bricks’ injuries as soon as possible.”
From behind Kiri scoffs as he begins to trot away, “Stay here if you wish Princess Luna, but I am returning home, with or without you on board my ship.”
(I really need to find out why he doesn’t like me.) Luna bows her head to the Kaiser and takes her leave. “I bid you farewell, but know this is not over.” She warns the Kaiser.
The Kaiser waves as the Princess marched away, his own smile spread wider across his lips, “Oh, trust me, Dear Luna, this is only the beginning.”
--break
Aboard Kiri’s ship, The Taisho, Luna lays Bricks on the bed of the Cabin Kiri set aside for him. One of Cadence’s mares in waiting sat in the room with a tray of food. Slowly feeding the Commander rice pudding to help him regain his strength.
“Like I was trying to tell you, Princess, the ponies that captured me were Germane Rebels.” Bricks said as he took another spoonful of rice pudding. “I’m sorry I didn’t speak up when you and the Kaiser were talking, but I feared I’d only make matters worse.”
“It’s ok Bricks, it was perhaps the right choice in the end. I fear in my adrenaline and angered state I wouldn’t have believed you. But are you sure they were really rebels? Are you certain the ponies that attacked you weren’t following the Kaiser’s orders?”
Bricks nodded, “Yes. When I was put in my cell they whispered things about keeping my capture secret from the Kaiser and where to hide the bodies of my comrades. They were especially worried about Fleetfoot’s escape. They spoke of intercepting the Kaiser’s letter to Celestia. I do not know if they did or not. Also during some of my escapes, I saw the supplies taken from our ships. Seems they were taking the supplies for themselves.”
“I see, thank you for your report given your current state. I will contact Celestia regarding the Kaiser’s letter. Given the time frame, it would probably arrive after my departure. Given the secrecy and importance of the mission, Celestia probably wouldn’t risk it by contacting me, even if the letter arrived.” Luna pats Bricks on the shoulder and looks at the mare in waiting. “Please take care of him… ah… pardon but I don’t believe I know your name.”
“Canary, your highness. Fear not for Sir Brick's health. I will attend to him as a mother does to her child. But I think perhaps you should tend to dear Princess Cadenza. She seems to be stressed from her stay in Germane.”
“I see. I suppose as her ‘Aunt’ it falls to me provide familial support. Thank you for informing me of her distress.”
Canary bows, “My please Princess, please take care.” Luna leaves the room. Canary’s smile widens as she raises her head, her eyes glowing a deep green. “Wonderful acting, Pharynx. I knew I could count on you.”
Bricks eyes turn from brown to purple as he raises on his hindquarters and bows, “It was a simple matter, my Queen.”
"Yes, we had to make a few sacrifices, but it will all be worth it when we take Canterlot and all the love in Equestria for ourselves!"
The sun crept over the horizon, demanding the moon recede. Luna tired and fighting off sleep lowers her precious moon to give way to her sister’s morning sun. Like always the first rays of the day assault the tired princess’s heavy eyes. She squints turning away from what was considered a rare and beautiful sight. The first rays of the of the day. Most would not have the urge to awaken so early to view the morning sun. Even the most devout of Celestia’s followers rarely do so.
“Urgh… too bright as always Celestia…” Luna moans turning away from the dazzling lights and brilliant shades of pink and orange that illuminate the clouds of in the distance. “Do we have any coffee? Actually, scratch that, I’ll have tea. Some kind of relaxing blend, please. I am very tired.” She asks a crew member of the Taisho, Kiri’s ship. “Urgh… I hate it when I get backlogged.”
Since leaving to retrieve Princess Cadence the task of tending the nightmares of ponies had fallen by the wayside. Being so far from Equestria made it hard to reach the dreams of ponies that need her help with their nightmares. Now that the mission was done she’s been trying to play catchup. Since she was still far away she had to use more magic than usual to go dream walking and since she just couldn’t leave a foal to suffer she’s also been helping the foals of the nearby countries that they pass.
Looking north Luna could see the island shores of Britannia. Where she had spent a good chunk of the night dream walking last night. Taking this route would add an extra day to their travel, but it would worth it to avoid the war between Hispania and Prance. To be honest, Luna wouldn’t mind taking an extra detour to Nippon before returning home to Equestria. The thought of enjoying Nippon Royal Family’s company again was rather appealing after a successful mission. Especially when little Princess Miso was such a charm to be around. The little Princess was the very picture of what Symphony’s daughter would have been like had she been allowed to grow up.
Symphony. How long has it been since she thought of her dear departed cousin? Not since the fall of the Crystal Empire, she assumed. Now that she thought about it, Princess Cadence shared Symphony’s daughter’s name. Mi Amore Cadenza. What a mouthful, but it was certainly a befitting name for royalty.
“I never did find out what became of Mi Amore in the battle. Applejack and Nightingale said Symphony used some sort of spell to disappear with Mi Amore, but when Symphony returned she was alone.” She had never thought much of Princess Cadence’s true name, one because of their very limited interactions, and two she was too busy with her own things to really care. Now that she had time and they were literary stuck on a ship. Perhaps it was time to bond a bit. “I’m probably over thinking things. Celestia probably just gave her the name because she claimed Cadence as our niece. No doubt some nobles would have demanded proof of lineage.”
Sitting at one of the tables on the upper deck Luna waits for her tea. The thought of Cadence’s name continuing to plague her. Even when the tea arrived and she drank. She found she still could not relax.
Luna slumps on the table. “Could Cadence actually be Cadenza? They do share many similar traits, but if so wouldn’t Celestia tell me outright if our only living blood relative was alive? Also, Cadenza was born a pegasus, not an alicorn. Unless she found a way to ascend?” The more and more she thought about the Pink Princess. The more and more Luna realized she didn’t know much about her or her past or how she even became the princess of Love.
Maybe she should go talk to Cadence. Like she should have done two days ago when Canary mentioned the Princess of Love seems distraught.
“I should really stop putting this off,” Luna growls sourly. “She’s just a young mare. What’s reason to be so nervous about talking to her?”
Drowning the last of the tea Luna takes the cup, gives it to the chef for cleaning and trots down to the cabins. Lord Kiri and Kaki were still asleep in their rooms from what she could sense. As were Canary and Bricks. Cadence… something wasn’t right with her. Opening the door to the pink Princess’s room. Luna found Cadence thrashing wildly about in her bed, tears streaming down her cheeks as tries to thwack whatever was assaulting her. If only nightmares were so easy to beat.
With a flash of her horn, Luna held the Princess down, rushing to her side, “Cadence! Wake up! It’s only a dream!” She told the struggling princess. Cadence’s eyes flutter open, her eyes wide with fear, her chest heaving in huge goblets of air. Slowly Cadence’s breath steadies and she lies still in her bed, her coat matted with sweat.
“Auntie… I mean Princess Luna… what… what are you doing in my room?”
“No need to be so formal Cadence. Luna is just fine.” She told the pink princess as she let go of her magic. Cadence rose to sit on the bed, her face flush as she took in the mess she had made. Her pink coat turning red as she touched the sweat-soaked sheets.
“Oh, my… I seem to have made quite the mess. I…I should clean this up!” Cadence began hastily gathering the sheets with her magic. Rolling the damp sheets into a huge ball and carrying them out of the room. Luna, however, had different plans. She grabs the sheets from Cadences, catching a passing crew member.
“Could you please tend to these?” The crew member nods and takes the spoiled sheets away. Down the hall Kiri emerge from his room, his mane a mess and his regalia forsaken.
“What’s all the noise for?” He sniffs the air, catching a whiff of the sweaty sheets. Looking down the hall at the two Princesses. Cadence ducks behind Luna under the Rinin lord’s stare. “Are all Equestrian Princesses so immature?”
“Dreams are a powerful thing, Lord Kiri, especially nightmares,” Luna said in Cadence’s defense. “They can be mentally traumatic and effect ponies physically if left unchecked.”
“Tsk, whatever. Do what you will, but I will not have my crew burden with such mundane tasks. Fix her dishonorable conduct or at least have her clean up after herself.” Kiri reenters his room and shuts the door.
Cadence’s ears droop, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Luna assures her taking the Pink Princess next door to her room. Luna has Cadence sit down on the bed. Once again Luna asks for tea from a crew member. “Nightmares are nothing to be ashamed of. Everypony has them. As Princess of the Night, it falls to me to help guide ponies through their mental hurdles. Usually, nightmares are rooted in real-world fears and problems that are given life in the unconscious. Now how long have you been experiencing this level of a nightmare?”
“Are you… are you physic evaluating me? Are you even a licensed shrink?”
“Shrink… oh, those ponies that imitate what I do, but drag it out over several months with huge fees.” Luna chuckles remembering when she read up on the shrink profession. They proved useful in most cases, but not every pony could enter another ponies mind like she could. “Don’t worry about my credentials. Most of their practices are based off my methods anyway. Now please answer the question.”
“Well…” Cadence thought aloud. “Before I came to Germane I only had night terrors like this every once in a while. However, when I stayed in Germane I started having really bad nightmares almost every night. There would be a sharp pain in my neck every morning, I would feel tired and drained of magic like I had been practicing spells nonstop. Headaches would come easily and stay all day with very little relief. And I would soak the bed sheets in sweat.” She adds with a blush.
Luna taps her chin, looking closer at Cadence’s appearance. Her eyes were tired and shot and it wasn’t because it was morning. The black circles under her eyes were deep and built up over time. She was defiantly not sleeping well and it was starting to affect her body. Soon it could affect her mind. Lifting her mane aside Luna inspects Cadence’s neck, finding a number very faint puncture scars.
“Is there anything you can think of as why this might be happening?” She asks keeping a tight lid on the scars for now. It would only add to Cadence’s fears and she had enough at the moment. “Something you’re worried about? Or some traumatic event?”
Cadence shakes her head, “None of the top of my head. I’m getting married in later this month, so maybe I could have been worried about missing the wedding since I got stuck in Germane, but that wouldn’t explain this morning since I’m going to make it back in time.”
“Hmm, we might be dealing with multiple issues built up over time.” Looking out the window Luna estimates it was about nine in the morning. She let out a yawn her own wariness catching up with her. “I’ll come visit you tonight. Right now, I’m in dire need of sleep myself, so if you would kindly remove yourself. I’ll see you later.”
“Oh of course!” Cadence quickly jumps off the bed. Allowing Luna to crawl under the blankets. The Princess of the Night drifting off to her own dreams the instant her head touched the pillow. “Well, goodnight Aunt Luna.”
“I said call me Luna,” Luna murmurs in her sleep.
Cadence smiles and closes the door.
(Night Time)
“Alright let’s begin,” Luna sat beside Cadence’s bed, the sheets clean and the pink Princess tucked in tight, courtesy of the Princess of the Night. The blankets were so tightly tucked that Cadence could barely move her head! “Are you confrontable?”
“I don’t think I can feel my wings,” Cadence replies, trying to move her feathered appendages. “Nope. Can’t move an inch. Are you sure this is necessary?” The Pink Princess inquires, indicating the two lengths of strong rope that bound her and her blankets to the bed. An anti-magic ring adorns her horn, if the ship were to suddenly crash, Cadence would stand no chance of surviving! A thought that was really making it hard to relax and sleep like Luna was demanding she does.
Scooting against the wall, as far away from Cadence as possible, Luna nods. “Yes. Normally I am not physically present when I enter a dream nor do I enter the dreams of Alicorns very often. A pony of your magical might may inadvertently cause harms to others while I probe your dreams. Things such as sleeping casting spells or creating wind storms with your wings. Or punch me in the face.” Luna adds remembering the time Celestia clocked in her the jaw after her first attempt to spy on her sister’s dreams when they were fillies.
A thread of light twirled around Luna’s horn, she cast the thread like a fishing line, the end of it attaching to Cadence’s forehead. “Now, please hold still and relax. It will but a moment.”
“I’m not feeling very sleepy…” A long drawn out yawn escapes the Pink Princess’s lips, her jaws chomping loudly as her head rolls to the side followed by the sound of soft snoring.
Luna’s own eyes flutter close. The princess of the Night slumping against the wall with a thud as she enters the realm of dreams. She enters the familiar darkness of the world of dreams. Thousands upon thousands of lights fly past her, in them lied the dream world of everypony in the world. Taking control of the dream realm Luna reorganizes the bubbles into doors, creating a seemingly endless hallway. The doors shuffle past at high speeds till a door baring Cadence’s mark stands before her.
“Well… here I go.” She enters the door.
(Cadence’s dream)
Cadence stood alone atop the pile of some ruined building. She didn’t know what it had been before it was destroyed. A bakery, a Diner, an apartment building? It didn’t matter. For the past two weeks since she’s had this dream it’s away been her starting point. She looks out over the ruined landscape, a city unknown to her in ruins and the cackling laughter.
In the sky above a battle rages. She watches unable to work the courage to fly up and partake. For the two being igniting the sky in fire and darkness where the royal sisters. Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon.
“Aunt Celestia!” Cadence cries out to the sky. She tries to move her wings, but a passing glare from Nightmare Moon leaves her frozen in place. Nightmare Moon deflects a stream of fire with a sphere of blackness. The dark Alicorns gaze fixed on the Princess of Love.
“You’re an eyesore, weakling!” Nightmare Moon lets loose a teal beam of death straight towards her! Cadence tries to move but finds her hooves rooted to the ground by her very own shadow. Hot tears fall down her cheeks as the beam of death draws closer.
“CADENCE!” Celestia swoops in taking the brunt of the attack. The white alicorn falls, bloody and battered, her wings broken and useless as she lay on the ground. For a moment Cadence’s fear is forgotten as she rushes to her aunt’s side.
“Princess Celestia! I’m sorry! I should have stayed in the tower like you told me too.” Cadence cries embracing the battered Princess.
Cackling Nightmare Moon lands atop a half-destroyed building, her smile wide and mocking, “Oh, how sad. She might have stood a chance had you not gotten in her way. Really dear Cadence, your such a worthless Alicorn. I’m not even going bother using my powers to kill you. I’ll let my minions do it for me!” The shadows rise up, taking the form of pure black ponies with crooked horns and broken wings. There were hundreds, no thousands of them, and they marched right for Cadence!
Cadence picks Celestia up with her magic, running back up the broken pile of rubble to gain some high ground against the creatures. As she does this a battered platoon of guard ponies led by Shining Armor take up a position at the base of her crumbled fortress.
“Shining!”
“Don’t worry Cadence, we’ll hold them off! You get Princess Celestia out of here!” Her beloved knight shouts as he and fellow guards let loose a battle cry as the shadow ponies slam into their meager defensive line. In mere seconds they were overwhelmed, Cadence watching as the guard ponies were skewered on the crooked horns of their enemy. Shining was the last pony standing, three broken horns were embedded in his flesh as he projects a shield. The shadow ponies scrap and scratch at the magical wall, cracking it. Shining gave her a long look and a broken smile as the shield fell, his white coat disappearing beneath the sea of black.
“No, Shining! NOOO!” She wails as the horde climbs towards her. She lets loose a horrible scream, letting loose a bolt of magic that tore through the horde, but the fallen were quickly replaced. None the less she fired and fired and fired! All around she heard the taunting voice of Nightmare Moon in her ear.
“Weak, useless, third-rate, it’s laughable to think you were supposed to replace me! Princess of Love? What a laughable title!”
“Shut up!” Cadence screams letting loose one massive blast of magic! The blast wipes out the shadow ponies, but leave her horn smoking, the burning pain of overusing her horn caused a searing right down into her skull. She stood there, panting, tired, and defeated against the still unscathed Nightmare Moon. Even her meager victory of Nightmare’s minions was proved to be fruitless as more appear from the shadows.
Nightmare Moon looks amusingly down from on high, “Well, seems you aren’t third rate hack at least. Maybe only a second-rate you fake Alicorn. A fluke is all you are, killing that witch and stealing her power is the only reason you ascended. You should be called the Princess of Murder because that’s what you are. A petty murderer that killed for power! You just might be eviler than me. At least I didn’t have to kill any pony for my power… well… not yet at least. I’ll be taking Celestia’s magic as soon I grow bored with you.”
“I didn’t kill Prismia! Her dark magic rebounded and killed her!”
“The pleas of a pony with a guilty conscious and blood on her hooves. I grow bored with you. Please prove me a few more seconds of meager entertainment as my minions tear you apart like they did your lover.”
The shadow ponies charge up the hill again! Cadence rises to her hooves, trying to summon any spark of magic, only for few sparks to fall. The heat of her horn was so intense she thought her brain was going to melt out of her ears!
“Wow, is this really how you see me?” A voice said beside her. Cadence whips her head around, tears of pure joy falling as Princess Luna stood proudly beside her. “Let’s get rid of these pests, shall we?” Luna blasts the oncoming wave of shadow ponies, only for more to take their place. “Cadence this is your dream, you must take control of it!”
“How can I?” Cadence retorted tearfully. “I’m powerless! I couldn’t help Celestia, not here and not when Nightmare Moon returned for real! I was locked away in a tower by Celestia’s order! She knew I was just going to be a liability to her!”
The shadow ponies grew in size, their resilience to Luna’s attacks growing. The attacks being absorbed by their void like bodies. Luna growls as she puts more force behind her attacks. “That’s not true! I know my sister! She wanted to ensure that should she have fallen in her battle against me, Equestria would still have a Princess to lead them! She trusted you with that burden!”
“What if I’m not ready? I’ve never ruled a suburb, let alone an entire nation! I’m just the Princess of Love! I help couples with their problems, that’s it! What good is love in the face of a pony like Nightmare Moon?”
“The real Nightmare Moon is beside you and let me tell you, love is more powerful than you think!” Luna said with a smile as she ends her attack, crossing her horn with Cadence’s. “Let me show you. Think of those you love, call for them, and their power will be your power.”
Cadence tries to use her magic, but gets nothing, she trembles as the shadow ponies draw closer, “I can’t do it!”
“Yes, you can. Trust me and trust yourself.” Luna assures her. Cadence closes her eyes, forcing one last little spark out of her horn into Luna’s connecting their magic. She reaches out through Luna’s dream strings, calling for help. Cadence breaks away, nothing happening, the shadow ponies reach the top of the hill about to pounce on the two Princesses when a pink wall appears between them and the shadow ponies!
“Cadence! I’m here!” Shining Armor, the real Shining armor, screams charging down the hill from out of nowhere encased in a spherical shield. The shadow ponies being crushed under the giant hamster wheel-shaped shield.
“As am I,” Said Celestia appearing from the sun. Nightmare Moon hiss as the brilliance of the white Alicorn’s rays reduces her army to smoke.
“Ergh! Don’t think this is over! I have plenty of other fears to draw upon!” Cries Nightmare Moon, an army of changelings appearing beside her. Cadence let’s out a horrified shriek as she hides behind Shining Armor. Her fear making the Changelings grow inside and power. “Pathetic, now go! Crush them all!”
Luna, Celestia, and Shining Armor all stand their ground as the horde comes at them. Cadence suddenly locks horn with Luna again, connecting to the dream strings again.
“What are you doing?” Luna cries trying to get the pink princess off her.
“Call for more help!”
“Who are you…” Luna stops short, a powerful feeling of emotion overcoming her. She could feel the love Cadence was pulling on. A deep longing love… for her…
(BUMP BUMP)
A heartbeat, she heard a heartbeat, no she heard many heartbeats!
(WHOOSH WHOOSH)
And wings, the sound of many wings!
(REARRROOOARRR!)
And the chorus of roars!
Luna staggers away from Cadence looking up at the sky. They all looked in awe and fear as hundreds of black specs came falling down like meteors. Nightmare Moon staggers back, fear swelling in her voice as she screams!
“No, it can’t be!”
Dragon Ponies of all shapes and sizes crash into the changeling army. Mouths of fire scorch the earth, their claws rendering the changeling’s to shreds as their jaws bite chunks off their black bodies. The four ponies stood and watch as the dragon pony army eviscerated the changelings. In the chaos as the dragon ponies fell upon Nightmare Moon. Luna saw the similar black scales and orange mane of Sixes.
“Sixes! Sixes is that you! Are you real! Please tell me!” She begs as the Dragon ponies begin to disappear. Sixes smiles at her as he beings to fade.
“Wake us up soon, ok?” Were his only words before he disappears.
Luna shutters, her focus breaking, Celestia’s and Shining Armor’s connections are cut and they return to their own dreams. Swaying on her hooves, Luna steadies herself as she looks to Cadence for answers. “Please tell me! Tell me they were real! Where are they! Please tell me!”
Cadence steps away, looking uncomfortable, “I’m sorry, I don’t know. I just found their thread of love and pulled. I don’t know if it was real or not.”
“Try again! Please just try again!”
“I don’t know if I can… I…I don’t know how it did the first time!”
“Then I’ll do it!” Luna crosses her horn with Cadence’s trying will the Princess of Love’s magic with her own. Both Luna and Cadence’s door appear and then merge. The door opens then drags both Princesses in, dropping them unceremoniously on the ground.
“Ugh… where are we? Are we still in the dream world?” Cadence asks looking around. They were in a strange city, a city made of crystal? Why did this seem familiar? Actually, it seemed really familiar. “Is this the city in my dreams? Usually, it’s in ruins, kind of funny to see intact now.”
“The Crystal Empire.”
“What?” She turns to Luna who is staring out in the frozen wastelands surrounding the city. A horde of Changelings surrounds the city. Luna suddenly takes off heading for the castle. Cadence follows her and they come to a pedestal where a tawny unicorn with a black mane was charging spinning blue heart with her magic. The same heart that marked Cadence’s flank.
Luna gasps, “Oh gods… this day… why this day… oh, Dusk…”
The unicorn, who Cadence notice was barely a filly was suddenly aging rapidly. Suddenly another Alicorn, with the same pink coat as her, came stumbling out of the castle, bloody and looking on death's door. A bundle of blankets clutched in her foreleg.
Luna utters the name, “Symphony.”
Cadence watching the scene with interest. It felt… familiar. Like this wasn’t the first time she’s seen this. The pink Alicorn, Symphony, touches the tawny unicorn and sudden teleports away. Cadence and Luna go along with her and they see Symphony standing before two earth ponies. She hands them the bundle, the blanket falling away to real a pink foal with purple, gold, and pink hair.
“Is that me?” Cadence gasps in shock. Looking to Luna and the other ponies around. No pony answers as the scene fade away and they return to the Crystal Empire where another Luna is running up to Symphony’s side. The world around them shatters leaving them in a cosmic looking hallway, Luna and Cadence’s dream doors separate once again.
Luna laughs humorlessly, “A shared memory. Who would have thought we’d have a connection like that? Course I hadn’t ever considered you’d be the real Mi Amore Cadenza. I really should have seen it sooner and maybe Celestia did, you look a lot like your mother.”
“What are you talking about? What was that?”
“We’ll talk in the waking world. Come find me at breakfast. Enjoy the rest of your night, niece.” Luna fades away, Leaving Cadence alone and confused as the doors of the cosmic hall disappear, leaving only her door to enter.
“I guess I’ll find out in the morning, then.”
On the deck of the Taisho, Luna once again is bombarded with the first rays of the day. Miserably she puts on the shades she requested from one of the crew members and sat on the dining deck table. Two cups of coffee and waffles were ready on the table. Now shall there was to do is wait for her niece to arrive.
“Do you always wake up this early?” Cadence asks as she walks up on the deck, taking the seat across from Luna. She looks at the cup of coffee graciously and takes a few sips. “So, are you going to explain what happened last night?”
“Your nightmares were a cause of your inferior complex when you compare yourself to Celestia and a number of other factors. I’ve been there myself.” Luna pauses and takes a sip and a bite. “But you’ve probably figured that out. I assume you actually mean our shared experience down memory lane.” Cadence nods, taking a sip and a bite. “Right, to put it simply when I tried to forcibly use your magic of Love. I accidentally tapped into a common love we share. Our love for Symphony, the Alicorn of Song, my and Celestia’s cousin and your mother. She died defending the Crystal Empire from King Sombra and the changelings nearly a thousand years ago.”
“Ok, that would explain my fear of changelings despite never meeting one, but I was a newborn when… my birth mother died. How I can I have feelings for somepony I don’t remember?”
“What the mind forgets the heart will carry on forever. A love between a mother and her child can never be broken Cadence. Your mother adored you and that love stayed with you even as you found a new mother to love. Because I’m sure your foster parents loved Symphony for giving them you.” Luna smiles. “Love is amazing isn’t? It builds and builds, connecting any pony and everypony together creating an ever-growing network of bonds. Bonds you can utilize with your magic. So, still think love isn’t powerful as the Sun or Moon?”
“Maybe not on paper, I clearly have much more to learn. For right now, I would like to learn about my mother and father if you know of him. Unless you want to talk about that…”
“Let us leave that matter for now. There will be plenty of time for that later.” Luna said smiling. “I have a few stories I can tell and there some time left before I retire for the day. Want to hear a few?”
Cadence smiles back, “That would be appreciated. Auntie Luna.”
“Auntie Luna…” Luna takes a sip of coffee, mulling the nickname around. “I could get used to it.”
A crowd awaits at the air docks. Not a huge crowd, some guards, nobles, and Princess Celestia herself, all awaiting the arrival of the Taisho. Carrying aboard Princess Luna and Princess Cadence. Originally Princess Celestia, Captain of the guard Shining Armor, and Wonderbolt Captain Spitfire were the only ones waiting. Wanting to welcome back their loved ones and friends in a calm and peaceful setting after their certainly high-strung adventure in Germane.
Alas, this small intimate welcome party was soon crashed by a swarm of nobles, led by Prince Blueblood after a noisy reporter spotted the three on the dock. The word quickly spread and thus the three ponies that actually had a reason to be here were annoyed by the intrusion. Especially since the newcomers were particularly noisy about why they were all gathered here. As if they were forced to stay even after an hour passed with no sign of the incoming ship.
“Princess Celestia, Princess Celestia, would you comment on why you and two of the most powerful ponies in all of Canterlot are here today?” A Reporter asked eagerly, floating a pen and paper with his horn.
“Classified,” Celestia replies stonily. This being the third time answering the same question and not even from different ponies. It was the same pony reporter, every time as if he assumes she would tell him something different ten minutes later.
“No need to be so uptight Auntie, it’s only Cousin Cadence returning home is it not?” Prince Blueblood said, much to Celestia’s ire. She and Luna owe the descendants of Lord Blueblood, but perhaps a thousand years of favorability was enough. It’s not like Bluejay Blueblood knew why he was the only official blood noble in all of Equestria. The secrets of his family’s crimes and good deeds lost to all but her and Luna.
Celestia sighs, Blueblood’s loose lips made the reporters gasp and surround them with even more vigor. A rapid fire of questions bombarded at all three of them.
“Princess Cadence is finally returning? How did her trip to Europa go? Was she involved in the recent conflict between Prance and Hispania?”
“Captain Shining Armor! Rumor is you and Cadence are getting married soon! Tell us when the wedding is and who’s the guest list? Will there be foreign rulers attending? Or any celebrities?”
“Captain Spitfire please confirm if the rumor of you and Princess Luna being in a mare and mare relationship are true!”
Spitfire scoffs at the question, “This is fucking ridiculous. Why can’t we just make them leave?”
“It wouldn’t be right to shoo them away for simply annoying the Princess. She does have an image to uphold.” Shining retorts, Princess Celestia staying silent on the matter.
“She has like a hundred percent approval rating, I doubt it will drop by a percent if she shoos away a bunch of reporters.” Spitfire shot back. “Hell, it might even go up.”
Shining shakes his head, “This is why you will never make a good political leader.”
“And you would future Prince? What are you going to do that Blueblood doesn’t? Alright, nothing! Because there’s nothing for any pony else to do when you have an immortal ruler!”
Celestia frowns, (If only that were true.) “Hush now you two, you are acting like a pair of squabbling siblings!” She chides them under her breath. A quick slap of her wings had both Captains at attention!
“Sorry, ma’am!” Both shout causing some to look at them oddly. Having missed the Princess’s rare act of physical discipline. No pony outside of the EUP knew of how annoyed the Princess of the Sun could actually get. Slightly annoyed would earn you a stern look and a tongue lashing lecture. But if you tried really hard and got Celestia to slap you with her wing, even if lightly, you were in the doghouse. No pony wants to be in the doghouse.
The reporter ponies eventually slink away. Finally leaving the three lone. Soon the crowd began to disperse, Celestia unknowingly driving them away with her deep frown. The event that no pony was invited to would be in the papers tomorrow and on the front cover would be Celestia’s scolding face. All uninvited parties would find themselves under much ire in the coming days as the common ponies read tomorrow’s article.
“Huh, their gone,” Spitfire notes aloud after another hour passes by.
“Indeed,” Celestia replies, keeping her stare outwards the sky. Luna and Cadence were running late. Time Keeper was probably pitching a fit back at the castle. The two princesses were supposed to arrive about thirty minutes ago. On some small level, Celestia had to wonder if Luna was just waiting in a cloud. Knowing Time Keeper had probably scheduled a time for their arrival and she wanted to prank the time obsessed pony. The thought brought a smile to her lips. “I could see her doing that.” She said aloud with a chuckle. Earning a glance from the two ponies flanking her.
In the sky far away in the distant, to where only the eyes of pegasus could see, a tiny speck appears on the horizon. It drew closer, bring a small trail of clouds as it sails across the sky. An airship. A bone white airship flying a Nippon flag!
“They’re here,” Celestia states with joy as the Taisho became bigger, Shining Armor finally able to see the ship clearly.
The ship bobs on the trail of clouds, bucking as it’s speed decreased. In the distant came the shouts of ponies, the sails raising as the ship began to turn sideways. The Taisho came skidding along the docks, barely a foot away from the edge as it came to slow and gentle stop. The boarding ramp was lowered and Lord Kiri of Nippon with his bodyguard, Kaki stood at the top. They march down side by side, exchanging greetings with the Princess and Captains.
“Celestia,” Kiri drawls casually as if he wasn’t speaking to the Princess of the Sun. Earning jaw smack looks from the captains as Celestia not only smiles but embraces the Nippon lord like he was her son.
“It’s been a long time Kiri,” Celestia says with joy. “How long as it been? How are your parents doing? Is this your marefriend? I must say she looks like a right fit for you… oh, that’s Kaki! My you’ve grown up so much as well!”
Kiri blushes, gently breaking the princess’s embrace, “Yes, well it has been ten years since we last come to visit. You should come to Nippon some time. Mother and Father would love to see you again and I have a little sister now, her names Miso.”
“I heard, Haibara sent me a letter when she was born. Luna also spoke about Miso, she absolutely adores her.”
“Yes, they seem to get along great,” Kiri mumbles, causing Celestia to frown.
“Is something the matter, Kiri?”
He shakes his head, “No, everything’s fine. Your sister and Princess Cadence are asleep. They’ve worn themselves out bonding the entire trip home. Luna has been teaching Cadence magic and other things on the way home. Well also attending to her duties of guarding dreams. It has left both very tired.”
“I see, how very like Luna to push herself till she can’t get out of bed. I shall attend to her, if you would take me to their rooms, please.” Kiri nods, walking up the boarding ramp. Celestia addresses the two captains. “You two can stay here. Actually, why don’t you organize a ride back to the castle for us? I do know how long this will take.”
“Yes, your highness, we will have a carriage waiting.” Shining salutes.
Celestia smiles, “Good. See you in a bit.” Walking up the boarding ramp Celestia walks beside Kiri, who was looking anxious. “It’s just us now, you can speak freely.”
“Yes, yes,” Kiri says as they slip into the captain’s cabin. He turns looking up at the white alicorn with fledging hope in his silver eyes. “Have you heard from Sake recently? Or hear any rumors about her?”
She mournfully shakes her head no, “I’m afraid not Kiri. I haven’t heard any news of your sister. She’s rather good at staying under the radar. The last thing I heard about her was three years ago, when some ponies thought they spotted her in Prussia, but that’s it I’m afraid.”
“I see,” Kiri replies closing his eyes. “Well, if you see her and if she still doesn’t want to come home. Could you tell her, I’m sorry?”
“Of course, Kiri, what kind of Godmother would I be if I didn’t?”
“I guess a rather poor one, logically speaking.”
Celestia awkwardly chuckles, “Yes… I suppose so. Oh, I haven’t introduced you to my student! Her name is Twilight Sparkle, I think you two would get along. You're both… unique in your social skills.”
“Is she like the last one?”
“She’s talented.”
“So borderline insane then?”
“Well… Twilight has her moments… but she’s making great progress.” (Way to not make your student sound not insane Celestia. Twilight isn’t Sunset! Sunset… I wish I could speak to her again.) “Why don’t you stay and meet her in person. I think she would be excited to meet a rinin for the first time.”
The Prince gave a pondering look. Celestia’s hope rising, already imagining Kiri and Twilight sitting awkwardly together. She was certain Kiri and Kaki would probably end up in the end, but Twilight could use some social experience with stallions. Nothing serious now, but Twilight needs to talk to other stallions other than Shining Armor and the library guard.
“I think not,” Kiri said finally, dashing Celestia’s fantasy. “I have some things that need my attention at home. I have much to learn if I am to take my father’s place.”
“Kusanagi isn’t ill, is he?”
Kiri shook his head, “No, no, my father is in perfect health. It’s just the way we do things in Nippon, in a few years I will be named ruling King, but my Father will run things for at least another two years, while slowly giving the reins to me. Eventually, he’ll be phased out and I’ll be in full control. This way there’s less chaos when the reins of power of transferred the heir. I assume that’s what you're trying to do with Cadence? Is it not?”
“Well, something like that,” Celestia replies looking away. “At least had I perished to Nightmare Moon that would be the case, but now… well, I have different plans for Cadence. Maybe in a few years, I can leave things to Luna and I can take a thousand-year vacation.” She chuckles, trailing off awkwardly as Kiri stares unamused at her. “Oh, I’m just joking, Kiri.”
“I hope you are. Forgive my bluntness godmother, but I don’t think your nation could survive without you. Princess Luna… well, a capable Warrior Princess is not suited to peacetime ruling. I see it in her eyes, she yearns to battle. To do things the old way, whether it’s the right thing to do or not. Without you, I’m certain she would spread the fires of war across the world.”
“You’re not wrong in your analysis Kiri, but Luna is adaptable, have faith in her.”
Kiri snorts, marching toward the door, “I can’t find myself trusting a pony who still hasn’t solved such a simple puzzle in months.”
“Puzzle? What are you…” Kiri already disappeared out the doorway. With a sigh, Celestia trots after her godson, knowing she wouldn’t be getting any more out of him. Once Kiri was done talking that was it. Following him down below deck Celestia follows Kiri to the bedroom at the end of the hall.
“They’re in here.” Kiri states opening the door. Peering inside Celestia sees Luna and Cadence, in the same bed and their horns locked together with a string of magic.
“Luna took Cadence dream walking with her?” Celestia asks aloud, looking to Kiri for an explanation. The white rinin merely shrugs. Indicating he didn’t know the reason for their actions. Walking further into the room Celestia caught the faint movements of Luna’s lips. She was mumbling something in her sleep. Leaning down Celestia listens in.
“Sixes…. Where…. Where are you?” Luna mumbles, her legs fidgeting. Judging from Luna’s withered frame she’s been pushing herself day and night. She was on the verge of magic exhaustion!
“Luna, wake up,” Celestia demands shaking her little sister. The connection between the two princesses arcs, Luna’s concentration faltering. Cadence began to stir from the jolt, but Luna kept on forcing herself to remain asleep. “Luna, you need to wake up, stop using magic and then actually go to sleep! Luna!” Her demands went unheeded, with no other option Celestia ignites her horn and connects to the two Princesses’ dream. Her magic may not work in the dream realm, but she could still go and see what was going on as long as she was connected to Luna.
Settling down the floor Celestia lays her head next to Luna’s and enters the dream world.
(The dream world)
“Um Auntie Luna, I think it’s time to call it a night. I think I can hear Celestia calling us.” Cadence says to Luna. A white thread connects their horns, Luna pulling on her love magic to try and fish the doors of Sixes and the other Rinin. For the past few nights, Luna has been feverishly searching for the rinin. The strain was even affecting her mental self as Luna was sporting deep black raccoon eyes and looking physically exhausted even well in the dream realm. “Perhaps it’s time to stop?”
“No, just a few more doors, just a few more!” Luna says skittishly as she pulls another ten doors before them. She opens all, peering into the dreams, only to slam them shut again when they weren’t the ones she was looking for. “Come on, Sixes, call out to me again! Please!”
“Auntie Luna…”
“What’s going on here?” Cadence perks up, turning around with joy as she sees Celestia appear behind her.
“Aunt Celestia! Is that really you?”
“Yes, I used your connection to enter the dream world, since you two refused to wake up. What is going on?”
“Well, remember a few nights ago when we all had that shared dream adventure?” Celestia nods. “Well ever since then Luna and I have been trying to call upon those dragon ponies, but we haven’t had any luck. I think it’s starting to get to her, she’s all but destroying herself searching for them. Maybe you can do something to stop her?”
Celestia looks at her frantic little sister, who this entire time hasn’t even stopped to acknowledge her presence. That wasn’t a good sign.
“I can try, but this is Luna’s domain. My magic won’t work here. So, I can only hope my words will get through to her.” Celestia steps uncertainly towards her sister. If they were to fight here. She would lose. Every time without exception. After all its only because of Luna’s power that’s she actually able to be in dream limbo, the space between dreams right now. A normal pony can’t enter dream limbo, nor can they leave their own dream, or enter another’s dream. Only Luna could. Only Luna. “Luna.”
“What?” Luna replies fiercely. “I’m busy!”
“It’s time to wake up, your home now.”
“No, I need to find them! I know there here, somewhere! I know it! I didn’t imagine! They were real!” Luna chokes back an agonizing sob, looking at her with tears flowing down her face. “They were real? Right? Sixes was actually there that night? He spoke to me… right?”
“I don’t know Luna. It was in a dream. Cadence was the one to summon them through your bonds of love. But maybe they were just manifestation of your love for them. Maybe your heart just longed to see them again so badly that you unknowingly summoned their image.”
Luna shook her head, exhaustion settling in as she lay on the cosmic floor of the dream world her head hung low. “They were real. I know it. At least… I thought they were.”
“I’m not saying you have to stop looking for them, but you need to take care of yourself. Your running yourself ragged and it’s not healthy. Besides. You already know that they left you a clue of some sort. Wouldn’t be better to be looking in the waking world, rather than searching in the endless voids of the dream realm?”
“Yes… perhaps your right,” Luna says tiredly, exhaustion settling in. “I will end my spell, but before that, one last try. This time with all three of us.”
“Luna…”
“Please Celestia, just one more time.”
Celestia looked uncertainly between the two Princesses. Cadence wasn’t looking much better then Luna, none the less the pink Princess looked willing to help. So, she laments to her sister’s request.
“Fine, I will give you my aid, but after you must wake up. Kiri is eager to go home and you need to sleep and I mean actually sleep.” Luna nods. Celestia crosses her horn with Luna’s and Cadence adds her horn, all three of them sending out one last dream line into the void. It was a different experience for all of them. They felt the web of dreams through Luna’s magic and the bonds of love through Cadence’s. They follow Luna’s love for the Night Patrollers, Celesta adding her own love for them to strengthen the line. They reach deeper and deeper into the void, reaching out to the furthest regions of the dream world.
At first, there was nothing. Then there was a spark. A faint glimmer like a faraway star. All of them felt it and saw it in their minds. They reach out toward it, connecting to the dream, an overwhelming wave of love come through the bond. A love for Luna. They reach out calling for the ones on the other side of the bond come to them. Gradually the love began to come closer, moving towards them, only to suddenly stop. The star in the distance refused to move! The three-princesses tug at the bonds like a fishing line, reeling in the star, but the soft longing love for Luna was replaced with searing hot rage of hatred for Celestia! The dream lines were severed as the hatred slams into them with such power and force that all three of them wake up!
(The Taisho, Luna’s Cabin)
Celestia awoke with a start, her horn burning like she’s just fired off a hundred bolts of magic at once! She jumps to her hooves, the dream line between Luna, Cadence, and herself severing and burning away in a fantastic display of sparks. She backs away from the bed, sweating and panting, never before as she ever, even from her worse enemies, felt such hostilities towards her. A pure scolding hot hatred straight from the flames of Tartarus. She looks down towards the bed, Cadence cradling her horn, which was glowing red from overuse and the connection rebounding, and Luna… looking was staring at her with disbelief, confusion, and rapidly growing anger.
“What did you do?” Were her first words, they were filled with demand and spite. “What did you do to them?”
Celestia sucks in a breath, looking her sister right in the eyes and says, “It’s a long story.”
“Then start talking.”
“If you’re going to talk then go do it in your own castle, I want to go home,” Kiri says breaking into the conversation. Luna shoots him a glare and he shoots one right back, not intimidated in the slightest. Normally it wasn’t wise to mess with the Princess of the Night when she was angry, but from lack of sleep, overusing her magic, and just generally being worn out. Luna’s bite wasn’t as big as her bark at the moment.
“I’ll take you home and then I’ll explain. Ok?” Celestia said hoping to quell her sister’s rage.
Luna, dead tired, flops in the bed with a pout. Too exhausted to even stay angry. “Don’t treat me like a foal.” She grumbles like a foal. Much to her charging everypony started grinning at her expense as her ethereal mane disappears, exposing her actual mane to the world. She officially had magic exhaustion and now couldn’t move or do spells. “I will allow you to carry me home, but no piggybacks! I have my dignity!”
“Whatever you say, Luna,” Celestia says lifting her sister with her magic, laying Luna’s limp body squarely on her back. Luna grumbles as Celestia piggybacks her out to the carriage waiting by the dock.
“I will get you back for this,” Luna growls as Celestia lays her on the padded bench seat.
Celestia only smiles, “Maybe, but I gotta have my fun too. Now you go rest, we’ll talk when you wake up.”
Luna’s eyes falter as she drifts off to sleep, actual sleep, this time to her own dreams. “Fine, also you need to tell me why you didn’t tell me the truth about Cadence.”
Celestia looks perplexed as the others pile into the carriage. “I thought it was obvious. I mean I introduced her as Mi Amore Cadenza. You wouldn’t think I would allow any pony else to bare that name other than the real one, would you?”
Luna snorts, giving out one last laugh, “I suppose it was.”
Luna awakens on her bed feeling, well not great, but better. Her and magic exhaustion have a rather long history. After maybe the first two times perhaps she would learn her lesson, but nope! She just couldn’t seem to remember where her limits are.
“What are my limits again?” She asks aloud rolling on her back to look up at the ceiling. “Ever since Nightmare Moon and I become one my magic has seemed… well endless. Seems like my body gives out before I actually run out of magic.”
Trying to sit up Luna found that every muscle in her body was sore, forcing her to quickly lie back down, seething through her teeth. Seems she used too much magic that even her muscles were affected more than usual. It felt like she just did full body workout for two weeks straight!
“You shouldn’t strain yourself.” Luna turns her head, cringing with every degree till Cadence’s muzzle was in view. The pink Princess looking down at her with concern and guilt. “I should have been more insistent on stopping you, but… I was too afraid to speak up to you.”
“This is nothing new for me,” Luna told Cadence gently. Kicking herself for once again running headlong into magic exhaustion. “Also, always feel free to voice when you think I’m being a dunce. Just don’t expect me to listen when I’m being a dunce. So, how long was I out?”
“Ah… about that…”
“Cadence…”
“Three days?”
She chuckles, causing Cadence to look at her oddly, “Sorry, I just find it a little funny is all. I might have set a record this time. So where is Celestia? She and I have some talking to do.”
Cadence grimaced, “About that…”
“Let me guess, she’s been called away?” Cadence nods. “I see, where is she?”
“Prance, acting as the third party in a ceasefire treaty with Hispania. Time Keeper estimated she’d be back about a week before my wedding. Making you acting ruler, but since you were unconscious it fell to me. Please let me say, I’m glad you awake! There’s this list of a hundred things I need to do and I’ve barely gotten a quarter of the way through. The merchant guild is asking about the new tax code and… and…”
“Cadence! Take a breath!” The Pink Princess sucks in a huge amount of air, her cheeks puffing out as she held her breath. “Now slowly exhale like I showed you.” Cadence exhales, her posture and muscles relaxing. Luna nods with satisfaction. “Good, now as I see from my window, Canterlot is still standing, so I’d hazard a guess that things, well not smoothly from your tone, have been going as best they can. You have to remember, you’re not Celestia, nor should you try to be. That’s a mountain no pony can climb.”
“Not even you?”
Luna fell silent, staring up at the ceiling, “I have my own mountain. I don’t need to try and climb Celestia’s.”
“I think I understand,” Cadence said uncertainly. Not quite getting the metaphor. Checking the clock, cringing at the placement of the hands. “I’m afraid I have to go to meeting… again. I hope you recover soon, I could use your help.”
“My dear niece, you are doing an amazing job and let no pony tell you different. You can do this, have faith and confidence, but if you find you need advice I will be here if you need me. Because I still can’t move my legs and probably won’t be able to for a bit longer.” Luna said with a chuckle, earning a smile from the troubled Princess of Love.
“Thanks, I needed that.” Cadence giggles nuzzling Luna’s cheek. “I’ll come visit again after I’m done with the day.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
Cadence nods taking her leave. In the hallway, she is greeted by Canary. Who’s been acting as her schedule keeper the past three days. “So, what’s next on the list?”
“Your meeting with the merchant’s guild and after that, you and Shining Armor have dinner with Fancy Pants and his wife,” Canary said reading off Cadence’s schedule. “Then you have a dress fitting, picking your cake, decorations, and etc. Celestia’s decorators have narrowed down your choices, so it should be a simple pick.”
“How thoughtful of her,” Cadence comments sourly. Last, she checked this was her wedding. “Let me guess, the guest list has been added too again?”
“Yes, The Mayor of Manehatten and Los Pegasus have been sent invitations.”
“What of Twilight Sparkle? Has her invitation been sent?”
Canary nods, “Yes, before she left Celestia… I mean Princess Celestia sent Twilight Sparkle her invite personally, as well as an invitation to all her friends, the Elements of Harmony.”
“That’s good. I can’t wait to meet the ponies that got my soon to be Sister in law out of her shell.” Cadence smiles gleefully. “I wonder if any of them are stallions?”
“Well, Applejack is somewhat of stallion name. Unless that’s short of Applejackalynn.”
(I guess I’ll just have to be surprised, then.) “Thank you very much for your help these past few days Canary. You’ve really stepped up for me and I can’t thank you enough. Seems like you know my schedule better than I do.”
“Oh, it’s a pleasure, Princess.” Canary smiles wickedly her eyes flashing green as they turn the corner. Shining Armor and Brick’s waiting for them. She tosses a glance to Brick’s, who nods back.
(A little longer.) She muses following the royal couple. (Just a little longer, my favorite snack.)
“How are you today, Auntie?” Cadence asks her. Luna peeks out from her bed sheets, her tired eyes squinting from the rays of sun shining through her window. Rolling into her pillow, she grumbles for the shades to be shut again. “Sorry, I should have known better. Let me close those for you.” Cadence says cheerfully closing the shades with her magic. “There. Better?”
“Yes,” Luna replies sleepily. “And to answer your first question. I was doing fine until you woke me up. I’m still a little stiff, but I should be able to move under my own power by tonight. I’ll take the role of primary ruler from then on, until Celestia’s return of course.”
“Wouldn’t that mean you’d have to do the day part too? You don’t need to do that. Things have been going fine these past few days. Please don’t worry and let me handle the ruling of the day, Auntie.”
Luna firmly shakes her head, “No. You’ve done enough. Besides you still have parts of your wedding to plan. Such an event only happens once every century or so.”
“You and Celestia have gotten married before?” Cadence gasps with surprise. A playful grin on her lips. “How many times? Did you have any foals?”
The Princess of the Night taps her chin, quietly speaking to herself, “Let’s see, I dated the Alicorn of Darkness for a bit, but he died in the Alicorn war, so we never married. I married an earth pony, a big one, he was blue. I think his name might have been Abe Blue Ox. We had one foal. I outlived both and I didn’t marry again till I was two hundred. That time I married a pegasus named, Thunder Cloud, we had three foals, all fillies. After they died I didn’t marry for a while, but I fooled around a bit from age three hundred to eight hundred. From nine hundred to fourteen hundred I married again to a unicorn sometime between then and we devoiced after twenty years. I stayed single until about fifty years before our battle with Discord. I married once more to an earth pony again, a Nippon pony, named Hattori. I think we had two colts and one filly. Sadly, after they passed and the battle with Discord happened and I was given the title of Princess. Getting married and having foals became too… political. I couldn’t stand the thought of raising a foal around such rubbish.”
Cadence’s ears fall flat on her head, “Oh… that’s well… a bit depressing. I was… I mean I’m looking forward to having foals with Shining. Sometime down the line.”
Luna’s ears flatten as well, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to discourage you. Your case may be different from mine and Celestia’s. The nobles are much different than before and well doubt your lifespan will be as long as mine or Celestia’s due to your mixed blood heritage. I honestly don’t know how long you’ll live, could be a hundred, could be two hundred to a thousand years for all I know. Providing you aren’t killed of course.”
The mood of the room took a nose dive. Cadence looking glum as if black clouds were hanging over the pink princess’s head. Well, there was actually a black cloud hanging over Cadence’s head, but that was Luna’s pillow. “Sorry, this thing likes to float away,” Luna says pulling the pillow back onto the bed. A faint smile appears on Cadence’s lips. An idea hits Luna, smiling she leans down whispering in Cadence’s ears. “Want to know how many times Celestia got married?”
A full smile spreads across the pink pony’s lips, “Oh, you know I do.”
“Twenty-five times, right up to the battle with Discord. When she became Princess there were ponies coming in and out of the woodwork claiming to be her descendant. Rumor spread that any pony with a white coat was descended directly from Celestia.” Luna says struggling to constrain her laughter. “So, when most of the Royal Guard was made up of all white stallions you can imagine how awkward it was for Celestia at first.”
“Oh my gosh, that’s hilarious!” Cadence breaks fit of giggles. “Was that really true though? The whole if your coat is white your related to Celestia thing? I mean they couldn’t all have been right?”
Luna laughs, “Of course not, but we did have to run blood tests. It took a while, but we did finally narrow the number of would-be Princess and Princes to two hundred of a thousand. Of that remaining, two hundred only twenty were close enough to be actually considered blood relatives.” Her smile dissipates. Memories of that chaotic time resurfacing. “It was hard on Celestia. Those twenty ponies, her children’s children. They were gobbled up by the nobles of the time. Before any pony could do anything the nobles of the Whiteblood house as they were called, were all married to houses of the other blood nobles. The blood nobles thought they could carry favor by having Celestia’s descendants in their bloodline. Most of the time the members of the Whiteblood’s were treated no better than breed stock. They lived lavish lives, but at a great cost. Before the first foal could even be born Celestia disowned all members of the Whiteblood noble house.”
“Why did she do that?” Cadence asks, curious as to why Celestia would do such a thing to her own descendants.
“To save them,” Luna answers woefully. “She couldn’t stand seeing her descendants being used in such a way and to make things worse other nations were trying capture any descendants in the hope they would produce an Alicorn. Of course, that never happened. A far as I know you are the only foal of mixed blood to become an Alicorn. It doesn’t help the all the history of the Alicorn tribe has been lost to history and neither I or Celestia can recall very much. Such is the misfortune of being young when our tribe fell.” She sighs, once again making the mood of the room go down. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you were looking for a more fairy tale answer to your question.”
“A little,” Cadence admits smiling softly. “But it was still nice to hear more about your and Celestia’s history. I know Twilight Sparkle would just be gushing to know more about Celestia personally. You too of course.”
“Ah, yes, Twilight Sparkle. I’m rather surprised she hasn’t pushed Celestia for an autobiography or just written one herself, yet.”
Cadence laughs nervously, “Hehe… yeah… write one herself. Twilight… she’s probably actually already did that. Along with several others. She made one for me… when I was in high school… she read it during my graduation party. It was adorable, but a little embarrassing.”
“I can only imagine. Wait Twilight Sparkle hasn’t written one for me, has she?”
“I can’t say for sure, but I wouldn’t put it past her. She’s probably at least written something about you. I haven’t kept up with her very well after I graduated from High School and began taking Ruling Lessons from Celestia so I didn’t have time. Then there were all the trips. I was almost never in Equestria for more than a week before Celestia sent me off again. I barely had time to foster my relationship with Shining. Half the time I had to request him to be in my guard unit. That was before he became Captain of the Guard of course.” Cadence looks exhausted. “Maybe that’s why she hasn’t RSVPed for the wedding yet. Maybe she’s mad at me for ignoring her.”
Luna scoffs amusingly, “I highly doubt that is the case. Twilight Sparkle did not strike me as a mare that would be so spiteful for no reason. Why don’t you try sending her another invitation? Just in case.”
“Yes, yes, your right. Celestia’s secretary might have just cast the transfer spell to the wrong pony.” Cadence said nervously. “Still what if…”
“Cadence, just send the letter. I’m sure this is just a misunderstanding. Now…” Luna let’s out a long yawn. “You have disturbed my sleep enough. If I am to run a double shift I will need my rest. We’ll talk later.” Luna rolls over snuggling against her storm cloud pillow.
Tactfully Cadence quietly walks towards the door and quietly sneaks out without a sound. She tells the guards that Luna was not to be disturbed till nightfall. Trotting down the hall Cadence runs into Canary at the junction.
“Oh, why hello Princess, I was looking for you. We have another meeting to attend with Fancy Pants and then we have a charity to attend and…”
“Alright, Canary, thank you. Let’s tackle one thing at a time. You’ve been very meticulous since becoming my assistant. I think you might have found your true calling.” Cadence cheerfully points out. Proud that her former Mare in waiting was making such strides.
Canary bashfully bows, “I only want you to succeed Princess. That is all. I would be doing you a disservice if I didn’t give you my best.”
“Well, I hope you’re scheduling some leisure time for yourself. Oh, how has Commander Bricks been? Have you kept in contact with him?”
“Oh, yes Princess. Commander Bricks is on medical leave, so he’s had a lot of time on his hooves. Currently, he’s been helping training the new recruits and helping set up security for the wedding.”
The news brought a smile to Cadence’s lips. Seems Canary and the Commander hit it off rather well. On the matter of security though. “Well, that’s good to hear he’s keeping busy. I know ponies like him need a task to do or they’d drive themselves mad. However, if you could talk to him about the number of ponies he’s placing on my wedding security detail for me? I’m a bit concerned he’s going overboard. I know there will be a lot of VIPs, but he’s pulling guards from other cities and raw recruits. Almost every guard in all of Equestria will be stationed here for the next week. I’m a little worried we’re leaving the rest of the nation defenseless.”
“Well, Captain Shining Armor did approve the order for more guards. Perhaps we should trust their judgment? I mean it is what their life’s calling is, protecting other ponies and such.” Canary counters.
Relenting to her point, Cadence concedes, “Your right. I’m sure they know what they’re doing.”
Smiling Canary nods, urging Cadence to follow, “Yes, now let’s get back on track. Now after the charity we are to attend the Wonderbolt practice session. They will be performing at the wedding and they want to double check the routine you requested.”
Cadence tunes out Canary’s words, thinking of Wonderbolt Captain Spitfire and the Lieutenant Fleetfoot. They were both friends of Luna, well Spitfire for sure was Luna’s friend. Both would be at the practice so maybe she could ask them what they thought of the security measures. Shining Armor wouldn’t be happy if he found out she went to his rivals for advice, but she worries his love for her was clouding his judgment. Causing him to go overboard on security. Hopefully, she was just overreacting as well.
“Princess? Are you paying attention?”
“Oh, yes, Canary. Please Carry on.” Cadence fibs as they enter the dining hall. Fancy Pants and his wife already waiting for them.
“Greetings Princess Cadence! I must say I’m excited about our meeting today. I’m sure you’ll be thrilled to hear about my plans for a new stadium in Las Pegasus!”
Cadence chuckles nervously as she takes her seat, “Yes, I’m thrilled already.”
“Lovely! Now let me begin by…” Fancy’s words fade into the background as Cadence continues to smile, nodding along with his words. There was a stack of papers by Fancy’s wife that reach up to her chin. As Fancy spoke she would pass him the next page. Cadence wants to slump on the table, this was going to be a long meeting.
Luna’s eyes snap open the moment the sun fell below the horizon. She flips up, her horn glowing as she raises the moon, it’s power flowing into her and revitalizing her. Lighting some candles with magic, she catches her reflection in the mirror. The ethereal of her mane hasn’t returned yet, meaning she wasn’t at full power. That was fine though, she could function at three-quarters power.
(I’m talking like I’m a machine.) She giggles to herself. Leaping off the bed Luna walks towards her vanity, inspecting her natural mane, it was strange to see her hair not floating around her head. (Was my hair always this short?) The bottom of her mane fell just below her neck and the top was a unruly birds nest. Picking up her brush she tries to straighten it only to cringe in pain!
“Why is this so stuck?” She grunts pulling harder on the knotty hair. Pulling so hard that she actually manages to pull herself to the ground. Tossing the brush away in disgust Luna blew the loose strand of hair out her eyesight, only for it to fall back into her vision again. “Forget it. No pony is going to be up to see me anyway. Now, time for breakfast! Or… supper… or a late-night snack.” Feeling a bit depressed about once again eating alone in the castle kitchen. Luna wonders out into the hall.
“Hi, Princess Luna!”
“Woah!” Luna jumps back, surprised to see Sweet Dreams, the bat pony mare that accompanied her to Ponyville and Goodnight, looking rather embarrassed as he held the excited bat mare by the end her guard cape. Sweet Dream continues to chatter excitedly, as if blissfully unaware of who she was speaking to, Luna found it refreshing. Now if only she could understand what the mare was babbling on about.
“Did you have a good day’s rest? We sleep during the day too you know, so when I wake up I’m super excited! But I’m even more excited now because I got stationed here tonight! This so great! Oh, did you change your hair? It’s so cool! Can I cut mine the same way? Please, please!”
(Oh, my gods, I think she and the pink one are related.)
“Sure, knock yourself out,” Luna grumbles, still a bit too tired from just waking up. Coffee. She needs coffee. Then she can start acting like herself. “You two are my guards tonight?” The two bat ponies nod. Sweet Dreams grin especially wide. “Alright, then escort me to the kitchen please.”
“You bet!” Sweet Dream exclaims trotting off ahead.
Goodnight falls in beside her, whispering, “Sorry, she was a little tired when she started her shift, so I gave her a mix of Red Ox and coffee and she’s been like this since. Once she burns off the extra sugar she should return to normal.”
“I think I might need a shot of that myself,” Luna yawns, fighting off the lingering effects of magic exhaustion. Cadence interrupting her sleep didn’t help either. Not that she’d tell the pink Princess that, it’d only make her feel bad.
As they walk towards the kitchen Luna notice there was an unusual number of servants up and about. Much more than usual. A herd of maids came rushing past, looking frantic, and once they enter the kitchen things were even more hectic! The whole kitchen was abuzz with ponies. A lot of them she’s never seen before. A chef pony came running towards her with a tray, he would have knocked her over had Goodnight not stopped him.
“Look where you're going, buddy,” Goodnight said evenly, his tone stern, but not harsh as he helps the chef steady himself. The chef, now free of his tunnel vision looks at Goodnight and then to Luna. His face twisting in shock and horror!
“Oh, Princess Luna! I’m so sorry! Is it that late already? I’ll have a pony whip up something to eat! No, I’ll do it myself! You there! Take this to the banquet hall!” The chef shouts at a passing maid. “Please follow me, Princess, I will set a seat for you at the dining table.”
The trio follows him. The chef pony carefully weaving them through the chaos. Exiting the kitchen through the servant’s doors to the dining hall, the chef pulls out a chair for Luna to sit on. “Apologies for taking your majesty through such a place, but I had a feeling you wanted to get out there quickly. The upcoming wedding has us all in a tizzy I’m afraid.”
Luna’s stomach rumbles, making her blush, “Your judgment was correct, my dear sir. As you all quite busy. As such I request a simple fruit and juice.”
The chef pony frivolously refuses, speaking in a thick Prance accent as he does, “By no means! Think nothing of our plight dear Princess! Order a grand feast if that is your wish! Your desire is our pleasure!”
“Well…” Luna begins tapping her chin, “I’ll have waffles, three apples, toast with zap apple jam, stir-fried rice with carrots and onions and an omelet with red and green peppers and cheddar cheese. Oh, and coffee, extra sugar, and hazelnut.” She smiles awkwardly as the Prench pony did a double take, clearly regretting his offer, yet he rights himself, jotting it all down on his notepad.
“It will be done! Coffee, toast and the apples will be served first to keep you from killing over. Please wait patiently.” She nods, smiling at the chef’s devotion as he ran back to the battlefield of the kitchen. In less than a minute, three maids came out of the servant’s door pushing a cart. A cup of coffee, along with the sugar and crème was laid before her, followed by the toast and apples. The maids left as silently as they came and just as quickly.
Picking up the apples Luna levitates two over to Goodnight and Sweet Dreams. The two bat ponies looking anxiously at the gift.
“Eat,” Luna commands sternly. “I don’t mind.”
The bat ponies reveal their fangs and bit into the juicy fruit, sucking the juices out. The apples shrivel and wither. The sound of apple cores being broken up in their mouths making a chorus of crunches and snaps. The bat ponies look embarrassed for eating so uncouthly, but once they saw Luna’s jam covered muzzle they weren’t sure how to feel.
“What?” Luna asks snarking down her toast, taking a good gulp of her coffee. The cup slams on the table, Luna let out a deep, and satisfied, “Ahh…” Picking up her napkin Luna quickly dabs her muzzle as the rest of her meal comes in. “Sorry, I’m not used to eating with others as well as I used to be. Most of the time I have the guards wait outside, but… well, I’ve taking a liking to you two.”
“Oh yeah! I’m awesome! Luna likes me! Luna likes me!” Sweet Dreams dances, while Goodnight covers his face with his wing.
“Sorry about her… again…” Goodnight says again, but Luna didn’t seem to be paying him any mind. As the Princess focuses on devouring her meal like a hungry animal! He watched wide-eyed as the omelet, waffles, and stir-fry disappear. The Princess eating like her stomach was a black hole! And maybe it was.
Luna burps, a blush adorning her cheeks as she covers her mouth. “Sorry. I don’t usually eat this much, but to regain my strength I need a few more calories than usual. Let us be off. I’m sure there’s some work to do.”
The trio, now with full bellies, continue on wandering through the halls. With the wedding so close all but the most important meetings were being held. Meaning there probably won’t be any petitioners tonight for the after-hours court that Luna held for ponies if they miss their appointment with Celestia during the day. Still, it was a bit early to go dream walking. With modern technology and just overall new habits, ponies were staying up a little longer then they used to. From what she’s heard from Spitfire, there was a huge party scene at night now, with pubs, nightclubs, concerts, and many other events.
(Hmm… if tonight is indeed a light night, then maybe I should go mingle with the modern night ponies.) Luna thought with a gleeful smile. Perhaps she would don a disguise and go to ‘rave’ she had no idea what they were, but it sounds like fun. (I suppose before that I better make sure nothing needs my attention first.)
As she trots pass one of the main halls, Luna pauses as a familiar sound catches her ear. A grin escapes her as she instantly changes course, poking her head into the hall. A delightful smile on her lips as she spots a certain gray mare playing cello.
“Octavia!” Luna shouts with glee bounding across the hall in an instant. Before the gray mare could respond she’s engulfed by the princess’s hug. Terror running through the earth mare as Luna carries her into the air. “Oh, it is so nice to see you! What are you doing here? Are you playing for the wedding? Is Vinyl here too?”
“I’ll answer as soon as you let me down, please!” Octavia screams wiggling in the Princess’s grasp, only to stop when she realizes she could fall if she continues to struggle. Gently Luna floats them back to the ground. Octavia letting out a sigh of relief as her hooves touch the stone floor once again. Luna steps back, looking sheepish.
“Sorry, I perhaps got a little too excited.”
Octavia smiles, giving the Princess a hug, “Only a little. Only a little.”
Blushing Luna fake coughs as she struggles to contain her excitement. Things have been so hectic that she hasn’t been able to meet up with Octavia and Vinyl like she promised. “So, am I too assume you are here to perform for the wedding, then?”
Octavia smiles, nodding at the question, “Yes, both Vinyl and I are performing. Though not together yet. We have been practicing combining our music, but it hasn’t reached the point it’s ready to present to the public. We have started a business together, we call it Enchanting Melodies: Classic and modern music for all occasions! We were really lucky to get the gig. I’ll be playing during the wedding and Vinyl will DJ the reception after the wedding.”
“That’s wonderful, I’m happy that you two are doing so well! I can’t wait to hear you play again.”
“Vinyl and I cannot wait to perform for you once again. I hope you’ll enjoy the performance and when we finally get our styles of music to mix well, I hope you’ll come to our first official duet concert.”
“Of course, I will. Please send me an invitation to your first performance. I will be happy to attend.” Outside the window, a vibrant array of fireworks explodes against the night sky. It was in the direction of the Wonderbolts training grounds. “It’s been nice catching up with your Octavia, but I should let you get back to rehearsing. I have some more friends to catch up with tonight it seems. Give Vinyl my bests and I hope to catch both of you at the wedding!” Luna says cheerfully as she trots back into the hall. Octavia waving goodbye as the Princess and her guards disappear beyond the door.
Octavia lets out a sigh, playfully snorting as she thinks back to the dinner she shared with the Princesses. It wasn’t that long ago, but it felt like forever. She remembers when Luna said they were alike and she had to agree, but Luna and Vinyl defiantly share some playful qualities. Still, no matter how silly the princess may act, it was nice to see her smiling.
Turning back to her bandmates, who were still looking floored by how familiar she was with the princess. She rolls her eyes calling them back to reality. “Alright, alright, breaks over, once more from the top!”
Spitfire led the group of five Wonderbolts into the last of their routine, a trail of black thunderclouds smoking from their tails as they crisscross creating a complex array at high speed. A wing brushes hers, making her grimace as they climb for the finally. Fireworks explode as they separate. Touching down she raises her googles giving Fleetfoot a worried look.
“You ok, Fleetfoot? That was a little close.” Fleetfoot removes her goggles, looking exhausted, it’s been two weeks since she barely escaped from the botched Germane mission. Since then she’s been in recovery until two days ago. Spitfire worrying it was too soon for her second in command to be back in action, even if it’s just stunt work. “Misty Fly or High Winds can take your place if you're still feeling sore.” Spitfire wanted to slap herself, now there was no way Fleetfoot would back out. (Dammit, I’m too tired right now.) Spitfire groans rubbing her eyes fiercely.
“I’m fine,” Fleetfoot said pointedly. Though that was questionable as she was swaying on her hooves. “I just need a little rest and I’ll be fine to perform.”
“Fine, but one more close call and I’m putting in a sub. We just got you out of the infirmary. Wouldn’t want you back in so soon, unless you like checking out the nurses.”
“Haha, very funny. You know I’m into stallions.”
As they continue to bicker back and forth the sound of clapping hooves catch their attention. The Wonderbolt team turns towards the sound, expecting their royal audience and the pony they were going to perform for, Princess Cadence. However, when it was revealed to be Princess Luna they were all bit baffled.
“What are you doing here?” Spitfire asks familiarly trotting up to the Princess of the Night. A happy grin on her face as she and Luna hoof bump. “Shouldn’t you be doing something important?” She teases the Princess.
Luna fires right back, with some teasing of her own. “Shouldn’t you be doing something important as well? Like practicing your routine? I saw you were a little wobbly on your ascension. Some of you were lagging behind in speed too. You should remember to eat lighter meals before doing routines.” The Princess lightly chides, making the other Wonderbolts whisper amongst themselves. Most of them still didn’t know she briefly joined their ranks as Emerald Moon. Maybe sometime when she gets bored of playing the role she’ll drop the act so they can properly hang out without the need of a mask. Course that would depend on they would treat her after she did that. She doubts most could be like Spitfire and comfortably hang around with royalty.
“We’ll get it down,” Spitfire declares a matter of fact. “We still have three days before the actual performance.”
“Two days actually,” A voice says, all heads turn as Princess Cadence and her advisor Canary enter the field. Canary holds up her schedule reading it aloud to them. “Well you are technically right, I’m afraid you haven’t looked at your schedules close enough. Tomorrow the guest will begin to arrive. This will take the whole day. During this time the bride and groom will hold the rehearsal with the wedding party. The following day the actual wedding will take place in the afternoon. Seating will be taking place before that. In the evening after the wedding, the reception will take place and that is to go to midnight at the least. Your routine is scheduled to happen at the strike of twelve. That is if everything goes smoothly of course.
“Right, whatever you say,” Spitfire says looking crossly at the former mare in waiting. She didn’t pay much attention to such mares usually, but something about her didn’t seem right. Mares in her standing don’t usually think of much more than getting a rich husband, yet she’s now the Princess of Love’s aid? What caused that colossal change?
“Spitfire and Wonderbolts will perform swimmingly,” Luna said, much to the Wonderbolts delight. “Now on the other hoof Cadence, you need to be getting to bed. The next few days will be very taxing and you’ll need to be well rested.”
“I’m fine, there are still a lot of things I need to take care off,” Cadence states, though her droopy eyes and swaying didn’t do much to enforce her position. She looks like she could barely stand at the moment.
“Leave them to me,” Luna states firmly, draping her wing over the pink Princess. “Let’s get you to bed. You are dismissed as well Canary.”
“Why thank you, princess, ” Canary bows low, her muzzle hiding in the shadows.
Cadence tries to shrug off Luna’s wing, reaching out to Spitfire, “Wait, I still need too…” her words were cut off as Luna teleports them away to Cadence and Shining’s Armor’s shared home. The Princess of the Night laying the Princess of Love on her bed. Cadence still mumbling something inaudible as she tries to stay awake. Wanting her to sleep properly, Luna casts a strong sleep spell over the pink Princess. Cadence’s struggles cease as she is instantly knocked into the dream realm.
Speaking of the Dream realm, “It’s about time. I better get ready.” Luna says vanishing from the house.
Canary or rather Queen Chrysalis, trots patiently down the halls of Canterlot Castle. She needs to find Bricks/Pharynx. He was scheduled to be in a security meeting soon, she needs to speak to him before then. Luckily, she knew the Canterlot Castle like the back of her hoof now, thanks to having to follow Princess Cadence around for the past week and a half. She had to learn quickly or somepony might have seen through her ruse. Luckily for her Celestia was away, set to return tomorrow morning and Luna has been bedridden until tonight. Giving her free reign to play the Princess of Love like a puppet. Too bad she couldn’t get a snack in, but once they take Canterlot she could feast on Cadence till her mind was nothing but pudding.
Still that all hinge on extra guards not being sent back. Rounding the corner quickly she sees Bricks/Pharynx standing by the door with several other guard ponies. She slanders up to the group of stallions. Present was Captain Shining Armor, Captain Spear of the Earth pony legion, and Bricks acting as a special counsel. Captain Spitfire or another Wonderbolt should be showing up soon. She only had till then to relay her orders to Pharynx.
“I’m sorry gentle colts, can I borrow Commander Bricks for a moment?” She says salaciously bumping her plot against Bricks. The other stallions look flustered as she leads him away to around the corner.
“Man, was she always like that?” Spears asks Shining as they watch Canary’s bouncing plot disappear around the corner with Bricks.
Shining his eyes looking anywhere else fans himself off, “Don’t know. Cadence did say she was acting much bolder recently. Though I didn’t think she’d be quite this bold.”
“Yeah… you were looking weren’t you.”
“No, I wasn’t!”
“Yes, you were!”
“Fine! I was! But I was thinking of Cadence!”
“Uh ha, better stick with that.” Spears laughs much to Shining’s charging. “So where does Cadence banish ponies?”
Shining looks at Spears flatly, “Shut up.”
Around the corner, Chrysalis pulls Pharynx close whispering into his ear, “Princess Cadence thinks the security is going overboard. You need to tell Shining Armor that somepony issued a threat against the city to justify the extra troops.”
“But, my Queen, wouldn’t that be counterproductive to the invasion? We manage to seek in so many already, but if a threat is issued won’t that cause them to suspicious of any more troops being brought into the city or the wedding to being canceled?”
Chrysalis sighs, shaking her head, “Pharynx, you’re a good fighter, but you need to stop thinking so straightforwardly. Listen, with the wedding so close and so many guests already here, it would be impossible to cancel it even if they wanted too. Add to the fact it’s better to have these foolish ponies starring outside the walls, rather than inside, correct?”
“Ah, I see. Very wise my queen. I shall see that it is done.”
“Good, I’m going to go take my main role, another will take the role of ‘Canary’. Also, there are some new developments I wish to capitalize on. With any luck, Celestia will be the only Princess we need to worry about during the attack.”
“What is to become of Princess Luna? Surely you do not intend to replace her as well?” Pharynx states with concern.
“No, no one has studied her enough to play her part well enough to trick Celestia. It’s better if she were to wander off on her own accord. Now be gone with you, less those stallions get suspicious.”
“Yes, my queen.”
“And don’t call me that when we're like this!” Quietly hisses Chrysalis, her eyes flashing green. Pharynx nods dutifully, running around the corner to rejoin the Captains. She follows him trotting out with a very coy smile, giving a wink and nod to the stallions, which now includes Wonderbolt Second Lieutenant Soarin. Meaning they finished just in time for the security meeting to start.
Pharynx would play his role, now she needs to play hers, or rather swap into hers. Passing by a lone guard Chrysalis flash her eyes green, the guard doing the same. “Come with me, I’ll explain along the way.”
The guard nods, following her, “Yes my Queen.”
Luna tiredly trots into the throne room, once again the early morning rays blinding her as they pass through the stain glass windows. She grumbles as she passes the ones depicting her defeat by Celestia and then by Twilight Sparkle and her friends. She didn’t mind the defeat. Actually, she was very grateful they manage to stop her, but did they have put in on the wall for everypony to see? Couldn’t it just be put in a book like everything else?
As Luna sat on the throne, Celestia’s throne because it had a cushier seat. A thought came to her. “So everypony forgot me, yet there’s a stain glass window depicting my defeat, so either no pony bothered to ask about it or that window isn’t as old as it should be. When did that get put in again?” She wonders aloud. Luna snorts, brushing the redundant thoughts away. She had a kingdom to run! “But first some Red Ox, can’t rule when your half asleep.”
Popping the top off the can Goodnight had provided at her request. Luna press the metal container to her lips, just as the doors of the throne room burst wide open! The sudden action causing Luna to drop the can, its contents spilling on to the red carpet below. She grimaces, “Uh oh…”
“Aunt Luna! How are you today?” Said Cadence, in a strangely over cheery way. Course she was getting married, of course, she would be cheery.
“I’m fine Cadence,” Luna replies using her magic to clean up the spilled drink. “What brings you here today? You should be getting things ready for your wedding. I already told you I would handle today’s royal activates till Celestia’s return.”
“I know, I know, but I woke up this morning and I thought, Cadence, Aunt Luna has been so nice to you. It's time to do something nice for her! So, I thought I could handle the morning duties till Aunt Celestia arrives and you can go do that key puzzle thing, you’ve been dying to do.”
Now that caught Luna’s attention, “Really? Are you certain? I don’t know how long that could take, I could miss the wedding!”
“It’s ok, I know deep in my heart that you couldn’t fully enjoy the wedding if you’re constantly thinking about… whatever it is your looking for… and I as both the Princess of Love, your niece and the Bride, want you to enjoy yourself. So, go and discover whatever it is that is waiting for you! Besides, I’m sure with your talent you can complete your quest in time for the wedding or at least the reception. Now go, get out of here before Celestia gets here and says you have to stay. Trust me, I’ll take care of everything.”
Luna looks anxiously at the door. She should have patients, what was another two days? But then again, she’s already waited so long already. Besides all she needs to get is Applejack’s hat. A quick secret flight to Ponyville and back wouldn’t take that long. Though flying through the Everfree to the old castle would take some time. She probably wouldn’t have a lot of time to study what’s behind the door, but she could at least open it and see what’s inside finally.
“Come on, Luna go! It’s alright, you have my blessing,” Cadence says urging her on. “If you don’t get going now, you might not make it back in time.”
“Alright, I’ll be back soon! I promise!” Luna declares making a break for it, disappearing in a teleport. She appearing outside the window and flies off towards Ponyville.
Smirking Cadence watches with glee as the Princess of the Night becomes a speck in the distance. She slowly walks to the throne, sitting upon it with a wide devious smirk, “Two down, one to go, get ready ponies. It’s time to hail to the Queen!”
Luna tiredly flew over the skies of Ponyville, her eyes constantly drooping closed as she flew. She probably should have at least taken a nap in her bed before leaving Canterlot. She only stopped by her room to fetch the other two keys, Nightingale’s medal, and Allure’s earrings.
(I’ve stayed up for longer in the past. This is nothing!) Luna said to herself, still her words ran hallow as her vision turns black for a second. When she opens her eyes again she found herself diving towards the ground. Quickly she spread her wings, slowing her descent and landing gently on the ground, right at the end of the Apple’s driveway. (Well, what impeccable timing.)
Deciding to trot the rest of the way Luna admires the view of Apple orchard. Her thoughts going back to the Apple clan she had met so long ago. She wonders if this farm was same one Applejack, the original Applejack, had established with Rawhide after her banishment. It was likely, but things change, especially over the course of a thousand years. As she passes the barn, she stops cold when she sees a big red pony with a green apple slice for a mark. He looks at her with equal shock, probably surprised to see a princess in his yard, but she was surprised by the fact he looked exactly, one hundred percent, like Rawhide.
(Well… Rawhide might have been a little bigger, working in a mine will build a lot of muscle. Not that this pony looks like a slouch. Still, their resemblance is uncanny, much like Applejack (The current one) resembles the Applejack of old. (Ugh, I have to figure out a different to refer to the Original Applejack. Should I call her Jack? No… AJ? No, the current Applejack probably already is called that too… so… Applejack the first? Not perfect, but that’s as good as it will get for now.)
Climbing the porch to the… Barn house? Luna knocks on the door since the Rawhide look-alike was still flabbergasted. She hears the sound of a rocking chair stop followed by the sound of slow, methodic steps approaching the door. Through the screen door, Luna saw the withered face of an old green mare.
“Oh, so you finally came, huh?” The mare said opening the door. “Come in, come in, can I offer you some coffee or cider?”
“I’m fine and you knew I was coming ah…”
“Granny Smith is the name, being the Apple matriarch is my game, you’re here for Great Grandmother AJ’s hat, aren’t you?”
“Yes, indeed I am. I presume it is in the procession of the Current AJ?”
“Well, I’d hate to burst your bubble, but AJ left of Canterlot, she was invited to that royal wedding everypony has been hyping about for the past week,” Granny said as Luna’s face turns to absolute shock and horror. “But don’t worry, you didn’t waste your time coming here. AJ doesn’t have the hat.”
Luna sighs in relief, “Oh good, I should have assumed she wouldn’t wear it to the wedding, it is an important item, but I would assume it’s rather aged by now. Am I to assume it is here then?”
“Nope.”
“Nope? Nope, what?”
“I said nope, the hat’s not here either,” Granny Smith clarifies. “Here let me show you something.” Granny Smith waves for Luna to follow her, bringing the Princess into the living room where she took out a series of old albums. “For as long as cameras were made we’ve taken a photo of every hat barer. Here’s AJ the sixth, AJ the Seventh, and AJ the eighth.”
Luna looks at the photos with wonder, the AJ’s bore different marks, styled their hair differently, and even varied in height and size, but they were all blond/orange ponies, it was… freaky. Impressive genetics, but freaky.
“Now,” Granny Smith says continuing her story. “We get to my granddaughter Applejack the Ninth. We took this picture here when Eight gave the hat over to her, but…” Granny turn the page, revealing an AJ the Ninth falling over and the hat flying off and into a sort of thrashing machine. Followed by a picture of a pony saving the hat. “So, my little Applejack had a little problem with keeping her hat safe. So, we decided to hold off letting her have it till she was older, but… we never ended up giving it to her.”
“I see, I presume the hat was too worn out to be worn then?”
“Oh no, the hats fine. My dang clumsy granddaughter just wouldn’t stop ruining her hats! Lookie here!” Granny Smith proceeds to show photos of the AJ the Ninth through a varies of ages and situations in which her hat is destroyed, all the way up today. “This one we took last week. The wind blew it into a campfire.”
“I see… so the hat is with AJ the eighth then?”
Granny shrugs, “I don’t know. I’m not sure she’s alive. She kind of kept to herself.”
“Is she not Applejack’s mother?”
“Oh no, no. The Applejacks don’t follow a straight line. They appear all over the Apple bloodline. AJ the eighth would be Ninth’s Great Aunt and seventh had been Eighth’s cousin. Well, you get my point; the whole ordeal is random. No couple knows if they’ll get an Applejack, but it’s considered a high honor in the clan. Does kind of take the fun out of naming though.”
Luna grinds into the side of her head with her hoof, this was going to be more difficult than she first thought. “Ok, so do you have any idea who would have the hat or at least know where to find it?”
Granny rubs her chin, “Well, Goldie Delicious is the family historian, I would start there. That is if she’s alive. She lives on her own in the middle of nowhere and she’s not young to put it kindly. Her home is about days ride by cart if pulled by a good size stallion. Big Mac could probably take you there as soon as he stops STANDING THERE LIKE A LOVE-STRUCK PUP!”
The big stallion shakes off his amazement giving Luna a sheepish grin, with a tinge of pink on his red cheeks. She smiles back awkwardly. “Umm… I appreciate the offer but I can probably make it there in half a day by flying, so if you could provide me with a map. I will be on my way.”
“Alrightie, I’ll be right back!” Granny Smith slowly walks away, Luna watching the hands on the clock slowly tick by as the elderly mare reaches the bottom of the stairs. She sat in the doorway trying not to cringe as she watches the clock count an entire minute before Granny even made it halfway up the stairs. “Umm… I can go look for it myself. You don’t need to strain yourself!” Luna calls after the elderly mare.
“Oh, nonsense! You just plop a chair and have yourself some pie. I’ll only be a minute!” Granny’s says from the top of the stairs. Three minutes already passing.
Knowing how stubborn mares of her age could be Luna sat down at the table as told, staring at the apple pie before her. It’s been a long while since she’s had an authentic Apple Family Apple pie. She remembers Soarin gushing about them when she was disguised as Emerald Moon.
(Well, let’s see if it lives up to the hype.) Using her magic Luna levitates a plate from the cabinet and a fork. Taking a slice of pie, she lays on her plate, cuts off the tip and stabs with her fork. Slowly she raises the piece to her lips, the crust barely touching her lip when the kitchen door swings open.
“Do you want some whip crème?” Big Mac asks fishing through the refrigerator, looking anxiously at her as he presents a bowl of crème to her with his mouth.
She sighs, setting her fork down, “If your offering, I’ll accept. Would you like a slice as well?”
“Don’t mind if I do,” Big Mac said sitting across from her. She levitates a plate and slice of pie over to him. “Thank you.”
“No problem,” She replies taking a scoop of crème for herself. Together they sat in silence. Luna trying to keep her eyes fixed on her pie, but she couldn’t help but keep glancing at Big Mac and worse he notices.
“Umm… do I have something on my face?”
“No,” Luna said pointedly. “You just look… uncannily similar to a pony I once knew, well he would be your ancestor, Applejack the First’s mate, Rawhide. You a little smaller then he was, but not by much.”
“Ah see… what was he like?” Mac asks with interest. “If you feel like talking that is.”
She smiles, “I don’t mind. Rawhide was… reserved but blunt when I first met him, but he became more talkative after he joined my service. He was a miner and then he became a drill Sargent, he spoke with a thunderous voice that could make new cadets shiver in their boots. But he wasn’t a mean pony, Applejack… your ancestor Applejack, wouldn’t have taken interest in him if he had been. He loved her a lot, he even lost an eye in battle while protecting her. He never let it get him down, he actually said it made him look more imitating.”
Mac held his hoof up to his eye and cringe, imagining the same happening to him. He doubts he would be as… accepting of such life-altering change. “So, you knew my ancestors pretty well then?”
Luna nods, smiling bright, “Indeed. The Apple Clan were the first ponies to join my Night Patrol. Applejack was the very first member actually and one of my top commanders. Rawhide joined the same day…” The same Sixes and the others did, she thought sullenly. Luna looks down at her pie, finding it gone. Where was Granny Smith with that map? “Umm… I’d rather not talk about this anymore. Perhaps we should go check on Granny Smith? I don’t want to sound ungrateful or impatient, but I don’t have the luxury of time today.”
Just as she said that Granny Smith came down the stairs with a roll of paper stuck between her foreleg. She hobbles on three legs as she sets what Luna assume to be the map on the table. “Sorry for the wait, I didn’t want to risk getting the map wet by carrying it with my mouth, so it took a bit longer than expected.”
“That’s very considerate, thank you,” Luna said smiling at the old mare. “I will be taking my leave, but perhaps I can come visit again. It would be nice to reconnect with the Apple Clan. I’m sure there are a few stories I could tell you.”
“I bet you could, you take care now, Princess,” Granny waves as Luna took to the air. The princess of the Night hovers for a moment, looking back down at the pair with a joyous smile.
“Please, call me Luna.” She insists before flying off.
Luna’s eyes narrow at the map held out before. Seems Granny Smith had unknowingly given her an out of date map. As many of the landmarks and maps listed on the legend don’t match the signs and landmarks she was seeing with her own eyes. Several times she’s stopped to ask ponies for directions until there were no more ponies to ask. For the past two hours, she’s just been following a winding river with no signs, landmarks, or ponies ask for directions. Things weren’t looking better as the sun began to sink more and more beyond the horizon. Between flying from Canterlot, stopping at Sweet Apple Arcs to now, she's spent the better part of the day traveling. A part of her thought to go back now, but she was already this far already. If things look truly bleak she’ll return before the morning.
Flying over a waterfall Luna was rejoiced to find it on her map, hopefully, she was close to Goldie Delicious’s cabin. Scrolling with her hoof she follows the dotted line to the X the mark that was Goldie’s home. There was a note next to the side of the map.
“After clearing the waterfall, go twenty miles south, if you see a lot of cats then you're there.” Folding the map back into her saddlebag Luna searches the ground, spotting an old narrow dirt road below. Gliding down she hovers above the road, following it until an old shabby shack come into view. She lands outside the door. “This must be the place.” Knocking on the door Luna heard a faint ‘just a minute’ as numerous sounds come from the other side. A full minute passes until the door was opened, several cats running out as an elderly yellow mare greets her.
“Oh hi! I’m Goldie Delicious Apple, how can I help you?”
Luna caught a glance of inside the mare’s home, and cringed, but kept her mouth shut as she smiles at the mare that was to help her. “I am Princess Luna of Equestria, Princess of the Night, I have journeyed a long way to visit you this day in search of an old Apple family artifact left by Applejack the First. I was told by Granny Smith of Ponyville you might know of the hat’s whereabouts.”
Goldie chuckles as she waves Luna inside, “Oh that’s easy. My second cousin, Applejack the Eighth has it. At least she did, last, I knew. Has Ninth gotten any better taking care of her hats?” Luna shakes her head. “Then Eighth defiantly has it. Now I’m sure you want a map to her location. She’s living at the original Apple family farm. Let’s see, where, oh yes here it is!”
A scrap of paper with a poorly drawn picture and some words were held up to her face, “Follow the trail, go past the Zap apples to the Giant trees, sneak by the den of timbers and you’ll be fine, just follow the road.” The map was vague, very vague, but she knew where it was talking about. At the edge of the map was a mark for her castle, the old castle in the Everfree forest. Applejack’s farm was right in the wilds of the Everfree, though a thousand years ago that probably wasn’t the case.
“Thank you for your help, I must be off now,” Luna said stiffly as she walks out the door. She’s might as well have gone in a circle! Frustrated Luna flies into the sky, landing on a low cloud, she peers over the land, easily spotting the Everfree Forest or at least a part of it in the distance. Taking out Granny’s map she tries to get her bearing and plan her best route. It was evening now, returning the Castle wasn’t an option. If she made good time she could find Applejack’s original farm, get the hat, and fly to the old castle then get on the late morning train to Canterlot in Ponyville and still make to the wedding.
“Well, better get going then.”
Nighttime came, the sun completely disappearing below the horizon. The stars shine brightly as Luna navigates her way in their dim white light. The map to her destination held aloft in her magic. Quickly she checks and double checks the map, comparing it to her surroundings. She might as well be reading chick scratch for how useful it was proving.
Carefully Luna looks in the direction of the Castle ruins of the old castle. The old place wasn’t insight, in fact, it was barely an outline against the moon, but it was the only lank mark she had. Seems this map was made during the time before the Everfree forest expanded. The chaotic magic of the land consuming more territory over the centuries. There was supposed to be an old road around here somewhere. The first Apple farm had been an Apple Colony before becoming a single residence.
Checking the position of the castle with the Foal mountain in the distance. Luna calculates she was within fifty miles of where the farm should be. Should being the keyword.
“Let’s see Dodge City is here, so the road would be… about… here!” Spotting a narrow gap in the trees, Luna fly’s down, landing on the old dirt road. It was well overgrown now with vines, grass, and tree roots, but there was a small worn path leading deeper inside. A smile graces her lips as she finds fresh pony tracks in the dirt. Meaning that Applejack the Eighth was still alive and active. All she would need to do is follow this path and she’d be at Applejack’s farm in no time!
“I wish I had gotten here earlier, I can’t see a thing…” She hit something with her hoof, the mysterious object flew and bounce across the ground, hitting rocks and other things along the trail. Interestingly the object sparked. Walking up closer she aims her light at the ground, finding the object to be a stick with jagged pieces of flint jammed into it. “Huh, that’s strange. Is this some pony’s flint striker?”
There was a sweet smell in the air too, a sugary maple smell. Taking up the flint stick Luna continues forward, only for her hoof to step in something. Something sticky and gooey. She cringes as she once again lowers her horn, revealing an orange slime covering her hoof.
“Eww, what’s this now?” She raises the slimed hoof, giving it a sniff, and smells the same sweet smell. “It this… tree sap?” She questions, taking a lick of the mysterious substance. It was tree sap. Sugary, natural tree sap… that tastes like hot sauce? In her bewilderment she let the flint stick fall, the jagged flint striking a rock, creating sparks that land on the sap. The sap combusting instantly! Luna jumps back, hurriedly stomping her hoof on the ground to put out the fire. Once the fire is out, she looks up and finds herself surrounded by blazes.
Pockets of flaming tree sap ignite all around her, creating a soft orange glow. Warily she steps away from the fires as sticks begin to rattle all around her. Red magic, engulfs the sticks pulling them into the fire, creating the familiar form of a timber wolf. At least twenty wolves stood inside the bonfires, their wooden bodies blacking, the fire diminishing as the wolves became completely black.
The fires die out. Plunging Luna back into darkness, with only the light of her horn to guide her. She tenses, reaching for the weapons that weren’t there as twenty flaming red eyes open, all looking at her. Howls fill the air as the wolves snap their jaws, their flint teeth creating a shower of sparks that ignite the wolves’ bodies aflame. Luna lowers her horn, growling, “Cinder Timber Wolves.”
The Cinder Wolves close in, their burning bodies completely destroying her night vision as she extinguishes her horn light. Normally she’d be able to see fine in the dark, not enough to read something like a map, but enough she didn’t need much light. But with the bonfire bright bodies of the Cinder Wolves all she saw was blurry lights and darkness.
“No matter, your easy enough targets,” Luna says irritably, charging her horn. These damn pests wouldn’t be a bother, they were just a different type of Timber Wolf. Blast one to bits and the rest will scatter. “Take this!”
She fires, but her aim was off, way off! Her shot flew way over the head of her intended target. Luna growls, blinking to get some moisture back into her eyes, but intense heat was making everything blurry and distorting her vision!
“I’ll just blast you all at once then!” She declares rearing back, but before she could even charge her horn, a Cinder Wolf jumps from the pack, unleashing a stream of fire at her! Flapping her wings, she repeals the flames, which were absorbed by the wolves, making their fires grow in size and power.
Now all the wolves open their mouths, unleashing a firestorm of flaming howls. Quickly Luna throws up a shield, the flames engulfing her in a tornado of fire. They were trying to roast her alive! To kill her and take her magic of their own. That could not be allowed!
Darkness engulfs her coat, turning it pitch black as the shadow raise out the ground. The shield falls. The shadows quickly raise to block the flames as more shadows slither out and grab hold of the Cinder Wolves, wrapping them in tentacles of darkness. They whimper as their mouths are held shut and she walks out of her protective cocoon of darkness. Her body blacker then the night and her eyes glowing white.
Luna spoke, her voice deep and distorted as if two ponies were talking at the same time, “Foolish creatures! You dare attack me! I am the Princess of the Night! NO, I AM THE NIGHT! Now suffer for your crimes!” With a mere thought, Luna crushes the Cinder Wolves their broken burning bodies falling to splinters on the ground.
The shadows quickly return to where they belong and her coat returns to normal. The shadow cloak, she used the Shadow Cloak! No, she hadn’t. She hadn’t summoned the dark power. The other her did.
(Your welcome,) Said the snickering voice of Nightmare Moon. Luna was so thrilled that her darker self-reared up again. So thrilled that she mentally forms a hammer and sent Nightmare plummeting back to the depths of her soul with a good whack!
“Great,” Luna grumbles, continuing down the trail. “Could this get any worse?”
She shouldn’t have asked because the flaming broken limbs began to rattle again. All of them piling into one giant ball of twigs and flint. As expected the flaming ball of wood change into a giant Alpha Cinder Wolf, with flaming drool, probably tree sap, falling form it’s mouth.
Luna summons up the shadow coat again, this time with much more control, so it only surrounds her body, rather than covering it. “I’m not impressed.”
Rearing back Luna sends out her shadow tentacles to once again rip the Cinder Wolf to pieces! The black tentacles raise pose to strike at the creature’s heart. The Wolf unleashes a wave of flame to counter. Easily she twists her shadow into a wall of darkness, absorbing the attack. Confidently Luna creates more black tentacles to sneak around the wall and kill the creature, when streams of fire come flying from the right and left, forcing her to abandon her attack for defense. She quickly realizes her folly as three Cinder wolves stood at her back, fire already gathering in their mouths. She tries to summon more shadows, but her shadow cloak was stretched too thin. Sweat profusely drips from her brow, both from the heat and the strain of maintaining her defense.
“Attack or defense, which to choose?” Luna growls, the Cinder Wolves on the other of her walls weren’t giving up and there were wolves at her back. She didn’t have much time to think as the wolves behind her let loose their fire breath. She decides in that instant to abandon all defense or plans to attack and bolt straight up into the air! Flames came from all directions, she flew through the eye of the storm. Flames licking her belly as she clears tornado of fire. Folding her wings at the last second she barely glides through the narrow opening. She flies, free falling at the same time, her eyes shut tight from the extreme heat. Her blind flight comes to an abrupt end as she slams into the trunk of a giant tree. The blow sending her careening down across the forest floor. Sticks and rocks pelting her coat as she grinds to a stop.
With a hiss Luna rolls to her feet, hugging her front left leg to her body, her left eye swollen shut from hitting the tree. She tries to set her leg down, but the sharp pain had her cradling it again. She tries to move her left wing, to at least get off the ground to escape from the Cinders, but even that was too much as the pain kept her from spreading it out. With no other options Luna huddles along on three legs, the cries of the Cinder Wolves echoing behind her as they gave chase. She underestimated the fiery creatures. That could be a fatal mistake.
Down the path, Luna ran. The Cinder wolves hot on her trail. To her side scouts appear, howling her position to the Alpha Cinder. She fires blindly at the scouts her aim once again off because of the heat distortion and her swollen eye. She flaps her uninjured wing trying to gain some more speed. Ahead she spots moonlight! Meaning there was clearing up ahead! Was it the farm?
Luna didn’t have time to think about these questions as she stumbles on a tree root. Skidding across the ground once again Luna tries to keep her momentum by rolling and getting back on her hooves almost instantly. She tries casting a healing spell, even just a weak one, to numb her pain, but the wolves shoot fireballs at her the moment her horn lights up.
“All or nothing!” She cries, pinning everything on the clearing. She comes barreling out of the darkness running non-stop till she was at the center of the clearing. Her gallop slows to a trot, a trot to a walk, and a walk to a stop as she stands there panting for breath. Her heart was running two hundred miles a minute and the exhaustion of flying all day piled on top of her running forced her to a stop.
A smile graces her lips, she had made it. She found the farm! Joy overcome her as she looks at her friend’s homestead, there as a house, a barn, and a… old AT-1? The sight of the old war machine held Luna’s attention more then it should as the Cinder Wolves came barreling into the clearing. The scouts taking point by the entrance as the Alpha Cinder Wolf steps out of the darkness. However, they didn’t charge her, instead they glance around, their glowing orange eyes shifting to fear?
Behind her the door of the of the barn swings open. Hobbling in the moonlight, her metal leg shining bright was the owner of the farm, and the last Key bearer, Applejack the Eighth. From the shadow of her hat, Applejack’s red apple eyes glow with an intense heat as she observes the situation.
With her non-metal leg, Applejack the Eighth tilts her hat lower, and in a raspy cracked voice says, “Boys, get ‘em.” The old tank roars to life as the turret turns, the barrel pointing at the Alpha Cinder Wolf. The wolf whimpers, but it was too late, the tank fires! A cannon round rockets through the beasts, blowing it to pieces and dragging it’s remains away with the wind. The two scouts follow their leaders lead, and run away.
“It’ll take him awhile to put himself back together. A good wind round usually puts him in his place,” Applejack the Eighth says approaching Luna, revealing her withered face to the princess. A warm smile gracing her lips, as her wild blond hair falls around her in a waterfall. Even though it wasn’t in a braid or ponytail, that mane and coat made it impossible for her to be any pony else. “You must be Princess Luna?”
“I am,” Luna replies promptly, casting a healing spell on her wounds. Her body relaxing as the pain begins to numb. “I assume you know why I’m here, Applejack?”
“Call me Eighth, it helps ponies from getting confused. Now follow me. You look like you could use a rest. Boys! Time for bed!” Eighth hollers at the tank. A duet of ‘Awws’ come from the tank as two young earth ponies, probably only eight summers old, pop their head out of the tank hatch.
“We want to play more Grandma!”
“Yeah! We want to blow up another Cinder wolf!”
“Ah said bed!” Eighth said sternly pointing her metal hoof towards the house. Her ascent coming on thick. “Now!”
“Aww…” The colts whine as they crawl out of the tank and shuffle towards the house.
Eighth sighs, giving Luna an apologetic look, “Sorry, those are my grandkids, Whiskey and Bourbon Apple. If want you can rest in the house for a spell, while I get them to bed.” Before Luna could reply the grandmother already trotted away, leaving the Princess standing baffled in the yard, before simply shrugging and walks to the house.
(A strange introduction, but I’ve had stranger,) Luna muses as she walks into the small ranch house. The front foyer had a mud room, inspecting her boots she found them to be dirty and kicks them off, while also placing her saddle bag with the other keys on a hook. She forgot her weapons, but at least she remembered to bring the keys.
Now proper she enters the main house. The kitchen was to her right, the dining room connects to the kitchen and the living room into one giant room with a fireplace crackling between the dining room and the living room. A bookshelf that touched the ceiling rests on the far end of the living room, with a door leading to another room, probably the master bedroom, and a stairwell that leads upstairs.
Not sure what to do, Luna enters the living room and takes a seat on the couch. Staring at the strange device on the coffee table in front of her. The device was metallic and square with a gem resting in a cylinder to one side. A book resting atop the metal square. Curiously she leans down finding four buttons on the side facing her. Two white buttons with arrows pointing left and right, a button with a big green triangle pointing up, and a button with a red square on it. Tapping the green button with her hoof, Luna watches in amazement as the book opens itself. The gem floats up from its resting place shooting beams of magic at the book, scanning the lines, and then projects a moving image on the wall in front of her. A voice comes out of the metallic box.
“The story of Rockhoof and the Mighty Helm: Continuing from Chapter seven,” The voice said, making Luna cringe in worry as she tries to get the strange machine to stop, only to be memorized as the story literary came to life on the wall.
“Wow…”
“Ah know right?” Eighth chuckles trotting down the stairs. A smirk on her lips as she hits the red square button on the machine. “Ah had the same reaction when I found it at my Aunt’s house after she passed. I guess this is something the applejacks have been passing down along with the hat. It’s one of the many treasures I care for until it’s time for the next Applejack to have them. Some of them I hope Ninth won’t have a use for. Like this one.” Eighth walks over the mudroom. Twisting her metal leg, she detaches it and waves her stub at the princess. “Lost this during my pioneering days. I tried to set up an apple colony here in the Everfree, thinking I could tame this wild forest and reclaim all of the original Apple farm. I did eventually do it, but as you can see I didn’t get as far as I hoped.” Eight hops up next to Luna. “A Fungi Bright, those purple poisonous Timber Wolves, bit me in the leg. By the time I made it home, it was too late and they had to amputate my leg. That’s why I like to keep those Cinders around. They keep the other variant Timber Wolves away a lot better than normal ones do. I suppose since you walked right through their den Goldie didn’t give you the updated map?”
“Seems not,” Luna replies watching Eighth lean back, the old mare’s bones cracking as she sunk into the couch. The old mare removes her hat, what she assumes to be the original hat, Applejack’s hat. And tosses it into her lap. Luna continues to eye it, noting all the accessories added to it over the years. The Stetson hat now hat feathers, a new hat band with monster teeth and feather dangling off a string, around the brim a number of silver earrings rested.
Eighth looks at the hat lovingly. Looking at Luna with big sad red eyes as she rubs the hat with her hoof. “One thousand and ten years my family has taken care of this hat. We know there’s magic in it, we know we're only keeping it safe, but…” Tears roll down her cheeks. “I never thought I’d be the one to full fill First’s promise, to have to give it up.”
Wordlessly Eighth lay the hat atop Luna’s head, looking a hundred years older.
Luna’s heart shatters. Gently she floats the hat in her magic, holding out for both of them look at. Softly she smiles and says, “I only need to barrow it. Once my need of it is done. I shall return it to you. After all, it is Applejack’s hat.” Luna expected Eighth to rejoice, but she didn’t, she just continues to look solemnly at the hat.
“When you're done with it… give it… give to Ninth, no, to Applejack. It’s hers now, I should have given it to her years ago, but… I was too selfish too.”
“But your also Applejack, correct?”
Eighth shakes her head, “No, I lost that title up the moment I heard Applejack the Ninth was born.”
“Title, but…”
Eighth chuckles, “I suppose no pony told you. Or maybe the other Apple clan members don’t understand. The name Applejack isn’t really a name, it’s a title. One only certain Apple’s bare. Regardless with or without that hat, I’m sure it’s a title that will continue to be passed on. It has too, it’s a tradition we’ve done for over a thousand years and one I’m sure we’ll continue for a thousand more.” Eighth yawns as she hops off the couch, smacking her gums loudly. “Well this old mare has wasted enough of your time Princess, but I doubt you're ready to fly out of here yet. Stay the night. I’ll fetch some spare blankets and pillows and sleep on the couch. You can take my bed, it’s not much, but it’s the best in the house.”
“I will do no such thing,” Luna said sternly, much to Eighth’s surprise. “I will sleep on the couch. And that is final. I will not deny you your own bed.”
She chuckles, “A princess sleeping on my couch? Now that’s a story no pony would believe.” She shakes her head, laughing all the way to the linens closet. Even as Princess Luna took the spare blanket and pillow and Eighth crawls into her own bed, she couldn’t get the smile off her face. “A princess demanding to sleep on a couch. What a bizarre world.”
The morning came early. Eighth was a very early riser, which benefits Luna as the Princes of the Night had to be on her way. With the final key in hoof, she said her goodbyes to Eighth and her two grandkids, promising to come visit again when she had more time.
(It was a good thing I stayed, I doubt I would have gotten far had I left last night,) Luna muse. Her injuries were completely healed thanks to her spell and resting for a few hours. Of course, she would be paying for the healing spell later. Using to magic to mend wounds was just a temporary fix if one wasn’t a master healer. Which she wasn’t. Once she returns to Canterlot she’d have to go see a doctor. "Still, I should make good time. From the position of the sun, I should be able to get to the old castle and then the ten o’clock train from Ponyville to Canterlot. Assuming no pony changed the wedding schedule.”
She laughs, trying to imagine a pony that would dare go against the royal scheduler, Time Keeper, she doubts any pony would be so bold. On the other hoof… Time Keeper may not like the way Cadence and Canary scheduled things and changed them. That was a possibility. Though unlikely. Even Time Keeper knew when to just buckle down and deal with things on the fly.
As Luna continued to fly she keep her eye on the sun as it slowly raises higher and higher. Currently, she wishes she had a watch. She wasn’t as adept at reading the hours of the sun as she was with the moon.
“Let’s see it’s nine o’clock? Or is it nine-thirty?” Luna wonders with growing panic. Should she just skip going to the old castle? But she was so close! On the other hoof, she could simply come back tomorrow after the wedding. Really now that she was thinking about it, as grateful as she was for Cadence’s blessing to finally fetch the final key, the Princess of Love’s offer was… out of place in the grand scheme of things. Is it possible Cadence didn’t want her at the wedding?
Luna instantly laughs away the notion. Maybe when they had first met the Pink Princess may at her deepest levels probably not want her around. But after spending two weeks together and dream walking together for that same period of time? No, if Cadence had harbored anything like that she would have seen it in the young bride’s dreams.
“Maybe she was just tired as I was yesterday morning. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind and neither was she. Yeah… that’s probably it.” Luna told herself.
The old castle came into view, off in the distance was Canterlot Castle, a mere white speck on the mountain on which it sat. Slowly she descends, landing in front of the old castle’s main door. Her wings fell to the floor, sore and throbbing in pain from overuse in the last few hours. It’s been awhile since she had to fly such a great distance all at once.
Slowly Luna walks into the musty old ruins. The soles of her hooves also aching from her little walk in the woods. When did she get so soft?
“Must be all the sitting around studying. I’ll have to work on gaining some better stamina.” Turning the corner Luna hums pleasantly as she makes for the stairs to the lower levels. As she looking down into the darkness the sound of a stone skipping made her freeze and ignite her horn. She quickly turns, looking for any suspicious, but found nothing. “Must have been the wind.” She concludes. The castle was old and decaying. Some stone must have broken loose.
Ignoring the noise Luna continues down into the old forge. Again, the depressing atmosphere made her heart sink as she thought of all the ponies that used to roam these halls. Wanting to think of something else she began to wonder just what could be behind the door that the keys unlock. It still made her suspicious that they didn’t tell Celestia, even getting Applejack to remain tight lips about the whole affair.
“Could it be a sort of weapon? Likely, but the last time they saw me I was Nightmare Moon. It’s hard to believe they would leave a weapon for me. So, what could it be?” Her thoughts come to stand still since she was coming up with nothing and she was ready at the secret door that leads to the other secret door. Tapping the wall, she found latch and was about to open it when she heard something behind her.
Carefully Luna glance behind her. Again, finding nothing, but that didn’t matter. She felt a presence. Like somepony else was here.
“Reveal yourself! I know you are there!” Luna shouts into the darkness, but nothing responds. Warily she turns back to the door, unlocking the latch, the hair on her leg staining up as a chill ran down her spine. She cracks open the door and then they struck! Something grabs her by the leg, something slimy and sticky. Whirling around Luna calls upon her earth pony magic and with great force pulls her assailant into the light. A black insectoid form bounces across the old stone floor, it’s blue eyes glaring at her.
Luna lets out a gasp, “Changeling!” From the darkness flashes of green flame ignite as more changelings crawl out of their hiding spots. Firing green blasts of magic from their crooked horns. Two blasts hit Luna center barrel, making her hiss as the slime burns at her coat. She quickly fires back, hitting two, but more took place. With no other choice she enters the secret room, slamming the door behind her and welding it close with her magic. Running down the stairs to the marble room with three statues she paused to catch her breath and clean the acid from her chest.
“The one day I decide to not wear my royal yoke,” She grumbles pulling her canteen from her saddlebags, washing the acid off. “Now what should I do? I’ve gotten away, but I’ve also cornered myself.”
Up above the Changelings were pounding on the door. There was no telling how long it would take, but her time to think of strategy was limited. Normally she’d have no problem taking on Changelings, but as exhausted as she was from yesterdays and this morning traveling, she wasn’t in top form. On top of that, she had no weapons or armor. Even without those, she could confidently take on twenty Changelings with just her magic, but since there was no way this was a random attack, there was probably much more than twenty waiting for her.
“What to do, what to do,” Looking to the statues Luna admires the giant door they guard. She didn’t know what was on the other side or if it would be helpful, but at least if she opens it and closes herself inside she could buy herself more time. “Alright, sorry I can’t stand on ceremony, but I’m in a bit of predicament. So, place Nightingale’s medal on Nightingale. Allure’s earring in her ears and Applejack hat on her head. Alright, show me what you got!”
At first, nothing happened, much to Luna’s distress. A full minute ticks by with sound of the Changelings making headway as the statues sit there doing nothing. She was about to give up hope, thinking she had gotten the wrong keys when the statue’s eyes suddenly lit up! The statues began to move along the ground, rearranging themselves into different positions, while the big lock on the door began to click and turn. The statues come to a stop, Allure to Luna’s right, Nightingale on her left and Applejack in the front. The Applejack statue moves back, the statue’s hind legs raising and then kicking the door. The big door makes a loud ‘click’ noise and slowly swings open.
“Hazzuh!” Quickly Luna ran for the narrow opening, trying to quickly shut the doors again, but she couldn’t! The doors kept opening, pulled along by some machinal force till they were wide open! To add further hopelessness to the situation, giant locks on both sides of the door fell down, locking them in place. Luna let out the deepest, most exhausted sigh of her life. “Ugh… thanks, guys.”
Her plans in tatters Luna walks deeper into the chamber. Hoping there was a weapon, a way out, anything really that could help her. As she stumbles around in the darkness she hit something with her snout. Stepping back, Luna ignites her horn, revealing the face of Sixes and many, many others.
“Statues? That’s what this was all about?” Luna said with rising frustration and anger, only quickly squash it. “No that can’t be right. They wouldn’t go through all this trouble of hiding this from Celestia if these were merely statues. Something else going here.”
Looking around Luna found something carved into the ground. Runes, lots of runes. They ran across the floor as far as her light would reach and probably farther. With no other options, she sent a pulse of magic into the ruins and waits.
“There she is!”
A blast of magic catches her by surprise, followed by several green ropes as the Changelings try to wrangle her. No doubt to stuff her into a cocoon for feeding. She struggles, but they threw more and more green goo on top of her and began pulling back into the other room. She tries to fire off a magic blast, but she couldn’t turn her neck to shoot!
“Quickly cover her head! Cover her head!” A changeling yells shooting goo on her head, completely sealing her. She continues to struggle, but the goo was too thick and she could feel the chemicals flooding her body, forcing her muscles to relax. Slowly her struggles cease and her head falls to the floor. She couldn’t believe it, she’s been captured!
“Oh yeah! Queen Chrysalis is going to give us first pick for this!” One changeling cheers. “I hope she let me take a bite of you first!”
Luna glares at the changeling, but it only laughs. She lay her head back down, then she heard something.
(BUMP… BUMP BUMP…BUMP)
(A… heartbeat? Is it mine? No… it’s not and…) Suddenly more heartbeats join in, creating a deafening roaring song of beats until there was loud air shattering, CRACK! (Could it be…)
“Uh… what was that?” A Changeling asks as they all look into the darkness of the other room. From the darkness comes pulses of magic, or all colors, the sound of stone cracking and hitting the ground and then come something that made them shiver down to their exoskeletons. A loud, long, drown out chorus of whinnying roars that shook the very walls themselves!
They all stood terrified. One higher rank changeling pushed one the lower ranks ahead. Pointing at him to go investigate. The changeling warily inches closer to the darkness, standing right on the edge as he looks fearfully back at his comrades. It was the last they show of him as a golden chain shot out from the darkness and drags him away.
“Tibia!”
“What the shit was that!”
“Be quiet! Listen! Do you hear that?”
The changeling's hush, watching the darkness, charging their horns as a slow horrible scrapping sound coming from the darkness. Something flew out the darkness, it spun and clatters against the ground when it stops, it was a black crooked horn.
“That’s Tibia’s horn!
“Look out!”
“What?”
From the darkness an orange glow ignites and flew towards them, they saw fangs, claws as a black creature the likes of which they never saw, but heard of in the stories passed down by the queens.
“Rinin!”
He was awake! His heart was beating a mile a minute! Magic surge throughout his body, heating his body, cracking his stone imprisonment. Luna came. Luna came for them! They were going to see her again!
The stone fell from his body and he let out a loud and proud roar for the first time in a thousand years! All around his brethren and comrades were waking. Flakes of stone skin were flying off in every direction. Fury was half free already. He was probably as eager as he was. Looking around Sixes looks for the Princess of the Night, but she wasn’t in sight, but he did hear voices.
Shaking off the last of his stone prison Sixes walks towards the light, squinting his eyes at the brightness. His eyes adjust and he was able to make out multiple black forms and one giant green cocoon. His heart stops when he saw that midnight blue horn entrapped by green goo. His joy quickly turns to unbridled rage. One changeling, forced by the others to walk towards the darkness, stood barely twenty feet away. Shaking like a leaf.
“I’ll give you something shake about!” He growls, spitting up some gold and crafting it into a chain and throws at the changeling, snagging him and dragging him into the darkness. Before the little guy could even make a peep, he grabs his skulls twists with a sickening snap and rips off this horn. Tossing it back to his friends.
“Sixes? What’s going on?” Fury asks sleepily.
He didn’t reply to his friend. Instead, he charges up a fire breath and charges out into the light, roaring as he breathes fire on the closest Changeling while grabbing another with his claw and grinding its skull against the ground. He came to stop by the cocoon, lava dripping from his mouth as he aims for the entrance, creating a waterfall of melted stone and magma, sealing the changelings inside.
Sucking in a deep breath, Sixes says his first command in a thousand years, “NIGHT PATROL! SLAUGHTER THESE FOOLS! FOR LUNA!”
From the darkness, an orchestra of roars and whinnies comes as three hundred Rinin, unicorn, earth pony, and pegasi, come charging out of the marble doors. The changelings could do nothing. In an instant, they were overrun, trampled beneath the claws and hooves of Night Patrol. Those that tried to claw their way out through the lava slag were burned alive by rinin fire.
Sixes rips the cocoon away from Luna, helping his princess stand, as he and the others stood at attention. Awaiting her command.
Luna couldn’t believe her eyes! Sixes, Fierce Fury, Topaz and so many others. They were right here! Standing in front of her! She reaches out her hoof, touching Sixes' cheek, just to make sure he was really here. When her hoof didn’t phase through him she began to cry.
“Are you here? Are you really here? Am I not dreaming? Please, please tell me I’m not dreaming!” Luna sniffs. She was so tired. So tired that part of her believed this was all an elaborate dream she was having after talking to Cadence. One she was afraid she’d wake up from any minute.
Sixes smiles, gently taking her hoof and setting back down. “If any pony is afraid this is a dream, it’s us. We’ve been waiting a long time to see you again, Princess.”
She smiles, shaking her head, her tears flying everywhere as she looks at the faces of her friends. “So, have I, so I have I.”
“This is touching an all, but are we not going to talk about the elephant in the room,” Fury asks pointing to the changelings. “I mean if you don’t that’s fine, but I think we can all say from past experience this many changeling’s equal invasion, right.”
Luna wipes away her tears, “Indeed, Fury. Let us go quickly assess the situation.”
It didn’t take long to break down the slag wall and get outside. Many of the Patrollers were dismayed to find their home in ruins. But those thoughts were quickly set aside when they saw smoke rising from Canterlot.
“Celestia!” Luna quickly took flight, but Sixes and Fury held her down. “What are you doing! We must go there and repeal the invaders!”
“We know,” Sixes said calmly. “But first we need to make sure we’re not going off half-cocked. We don’t have the numbers like we used to Luna. Also, a flight from here to Canterlot by wing will take too long and wear us out before we even get to the battlefield. Might I suggest a wiser alternative.”
Luna’s struggles cease, knowing he was right. Rushing in unprepared would only get ponies killed. She knew that lesson already. Perhaps living in these peaceful times have dulled her.
The glorious sight of Canterlot brought much relief to Celestia’s eye as she stood on the deck of the Le Fleur. The negotiations between Prance and Hispania had been long and difficult, as they always were. The continuing strife between El Cid and D’Arc was taxing as she was usually called on to separate the two warring leaders by their councils. It always started the same way. One leader would invite the other over for drinks, they would get drunk, and then they would copulate. If D’arc wakes up first, she’d get embarrassed about the whole ordeal, El Cid would then wake up and tease her and she’d declare war. If El Cid woke up first it won’t be in the bed as D’arc would have him thrown from her chambers. He’d get mad and embarrassed and then declare war on her. Usually, everypony had a month to talk them down before the armies were actually ready to mobilize.
So really, it’s not like any pony died… most of the time. However even if half of their wars never had a single cannon shot fired no other nation dares to tempt fate and accidentally ignite a true war, by trying to pass between the two nations. The two lovers do generally love each other, but only as much as they want to kill each other, and given the history of their countries. Which like them, was stained with blood and hate. It was a rocky relationship.
“I feel like their mother some days.” Celestia sighs. Making her muse as to why she always had to be the one to go scold the two hot-headed rulers. Britannia was so much closer after all. “No, Prance and Britannia hate each other… and Hispania hates Germane and so does Prance so the Kaiser can’t. King Kusanagi won’t because he doesn’t care about outside nations beside Equestria. Austopona is allied with Germane so they can’t and no other nation is big enough to get them to stop. Guess I am the only one. Which means I’ll probably be going back next week for the peace treaty, where it will all start again. Because you can’t have a peace signing without wine.” Celestia quotes D’Arc dryly. “Made I should send Cadence next time and I don’t know… finally get them married or something? Anything to stop this nonsense.”
As the ship docks, Celestia quickly trots down the ramp, ignoring the greeters and calling for Time Keeper, who quickly went about fetching the schedule. If her memory served right today was… oh yes, today was the receiving day for the wedding guests.
(At least I think so? If that’s true then Twilight and her friends should be here or if not on their way. It would be fun to sit down and talk with her face to face for once. The letters are fun, but there is nothing like sitting down with tea and cake. That being said, I wonder if I have time for that?)
Celestia feels for the sun, picturing a sundial in her mind she reads it is a little past noon, possibly one or two o’clock. Most of the guest should be here by now, if not it was Cadence’s duty as the bride to greet them anyway. The day courts are canceled till after the wedding, there are no meetings she needs to attend. Yes, she did have time to indulge herself.
“Princess Celestia, I’ve brought the schedule!”
“Oh, thank you Time Keeper. You haven’t told any pony of my arrival yet, have you?”
Time Keeper looks curiously at her, “No, not yet, your majesty. But I will be doing that soon. I believe we should go…”
“Please refrain from announcing my arrival to the public. If Cadence, Luna, or Twilight ask you can tell them I’m relaxing you know where and I wish to be left alone for the time being.”
A look of deep understanding crosses Time Keeper’s face, as he snaps his watch shut and returns it to his pocket. He won’t be needing it for the rest of the day it seems. “I see. Very well. I shall see that all is to standard while you partake in your visit. Please, give the Young Master my regards.”
Celestia smiles, “I will.” With those words, Celestia disappears in a gold flash.
“Who is she going to visit?” The captain of the Le Fleur asks while cleaning his pipe.
Time Keeper, standing prim and proper disregards the captain's question, “It’s none of your business, it is a personal matter to the Princess. If I were to dishonor her trust by telling you I would throw myself off this cliff. Now carry on, and get this ship out of here. Some VIP’s will be arriving soon and the dock must be clear.”
The captain shrugs, figuring the schedule ping was right, it wasn’t his business where the princess was going if it wasn’t on his ship.
Somewhere, distant from the docks, yet still in Canterlot Celestia appears in a simple garden. Completely surrounded by shrubs with white roses. In the Center of the garden stood a statue and a bench. Slowly she walks to the bench, sitting up on it to gaze at the statue before her. The statue was a pony in armor with wings spread wide, his stance posed heroically, his mouth in a snarl and his antlers boldly pointing toward an enemy that wasn’t there.
A tear escapes from Celestia’s eye as she stares at the likeness of the pony that had been most dear to her after her sister was sealed away, “Hello, son, it’s been awhile.”
Twilight steps off the train in a huff as she and her friends make their way through security. Her mood sour from the last-minute news of her brother’s wedding. Her mind in such a tizzy that she doesn’t even notice the giant pink shield around Canterlot or the extra guards until she tries to approach her brother. A bat pony guard in blue armor blocking her way.
“Sorry, security personnel only,” Goodnight says with a long yawn.
“But I need to talk to my brother!” Twilight insists, pointing towards Shining Armor. “He’s right over there, let me through!”
Goodnight tiredly smacks his jaws, keeping the purple unicorn back. With the new threat, security was heightened and his shift extended, he really just wants to get to his bunk right now. “Yeah, that’s not happening. Captain Shining Armor is too busy at the moment. You can talk to him when he’s off duty later tonight. For now, you lot need to get to registration.”
“He’s right over there! Just let me talk to him!” Twilight tries to force her way through, but another bat pony, this one female blocks her way.
“Oh hey! Your Twilight, Celestia’s student!” Sweet Dreams exclaims excitedly. “It’s so nice to see you again! Remember me? I was one of the ponies that pulled Princess Luna’s chariot to Ponyville during Nightmare Night! Oh, and Goodnight here was the other. That was a fun night. So, are you here for the wedding?”
Disarmed by Sweet Dream’s cheery greeting Twilight steps back, a cool head might get her farther. “Yes, I am, and so are my friends. As you can see behind me. I was hoping to get a quick word with my brother before going inside."
Sweet Dreams nods, “Oh yeah, Captain Shining Armor is the groom. I kind of forget that sometimes since he’s still performing his duties. He must be run ragged what with the threat and all.”
“Threat?” Twilight and friends exclaim.
“Yes, seems somepony has some balls and threaten to crash the wedding. Naturally, it could be a hoax. We already have over half of the EUP stationed here, but the word of the threat came from a reliable source and it was decided Captain Shining Armor would use his shield spell to help protect the city. I believe this will be what? The twelfth hour since he started?”
“Something like that, he started projecting it last night after the security meeting,” Goodnight says.
Twilight’s ears flop down as she looks past the two bat ponies, seeing her brother’s tired eyes from here. He was so engrossed in his duties that he hasn’t even noticed her yet. It broke her heart, but yet made her proud of her brother at the same time.
“I see,” She says stepping away from the two guards. “Perhaps it will be better if I talk to him later.”
“Probably,” Sweet Dreams nods. “I mean he’d probably appreciate the visit, but now isn’t the best time. I’ll escort you six. Goody, you can go get relieved, you're already over your twelve hours. I’ll join you when I’m done here.”
“I’ll stick with you, a few more minutes won’t matter at this point.” He said taking up position in front of the group, opposite of Sweet Dreams. The bat mare’s cheek turning a slight pink.
“Thanks, Goody.”
“Oh, I think I smell love in the air! Wedding tend to do that to ponies,” Rarity whispers from the group. Causing them all to eye roll as they follow the guards.
The two bat ponies escort the six mares to the higher levels of the castle. Passing the kitchen and tailors rooms along the way. In the kitchen, a feast among feasts was being made and in the tailor’s room, the bride’s and groom’s garments were being touched up before the big day. In the main hall, the sound of music could be heard as Octavia Melody and her orchestra practice their wedding songs. The sights and smells brought a warm smile to the guard’s face, but when they looked back to see the reactions of their charges, they were surprised to find them looking a bit glum.
“Um… what’s wrong ladies?” Goodnight asks as they enter a quieter hall.
“Well…” Applejack began looking a bit confused. “When we got the wedding invitation it said Pinkie and I were supposed to handle the catering, Rarity was supposed to make the dress, Fluttershy supposed to do some kind of bird music things, and Rainbow is supposed to do a sonic rainboom for the couple and Twilight is supposed to supervise it all. So, we’re a bit confused because it looks like your doing all that yourselves.” She explains as the Wonderbolts rocket by the window, doing an amazing display of tricks.
The two bat ponies just look at each other and begin to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Rainbow Dash demands.
Goodnight waves for them to hold on as he tries to catch his breath, “I’m sorry, who wanted you to do what now? This wedding has been planned in advance for months, they’ve been making food the past week for the HUNDREDS of guests and VIPs. Professional musicians, chefs, tailors, and athletes have been working for the past month for this day. Who in the world sent you a letter asking you six to get all that done in one day, nay, a few hours. The wedding is tomorrow. The rehearsal is today for Celestia’s sake! Who in their right mind would think to drop all of that on you at the last minute?”
“Also, I’m kind of surprised none of you thought of this yourselves,” Adds Sweet Dreams.
“Princess Celestia sent us the letter,” Rainbow Dash declares, snatching the letter from Twilight and shoving it in the guard's faces. “Read it and weep!”
The bat ponies take the letter, carefully reading it over, and gave the six a flat look, “Yeah, Celestia didn’t actually send this.”
A collective, “WHAT!” shook the hallway as Goodnight takes the paper and explains. “Let me clarify, Celestia wrote the letter, but she didn’t personally send it. Look at this seal here, it reads “From the desk of Princess Celestia” meaning her secretary sent it and if you check here the date is from three weeks ago. I’m guessing for some reason it didn’t get to you and since you didn’t RSVP, somepony just sent a copy of the letter yesterday to you without reading the contents. Hey, is something wrong with you three?” He asks looking at the god smacked Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash.
“URGH, that letter was important!” Twilight screams in frustration, causing passing ponies to stop and stare for a moment before returning to work.
The two bat ponies look beside themselves, “Are you saying you threw away a letter from Princess Celestia, Twilight?” That didn’t seem likely. Given the purple unicorn’s relationship with the Princess.
Twilight looks horrified, “Of course I didn’t! I was in the dragon lands with Spike when it came and a dragon got a hold of it and threw it into a lava pit!” Twilight continues to mutter darkly about dragons before a look of relief passes of her. “Wait, so my brother didn’t forget about me?”
“I can’t see why he would or why I would either,” A sweet honey filled voice said. All heads turn as Princess Mi Amore Cadenza enters the hall, her faithful assistant Canary trailing behind her. The pink alicorn stops before the group, smiling brightly at them all, but especially Twilight. Cadence leans down nuzzling Twilight’s head. “It’s so nice to see you again, my future sister in law. How long has it been? You’ve grown so much!”
Twilight’s eyes sparkle! “Cadence! Your marrying Shining Armor? Wait, why did the letter say Mi Amore Cadenza then?”
Cadence chuckles, “Right, I suppose I never told you my full name. No, no, wait I did, but you always twisted your tongue when you tried to say the whole thing, so I just had you call me Cadence remember?” Twilight’s brow frowns as she tries to remember her childhood with the babysitter princess. She remembers how much fun she had, but not the event Cadence was describing.
“I must have been too young to remember, but I do remember this!” Twilight proceeds to sing and do a dance that ends with her shaking her rump in Cadence’s face. Everypony stood with mouths agape, bewildered by the display.
“Um, yes… I remember… that.” Cadence says hesitantly. “But it wouldn’t be proper to do it now. I mean when I was foal sitter it was alright, but as a princess and bride to be… it would be a little obscene. It would be in the newspapers for weeks if I was caught doing it!”
“I completely agree, Princess,” Said Rarity, “Nothing against you Twilight, but childhood things such as that should remain in childhood, though it was a rather amusing display.”
“I’m happy to see Twilight has such a cultured friend. You could stand to learn from her about public behavior Twilight. You should take that to mind when in Canterlot. It’s not like your family is in low standing after all.”
Twilight dug her hoof into the floor looking sour about being lectured, “Yes, but it’s not like we are nobles either. Besides my parents never cared about those kinds of things. I didn’t think you did either.”
Cadence sighs, “As royalty, I am expected to act in an appropriate manner in public. You wouldn’t expect Princess Celestia or Princess Luna to do such a thing? Would you?”
“I suppose your right,” Twilight laments. “Speaking of the Princesses where are they?”
“I believe Aunt Celestia has returned from her peace talks in Europa, but she’s isolated herself at the moment. I believe she’s taking a small vacation after getting back since the will be no day court today or tomorrow. As for Luna, well… she’s out of Canterlot on personal business. She’ll probably be back around the time of the wedding or later.”
Sweet Dreams and Goodnight’s head’s whip towards the pink Princess in shock. “Princess Luna left without an escort? Why did you not tell us?” Goodnight demands, only to soften in his tone remembering who he was speaking too.
Cadence took it in stride, politely smiling at the two bat ponies, “I’m sorry. It was early this morning when she decided to leave. I believe she said something about flying towards Ponyville. I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about.”
“But still, she should have told somepony or pardon my saying, you should have told Captain Shining Armor, Princess.” Sweet Dreams argues, a look of irritation appearing on the pink Princess’s face, but it disappeared in an instant.
“Perhaps you're right,” Cadence says softly, “But it is not my place to tell my dear Aunt what she can and cannot do, nor it is yours, or even Shining Armors. Last I checked a Princess outranks the Captain of the guard. We are not obligated to tell any of the Captains or any pony for that matter what we do in our free time. Am I wrong?”
“No, your right Princess,” Sweet Dreams replies bitterly. Hurt that Princess Luna hadn’t even bothered to come ask them along on her adventure.
“With your permission Princess Cadence, Sweet Dreams and I would like to swap out with our reliefs and take a rest. We have been on duty for more than twelve hours. I fear it is affecting our performance.” Goodnight said getting in front of Sweet Dreams. “We just need to escort the ladies here to their rooms and we’ll be done with our assignments for today.”
“Oh, you don’t need to do that. I will personally attend to my soon to be sister in law and her friends. You two can be off.” Cadence said stepping in front of the six. Goodnight and Sweet Dreams look warily at each other. It wasn’t exactly regulations, but this was a princess they were talking to.
“Is that an order ma’am?”
Cadence nods cheerfully, “It is, now off with you, shoo, shoo.” She said playfully waving her hoof. The two guards give each other a glance before turning away to follow their orders. Turning to face the group Cadence’s smile widens addressing the group. “Now, who wants to take a peek at the food?”
And excited, “I do!” From Pinkie and Rainbow Dash brought a round of chuckles as Cadence leads them down to the dining hall.
From then on, the six mares were given the royal treatment as Cadence gave them the behind the scenes tour of the wedding preparations. While most were still a bit disappointed they weren’t helping with the preparations, a part of all them felt relief from not having to help. Despite the appearance of order, there was chaos everywhere.
In the wedding hall, Octavia sternly scolds her fellow musicians demanding on other play through. The royal tailors were looking haggard as the final touches of the bride’s dress were being made, the kitchen was an absolute war zone. No less than three chefs, seven cooks, and ten maids were found sleeping on the floor from overwork. Their replacements not far away from joining them as one pony about fell to the floor right in front of them. Twilight catching the poor tired maid in her magic.
“Gotta say, I think we dodged a bullet this time,” Applejack drawls as she sets the maid next to the rest of the sleeping staff, taking the tray for herself. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to give these folks a hoof.”
“Oh, me too!” Pinkie cried bouncing after the farm mare.
Rarity gains a look as she glances back at the room the wedding dress was being made, “Well, I might be of some assistance um… over there. Tata darlings! I’ll see you later.”
A pony taps Twilight on the spine, “Um Twilight, do you think it would be ok if I go to the gardens below the band and listen to them rehearse? Octavia Melody is one of my favorite musicians, but I don’t want to disturb her practice.” Fluttershy asks causing the purple unicorn to look uncertainly at Cadence, who just smiles.
“I’m sure that would be fine. I’ll have a guard escort you,” Cadence waves over a pegasus guard, quickly explaining what to do. The guard nods and urges Fluttershy to follow him. Leaving the group with only Cadence, Twilight and Rainbow Dash left.
“I want to go watch the Wonderbolts!”
Cadence giggles, “That’s fine too, but no flying with them I’m afraid. Unless you want a good scolding from Captain Spitfire. She’s rather tense during training.”
“Aww,” was Rainbow Dash’s response, as she solemnly, yet excitedly makes for the training fields. Leaving Cadence and Twilight alone.
“So…” Twilight said scratching her head, “You and Shining Armor are getting married.”
“Yep.”
“So, we’ll be related.”
“Well, that’s what happens when you get married Twilight.” Cadence touches Twilight chin raising the younger unicorn’s head so they were looking eye to eye. “What’s wrong Twilight? I thought you’d be more excited? Do you not want me and Shining to get married?”
“No, no, that’s not it!” Twilight says quickly, much to Cadence’s amusement. The purple unicorn blushes, her words failing to form properly. “It’s just… I don’t know. I was so mad when all the way over here because I just got the invitation today, but now I’m just tired and confused. I haven’t even gotten a chance to talk to Shining Armor yet. I’m just… I don’t know… it seems like everything changing so suddenly.”
“Change seldom comes when we’re expecting it, what’s important is how we handle it Twilight.” Cadence wraps her wing around the unicorn, nuzzling her lovingly. “But perhaps you’d rather talk to Celestia about it?” A look of excitement passes over Twilight’s face. “I’m right aren’t I?”
Blushing Twilight nods, “Yes… not that your advice isn’t good Cadence. It’s just…”
“It’s ok Twilight, I understand. You can find Celestia here.” Cadence whispers the Princess’s location. “I’m sure she won’t mind a visit from you.”
“Thanks, Cadence,” Twilight says, graciously giving the Princess a hug before departing. Cadence continuing to wave till the little unicorn was out of sight.
Cadence’s expression suddenly turns sour as she heads for the nearest private bathroom. Firmly locking the door, she gags as she glares at her reflection, her eyes turning green in the mirror. “Ugh… oh, gods, I thought I was going to die keeping that cutesy act up! I just want to vomit right now!” Cadence or rather Chrysalis takes a few deep calming breaths. Looking at her reflection she forces her eyes back to pink while going through a variety of expressions, most of them smiles. “Remember, keep the act up, don’t slip up. Your Princess Cadence, a nice, loving Princess. You just need to keep this up for another day and then it’s feasting time! One more day. One more day Chrysalis.”
Exiting the restroom Chrysalis reenters the crowded halls with no pony the wiser.
Twilight happily trots through the Canterlot gardens. Not the regular gardens, but Celestia’s private garden. The section reserved totally for the Princess and no pony was allowed to enter without direct permission. It was in this garden that the statue was Discord was moved to. Vines already growing up the base of the Lord of Chaos’s mantle.
A cold shiver passes over her as she quickly trots past her most formidable foe since Nightmare Moon. Taking a right as Cadence directed Twilight enters a frankly eerie part of the gardens she’s never been in before. The shrubs were tall, covered in thorns and roses, damp mist rolls across the worn path as the shrubs converge into a single straight road. Twilight slows in her trot as statues come into view beside the path. Not generic pony statues, no these were well detailed and covered in an anti-wear spell.
“What’s this?” Brushing aside the moss over the base of the statue Twilight found a name carved into the stone, half of the name was unreadable leaving only the name “Sunset.” Twilight observes the statue. Looking at the next statue Twilight found another name. “Sunny Spark.” Both statues were mares and so where the next and next and the next with a few stallions scattered around here. All of them baring names that had to do with night and day. It was kind of creepy.
As Twilight came to the end of the patch she heard the faint sound of crying. Slowing her pace to keep her hooves from clicking against the stone she peers over the corner to spy Celestia sitting on a bench with tears running down her face as she speaks to the statue of what must be the strangest pony she’s ever seen.
“I’m sorry,” Celestia says her voice hoarse from crying as she presses her head against the base of the statue. “I’m a failure. You asked me to do one thing for you and I couldn’t do it. Seems that’s the way it always goes when I try to help my family. I let them down. First Luna, then Sunny Spark and finally Sunset.” The princess steps back, wiping her tears as she regains her composure. Her red eyes staring up at the statue. “I wonder what your father, Sixes, would think if he saw me like this? Heh, he’d probably call me pathetic. He was so… cold-hearted at the end. That was probably my fault. I knew where his heart was and it wasn’t with me, had I not pushed so hard perhaps things could have been better between us. Perhaps if I had given him space, we wouldn’t have fought so much. I’m sorry for that too. You worked so hard Crusader to gain his attention and respect and I only impeded that.”
The Princess leans back staring mournfully at the moon. Whispering something under her breath that Twilight couldn’t hear. A smile graces her lips as she looks at the cold stern face of the statue she was talking too.
“Your probably tired of me telling you the same thing over and over for six hundred years. What’s there new to talk about…” Celestia’s words fade as Twilight slowly creeps away from the Princess’s conversation. Feeling she was intruding upon something she wasn't supposed to.
Quickly exiting the private gardens Twilight is surprised to see the moon hanging low in the evening sky. Has it really been that long since she came here? Running the calculations, she figured it was about six o’clock. Which would mean Shining Armor should be done with his Shift! If memory serves the Night Guard Captain, Knightwing should be taking over now. So that means Shining Armor should be on his way or home by now. Meaning if she was quick enough she could probably have supper with both him and Cadence!
“Alright Canterlot Apartment 1002, here I come!” Twilight thrust her horn in the air, her horn aglow with magic as she focuses on Shining’s apartment, but the spell fizzles out. A shower of pink sparks falling uselessly to the ground. Twilight was dismayed at her spells failure until she looks up. “Right, the shield. No unauthorized teleporting. Come on, Shining Armor taught you about this Twilight!”
Vexed at her own forgetfulness Twilight began the long trek to Shining Armor’s apartment or maybe it was Shining’s and Cadence’s now? Were they living together? Well, they probably would be after the wedding, but did that mean Cadence was moving in with Shining or was Shining moving in with Cadence at the castle? This was kind of confusing.
“Probably the castle. I’m sure Cadence wouldn’t mind Shining’s apartment, but it would make sense for Shining to move into the Castle then vice versa. I’m mean they both work there. AH! That means Shining is going to be a Prince now! I think? Do Equestrian Princes do anything? What does Blueblood do really? Does that mean Shining Armor will have to quit his job as Captain of the Guard?”
Twilight’s mood took a downturn at the thought. Shining loves being a castle guard. It was his life’s dream and his calling. Maybe he would be allowed to keep his job or maybe he’ll stay in the guard but under a different position?
“I’ll just ask him myself,” Twilight says aloud as she approaches the apartment, nodding at the two guards posted at the corner. They nod back as she trots up to the door and knocks. There was no response. Waiting a few moments Twilight knocks again a little harder. Still no reply. Looking through the window she sees that the lights where on, so somepony must be home. She knocks a third time, accidentally hitting the latch with her hoof and opening the door. Awkwardly she enters the messy home of her brother, calling softly for him.
“Shining Armor? Are you home?” She asks nervously. She didn’t want to accidentally catch her brother in the middle of anything like some of the books Rarity loaned her depicts. That was enough for her.
Walking further into the house Twilight is unnerved by the silence of the house, safe for the creaks of the floorboards under her hooves. “Ok, to the living room and if I don’t hear or if I do hear something, I’m leaving.” Creeping into the living room, her brother’s Ogres & Oubliettes board still on the table. As happy as she was her brother snagged Cadence as a marefriend and soon to be a wife, she had no idea how he did it.
Suddenly a loud moan came from the bedroom. The door opened a crackle to let the inaudible sound escape into Twilight’s ears. She was about to skedaddle out of there when another moan came from the room. Not moan of pleasure, but of pain. Carefully Twilight silently approached the door, silently begging in her mind, (Please don’t anything weird, please don’t be anything weird!)
Peeking through the door Twilight peers into the darkness, scanning the messy room that was her brother’s. Her pupil pans from the dresser to the bed, where it tops as she stares at her brother withering in pain as Cadence straddles his barrel, a green mist flowing from him to Cadence’s open fanged mouth.
“That’s it, give me that love. You love me, right? Your darling little Cadence?” Cadence said in a sultry husky tone as she gobbles up the green mist. For a second the image of Cadence flickers away, revealing a black insectoid like being, the sight of which made Twilight gasp! “Who’s there?” The black creature demands, her form shifting back to Cadence. She coughs, her demure changing completely as she speaks in Cadence’s soft voice, “Um, I mean whose there?”
Twilight begins to back away; the door suddenly flies open! Green mist pouring out of the room as ‘Cadence’ trots out to greet her with a smile. “Oh, Twilight? What are you doing here? Is something wrong?” ‘Cadence’ asks with concern. “You look like you’ve seen something… horrible.” She says with a wicked grin.
“Your… you’re not Cadence! I saw you… your… you’re a monster!”
“Oh, now don’t be so harsh. Think of how painful it was for me to pretend to be that dunce of Princess. Now since you’ve interrupted my meal of love…” ‘Cadence’ licks her lips as she leers at Twilight’s trembling lips. “I’ll have to settle for one of fear. It’s not quite as filling, but just as delicious!”
“AHH!” Twilight makes a break for the front door. The imposters haunting chuckling following her as she blinding runs down the street, running head first into the guards at the corner!” Help me! Something… something is in my brother’s house!”
“It’s just princess Cadence, nothing to worry about,” One of the guards says, causing Twilight to turn and stare in horror as ‘Cadence’ stood on the front porch waving at her and guards. “I’m sure she was just playing a prank on you.”
Twilight rears around at the guards, “No I saw (SMACK!)” Before the purple unicorn could say another word, she was hit from behind. Her body falling limply to the ground. The guards quickly collect her limp form and carry into her house, laying on her the kitchen floor as Cadence and the two guards look over her unconscious form.
“What should we do with her, my queen?” One guard asks, flashing his eyes green.
“She’s too important to let her simply disappear. Have Ulna come and impersonate her. I will fill her in on little Twilight’s key points. She just has to pass of being the little unicorn until the time of the attack. Now, who wants a bite before we throw in her with our other snack?”
“Don’t mind if we do, my Queen.”
As the two guards expose their fangs and begin feeding on the unconscious unicorn, Chrysalis can’t help but smile. There were a few hiccups and close calls, but everything was going according to plan. Tomorrow Equestria and all its love would be hers!
Cadence, the real Cadence, threw herself against her crystal walled prison once again. On the other side, she knew, she knew there was another cavern. She could hear it when she hit the sharp crystal. Blood ran down her side as she breathes heavily, her face a mess of scratches and bruises, a trail of blood ran down her neck from the feeding that foul creature inflicted on her. It had not been gentle when the creature pretending to be Canary or maybe it was always Canary dragged her down here. She recognized the pain. The same pain she felt in Germane. Whatever it was it had followed her home.
Bracing herself again, she rams the crystal wall, letting out a painful scream as her left front leg hits a rock too hard. She retreats, nursing her leg. Growling she calls on what magic she could muster and fires at the wall, the magic blast turning to harmless sparks against the crystal. She felt her knees give out as more of her magic drains from her body.
The creature was siphoning her magic. And being very greedy about it too. The best she could do was levitate light objects, but even that was straining.
“She must be like me. Using love magic as a power source, but she can take it by force, while I need permission.” Closing her eyes Cadence tries to feel for the bonds of love of the ponies closest to her. First, she tries for Shining Armor, feeling him faintly in her network of love, but his magic was weak, he was barely alive. There was no power for her to barrow. Next, she tries for Celestia, but the Sun Princess’s mental defenses quickly repeal her before she could even try to connect. Celestia probably wouldn’t even know it was her. “Ok, no problem, I’ve connected with Luna before, she should be able to understand and send me a little magic.”
Cadence tries again but is dismayed for find Luna far, far away. She could barely even find the Princess of the Night. Let alone connect with her. She wasn’t in the dream world so her range was limited, unlike before on Kiri’s ship.
“Ok, somepony else, someone near and dear to my heart…”
“Somepony help!”
Cadence’s head jerks up at the sound of the voice on the other side of the wall. It was different, but she still recognized it. “Twilight! Twilight! It’s me! I’m right here!” She calls happily, even as her throat dries and her voice hoarse from dehydration, she still calls for her favorite filly.
A light shine from the other side. The wall explodes! Cadence quickly covers her face against the flying debris and smiles happy at the sight of Twilight Sparkle, now much taller and older, looking right back… with her horn lowered and her face contorted in rage… Oh right, the shape-shifting bug probably got her too.
“Twilight wait it’s me!"
“ARGH!”
The younger unicorn charges, Cadence exhausted and injured stood no chance of dodging the coming attack. Instead, she spread her forelegs wide open, standing her ground, and catching the enraged Twilight in an embrace. The young unicorn’s body flinching in shock as they tumble to the ground, sharp rocks peppering Cadence’s back as she cradles Twilight in her limbs.
“Cadence?” Twilight whispers horrified as she feels her former foalsitter’s magic wash over her, there was no mistaking this feeling, this was the real Cadence! “I’m so sorry! I…”
“It’s ok, she got me too,” Cadence rising to her hooves. She gives a crooked smile to the young unicorn, seeing just how badly she was beaten up in Twilight’s pupils. It wasn’t a pretty sight. She’d need some spa treatments after this.
From outside hisses could be heard as black insectoid creatures appear in the dim crystal lights. Now that she got a good look at them she finally put two and two together. They were changelings.
“I figured she probably wouldn’t leave me unguarded. But this means theres a exit nearby too, right?” Cadence asks the changeling, standing protectively in front of Twilight.
“It won’t matter after we feast on your love, again,” One of the changelings hisses.
“Cadence what do we do?” Twilight asks fearfully.
Cadence smiles touching her horn to Twilight’s establishing a love bond. She could feel Twilight’s love for her and grabs onto her, renewing her strength, but that wasn’t all. Cadence tugs on the bonds leading out from Twilight to five others. She taps into their power, the ponies on the other side readily sending their strength to their friend, even if they didn’t know they were doing it. Cadence’s own magic flares and the Changelings back away as she rips crystals from the walls and meshes them into a lance.
“You stay back and I’ll show you what Auntie Luna taught me,” More crystals fly off the wall, forming makeshift armor around her coat. Cadence creates more lances stalking closer to the horde of Changeling, her rage coming forth as she let her weapons fly!
“NO SO EASY WHEN YOU DON’T SNEAK UP ON ME!” The lances fly, bursting into a rain of sharp crystal shards. Some hit their marks others, others just hit the wall, either way the changelings scatter, none of them appearing to be dead, but the path was open! “Twilight! Come on!” She urges the shell-shocked unicorn while running for the exit ahead.
“Um, right!” Twilight says galloping beside her. “You're going to teach me how to do that right?”
“After we stop that bitch trying to steal my husband!” Cadence replies as they encounter more Changelings guarding the entrance. Ripping more crystals from the walls Cadence grits her teeth as Luna’s words whisper in her head, (Show no mercy when attacking!) “Twilight, close your eyes. I don’t want you to see this.”
“Um, ok,” Twilight obey the Princess of Love’s command, still overwhelmed by the new Cadence she’s just discovered. The sounds of screams ring throughout the cave and then were cut short, followed by gagging. She feels a wing settle on her and leads her towards the exits, the sun warming her coat. Twilight tries to open her eyes, but a wall of pink feathers blocks her view.
“Please don’t look,” Cadence’s voice said trembling. “Please, I don’t want you to see this.”
Twilight heeds Cadence’s words and they exit the cave. Leaving the scene of impaled Changelings behind.
Celestia stood at the front of the altar, ready to finally wed her niece and Captain of the Guard in holy matrimony. Not barring Cadence turns out to be actually immortal and nearly ageless like her and Luna lending her to multiple marriages for the next millennia. But that was something they could worry about when Cadence reaches her forties or even sixties.
(Live in today Celestia. It’s a happy day, don’t sully your mood, but if I didn’t want to do that I shouldn’t have visited Crusader’s grave yesterday. Crap, they're coming down the aisle. Lines, lines, what are my lines! Oh right, they’re right here on the podium. Ahahah, how silly of me.)
The bride and groom approach the podium. Cadence was smiling, looking as happy as she could be, it was a wonderful sight. Shining Armor… well… he… (I’m just going to assume he’s exhausted from keeping the shield up. Gods, he looks like he’s about to kill over!)
As Celestia reads through the vows her eyes wander to the maidens in waiting or maidens of honor? No that’s not what they were called, Mares of Honor! Yes, that’s it. No, wait, Brides mares! Ok, she had it this time, it’s been awhile since her last wedding. Anyway, she was happy to see Twilight and her friends standing there in their dresses, it was nice of Cadence to let them take on the role at the last minute. Twilight especially looks… strangely neutral about the whole affair.
(She’s probably just so excited that she’s calm. Now, what line am I at?)
“STOP THE WEDDING!”
(Oh, thank the gods! I forgot where I was at and… there’s two Twilights… and two Cadences… this cannot be good.)
Celestia focuses on the exchange between the two Cadences. The one in the bride’s dress bursting into green fire and revealing one of her most hated enemies. A changeling Queen. How she despises their kind. She had thought after the Crystal Empire and The Battle of Maredor a thousand years ago, the Changelings would never dare step their hole covered hooves in her kingdom again.
“You’ll never have your way, Shining Armor’s shield will keep any more of your kind from entering!” Cadence boldly rebukes. But the Queen simply smiles at the Pink Princess’s words, making Celestia’s stomach churn with dread. Her eyes glance to the other Twilight, to the guards not doing anything, and ponies in the crowd not gasping in shock. The realization coming to her too late.
“Foolish child,” Chrysalis rebukes controlling Shining Armor’s body with her magic. “There is no need to break through the shield when we’re already inside!”
It was too late. Bursts of green fire appear all over the room. Black insectoid equines like the Queen but smaller appear beside guards, guests, and even Twilight’s friends. The guards were caught completely by surprise the crooked horns of the attackers plunging deep into their exposed throats. Guests scream and panic as the black drones fire green slime at them for later feasting. Celestia stood and watched it all with a grim expression. Her teeth gritted in anger.
“Drones.” She hisses, glaring at the Changeling soldiers. Looking at the fake Twilight who has long since shown her true colors. Celestia grabs her by the neck with her magic and drags her away from the elements bearers. Tossing the lowly changeling to the ground she stomps her booted hoof on the changeling’s skull, crushing it.
“Princess!” The elements gasp, staring slack jaws at her bloody hoof. She gives them a stern look.
“Leave, you’re in my way.”
“But!"
“I said leave! Everypony! Get away from here!” Celestia shouts, summoning her magic bringing forth an intense heat, but the remaining guards, bravely, yet foolishly take up position in front of her. “Begone! That’s an order!”
“We can’t do that Princess!” One the Guards replies as Chrysalis turns her attention towards her as drones surround Cadence and Twilight. Green armor grows on the Queen’s coat, creating a protective shell around her body as she summons a crooked spear, levitating it in her magic with a come get me grin.
“Well, do I need to take care of the peons first before getting to you Celestia?”
“No,” Celestia said and much to the shock of very pony threw the guards out of the way as her mane and tail ignite in golden flames! “I’ll end this in an instant!” Celestia let’s lose a blast of flaming gold magic, Chrysalis countering with her own sickly green! The two attacks collide fighting for dominance!
Celestia breaks off the attack, quickly sidestepping Chrysalis’s blast and firing a stream of blazing gold magic at the Queen. Acting quick Chrysalis throws her spear, the black weapon nullifying the flames. With her magic Celestia rips the suits of armor off the fallen guards, quickly meshing them into a magic shift shield. The spear pierces the armor easily but remains stuck in the metal. Smiling Celestia tosses the shield, spear and all out the window into the courtyard below.
“There that should make things a little more even. You're lucky I don’t have my Axe, otherwise, I would have cleaved you in two the moment you revealed yourself.” Celestia huffs, lamenting her lost weapon. She should have replaced it long ago. And her armor too.
Chrysalis snarls, green mist pouring off her, her long mane floating in the air becoming an ethereal green. Celestia counters by flaring her magic staring the Queen down, but the changeling's smirk made her uneasy.
“Well,” Chrysalis pants, the intense heat of Celestia’s magic getting to her. It must be a hundred, no two hundreds degrees in here! Maybe even hotter. The punch was boiling and table clothes were catching fire. “I’m impressed. I never expected you to have this kind of power. You kept it hidden well, even with Shining Armor’s magic on top of my own, I still barely match up.”
“Match up?” Celestia scoffs, flaring her flames higher. “I’ve barely begone!” Celestia poses to attack, a sphere of flames forming on the tip of her horn, the stone floor cracks beneath her hooves, turning to molten rock. She lets loose her attack, Chrysalis throwing up a shield to protect her self. The Queen skids across the ground, her drones flying to her side to support her, adding their own magic to the barrier. Celestia presses her attack, the temperature of the room spiking dramatically as the pillars begin to melt. “You can’t win, Chrysalis!”
“Neither can you!” The Queen retorts, her voice straining as she holds her ground against the attack. “You can kill me, but you’ll have to kill everypony else too! Look for yourself!”
Celestia glances away from the Queen, her eyes widening in horror as everypony and Changeling lay on their bellies. Their mouths wide open, their hooves reaching out in desperation for relief from the heat, the very air burning their lungs. The body of one of the guards closest to her was in flames, his armor melting into his skin.
“Everypony, run! You must get away from me!” She pleads, but nobody could move, the heat sapping their strength as they gasp for air. If that wasn’t bad enough, Shining Armor, still under the control of the Queen stood by the entrance, the door closed shut and a shield encasing the entire room. Everypony was trapped inside this furnace of her own creation.
(Come on, Come on! Hold on a little longer everypony!) The elements weren’t stopping her this time. They couldn’t. Their power wouldn’t work on the Queen. Even if she was evil from their point of view, she was only doing what was natural to her kind. Just as she provides protection for her ponies. Chrysalis must tend to the needs of her changelings. They weren’t all that different really.
The heat of the room continued to rise. Celestia looks worriedly at the ponies moaning in agony on their sides and bellies. She tries to force more power, to finally overwhelm the queen, but when she did one of the guards closest to her began to scream in agony! His coat caught fire and he was quickly working to remove his armor, terrible burns mar his coat as the metal plates bounce towards her, melting into molten pools of iron. She’d roast her own ponies alive before defeating the Queen at this rate.
Celestia took a breath, looking around the room she saw the pain of her ponies as they reach towards her, their dry mouths gasping for air, begging for her to stop. Her eyes fell to Cadence and then to Twilight as they scream out for her. Their tears evaporating into steam.
She couldn’t do this.
The heat dies away in an instant, Celestia’s hair and mane return to normal, her attack disappearing. Chrysalis drops her shield and fires a blast hitting her gold yoke. The regalia exposes, sharp fragments of metal pelting the Sun Princess’s face and body as she falls to the ground in a bloody mess.
“Hehehahaha! I knew you couldn’t do it!” Chrysalis mocks, standing triumphantly over the Sun Princess. “Equestria is mine!”
“Don’t count on it. Luna is still out there.” Celestia weakly rebukes as drones begin wrapping her in green slime.
“Oh, I doubt I’ll need to worry about her. She went off on some little quest early yesterday morning. I had my best soldiers follow her with orders to attack her at her weakest. Trust me, they’ll be bringing in her cocoon shortly.”
As the last of her face was covered Celestia lay her head sorrowfully against the still cooling floor. Biting her lip as she tries to keep her tears from falling. She’s already fallen this low, she would not disgrace herself by crying before her enemy. Yet, her heart was in tatters. She had failed. She had grown soft in peace and now because she didn’t have the strength necessary. Everypony would suffer.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Celestia sobs, a single tear rolling down her cheek. “Luna, please, be safe, it’s in your hooves now.”
Captain S. Fortress, leader of the Special Equine Assault legion or SEAL. A stout middle age white pegasus. He watches the plumes of black smoke rise from the City of Canterlot from the hidden SEAL base with a grim expression. What were those fools in the EUP doing? He grumbles eyeing his gem communicator.
None of the Captains be it, Shining Armor, Captain of the Unicorn corps, Spears, Captain of the Earth Corps, or Captain Spitfire of the Pegasus/Wonderbolts were using the emergency line. He stood flummoxed as he paces his office. Trying to decided what to do. Securing the Princess is the top priority, but there was no news of the attackers. No intel of enemy positions or who the enemy was! As much as it vexed him he couldn’t send his Commandos in blindly. For all he knew they were the ones left!
“Changeling! Changeling attack!” Some pony screams from the hanger. Fortress quickly exits his office, from the top of the railing he sees Commander Bricks panting in the middle of the helicopters, the Commandos present quickly forming around him. They eye him cautiously, familiar with changeling tricks and tactics. “Hurry! They’ve over the run the city and taken both Princess Celestia and Cadence hostage!”
The Commando’s gasp! Quickly the small unit of earth and pegasi run for their helicopters, the pilots already winding up the propellers. Their eagerness to save their princesses overriding their training and the roar of the helicopters drowning out Captain Fortress’s voice as he orders them to halt. He glares at the smirking Bricks as the bay doors open. His wings spread wide, equipped with wing blades, ready to fight as the bay doors fully open to reveal the black swarm outside their door.
Gritting his teeth Fortress roars as he soars towards the imitation of his friend, “For EQUESTRIA! FIGHT FOR YOUR LIVES!”
The swarm floods the base, marking the beginning of the battle for Canterlot.
Spitfire twists batting away two incoming changelings, her hooves smashing the crown of their skulls, the changelings flutter and drop like flies to the ground, but more simply take their place. She growls, grabbing tufts of nearby cloud and tossing thunder balls at the incoming boogies. Making quick work of them. Tiredly, her Wonderbolt suit in tatters, she lands on the cloud Soarin and the others made a mock base, hiding behind low cloud walls as they toss thunderclouds at the incoming enemy swarm.
“How are we doing?” Spitfire asks Soarin as he ducks back behind their pitiful barricade. “I couldn’t break through the line. Not that there seems to be any pony able to help us.”
Soarin shakily grins, “It could be going better."
The attack came in the middle of their practice. Right in the middle of their final loop. The practice grounds were suddenly in chaos as ponies, most of them guards, burst into green flames and began attacking everypony insight. The first to go down was the uniform guards. The gold-clad ponies caught completely off guard as their friends and allies suddenly disappeared and were replaced with an enemy. Many off-duty Wonderbolts were in the stands, watching the team perform. They started to brawl with the changelings, trying to buy time for the civilians to escape. The enemy numbers where too great and the twenty off-duty bolts were either killed or captured. Spitfire couldn’t confirm either as swarms of the black insectoid equine dot the sky like a plague of locus.
In those few seconds it took for the changelings to get to them Spitfire made the decision to fly into the clouds and build their make to cloud fort. The idea was laughable really, but it had been their only choice at the time. The team was tired from practice and her wing mare, Fleetfoot, was still recovering from her last mission. The teal mare was on the floor of the cloud fort, looking sick as a dog, her breathing irregular. Fleetfoot had a fever. No doubt the cause was overworking, while she was supposed to be recovering.
Spitfire cursed herself for not forcing the mare to rest. Course if she had Fleetfoot would have been in the barrack. Which was most likely was being attacked at this moment, either way, things weren’t good.
Things got even worse when she saw smoke rising from where the SEAL base was supposed to be. Only a select few knew where it was. The Princess, and the Captains of each division of EUP. If the enemy found the secret base, then this invasion was well planned and even better executed. Meaning there had to be some inside workings on this invasion.
She curses again, she’s been so busy with the stupid wedding that she hasn’t been to any of the regular meetings. One of the Captains must have been compromised.
“Soarin, in the last security meeting who was there?”
Soarin looks puzzled as he tosses a thunder ball over his shoulder, keeping his head behind cover. “Is now really the best time?”
“It’s important.” Spitfire asserts firmly.
“Well, me, Shining Armor, Captain Spears, and Commander Bricks.”
“Bricks? Not Fortress?”
“Bricks said he was on light duty, so he was attending Fortress’s meetings.”
Spitfire nods, beginning to see the bigger picture, “And what did Bricks do during the meetings?”
“Well, he and Shining Armor were both asking for more troops to be sent. Princess Cadence was worried Shining Armor was going too far and would leave the rest of the nation defenseless, but then Bricks said he had intel of threat and we agreed to add another legion of troops.”
“That’s it! Shit! We completely fell into their trap!” Spitfire groans in dismay. All the extra troops, half of the entire Equestrian Army was stationed in Canterlot for the wedding. More than likely most if not all of those troops brought in since Bricks return from Germane were Changelings in disguise. They let the enemy in and worse they knew everything! Everything! “We need to find Spears! If he follows the invasion protocol he’ll be rallying guards for a counter-attack soon!”
“Isn’t that good?”
“Think for a minute! The enemy are shapeshifters! There are probably still many changelings in disguise waiting for the guards to rally. Once they do, they’ll ambush them again! No pony would expect a second surprise attack like that. Not when they're panicked and desperate.”
Soarin looks bleakly over their shrinking defenses, the floor of their little base was almost gone and soon would be their walls. The swarm was gathering and they would be on top of them in an instant. He looks to Fleetfoot and then to the others, Misty Fly, Lightning Streak, and Wind Chill. His gaze settles on Spitfire and he knows what has to happen.
“Soarin, I don’t like that look,” Spitfire said irritably, wondering what her lieutenant had planned. Soarin picks up Fleetfoot and places the teal mare on her hooves.
“We need to get to Captain Spears and get Fleetfoot to a safer place. I have an idea about how to do that. You’re going to free fall to the ground, find a place to hide Fleetfoot, and get to Captain Spears before it’s too late. The rest of us will make a path to the ground for you.”
Spitfire looks mortified at him. “You can’t! That’s suicide! You saw what they did to the others!”
“Sorry, but you don’t have a choice. Everypony! Grab some cloud we’re going on a bombing run!” Soarin grabs Spitfire and Fleetfoot, pulling them into a dive. The others break apart the remains of the cloud fort and follow after them. Creating a protective V formation around them.
The swarm of changelings falls upon them. The other being to circle creating a tornado around them, black clouds emerge, obstructing the changeling’s view. Lightning arcs out from the twister, zapping changelings, while the high wings rip their formation apart. This one was of the Wonderbolts most powerful Arial attacks, the thunder tornado. But it would only last as long as there were thunderclouds to feed the lightning. Without them, they’d just be a bunch of ponies flying in circles really fast.
“Hold on! We’re almost there!” Soarin yells over the raging winds. He let’s go of Spitfire, letting the mare fly under her own power. He falls back, producing a small cloud. “It’s been an honor serving with you Captain.” He salutes her and rears back, creating a small vortex from the cloud.
Spitfire, cheeks red with anger yells at him, “Don’t start saying that cliché bullshit to me! When this is over I’m gonna-!” Her rant was cut short as Soarin lets loose his cloud vortex, sending the two-mares rocketing to the ground in a whirlwind. The lightning tornado falls apart around him. The rest of the team in the middle of being captured in a strange green goo. He floats there, staring down the black swarm.
“Do your worst!” He eggs them flying at the swarm.
Spitfire hit the ground hard. Crashing through the roof of an apartment complex she falls with Fleetfoot facing up, taking the brunt of the impact. She lay there dazed for several seconds. Her back in agonizing pain. They should have planned this out a little more. Still, it was a success. But as she looks up through the hole in the ceiling, watching the black swarm engulf her team. Spitfire had to wonder. Was it worth it? Was it worth it just for her and Fleetfoot to get away?
She shakes her head. Now wasn’t the time to be asking such stupid questions. Nor was it the time for running either. Carefully and quietly Spitfire pulls the sheets off the bed of the room she landed in, the bed was that of a foal. Ransacked and abandon. No doubt the changelings have already been through here. Which was perfect for her.
Taking the blanket Spitfire wraps Fleetfoot in it, creating a cocoon. Carrying the lieutenant on her back Spitfire quietly searches the house for any residents or enemy troops. Finding neither, but she found a linens closet, full of blankets. Carefully she moves the blankets around, creating a space for Fleetfoot’s cocoon. Carefully she began to pile the blankets on top of Fleetfoot. Laying a thick blanket over her face to hide her, yet thin enough she could still breath. At a glance, the pile of blankets looks just like that, a pile of blankets.
Removing the sheet Spitfire looks into Fleetfoot’s wobblily pupils, the mare’s eyes were unfocused but aware or at least partially aware of her surroundings. “Captain…? What’s… what’s going on? Where’s the rest of the team?”
“We got separated,” Spitfire told her flatly, her hoof anxiously thumping the floor. “You have a fever. No doubt from overworking. You need to stay here, hidden, and rest. Don’t make a sound. The enemy is probably still around."
Fleetfoot looks confusingly at her, “Enemy… AH! Changelings! I need… I need to…”
“You need to rest,” Spitfire told her firmly, pushing Fleetfoot back down into the blanket nest. “I’d prefer to leave you at the barrack, but this will have to do. Now you need to listen to me, stay here, stay silent, and wait for me to come get you. I need to get to Captain Spears. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“No, I can help!” Fleetfoot argued weakly, her voice cracking.
Spitfire shook her head, “No, you can’t. Not in this state. Next time when I tell you to rest, you should listen.” The Wonderbolt Captain replace the blanket over Fleetfoot’s face and shut the door. Leaving it unlocked. It would be less suspicious that way. As long as Fleetfoot didn’t move or make a sound no pony would find her and since this place was already searched, it was unlikely the changelings would come search it again. And if they did with the door unlocked they would probably just quickly look in and see the blankets and move on.
It was a plan based on what ifs and pure hope, but it was all Spitfire had right now. She couldn’t get caught lugging a sick mare around. Not in a city surrounded by enemies and friends that could be enemies in disguise.
Sneaking out of the apartment. Spitfire quickly leaped to the next apartment over, keeping to the top floor she tries to spy where the most likely rally point for Spears would be. Spears was the Captain of the Earth pony legion. Meaning most of his troops would be Earth ponies, save for a few support unicorns and recon fliers.
“First, I should get rid of these rags,” Spitfire whispers, tugging at her ruined Wonderbolts uniform. Well it was the performance uniform. The actual Wonderbolts uniform for missions was black and had protective armor and enchantments and other equipment. Equipment that would be very helpful right now, but alas now wasn’t the time to complain about things she didn’t have nor had the time to get.
Tugging at her uniform she rips off the remaining scraps in one go, wincing at how loud the noise of tearing clothes was. She stood perfectly still. When no hisses or flutter of bug wings caught her ear, she rolls up the blue and yellow bits of cloth and hides them under a pile of dirty clothes. It wouldn’t do leave a trail. She didn’t know if the changelings in the sky knew she fell to the ground or if they were confident that their comrades would get her, but either way, she had to start making some ground. Back to her original question, where was Spears?
The question plagues her as she moves towards the castle, moving from building to building quickly and silently. Several times she spots Changelings rounding up ponies, sealing them green goo and hauling them away to the castle. She had to watch in dismay as captured royal guards were lined up and executed, via crooked horn to the throat or blasted to death by a hail of green magic bolts.
As hard as the scene was to watch it did give her some intel. One the changelings were selective about who they took for feeding. She didn’t know if they were just eliminating the guards just to eliminate them or if there was some other reason they didn’t want to feed off them, but the point remains. The Equestrians forces were being decimated. Secondly was the fact these changelings were different from the ones she been taught about back in the military academy.
Changeling magic was supposed to be only for transformation, save for the queen, but the drones were firing magic blasts. Lethal magic blasts. She has yet to see any shields or any more advanced magic, but the fact remains. The Changelings have evolved.
“They’re taking the prisoners to the castle, so that’s must be where the Queen is. Meaning Princess Celestia…” She shook her head. She didn’t want to think what’s become of the Princess. They wouldn’t kill her. The Princess was too loved, she was too tempting a feast to just kill. On top of that, she controlled the sun. No pony knew what would happen to the sun if Celestia were to suddenly die and no pony, even Celestia’s most hated enemies didn’t want to risk finding out what would happen if the Princess wasn’t there to control it.
The fact the princess was alive was reassuring, but it also meant that Princess Cadence was captured, and so was Captain Shining Armor. Princess Luna… well, she didn’t know where the Princess of the Night was. She hasn’t seen her since yesterday.
“They might have gotten her in her sleep.” The idea was ridiculous. Luna? Getting caught in her sleep? But the more she thought about how tired the Princess had been pulling a double shift, the more likely it was. “Shit, that means the castle is completely lost. Let’s see, where was Spears supposed to be stationed. He wasn’t in the castle, I know that much. He’d be… towards the wall!”
Yes, with the Princesses, Shining Armor, and the Wonderbolts attending the wedding, plus all the guards. Spears would be placed on the outer rim of the city on the walls. Which she had been moving away from.
“Shit.” She cursed. Feeling tired Spitfire sits in the corner of the room she was hiding in. Hopelessness falling on her like a ton of bricks. What was the use? The changelings probably already infiltrated Spear’s unit. Maybe they wouldn’t do a second surprise attack and just took him and his troops out. Why wouldn’t they?
As she was feeling sorry for herself the room began to shake. A cry of “Tally oh!” Came from the street. Spitfire’s ears perked up at the sound of the ridiculous battle cry. She moved to the window looking down the main road. There leading a battalion of Earth ponies was Captain Spears!
Her hope restored Spitfire was about to fly down and join her fellow Captain in his counter-attack when she stops herself. The smarter part of her brain remembering the enemy were changelings. This could be a plan to draw out any remaining royal guards and kill them. In such a hopeless situation many would probably do what she foolish almost did. They would run towards the magnificent sight of their comrades coming to help them. Happily walking into the enemy trap.
Sure enough, other ponies, guards that had escaped the surprise attack come pouring out of their hiding places. Eagerly joining the charge. Spitfire could do nothing but watch, she couldn’t even warn them, the thundering of the battalion’s hooves drowned out all other noise. They roar past her. Heading straight for the castle. For a moment it seems her fears were wrong. But she held herself back, waiting. The enemy would act till they were at the castle gates in the wide-open courtyard right into the front of the castle just across the bridge. When the last of the stampede crossed the white marble bridge, it happened.
Screams of soldiers come front the other side of the moat. The sea of gold marred by splotches of black. Nearly half of the battalion was changelings in disguise and more were raining down on them. Spitfire watched with bone shattering horror as the one shining light of hope was extinguished right before her eyes. And she had done nothing to stop it. There was nothing she could do to stop it. There was nothing she could do. She was one mare against thousands, possibly millions.
Dejected and defeated she sulks away. The Rusty Horseshoe wasn’t far from here. Maybe she could get one last drink before she was captured or killed.
Getting to the bar had been easy. The changelings were too busy relieving in their victory to notice her. Besides that, the upper crust of Canterlot had probably been ground zero for the attack. The Changelings would be combing the slums and residential area for more victims. As Spitfire looks up at the sky she sees the pink ting of Shining Armor’s shield, now with a hint of green mixed in.
She could conclude the enemy probably hijacked him and are using the shield to keep everypony in. It didn’t matter, there was nothing she could do about it. Solemnly she enters the rusty HorseShoe. The door was torn off its hinges. The inside was a mess of upturned tables and chairs. There had been a battle here. The off-duty soldiers had put up a fight. Spitfire didn’t see any bodies. That was maybe the only good thing she’s seen today.
Walking past the bar she grabs a bottle of hundred percent proof liquor and took it to the table in the corner. Settling the bottle on the table she stares at it but makes no moves to open it.
“I should be out there fighting. Even it is hopeless. I should go down fighting.” She told herself. She had no romances about dying in battle. She’s seen plenty of her fellow Wonderbolts die on foreign missions. She watched them stare desperately at her, gasping for a few more seconds of life, blood pouring out of their mouths as they try to say their final words. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t glorious, it was just death. Grim, sad, and uncaring. She opens the bottle taking a long sig. As she drinks a noise comes from behind the bar.
The black horn of a changeling rises up. The changeling was drunk, smiling a fang-filled smile and gigging. In his one hoof was a bottle of liquor, in the other was a mare’s uniform that he twirled in the air. He laughs stupidly, his face freezing when he spots her in the corner. His face turns dark, his tongue hissing.
Spitfire climbs out of the booth, liquor bottle in hoof, her cheeks bulging with undrunk alcohol. They circle in the middle of the bar. The changeling makes a loud hiss, probably calling for his friends. Four more changelings come barreling through the door and they all look hungrily towards her.
Anger grips her, anger at the changelings, anger that her friends were being killed, and anger at herself for acting like such a sorry piece of crap. She was Spitfire! Captain of the Wonderbolts! She wasn’t allowed to give up!
She swallows the liquor, burning her throat from the harsh taste. She sways, smiling dangerously at the horde before her. “Hey, fucking cock suckers, (HICCUP!) Want to know why my mama named me Spitfire?” The changelings look beside themselves as she chugs the bottle and tosses it away. Raising her hoof, she creates a small charge of electricity and takes a deep breath. “This is why!”
Exhaling Spitfire let loose a cloud of vaporized alcohol, the vapor hits the lightning arcing around her hoof, becoming a torrent of flames! The changelings back way, the flames causing their wings to combust. She races at them, breathing fire like a dragon! She grabs more alcohol throwing the bottles she breathes fire at them, causing them to explode!
The flames die. Spitfire coughs up a storm, her throat burns, her lips burn, her hoof was singed. But she stood proud and unashamed. Grabbing a discarded saddle bag, she drops as much highly volatile booze as she could carry inside and steps out into an alleyway filled with changelings. She pops a cap and readies her igniting hoof.
“Well… come on! Come get me! I’ll baroque you!” The changelings hiss and charge and she let’s lose another wave of flames.
Goodnight and Sweet Dreams fought their way through one of Canterlot many apartments complexes. They had gotten lucky when the attack come. They had been in the barrack resting taking a unscheduled break in their quarters. Well, Goodnight’s quarters. Sweet Dreams was actually down the hall, but… well, that wasn’t important. The important thing was they were bat ponies, so they like really dark and cramped spaces, hence they were resting in the closet when the changelings came barging into the small bedroom. At first, they didn’t know what to make of the strange pony-like creature, but when more of them showed up and they heard the screams of their fellow resting guards. They quickly sprang into action! Using their sonic screech, they blew out the Changelings eardrums. Blood pouring out of the bug ponies ears and they fell to the ground, dead.
The two bat ponies proceeded into the hallway, sonic screaming their way through the attackers. Saving who they could. Then they and the dozen other surviving guards geared up to face the enemy outside.
That proved to be a mistake.
They had been overwhelmed. Instantly. The dozen guards they saved were killed minutes. They made a mad dash to get away from the castle. Where the bulk of the enemy force was gathered. They met up with another group of guards, but when they were outside the walls of the castle, three of the guards they teamed up with revealed themselves to be changelings. They killed three more guards and hissed for their brethren. Sweetie and Goodnight barely made it into the city. Their sonic screech the only thing keeping the bug ponies at bay. They had to watch as they sulk into the shadows of a ruined apartment as the guards left behind were executed.
Now hiding in the ruins of child’s bedroom they discuss what to do.
“So, what do we do Goody?” Sweet Dreams asks fearfully. The bat mare shivering against the wall, her face a mess of tears. Her hoof fiercely rubs away the tears, but they just keep coming. Goodnight could tell she was on the brink of breaking down. She was new, just barely out of training. Guard training didn’t prepare you for this.
He chuckles humorlessly to himself. Staring at his shaking hoof. He wasn’t doing much better. He’s only been a guard for what? Five years? The most stressful thing he ever did during his career was going to Nippon with Luna and fighting those iron ponies. That was it. That was the only time he’s been close to dying in the line of duty. He felt the same desperation here as he did in that moment. When the glowing blue eyes of the iron ponies stared him down, promising death.
Unlike then he didn’t feel that surge of survival. That pent of rage or the want to live. Not that it would matter. He would have died in that old castle if Luna hadn’t come to his rescue. He and Sweet Dream could run out there made a brave heroic last stand. Maybe take out a dozen or two dozen changelings with their sonic scream, but that would be it. In the grand scheme, it would as useful as throwing a rock into a lake. They could make ripples, but they’d quickly fade.
“We need to find others. We can’t be the only ones to have escaped.” Goodnight declared. Sweet Dreams tears finally stop, a small light of hope burning in her eyes. Hopefully, he could keep it burning. “Come on Sweets, let’s get moving.”
They travel through the shadows. As bat ponies, they were naturally predisposed to blending into to the dark. As night guards their armor was made to blend in more easily with the night. Though Goodnight remembers Luna once griping that their shade of midnight blue was off and wasn’t as good as it could be. The Princess saying it was too lightly shaded for actual stealth. Goodnight hadn’t thought much of her words at the time. Now in this dangerous situation, he was doubting his armor. Wondering if they should abandon it.
“Sweets, go over there for a moment.” He points her towards a shadowy corner a falling wall making a small cave. He watches Sweet Dreams crawl under the wreckage, worrying the structure would collapse as she disappears into the shadows. Stepping into a darkened closet with the door ripped off Goodnight tries to determine if Sweet Dreams was properly blending into the shadows. “Can you see me?”
Goodnight doesn’t answer right away, staring at Sweet Dreams, trying to determine if her armor was giving her away or not. Her coat was blending perfectly. Her armor… well, it was passable. Luna was right it wasn’t good for stealth. But it would work well enough, so long as no pony stares for more than ten seconds.
“I’m worried about our armor,” Goodnight says finally, exiting his hiding spot. Sweet Dreams does the same. “It doesn’t blend in as well as our coats, but its protection might outweigh that.”
“Hmm, your right,” Sweet Dreams sticks her leg guard into the shadows. Seeing a shallow outline of armor against her coat. It would defiantly catch the eye of more perceptive pony. Then a horrifying realization accrues to her. “We might want to abandon our armor anyway. Changelings, like us, are born in caves. Their eyes will be more adept at searching shadows than most normal ponies.”
“Shit… that’s right!” Goodnight curses angerly. How could he not have remembered that? Frustrated he begins unlatching his armor, gently setting it on the ground as to not make noise. “Well, it’s not like it’s a big loss. This stuff didn’t really seem to help our friends.” He says darky remembering how useless their fellow guard's armor had been. Exposed necks, no upper leg armor, it was clumsy one size fits all, and goady gold. The only difference between the day and night armor was the paint. “Need any help getting that off?”
“No, I’m fine,” Sweet Dreams replies taking off the last of her armor. Leaving her armor in a pile next to Goodnights.
Their armor abandoned the two bat ponies slip back into the shadows with more confidence. Their bodies felt lighter, agiler without the clumsy metal weighting them down. However, as they duck from shadow to shadow. Keeping a trained eye out for the enemy, the two ponder their end goals. What were they? Two lowly guards of no rank supposed to do? What could they do?
The answers weren’t obvious. They could find other guards, rally a force and became a resistance. The idea was a long shot. Maybe even a fantasy given the sorry state of the city. The fact they have not seen any sign of any of the Princesses meant they were either captured or killed. Meaning the enemy had a Princess level magic user. Most likely the Changeling Queen.
The next most powerful magical beings in Equestria after the Princesses would probably the captains, Celestia’s senior students from the school and Twilight Sparkle. All of who were in the city and were probably also dead or captured. So that left… no pony.
“Oh gods, those are all our heavy hitters aren’t they,” Goodnight mumbles to himself. It had never occurred to him or any pony that the Princesses might not be there to save them. “Oh, new plan… we find the Princesses!”
It only took one glance at the swarmed castle to completely toss out that idea. They’d never get inside undetected. Not without grabbing some changelings and possibly skinning them for disguises. Gross but it could work. If he knew anything about skinning ponies and making clothes from their flesh. He wasn’t that insane pony from that one case several years ago… um... Cupcake. Yeah, that was a crazy pony.
“Goody, stop!” Sweet Dreams hissed softly getting his attention. “You’re going to walk right into the main road!”
Sweet Dreams pulls him back into the shadow of the building they were hiding in. From here it was a straight shot to the castle or the front gate. Perhaps they should try to get out of the city. Maybe try and rally the guards in the rest of the Kingdom and call Nippon for help? Nippon was bound to have a pony capable of matching the Changeling Queen’s power. Nippon also had dragon ponies. How could they not be useful?
The idea was appealing, but it also would take months to get the word out and rally the rest of the Equestrian forces. That is if they weren’t being attacked already or soon to be attacked. Also, it was a three-day flight to Nippon, by Airship, it would be at least a week by wings alone, across the ocean on top of that. They’d have to get out of the city first anyway and even that was looking iffy with Shining Armor’s pink/green shield up above. He didn’t know what that was supposed to mean, but given the changeling's affinity for green magic, it probably meant Shining Armor was under the Changelings control. Maybe. He didn’t remember if they had that kind of power.
Suddenly the pebbles on the street began to rumble.
“Goody! Look! It’s Captain Spears!”
Following Sweet Dreams pointing hoof Goodnight found she was correct. Captain Spears and an entire battalion were galloping down the main road, spears raised and shouting a battle cry the entire city could hear.
“Come on, let’s go!”
“Wait!” Goodnight pulls Sweet Dreams back into the shadows by her tail. Covering her mouth with his hoof before she could yell. “This might be a trap.” He whispers in her ear as the wall of gold-clad guards storm pass them. They wait several seconds after the final column pasted. Then another thirty seconds. The battalion was over the bridge heading for the castle courtyard. He was about to let Sweet Dreams go when the screams came.
He bit his lip, drawing blood as he folds his ears down in an attempt to muffle the noise. Sweet Dream was shivering in his embrace. Her wails of despair muffled by the hoof covering her mouth. He had no words for her. That had been most if not all of the remaining soldiers in the city. Captains Spears wouldn’t have launched a such a bold attack or if that was even Captain Spears. The whole thing could have been a trick to draw out the remaining soldiers. He wonders how many foolish ponies joined in the assault. To blinded by fear and desperation to think clearly. Probably a lot.
Goodnight let his hoof drop. Sweet Dreams was biting her lips, hiccupping and crying, her entire body shaking as she threw herself at him. Her embrace tight.
“They're dead.” She tearfully said, her voice muffled by his coat. “Are we going to die?” She asks. Sweet Dreams was five years his younger. She got out of training only recently. She was probably eighteen maybe nineteen at best. Like all of them, she has lived in peace her entire life. If not for the fact she was looking to him for reassurance, who was to say he wouldn’t be breaking down right now?
“Come on, let’s get going.”
“To where? Where is there to go?” Sweet Dreams asks him.
“I don’t know, but we can’t stay here.” Goodnight grabs her by the leg dragging her to the next shadow when something bizarre catches his eye. Across the road in the back alley where the Rusty Horseshoe was located. A swarm of changelings was running away in terror and some of them were on fire?
“I’ll baroque you!” Spitfire screams stabbing a broken booze bottle into a changeling’s throat. She takes sig of another bottle and spits the contents over her electrified hoof, creating a massive firestorm.
“Is that Captain Spitfire?”
“It is,” Goodnight grimly observes. She was exposing herself, she was probably planning a death kneel for herself. “We got to her help her.”
Sweet Dreams nods, wiping the tears from her face. The fear was still there, but there was courage in her eyes. “Right, let’s go.” The two bat ponies quickly soar across the main road. Their throats already bloated with air as they let loose their deadly scream on the changelings. Together they pick up Captain Spitfire, half angry, half drunk. They fly above the buildings for a brief moment. This would be their only chance to fly freely, they had to pick a good spot. They rocket towards the winding alleys of the slums, weaving between the buildings before settling into a half-destroyed apartment. There they release their Captain.
“I said let me go!” Spitfire angrily demands. Goodnight quickly covering her mouth, keeping her silent as a swarm of changelings rocket by. He gestures for Spitfire to be quiet. She glares but nods and he let her go. The Wonderbolt captain takes a few deep calming breaths, trying to shake the adrenaline racing through her body. “Thanks, I’m good now. Things were getting a little fuzzy there for a minute.”
Much to the surprise of the two bat ponies, the pegasus embraces them around the neck. “I’m so glad you two are alive. I was worried I was the last pony standing.”
“What about the other Wonderbolts?” Sweet dreams asked.
Spitfire shakes her head, “I don’t know. Captured or killed like everypony else. We were completely caught off guard. It took all our skills just to get me and Fleetfoot out of the sky unnoticed. I had to leave Fleet in closest. She’s too sick to fight. Hopefully, she hasn’t been found.”
“So, we’re all that’s left?” Sweet Dreams inquires, her lips quivering.
“As far as I know, yes.” Spitfire answers regretfully.
Goodnight sighs deeply, it was as he thought, “So, what are we going to do?”
Again Spitfire hangs her head, “I don’t know. You saw my brilliant plan back at the Rusty HorseShoe. I’m afraid I don’t have anything more than that. What do you guys have?”
“I was thinking of trying to get out of the city and get help. But by the time we rally any pony, the Changelings will have dug in and spread out beyond the city. Do you have any idea where the Princesses are? It’s bold and probably impossible, but if we can find them maybe we can turn this around.”
The three sat in silence. Finding the Princesses would be a suicide mission. If they were captured, they were in the castle. Where the vast number of changelings were located. On top of that the enemy commander, the Queen, would be there too. She wouldn’t leave such prizes as the Princesses unguarded, so on top of her, there would be whatever the Changeling equivalent of special forces was, helping guard the princesses. It was a plan as hopeless of succeeding as the others.
“Hey, the shields gone.” Sweet Dreams points out. “And there’s a storm rolling in.”
“What?”
“That’s impossible,” Spitfire moved closer to the hole in the wall for a better look. There was indeed a thunderhead over the city. It blocked out the sun and the width of the storm covered the entire city. To create a storm of that size would take weeks and furthermore no storms were scheduled for today or for the entire mouth. “What in the hell is going on?”
“Three ponies! There!” A shrill high-pitched voice yells suddenly. The three Equestrians turn in horror at the sight of a changeling with a helm flying outside their hiding place. Then they realized they weren’t really hiding, they were all out in the open, it was amazing they hadn’t been spotted sooner.
Goodnight and Sweet Dreams leap into action, firing off sonic screams. The Changeling’s head all but exploding as it fell to the ground. Spitfire was up next. Throwing bottles of flaming booze to the street below setting the base of the building on fire. Burning a squad of changelings that tried to enter from the ground floor. Wood creaks, and the three tense. There were changelings already in the building. And more were gathering in the streets. The black bug ponies cover the entire street. They hiss and bawk, ready to swarm the three even if a few of them have to die.
“They're waiting for their friends to ambush us from the inside, then they’ll swarm when our backs are turned,” Spitfire said. Eyeing the walls and stairwell. She took a gulp of booze, handing the bottle over to the other two. “Last chance.”
Sweet Dreams and Goodnight take a gulp, their smiles shaky as they stand flank to flank with their Captain. “It’s been good to service under you,” Goodnight said to Spitfire. “Was it worth leaving the caves Sweets?”
Sweet Dreams gave a shaky nod, her entire body was trembling, she was probably so scared she couldn’t actually speak, but she still stood tall.
Spitfire smiles sadly, hugging the bottle of booze to her chest, it was a bottle of Applejack. Luna’s favorite drink. She had a lot she still wanted to talk about with the Princess, but that clearly wasn’t going to happen, but there was one pony here she needs to make amends with. “I’m sorry Goody.”
“For what?”
“For… well… you know.” A crooked horn appears in the stairwell. Times up! “Look alive! This is it! For Equestria!”
“For Equestria!” The two bat ponies echo.
Spitfire rears back, ready to fight of till the end as the first Changeling comes flying up the stairs in the other room. Gritting her teeth, she prepares to attack when the strangest things came fly pass her field of vision.
A stick with a big metal cylinder on the end came fly pass. The stick hit the floor with a ‘click, click’ rolling to the changelings who stopped in their attack to stare confusingly at the strange object. One of the changelings touches the strange stick, as it makes a ‘pinck’ sound. Then it exploded!
“What the fuck!” Get down!” Spitfire grabs Goody and Sweets by the tails dragging them to the corner as shrapnel peppers the wall. Outside the giant hole in the wall more of the metal sticks were flying through the air hitting changelings and exploding! Making the black swarm buzz in a panic at what the hell was going on. When the explosions stopped the three ponies peer out the hole in the wall to the street below.
Dozens of changelings lay dead. Many were dazed by the explosions. Those that weren’t hissed at the wall of smoke, where an irregular trot of ‘clop, ting, ting, ting, clop, ting, ting, ting, clop’ was coming from. The smoke clears away revealing a unicorn, a mare, in full armor. Not royal guard armor, but fully encasing midnight blue armor with a red stripe on the shoulder. The mare raises her front right leg, it was clearly prosthetic as were her back legs. Only the left front leg was flesh.
“You’ve all been bad little bugs!” She declared, her accent thick. But Spitfire recognized accent as Prench. What was Prench pony doing here? That didn’t matter, the changelings were closing in on the mare! Yet she didn’t look concerned. “Oh, Lookie at all you boys! Already so enthralled by moi charm. Too bad for you, I have colt friend. And he gets jealous.”
From the down the street a loud, thunderous bellowing roar came. A swarm of changelings came running scared as what could only be described as a monster came barreling after them. It was big, bigger than even the biggest ponies, it ran on all fours, made entirely of muscle and was covered in entirely in the same midnight blue armor as the mare and it had bullhorns protruding from its head that curved forwards. And Spitfire recognized him.
“Holy shit! He looks like the Iron pony I fought in Nippon!” She exclaims to the others. Only Goodnight having any idea of what she was talking about.
The strange pony rams the changelings spearing two on his horns and trampling the rest. He breezes by the mare, his chest glowing red underneath his armor. The beast opens its mouth and breaths a stream of deadly hot flames at the swarm.
The changelings decide it was time to retreat.
The mare pulls a green gem from her armor, rattling off words at a rapid rate. “This is Team Jericho, requesting ordnance at section E 7, three-stage bombardment.”
Spitfire, Goodnight, and Sweet Dreams watch as three artillery shells come flying down from the clouds. The shells fell atop the fleeing changelings, followed by another three, and another three. The compression from the blasts making their ears ring.
“All good!” The mare chimes over the gem communicator. Her gaze fell upon the three and she removes her helmet, revealing her soft silver/white mane and coat. “Oh, Bonjour! We did not see you there! Do not worry, we are friends!” The mare exclaims happily. “I’m Private Platinum D’ Bellie and this is Sargent Bulldrake.”
Platinum huddled close to her communicator. “This is team Jericho, requesting a flying escort for civilians in war zone, also if you could send a tank, it would be nice, yes?”
A voice replies, “Roger, Tank and two fliers on their way.”
“Okay, thank you.” Platinum levitates herself up to the third story building where the three Equestrians were taking refuge. “Is ok, we’ll have you out of here soon. Is everypony alright? How about you little one?”
“I’m fine,” Sweet Dreams said, shrinking away from the mare’s cold touch. Platinum retracts her hoof, laughing embarrassingly. “Oh sorry, I’ve forgotten how uncomfortable that makes ponies. Don’t worry you won’t have to put up with me for long. My (CRASH!) and they're here! I bid you ado. Bulldrake! We are moving on!” Platinum jumps down to the street, landing on Bulldrake’s back and together race into the city. Spitfire calling out to them.
“Wait who are you!” Spitfire demands, only to have her head turned forcibly by Goodnight, directing her attention to the tank now in the middle of the street. It was different, but it looked like the AT-1 Momo had used in the Tank battle in Nippon, but with AT-44 painted on the side. “It can’t be…”
“You three, are you fit to fly?” A female voice said. A shiny raspberry pink mare appears in front of the three. At first, they thought she was a bat pony because of the fangs sticking out below her lip, but the shiny scales spoke otherwise. She was a dragon pony. “I’m VeeVee Pinkheart, field medic. I and my friend will be taking up the ship. Are you all able to fly? Or will we need to bring a transport down?”
“No we're fine,” Spitfire spoke for the group. She was cautious of the strange ponies, yet they gave off a trusting vibe. She couldn’t explain it, but she flys up beside the strange pony despite her better judgment. Goody and Sweets following her lead. “Good, follow me.”
They flew up, following the pink dragon pony nervously as they flew higher and higher to the black clouds. Three more dragon ponies flew on their flanks and rear in a protective formation. Spitfire looks towards the ground, seeing many more ponies being escorted up to the clouds. Helicopters rumble pass, carrying Unicorns and Earth Ponies. More dragon ponies flew down towards the city. She could see more tanks roaming the streets, fighting the changeling hordes.
“Who are you guys? Are you with Nippon?” Spitfire asks as they enter the thunderhead. VeeVee turns to look at her, a smirk dancing on her lips. “You’ll know soon enough.” The pink Rinin said as they broke through the storm clouds. The light of the sun kissing their coats. In the center of the storm rests a huge black ship with the name Nightmare written on the side and by huge, Spitfire meant huge! It was three times the size of any ship she’s seen! As they flew closer she was amazed to discover it was made of metal too! A metal flying ship? That was unheard of! The kind of power to make this thing fly… it was unimaginable! But that wasn’t the only thing that caught her attention. No, it was the flag flattering at the top of the ship. A midnight blue flag, with a yellow crescent moon and a black unicorn skull with wings. She knew that flag. Luna had shown it to her once.
The Princess of the Night herself steps out onto the deck, in full armor, she smiles and waves for VeeVee to come to her. Luna embracing the three the moment their hooves touch the metal deck.
“Spitfire! Goodnight! Sweet Dreams! What luck! You are all safe!” The Princess cries nuzzling the Wonderbolts Captains neck.
“Princess Luna! I thought were captured!” Spitfire cries. And she was actually crying. It was silly of her, but she was so happy to see the Princess! Relief fell on her like a ton of bricks and slumps in the Princesses embrace. “I’m sorry. I was useless! Celestia, Cadence are captured, so many ponies killed! I… I couldn’t… I oh shit! Fleetfoot! I left Fleetfoot in a closet! I need to go get her!”
“Easy, now Spitfire. Easy now. It’s ok. We’ll get her and we’ll recuse my sister, Cadence, Everypony. Trust me. We have this well in hoof.” “How many ponies do you have on this ship? Fighting ponies, I mean?” Goodnight asks, amazed by the number of Dragon ponies aboard the ship. Sweet Dreams was so shocked she couldn’t speak.
“About three hundred, but a fifty of them are for running the ship. So, two hundred and fifty. Don’t worry, we’ll have the city back before the day is done.”
Goodnight expressed concern. “Only two hundred and fifty? But Princess there are thousands of Changelings down there!” Luna laughs, “I know, it’s almost not fair.” She pulls out a red gem communicator. “Sixes are you ready to begin retaking the city?”
Down deep in the bowls of the ship Sixes, Fierce Fury, and Topaz slicer stood at the hanger doors, each in their own armor. A color stripe on their shoulders marking their units. Sixes was gold, Fury red, and Topaz blue. Behind them were two hundred forty-seven ponies with the same marks. Sixes holds up his own gold communicator as the doors open. “Ready,” He looks at his fellow commanders and comrades, smiling as he shouts. “Night Patrollers, let’s hunt some bugs!”
Pharynx felt a change in the air as he overlooks the smoldering city of Canterlot. A shudder ran down his spine, yet he couldn’t fathom why. They had wiped out all the SEAL unit, taking down most if not all of the city defenders, repelled their counterattack. Any pony left in the city should be falling to the bellies and crying to the sun for salvation. They had the city, the plan went perfectly, so why? Why did his gut turn?
He looks to the northeast section of the city. Large plumes of smoke rose, buildings were ablaze with fire. His changelings were under strict orders to not damage the city too badly. This was to be their new capital, so why the large fires? Were they perhaps flushing out some resistance forces? No, no, that could not be it. The ponies of Celestia’s army did not require such sever tactics.
Then came the noise. The loud, terrible whistling noise. He saw three strange objects fall from the sky. They were barely a blimp in the eye and then an entire city block was laid to waste! Then in the south, another thunderous bang, like that of large cannon, echoes in the distance and through the black smoke, he caught sight of ponies and strange transports flying to the storm system that hovered over the city.
His gut began to churn as the thunder began to drum in an unnatural fashion, like the sound of a war drum being beaten, the thunder cracked and lightning flashed! The light began to fade, the sun dimming behind the clouds. But something wasn’t right, it was becoming too dark, it was as if night had arrived early. The city becomes shrouded in darkness, the white flashes of lighting were the only source of light. He sent up a green flare from his horn. From the city, the leaders of the attack units replied sending up their own green flare. Pharynx counts the flares and discovering over ten units were missing!
“What’s going on?” He gulps, a strange fear overcoming him. He tried to shake the feeling, but tingle at the back of his neck worsen and in a quiet moment, when no pony made a sound, he heard it. The long drawn out battle cry coming from the sky, the haunting whinny mixed with the furious roar of a dragon. The sound plays like a song over the city and between the flashes of lightning he saw them. The flapping of their wings, the shining scales of the coats, and the menacing appearance of their claws and fangs. The creatures of their nightmares pass down by the Queens, their hated and feared enemy.
Rinin.
“Prepare for a counterattack!” Pharynx cries out as the roars turn to flames.
“Fire!”
Commander Atlas, a changeling officer in the northeast sector the city could not believe his eyes as the hulking metal box of death on tracks rolls down the city street. His fellow changelings unable to deal with the metal beast. They tried combining their blasts to destroy the machines, but even with the power of ten, they could barely scorch the outer shell. When they tried to swarm the machine to try and get inside to the crew inside, a blue and gold rinin pony popped his head out the door on top of the cannon turret, raised his gauntlet covered claw and threw a giant ball of a magic at them! Over a quarter of the unit was killed or injured. They now sat huddled in the buildings. The noise of the cannon outside deafening as heavy shells pound the buildings.
In the interval between blasts, Atlas peeks outside, trying to form a plan. To somehow escape for another machine was on the street behind the building they were hiding in. There was no way out without being spotted. As he pans around the street he sees the machine, the blue and gold pony still atop it. The strange gauntlet on his claw glowing softly. Meaning he was ready to fire another blast should they try to fly out quickly. Another pony pokes his head out of the hatch, an earth pony with strange metal claws on its hooves, it takes control of the small multi-barrel cannon mounted on the top of the machine.
Atlas wonders what it is when the pony tilts the small cannon at their location, the twelve barrels of the cannon start to spin as the red glow of the gem powering it flickers between the rapidly spinning barrels. He looks over the adjourning apartment, a group of his fellow changelings was looking anxiously out the windows, looking to the sky. They were going make a break for it!
“No don’t!” He screams, but they do not heed him, they fly out over the street. The main cannon of the tank roars, the building behind them exploding as the large shell blows a hole in the wall. A blast of gold from the rinin’s gauntlet hits the left wing of unit trying to escape, three of them falling. For a moment it looked like they were going to get away when he heard a terrifying sound, like ripping paper, only ponied died.
Red bolts of magic flew from the rotating cannon, they flew fast, faster then any pony could charge and fire. One second. That’s all it took for the terrifying machine to recharge and fire a new blast of magic. Atlas and the others in his unit watch as their comrades were picked out of the sky by the rapid cannon. One managed to make it out of range, they cheer as the red bolts dip below the skyline, at least one of their brothers made it. Now he could go get help!
Down the below the pony on the rapid cannon stopped firing, the barrels smoking red. With his metal claw, he opens a chamber and pulls out a cracked and smoking gem. He tosses it aside and replaces it with a new one. Taking only ten seconds. What a terrifying weapon.
Still, there was hope, thought Atlas. Until he saw the smirk on the two ponies faces. He quickly ducks to another window. Looking for the one that got away, just when he found him an orange blur came in fast from the sky and snagged the escaping changeling. They heard his screams and saw his wings torn from his body as he was dropped to the ground with a sick ‘thud’ his body lying broken on the street. Along with many others. They watch as the orange rinin flew down landing on the tank with the other two and began shouting orders.
“Stop wasting time with these rats! We got more city to take, Gloves!” The orange rinin yells pointing at the building they were hiding in. The blue and gold rinin nods and shouts into the tank, a hoof appears holding a cylinder object. Taking the top of the cylinder in his mouth the blue rinin pulls something from it and tosses the cylinder on the roof. The tank began to back away. Fast. “We got to get out of here!” Atlas screams as they all began to scramble. The tank fires from down the street, the round missing due to the greater range, which only scared him more. They were a whole block away! He could hear them now, the whistling cry of artillery. He looks up to the sky, three-cone shape shells fell like meteorites towards them. He stood frozen and bows his head. There was no escape for them.
“Confirmed hit, waiting for the dust to clear.” Gloves said over the gem commutator. “Mothership have second volley ready just in case.”
A gruff voice replies, “This isn’t our first rodeo kid, we’re already reloaded, just give us the word.”
“Right,” Gloves says observing the now-leveled apartment buildings. The corpses of dozens of changelings lay thrown about in the rubble. None were moving, none were crying, it was silent save for the putter of the tank’s engine. “Looks like we got them all, Commander Topaz.”
The senior officer strokes his chin, looking over the rubble. He pulls out his gem communicator. “Stovepipe, give them another taste, same coordinates.”
“Roger!”
Gloves looked at his commanding officer, his face troubled, “Is that necessary?” He asks as the second volley rains down the rubble and bodies, dust fills the air and broken bodies and stone fly everywhere. A body of a changeling landing only fifty yards in front of the tank. It was a horrible sight.
Topaz places his claw on the younger rinin’s shoulder, “If we weren’t so short hoofed maybe not, but you have to remember Gloves we only have a few hundred ponies this time. There are thousands of them. For every one, we kill there are ten more to take their place. For every one of us killed, none will fill our ranks. Now get to the east sector and rendezvous with Bulldrake’s unit. Will leave the other tank and some flies here to hold this sector until we’re ready to head for the castle. I’m going to go with some others and push towards Fury and Sixes. Hopefully, Trifecta’s unit is done in the south sector by now. Do me proud!” He shouts flying away, joining with some other rinin in the sky.
Gloves salutes, taking one last look at the body of the changeling in front of them. He had a helmet and some armor, he’d probably been an officer. He felt a little bad for them. He hadn’t been apart of the battle of the Crystal Empire, so he didn’t feel the hatred for Changelings like a lot of the others did. Not only that but Starwind the Beardless put every ounce of his genius to make the deadliest weapons he could think off for them, such as the rapid magic cannon, AT 45 tanks, and the fly fortress class warship Nightmare was merely the surface of their arsenal.
“Sorry, but war isn’t fair.” He told the corpse before climbing back into the tank. Shouting as he retakes the commander’s chair inside. “Let’s move out!”
Thrice the Fifth ran as fast as hit little hooves could carry him. His sister’s hoof hooked tightly to his. The two foals skid on the rumble turning the corner as the hiss of the black bug ponies comes from behind. Little Thrice puts his sister behind him, puffing up his chest, feeling the burning in his throat he let’s lose a stream of fire at the changelings chasing them! He puffs and puffs, but his flames barely reach a foot pass his mouth. The changelings chuckle as a whole swarm surrounds the two foals.
“Thrice, I’m scared,” His sister shivers, pressing against his side.
“I know,” He said as bravely as he could. The changelings come closer, chuckling menacingly, he presses his body against Trina’s. A last-ditch effort to protect her. He did the best he could. Thrice closes his eyes, wondering what’s became of their parents and the rest of their family. Recalling the stories his Grandfather Thrice the first would tell of him and his brothers. Tears fell, he wishes the old stallion was still alive. “Grandpa! Daddy!”
Suddenly the chuckles stop. There was a terrible CRUNCH sound, the ground cracked beneath his little hooves and a deep voice spoke. A voice he recognized!
“Don’t open your eyes, kids, this is about to get messy!”
Little Thrice did open his eyes and gasping in wonder at the pony before him. It was a tall grey blue rinin with a silver mane, just like his Grandfather! Joy spread across his face as he stares at the pony, but when he pans to the pony’s flank, instead of 303, 301 was branded on the pony. It wasn’t his grandfather, but one of his grandfather’s brothers.
“You’re not grandpa,” Little Thrice said sadly. The pony glances at him, his other eye trained on the changelings cautiously keeping their distance from the full-fledged Rinin. One tried to make a move when the rinin turned his head, but the crunching of his comrade’s skull beneath the rinin’s claws made him lose his bravery.
“No, I’m not your Grandpa,” The pony said recognition showing his eyes. “I’m Trifecta!” Trifecta let loose a stream of fire breath. The changeling’s scattering. “Shock! Jockey!”
A sudden shout of, “Thunder brothers hoo!” Came from above as two orbiting blue balls of lightning came flying down. In a flash the lightning balls dispose of the changelings and land before Trifecta and foals, turning to two identical light blue rinin ponies with horns. The blue ponies bump hooves excitedly. “Score for the Thunder Brothers! How many you got Commander Tri?”
Trifecta rubs his temples. Thousand years later, still paired with these two. “Haven’t kept count. Now focus, we got some kids to get to safety!” The two blue ponies stand stiffy at attention.
“Right boss!
“You can count on us!”
“We’ll go see if we can find some others.”
“Just give a call if you need us!”
Trifecta growls, “Just go already for Luna’s sake!” The two brothers turn into lightning and fly away. Leaving Trifecta to deal with the two foals. “Don’t fret little ones, I’ll have you to safety in no time.” He told them flashing a shaky smile. He wasn’t good with kids. Which is why he has his communicator out. “Platinum, bring your tank to my location. Hmm? Right, um…” Trifecta pulls out a map. “Hey kid, where are we?”
Thrice despite being in a tornado of emotions, fear, relief, sadness, and happiness. Extends his little hoof, slowly before his grandfather’s look a like’s eyes change it into a claw and points to their location. Trifecta looks at them with mild surprise, before relaying their position to his friends.
“It’ll only be a few minutes,” Trifecta tells them. “But best not to be out in the open. Can you two walk?”
“I can, but my sister…” Thrice moves side to allow Trifecta a better look at Trina. The pink foal quickly latches to the adult rinin’s leg, trembling. Trifecta looks uncomfortable as he lifts the little foal onto his back and then does the same for Thrice.
“I said I can walk.”
“If I have to carry one, then I might as well carry the both of you.” He told Thrice taking to the air. Hiding wasn’t really an option with the filly crying and hiccupping. Better off to meet up with Platinum and Bulldrake’s unit and leave them with the odd couple till the next transport arrives. “Don’t worry little ones, I’ll have you somewhere safe soon.”
Trina sniffles and cries, “But what about Mommy and Daddy?”
“I’m sure their fine,” Trifecta tells her. It was a lie, but what else could he really do? He looks back, noticing the boy’s odd stare. “What kid?”
“Nothing, you just look like our Grandfather who passed away recently,” Thrice said with barely restraining his tears. The dismay that the pony he was riding on wasn’t his Grandfather, yet looked exactly like him. His young mind wasn’t able to process it properly.
Trifecta says nothing for a while, leisurely flying around the city towards Platinum’s safe zone. He hears the rumbles of tanks and helicopter transports and the massive crowd gathered in the plaza. Ponies with green spread across their faces check ponies before allowing them to the transport. He checked the number of blue flares, making Night Patrol controlled territory. He saw five spots. Meaning they still had a long way to go to retake the city. He didn’t have time deal with the foals, but he was curious about something.
“So, you have rinin in your family?” The colt nods yes, silent tears falling down his face. “I see. Would I be wrong to guess that Rinin was one of my brothers?” Again, the colt nods. Trifecta laughing amused, “Small world, so which one?”
“Thrice, my grandpa Thrice. My name is Thrice too, Thrice the Fifth.” Thrice said trying to wipe away his tears.
Trifecta laughs, “Thrice the fifth huh, well I guess we weren’t the most creative with naming. Must have passed that trait down.” He turns flying towards Platinum who was in an argument with a stallion, grey-blue stallion, he could already guess who it was. When he saw the small line of scales running down his back, it all but confirmed it.
“I’m not leaving without my kids!” Thrice the Fourth raged, his usually hidden claws and fangs out for all to see as he stares down the white mare trying to get him on the transport taking ponies into the storm clouds above.
“Please mousier, we will find them, get on the transport.”
“Not without my kids! Get your claws off me! I’m going back out there!”
“That’s too dangerous sir,” Platinum said as Bulldrake held the stallion down. She glances frantically at the city. They didn’t have time for this, they had other ponies to go save. Calls were coming all over the coms, they were too short hooved to fully deal with the entire city with Sixes having the majority of fighters centered around the castle.
“Are these the foals your looking for?” A voice said, both Platinum and Thrice the Fourth turn to see Trifecta flying down with two foals on his back. The stallion wiggles free of Bulldrake, rushing towards the sole triplet, tears of joy running down the stallion’s face.
“Trina! Little Thrice! You're safe!” He cries taking the foaling in his embrace. “Thank you, thank you… no…way… Grandfather? Is that you? No, we buried you… but… you're so…”
“Yes, yes, I look like my brothers. I guess that makes you another nephew.” Trifecta said hurriedly, eager to get back to the battle. “Look I’ll try and find you after the battle. You get those foals out of here like a good parent should.”
“Right, of course, thank you… Uncle.”
“It’s just Trifecta, I’ll see you after the battle.” He turns to fly back into the fray, but a little voice stops him.
“Are you going to beat up the bad ponies like in Grandpa’s stories?” Little Thrice asks with big whimsical eyes.
Trifecta flashes a smile, “Of course, it’s what we do.” To the chorus of cheers, Trifecta flies off, rejoining with the Thunder Brother’s along the way. “Ready brothers?”
“Born ready!” They cheer fly into enemy territory.
Excitement fills his blood, his claws flex as the changeling lines scramble into formations. They were disorganized, overconfident after their easy victory over the royal guard. Now faced with an unexpected fierce counterattack they began to panic. A smile spread across his lips, he could smell their fear from here.
“Rocketeers! Up front! Soften them up!” Sixes bellows as they nose dive towards the castle. Ponies movie side making room for the ten heavily built pegasus clad in armor and covered in gem rockets. The Rocketeers line up their shots, each firing a salvo of eight gem rockets. The castle walls turn into an inferno of fire, the rocketeers break away making for the ship, their job is done for now. “Wall of fire! Roast them!”
All Rinin line up, chests glowing with fire, they dive into range unleashing hundreds of blasts of fire breath! Changeling scream and panic, the officers try to rally their units, but soon found themselves clutched in the claws of his fellow rinin. Fury held one his claws, the red rinin looking at him for orders, as were the others clutching the officers. Sixes nods and they tear the wings from the captured changelings and drop them to the ground. There was loud SPLAT! And the changelings look up at them and tremble.
“Think we broke them yet?” Fury asks flying up beside him. They make a pass around the castle. Assaulting the hastily made defenses of the Changelings as they fire their green blasts of magic. They replied with fire, lightning, and plasma, any changeling too stupid to take cover was roasted in an instant. Sixes overlooks the scene and turns to the city proper.
“Not yet, it’s never that easy.” Sixes pulls out his communicator. “Trifecta how are things with you guys?”
“Evacuations are going smoothly as they can be. We’re a little short hooved you know. Not that it matters with Changelings. Same as always, numbers are all they got. The brothers and I have probably killed hundreds of the bastard, but they just keep coming!”
“Don’t get confrontable Tri. We going to have to tank this out. Topaz how are things on the north end?” Over the sound of tank fire came Topaz’s voice.
“Same here about as well as it can be. I’m going to have Glove’s push south through the city and meet up with the east unit under Platinum and Bulldrake. Hopefully, that should unite our front and we can push to the castle.”
“You sure Gloves can handle that? He’s still green as far as being an officer goes.” Sixes replies. The pony in question, Gloves was in the last batch of recruits trained before being frozen in stone. Along with a few others. For a time, Gloves had been his wing pony for Patrols.
Over the line, Topaz says, “You trained him. You tell me.”
Sixes things for a moment continuing to circle the castle. The defenses were holding up better he thought they would. These were defiantly the elites of the changeling army. “He should be fine. The kid has my trust. You focus on the city proper. Fury and I will take the castle.”
“That’s going to be hard with all the tank units occupied in the city Sixes.” Fury told him as they make another round, their units laying down suppressive fire. “How long till the rocketeers come back? We could crack a hole in the castle and start breaking up their nest.”
“We have to find out where they're keeping the cocoons first, otherwise we risk hurting the hostages.” Now on their fourth pass Sixes tries to get a better look in the windows. The castle has changed since a thousand years ago. More additions, remodels, and new buildings were throwing off his mental map of the structure. Luna didn’t have any blueprints either, so they were fighting blind at the moment. If only they could find the enemy commander, the Changeling Queen. They could cut the head off the snake and really break the enemy morale.
“What was that?” Fury said suddenly.
“What was what?”
“That hall back there. Didn’t you notice something inside?” Fury said as they turn for their fifth pass. They’d have to do something quick, they couldn’t just keep circling. The changeling’s shots were starting to get closer.
“Which hall?” Sixes demands as they round the sun tower again. Fury points to the large hall with Stain glass windows. Some of the windows were shattered. He points for two rinin to take up wing positions behind him, leaving Fury in charge of the greater unit. He and his two wing ponies dive down, he lets loose some lava breath to shake up the changeling defenders as they pass by the windows. In the seconds he got to look he saw all he needed to see. Cocoons hung from the wall, many ponies inside, but one, in particular, had his attention. Celestia. Not only that but there was the Changeling Queen, raging angrily at the subordinates that come to tell her the progress of the battle. They break away, seeing enough and rejoin the group.
“You look like you have a plan,” Fury said with a smirk. “Care to share?”
Sixes smiles as he pulls out his communicator. “This is Commander Sixes to the Nightmare. Princess Luna, we found VIP hostages in the main hall with the enemy commander. Preparing rescue operation.” Sixes pulls out a second gem communicator. “Jazz, you’re on.”
A young mare’s voice comes over the coms, “I’ve been waiting for this. I’ll be down in a jiffy! Yeehaw!”
“Good, we’ll mark the entry point, good luck.”
Queen Chrysalis looks over the smoldering city. The city that was to be her new kingdom was now in ruins. Runners from the frontlines shout at her, telling her of their situation. Dragon ponies, the ban of their existence, their long-hated foe was the cause of their once successful invasion being reversed. Now they were the ones being invaded!
With the Rinin came tanks, artillery and an Airship so massive and heavily armed it would take a fleet to match it. They had nothing to counterbalance the invading force. They left everything in their homeland, blanking entirely on a stealthy victory. Even worse the Equestrians had nothing that could help. Celestia didn’t have a fleet, she didn’t have tanks, the best she had were cannons and they sabotaged those for the invasion. Their only hope was for the Kaiser to come with his army, but he would not be coming for some time.
The original plan was for him to come as an embassy for the Europona nations. He would host a peace talk and in return for letting the changelings keep Equestria they would hand over Celestia and Luna. As long as the two were saved and able to perform their duties of lowering and raising the sun and moon, no pony cared if they had a nation. In fact, some preferred if they didn’t have one.
Of course, Celestia and Luna wouldn’t be released, they’d merely be some changelings. She would take their magic of her own and their responsibilities. That had been the plan, but it was no longer feasible.
“My Queen! My Queen!”
“What!” She hisses at the annoying Changeling, he had a helm on his head, meaning he was an officer, but she couldn’t bother to remember his name at the moment.
“What are we to do? They’ll break through our defenses within in the hour! They're surrounding us on all sides, my Queen!”
“Relax,” She said and then looks to the rest of the changelings in the room, addressing them as well. “As long as we hold Princess Celestia and Princess Cadence we have the perfect hostages and barging chips. They would not dare bomb the castle with them still in here and the other VIPs.”
From the window, a changeling cried out, “What’s that!” Chrysalis ran to the window to see what was the fuss about. Her eyes widen as a red pony with green hair and Stetson hat came barreling towards them, her metal wings shimmering in the moonlight. Four rockets detach from her wings and fly at them!
“Cover!”
The window explodes and Chrysalis is knocked back. The red pony came skidding into the room her wings half folded and her silver booted hoof raised, red bursts come from her wings and the boot, a “BANGBANG” sound like that of cannon pounding against her eardrums. She watched as the red pony slides across the floor laying waste to the changelings inside, the red blasts from her weapons shredding them to pieces as the projectiles hit them. The red mare come to a stop, the cannon barrels on her wings smoking, she points her hoof blaster up and fires, the projectiles hitting Celestia’s cocoon. The Princess of the sun’s head fell forward, partially freed. The red mare then points her hoof cannon towards Chrysalis, only for it to click empty.
Chrysalis smirks readying her spear, “Ha! A brave but foolish effort! Even with Celestia free, you are no match for me!” The Queen bravely fibs raising her spear. Celestia wouldn’t dare use her full power, there were too many ponies she could accidentally kill. She still had the upper hoof!
The red mare smirks, pulling off her goggles to show her green eyes. “Aw, yawl don’t need to worry about me. Ah’m just a distraction.”
“What!”
From the broken window came a black rinin with gold veins pulsing throughout his body, streaks of the gold clash against his orange mane as gold lava drips from his mouth. He spits the molten gold at Chrysalis, the Queen raising a magic shield to block, much to the Queen’s horror the molten gold twist and harden becoming chains tipped with spikes. The gold spike struck her shield, the runes engraved on the points flash and her shield shatters. She stands in horror, anti-magic!
Celestia, her head partly free from her cocoon calls out to the rinin, “Sixes!” The rinin looks at her for a moment before turning his attention back to the queen. Celestia crying out louder. “Sixes please!”
“Not now!” He barks back at the princess, firing lava at the Queen. Chrysalis dances away throwing up another shield to block the lava. She barks orders to her drones to attack the rinin, they do so promptly changing themselves into chimeras. The rinin spews fire, charging at them, his claws digging deep into their flesh. “Don’t toy with me!” He yells tossing one of the drones aside with ease. “You can change your shape, but you’re still the same spineless parasites!” He dispatches the last drone with a quick snap of the spine and tosses it aside. Angrily he stares down the queen.
“Don’t think you can take me, peon!” Chrysalis cries madly, her hair turning ethereal green, her spear once again in her magical grip. “Well come! See if you dare take on the Queen!” Sixes chuckles, earning Chrysalis’s ire. “What’s so funny!”
“Nothing,” Sixes said barely keeping back a laugh, his chest pulsing gold. “That’s what the last Queen I killed said. Before she died of course.”
“Die!” Chrysalis screams thrusting her spear, Sixes side steps spitting out a gold chain net, the hot metal falling over the Queen, entangling her body.
“She said that too.”
Chrysalis tugs hard at the chains, glaring at Sixes, “My spear cancels out magic, your runes won’t work.”
Sixes smiles, “They don’t need to. You're tied up enough as it is.” His chest begins to pulse orange, liquid fire spilling out from his mouth. Chrysalis realized he was going to spit lava on her!
“Pharynx!” The changeling captain came from nowhere tackling the black rinin from the side. Both side away, Sixes lava flying harmlessly onto the wall as the two warriors struggling on the ground, Pharynx taking on Sixes' form to better fight the rinin on the ground.
Chrysalis shook the chain net off finally, getting to her hooves she pants heavily as the green steam rose from her body and her mane began to wilt. She was losing magic fast. She saw the red mare with metal wings freeing ponies, along with others. Several ponies were still working to free Celestia, who she had made sure cocoon extra thick in case of a situation like this. However, Celestia’s pupil and her friends we free, so was Cadence and many others reducing the Queen’s power significantly. Her emerald eyes fell on Celestia. She could not allow the Princess to be freed!
She lowers her horn for the killing strike and charges! “Celestia!”
Celestia barely half free, knocks the pony freeing her out of the way with her leg, she tries to use her magic, but the cocoon instantly drains the power sending it to the Queen. The Sun Princess lowers her own horn, hoping she could parry the Queens before she’s run through.
“Come on then!” Celestia challenges bravely, while ponies scream and scramble to help her. The Queen’s horn draws closer and Celestia prepares for the coming pain, but then hears a familiar sound. ‘Whoosh, whoosh’ A smile graces Celestia’s mouth as her sister’s star blades come into view. The Queen let out a cry of pain as one blade cut her back leg, reducing her charge to hobble well the other bounced off the Queen’s helm, leaving a deep gash in the metal. A thin trail of blood escaping between the crack, traveling down the Queen’s face and dripping into her eye.
Chrysalis turns angrily towards the direction the blades had come from and spies Luna by the door with two Rinin by her side, one orange, one red. “Luna! Impossible!”
Luna catches her star blades, calmly twirling them in her magic as she approaches the Queen. “Yes, well, a lot of impossible things have happened in my lifetime. I assure you escaping from your clever trap was not one of them. Not when I have my pony by my side. Really, I must thank you for convincing me to leave yesterday morning. Had I not this would quite the different situation.”
Chrysalis began to hyperventilate. Her plans. All her carefully laid out plans brought to ruin! Because she let one pony go? No. No this could not be! This couldn’t be! This cannot be her fault! “No, nonononono!” She growls at the Night Princess spit dripping from her mouth as her hackles rise. “I’ll kill! I’ll kill you! Damn what happens!” She charges, spear pointed ahead, the magic holding Luna’s star blades disappear and the blue Alicorn drops down to charge with her horn.
“Sixes! Do it!” Celestia’s cries, breaking finally breaking free from her cocoon.
Sixes, gold veins pulsing throughout his body, turns his head away from his opponent for a second to spite gold lava at the Sun Princess and much to the shock of everypony, she throws herself into it!
“Princess Celestia!” Twilight cries hysterically.
“Calm yourself Twilight,” Celestia’s voice says emerging from the glop of gold unharmed, the molten gold shaping into a suit of armor around her body. Celestia’s hair and tail ignite into gold flames, but runes on the armor glow absorbing the heat. From a puddle of leftover lava, Celestia shapes a single golden ax and takes it in her magical grasp. She gives the ax a few swings before hurling it at Chrysalis. The Changeling Queen turns and seeing the ax throws her spear to counter. Ax and spear meet and much to Chrysalis’s shock both weapons are destroyed!
“Impossible! That shouldn’t have… GUH!” Her words are cut short as Luna’s horn pierces between the gaps of her armor. Chrysalis’s body goes cold as Luna removes her horn as steps away. The queen staggers on her hooves, her mane losing its ethereal properties.
“My Queen!” Screams Pharynx, abandoning his fight with Sixes the Changeling captain catches his ruler’s side, propping her up. “We must get out of here!”
“No…” Chrysalis croaks, blood pouring forth from her mouth. “I can’t… I can’t return to him in just disgrace… I cannot… face him like this.”
Celestia roars, “Luna! Let’s finish this!”
The Night Princess replies, “Of course!” And retrieves her blades from the ground.
“Sixes!” Celestia calls and instantly another ax is crafted from gold and toss into the Princess’s grip. The black and red rinin land beside the Princesses, their fangs bared and their chests glowing. Chrysalis looks wearily between the four. Wondering if she’d be cut to death or roasted alive. All for rear back to strike and Chrysalis focuses in on Shining Armor. Cadence was supplying him power and she still had some control over him. With her the last of her strength she gave the unicorn one final order.
The Princesses and Rinin unleash their attacks and Chrysalis felt a sudden feeling of weightlessness. She was flying backward. Her underbelly burned, she couldn’t feel her right legs either, but she was still alive. She opens her good eye and saw pink and Canterlot Castle growing more and more distant. She looks around, seeing others flying with her, every Changeling still alive. Her children. She closes her eye as they continue to fly through the air. Uncertain of their future, but grateful that she managed to get them away.
She had saved her children and come out an alive against Celestia and Luna after taking Canterlot. That was impressive enough she thought as her body come a gentle stop on a grassy hill, Canterlot a distant speck in the distance. She couldn’t help but smile despite all her plans being ruined.
“I think I deserve a nap.” She said tiredly as the concern faces of her children surrounding her. She was too tired to even be angry at her failure. Too tired to feel anything really. So, so tired. Her eye closes and there was darkness and the cries of her children in the distance.
Sixes tightly held his wine glass, the thin glass cracking as the tips of his claws press against the glass when his eyes fell upon the dance floor where Captain Shining Armor and Princess Cadence danced for their mare and colt dance. The glass shatters. A meek maid comes and cleans up the glass, providing him another, this would be his fifth since the party had started.
He tips his head to the nervous maid, who quickly scoots away. He sighs quickly drowning the glass of wine and sets it on the nearby table before he breaks it. Really there was no reason he should be mad. At least no rational one. The party was in their honor after all for retaking Canterlot from the changelings only hours ago. It was also Princess Cadence’s reception party for her marriage to Shining Armor. The prepared food was given out to everypony royal or not.
The Princess had suggested the party after everypony was free from their cocoons. Tomorrow they would begin rebuilding the city and burying the dead. Overall, he didn’t have a problem with the plan. He did have a problem with the stallion dancing with the Princess.
Sixes was so angry at the pathetic excuse of the Captain that was Shining Armor it wasn’t even funny. Not only had the city been taken under his watch, he had helped the enemy escape! The fact he wasn’t hanging from a noose for treason was sickening to him.
“Well, you look, mad Boss,” A sultry voice said, Sixes snarls at the smirking mare behind him.
“VeeVee, you should be with the rest of the medic unit.”
The glossy pink rinin merely shrugs, unintimidated. “Shift change, I’m done until morning. It’s not like there were a lot of injuries. Changeling Cocoon are meant to keep the victims alive after all. Besides the detachment of EUP from Manehatten can handle the surviving Royal Guards. Not that there’s that many to treat, but what do you care? You still dislike the EUP, right?”
“These ponies are different than the ones back then. I have no reason to hate them.”
“Except for Shining Armor.”
“He gave me a reason.”
VeeVee chuckles, “This is as amusing as I thought it would be. I’m glad I came along with you.” She brushes up beside Sixes, eyeing him openly with a look he couldn’t decipher. “I feel like dancing. Would you be my partner?”
“Go find somepony else.”
“Right, right, you only dance with one pony. Well, good luck with that.” She sang trotting into the crowd. Leaving Sixes to his vexing.
Calling for another glass of wine he attempts to relax. Hell, even Fury was relaxing, chatting up with some others and Fury was always angry! It was in his name! Topaz was talking to some mares. Maybe he was just being too uptight.
But how could he not be? They had to resupply the ship, find a company to manufacture their ammo and weapons, rebuild the castle. Oh, sweet Luna the castle! How in the world we’re they going to pay for that!
“It’d be easier to demolish it and rebuild it from scratch,” Sixes mutters sourly. There were so many things to do to get Night Patrol up to full capacity again. He didn’t have time to be partying and drinking.
“You look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, Sixes.”
He turns quickly, his claw flying to his head in a salute the mare before him, Princess Luna, out of her armor and dress in a fancy black dress. It was breathtaking. And she was smiling, she was happy, he likes seeing her happy. His joy falters when Celestia joins them.
“Celestia.” He said coldly. Luna looks at her sister and the Rinin. She knew things were rocky between the two ponies, probably between all of Night Patrol. Her sister has a lot of explaining to do, but still the coldness in Sixes' tone. It was chilling to her.
“Sixes please, let’s be civil about this.”
“I believe I am being civil unless you’ve forgotten our last conversation.”
“I have not.”
“Then there’s nothing to talk about.”
“Yes, there is,” Celestia insists, her tone drawing a crowd. The Groom and Bride were riding off in their carriage. With the main attractions gone, ponies began to focus on the growing storm between the Princess and the dragon pony. Before things could heat up though, Luna pushes them away from each other trying to be the voice of reason.
“Sixes, sister, this is not the time or place for such clearly heated conversation. Can we not just revel in our victory and the return of Night Patrol? I know I am most eager for their return and I’m sure they are eager to resume their duties? Correct Sixes?”
“Agreed,” Said Sixes, looking squarely at Celestia, “Clearly you need us if Canterlot can be conquered in a day.”
Celestia stood up stiffly, licking her lips nervously, she looks to Luna, then to Sixes, and then to the other Night Patrol ponies in the crowd knowing what she was about to say would cause an out roar, but she knew deep in her heart it was for the best.
“I can not sanction that.”
Sixes visibly recoils, “What did you say?”
Celestia coughs, but presses onward, knowing what was coming. “I cannot allow Night Patrol to return to active duty.” A pin could have dropped and no pony would have heard it over the chorus of angry snarls.
“YOU WHAT!” Were the first words to come from Sixes' snarling mouth, hot liquid fire drips from his jaws burning through the cobblestone. Celestia grimaces at his tone, his anger and hatred like a burning heat against her coat. He was the same he’d been a thousand years ago. Her eyes pan, watching the others snarl with their leader, their loyalty clear, she held no sway over them any longer.
Next Celestia looks to Cadence, the Princess of Love looking torn as she looks from the Night Patrollers to the Sun Princess. Celestia offers a faint smile, now looking at her beloved student and her friends. The six mares’ expressions ranged from shock, confusion and horrified. Twilight looking slack-jawed that a pony could hate her beloved Sun Princess. This would be an important lesson for her. Celestia chuckles to herself, she should have shattered Twilight’s naïve view of her many moons ago, but her greed prevented her from doing so.
Last, she looks to her sister, Luna, her expression unreadable. Yet she wasn’t shouting or demanding answers just yet. A sigh of trust? Or is she simply waiting for the reason of her night ponies anger to be spoken? So, she may pass her judgment later? She will have to wait and see.
Focusing back on Sixes, with Fury and Topaz by his side, Celestia takes a relaxing breath and steps back, bowing her slightly in a message of peace. She heard several gasps come from the crowd. She could imagine their surprise. She, the Princess, bows to no pony below her station, yet here she was doing just that.
“Remember your vow, as I remember mine, you three need not look at me with such hostility. There is a reason for my words, please hear them.” She kept her head low, not daring to look to Luna for help if she did she would forever lose their respect. After what she did to her sister, to ask for Luna’s help in quelling their anger would be the biggest insult she could make to the Night Patrollers. “Please, hear my words.”
The snarls stop. She looks up seeing Sixes standing alone, Fury and Topaz lurking in the crowd. She breathes a sigh of relief and raises her head. Waiting for Sixes' permission to speak. His jaws snap uneasily as he reigns in his anger for the time being.
“Speak your words then.” He says gruffly.
“Thank you, Sixes.” Celestia coughs and casts a spell to project her voice. The royal Canterlot voice, how long it’s been. “I, Princess Celestia of Equestria, to the valent and loyal members of Night Patrol express my deepest thanks for your aid in liberating Canterlot. You have all fought valiantly in not just this campaign, but many others, the some of which have not even been written on the pages of history. It is for that reason, I must deny your service. Despite recent events, we are still in a time of peace. For you soldiers of the night, I wish for you to enjoy this peace. You have lived your entire lives, since the time my sister found you in the mountains of Firehorn through the ten years you followed me after Nightmare Moon’s banishment, you have not seen more than a moment of peace. Your entire lives have been fighting, suffering and strife. My wish, my purpose for denying your service is so that you may go and enjoy the peace of this new era you’ve found yourselves in. To put it simply, I wish for you to know a life outside of war.”
Her speech concluded Celestia looks to Sixes to judge his reaction, his expression… was not reassuring. His chest began to heave, a mocking smirk spread across his lips as he laughs, pointing an accusing claw at her.
“Peace?” Sixes scoffs glaring at the Sun Princess. “What a worthless pass time.”
“That’s not true Sixes! You’ve just become a warmonger! You were too afraid to live in peace!” Celestia screams losing composure. It was like a thousand years ago, the same as last time, her words weren’t reaching or rather he wasn’t listening any longer. “There are no more enemies to fight! They’re gone! It’s time to put down the sword!”
“And do what?” Sixes snarls back. “What am I to do? Look at me! Look at the scars that mar my scales! I’m not one of your soft ponies! None of us are! We were made for war! It’s all we’ve ever been good at! You just don’t want to accept that! We tried it your way and remember what happened? The moment things started getting messy you turned to us! You were too afraid to let the normal ponies know the taste battle, your precious students! You started that school to train new protectors, but you didn’t want to use them! So, you used us instead! Because we were already covered in blood!”
Celestia winced, fighting back tears, “That’s… not… not true. They weren’t ready. I couldn’t let them go. Like I didn’t want Crusader to…”
“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare bring him into this!”
“What do you care!”
“I cared as much as I could!
“It wasn’t enough! All he wanted was your respect!”
“ENOUGH!” Both Celestia and Sixes cease their fighting as Luna got between them, her wings spread wide to separate them. In a much more subdued tone, she said, “Enough. Please. That’s enough. I know not the grudge between you two, but this is a time for mourning, rebuilding, and celebration. Not for tearing at each other throats.” Luna said solemnly. The hatred she had felt in the dream world was as scathing in reality as it had been then. An anger festering over the past thousand years.
Sternly Luna looks at her sister and Sixes. In a harsh hushed tone, she spoke to the two, “Can we not do this privately? Perhaps at another time? Now is not the time for either of you to be screaming at each other in public!”
Sixes steps back, looking frustrated, his gaze intensely fixed on Celestia, “If that’s your wish, I will obey.” He turns and walks away, the crowd separating to make a path for him and he disappears into the darkness of the night.
“Thank you, Luna, I had forgotten myself.”
“Don’t thank me,” Luna curtly snaps, her voice but a whisper, but her tone was fierce. “Once this celebration is over you and I will have a lot to talk about. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’m going to go. Morning is drawing close after all.”
Luna quickly trots away following Sixes into the darkness. Celestia barely having time to call out to her, but a stern voice stops her.
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” Fierce Fury told her suddenly appearing by her side while casually sipping his drink. “I know a little something about being angry, neither one will want to listen to what you have to say at this moment, better to wait till the morning.”
Celestia hangs her head, she knew Fury’s words were true, she was the all-wise Celestia after all. For all the good her wisdom is when it comes to dealing with her sister and Sixes. “I suppose your right, I think I shall go refresh my drink.”
“Sixes, please wait!” Luna cries out. He stops instantly at the sound of her voice. The voice he’s been longing to hear for over a thousand years. As her hoof steps quiet he turns seeing her basking in the soft glow of the moonlight. His heart races as her teal eyes shine and shame and guilt fill his heart.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” He tells her, speaking of his fight with Celestia. “That was a private matter between me and her, I shouldn’t have embarrassed you in front of everypony like that.” Luna smiles at him, a smile he doesn’t deserve. She walks towards him getting dangerously close. A smile plays on her lips as she stands up tall measuring their heights. A giggle escapes her lips as she tries to stifle it with her hoof.
“If not for my horn, you would be taller than me now. I hadn’t noticed before in the heat of the moment, but you’ve changed, you’ve aged since I’ve last seen you.” Luna said looking into his eyes. She now had to look slightly up at him. Before they had been the same height. She was unused to ponies being taller than her. “As for the issue between you and my sister, I care not that you are fighting, but why you are fighting. Please, Sixes, will you tell me what has driven a wedge between you two? Her hoof in my banishment aside I could not imagine you spitting such hostility upon any pony that is not your enemy.”
Lighten the mood and cut into the issue, classic Luna. Of course, she was the guardian of the dream realm, she had plenty of experience digging into ponies’ problems. Why would he be any different?
“Will you bother me in my sleep if I refuse to answer you now?” He asks her coyly, a faint blush appearing on the princess’s cheeks.
“Well,” Luna coughs, “If it is warranted, then yes, yes I will.”
He sighs, the tension leaving his body, the rage and hatred for Celestia subsiding, for now. “Another time, it’s been ten years or a thousand and ten since we last spoke. I’d like to hear what you think of this new era.” Sixes began to walk towards the gardens, gesturing for Luna to follow him with his tail.
Deciding not to push the issue Luna trots along beside Sixes, telling him of her research and adventures that lead her waking him and the others up. When she got into the details of the keys she was amused she see Sixes facepalm. “For the moon, Nightingale gave her key to Kira and then Kira put it in that stupid trap castle Gadget made for her? Fuck, who told her that was a good idea.”
“Your language is certainly much crasser,” Giggles Luna, “You used to only swear on the battlefield.”
“Set up a swear jar if you don’t like it,” He jokes, earning a light and lovely laugh from the princess.
“Perhaps I shall,” Luna said trying to reign in her laughter. When she finally did she looks around their surrounds seems they have gone and gotten lost in Celestia’s gardens at some point. Not that she minded. The roses were quite a romantic setting. “I see my sister still enjoys her gardening, though I don’t know where she finds the time.”
“I think she just makes the day longer.” Sixes said sounding much more relaxed. Luna paws the ground uncertain if she should try to address Sixes and Celestia’s issues or wait. She was having such a good time, she’d hate to spoil the mood. He notices her hesitation. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, nothing,” She replies quickly. “I…I… oh screw it. I believe Celestia may have a point.” Not really what she wanted to talk about, but it was something that needs to be discussed too. “Before you say anything, I don’t mean for you retire from your service. Equestria needs you now more than ever after this last invasion. Our regular forces are in shambles and our military infrastructure is in even more peril than before. While I know you want to get into the action. I feel you’d be better suited rebuilding Equestria’s military from the ground up. Besides I’m sure it’ll take time to get everything you need to supply the Nightmare, you might as well relax and enjoy the present day a little in the meantime.”
“We did that before,” Retorts Sixes, ignoring that last part. He didn’t need to be sitting on his claws at a time like this. Especially when he ran the numbers in his head. “It’s not our fault Celestia didn’t want to spend the bits on tanks and warships. She put everything into the magic arts. When we built the Nightmare, we presented her with plans for more cost-effective ships. I understood we couldn’t make a fleet of $13 billion-bit ships, but…”
“That ship cost $13 billion!” Luna’s eyes nearly fell out of her head! “How… how did you pay for it!” Sixes smiles sheepishly and it dawns on her. “My treasure!”
“We may have taken a… small loan.”
“Small loan! That’s more then I spent founding Night Patrol in the beginning! That’s fives more expensive than the Moon Cutter, The Solar Flare, and the Midnight Dusk! That’s three warships! Combined!”
Sixes chuckles scratching his head, “Well then you probably don’t want to hear how much the tanks, the moon phase: Midnight Armor and the artillery shells were.”
Luna looks darkly at him, “Tell me.” He whispers the amount in her ear, her jaw dropping. “HOW MUCH!” he whispers again. “That’s per shell!” Luna begins to hyperventilate. “But… but we fire three shells at once! That’s… that’s…”
“18,500 bits per barrage fired, we also have ten turrets so, that’s…”
“185,000 bits to fire all ten turrets once.” Luna stutters remembering how many barrages they fired during the battle to retake Canterlot. She never cared about the price of war before. Not when it came to bits, but this, this was insane. “That’s a quarter of the entire Equestrian economy, today! How… how did you afford this a thousand years ago?”
Sixes didn’t answer, his face solemn.
“Sixes?” Luna said with concern, remembering Celestia’s words of the Griffons and something Sixes had done to ensure they would never rise up again. “Sixes, what did you do?”
He laughs humorlessly, “Prince, no King Silvericus, Silverous’s son, demanded reparations. Saying his father and his country couldn’t be held responsible since Hoofenstien was one that pushed his father into war and violating the treaty. He went to the Europa congregate. Gaining the support of five other nations with an ax to grind against us. In response, I ordered the Nightmare to fly over Griffonstone. At the time nations were just starting to build airships, converting their sea vessels to air. They were going broke just trying to catch up to us. Older Airships couldn’t stand up to the Nightmare, nor could any nation afford nor did they know how to build one like it. We rain down shells on the Armada, the griffon city, everything. I remember the flames, the city burning for three days straight. I remember on the fourth day when the Griffon King come on deck, his crown in his claws and tears in his eyes. He fell to his belly and he offered us everything.”
“Everything? You don’t mean?”
Sixes nods, “All the gold in all the Griffon nations. An uncountable amount of money. We took it. We took it all then made the griffon king sign a treaty that all gold coins in the griffon kingdom would be no more than ten percent gold per coin.”
“Ten percent! That would make them nearly worthless against any other currency! They’d have to offer millions for the most meager of trades! There’s no way they could keep the kingdom afloat like that!”
“Exactly,” Sixes answers. “With such a weak currency they couldn’t supply, upgrade, or support an army of any threat worthy size. Do you not approve?”
“Whether I approve or not is not the question, the matter is done with, I can no more fix it then I can fix my own mistakes. But I would be lying if I didn’t say I don’t feel little remorse for them.” Luna shakes her head. “I searched and searched and have never seen any record of the Griffons acting up again, not once in the last thousand years. The method, well perhaps too much had the desired effect.”
“I suppose Celestia hasn’t told you a lot of what we did then, huh?”
“I was preoccupied getting up to date with the current times. I merely skimmed the historical archives for context when needed. Why? What else should I know?”
Sixes lets out a long yawn, snapping his jaws he looks up at the horizon where the sun began to peak out, urging for the moon to lower. “Another time, I’m sure we’ll have another chance to talk.”
“Sixes,” Luna says but decides to let the matter rest, for now, it was late or early. Whatever she was tired. Igniting her horn, she brings the moon to its final stages of the night. “That matter aside for now. I notice you haven’t slept since you’ve awakened from stone. I know it was merely a jest before, but do you require aid in sleeping? Are you being bothered by nightmares Sixes?”
He smiles as he takes flight, Luna flying up beside him as he looks towards the Nightmare harbored off the edge of the city. “I’ve been asleep for a thousand years, nothing wrong about not wanting to sleep, right?”
“I suppose, but that doesn’t negate the fact your body needs rest. As such I order you to rest.”
“I thought I was on leave?”
“Even on leave you are still under my command, are you not?” Luna says coyly getting in Sixes face. A sly smiling playing on her lips. She knew she had him.
He huffs, smiling, “I suppose I am.”
“Well then, you best be off to bed then Commander. I have a lot of things to show you int this new era. One of the first is introducing you to the friends I’ve made in this new era. I think you’ll like them.”
“I’ll let them speak for themselves,” Sixes replies flying towards the Nightmare. Luna calling out to him one last time. “Sixes, you know you can come to me if you are troubled, right?”
He shakes his head, “My troubles aren’t worth your attention.” He flies away, leaving the princess hoovering in the sky alone. Luna sighs as she looks at the lunar tower where her bedchambers were. Solemnly she flies to her balcony, dropping her regalia on the floor she slides into bed. As she nuzzles against her pillow she mutters.
“Maybe I think they are.” Her eyes closed and she drifts off to the dream realm. In the milky abyss, she calls forth the doors of ponies’ dreams, summoning the doors of Night Patrol. She waits several minutes for Sixes' door to appear. And when it did she found it in a decayed and chains binding it shut, barring her entry. “What in the world?” She peers through a crack in the door. Catching glimpses of a burning landscape and the woeful vitriol screams of Sixes on the other side.
“Sixes! Sixes open up! Please let me in!” She begs pounding on the door with her hoof. The door did not give to her assault nor did Sixes come to let her in. She slumps against the door, Celestia’s door, pristine and barred with golden chains appears before her. Angrily she stands up and pounds on her sister’s door. “Celestia!” She screams to no avail. Her sister did not answer.
He stood on the hill overlooking the rows upon rows of fresh apple trees. AJ’s and Rawhide’s hard work had paid off, they made their home. Sixes takes a step, eager to go see his friends when suddenly the grove catches fire. He races towards the house, fear clutching at his heart as the treetops burn. Voices call out to him ghosts of enemies long slain. He shakes them off continuing towards the house.
“Sixes…” A disembodied voice says.
Ignoring the voice, he continues he sees the gold-clad bodies of dead white ponies, EUP. He growls upon noticing the teal stripe on their shoulder pads. He passes a body with a pickaxe embedded in its spine. In the burning barn, he sees the massive form of Rawhide, bloody and beaten. He runs to his friend, his breathing shallow.
“Rawhide!” He yells shaking the big red stallions. “What happened! Rawhide!”
The big red stallion’s lone eye creeps open, his voice hoarse, “AJ… the kids…”
“I’ll find them! Just hang on help is on its way!” Sixes pulls Rawhide out of the burning barn. Smoke and fire everywhere. There was no safe place to put him, so he drags Rawhide to the clearing and shoots up a stream of fire. Hopefully, the others would find him.
“Sixes…” The voice says again, more clearly, it was female, but he ignores it. Pressing on towards the houses hearing the cries of foals and the sound of flesh being hit. The house was just up ahead, it was on fire! Spreading his wings, he flaps them to gain more speed, letting out a roar as he comes into the yard!
“AJ!”
“Commander Sixes! Wake up!”
Sixes opens his eyes, his breath fast and erratic, a red muzzle hangs over him. He squints his eyes up at the pony standing over his bed. A tuff of green mane exposes her identity. AppleJazz.
“What are you doing here? You're too old to become crying to me about nightmares.” He gruffly says to the young mare. Jazz’s cheeks burn pink as she snorts angrily.
“I only did that twice!” She shouts hitting him with her hoof. “And for your information, it’s eight, most of the ship is up already.” Her face frowns as she looks at the black rinin’s sweat-soaked scales. “Did you have another nightmare?”
Sixes glares at her as he tosses off his sheets. “I don’t have nightmare’s Jazz, just bad memories. What do you want?” The red mare bounces in place looking anxiously at him. “Well?”
“I need you to sign my leave papers!” She shouts. Confusing him.
“What? Why? Since when do I do that?”
“Well, a pony from the castle come and gave out these forms and said we had to fill them out if we were going to leave the city limits. The pony also said we need a to have them signed by our CO before we can go. And I’m in your unit, so you have to sign it.” She explains cracking a cutesy smile at him.
He takes the form sticking out of Jazz’s saddlebags, seems she was planning to go on quite the trip. Taking a feather dipped in ink in his claw Sixes reads over the form. “Alright, where do you want to go?”
“To Cousin AJ’s of course! I also want to visit the old farm, maybe some other surviving relatives. Oh, I just can’t wait to see them all! I wonder if they developed a new apple?”
“You do know none of them will know who you are, correct? And you do realize despite looking like her, the Applejack of this time is not the Applejack of ours. She is a stranger, Jazz.”
The young mare’s mood took a turn as she dug at the floor with her hoof, “I know, I know, but we’re still family, right? I’m sure I connect with them. So please, please let me go!”
Sixes sighs, this was his highly trained special recuse operative, pleading like a child wanting candy. She was only eighteen, he guessed, she still had some maturing to do. “Fine, I assume you’re going to fly there yourself?”
“Of course! I didn’t get metal studs stabbed in my back not to fly, right?” Jazz said equipping her metal wings. The wings were actually Nightingale’s, who had taught the earth mare to fly. Sixes hands her the slip and she lets out an excited squeal, slamming him with a hug. “Thank you! I’ll see you in a week!”
Like that AppleJazz was gone like a storm.
Snorting fire Sixes steps down into the rest of his chambers aboard the Nightmare. As an officer his room was little bigger than the rests, he also didn’t have a bunkmate. Trotting over to his desk he looks over the list he compiled last night after returning from last night’s celebration. The list consists of material and parts they need to be produced to resupply and repair the ship and tanks.
First, he would need to find some companies willing to produce the material and then find a way to pay them. He’d have to talk to Luna about that. A smile graces his lips, Luna, she was back, they were back. His smile fades. He had felt her presence, begging for entry into his dream world and he had denied her. She was not going to let that go.
“I better get going, lots of things to do and lots of catching up to do.” He said making for the door. Glancing at his armor he felt the urge put it on, but he was on leave, he wasn’t supposed to be in uniform. Correction, he was, but not his armor. His officer’s uniform hung his closet. Another Allure creation, along with the Phase 3: Midnight Armor. Sadly, he’s never worn the officer’s uniform his friend worked so hard to design. “I suppose, if I’m to conduct business on behalf of Night Patrol, I should look the part.”
Stepping out into the hall Sixes tugs at the collar of his officer’s uniform, maybe he should have gone to that final fitting as Allure suggested. Or maybe he was a little bloated from all the feasting. Still, it was nice. A simple midnight blue uniform jacket with his medals and rank. Well, some of his medals. He had a lot of medals. An entire drawer full actually. Placing his officer cap on his head Sixes steps out into the hall, and instantly runs into a grumpy Fierce Fury, who was also in uniform?
“Why are you so dressed up, Fury?” He asks the red Rinin.
“Why are you? Did that bastard watch carrying pony come and tell you, you had to be in uniform even on leave? Fucking ridiculous, since when did we have to wear off duty clothes?” The red rinin rages, pulling at his collar, eventually, he just gave up and unbuttoned the jacket, giving him a messy appearance.
Sixes frowns, “Watch carrying pony?”
“Yeah, a bastard named Time Keeper, come from the castle, woke me up and gave me a bunch of stupid forms. I’ve been signing fucking leave papers for the last two hours! Why the hell do I need to that? If half of my unit wants to go explore the outside of the city then they would damn well be allowed to do so! They’re not fucking children and I’m not their parent!”
“I’m inclined to agree,” A third voice drones, it was Topaz also in his officer’s uniform. “This is such a waste of time and energy. Thankfully most of my unit has been content with exploring the city. Unfortunately, some wish to go to Nippon to visit. The forms I’ve had to fill out are… extensive. Are we not an allied nation?”
Sixes rubs his temple, “I’ll speak to Luna about this if I see her today.” Fury snorts, Sixes looking at the red rinin with ire. “What?”
“Good luck, trying to do that. I told the pony who gave me the forms I would be speaking to Luna about this stupid crap and he told the Princess’s schedule was too busy for me to meet her today.”
“What a load of horseshit!” Sixes snaps. Luna ran both the kingdom and Night Patrol by herself, and always had time to listen to the concerns of her ponies! His teeth began to ache as he clenches his jaw, growling ferally. Noticing what he was doing Sixes coughs, trying to keep his composure. “I’ll see what I can do. For now, I need your help. Personally, I don’t like being anchored in Canterlot.”
“Seconded,” Fury agrees, already tired of the city on the mountain.
“Third,” Adds Topaz.
Sixes urges them to hush and listen, “As such Topaz, I want you to fly to the old castle with a team and begin surveying the structure. See if there’s anything salvageable or if we need to start anew. Get estimates for both. Fury you’re with me, we’ll have to find some suppliers. And though I don’t like the idea of helping those pathetic EUP ponies, we’ll go with Admiral McGather to check out the fleet Celestia is building.”
Admiral McGather, age 65, Earth pony, a heavy smoker and tactical genius in airship warfare. He literary wrote the book once he got a hold of his own ship a thousand years ago. After Luna’s banishment, Night Patrol hired him as their top commander under Luna of course. He even took the thousand years sleep with them. He was a proud Equestrian patriot.
“Well, let’ go get the old coot.”
Sixes and Fury step out on the dock were the Nightmare was harbored. They were on the very outskirts of the city, most of the surrounding area was either empty or industrial. Behind them was Admiral McGather. He wore aviator shades, smoked a pipe, and wore navy hat and jacket with the NP icon. He puffs out a plume of smoke as he shoves his way through the two rinin with no fear, grumbling angrily as he hobbles on three legs, the fourth holding the blueprints of the ships Celestia was building.
“What a mangy collar of crap these dinghies are. Doesn’t any pony know how to make a bloody warship! Only tier 2 gem engines, made of wood, only fifty-pound cannons! And only twenty of the worthless things! Blah! What a load of crock! Is this a navy or a merchant's vessel?” The Admiral tosses the blueprints over the side of the cliff. “Hundred seventy-five pieces of floating crap. I’m going to go get this straightened out. Don’t even bother coming by till after I’ve given those pinheads a good ass chewing. You boys go find us some pony who knows how to make artillery shells. We used up most of them retaking the city. We were lucky the damn shells still worked after a thousand years. Gotta thank Gadget for that preservation spell. Even the Nightmare is skating fine after sleeping for so long! Alright, I’ll catch ya later.” With that, the Admiral trots off.
Fury snickers jabbing Sixes in the six, “You ever think the old coot just likes talking out loud?”
“Probably. Come on, let’s head for the castle.” Sixes figured most ponies of industrial importance would be at the castle overseeing the reconstruction of Canterlot. As such, that would be the best place to find arms making pony rather than wandering aimlessly around the streets of Canterlot. “Gloves!” He shouts for the sub commander; whose head appears up above peering over the flight deck. “Is Trifecta up there?”
“He left for the city! Something about visiting some ponies or something!” Gloves replies.
“Then you’re the highest-ranking officer! Take care of the ship!”
“Aye, sir!”
“Come on, let’s take a look around the city,” Sixes and Fury depart taking to the sky. They glide easily through the air looking at the bustling streets of Canterlot below. It was almost hard to believe the city had been invaded not two days ago and already ponies were carrying on as if it was forever ago. With the city business center suffering little damage it was no wonder ponies returned to their normal routine.
“I think we did more damage than the Changelings did with the shelling,” Comments Fury as they pass over some ruined apartments. “We musta made a few folks homeless.”
“They’ll have their homes back soon enough, or maybe they’ll move out of this dreadful city. I can’t imagine why any pony wants to live here.” Sixes retorts, finding the smells raising up disgusting. Beside him, Fury was twitching. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing, I just feel like flying around is all. Kind of nice to be in the sky again.”
“Go then,” Sixes urges, smiling at his friend, “It doesn’t take two of us for this kind of work.”
“Thanks, bro! Catch ya back at the ship!” Fury says veering off. It was nice to see the normally angry pony cheerful.
“I guess that means I can’t be having that bad of a day,” Sixes chuckles diving down into the city.
Fury weaves between the clouds feeling bliss. He loves flying, maybe it was because he was originally a pegasus or maybe it was because of Nightingale, but he loves being in the sky. He looks to his wing half expecting Nightingale to be there. For a brief second, he heard her laughter and saw her flying beside him. The image quickly disappears like the mist.
Right, he sorrowfully remembers, she didn’t come with them. She stayed in the past or in the present it had been back then. She stayed and he left her. Or did she leave him? He didn’t know. Truth be told he was never sure what kind of relationship they had. She had kind of came to him first and he just followed along. He enjoyed it, maybe he even loved her, but maybe not enough.
“Fuck,” He cursed. Why was he thinking about this now? Because he had the time to think about it? He hadn’t thought Celestia’s offer for some R and R was so bad until now. No pony said it’d give him time to think about his fucking problems. Which sucks. “Could use a war about now. Should go prod Celestia I’m sure she has somepony she wants to be killed.” He grins, chuckling at the faces of the ponies from last night. “She must have done some real image changing over the past thousand years. I wonder if any pony would believe me if I told them Celestia was once called the Sun Goddess of War. Probably none of them.”
Fury continues to fly mindlessly not minding where he was going. He couldn’t shake Nightingale’s memory, he couldn’t fly away from it. She haunts him in every cloud. His heart aches and he wonders, why didn’t she come with?
“Fuck… FUCK!” He roars letting loose a stream of fire! Clouds explode into steam, he takes aim at other, his rage boiling to the surface as he blasts another and another and another! Steam rises from his body with bursts of fire exploding from his coat, his anger grows. He takes aim.
“Hey!” A voice cries out. He ignores it. “Hey! Stop that!” The voice shouts again. He blasts another cloud paying the voice no mind. “I said stop!” He wheels around, snarling his heckles raise displaying his fangs to their fullest. His eyes dilate becoming sharp slits of rage as he bears down on the midnight blue mare haggling him.
“WHAT!” He snaps, bursts of fire shooting from his mouth as he yells, it was harmless, but it makes the mare back away to cower behind a cloud. She was wearing some kind of uniform, it was blue and yellow. Blue and yellow… where had he seen that… Firefly… Firefly’s imposter unit! “Wonderbolt…” He snarls.
The mare seems to regain her courage, she flew from her cover puffing up her chest, “Yeah! I’m a Wonderbolt! Night Glider! And you’re in restricted airspace!”
Night… she said Night. The rest of her words breeze past him. Night. Nightingale. He misses her. He scoffs at the mare turning to fly away when more Wonderbolts come flying over. He observes their flight pattern. He could see Firefly’s influences, she did have a talent. Not as much talent as Nightingale, but passable for what the EUP needed.
As Fury prepares to slip away, the air becoming far too crowded for his tastes when a mop of fiery orange hair appears in front of him. It was styled the same way as Nightingales, giving him pause. He stares at her muzzle, she was saying something but he wasn’t hearing it, her coat was yellow. In terms of color she looking nothing like Nightingale, but that mane style, that couldn’t be a coincidence? Could it?
“Hey! I’m talking to you!” The mare screams. “I know you saved the city, but you can’t be blowing up clouds like that! It’s freaking everypony out! You sound like a fucking dragon for Celestia’s sake!”
Fury stares into her eyes, she flinches slightly, but quickly steels herself. This mare had a backbone. “What’s your name.” He asks.
“Captain Spitfire,” Spitfire introduced, her voice cracking slightly by the question. Seems he caught her off guard. “What’s it to you?”
“Nothing,” Fury retorts. “You look like a pony with some skill. Care to help relieve my boredom?” Spitfire and several other mares turn red in the cheeks. He scoffs, “Oh for Luna’s sake, get ya minds out of the moat! I mean a flying challenge! Ya yawl learn flying from Firefly, yea?”
“Well, the training program was created by her, so basically yeah… wait, wait, wait, you know Commander Firefly!” Spitfire quickly did the math and yeah, Commander Firefly created the Wonderbolts around the same time these guys were around according to Luna’s stories.
Fury scrunches his brow, “Commander Firefly? Sheesh, she was only a Sargent in Night Patrol. Let me think… yeah, she was in charge of the Ranger division. Celestia sure gave her one hell of a promotion.” He shakes his head. “Well, good for her.” All the Wonderbolts around him stare slack-jawed. “What?”
“How can you be so nonchalant about meeting the legendary Commander Firefly!” The teal mare beside Spitfire gasps. “Do you not realize who you’re talking about!”
Fury shakes his head, “Legendary? Jeez, she wasn’t bottom of the class, but legendary is a bit far. Nightingale was better than her, I was too, seeing how I trained her. Personally, I thought she was kind of average for the time. If she wanted she could have become an elite, I guess. Sixes took over training towards the end there, did she try? Or did she not make the cut?” He taps his chin, unable to remember exactly when Firefly left Night Patrol.
“Ok, buddy you have some brass balls to be spewing crap like that!”
Fury looks between his legs, “Well they’re not brass, but they are a good size. And I’m not spewing crap, your dumbasses can’t seem to remember, I WAS THERE A THOUSAND YEARS AGO! What you call legendary was just my daily routine! Firefly was a good flier, probably one of the betters on average before you got the real talent. But I guess our average would be legendary for you EUP ponies.”
“WHAT!”
“You got some nerve pal!”
“Quiet!” Shouts Spitfire. “He may be rude, but he did help save the city.”
“But Captain…”
“No buts!” She snaps, a smirk dancing on her lips as the looks the red rinin over. “If we’re going to claim to be Equestria’s best flyers we better be prepared to put our money where our muzzles are.”
Fury smirks, “Am I to assume you want to challenge me?”
Spitfire returns the smirk, “You know it. I’ll take you on myself, it’s only right as Captain, or are you not up to the task you, ya old Rigg?”
Cracking his neck Fury lets out viscous grin, “Alright, you’re on. Going by the old rules since you challenged me, I pick the course, now what do you I get if I win?”
“You get Fleetfoot for the night.”
“What the fuck Captain!” The teal mare cries.
“What! You’re always complaining about not having a stallion! Well, I’m getting you one!”
“But still!”
Fury shakes his head, “Yeah, I’m not agreeing to that. Personally, I’m not looking at any mare without genealogical records. I was,” He chuckles. “Fairly vigorous in my day if you get my meaning. Neither the less, I will settle for… ten pounds of gems from each of you.”
“Deal,” Spitfire agrees, “And if I win you tell us what’s your beef with Celestia.”
“Well’s that’s really more of Sixes' problem, but if you want to waste a bet on that sure. It’s not like you were going to win anyway.” He smirks, irritating Spitfire. “Well, I’ll set up the course, GRUNTS follow me.” Fury flies away, the Wonderbolts looking confusingly to their leader.
“Well,” Spitfire said menacingly, “You heard him grunts!”
Under Fury’s instruction, the Wonderbolts built a race course to his liking. Fifteen cloud rings were placed in the sky and ground acting as checkpoints. A number of times the Wonderbolts constructing the course would consult the red rinin, asking if he really wants the rings so close to the ground. Fury would angrily rebuke them, telling them if their bellies weren’t hitting the dirt when they flew through, he would cook them over a spork. Next thunderclouds were space through the course with ponies stationed on them with orders to fire lightning as he and Spitfire do the course. It was ok if they target him more. After a few final adjustments, Fury flew over the course.
“Good enough for what’s for. You ready Spit?”
“It’s Spitfire.”
“Right, well I shouldn’t need to explain this to a… professional as you say, but I will anyway. This is a basic high-speed fall, climb, and fall maneuver. We dive down, keeping within the checkpoints. We level out and then climb and dive again back to the finish line. Watch out for the lightning and try to keep up.”
“I’ll be fine,” She smugly replies. Rearing up Spitfire spreads her wings while Fury darkly chuckles, his joint popping in a sickening chorus. A red glow pulses beneath his chest, Spitfire notices steam rising from between his scales. What was he up to?
With smoke rolling from his mouth Fury mockingly laughs. “Ready?” Her muscles tense as Fleetfoot flies by, the starting flag in her mouth and a small thundercloud in her hoof. She flew in front of them three times, waving the flag, the third time she clapped the cloud between her hooves, releasing a deafening thunderclap, signaling the start of the race!
“GO!”
Fury jumps ahead of her his body twisting into a spiral as he dives off the clouds, bursts of flame and steam exploding from his body. She quickly dives after him trying to build speed. Ahead of her Fury continues to spin, level out, and then spin, every spin creating another burst of speed that sent him rocketing faster and faster. His wings were folded tight against his body, his front legs were laid flat instead of out in front, his feathery reptilian tail whips in the wind controlling his trajectory.
(He has almost no air resistance flying like that! What the fuck with that boast?) Spitfire growls flapping her wings to try and increase her speed. She gains slightly but Fury was still way ahead of her, he passes through the three checkpoints leading the ground and arching upwards slightly as he passes through the ground checkpoint, wisps of dust kick up as he passes through. (Shit that’s really close to the ground!)
She lines up the checkpoints flying through them perfectly, she hits the fourth trying to gain lift, rocks, and dirt scratch at her belly ripping her suit as she barely flies above the ground. Flapping her wings, she gains lift, but a lightning bolt strikes in front of her, she tilts, the edge of her wings digging in the dirt. She levels out baring her teeth as Fury slithers through the lightning barrage as easily as a snake slithers through the grass.
(Shit!) She pumps her wings faster, already going way beyond her maximum speed. She avoids the lightning, but her turns were stiff. She’s never had to fly this fast before! (Pull up! Pull up!) She screams to herself tilting up to the next checkpoint. She begins to climb Fury’s speed reduced, his larger wings steady pumping away as he climbs the next checkpoint. Knowing this was her chance she with her smaller wings, pumps more rapidly, quickly climbing, but she was still lagging behind. Then inspiration hit her.
She drops her front legs, letting them hang against her body. Her speeds increase from the drop-in wind resistance, but she found it harder to fly straight without her legs for guidance. Remembering what Fury was doing with his tail earlier she adjusts her flight path with her tail, her flight path smoothing out.
(Wow, I hate to say it, but this is a lot smoother. Now if I could only figure out how to that burst thing. He builds fire in his body and then releases it through his scales or something like that, creating a burst of steam and fire. Is there anything like that I can do?) She wonders going over every technique she knows. (A thunder jump! If create thunderclouds and then activate them it should give me a speed boast like his!)
Focusing her Pegasus magic she gathers moisture from the nearby clouds and charged them with lightning, creating arcs around her body. Once she had a strong enough charge she spun activating her mini thunderclouds, a loud CRACK splits the sky! The sudden burst of energy sends her rocketing straight up!
“HOLY CELESTIA’S TEET!” She screams, the wind pulling her lips back comically. She rockets to the top checkpoint; switch Fury just flew through and began the dive towards the finish line. She spreads her wings, breaking hard. Her wings joints screaming at her for trying to break at such high speeds. Her wings give and she’s sent veering off into a cloud. Her speed greatly reduced, which was fine as she was back in her normal rage. Nimbly she twists her body and gets back on track, but she was lost a lot of time and a lot of speed. Fury was almost halfway to the end!
“Ok, I can do this, gotta get the right amount of charge,” Spitfire resumes Fury’s pose diving down at an angle, her wings tight. Lightning builds up around her, much more than before, she calculates her trajectory. Once she used her boast she would be going way beyond her maximum. But no risk, no reward, right? “Here we go!”
She spins, thunder cracking in the sky as she rockets towards the finish line. Her goggles tremble, a crack forming on the edge of the glass. She was going well beyond what they were built to handle. She tries to raise her leg, but the wind whips it back against her body. The crack grows, once it reaches the other side, it would break and fly into her eye! Her eyes begin to water, the wind sneaking pass the goggles seal, she couldn’t see!
(Gotta brake!) She mentally screams trying to spread her wings, but once again the speed as too great! Her wings were pressed against her side, she couldn’t unfold them! If she could they’d probably just break from the wind force. (Shit, gotta pull up somehow!) She was still veering towards the ground at this speed she’d probably break her neck! In desperation, she tries to use her tail to angle upwards to reduce her speed, but her tail wasn’t like Fury’s, her tail hairs just uselessly frayed in the wind.
“SHIT!” She screams in terror, through her wind wrecked and watering eyes she saw the ground approaching and braces herself for the biggest impact of her life! Closing her eyes to try and protect them from the shattering glass to come Spitfire wonders how her mother is going to react to this when she felt something tug on her flight suit.
“Follow my lead and hang on!” It was Fury! His claws come over her body and interlock as his large wings come around her. She feels the heat of his body as he builds up fire in his stomach. “Try and keep your head down!” The next thing Spitfire new it was suddenly hotter, but they were slowing down. She peeks through her cracked goggles, watching the giant flame burning from Fury’s mouth like a thruster. Their speed reduces and Fury spirals away using his large wings to break as they touch the ground. “Hang on to me!” He shouts, she quickly flips snaking her legs around his larger body as he uses his claws to dig into the ground, they skit for nearly forty yards before coming to a stop. She let go, falling to the ground, her breathing fast.
“Easily, easily now,” Fury said softly, helping her up. “Take a trot around get that heart rate settled. Yeah, that’s right. Good, good. Just like that. Hey! Get some water over here grunts!” He shouts at the gathering Wonderbolts, who quickly did as they were told without question. Spitfire paws at his barrel.
“Whiskey… I want whiskey, under my desk.”
He shakes his head as he pushes her leg down. “Whiskey later, you need water.”
“Ok…ok…” She pants, her body feeling like jelly as her legs fall out from under her. Fleetfoot arrived with the water, Fury taking it and slowly begins to drip little droplets onto Spitfire’s tongue. Her tongue, dry as a bone, laps it up.
“That’s good.” Fury says steady dripping the water. “Just lie there for a bit. You’re going to be fine. Hey! Don’t crowd her! Go do your drills or something!” He snaps at the flocking pegasus. “Here let’s get you into the shade for a bit.” Gently Fury puts Spitfire on his back and sets her down underneath a nearby tree. There he gently massages her neck with his claw, trying to get her to relax. Using boast like that put a lot of stress on the body.
After a few minutes, Spitfire regains her senses, but she was very docile, her speech was slow and slurred and she could barely move, but the first thing she asked was, “Did I win?”
Fury chuckles heartily, “I suppose technically you did. I’ll admit I was a bit surprised to see you come rocketing pass me only to miss the finish line by a hundred yards. But I suppose I didn’t win either because I veered off to save you. Really you surprised me, I didn’t expect you to know the Thunder Gale.”
Spitfire looked at him with cocked eyebrows, “Thunder Gale?”
“So, you didn’t know it, then I’m more impressed. The Thunder Gale is a boast technique developed by Nightingale, a pony of my time. She was one to teach it to me, though I call mine Flame Burst. It’s the same in concept. Still, if you going to use it, you better build up your resistance and control at high speeds.”
“I guess, so,” Spitfire says lamely. She felt terrible. “How long till I can move?”
“It varies pony to pony.”
“So, can all of your kind do that? Rinin I mean?”
Fury nods, “Once Nightingale and I worked out the kinks, we made it a standard technique. All our flyers can use it to some degree or another but very can actually reach the top speed. I think other than myself, Sixes, and Topaz, AppleJazz is the only one who can use burst at full speed. Though Trifecta can do if he really wants too.”
She laughs humorlessly, “Luna was right, you guys really are elite.”
“You’re not bad yourself. A little more training and you’ll have it down. You have a lot of raw skill, much like Nightingale did. You… remind me a lot of her.” Fury said wistfully. “Sorry, I’m kind of ruing my own image, aren’t I?”
“A little,” Chuckles Spitfire, “But it does make you more approachable. You guys are kind of intimidating.”
“We try.”
“Right,” Spitfire sighs softly, her body aching with every breath. “So, I know I didn’t win, but could you tell me anyways.”
“Tell you what?”
“Why you guys don’t like Celestia.”
He snorts, “Sure, but like I said that’s more of Sixes thing. I won’t speak for everypony, but I’m fine with Celestia for the most part. But if I had to choose between her or Sixes and Luna, I would take Luna or Sixes over Celestia if came to who I would follow into battle.”
“Ok, I can get that,” Spitfire nods, regaining some motion of her body. “So, what’s Sixes’s problem with Celestia?” A growl escapes from Fury’s throat. “What?”
“That’s their business,” He gruffly says. “I’ll suggest you leave at that.”
“Alright, alright, you don’t need to bite my head off,” Spitfire said quickly. They sit in the setting sun for a few minutes. “So do you want to go hit up a bar?”
“Sure, why not? Can you walk yet?”
“I don’t mind being carried.”
“Really,” Fury snorts. “Here I thought you’d be more prideful.”
“Some ponies call this a privilege. Besides I can’t much pride left after that stunt.”
“I suppose, so which way?”
“That way!” Spitfire points. “Onward my trusty steed!”
“I will drop you.” Spitfire sticks her tongue at his threat. He laughs as they march towards the city proper. He wonders what Sixes is up to?
Sixes sullenly walks the streets of Canterlot, his head tilted downward as he brushes his way through the crowd. A soft threatening growl escaping his throat with everypony he bumps into. Some tried to get him to apologize, but once they got a closer look at what he was they clam up and continue on their way. Passing by the Canterlot museum he climbs the stairs, away from the bustling pony filled streets. What would one ask has the Night Patrol Commander in such a foul mood? It was quite simple really. The ponies of this time were useless. Plain and simple.
He had a but simple mission, to find a company willing to make their weapons and other supplies, gear, and replacement parts. First, he had gone to one of Celestia’s royal stewards or whatever they were called and had a list compiled of all the manufacturing companies in Canterlot. He’d rather not have their faculties in Canterlot, someplace more modern and industrial would be better, but most of the owners were stationed in the Capital so he’d have to talk them first. Making the list had taken a few hours of time and he had gone back to the ship to acquire the blueprints, materials and projected cost documents. When he returned he began his hunt for a supplier.
He found no pony. Not that there weren’t companies that could take on the work, but the owners flat out refused. They complained of the costs to set up the factory lines, the training of workers, acquiring supplies, buildings, machines. Even with Night Patrol pitching in an investment of over 50% for start-up costs they were still hesitant. Maybe the more infuriating part was their stupid question of why they could need such heavy weapons, what was wrong with the current standard of cannons and ships? What need was there to invest in such things when the Princess was around?
Ridiculous. They were beyond ridiculous. How sheltered where these ponies? Did they not see Celestia fall? Granted Celestia could have taken down the queen herself, there was no doubt about that. But no pony saw the bigger picture. Celestia was not invincible, just as Luna is not invincible. They need armor, capable support and soldiers, the golden meat shields couldn’t even do the meat shield part! What really made him bristle was the fact they held these thoughts right after a major attack! There was no call to arms, no panic or thought given to the fact that over HALF of the EUP forces had been killed in that attack.
Now granted, the EUP, Royal guard, and all of the Equestrian military branches combined was still bloated beyond belief. Even with the losses of the battle they still had thousands upon thousands of troops to spare all across the nation. But what they didn’t seem to get is that once word gets around that Celestia had been defeated, even only momentary, and ineffectiveness of the Equestrian to repeal the enemy without the completely unexpected aid of Night Patrol was to get out to the other nations. Equestria’s military might would be put into question. Wars start when the other side thinks they can win, it doesn’t matter if they actually can, but if they think they have a chance, eight out of ten times they will take it. He’s seen it before. And he’ll most likely see it again in the near future.
A voice spoke, “I’m sorry we're closed.” Shaking Sixes of his rambling.
“Huh?” He looks up coming face to face with a white stallion with blue hair and a mustache and monocle. He was at the top of the stairs of the museum, standing in front of the door. “Oh, sorry that’s alright. I wasn’t planning on going in. I’ll get out of your tail.”
“What a moment,” The stallion said quickly, “Judging by your looks I would assume you to be one of Luna’s ponies? Specifically, Commander Sixes?”
“Aye, what’s it to you?”
The stallion did quick bow. “I am Sir Fancy Pants, a bit of mover and shaker here in Canterlot. Some of my associates have told me you looking for a pony to produce arms, the likes of which no pony has ever seen?”
“I am, though I had no luck finding a willing manufacturer today. What’s it to you?”
Fancy coughs, “Well, once, a long time ago when I was young I was in SEAL. I consider it my duty as both a former soldier and patriot to do all I can for my country. I am proud enough to admit I had fallen into complacency much like my fellow industrialists.”
“Care to get to the point?”
“Yes, yes, sorry. To be quick and frank, I have recently acquired a string of abandon industrial buildings in several cities around Equestria as well as in Canterlot. I was originally going to have them torn down and replace with something more eye appealing, but this attack has changed my mind.” Fancy offers his hoof. “Commander Sixes, I would consider it an honor and part of my duty to aid you. I owe Princess Luna a great favor for a careless action in the not so distant past. I hope by helping you, I will show how sincere I am.”
Sixes glares at Fancy’s hoof, “You’re not looking for favors from the Princess, are you?”
“I have no need for such things, I’m doing this because I love my country and want to protect it, and I believe you are the pony for the job.”
Sixes grasps Fancy’s hoof with his claw, “If you wish for peace…
Fancy smirks, finishing the old phrase, “…prepare for war.”
“Here is what we need.” Fancy takes the files, giving Sixes a firm nod. “I hope you know that if these fall into the wrong hooves.”
“I understand, I will begin preparations. I’ll have my best and brightest get to work in the morning. It may be a bit of a long shot but I hope to begin production in three to five months. I shall be off; my wife gets rather lonely if I’m not back before ten.” Fancy takes a couple steps down, only to stop. “Commander Sixes were you and Celestia… no sorry, it’s not my business. Goodnight, Commander.”
“Yeah,” Sixes says hesitantly looking up that full moon. “Goodnight.” Spreading his wings, he takes off into the sky, circling around the city, following the old Canterlot patrol route. He passes the lunar tower. He catches sight of Luna on her balcony. She was probably about to go dream walking. He lands on a nearby tower, watching the balcony. He watches her magic spread throughout the city and beyond, hunting the nightmares of ponies. He smiles and rests against a statue, but he does not sleep. He dares not.
Hours pass and Sixes could feel himself nodding off, yet he forces himself to wake. He would not sleep until Luna was in her bed. Only then was he safe to slumber. His eyes droop. The moon begins to lower. Where was Luna? She should have returned by now? Right?
“So, here we are again Sixes,” Luna said from up above. He looks up as she lands behind him. “Your dreams are barred by the same spell that guards my sister’s. Care to explain that?”
“…”
“Sixes, please. What is it that you don’t want to tell me? Why do you torture yourself to the point that you wait for me to finish my dream walk before sleeping?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Sixes,” Luna says sternly, “Do not underestimate my will, I have seen many…”
“I can’t tell you,” Sixes interrupts looking Luna straight in the eye. “Because if I do, if I let you see the things that haunt me, you’ll never forgive her.”
“Her… you mean Celestia?” He doesn’t reply. “Sixes, please, tell me what happened between you two!”
He shakes off her hoof, cringing at the hurt expression on her face, “It’s in the past, it doesn’t matter now.”
“It certainly does matter! Even when you're sleeping your not really sleeping! Your being tortured! I hear the screams through your door, it’s rotten and brittle and on the verge of breaking! Your mind can’t take much more! How long have you suffered like this?”
He looks mournfully at her, touching her cheek with his claw, tiny tear droplets drip onto his talon. He made her cry. “Since the day you were gone, for ten years and a thousand more.”
“Then let me help you, even if you’re worried about how I will react to Celestia’s actions it will not be the first time nor the last that we have been cross with the other. I can forgive my sister, maybe not today or tomorrow, but we will endure. So please Sixes, tell me what’s going on.”
“It’s not just Celestia,” Sixes says looking away from her. “I’m afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
His chest tightens, he looks mournfully at her as he reaches for her, “I’m afraid you’ll see the monster I really am.” He drops his claw and flies away, Luna screaming for him to come back.
The early morning sun peeks through his cabin window. How long it’s been since that’s happened. Rolling out of bed Trifecta was careful not to disturb his bunkmates, Shock, and Jockey. Sleuthing into the hallway of the Nightmare he shuts the door behind him with his tail and makes for the flight deck. Several others were milling in the hall, one of the cooks bellowing that breakfast was ready. Passing the stairs to the Commander’s quarters, he heard the angry yells of Commander Fierce Fury and the snobbish tone of a pony that clearly did not know what they were in for. Moments later a pocket watch and many loose papers come flying down the stairs followed next by a unicorn. Fierce Fury stood at the top, snorting fire form his nostrils.
“Get the fuck off my ship!” Were the commander’s words before disappearing back upstairs.
Ignoring the exchange Trifecta detours into the cafeteria, stealing an egg and green pepper burrito with cheese from the buffet. Snarking on his breakfast he gets back on track, climbing several stairs, greeting other sleepy ponies before finally reaching the flight deck. Standing next to one of the massive turret guns he takes a bite of his burrito admiring the sun shining over Canterlot.
“Are you going to the city too?” A Powderly soft voice asks him, with the sound of heavy hoof steps dinging against the metal flight deck. Turning around Trifecta found Night Patrols odd couple behind him, Platinum De Belle, and Bulwark Bulldrake. The soft white/silver unicorn barely reaching the mini giant’s shoulder. Bulwark wasn’t as big as P-Rex, but he was bigger than all but the largest of ponies. Until he stands up on his hind legs. Then no pony was taller than him. Must be nice being part minotaur.
“Yeah, met some foals that begged me to come visit as soon as I could. Figured now was a good time since Celestia basically put us on inactive duty.” He replies finishing of his burrito. “What are you two doing?”
“Going on a date,” Platinum sugary says, rubbing her muzzle against Bulwark’s arm/leg. “Try on some dresses, eat at a café, sitting in the park, oh it’s going to be lovely. Especially latter tonight, hmm?” She swoons wrapping her non-metal leg around Bulwarks, or what she could wrap around the beefy bull dragon. Bulwark was supposed to be part dragon, part minotaur, with some pony mixed in. Trifecta wasn’t sure which part was supposed to be a pony, though. What he and everypony else knew is the Bulldrake was well endowed downstairs and his one-legged mare friend was a fourth his size. It was some crazy math how he fits her, but they somehow get by, they’re not really quiet when they engage in… as Platinum calls it, the Prance passion.
“Just be mindful of how… engaged you two get. Remember last time?”
The white/silver mare’s coat turns completely red with blush, “Oh yes, but Bulwark had been so romantic, I lost myself and I…”
“Don’t want to hear it. I’ll see you two around later.”
“You’re not taking the brothers along?” Platinum quickly asks before he could take off. He shakes his head.
“Not today. I want to explore by myself for a little bit.”
“Well make sure to bring them back a present then,” Platinum says trotting down the ramp. “Now what to get Le pere? What do you think Bulwark?”
Trifecta shakes his head, “You know Sixes doesn’t like it when you call him that.” He tells her, but she simply smiles back continuing her descent.
Five years after Luna’s banishment while on a mission to Prance Sixes saved Platinum from the rubble of what had once been her home. Her family killed in the cross shelling that had taken place. She had been sixteen at the time when he found her bloody and missing three of her legs. When he brought her back home it had taken everypony by surprise. Under Gadget’s study, she had made the metal legs she now walks on and become an engineer. At some point, before she learned to speak Avalon Equestrian she referred to Sixes as Le Pere or Papa.
A smirk crosses his lip as he remembers Sixes' expression when Platinum had boldly declared him her new papa in front of everypony one spring day, lovingly nuzzling the ashen Rinin, about one year after she was brought to Equestria. They had been her first words spoken in Equestrian to him. It had left Sixes speechless.
“Only second to the time Bulwark asked Sixes' permission to marry Platinum,” Trifecta snickers. He loved it when Sixes was put into those awkward moments. Spreading his wings Trifecta flies off towards the city, waving to Bulwark and Platinum as he flew over them.
He veers over the city, taking in the sight of the white marble that was Canterlot. The city really hasn’t changed much. Really disappointing really. Seems Gadget’s self-driving carts didn’t catch on. One would think something like that would have caught on like wildfire.
Of course, Celestia hadn’t wanted tanks either. He never quite figured out what her deal was about that. Ah well, it was above his pay grade. He was only a sub commander. It wasn’t really his place to question what his superiors do and don’t do.
As Trifecta flies towards the section of the city that Thrice’s family lived in. His mind inedibility when to his brothers, Thrice and Trinity. They had chosen to stay behind, choosing a life outside of Night Patrol. Breaking the bonds, they once held as the Triplets of Night Patrol. Looking back now it was clear to him. They were Triplets sure, but they still were individuals. Thrice and Trinity wanted to go out and have families, he wanted to keep fighting in Night Patrol. It was as simple as that, their path diverged. He supposed Trinity leaving to live in Nippon had been the beginning of their separation.
“I got new brothers now,” He smiles thinking of the Thunder Brothers. They could be annoying, but they grew on him.
Flying down Trifecta lands in the middle of a park, foals and their parents gasping upon his arrival. Some clutch their newborns and scurry away. Right, he muses, ponies of this time weren’t used to ponies like him. Even saving the city didn’t seem to elevate their instinctual fears.
“Uncle Tri!” Scurrying across the grass was Little Thrice, his… times ten great nephew? He probably would have to go to Nippon to see Trinity’s descendants too. Behind the little blue and gray colt was his sister, Trina, a pink little filly who looked equally excited to see him. He smiles softly at the two, scooping them up in his claw. “Little Thrice, Trina, nice to see you two.” The two laughs excitedly, their draconic features coming to the forefront as their hooves morph into claws and tiny little scaly wings pop out of their back.
“You certainly came a lot earlier than expected,” A deeper tone voice said, it was the two’s father, Thrice the fourth. Looking like an older version of his son or his son looks like him. They both look like Thrice, so they both technically look like him. That identical gene was strong in their family. “Those two have been restless waiting for you to come around again.” Thrice the Fourth chuckles at his children’s antics. “Sorry to just drop them on you like this Uncle, I’m sure your busy.”
Trifecta waves off his worries. “Don’t worry, we’ll be on leave for a bit here. Nothing wrong with spending time with the tikes. And speaking of family. Do you happen to know any of your Nippon relatives? They would be Trinity’s kids.”
“Can’t really say I do, we don’t really talk to our Nippon relatives. We know each the other exist, but we don’t really get together all that often.”
That made Trifecta feel kind of sad for some reason. “Well, thanks, I’ll have to go visit them myself someday here. Till then I suppose you two want to get going?”
“Yeah!” The two foals cry out. He places them on his back and takes off into the sky. The two squealing in delight as he does some fancy flying, such as loops and the like to give them a little thrill. Their wings weren’t developed enough yet to truly fly, so this was just a taste of what was to come when they get older. He saw Pegasi do this for their young a couple times in the past.
“Hey, Uncle Tri?” Trina meekly asks crawling onto his head. “Can we get some ice cream?”
He follows her pointing claw, spotting an ice cream establishment down below. Checking the position of the sun he found it to be close to noon. How long have they been flying around? He lost track of time.
“Sure, why not,” He descends, causing a bit of a fuss by the ponies walking on the street. Once Little Thrice and Trina leap off his back it seems to calm everypony down. They walk up to the vendor. The large variety of favors overwhelming him. There were hundreds! “Um… what do you want kids?”
“Mint!”
“Strawberry!”
“Here you go, and for you, sir?” The vendor asks, the two foals already running off to a nearby bench. Trifecta reaches back, suddenly realizing he forgot his saddlebags! He didn’t have any bits!
“No, you wouldn’t by chance be able to charge the bill to Night Patrol? I’ve forgotten my bits I’m afraid.” Trifecta says shamefully. Course he realized he didn’t have any bits at the ship either. Part of their contract with Celestia in the past was they didn’t have to pay for anything. Everything was charged to the crown. “Sorry about this, could you let the foals have their treats? I’ll pay you back before the end of the day.”
The vender looks a bit flustered before sighing, giving Trifecta a soft smile and dishing out a cup of vanilla ice cream. “You look like basic sort of pony, have this one on the house, along with the two foals. It’s not much but think of it as my thanks for saving the city. I was one of the ponies you all brought up to the flying ship of yours. You saved mine and my families lives. I would give you free ice cream every day if it was feasible.”
Trifecta smiles, “No need to put yourself out like that. This favor is enough. Next time I will pay you properly. I’ll let my comrades know of you, Mr…”
“Swirl, Swirl Cone, and thank you…”
“Trifecta.” Swirl extends his hoof and Trifecta shakes it with his claw. “I’ll see you around.”
“You too.”
Trotting over to the bench where Thrice and Trina sat Trifecta took notice of all the stares they were attracting. As a Rinin he was used to ponies staring, but he notices that some were staring at the two siblings too. He could guess why. They weren’t hiding their Rinin features.
“Maybe you two should put your wings and claws away for the time being.” The siblings give a sour look, retracting their wings which blended into the scales that line their spines and all but the claws holding their ice cream cones changed back into hoofs. Their excited licking of ice cream slows. “What’s wrong?”
“Dad says we can’t show ponies what we really are either, he hides his wings and claws too. He says it helps us blend in more, but you don’t have to hide.” Little Thrice says looking down, his sister matching his mood.
“I couldn’t blend in even if I wanted to. My wings don’t do what yours can and I have too many scales. At best I could look like a bat pony. But…” Trifecta raises his wings, they were much too wide to be a bat ponies. “Well, it doesn’t matter. I would let you show what you really are, but I must honor your parent's wishes. When you grow up you can decide what to do.”
“Aww, but that’s so far away.” Thrice whines.
He chuckles ruffling the little colt's mane, “it’s not as far as you might think. Now let’s be off, is there a place you two want to go?”
“Celestia’s park!” Trina says excitedly. “It’s a really cool park with hills, trees, and flowers like the one in Celestia’s castle! Sometimes she teaches classes there!”
“That hardly happens,” Thrice says, causing Trina to flume.
“So, I still want to go!”
“But you already chose ice cream! It’s my turn!” Thrice argues.
“You wanted it too!” Counters Trina.
He shakes his head, “Alright, both of you settle down.” The two shrivel a Trifecta’s tone. “Sorry, I’m not used to dealing with kids. Now, Thrice, what do you want to do?”
“I want to hear stories about you and Grandpa Thrice!” The little colt excitedly demands.
“Alright, while I can do that, and we can go to the park, right?”
Thrice digs his hoof into the bench, “Yeah, I guess, but it’s not as cool if were surrounded by flowers.” What a boyish thing to say, muses Trifecta dropping the two back onto this back with his tail. At Trina’s direction, he flies towards the park.
“Hey isn’t that one of your friends?” Thrice points towards the ground. He glances in the direction of his claw, spotting Sixes in his officer’s uniform. He wasn’t looking happy.
“He’s something like that.” He answers neutrally. He really didn’t want to talk to Sixes right now.
“Do you think he’d hang out with us?”
“I doubt he would be in the mood.” Trifecta replies veering towards the park. “Let’s just leave him be. He looks busy.”
Touching down in the park Trina instantly hops off his back racing towards the flowers. While, Thrice jumps off and stands beside him, looking embarrassed. They walk towards one of the trees planted at the top of the hill and sit down. Trifecta was about to begin the tale of how he and his brothers helped Princess Luna assault Rainbow Factory when a high pitched terrified scream pierced the peaceful silence.
“Stay here!” He barks at Thrice, his eyes turning to narrow slits as he storms down the hill. The scream had been Trina! He let his guard down! “Trina! Trina, where are you?” He demands his voice gravely and thick with worry and rage. The little pink filly came barreling out of the flower patch, her body trembling as she clings to his leg.
“Scary monster! A pony with no legs!” She screams in terror.
He sighs, picking the filly up and placing her on his back. She hides in his mane as he trots up the hill across from the one he had left Thrice at. Sure, enough he saw the long horns of Bulwark and Platinum cuddled beside him, her metal legs detached and laid next to the tree. She smiles awkwardly, waving a silver/white stub at them.
“Um… Hi… Trifecta,” Platinum says with flush cheeks. “Did we scare the little filly?”
“Rather obvious,” Trifecta answers pulling Trina from his back, she instantly hugs his leg, burying her muzzle in his leg. He sighs, waving for Thrice to come over. The little colt’s reaction was very different.
“Wow… you're so big!”
“Yes, he is,” Platinum replies with a blush. “Oh… you mean… yes, he’s big.”
“Platinum!”
“What?”
“You know what! Also, why did you take your legs off? Not to be rude, but… well… Bulwark looks… and then with your like that…”
“I know don’t we look so cute?” She swoons. “Shame we didn’t hire a painter. This is a nice setting for a romantic portrait.”
Trifecta shakes his head, “Sorry Bulwark, but Platinum, it looks like Bull ripped off your legs and ate them.” She scoffs turning up her nose.
“That’s ridiculous! If that was the case there'd be blood everywhere! Look at my stubs! They’ve long since healed!” She waves the light pink nubs Thrice looks fascinated by them, while Trina presses closers against Trifecta’s leg. “Also, those metal things get tiresome after long walks. I’ll have to make a lighter set for off time.”
He double takes. “Wait, those are your combat legs!”
“Yeah, I only have the one set of legs currently! We only had some much room for storage, I didn’t want to take up any more space than needed, so I left my casual legs in the castle! They’re probably rust and dust by now.”
“Your combat legs,” Trifecta reiterates. “The ones with the gem cannons, rockets, and blades built in?”
“Yes, those.”
“Why in Luna’s name would you just casually throw those behind a damn TREE!”
“Umm…” Trina spoke up, finally coming out from behind Trifecta’s leg. “Are these… ponies your friends, Uncle Tri?”
Platinum blinks, “Uncle Tri… are these…”
“Thrice’s descendants, Trina and Thrice the fifth,” He answers. “And yes, Trina these are my friends. This is Patroller 2000, Bulwark Bulldrake and his wife, Platinum De Belle. You might remember them during the battle when I dropped you off with your father.”
Trina’s eyes light up! “You’re that nice pony that gave me candy on the ship!” Her fear gone the little filly runs up to Platinum giving her a big hug. The unicorn mare chuckles patting the filly with her stub, her last leg occupied with keeping her body balanced upright.
“Yes, I suppose I am. It’s nice to see you again. And look how cute you are! Thrice sure did a good job breeding, you are absolutely adorable! Oh, I wish I could hug you properly, but,” Platinum looks sadly to her remaining leg and then to her metal ones. “I doubt the feel of cold steel is very pleasant for hugging.” Platinum suddenly found herself rising off the ground, Bulwarks massive claw/hand lifting her off the ground, freeing her leg for use. “Thank you, dear.” She lifts Trina up with her remaining leg and hugging the little filly to near death! Her eyes welling with tears.
“I’m sorry, seems I’ve gotten rather emotional. Um… Bulwark could you help me with my legs. I think it’s time we’ve returned to the ship.”
“Aww,” Go the two foals, “But we wanted to hear your stories with Uncle Tri!”
“You’re not… repulsed by me?” Platinum says wiping away her tears, suddenly Bulwark lifts Platinum onto his lap, setting her so her missing legs were hidden by his crossed hindlegs.
“Your beautiful, Luv,” Bulwark speaks for the first time. “I think we have some time to tell a few tales to the children. Right, Commander Trifecta?”
“I got a good hour before they have to get home, besides it’s more fun with more ponies,” Trifecta says sitting down beside the couple, the two foals flanking him. “Now, how about I start with the tale of me and my brothers and our daring assault with Princess Luna on Rainbow Factory, where Bulwark and many others were being held by…”
The two foals were engrossed by the tale, their eyes wide with excitement and suspense as Trifecta relays his exploits. To add to the emersion, he performed stunts and breathed fire. When he finished the story of Rainbow Factory he told them of his time in the second griffon war with the thunder brothers, and Sixes' daring charge to make it back to the castle. The two foals’ eyes were shining as the sun sinks towards the horizon. Trifecta was figuring it was probably time to bring them home when some voices called out to them.
“Goody! Look! Look! It’s them!” A mare bat pony said excitedly, tugging along a bat stallion, happily approaching their little group with no fear of him or Bulwark. “Wow… you look as big out of your armor as you do in it!”
“I remember you two,” Platinum spoke up, “You’re those bat ponies we ran into when we dropped into the city!”
“That’s us!” The mare exclaimed excitedly. “I’m Sweet Dreams and this here is Goodnight! Goody for short. We’re night guards at the castle.”
“Night guards? Shouldn’t you be getting ready for your shift? It’s what, six o’clock?” Time sure flew by, Trifecta mused, noticing the yawls of the two foals. “You two need to be getting home.”
“Aw, but we want to hang out with you, Uncle Tri. Please Goodnight, tell him we can stay out longer.”
Goodnight took a good step back shaking his head, “That’s not my call Little Thrice.”
Trifecta looks between the two, “Are you related?” He asks the bat pony. Goody quickly shakes his head.
“No, no, I was friends with Little Thrice’s cousin growing up. I guess you could say I’m a friend of the family.”
“Interesting,” Platinum comments, “So are you two dating?” She asks further adding more questions that weren’t getting answers to the conversation. Both bat ponies look flush as they eye each other and then look away. Platinum smirking at the pair. “Well, that’s a good enough answer for me. But moving onto less personal topics, Trifecta does raise a point, shouldn’t you two get ready for your shifts?”
His blush cooling, Goodnight nods, “Normally yes, but Celestia has put all the surviving royal guards from the attack on leave, while the forces from the other cities run our shift. It honestly makes me feel bad, just casually strolling around when I should be at my post.”
“Same here,” Sweet Dreams agrees, hanging her head. Trifecta snorts.
“Celestia made the right choice. You two are tired from running a double shift for the wedding for the past few days and then partaking in the defense of the city. To push you any more would be a waste of time, so enjoy these moments of peace.”
“I guess your right,” Goody replies, looking a bit relieved. “But honestly we didn’t do much to defend the city. We were just running for our lives. We took out a few changelings, but nothing like you guys.”
Trifecta lays his head on the grass suddenly feeling tired himself, “The fact you survived means you have some potential. If you ever feel up to it come and over and see if you got what it takes to be in Night Patrol.” He looks between the pair of bat ponies. “Both of you.”
“Really?” Sweet Dreams gasps her eyes shining with hope and wonder.
“Why not,” Trifecta shrugs, rising back off the ground, he’d fall asleep he doesn’t get his blood moving. “We’ll talk about it another day, I got to get these two back home. You and Bulwark want to go find a bar or something, Platinum?”
The pinkish unicorn stifles a yawn, “No, not tonight. I’m feeling rather exhausted. Would you mind carrying me back to the ship Bulwark? I don’t feel like putting on my legs yet.”
“Of course not, love,” Bulwark replies standing up on his hind legs towering over all of them. Setting Platinum on his shoulder he gathers up her prosthetic legs and shopping bags and stomps towards the air harbor.
“If you want, we know a good place to drink,” Goodnight says, as Thrice and Trina hop on Trifecta’s back. “It’s called the Rusty Horseshoe, it’s a bar for the military, though it’s mostly for Fliers, you have wings so you should fit right in.”
Trifecta hums thinking on the offer, “Sounds like a good time. I’ll drop these two off and meet you there.”
“We can fly with you, it’s no trouble, besides you’ll probably need an escort, it’s kind of tucked away.” Said Goodnight.
“Alright, if you two don’t mind detouring with me.” With a flap of his mighty wings, Trifecta lifts into the sky, the two bat ponies following after him.
Trifecta looks at the glowing lights of Canterlot from above. The city was so bright at night now, it was amazing any pony actually slept. Well, he thought looking towards the south distract where Thrice’s family lives. The inner city certainly didn’t sleep. The party scene didn’t seem to suffer much in the attack as most ponies weren’t here in the daytime.
Swooping down he follows Goodnight and Sweet Dreams down the bustling street into a dimly lit alley. There in the back of the building was the sign for the Rusty Horseshoe. It was certainly out of the way, but then again it wasn’t for the general public. They enter the rebuilt door; the inside was bustling with fliers of all shapes, sizes, and colors. A lot of them wore flight blue and gold flight suits and officer uniforms. Everypony seems to be having a good time. Then he spots him, sitting in the corner with not one, not two, but three mares surrounding him.
Commander Fierce Fury. Strange enough he was laughing heartily, his red cheeks flush with alcohol. Trifecta trots up to the red Commander, Goodnight and Sweet Dreams following his lead.
“I’ve known you for twelve years, and I’ve never seen you smile this much, Commander.” He says to Fury, stealing a bottle of what they were drinking. It was Applejack’s hard-hitting Cider. How were any of them still conscious? He takes a sip from the bottle. It was a little weak compared to a thousand years ago.
“Trifecta!” Fury laughs drunkenly. “Come on and sit down! I see you made some new friends today! These are mine, um… Spit, and um… Fleet something and Misty.”
The yellow mare beside him wobbles not looking much better then the commander, “I’m Spitfire, that’s Fleetfoot and Misty Fly.” She giggles falling against Fury.
Trifecta looks between the two, his gaze darting between Fury’s gold streaks and Spitfire’s coat as he squeezes into the booth with the two bat ponies. They were the exact same shade of gold. Also, the mare looked like a yellow and orange dyed Nightingale.
“Yeah,” He replies awkwardly. He better make sure those two don’t go home together tonight. “This is Goodnight and Sweet Dreams.”
“Nice to meet you two,” Fury loudly says extending his claw across the table. “I’m Commander Fierce Fury, second no…let’s see The Princess, then the Admiral, and then Sixes… Fourth, I’m fourth in command, second if you don’t count Luna and McGather.”
“McGather?” Goodnight questioned puzzledly.
“Admiral Jaguar McGather,” Trifecta clarifies. “We hired him after Luna’s banishment. You might know him from the history books.”
Sweet Dreams wings suddenly sprang up, “Holy Celestia’s teats! That McGather! The one that wrote the book on Airship to Airship combat and dogfighting!”
“Yeah, we just call him old Coot,” Fury says nonchalantly. “Hey, bartender! Another bottle!” A bottle of Applejack come flying at them, landing perfectly on the table. “Now that’s a talent.” Fury says popping the top, three more glasses come flying in landing in front of Trifecta, Goodnight, and Sweet Dreams. Fury pours them all a half glass before refilling his own. The red commander looks at his reflection before looking intently at Trifecta.
“Hey, Tri.”
“Yeah,” He replies taking a sip from his glass.”
“Have you seen Sixes today at all?”
“Yeah, he looked pissed. I had my great nephew and niece with me, so I didn’t want them to meet him like that.”
Fury laughs, “Good call, he was looking for munition suppliers. I kind of doubted his chances, but he still went out and looked.” The red rinin sighs. “I’m kind of worried about him.” The mood sobers as Fury leans back. “I don’t think he’s sleeping again.”
“It’s only been two days since we woke up.” Trifecta counters, taking a sip, but he was worried too. “You think he’ll go AWOL again?”
“Not with Luna around again, no.”
“But you're still worried.”
Fury grumbles, “He’s my brother, I’ve been by his side since we were in the cave.”
“I remember, you two beat me and my brothers for leadership. Course that was because you got Kira, Emerald and Overheat on your side. That kind of tipped the scales.”
“It wasn’t just you that we needed to beat.”
Trifecta looks at his reflection in the glass, remembering the battle for leadership. Only one of them had died, killed by Sixes' claws. Not that it matters now. The rinin Sixes’s killed… he would have led them down a bad path. The guy didn’t have a name, none of them did at the time, but he thinks his number had been… 024? He might have had the lowest number among them at the time.
“So, what did you do today Tri?”
He looks up from his glass, “I visited Thrice’s descendants. Took the two youngest, Thrice the Fifth and his sister Trina out for a bit to explore the city. Ran into Bulwark and Platinum on their date and ran into these two here. What’d you do?”
“He fucked me up!” Spitfire said drunkenly. Trifecta’s eyes widening at her… um… bluntness?
“I see… did you get her checked out?” He asks as Fury fumes.
“That’s out of context. She and I raced and she figured out how to do a thunder gale on her own, but she ended up over straining herself to the point she couldn’t walk.”
“My wings and thighs are sore.”
“She’s also been saying incenting things like that all night.” Fury grumbles. “Mare’s certainly are different nowadays.”
Trifecta chuckles, “I think you might want to meet a few more mares. She might be the special case… um, why is this one rubbing against me?” He asks keeping Fleetfoot at bay with his claw. She was being grabby.
“Aww… come one, let’s go back to my place and fun!” Fleetfoot says drunkenly. Trifecta looks confusingly at Fury.
“Um… did we come back in the middle of mating season? Can’t say I’m feeling the urge right now.”
“Mating season? We dropped that old tradition a long time ago, now we just…HICCUP… do it whenever now.” Spitfire states. She falls over spilling her beer on a slumbering Misty Flies head. Fleetfoot laughs loudly, pounding the table, while the two rinin look at the two somewhat sober bat ponies.
“What?” Sweet Dreams asks looking between the two rinin.
“You guys dropped mating season?” Trifecta questions. “How is that even possible? Also, how do you get anything done? I mean, if there’s no schedule for rutting, then how is it that everypony isn’t rutting all the time? It’s like every pony is Overheat now.”
Fury bursts out laughing, “Right? He had mares hanging off him every day of the week!” The red rinin sobers up, smiling grimly. “Too bad he never got to meet his daughter. The one the cook had. What was her name again?”
He smirks, “Hot Chocolate.”
“Yeah,” Fury chuckles, “I remember, she had her mothers brown coat and Overheats flaming hair. She… she was fun to watch run around the castle.” The red rinin leans back looking sad. “I wonder what happened to her. She was only ten when we sealed ourselves away. Must have been hard on her.”
“I’m sure she got by, it’s not like we all froze ourselves in stone. My brothers didn’t and many others didn’t either. She probably set her roots down somewhere.” They settle into a confrontable silence. Their two bat pony companions seeming content to talk against themselves. Though if the blush on the mare’s cheeks was any indication, the two probably wouldn’t be here much longer.
“Um…” Goodnight began, Sweet Dreams hanging off his shoulder, drunkenly hiccupping and giggling. “I’m going to take her home. I’ll see you guys around.”
“Yeah, you have a good night… um… Goodnight, remember what I said about coming by the ship.”
“I will, it was nice meeting you Trifecta, Fierce Fury.”
They wave goodbye to the two bat ponies. They drink a couple more rounds, talking about the old days. Trifecta looks at the clock above the bar, his vision a little blurry. He lost track of how many glasses he’s had tonight. Or what time he even got here tonight. He sways in his seat. Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Misty Fly were all knocked out, snoring on the table. Fury wasn’t looking much better.
“Probably time to call it a night, huh, commander?” He slurs. “We should get these mares home. Where do they live?”
Fury sways, his head dropping on the table. “No idea.”
He lightly cusses. “Well, should we just bring them back to the ship? We can put them in one of the mare’s rooms.”
“Jazz is out of the city, they can go in her room,” Fury agrees. Jazz had her own room, not quite the size of an officers, but it should fit the three mare’s just fine. There should be enough room for all three drunk mares. “I’ll carry Spitfire if you want to get the other two.”
He huffs, tossing Fleetfoot and Misty Fly on his back. “Don’t get too attached, you might end up being related.”
Fury scoffs, “The only mare I was ever with for more than one night was Nightingale and we didn’t have any foals.”
“That you know off,” Trifecta whispers as they leave the bar, Fury paying off the tab. The trip back to the ship was quick, both of them eager to settle down and rest. He was especially tired from running around with Thrice and Trina. The two little foals really wore him out. Their parents had his sympathy. Maybe tomorrow he would go over and talk to Thrice the Fourth or maybe try and find Trinity’s descendants in Nippon. It’d be nice to go there while he had the time.
He and Fury land on the Nightmare, their talons clicking against the metal flight deck. Quietly they make for Jazz’s room, which was located below the Commander’s quarters. After stealing some extra sheets and pillows from the linens he and Fury set the mare’s in bed and shut the door.
Fury yawns Trifecta helping him up to his room on the officer’s floor and heads for his own quarters. The officers’ quarters consist of four rooms. One for each of the Commanders and one for Admiral McGather. A small stairway at the end of the hall led up to the Grand Admiral’s, AKA the Princess’s quarters, for when Luna was aboard. Celestia didn’t have a room, but there was a spare bed in Luna’s room in case her sister was aboard. Sixes had been the one behind that decision when the ship was being built. Granted Celestia had occupied Luna’s room during their ten years under her command.
Stopping at the top of the stairs he notices a wrapped present outside of Sixes' room. Obviously, it was Platinum’s gift to Sixes. Judging from the form, it was a pillow. Knowing Platinum’s tastes, it was probably a really good pillow too. It was honestly kind of sad how hard she tries with Sixes. He would have thought she’d taken a hint from how Sixes treated Crusader on how he treats ponies that see him as a parental figure.
“He’s not back yet either,” He notes picking up the pillow. It would be a shame to leave it here. So, he picks it up and places it inside Sixes' door. No pony locks their door on this ship, there wasn’t a reason too. He looks around, seeing no sign of Sixes inside. “Guess he’s not coming back tonight.” He mumbles about to shut the door when his eye catches something strange. He opens the door wide again his eye fixed on the corner that held Sixes' armor stand. His armor was gone! “Shit.”
Running out onto deck Trifecta fires a flare into the night sky. He waits, searching for a response. A fireball flies up from the other side of Canterlot. Taking out his gem com he raises Sixes.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m on Patrol,” Sixes’s voice growls over the com.
“You’re on leave, you can’t go on Patrol, Sixes. Come back to the ship, I bet you haven’t slept yet.” Trifecta says worriedly. Remembering the last time this happened. Come morning somepony was going to find something hanging from golden hooks and chains.
“I slept last night.” Sixes growls over the coms.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t call what you did last night sleeping. Everypony knows you have nightmares.”
“I don’t have Nightmare’s Trifecta, just bad memories!” The com screams as Sixes' angry voice overloads the communication device.
“Well, you have a lot of bad memories then. Look just come back to the ship or I’ll…”
“You’ll go to bed, NOW, that’s an order!” Sixes barks, the com going dead. He must have turned it off Trifecta concludes, unable to reconnect.
The last living Triplet shakes his head, but none the less begins making his way back to his room. He had to follow orders after all.
Celestia’s sun rose in the east rousing the citizens of the little town called Grimsville. Named as such because the town was only ten miles away from the entrance into Tartarus. Their founders hadn’t made smart choices. Really the tiny town just served as an outpost for the handful of royal guards stationed to feed Cerberus, the guardian of the Tartarus. Really despite living only ten miles away from hell, their town was a quaint one.
So, when the ponies of Grimsville woke to the sight of the chimera that stalks the nearby flaming geyser swamps, hanging from a golden meat hook and chain, they were perturbed. The creature hung from the water tower the only structure tall enough to do such a thing. The creature’s body swung in the light breeze. The hook thrust through the tiger’s lower jaw, the main body torn open and gutted, it’s organs covered in flies. They covered their muzzles as the creature’s rank smell drifted towards them. It must have been killed a few hours ago.
“What manner of monster could do this?” The lead guard, a unicorn by the name of, Feeder, asked.
“Um, a black pony-like creature in armor?”
“What makes you say that?” He asked as one of the town ponies pointed to the village entrance. He spotted the creature in question, his teeth chattering as the haunting sounds of chains rattling across the ground drew closer. The creature looked haggard, it’s breathing heavy and wheezing, heavy grunts fill the air as the creature dug into the earth with its claws, golden chains glittering in the morning, a hulking black shadow followed behind the creature, it was dragging something behind it.
“My word…” Feeder gasped along with the town ponies as the massive body of a hydra peaked over the hill. The creature’s features became clearer as it crossed the town’s boundary. It was indeed pony like, it even wore armor, but it really it looked more like a small dragon has it snaps its jaws, growling as it dragged it quarry across the ground.
They make way for the creature. Trembling at the sight of it. They didn’t recognize the armor, it was midnight blue, a very dark blue, almost black in color. There was a gold stripe on the shoulder with a unicorn skull and wings inside the stripe. A large tooth stuck out of the pony’s breastplate, pieces of its armor were missing or cracked, and he stank of blood and death.
The black pony came to a stop.
“Is this the way to Tartarus?” He asked, his voice rough and gravely.
Feeder gulped, “Um, yes sir, it’s just ten miles that way.”
The pony grunted. “Good.” And detached his bloody golden hooks from the hydra. The hooks bounced and bobbed across the road as the pony left town. Once he was gone every pony let out the breath they’d been holding.
“Sweet Celestia! What kind of monster was that?” A mare cried. “What a dreadful beast.”
As the town began to buzz with chatter Feeder looked at the road leading to Tartarus and then to the hanging Chimera, and then to the hydra. A monster. A monster that killed other monsters. A monster that could probably even kill Cerberus!
“Fetch me a pen and paper! Hurry! I must report the to Princess!” The requested items were quickly presented to him. After writing a brief note he sent the letter to the nearest guard outpost. Very few Unicorns could send letters to any place in Equestria like the Princess and her students could, the best they could do is send the letter through the outposts until it reached Canterlot. He hoped it arrived soon. “Chow, Bow, let’s go! We’re going to the gates!”
The pegasus and earth pony eyed their leader warily looking at the defeated monsters before them. This could only end badly. They gulped following the unicorn down the road to hell.
Celestia sighed shaking off another group of ponies. Telling them she’d get to them at their appointed time and to talk to her scheduler. The day court has yet to resume, there was too much to do, and she was putting all her time into the reconstruction efforts and the reorganizing of the military. She had to find a replacement for Captain Spears who tragically died in the attack. She also needed to find Shining Armor’s replacement, no his Vice Captain’s replacement. She would keep Shining Armor for now. He should be returning soon from his honeymoon. It was only her insistence that he and Cadence go, besides in his condition he wouldn’t be much help anyway.
Rounding the corner Celestia picked up her pace as she tried to think of where she had to go next. (I need to think about what I’m going to do with the Commandos.) The loss of her most elite force was a huge blow. Even more disheartening was the fact that the last of the Bison and Stronghold mirror pool clones were wiped out with them. Then there was the loss of Bricks and Fortress, Bison, and Stronghold’s direct descendants. She quickly rounded the corner, fresh tears falling, which she quickly wiped away less somepony see her. She still needed to send word to their families.
She wasn’t ready for today. In a lot of ways, she hadn’t been ready for yesterday or the day before. She’d gone soft. But that didn’t matter. She had to act like she was ready. The thought of waking up Luna to help ease her burdens crossed her mind, but Celestia quickly rejected it. No doubt there would be ponies tonight that would hound her sister, best Luna is rested for that.
Another group of ponies came at her, ponies from the merchant guilds. They were clamoring about costs and labor and their outrage over the decision to use material from a nonunion source. Normally she’d let the guild unions do as they please, but she didn’t have the time to deal with their high costs and fees, so yesterday she signed a work order for the royal engineers to put a bid out to private companies and for them to handle it from there.
“Yes, yes, I know, I know,” She told them trotting ahead of the union reps. Several pegasus guards left their posts to block them. From their armor marking, they were from Whinnyapolis. She’ll have to look more closely at that branch, they seem to be very disciplined. Maybe their commander there was worth taking a look at.
Already another herd of ponies was coming at her. Time Keeper, bless his soul, got out ahead of them telling the contractors, petitioners, and others that if they wish to speak with her, they must go through him. Which was right of course, he was the royal scheduler. However, not even a pony of his skill could deal with the workload they now found themselves piled under.
She had tried to listen to everypony in the throne room, but they just shouted overreach other, everypony demanding her attention. When she finally had enough she tried to go to her office so she could sit down with her staff and get everything back on track, but so far, she has yet been able to get there. At this point, she should have just teleported there when no pony was looking. She couldn’t now because if she were to suddenly teleport away it could be misinterpreted as a sign of being overwhelmed. (Which she was) And then ponies would really panic! So, no teleporting for her, at least not where ponies could see her. Really though she just wanted to go down to her garden and relax.
(I left them so unprepared.) She thought to herself as she continued to wander the halls as more ponies came to shout at her, report to her, and demand things from her. Mindlessly she replied, telling them to go to the appropriate representative. Did no pony understand what the Royal contractor was? It was a pony, a pony she assigned to handle all construction deals, he would review their proposals and then report to her, and she’d either approve, change or veto the proposal. Well, Luna would have to sign too, but the point was there was a pony whose job it was to listen to them. And that pony was not her. (I have a great amount of wisdom and knowledge, but not even I know how to rebuild a castle. I studied magic, not architecture and engineering, though I did dabble a bit, but not enough to answer their questions.)
Really though it wasn’t just her that grew soft. Her ponies were simply put, were goo. She could not recall the last invasion or war Equestria had been in. It was a nice break for her, her entire life has been battle, war, and conflict, so when finally, finally there was some peace. She indulged in it. But her ponies, a lot of them, even the military branches didn't know how to deal with it or what do in the aftermath. The most important thing was getting things back in order, now was not the time for rash decisions. Such as rallying the rest of the EUP to track down the changelings.
“Speaking of the EUP,” There was a list of protentional new officers on her desk, given to her by Fortress before the attack. With Spears and many others of the higher rank dead. She’d have to pick new ones to take their place and then let Luna take a look. Luna had always been better organizing the military. Celestia’s current situation a glaring reminder of that.
“I’ll have to insist on keeping Shining Armor, it’s not his fault for what happened.” She mumbled, yet as she said those words she couldn’t help but think, why was she so insistent that Shining Armor not is removed? In her mind she thought it best to keep a familiar face around as Captain of the Royal Guard, a pony everypony could trust. Yet as she thought of it, could ponies trust Shining Armor? Or maybe the better question was, would they? Celestia sighed, “It doesn’t help his sister is my student and he’s now married to my niece.” She let out a rare silent curse. There was no winning here.
If she kept Shining Armor it would look bad because of his connections to her, and while it wasn’t his fault for falling under the Queen’s spell, a task no pony beside her and her sister were up to. Most wouldn’t see it that way. However, to keep him as the Captain of the Guard… was that really the right choice? If they were going to reorganize the Equestrian Military maybe it would be better to have a different face.
On the other hoof, it would be a shame to not give Shining a chance to prove himself. Yet as she thought about it, the Pegasus division still had both their Captain, Vice-Captain, and most of their officers. The earth division had no pony in the city that could take up an officer position and besides Shining Armor neither did the unicorns.
“Maybe…” Celestia licked her lips in deep thought. “Maybe Spitfire should be Captain of the Guard?” The thought lingered in her mind for a full minute before it was quickly dismissed. “She wouldn’t take the job anyway. But still, I’ll have to talk about this with Luna.” Celestia felt a brief moment of remorse for the position Shining Armor was thrust into, depending on how things play out his career in the guard might be over. That would devastate not only him but Cadence and…
“Twilight?” Celestia said aloud, finding the lavender unicorn sneaking out of the library with saddlebags of books. “What are you doing here? I didn’t get a letter saying that you were coming today.”
“Oh, yeah, I figured you would be busy, so I decided I would just you know, come and indulge in the library a little bit. No big deal.” Twilight’s tone was nervous, which caught Celestia’s attention. As the little unicorn tried to trot away, a very out of character move by her young student who would take any chance to talk to her face to face. Celestia grabbed one of the books from Twilight’s saddlebags with her magic. The purple unicorn turned in a panic. “Wait, no!”
“Tier 8 Mage combat spells, hmm this is a bit above your grade isn’t Twilight?” She asks her student who refused to meet her gaze. “I thought we talked about this after the smarty pants issue. I don’t mind you learning more advanced magic, but for this kind of magic, it would be dangerous for you to self-study. Somepony could get hurt.”
“I know, but…”
“But?”
“I was so… unless during the invasion! Even Cadence knows how to use this kind of magic!”
Celestia grimaced, she hadn’t really taught Cadence much in the way of combat either. From the pink princess’s own account Luna’s week of combat training had been put to use in the caves below Canterlot. “Cadence is a different matter. You’re not ready.”
“I can learn these spells easy! You know I can! Give me a week!”
She shook her head, “I know you could Twilight, I meant you're not ready to kill.” Twilight flinched, her face contorting in shock and fear. “See? You could learn the most powerful attack spell known to ponies and it wouldn’t matter if you don’t have the will to use it. Even the most basic of magic blasts can be charged to lethal levels. I’m sure you ran into resistance on your way to the chapel. You used your horn then, yes?”
Twilight nods. “To knock them out, yes.”
Celestia smiles sadly, “And that’s what I mean. To be honest, I’d rather you not become a killer, Twilight. Focus on the magic that’s guided you so far, it will lead you well.”
“But that kind of magic won’t work on enemies like the Queen!”
“And a lighting spell won’t put out a fire, every magic has strengths and weaknesses. I taught you that already Twilight.” Celestia chided lightly.
Twilight looked solemnly at the floor, before looking back up with those big lavender eyes as deep as the void in curiosity. “What about the magic you used? The one that almost defeated the queen.”
“Not almost, would have,” Celestia corrected bitterly. “That magic is something I developed in the years after Luna’s banishment. It was my… trump card. Sadly, I’ve been unable to use it to its full effect.”
“Because we got in the way?”
“Among other things,” Said Celestia, clenching her teeth as she thought about the elements and how they stopped her from facing Nightmare Moon herself or taking out Discord for good. Not that she wasn’t happy with the end results, but her fondness for the magical jewels has waned.
“Princess!” A loud bellowing voice called from down the hall. Celestia looked from Twilight to see Tinker, the royal engineer, or one of the royal engineers trotting towards her.
“Let’s discuss this later, Twilight, but…” She took the rest of the books from Twilight’s saddlebag and quickly scrolls through the titles. Finding one she was comfortable with Twilight studying on her own. “Start with this book.”
“Magic shields: tier 5? Shields are Shining’s talent though.”
“And as his sister, it would stand to reason you may have a talent for them as well, maybe not on his level, but for a pony with magic as their cutie mark, I don’t see why you shouldn’t take a crack at it. Besides, you must first learn how to defend if you're going to learn how to attack.” Celestia half fibbed through her zen message as Tinker reached her. “We’ll get in touch later, Twilight.”
“Yeah, sure,” Twilight said dejectedly trotting away. It pained her heart to see her student like that, but alas, she had other matters to attend to.
“Yes, Tinker?”
“You gotta stop him! He’s a mad pony! A mad pony I say!”
She sighed, she couldn’t read minds. Well, she could, but she didn’t actively do it. It was poor manners. “Maybe I ask who you are talking about?”
“That blasted Admiral! He came into my workshop, took one look around and told us to stop building and I quote, “Cannon fodder fishing boats” Then he took all of my blueprints and burned them! Right in my face! Then after all that he has the gall to slap a bunch of blueprints down on my desk. He wants us to build iron airship! As if such a thing was possible!”
“The Nightmare is an iron Airship,” Celestia informed the engineer, much to his shock. “I know not how it is done, but it is possible.”
Tinker stuttered, “That’s impossible! Do you know how much power it would take to move that thing!”
“212,000 Horsepower,” She answered. “it uses four massive rotating gem turbine engines, with four more for backups. As I said, I don’t know how it works, but trust me when I say I know that ship can fly. I used to command it after all.”
“What would you have me do, then?”
Celestia took a breath, she denied the Admiral before when he wanted to build support ships for the Nightmare. She had thought the ship would be enough, despite his argument that the Nightmare while a foraminal ship was not invincible. The Nightmare was a carrier-class ship, it was meant to hold troops, equipment, and provide support for ground and air assaults. It wasn’t meant to be a battleship.
Of course, she hadn’t understood that back then. She thought the ship was well advanced at the time and it was. No Airship of the time could compete with it, but the Admiral had reminded her that the Moon Cutter, Solar Flare, and Midnight Dusk were all head of their time and all three ships had been destroyed. McGather had said it best, each of the Airships alone was tough, but without the support of other classes of ships, such as destroyers, patrol boats, corvettes, medical ships, and battleships, the Moon Cutter and its siblings were overwhelmed by the Griffon forces.
Even after his explanation, she had still hesitated. She did commission ships, but not the ones he wanted. She thought it would be enough at the time. Instead, she chose to open her magic school and produce Mages. Oh, how that backfired on her.
“Princess, Princess!”
“Uh? Oh, yes, Tinker?”
The engineer looks worriedly at her, she had zoned out for too long. “What would you have me do? I can make these Iron Airships, if I have the Admiral counsel, of course, this will be a new experience for me, but…” Tinker trembled a devilish grin on his face. “Dare I say, I’m excited to do something we thought impossible before. They made that ships a thousand years ago, the skill, the genius to do such a thing! I haven’t felt this much excitement since I first got my mark!”
Seeing the engineer so excited made Celestia’s chest ache. She’s truly failed her ponies. She hasn’t prepared them for hardship, and now she’s stifled their imagination.
“Proceed with the plans, after getting Luna’s permission of course.”
“Aye, I’ll start making the arrangements.”
“Oh, be sure to tell McGather not to go overboard, we don’t have the resources to build as many ships as he wants,” Celestia called after the engineer. Tinker gave a backward wave as he trots away.
Another task done. Hopefully, things would begin to settle down. Celestia began to make her way towards her office again. Exhaustion beginning to set in as she slowly made her way upstairs. It was past noon, now, drawing close to evening. The halls were considerably less crowded, ponies were probably leaving for supper or to finally go home. But they’d be back to talk to Luna. She looked out a balcony, the sun now positioned below the horizon. Moving the sun has become second nature to her, only when it was time to lower it to make room for the moon did she have to focus on moving it. Sometimes she thought it was because the sun wanted her attention before it disappears.
“Still another hour or more,” She said entering her office. There was a couch inside, maybe she’d take a nap…Celestia’s thoughts came to a stop as she found her sister waiting for her. Luna’s body a menacing black silhouette against the setting sun. “Luna.”
“Sister,” She replied hotly, catching Celestia by surprise.
“Is there something wrong?”
“We need to talk,” Luna said, her tone leaving no room for objections. “Don’t worry, I woke up early today, around three, to help you with your workload. I finished most of mine last night by visiting most of the ponies that wanted to see me in their dreams.”
She chuckled, “Are you sure you're allowed to use dream walking like that?” Luna shrugged, it’s not like the original Alicorn of Dreams was around to judge her anymore. “How convenient, I’m envious.”
“I spoke with Sixes last night.” If the mood before was ominous, that sentence just made it downright chilling as her sister’s cold glare fell upon her. “Sixes seems to think himself a monster, and that you’ve committed a crime that I would not forgive. Which I assure you, my list of unforgivable crimes is short, but I doubt you have committed them.” Luna walked closer, her icy teal eyes staring deep into Celestia’s fiery pink. “Your door is chained with a spell that bars me from entering.”
“There are others that use similar magic, I am merely protecting myself,” Celestia said defensively. Luna nodded.
“Understandable, yet Sixes' door is bound with the same spell, and unlike your door, which is pristine and strong, his is rotting. Do you know what a rotting door means Celestia?”
“I can’t say I do, but I doubt it’s a good thing?” She may have had Luna’s powers for a thousand years, but for some reason, she never was able to dream walk.
Luna’s face was grim, “No, it’s not good, it means the door’s owner is close to a mental break. Rotting occurs when the owner experiences constant nightmares, sleeplessness, and traumatic stress.”
“Well, that certainly describes Sixes,” Celestia grumbled. Luna shot her a hard glare, the Princess of the Night’s expression demanding an explanation. “Look, Luna, there are lots of issues between Sixes and me.”
“Issues that the others don’t share?” Luna pointedly asked.
Celestia hangs her head, “Yes, they're much more personal, but we settled them a long time ago.”
“Then why are you still so cross with each other? Hmm? Your argument the other day sure didn’t seem like things were… settled.”
“There’s settled and then there’s forgiven, we never made it to that stage I’m afraid.” Luna’s teal eyes narrow. Her sister backed away moving towards the desk in the room. Luna ran her hoof across the top of the cluttered white desk, but the Night Princess's eyes were on the portrait that hung on the wall.
“I see you didn’t paint Crusader’s antlers, he almost looks normal, like a pegasus.”
“He wanted it done that way.” Celestia retorted, getting defensive. “My son has nothing to do what happened between Sixes and me.”
“He was Sixes’s son too,” Luna countered, a hint of bitterness in her voice. “I’m sure he has a part in this thousand-year-old problem.”
Celestia trembled, hot tears falling down her cheeks, it caught both her and Luna by surprise. “Sixes…” She huffed, her tone dark and foreboding. “He… he… didn’t see Crusader has his son. He rejected him, even though he was made of his blood!”
“Stolen blood,” Luna reminded her. “Don’t forget Crusader wasn’t the result of a night of passion, he wasn’t grown in your womb, though you treated him as if he were. He was made. Made from a scared foal, bits of dragon and deer with the blood of Sixes and your feather.”
“That didn’t make him any less of my child!” Celestia bellowed, opening crying. “That didn’t mean I didn’t love him as if I had given birth to him myself! He was my son! I loved him! I just…” Her words got caught in her throat, an inaudible scream of frustration and rage escaping from the Sun Princess’s throat as she wails. “I just… I just wanted Sixes to give Crusader the time of day! To see him more than just another soldier under his command. To at least acknowledge he was our son!”
Luna smiles bitterly, “He did.”
That caught Celestia by surprise as she tried to compose herself, “What do you mean? What do you mean he did? You can’t be talking about Sixes?”
“I am,” Luna answered calmly. “Before my banishment, Sixes... Sixes told me.” Luna began to choke up with her own tears, she quickly wiped them away, looking directly at her sister. She needed to hear this and she needed to say it. “He told me he had a hard time seeing Crusader as his son because he saw who he was before. He saw a white little colt, scared and afraid, begging for help right in front of him. And he wasn’t able to help him. He said he had no right to be called his father.”
“But still, he could have…”
“No,” Luna said firmly. “Sixes for right or wrong did what he did in regards to Crusader. You can’t change that. Besides, there’s another thing you’ve failed to see in all this.”
“What’s that?” Celestia choked out, her tears subsiding.
“Sixes doesn’t know how to be a father or a parent. Think about it, he was created from a colt or possibly several foals, his mind was wiped and he was left in a cave with the others. None of them knew how to raise children, no pony showed them how. Then you need to factor in Crusader was suddenly made into an adult. There was no bonding between parent and child like normal, it was a poof, here’s your child! It’s really no surprise Sixes didn’t bond with Crusader.”
“But I…”
“Have raised several foals before and was devastated by what happened to your descendants, you were open and willing to accept Crusader and fill the void in your heart. Sixes didn’t have that void.”
Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but closed it, looking defeated. Her expression longing as she stared at her sister with sad pink eyes. “I just miss him so much.” Luna walked over wrapping her wing around the taller alicorn and nuzzled Celestia’s neck.
“I know,” She whispered, “I miss him too.” Luna’s own tears begin to flow again, “I wasn’t the best aunt in the world. I said such cruel things to him and I can never take them back. I can never ask for his forgiveness or tell him he wasn’t a mistake.”
Celestia patted her sister’s back with her wing, their embrace tight as they truly open up for the first time in a long time. “He knew,” She whispered. “He knew you didn’t mean it.”
The final ray of the sun disappeared beneath the horizon as the two sisters broke their embrace, sharing matching bittersweet smiles. Celestia said goodnight to Luna, the day's events piling heavily on her back as the exhaustion of getting so worked up drained the last of her strength.
“Goodnight Luna, we shall talk again, I promise. And I will be upfront.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Luna replied. “Goodnight Sister.”
Celestia was about to teleport to her room, when…
“Princess!”
(Oh, gods what now?) Didn’t they know was Luna’s shift?
“I have urgent news!” A guard pony holding a note screamed from inside her doorway, how’d they even know she was here anyway? “We’ve received multiple reports from outposts at the base of Canterlot mountain to Grimsville of a strange creature attacking monsters and leaving them to hang from golden hooks! It’s heading towards the gates of Tartarus!”
Her eyes popped open, horrible images of gutted ponies hanging from golden hooks flashed through her mind, the ringing of golden chains sharp in her ears as she remembered the bloodied teal capes and black robes of the victims and the feral rage-fueled grunts of the pony that had strung them up.
“Sixes…” She whispered, her eyes widening as Luna’s gaze fell upon her. A very tense silence filled the room as Luna’s icy glare bore into her soul. And they just had such a heartwarming moment too. Breaking the staring contest Luna began to walk towards the balcony. “Luna, where are you going?”
Luna turned and looked sharply at her, “To Tartarus.”
“Not alone you’re not,” Celestia told her well removing the gem from her yoke. “Trust me this isn’t the first time this happened.” She cursed her loose lips as Luna’s eyes narrowed at her.
“Do tell sister.”
The tone of her little sister’s voice was heart-wrenching, they took two steps forward and four back. “Later.” Was Celestia response as she called the Admiral requesting transport and some Patrollers for a search and rescue.
“It’s always later,” Luna said bitterly as they wait on the balcony. Minutes later the hum of an AH-1 chopper could be heard. The black flying machine flew alongside the sister’s balcony, Fierce Fury in full armor waiting inside with Spitfire. Both Princesses jumped in and they zoomed across the sky towards the gates of Tartarus.
“It’s not your usual armor, but it’ll have to do,” Fury said over the roaring winds, presenting them each a set of Night Patrol armor. “There are some weapons here for you too.”
“Thanks,” Luna said as she adjusted the straps of her armor. “Let’s go get Sixes.”
Luna watched the ground whip by from the passenger bay of the helicopter. The invention wasn’t new to her there were plenty of them in this time period mostly used by earth ponies to fly around. The AH-1 as the first military helicopter she’s seen. No doubt another one of Starwind’s brilliant inventions. What was usually a half day’s flight was cut down to only half an hour with the helicopter’s duel turbine gem engines.
“So, let’s go over the situation again,” Said Spitfire. The Wonderbolt captain happened to be visiting the Nightmare with Fury when Celestia’s call came in. Not that Luna wasn’t glad to have the Pegasus here, it’s just she wasn’t sure her skills were a right match for the mission. Not that she’d say that aloud. It’ll only put doubts in Spitfire’s mind or make her mad. The second was more likely. “So, this Sixes broke into Tartarus and is killing the inmates, right?”
“Correct,” Luna answered, Celestia seemingly preferring to keep silent. She just knew whatever happened between her and Sixes was part of this. Not all of it, but it at least had to be a factor.
Spitfire nodded, “Ok, so do we know why he’s doing this? Or I know this is going to be a stupid question, but why are trying to stop him? Besides the possibility, he could die of course. Also, side note, I thought Cerberus was supposed to stop anything from entering or exiting? Does that mean he killed Cerberus too?”
From her corner of the passenger bay, Celestia said, “Sixes wouldn’t need to kill Cerberus, that three-headed dogs would listen to any command given to him by Sixes, Luna, Fury and me. We were the ones that put him there a little over a thousand years ago.”
The Wonderbolt captain looked confusingly at them all, “I thought Cerberus always guarded the gates.”
“A misconception,” Luna said taking over the conversation from Celestia. “Before Cerberus, the gates of Tartarus were guarded voluntary by heroes throughout the ages. I believe Epona was the first to take up the job. It was a flawed system, but one that worked for centuries. However, skip to roughly a thousand years ago heroes like ones of old were few and far between and even fewer had the strength to defend the gates. We had thought one of Starswirl’s band would be able to take up the task but they were always too busy. So…”
“We went looking for a more permeant solution,” Fury interrupted taking over the story. “Sixes and I found this little three-headed pup and after binding it to Tartarus so it would live as long as the fires burn we trained and chained it the gates. Just in time, we had just added a very nasty inmate. Probably the same one Sixes' gunning for.”
“Tirek,” Luna whispered darkly. Fury nodded in confirmation.
“Whose Tirek?” Asked Spitfire.
“An old foe,” Celestia told her. “A very troublesome one. We only got him so easily last time because of Tirek’s brother Scorpan and Starswirl’s help. Unfortunately, that is also why Tirek is alive today.”
Spitfire looked confusingly between the sisters, their faces sullen with past regrets, “Why’s that? Why couldn’t you just off him?”
“That’s because,” Fury said taking over again, “Scorpan made Starswirl and the Princesses promise not to kill his brother if he helps them capture him. They even made a blood oath. Of course, Sixes’s doesn’t care about that, but it’s not like he can take Tirek himself either. From the reports, it sounds like he was injured before even getting to Tartarus. Sixes is probably running on steam, he hasn’t slept in two or maybe three days now, and he’s also been in several fights already. He’s probably hasn’t thought this through at all.”
“Ok, I get it,” Spitfire snapped. “But why is he doing this?”
Fury shrugged, “He probably just went out to blow off some steam and got carried away.”
“Blow off some steam? You call leaving a blood trail fucking miles long and walking into Tartarus blowing off stream?” Spitfire screamed as the chopper lands. “You gotta be shitting me!”
“Regardless of his reasons or lack there off, we need to go get him,” Luna grumbled as they jumped to the ground. Before them lay the gates of Tartarus, Cerberus standing dutifully before the gates. The big black three-headed dog began to pant and bark happily upon their arrival. “Good boy,” Luna said rubbing the middle head on the nose, the other two began fighting for attention and she gave them all a pat and they intern lick her face. “Yes, yes, it’s been a while, but I need you to let us through.”
Cerberus reared back, it’s six eyes looked them over, all eyes landed on Spitfire, Cerberus began to growl stalking towards the Wonderbolt Captain. Acting quick Luna got in front of Spitfire, her wings spread wide. “Her too.” She tells the guard dog. Cerberus popped down on his hindquarters his three heads looking in every direction. “Come on, let’s go.”
Passing the giant three-headed dog the group entered Tartarus. The temperature spiked and the smell of blood, decay, and sulfur assaulted their noses. Following the crumbling path, they heard the sound of rattling chains. Looking to their left they saw a bugbear torn in half, a golden meat hook through its neck as it moans in pain.
“How is that thing still alive?” Spitfire screamed caught off guard by the horror before her, sure she was in hell, but this was only the first level! Come on!
“Runes,” Celestia answered. "Engraved on the chains. Sixes put runes on the chains to keep the beast from dying too quickly.”
“Why would he do that?”
“To make it suffer, probably.” Fury answered Spitfire. He walked to the edge of the path shooting a fireball to knock the bugbear down. The monster falls off the hook, finally dying as its body falls into the nether of the underworld. They continue on, finding more bodies strung up, Spitfire listing off the monsters with amazement. “Gorgon, Orthrus, Basilisk, Gargoyles, what hasn’t he killed?”
“I’ll make you a list later, we better pick up the pace,” Fury replied spreading his wings. “It’ll be faster if we fly down. Tirek’s cell is towards the bottom, right?” Celestia’s nodded. “Then let’s not waste time. I think Sixes already found him.” Down below a haunting roar could be heard as explosions rumble down blow. They all take the plunge and free fall towards the lowest level of hell.
As they fall Luna flew close to her sister. “What brought such a change to Sixes? He was never cruel to his prey before.”
“Let’s talk about this later,” Celestia lightly snapped, wanting to focus on the mission at hoof, if only because she didn’t want to talk about the many possible causes were behind Sixes’ erratic behavior.
“Sooner rather then later, there won’t be a later anymore, Celestia,” Luna warned her sister as they reached the bottom level. The landscape was a sight to behold as gold fire lit up the underworld. Sixes battered, bruised and bleeding stood upon a rock surrounded by lava, his body pulsing with gold veins. On the opposite side was Tirek, standing tall and with muscles.
“Come at me little dragon pony!” Tirek cackled villainously. Honestly, he never changed, he could absorb magic, but he only used it as raw power. A giant sphere of fire forms between his horns. Luna was about to interfere when Fury held her back.
“What are you doing he’s going to get killed!”
Fury smirked, “Just watch for a second. It’s not often Sixes breaks that out.”
“What?” Luna watched Sixes spits gold into his claw, the black rinin mumbling a rapid and soft chant. Grasping the gold in his claw Luna was amazed to see the molten gold take the shape of a golden spear! She looked to Celestia in disbelief. “Did you?”
Celestia nods, “Yes, just in case.”
“Just in case of what? What is that?” Spitfire demanded as the already hot temperature spiked even higher! It was like the sun was right in front of them!
Luna watched her sister’s eyes close and then open again to reveal they're sad depths. “In case I ever became evil. I wanted ponies to have a fighting chance, so I taught Sixes, Fury, and Topaz all various magic… to kill me. For Sixes, I taught him how to use runes and to forge legendary weapons with his gold. I even got rid of my armor, relying on Sixes to make it when I needed it, so they had an even greater chance of victory. But the greatest weapon I taught him to make, the one meant to kill me is…”
Sixes reared back roaring, “SPEAR OF SOLARIS!
The Spear of Solaris, the greatest weapon Celestia taught him how to make. It was a forgery of hers and Luna’s mother’s spear, Solaris, hence the name Spear of Solaris. Much like Celestia’s own axes, it was a light-based weapon, but well Celestia’s Axe of Apollo hacked away at its target when thrown, the spear unsurprising pierced. The spear was nothing but a blur of light when thrown, it was a blink and you’ll miss it kind of weapon, only taking a second to hit its target. As Tirek was learning now as the massive centaur held his side, a hole the size of a cannonball blown off his body. The red centaur howled in pain as a geyser of blood spilled forth.
“You filthy little wretch! You think you can kill me! I’m Lord Tirek! Master of all magic!” As the centaur bellowed the hole in his side began to stitch back together, long thin strands of muscle tissue crisscross over the gaping wound, rapidly healing the normally fatal wound. Tirek’s height drops by a good foot, along with massive amounts of muscle. A smile crossed Sixes' lips, Tirek must have used up a quarter of his magic to heal that wound.
He had been aiming for the bastard’s heart, to permanently put the centaur down, but he had swayed at the last second from his foothold crumbling, also his left eye was little blurry. He touched it, feeling hot blood on the left side of his face. Speaking of blood, he was covered in a lot of it. He’d have a lot more scars after today.
“Just one more shot,” Sixes mumbled, his limbs were stiff, he coughed hard as he tried to spit up more molten gold, but all he got was a few nuggets. He must be at his limit. “Fuck. Going to have to this the hard way.” Flicking up the claw he received from Nico Vega, Sixes steadied himself. He still had a few chains and hooks left, they’d have to do. “Come on then!”
Bolting across the lava pit he swung one of his chains, snagging it in Tirek’s shoulder, the big centaur grabbed it and used it to toss him around. Sixes hit the ground hard, but he quickly dug into the hardened lava rock with his claws and pulled, trying to topple Tirek over.
“Foolish little rinin! Look at our size difference! You can’t outmatch my strength!” Tirek roared pulling on the chain.
“We’ll see about that!” Tossing the second chain Sixes snagged one of Tirek’s legs, hooking it right in the joint! Tirek falls to his knees! “RAGH!” Madly Sixes sprinted towards Tirek his claw weapon posed to rip out the red monster’s throat!
“Sixes!” A voice called out, a familiar voice, Luna’s voice. He stopped his assault. Skidding to a stop he stared at his Princess standing across the lava lake with a look of confusion and fear. “Sixes behind you!” Cursing himself for getting distracted Sixes turned back towards his opponent, a miniature sun growing between Tirek’s horns.
“Fuck!”
“Die!
With little choice Sixes thrust his claw weapon at the sphere, fully expecting it melt and then himself die, but something strange happened. The blades of the claw light up with a brilliant blue, Tirek’s attack shrinking smaller and smaller till nothing remained of it. Everypony present stood a gasp, Sixes included as he looked at the claw with interest.
“Huh, didn’t know it could do that.” The next thing he knew Tirek’s massive fist came barreling from the left, his bad eye, catching him completely by surprise as all he saw was a big blurry object. The force of the blow had him skipping across the ground like a stone on water before slamming to a stop against the earthen walls of Tartarus. He tried to get up, but his legs wouldn’t support him, he fell to his belly and suddenly he finally noticed how much pain he was in. His breathing slowed as his good eye blinked in and out. In the background, he could hear somepony screaming his name. He was so tired though he couldn’t hear who it was. He heard the flapping of wings and hoof steps rushing towards him, the pony still calling his name.
He told them, “I think I’m going to sleep, now.”
“Sixes!” Luna screamed shaking the black rinin, she flinched as a piece of his armor falls off his body, her only relief was the fact his chest still moved, meaning he was alive at least. “Tirek!” Whirling around Luna drew the swords Fury had given her. The straight bladed weapons twirl in her magic as she took aim at the red centaur. “Die!”
In an instant, ten swords flash through the air, embedded themselves into Tirek with such force that they pinned him to the wall. The red monster let out an raged roar as he rips his arms free, the hilt of the blades wedged between his muscles, quickly he rips them out, cursing as he regenerates his wounds. His body shrinking.
“Keep hitting him! Don’t give him time to absorb magic!” Celestia yelled from above her own swords glowing red hot. Tirek fired a blast of magic at her, but it was slow maybe as powerful as twenty unicorns. He was on his last leg! Celestia released her arsenal, the glowing red blades peppering the centaur. Sacrificing an arm Tirek shielded his body from the attack, his right arm falls limp, useless, and horribly burned.
“Heh heh! Come on little Princesses! Hit me! Hit me with your magic if you dare!”
That was the troublesome thing about Tirek, he could absorb raw magic, even from attacks. So far it seems he still hasn’t figured out how to steal magic from objects, a blessing because it allowed them to use weapons embodied with magic against him. However, the longer he lived the longer he had time to figure out a way around this weakness. Luna found the thought troubling as they stand off against the centaur lord.
“Come on! Or are you too afraid?”
“I’ll show you afraid!”
“Spitfire stay where you are!” Luna yelled preventing the pegasus from charging in. “Get any closer and he’ll steal your magic!” Spitfire reluctantly stepped back. Luna giving Tirek her full attention again. There was a certain range Tirek could steal magic, it was a short range, but he didn’t need to touch you to steal magic. At his current power, his reach was maybe five to ten feet. How were they going to…
“RAGH!” Fury holding one of Sixes’s chains came swooping in, catching Tirek in the neck, the centaur held the hook in place as letting go would mean death. “Come on fucker! Let go! I’ll rip ya throat out! Come on! Come on! Show some fucking balls or get back in your fucking cell!”
Steam rose from Tirek’s neck, his body shrinking constantly. He was continuously healing to keep from dying. Warily he slowly walked back into his cell. Fury drops the chain and slammed the door shut. The hook clattered to the ground as Tirek shrunk down to his scrawny and pathetic true from.
From outside the cell Luna glared at him, Tirek chuckling gleefully at the gesture. “How lucky I am my pathetic brother made you swear not to kill me. Lucky indeed. How is Scorpan doing?”
“Wouldn’t know, I haven’t been around much lately.”
“Right, right, your little prance around the land as Nightmare Moon, I heard about that from some of the other inmates. When they were alive of course. Sounds like you were quite the villainess. If you ever go dark again, please come to me first for a partnership. I’m sure we’d work well together.”
Luna bit her lip, pointing a smoldering glare at the villain. In hindsight, Scorpan has left them with an ever-persisting thorn in the flank. Were she a less responsible pony she’d use that one-shot time travel spell to go back and tell her younger self to simply kill Tirek once Scorpan was out of sight. However, the chain reaction to doing that would tear time and space apart. Maybe. But it still wouldn’t be good.
“We should get going, Sixes is in bad shape,” Fury said lifting the black rinin onto his back. He didn’t even wait for her command, Fury just took flight for the surface. Spitfire flew beside him to help keep Sixes upright on the red rinin’s back.
“Right,” Luna softly mutters flying after them, Celestia flying beside her as they leave Tirek behind. In the cells lining the pathway down, they spot the drained victims of Tirek. Their prone forms began to move once again as their magic slowly returned to them. On the path walked the cloaked being Campe, the jailor of Tartarus.
Campe was some sort of dragon centaur being with a scorpion tail. For as long as Tartarus has been, so has she. Even before the time of her and Celestia. Luna remembered vague stories that their mother used to tell them, saying Campe had once been an Alicorn who committed a terrible crime and thus was punished to be the jailer of Tartarus and given a cursed form. Whether the story was true or not has yet to be decided. Campe didn’t talk to them. She only mumbled to herself in the old tongue. The weight of ages in Tartarus has destroyed her mind.
“Fryd vih dutyo, fryd vih,” Campe giggled. She looked up at them, the cloak of her hood shadowing her face, but Luna could see the broken-toothed smile beneath. She apparently found the break out amusing.
“Ignore her, nothing good comes from listening to her, Luna.” Warned Celestia. Not that she needed to tell her that.
“She worries me, sister. Something as old as her, she is not fit to exist in the world, she deranged and dangerous.”
Celestia smiled her patent smile, the smile that drives Luna crazy because it means Celestia wasn’t really listening. Even if Celestia didn’t see it that way. “That’s why she’s not in the world, she’s here.”
As the fly closer to the exit, the bodies of the dead inmates already removed and discarded by the imps. Luna couldn’t help but look back towards Campe as she descended lower and lower. Strange that Tirek happened to get out today. Sixes could have let him out to fight, but that didn’t sound like Sixes, of course, she was beginning to question how well she knew Sixes anymore. The Sixes she knew would have never done this. Well, he would actually, but not something this crazy. He wouldn’t risk ponies lives by accidentally releasing a villain such a Tirek on a whim. He would have blasted Tirek in his cell when he was weak and defenses. Not the most honorable way of dispatching a villain, but Sixes understood how dangerous Tirek could be. Did that mean Tirek had already been freed?
(Another problem for later, let’s focus on the one beside me.) Her gaze fell on Celestia. After such an event as this, the time for later was over. Passing through the gates she and Celestia passed Cerberus who whined as Fury tends to Sixes' wounds on the helicopter.
“I’m not a medic, so let’s get moving! Where’s the closest hospital that isn’t a hut?” Fury asked over the roar of the chopper. Luna and Celestia look beside themselves, they didn’t know the answer. “We don’t have a current map yet, earlier, shit.”
“Ponyville,” Spitfire said suddenly. “Ponyville is the closest town with modern medical faculties besides Canterlot.”
“We might as well take him to Canterlot then,” Fury concluded giving the pilot the signal to take off. They might as well be covering ground well they debate on where to take Sixes. Ponyville and Canterlot were in the same direction. “What are our pros and cons? We have Twenty minutes to decide before we have to turn towards Ponyville or Canterlot.”
Already Luna was bruising herself on trying to heal Sixes with her magic. But it was going about as well she expected. She could heal herself easily enough, but healing others took a different set of skills. She knew her body inside and out, she knew her organs and bones well, and how they should work when broken. Healing another was different because she didn’t know exactly what was wrong. Add to that Sixes was a dragon pony, she didn’t know how much his organs and bone structure was of each. He obviously had a fire sack, because he could breathe fire, but to hell, if she knew where that was.
(I should have taken the time to listen to Starwind’s lectures on Rinin biology.) She cursed. Celestia’s aura overlaps with her own, her sister showing an equal amount of concern for Sixes' wellbeing.
“Don’t numb his pain completely, his natural healing will shut down if you do,” Celestia said with authority, so it at least sounded like she knew what she was talking about. Maybe she did too. Celestia knew all kinds of magic and has always been the better healer between the two of them. Surely after these past thousand years, her sister should have mastered healing, right? “I think we should take him to Canterlot. It’ll be an extra ten or twenty minutes, but at least in Canterlot, we can place him in my healing springs. What do you think Luna?”
Luna wanted to slap herself, how could she have forgotten about Celestia’s healing springs! “That’s fine with me. We should be able to keep him stable till then.” As the words left her mouth Luna became aware of close Sixes came to dying today. Another thing she noticed was his scars, not that she didn’t notice them before, but it just dawned on her how many he had. And how many more he gained today. It made her want to cry.
(What happened to you Sixes?)
Midnight, Luna stood on her balcony lighting up the stars. Behind her in her bed was Sixes sleeping peacefully. He had been in the healing spring for six hours under the care of Celestia’s personal healers, the best in Equestria in herbal and healing magic. The hour's Sixes spent floating the steaming water had left her frantic as the green tinted pool became red from his blood. Several times he would snap awake, angry, raging and would thrash in the water. The healing mares would have to quickly restrain him, less he ripped out their throats.
Once the healers did all they could do. She ordered that Sixes be put in her room. Officially because that way the healers could get to him quickly in case something happens. The real reason? Well… there were many.
“Time to get to the bottom of all this,” Luna whispered, shame staining her voice for what she was about to do. “I hope you’ll forgive me. I don’t want to do this, but you have left with no other options.” Her coat darkens to black as she pulled on Nightmare’s powers, producing two strong dream threads from her horn she connects one to Sixes, while the other traveled across the way to Celestia’s tower. Once her lines were hooked, Luna settled down on the bed beside Sixes’s. The familiar black void surrounded her as she fell through the world of dreams, bubbles of ponies dreaming floated past her. Lighting her horn, the world changed to the hallway of doors she prefers, Sixes’s brittle and rotten door standing before her. The chains that barred her entry before were rusted and brittle, a single poke with her hoof and the chains fell away to dust.
“He’s worse off then I thought if his barring spell shattered so easily,” Luna called upon her sister’s door, the purple door emblazed with the golden sun appears, bright powerful gold chains bind the door, barring her entry. Tugging on the line she placed directly on Celestia, Luna began to reel it in. She could not enter her sister’s dream realm, but she could still pull Celestia from her dream.
Moments later the sun princess came fly through her door, phasing through it as if she were a ghost. Luna found Celestia state of dress rather baffling, as her sister was donned in a rather poofy dress, the kinds of which she’s only seen in plays.
“Luna! What is the meaning of this! I was…” Celestia blushed. “Well, it doesn’t matter what I was doing. That was very rude of you to do, pulling me out of my dream like that!”
“Sister,” Luna seethed, stepping aside to show her Sixes' door. “I believe we have important matters to discuss. As it is ‘later’.”
A look of dread passed through Celestia’s face as she stood up, her dress disappearing as she gazed over Sixes' rotting door. “I didn’t know it was this bad.” She mumbled, causing Luna’s ears to perk up. So, her sister had been aware of Sixes' condition. Much more then she had led her to believe.
“Shall we enter?” Luna pushed open the door, Celestia hesitated. “Is there a reason you don’t want to enter?”
“No, no,” Celestia said shaking herself of her fear. “It’s just… never mind, you’ll see for yourself. No pony can hide anything from you here.”
“You certainly seem to be trying,” Luna asserted brushing past Celestia into the doorway. Celestia hesitated one more time before finally following in after her. Together they enter the world of what should have been Sixes' dreams, only to find a nightmare.
Standing in the middle of a barren burning wasteland, the familiar landscape of the Everfree Forest twisted and warped with aspects of other lands such as a ruined Canterlot, the southern grasslands which were ablaze, the frozen north of the Crystal Empire, the coasts of Maredor and many other locales that Sixes had fought in. Looking haggard and worn Sixes was bloody and panting, the bodies of his enemies swinging from trees in states of decay.
It was an awful sight.
“ARRAGH!” Screamed Sixes slamming his body against a decrypted looking version of the Iron pony Yellowblood. Sixes wrestled the rusted metal pony to the ground, breathing fire into the hole in its body. “DAMN YOU!” Creating a gold chain Sixes hooked it into Yellowblood’s eye socket and threw him into a tree with the others. “Come on! Where are you!” Sixes screamed walking deeper into the forest. His feral cries of rage echoing through the trees. He hadn’t even noticed them.
“Come on,” Luna said leading the way, following the path Sixes had taken. As she and Celestia walk through the forest of hanging bodies Luna couldn’t help but glance at them. Her heart aching when she spotted the children of Yellowblood’s family strung up with the others.
“So,” Celestia gulped looking at the bodies at the ponies. “What’s your analysis, Luna?”
Luna looked up at the blood red sky, feeling for Sixes' emotions, she found them easily enough, but she was surprised. They weren’t what she thought they’d be. “I need to see more to answer that properly.” Was her reply as the walk deeper and deeper into the forest. The scene changes. The hue of the world turning from red to blue when they found Sixes standing beside a big rock under the moonlight. The moon marred by the black stain of Nightmare Moon’s silhouette. Both sister cringe as Sixes reared back and bashed his head against the boulder repeatedly.
“I remember this,” Celestia whispered. “He did this for a while after you were banished.”
“And you let him?”
“Of course not,” Celestia snapped. “I tried to stop him the moment I found out!”
Sixes' cry of “LEAVE ME ALONE!” caught the two of them by surprise thinking he finally noticed them, but instead another Celestia stood in clearing with Sixes, pleading for him to stop. Her words inaudible over Sixes' angry demands for her to leave. He snorted angrily turning his back to the phantom Celestia and walked away.
Luna watched him leave, whispering the words he had said to her the other night, “I don’t have nightmares, only bad memories.” She hung her head, finally understanding. It wasn’t Sixes’s unconscious fears plaguing him. He was doing this to himself. By why? “Let’s go. We’re getting close.”
“Close to what?” Celestia asked.
Luna looked at her sister, her teal eyes filled with determination, “The truth.”
They travel deeper into Sixes' dream, the realm changing once again, as the dark and bleak Everfree forest lights and shifts to a sunny apple orchard, ahead they saw a barn-like house. Sixes standing in the yard while Applejack and Rawhide sit on the porch with their children. Applejack’s belly plump with a third child. Celestia’s eyes turn to pinpricks at the sight as she stepped away from the scene.
“Oh no, not this, please not this!” Luna looked worriedly at her sister, wondering what the fuss was about. They’d finally found Sixes' happy place. Perhaps the last bastion of his mental stability, what was wrong? Celestia ran in a panic towards the farm, crying and screaming, “Applejack! Rawhide! Get away! Please! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
“Celestia what…” all of the sudden, the happy scene disappeared. The barn house was consumed in fire, Applejack and Rawhide lay on the ground clutching their children, trying to save them from the smoke and fire. Sixes stood in the middle of it, raging, bound in chains that prevented him from helping his friends. From the burning tree line came a herd of shadowy figures in black cloaks, but Luna recognized them easily. They were bat ponies, and they were stealing the fruit of the burning trees, ignoring the family that had worked so hard to grow said trees. The bat ponies didn’t even bat an eye as they rushed past the Apple family, breaking into their home and stealing what they could from the burning house.
“Save them! SAVE THEM RIGHT NOW YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARDS!” Sixes screamed at the bat ponies, but they didn’t listen they just continued to loot the Apple farm, never minding the family. “They helped you! You save them right now!” Raged Sixes fighting against his chains.
From the opposite tree line came the sound of marching hoofs ponies in gold armor and teal capes entered the clearing, all of them unicorns, the mark of Celestia’s school upon them. One pony, a teal one steps out ahead of the herd, pointing his hoof at the bat ponies and the Apple Family.
“Kill the night worshippers and their sympathizers! This is the era of the Solar Empire!” The teal caped ponies let loose a barrage of magic bolts at they charged the bat ponies, they ignore Sixes, trampling Applejack and her family beneath their hooves. Sixes stood in the middle of it all bound and unable to do anything while crying silent tears.
“No!” Celestia screamed run towards Sixes. “This isn’t what happened! You know that! You saved them! You saved Applejack! Remember! They lived because you saved them! Sixes!”
“He can’t hear you,” Luna told her sister with barely restrained calm. She stood in front of Sixes, his dull eyes staring past her. “Despite what you say, you do have nightmares, Sixes. One personally designed by you.”
“But this isn’t what happened!” Celestia cried. “Applejack… she lived to be an old mare! Why, why is he reimagining it like this?”
Luna looked coldly at her sister, “This is how he feels about the event, he sees it as a failure to protect his friend. But please sister, why don’t you show me what really happened, between your students, a colony of bat ponies, and Applejack’s family.”
“I…” Celestia stuttered backing away.
“Kill…” Sixes said darkly, his voice low and dangerous as gold veins appear all over his body. His head rises, his jaws snapping and snarling as molten gold drips from his jaws like drool. His pupil’s vortexes of pure rage and hatred. “I’ll kill them! I’ll kill them all! I’ll make them PAY IN BLOOD! THEIR BLOOD THEIR FAMILIES BLOOD THEIR FRIENDS I’LL RIP THEM APART!”
“Sixes…” Celestia said warily, the links on the chains beginning to snap, the rinin’s body shaking violently. “Luna do something!”
“ARRAGGGHH!” Sixes breaks free, the scene changes, they were in a cave now. A cave filled with screams. The sisters ignite their horns, in the dim light of their magic they caught the brief flash of Sixes rushing past, a bat pony in his claws, grinding the thestral’s skull against the moist rock walls. The body falls, the head rolling over to reveal its shaved skull, brain matter spilling out on the ground.
Luna was unable to form words at the sight, beside her she heard the sound of Celestia gagging and then relieving her stomach of its contents. It made Luna take a pause and realize something. This wasn’t just Sixes' memory anymore. Slowly she looks toward Celestia, her sister whipping the vile from her lips. “I hoped to never see this sight again.” Were her words, Luna froze staring at her sister.
“What is this?” She demanded, Celestia, righting herself and hanging her head.
“My greatest shame, the day a class of my students betrayed my ideals, and the day Sixes gained his moniker.” The sound of metal scraping against rock pierces the air as Sixes came flashing back again, dragging a unicorn by the head along the wall, metal filings turn to flesh as the pony’s helm is ground away, his blood smearing the wall as he screamed in terror before going silent. Sixes skid to a stop, panting and bloody. He looked at the two sisters the moonlight shining in from above. “It was the day he became known as The Mage Killer.” Celestia hung her head, remembering the day well. “Autumn in the year 7 AMN, the Red Teal incident.”
Silently Sixes stepped towards them, finally interacting with them. His eyes filled with shame and self-hatred. “I couldn’t protect her.”
“You saved her,” Celestia countered. “Applejack…”
“I’m not talking about Applejack, so stop pretending I am!”
“Enough, both of you!” Luna begged, “please, just tell me what happened! What really happened!”
Both Celestia and Sixes glared at each other, before relenting and nodded, “Fine. “We’ll tell you what happened.” The scene changes once again and they were in the skies over Canterlot, Sixes stepped forward, beginning the tale. “It started in the Summer.”
Night Patrol 2: Awakening, chapter 24 The Teal Blood incident.
By Foxgear
Year 7 ANM
“I stand here today, honored by your work and accomplishments. I know you will do Equestria well with the skills you have acquired here over your years of study. May I, Princess Celestia of Equestria, present the seventh graduating class of Celestia’s school of Mages!”
The crowd went wild as did the twenty-seven graduates as they fired magic blasts into the air, creating a brilliant fireworks display. At the front of the rowdy students was Tel TealBlood, a noble, proud member of the EUP, and soon to be the leader of this year’s class of graduates. He would lead his mages to glory on the battlefield and finally show the Princess that her reliance on those inferior night ponies was no longer necessary. He would show her the unicorns are the superb race! All others could step aside, even the likes of the Rinin. The crossbreed freaks that they were.
“Thank you very much, Princess. I’ll have you know I and my mages will serve you well. We eagerly wait for the battlefield!” He said, but something felt off, the Princess’s smile was different today then it had been last year when sixth class graduated. Her smile was… happy. Everypony knew Celestia didn’t like war, thus her smile at the mage’s graduation tend to be fake, but today it was real. That could only mean… no.
“I’m very proud of your patriotism Lord Tel, but I’m happy to announce that the I just received news from Admiral McGather, he and Night Patrol have ended the war between Prance and Hispania, they are coming home and so you don’t need to go. Isn’t that wonderful news?” She beamed walking towards the crowd, proclaiming the news. She didn’t notice the look of dread on his face. His plans, his ambitions, gone! How can he rise up his favor if he cannot prove himself!
Tel stomped the stages angrily, “Damn, Rinin!”
“Master Tel, what are we going to do now?” One of his students asked.
Another said, “Yeah, we wanted to get some glory!”
He took a breath, righting himself as he faced his mages. “Don’t worry. Another war will happen. It was only in AMN 4 that we were at war with Maredor and only a year a half later did we go to war with the Griffons again, and then Prance and Hispania, there will be plenty of chances for us! The ponies of Europona cannot help themselves.”
“I guess you right,” Mog Maroon, his prized student, and heir to the Maroon Blood family. Ever since the members of the Rainbow Council were killed the lesser houses have been gaining for power. He, of course, was looking to push the TealBlood family to new heights, like how the Bluebloods, Graybloods, and the Fancy families have. He didn’t know what the Bluebloods did, but the Graybloods had mages in the third graduating class and served in the Maredor campaign. They were now the third most powerful family in Canterlot, after Blueblood and the Royal family of course.
Speaking of the Royal Family. Duke Crusader Whiteblood, Celestia’s ‘son’ if you could call that antlered freak that, just arrived. How he despised the antlered rinin, he represents everything Tel found wrong with Equestria, a crossbreed bastard child of the princess and one of those rinin. If that wasn’t bad enough the ‘Duke’ was apart of the same group that just stole all their glory.
The only thing worse then the Rinin were the original Night devils, the thestrals, who worshiped the mare in the moon, Nightmare Moon. Hordes of Bat pony cults have sprung up since the dark Alicorn’s defeat. The foolish cultist believed the black alicorn to be the true princess of Equestria and their god.
“I’ll deal all of them in due time,” Tel mumbled darkly. For now, he must plan and wait for his chance.
“How is she? Is she going to make it?” Blood covered his armor, not his blood, but the blood of the young mare he just pulled from the wreckage. She was missing three of her legs, mewing softly like a wounded kitten in Prench as the doctors inject morphine into her system. The table and floor covered in her blood. “I asked you a question!”
“It’s too soon to tell Commander Sixes,” Snapped Doctor Blue Cross, the peach tone pony waved him away as she focused on her patient. “Get out, you’re in my way. Hey, we need type O blood over here!” Blue Cross hollered as a herd of nurses ran around the operating room, it was pure chaos as dozens of wounded were being tended too at the same time. “Hey clean up this blood! Sixes I told you to leave! Unless your planning to donate blood, get out of my sight!”
Wordlessly he left, knowing he would be no help here. He wasn’t a pony that healed, he was on that killed. Still, the number of wounded was a lot higher than usual. He blamed Celestia for that. It’s been seven years since Luna’s banishment and they’ve gone soft under the sun Princess’s leadership or lack there off.
Night Patrol's decline started after the Maredor complain when they finally brought the survivors of Rainbow Factory to their bellies and confirmed the death of Doctor Hoofenstien. VeeVee had been the one to pronounce the doctor dead on site.
Since then their recruitment has gone down, the number of normal ponies in Night Patrol declining drastically. But that was partly because they refused to lower the standards to that of the EUP. Now, most of their recruits came from the young Rinin that had been with them in the caves and in the factory now reaching adulthood. Making their pool of new patrollers very small.
The next thing he blamed their decline was again, Celestia’s empathizes on magic over tech. They had no new tanks, she wouldn’t allow them to produce more flying iron ships, in fact, they only had one factory making ammo and parts for the Nightmare while all possible bits went into the training of mages.
Then there was the biggest reason and that was Celestia’s flakiness. He remembered after the Maredor campaign when they were at their peak numbers and strength. Celestia called for them to disband to go out and try different professions. She even offered to fund their schooling and training. That’s when the bulk of their forces retired, many rinin, like Trinity, moved to Nippon where their race was beginning to thrive. The fact that Kira, a fellow Rinin ruled the country was very appealing too.
Of course, the peace after Maredor didn’t last and after a short year and half the Griffons starting raising a fuss with a number of allies behind them. After the first six months, when it became clear Celestia’s greenhorn mages and EUP battalions weren’t up for putting the bird cats in their place she came to them. They, of course, got the job done.
And of course, following their victory Celestia once again called for their disbanding. This time they refused. Choosing to simply patrol the Everfree forest and live in the old castle, while the EUP took over their other patrol routes. It was shameful to do that, but they didn’t have the numbers to run the routes anymore. Not long after Celestia came to him, Fury and Topaz with an interesting proposition. With Luna gone and Starswirl and his band of heroes currently missing, it occurred to Celestia that there was no pony readily available to stop her if she ever turns evil. Thus, this time it was the Princess who disarmed.
First the smelting of her armor and axes. Next Celestia personally trained him, Fury, and Topaz in unique magic that didn’t require horns to use. He didn’t know what she taught Fury and Topaz, but he was taught runes, or scripting magic to use with his gold lava. She also taught him how to forge counterfeit armor and weapons of legend. One use, fragile weapons, but they packed a punch. He became her armor and weapon maker, only giving her the tools when she requested. As funny as it may seem to have no permeant armor or weapon put Celestia at a disadvantage. Thus, increasing their chances of defeating her in case she ever turn evil as Luna did. That being said, there was still no guarantee they’d win either, but they had a chance at least.
“Ugh, I’ve been monologuing for too long.” He said with a sigh as he comes to his room. Dropping his armor on the ground Sixes warily sways to his bed, finding a note laying on it. It was from Applejack. Probably sent via Gadget or Starwind as he preferred to be called now. He opened it.
(Dear Sixes,
Hiya pal, it’s been a while, not since Whiskey and Ale were born. I got a third in the oven right now in case your wondering, but those two are quite the hoof full now, I can’t imagine what three will be like. Why don’t you come around and see them? I think seeing their cute little faces would do you some good. Oh right, I just heard yawl finished things up in Prance just the other day. Ponies here are mighty excited.
But you’ve probably guessed by now this letter isn’t just to get you to come to visit. So, I’ll be frank. I’m having trouble at the farm. We’ve had a rash of thieves taking apples lately, by what I can tell its bat ponies. Luna’s always had a soft spot for them, so I tried to do what I could for them. Letting them take the apples too bruised to sell and stuff like that. We probably lost about a bushel of apples a week to them. This had been going on for about three months.
Anyway, to cut to the chase, Ah’m afraid I can’t keep supporting them like this. I thought they were just a little colony living in the Everfree, but the amount of food taken suggests a much larger group then what the land can support and what we can give out for free. I was hoping you could do what Luna did for you and give them home in Night Patrol or get them set up somewhere else where they can take care of themselves. I would do it myself, but I can’t seem to find their colony, but I think they’re in the northwest part of the Everfree forest.
Hope to hear from you soon,
With love, Applejack)
“Thestrals huh, sounds interesting.” He tossed the letter on his desk and laid down on the bed. He’ll worry about Applejack’s bat problem when they get back to Equestria in two months and get things sorted out. No doubt Celestia and the council would want a report and some asshole is probably going to accuse them of war crimes. He wonders which noble family it’d be this time. Probably the ones that didn’t get a chance to go fight like last time.
Closing his eyes Sixes settled down for a restful sleep or at least he hopes it’ll be restful. He’s had a hard time sleeping for a while now. He bit back a curse as he soon realized he’d have to stick around Canterlot for a few days when he got back. That’d mean he’d be plagued by both Celestia and Crusader during his stay.
“Shit… I wish those two would just play house without me,” he grumbled turning over on his side. Slowly sleep came to him.
2 months later
“And that is our report, We defeated the Hispania army and delivered the Nippon forces back to their home. ” Said Admiral McGather to the council comprising of Celestia, Azure Blueblood, Fancy Skirt, Ion Grayblood, and everypony else that think they matter. “Any questions?”
“Yes,” a withered teal mare said, Lady Lilly-White TealBlood, raising her hoof. “I heard rumors your group took a Prench Mare aboard your ship. Care to explain this rumor?”
“Yes, we found a native in need of treatment. We took her aboard our ship, she can either go home when she’s healed or apply for citizenship. Commander Sixes has already explained this to the Princess.” The council looked toward Celestia, who nodded.
“Yes, Sixes, I mean Commander Sixes told me the situation, I see no issue taking… umm…” Celestia began flipping through the pages of the report. “Aha, yes Platinum De Belle, as a refugee.”
McGather rolled his eyes as Lady TealBlood seethed, she had wanted to accuse them of kidnapping or something of like. Honestly, it was like playing chess with a child. “Right, now that oh so very important matter is cleared up, are they any relevant questions?”
“Yes,” It was lady TealBlood again. “Just where is Commander Sixes? He should be here making his report in person.”
Again, McGather rolled his eyes, “Night Patrol is not a branch of the Earth, Unicorn, Pegasus Pony Platoons. We are a separate entity under the command of Princess Celestia in exchange for privileges such as not paying taxes and not paying for goods and service that do not exceed more than a hundred bits from any Equestrian establishment. The council may not summon or order any officers of Night Patrol. The only Pony that is allowed to be summoned is I, Admiral Hunter McGather, Top Night Patrol commanding commissioned officer and representative in any and all legal matters that may concern Night Patrol.” McGather took a breath, sighing deeply. “But you all know that, yet you still pretend you don’t. Princess I would like to raise a vote of no confidence against Lady TealBlood, she’s clearly no longer mentally fit to sit on the council.”
“Denied,” Celestia tiredly replied. This wasn’t the first time this argument has happened. “But Speaking of TealBloods, I notice your son Tel, has taken his unit of mages out onto a patrol. I don’t recall assigning him to the area in question though.”
“We thought it would do the new students some good to get them some experience in the field fighting off monsters. We sent them two days ago. I apologize if it seems like we went around you, Princess.” Lady Lilly-White explained.
Celestia eyed the old mare strangely, “It’s not a serious matter, but I doubt they’ll find any monsters to hunt near Applejack’s farm.”
“Yes, well, there are many types of monsters out there.”
“I’m aware, but there is nothing out there that needs the attention of twenty-eight unicorn mages,” Celestia stressed, a strange feeling of foreboding rising in her gut.
McGather coughed, getting everyponies attention, “Well I don’t know what fairy tale monster your son and his troop are hunting, but since everypony seems to keen on his whereabouts, Sixes is also in the area, so…” He trailed off noticing Lady Lilly-White had turned pale. He cocked his head trotting towards the aged mare. “What’s wrong ma’am? You don’t look well, is there a reason Sixes being there is concerning?"
Lilly-White jittery shook her head, “No, of course not. Why would it?”
“I don’t know, you tell me.”
“That’s enough Hunter,” Celestia commanded, “I call this session to a close. We’ll question Master Tel when he returns. Dismissed!”
Tel TealBlood was salivating, he and his troop has been sleuthing through this stupid apple orchard for over a day now in search of the bat pony colony rumored to be nearby. The best part is this colony was rumored to also be actual Nightmare worshipers! Not that he cared, he desired their kind all the same, but being cultists did give him certain protections if the colony happens to be wiped out.
Which is why when he saw the three bat ponies stealing apples he was eager to jump and arrest them so they could take them to the rest of the colony. A simple thief charge that escalated into a killing when the thieves ‘attacked them’ would be a simple report to make up and send to his mother. They’d show Celestia just how devilish the night devil truly could be.
However, his plans were dashed when SHE entered the picture. The legendary Commander Applejack of Night Patrol. He knew this was her land, of course, it was risky interacting with her as she had Celestia’s ear. Not that stupid mud pony used it. What a foolish simpleton. She could be a duchess of something even greater if she’d just ask the princess, but no, she just chose to be a stupid farmer! What a waste of all that political capital. Capital he was fighting tooth and nail for. While she just walked into it because she happens to be the Princess’s favorite!
“You three there,” Applejack barked approaching the three bat ponies currently scooping up her apples into their beaten-up saddle bags. Even with her six months pregnant budging belly, the former Night Patroller had an air of authority about her. “I told you we can’t support your colony anymore! You eating us out of house and home!”
“You said we could take the bruised ones, these are all bruised see?” The bat pony the middle said, showing off the battered apples. “They are for the taking then, yes?” Applejack’s eyes narrowed as she slammed her hoof against a nearby tree, the mighty trunk vibrated from the hit, but no apples fell.
“Don’t try to lie to me, I saw you pick those apples and then drop them on the ground. But this isn’t the first time you’ve lied to me. I took you at your word that your numbers were only a dozen or more, but you lied, the amount of food your taking is for at least fifty ponies. We can’t support that many ponies for free and make enough food and money for ourselves.”
“We had a recent influx of numbers.” The center pony said. “Don’t you want to help us poor little bat folk? We are the children of the night after all. Princess Luna’s favorites.”
“I helped you as much as I could, I tried to teach you what was edible around here, I even offered you jobs, but you refuse to learn or work. You just take. I’m afraid my kindness as run out. This land can’t support the number of ponies in your colony if you don’t start producing your own food, we’ll all starve. You either need to leave or start putting in some effort to your own survival.” Applejack took a breath glaring hard at the three ponies. “And Luna wouldn’t have tolerated this behavior either. If you're claiming to be her followers then you better start following her teachings. Like I am. I got a friend coming by later, he might be able to help you, but I’m beginning to doubt even he can.”
Applejack turned to leave, the bat ponies fuming, their bodies shaking with rage. Tel smiled as he watched the bat pony charge the earth mare. This was perfect.
“You bitch! We are the true children of the night!” The lead bat pony screamed, Applejack calmly turned, her hoof glowing with magic as she stomped the ground creating a rock wall in front of her. The bat pony screamed as it smashes face first into the wall. The other two attend to their leader as the wall lowers back into the ground.
“That’s what you get.” Applejack scoffed, continuing towards the house. She stopped cold, feeling the familiar tingle of magic being used, unicorn magic, she recognized it well. She began to sway falling to the ground, it was a sleep spell! “What’s… going on?” She mumbled as the sound of many hoofs surround her. A pony was screaming orders.
“Attack! Burn the trees! Kill the Bat ponies and place them next to the mare! Find the husband!”
“What about the mare? Sir?” Another pony asked.
“Don’t touch her, let the fire get her, same with the foals. Remember my teachings. This is our moment!”
As Applejack’s vision faded she saw the trees surrounding her house go up in flames, black smoke filling the yard. It would take a long time for the fire to get to the house, but the smoke would get to her children well before that.
“No… Ale… Whiskey…” Already the smoke began to hover around her, her body feeling weak. Using what magic she could gather, she took a deep smoke-filled breath and used the spell Luna had taught her so long ago. The royal Canterlot voice! “RAWHIDE!” Her voice traveled far, reaching to the storage barn they had out in the west orchard where Rawhide was working today. As her eyes close she heard the gurgling sound of a pony getting a pickaxe through their throat. “Save them, honey… save the kids.” Applejack cried. Her head gently falling on the grass.
The skies were clear as Sixes flew toward Sweet Apple Acres, home of Applejack and Rawhide. Really it wasn’t that big of a deal to go see his old comrades. Their farm was only maybe an hour, two-hour flight from the Castle of the two sisters depending on how big of a hurry you’re in. They chose to settle in the area just outside the Everfree Forest proper. Something about a special breed of apple they found keeping them there, even as the forest slowly grew towards them.
Still, he was glad they were happy. Though it was a shame most of AJ’s family decided to keep traveling, the Apple clan scattered across the land like apple seeds in the wind. But he supposed that was no surprise for AJ, her family were pioneers, once enough of their family settles down in an area the rest still feeling restless move on. It did bogle his mind that AppleJazz’s parents left her behind. At the young filly’s, no young mare’s insistence. But really she was… um… “Seventeen? Is that right? Geez, I’m suddenly feeling old. Has it really been that long already? She was eight when I first met her, two years and then Celestia restarted the calendar years after Luna’s banishment, seven years… yeah... she’s seventeen. Shit, now I do feel old. Oh yeah, the rinin foals from the cave are finally growing up too. That kid Gloves has some potential… (Sniff, sniff) what smells like roasting apples?”
Black smoke filled the blue sky, Sixes looked down at the burning trees that made up the Apple’s farm, his eyes shrinking in horror. “Applejack! Rawhide!” Spotting the storage barn Sixes dived towards that first just in case somepony was in there. Leveling out and weaving between the trees he caught the scent of blood, a lot of blood, he found ponies in gold armor with teal capes and large puncture wounds in their bodies. Wounds consistent with the ones Rawhide would inflect with his pickaxe. What was going on here? Why were there EUP mages here? Why did Rawhide feel the need to kill them?
“Doesn’t matter,” He growled continuing toward the barn. “I know who my enemies are at least.” Arriving at the barn clearing Sixes saw more dead mages, one was run through Rawhide’s pickaxe, stuck to the barn door. The big red one-eyed pony lay inside the barn covered in blood and burns. Burns from magic blasts. “Rawhide!”
He runs to his friend, Rawhide coughs as he lifts the red pony off the ground, the fire drawing closer to the barn. “Come on, I’m going to get you out of here.”
“Alright,” Sixes took Rawhide to the center of the clearing. As far away from the fire as he could get at the moment. Taking a deep breath, he shot a huge burst of fire into the sky and pulled out his gem com. “This Commander Sixes to all available Night Patrollers in sector J7-H2, Applejack’s farm, we have ponies down in need of medics. Flare marks the spot.”
“This is VeeVee, I have a copy, my team will be there in fifteen minutes.”
“Good,” Was his reply as he sprints towards the house, the smoke was so thick he couldn’t fly above the trees. Flapping his wings Sixes increased his speed. He heard crying and shouting.
“Keep them in there!” A stallion yelled. Sixes entered the farmyard, he saw five unicorns and at least ten bat ponies. One unicorn was holding the door to house shut with his magic while the others engage with the bat ponies. He was about to support the bat ponies when he saw them picking apples and dashing away into the forest, a few more came out of the house with AJ’s things, AJ her self-lay on the ground unconscious and the kids…
“HELP US! MOMMY! DADDY!” Came the cries of Apple Whiskey, the eldest son, from the burning house. Their cries making Sixes' blood run cold as he looked upon the scene before him. His jaw began to ache with unrestrained fury, his pupils dilating to narrow slits. His eyes fell on the pony holding the door shut.
He would die first.
“This is for the greater good kids! Just go peacefullahafklhh!” The unicorn holding the door shut let out a terrible blood-curdling scream as he felt the tight grip of Sixes' claw on his horn, both Bat, and unicorn ponies pause in their battle to watch as the black rinin bent the unicorn’s horn and then SNAP! “AHHAAHAH! MY HORN!” The unicorn screamed in horror, blood gushing from the hole in his head. His pain was short-lived as Sixes shoved the pony’s own horn into his throat. The two factions took one look at the raging rinin and collectively decided to run!
Sixes watched them flee, he wanted to hunt them all down right now, but he had more important things to do. Opening the door, he let the two Apple children out and picked them up with his tail, and placed them on his back.
“Uncle Sixes!”
“Ale, Whiskey, keep your eyes closed and try not to breath in the smoke.” Acting quickly Sixes raced across the yard to Applejack. The orange mare unmoving.
“Mommy!” The two Apple kids cry.
“She’s alive, she just sleeping.” He told the two picking Applejack up. “Hang on to your mother kids. We’re going to get your papa.” Trotting low to try and limit the amount of smoke the kids inhaled Sixes raced back to Rawhide as fast as he could, the big pony right where he left him. “Come on! We’re going!” Grunted Sixes using his tail to lift the big pony on his back with AJ. He flaps his wings, but there was too much weight! “Shit.”
“Leave me,” Rawhide begged. “Save AJ and the kids!”
“Shut up! I’m saving you all!” Sixes barked back walking as fast he could away from the fire. The entire Apple family on his back.
“You’ll never get us all out of here with me weighing you down! Drop me and fly out of here Sixes!” Rawhide pleaded.
“Just be quiet! I’m not leaving a pony behind!” Weaving between the trees Sixes fires flares up through the smoke, hoping VeeVee and her team would see them. His eyes were watering from the smoke and he could barely see in front of him. He stretched out his wings, trying to feel for the trees. The kids begin to cough violently. Rawhide was silent, probably unconscious.
“Uncle Sixes, I’m scared.” Ale coughed.
He smiled, trying to alleviate their fears. “I know, don’t worry, I’m going to get you all out of here. You’ll see.” He continued on, shooting up fireballs for the others to find. His vision blurred, his breath shortens and his legs tremble from carrying the four ponies on his back. Sixes fell to his belly, gasping for air that wasn’t there, there just smoke. “Kids?” No reply. “ALE! WHISKEY!” He set the Apple family down, all four ponies silent. “Wake up!” He cried lightly slapping their faces. “Come on! Wake up!”
Suddenly the smoke cleared as the sound of a Night Patrol Chopper rumbled overhead. The black flying machine came from the sky with VeeVee standing by the door with her medic team. “There they are! Let’s hurry!” The medic team quickly descend toward them. Four ponies jumped out of the chopper picking up the apples and placed them on the chopper. VeeVee waved at him.
“Come on! You too!” Sixes nodded, stepping onto the chopper and they take off. He stood at the edge of the passenger bay, watching Applejack’s dream burn before his eyes. He looked at his friend and her family, all of them breathing faintly.
“Are they going to be ok?” He asked as they head towards the castle. VeeVee frowning. “What?”
“The kids and Rawhide should recover just fine with the proper treatment, but AJ…”
“What about her?” Sixes demanded fiercely.
“I’m worried the stress and smoke may cause her to miscarriage,” VeeVee said touching AJ’s belly with her claw. “We’ll have to have Doctor Blue Cross look at her, hopefully, I’m wrong.”
The rest of the trip was in silence.
52 hours later
Sixes paced the outside of AJ’s room. As VeeVee predicted Rawhide and kids did recover or are recovering fine. There was some worry about the children’s health from all the smoke they were forced to inhale, but all of the medics in Night Patrol were determined to ensure the children’s’ health, thus every test, treatment, and precaution was being taken. The Doctors were consulting with Rawhide on ways to help ensure no future problems arose.
As for AJ, she’s been the ICU the whole time asleep. Somepony case a strong sleep spell on her, so she inhaled a lot of smoke, not only that, but magic could lead to complications in her condition. Everypony was waiting for the news outside her door when Doctor Blue Cross exits the room.
“Well, is AJ and the baby, ok?” AppleJazz asked instantly. The doctor’s face was one of sadness.
“AJ should recover fine, but…” Suddenly Applejack’s mournful wails pierced through the stone halls. Her heavy sobs saying what the doctor didn’t need too. “I’m sorry, there was nothing I could do.”
AppleJazz began to cry herself, knowing how the news would affect Rawhide and the kids, they’d been so excited for the new baby. How could they explain it to the two little Apples? “What are we going to do Sixes? Sixes? Where’d he go?”
Tel TealBlood licked his lips eagerly as he and his squad carefully traveled under a camouflage spell, following the surviving bat ponies to their lar. It was obvious the bats were taking the long route home, trying to cover their trail, but even as they check and erase their tracks it was pointless, he and his unicorn squad were right on their tail. The years of loyalty instilled into his students was paying off, their burning of the Apple’s farm a great prize. It was a shame one was killed, but there was no way any pony could survive such a fire. Applejack was dead for sure.
The bat ponies scurried into a cave, disappearing from sight, they were here.
“Come, on boys, let’s go make some new boots.” He whispered as they approach. This is it. This was his time. He’d bring glory and honor back to his mother, he’d finally get her revenge on the filthy race that had taken his father from her. He’d prove to them all that Unicorns stood supreme! “Get the bat whores! Strike them down!” Tel commanded as they rush the cave, magic blasts and sonic screams being exchanged.
Nightdress, priestess, and head of the Everfree bat colony couldn’t believe what was happening! They were under attack! She growled as a magic bolt blows a chunk off the rock wall she was using for cover. Poking her head out she lets out a sonic scream to keep the unicorns from rushing.
She had wondered what took their scouting party so long to get back. When only half of them returned she knew something wrong and when the news that their food source, the apple farm, was gone she wasted no time in ordering everypony pack up and flee. Alas, the unicorn mages followed her scouts back, and they now covered the main entrance .
“Kill these heretics!” The unicorn leader shouts. So that was their game.
“Kill the sun lovers! Remember Nightmare Moon is on our side!” Nightdress screamed to rally her own fighters. Years ago, she saw the power of the bat like Alicorn, their goddess that would bring them their birthright. Sure, their savior was currently trapped in the moon, but she was sure after enough sacrifices, the goddess would be free again. “Come on! Let us cut their throats and make them offering to the great goddess of the night! Nightmare Moon!”
The battle was intense, the close quarters of the cave making for some tight fights as bats and unicorn club each other with their hooves. The unicorns pushed them back into the larger chamber where the foals and mares of their group were huddled. The foals and mothers took refuge inside smaller burrows as they continue to hold back the invading unicorns. One unicorn, a teal one, takes a shot at her, missing and blasting open the ceiling. Nightdress was about to make her escape when the unicorn screams in rage.
“You! You are the whore! That lead my father astray!”
Nightdress squinted down at the unicorn in question, finding him striking to the unicorn she had seduced for money and to be sacrificed a number of years ago. “Oh, is that you little Tel? You’ve grown up.”
“You shut your whore mouth! Your nothing but a harlot that masqueraded as our maid and stole my father from my mother!”
She laughed, “Oh Tel, Tel, I didn’t steal your father, he was so easy to sway with these luscious hips of mine. But if it makes you feel better, after I had him devoice your mother, taking half of his fortune with him, he didn’t live long after.”
“You bitch!”
Nightdress laughed mocking at the unicorn, urging her followers to fly towards the exit the fool had made for them. “Thanks for the exit step-son, give your regards to your mother! HAHAHA!”
“Sir!” A unicorn screamed, “The entrance has been sealed!”
“What!” Rages Tel, but the news made Nightdress pause, there was no pony on that side of the cave that could have done that. None of hers at least. And then they all heard it. The haunting whining roar of a dragon pony diving from the sky. She looked up the moon, a black dot in the middle of its white beauty. The black rinin fell upon her without warning, pinning her to the ground as it shoots lava from its jaws, hot molten rock sealed the exit. She saw pulsing gold veins appear across the black rinin’s body and the hot liquid that dripped from its jaws burned through her flesh, she screams in agony as the rinin’s claws tighten and then…SNAP! Nightdress’s head rolls to the side as the black rinin turns to both sides, his feral face haunting in the dim glow of the cooling lava above. The light of the lava flickers, casting the cave into complete darkness.
Everypony tenses… then they scream!
“Kill him!” Tel screamed. “Kill him now!”
Bright gold chains shined in the darkness, the horrible rattle and the sharp jerk of a body being hung from the ceiling filled their ears as they heard the sound of organs hitting the ground. Tel felt a swoosh of wind, the pony next to him gone, his screams echoing with the sound of grinding metal and then they stopped.
“Celestia save me,” Tel trembled as he pressed his flank against the wall. A soft glow appeared beside him, the light grows brighter as Sixes opened his jaws, his teeth black silhouettes against the bright glowing orange.
Then it goes dark. And he heard the words, “No one can save you.” Whispered into his ears. Sixes opened his fire-filled jaws again and bites down on Tel’s neck, the noble not even getting a chance to scream.
The rest of the ponies, unicorn, and bat alike stand silently in the darkness, the deadly silence making them gulp in terror as they heard the soft patter of claws clicking against the stone floor. A gold light cuts through the darkness, revealing the hidden horrors as molten gold takes the form of chains and hooks, enough to hang them all. The light goes out.
“Run, if you can.” The deep vitriol voice of Sixes said. The trapped ponies began to scream, pounding away at the walls the rattling of chains draws closer and closer.
Sixes' dream world, Present
“I arrived later, the scene we witness early was of the last pony to be killed,” Celestia explained as the world around them shifted to a blank black void. “An investigation revealed Lady Lilly-White was funding Bat pony hunters because of what happened to her husband. She raised her son to be a bat pony hater, added on top of the Unicorn supremacy ideals of the time and Tel easily indoctrination an entire class to his ideals. Right under my muzzle too. I hadn’t a very hoof on approach to teaching and I carelessly let a pony like Tel TealBlood slip by me. I’m sorry.”
Luna grimly nodded, processing the events shown to her. Her stomach churning with dread, anger, and sadness for what happened to her friend. If those ponies were alive today, she’d kill them herself. Still what hurts the most was the Bat ponies betrayal. “There was a cult that formed around Nightmare Moon?” Luna whispered in disbelief. “How… how could they think sacrificing ponies to the moon was anything I would want?”
“That’s why we didn’t want to tell you,” Sixes said mournfully. “We left them alone because, for the most part, the cultists were helping the bat ponies out. Making towns, supporting each other, regular committee and religious stuff. Nightdress was an extremist, but after her, we had to crack down on the cultists. Erasing them from history.”
Luna hung her head, seemed even without Nightmare Moon around, she still caused havoc. “Why would you think I’d you as a monster Sixes? You did what was right by punishing those who’d sully my name. And after what they did to Applejack, you should feel no guilt.”
“I don’t feel guilty.” Sixes asserted looking the princess in the eye. “I was happy to kill them, the unicorns, the bats, even the younglings. I didn’t bat an eye. I burned them alive and hung them out for the flies. To take joy in such actions… I worried every day about how I could face you again.”
“I very much doubt it was joy you felt,” Luna said softly, holding Sixes' face in her hooves. “It was your duty as a friend and Night Patroller to get revenge for Applejack, they attacked her first, and left her to die. The bat ponies, while I do consider them my children and my heart will always have a soft spot for them. Even I cannot overlook their actions. And well I am not comfortable with these events, I would rather you tell me them, then let them fester.”
Sixes’ entire body relaxed a great weight lifted from his shoulders. “Thank you.”
“It’s what I do.” Luna smiled. “Still, while I understand a little better what has put a wedge between you two, I can’t but feel there’s something else.” She looked between Sixes and Celestia, both clamping down hard on their memories.
Celestia coughed, “We had several disagreements about this and that, but ultimately it’s all rather personal stuff. I would like it if you could let us sort it out ourselves. Right, Sixes?”
“I suppose,” Sixes grumbled.
Luna supposed that was good enough for now, but there were still more matters to discuss. “Now that we’ve dealt with the past, let’s talk about the present. Starting with what drove you to rampage to Tartarus, Sixes?”
“Rampage? I wasn’t rampaging, I was patrolling.” Sixes declared much to the shock of the two sisters. “Really,” He snorted. “You go ballistic once or twice and everypony thinks you’re a powder keg. I’ll admit, I did go off to blow some steam, but after I found that first chimera, something struck me as strange.”
“Strange? What was strange?” Questioned Celestia. “Natural Chimera roaming the land is nothing new these days, Hoofenstien bred so many that they started maintaining their own population. What was the big deal?”
“The big deal,” Sixes snapped lightly. “Is Chimera don’t usually run in packs in three or met up with other monsters and start running off together, ignoring easy prey along the way. So, I followed them, and then I happen to overhear them talking.”
“Chimera, talking?”
Sixes nodded, “To hydras and the like, they were whispering that after the changeling’s attack now as the chance to join forces and take the Princess down. Of course, they couldn’t do that without a certain centaur.”
“Lord Tirek,” Luna interjected grimly, realizing what had happened. “The monsters in the entrance, the ones we thought were inmates.”
“They were rescuers.” Confirmed Sixes. “They overwhelmed Cerberus with their numbers. There was even more than the ones I took out along the way. It was probably several groups of monsters. A few flew past Campe the Jailer and had just managed to break Tirek free, in thanks he took their magic and that’s when we started fighting and then you guys arrived. I’ll admit, I was maybe a bit… out of my mind. I didn’t think to call for back up, I’d gotten into a killing rage and was focused on only stopping the monsters before they freed Tirek. Sorry about the Grimsville guards. They didn’t make it.”
Celestia cringed, she knew she’s been forgetting something. “What happened to them?”
“I was fighting at the entrance with Cerberus and they made the mistake of getting behind the big guy. He thought they were monsters in disguise and he ate them. That’s why he was pouting outside, while I went deeper into Tartarus.” Sixes explained. “But I shouldn’t have to explain what this means right?”
The two sisters shook their heads, “No,” Celestia sighed bitterly. “We may have won the battle, but the war has just begun. My moment of weakness against Chrysalis will inspire others to come and try. This monster insurrection is only the beginning.” The Sun Princess was suddenly looking her age as she looked at her sister and Sixes. “I’m afraid, I’ll need Night Patrol’s help again.”
“You’ll need more than that,” Sixes retorted sharply to her. “We are far from our peak and it’s not just monsters that will be getting riled up after that invasion. Signs of weakness breed war, but I’m sure you remember that lesson.”
“I prefer to believe in the good nature of the ponies across the sea. I have furthered our relationships with many other nations now, now just Nippon. War will not break out so easily.”
“Didn’t Hispania and Prance just go to war two weeks ago?” Luna pointed out, much to Celestia frustrations.
“Yes, but that’s Prance and Hispania, they're always fighting.”
“What about Germane? The Kaiser was very suspicious during my visit, sister.” Luna pointed out again.
“Yes, well, Germane has never been very friendly, to begin with, but…” Celestia sighed, seeing how fruitless her argument was. “Ok, fine, the world isn’t perfect, but I’ve been trying! Can you two just follow my lead on this before starting Pony War IV?”
Luna cocked her head, “Pony war IV?”
“We already had two and three. They were fun times.” Grinned Sixes, his smile not wavering under Celestia’s glare. “What?”
“Nothing,” Celestia lets out a long yawn. How was it possible to be tired inside a dream? “I think we did all we can tonight, Luna. Please put me back in my own dream.”
“I would appreciate some privacy myself,” Sixes yawned as well. “Urgh, I forgot how mentally exhausting it was to dream like this.”
“Dream walking does require a certain amount of mental energy. If your aware your dreaming, it can be like being awake sometimes. The body is resting, but the brain is not. It’s the same for nightmares.” Luna explained pulling on the threads connecting them. “Have a good night you two, what’s left of it.” She smiled severing the connections. Celestia faded away, going back to her own dream door, while Sixes' dreamscape took a radical shift. The black void replaced with the castle of old. “I hope you can enjoy your happy memories now, instead of just the bad ones.”
Sixes smiled softly as foal versions of Dusk, AppleJazz, Ale, and Whiskey run around them. Night Patrol members, alive and dead passed in the hall. Smiling, waving and chatting. Both Sixes and Luna tear up as the phantom image of Emerald Cutter passed by. When she was out of sight a small orange filly came running by.
“Was that?” Luna asked Sixes nodding with a smile.
“Yeah, Applejack the second. The original one, the one that didn’t make it. I never met her or the real Applejack the second, the first… well… you know and the second one was born after we sealed ourselves, but I like to imagine what she’d be like. Judging from the current Applejack, I wasn’t wrong assuming she’d be a clone of her mother.” Sixes chuckled, shaking his head. “It’s kind of scary how much they look alike.”
Luna conjured an image of Applejack the Eighth for Sixes to view. “There are some differences. Eighth has red eyes. But I digress, I will leave you, now. Just don’t be surprised when you wake up?”
“Why would I be surprised?” Sixes said as she begins to leave his dream. The happy scene becoming a speck in the void as Luna reenters the hallway of dreams. A play smirk dancing on her lips as she imagined Sixes' surprise when he woke up in her bed and her sleeping next to him!
Of course, this wasn’t the first time they shared a bed either, so maybe he won’t be that surprised, but she was positive his reaction would be… Luna breaks from her musing looking around the dream world. Where was she? She was falling, much like when she fell through Cadence’s dream and ended reliving the Battle of the Crystal Empire. Luna touched her horn, feeling the dream strings still tethered to her horn.
“Drat! I’m still connected to Celestia and Sixes! I better…” Her falling comes to a sudden stop as her hoofs touch the floor of the old castle It was the top floor where her room was located, Sixes room just down the hall with the other Night Commanders. This had to be another event after her banishment, a shared memory between Celestia and Sixes. With neither one around to filter the memory.
Hearing the trotting of hooves Luna saw an image of Celestia’s past self-holding a cup of coffee and something else her magic. A small pink vile. Celestia approached Sixes’ room, her hooves clicking nervously as she pours the vile into the cup.
“Just for a little while,” Celestia mumbled, “I just want us to be a true family for a little while, for Crusader’s sake. Yes, that’s why you're doing this.”
If there was a more obvious lie, then Luna wouldn’t know it. But she wondered just what Celestia was doing? Her sister poured the pink contents into the cup while knocking on the door. Luna’s blood running cold as little pink hearts float out of the cup.
“No…” Luna backed away, hot tears falling down her face as Sixes opened the door, accepting the cup from Celestia. “You wouldn’t? You wouldn’t do that, right? Celestia?” She choked back a sob as Sixes took a sip of the love potion spiked coffee.
The early morning sun shined over Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack Apple the ninth trotted through the trees, eager to start the morning apple harvesting. The relative mundane task is just what she needed after the literal war zone that the Royal wedding turned out to be. Granted, things did end happyish with the royal couple riding off in their carriage, Rarity diving desperately for the flowers, and Rainbow Dash performing her sonic rainboom since the Wonderbolts weren’t up for a show after the attack.
Still, despite all these happy and fun moments, the screams of terror and cries of pain haunt her. One of the most terrifying moments was seeing Celestia lit ablaze like the sun itself. She still felt the heat when the sun hit her coat just right. For the first two days home she outright avoided direct sunlight, hiding in the shade of the trees or simply harvesting at night. It was silly and she did eventually start walking in the sunlight again, but it had been a chilling moment where she wasn’t sure if she was going to live to see tomorrow. The cause of that fear the princess no less a symbol of comfort for all.
Princess Celestia. They defiantly saw a different side of her that day. Before the wedding, if somepony claimed to see Celestia scowling or doing anything other then smiling she wouldn’t have believed them. Sure, she knew the princess couldn’t be smiling all the time, maybe in private Celestia showed less public-friendly emotions, but when Celestia was starring down the Queen. Applejack shook her head, her thoughts straying toward what could have happened if Celestia hadn’t given up.
“She did and we made it through, that’s what counts,” She told herself.
On the other hoof though, it was a hard hit to the ego to discover they were no help to the princess. Yeah, they defeated Nightmare Moon, and Discord, and other missions like that dragon, but the invasion had been different. They had been useless. Not just them, the guards, everypony! For all this time they thought they were helping Celestia, but maybe they were just in the way. She had even told them to leave! And they didn’t listen!
Another tough pill to swallow was the reality of just how useless they were in that situation. After Luna and her…err... forces liberated the city. She and the others went to Celestia to speak their regrets and apologize for not fleeing like she ordered and getting the elements of harmony. Much like salt to a wound, it was painful to hear that Elements of Harmony wouldn’t have worked on the Queen Changeling. She wasn’t possessed by evil, she wasn’t an out of control spirit of chaos, she was just another monarch trying to do right by her subjects. Yes, what she did was horrible, but it was just her nature. There was nothing the elements could do the fix that. They could have blasted her and Chrysalis would have remained unchanged.
Another thing to get used to was the dragon ponies. Sure, she didn’t mind Spike, the buffalo and the like, but it’s still jarring to see the pony hybrids up close. They were so alien, yet familiar. What with their fangs, claws, scales and such. They were different and she’d have to get used to that. They all would.
Overall Applejack would say she came out ok with maybe a little mental stress from the ordeal, much the like the others. But there was one in their little band of six (seven counting Spike) that was taking the events of the invasion harder than the others and to no ponies’ surprise, it was Twilight.
Celestia’s student, who has come along way out of her former shell has been reclusive since coming home from Canterlot. Today would mark a week since the attack and barely any pony has seen the lavender unicorn leave her treehouse. From what she heard from the other girls Spike has been doing all the shopping and cooking, which was normal really, but he’s been very tight lip about what Twilight’s been up to all alone in that old tree. It was kind of worrying given past examples.
“Well, we’ll have to visit her this weekend. Make sure everything is ok…” Applejack’s monologue trails off as she arrived at her destination. The baskets were already out and full of apples. She was certain she had woken up first this morning. “Big Mac? Are you here?”
No answer.
“Applebloom?” Applejack called out doubtfully. No way her little sister woke up before her. Sure, she could have set out the baskets if she had, but Applebloom wasn’t strong enough to buck trees, especially not this many.
Cautiously she walked around the baskets, finding tracks. Judging by the size, imprint, and spacing it was a mare, about her size and age. Did one of her cousins come by? If so why didn’t they come by the house and say hi first? Continuing on Applejack circled around the filled baskets finding something strange about them.
Usually when bucking apples, one left two deeper imprints from bracing their front legs when kicking, so far none of the trees had these prints. Instead, she found one deep print, about three inches deep in the earth right in the center between the trees. Like somepony had punched the ground.
The leaves of the trees suddenly began to tremble, a red-tinted wind blasted through the branches followed by the sound of apples falling. Quickly Applejack ran towards the source, wondering what was going on. Her answer came quickly as she skidded to a stop in the next clearing. A red-coated green mane mare with two metal studs sticking out her back stood in the middle of the clearing, her body soaked with sweat, her right front hoof stuck in the ground. She pulled her scuffed and bruised hoof from the hole, a scream building up in her lungs as she sucked in air, her hoof glowing red with magic she cocked back her leg and released!
BOOM!
The red mare hit the ground, causing it to shake, a red wave of magic blew through the trees, apples falling by the hundreds into the baskets below. Wiping her brow, the red mare blew the steam rising from her hoof with a cocky smirk.
“Still got it. Not bad for a one thousand and nineteen-year-old,” The mare chuckled admiring the trees. As her body turned Applejack got a better look at her cutie mark. A music note with an apple on the end. She was an apple! But she didn’t recognize her and she knew all her cousins. The mare looked at her their eyes meeting.
“Well, hiya AJ! Nice to see ya!” The red mare gushed trotting towards her. When she got halfway, her mood seemed to deflate, her joyous smile dipping into a frown. Applejack could see the disappointment in the mare’s eyes as she rubbed her leg looking away. “Um right, you’re not her.” The red mare mumbled, Applejack barely hearing the words.
“I take it you mistook me for somepony else?” Applejack spoke encouragingly. She finally recognized the mare, she had been the one to come flying in through the window with those metal wings and shot up the place. She looked a bit different without her goggles, wings, saddle bags and other gear. She looked a lot younger too. Almost too young to be doing what she did. Applejack felt a little uneasy about the pony before her, who had killed so many with such ease. Even if they had been changelings. She smiled offering her hoof to the mare, “I’m Applejack, but you can call me AJ if you like. What’s your name?”
The red mare smiled, taking her hoof. “AppleJazz, but you can call me Jazz. And I know who you are, you’re the spitting image of my cousin Applejack, or I guess she’d be Applejack the first to you. You’re the ninth, right?”
Applejack scratched her neck, her cheeks flush with embarrassment at having her full name said. Being named Applejack the ninth sounded like she’s some noble mare or something. Which is why she tends not to use the ninth part of her name.
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“You don’t seem very enthused about it.” Jazz inquired getting up in her face.
“No, no, that’s not it,” Applejack said quickly backing away to get some personal space back. “I just never liked that my name sounds like a title. Too fancy for simple farm mare like me… hey, wait! How can you have known the first Applejack! You don’t look any older than me!”
Jazz giggled softly, “Easy, I froze myself in stone with the others and princess Luna woke us up. Simple as that. Gotta say the world is a lot fuller then it used to be. I’ve been trying to track down as many Apple settlements as I could find while on my vacation. I’ve flown to Appaloosa, Goldie Delicious’s house, I haven’t been to Eight’s house yet, but… OH! I almost forgot!”
AJ watched Jazz trot away to the saddlebags left against one of the trees. A pair of metal wings resting on the trunk. Jazz rifled through the bags pulling out something that made her heart stop and her mouth gasp in wonder. The Apple family’s greatest treasure, the Applejack the First’s hat! Hat in tow Jazz trotted back to her, presenting the closest thing the Apple family had to a scarred relic.
“When I told Luna I was going to be swinging by she gave me this to return to you.”
Applejack took the hat with her hoof, a frog in her throat as she stared at the worn leather and all its adornments. “But, this is Eighth’s hat.”
“Luna told me to tell you, that Eighth told her it was time for you to have it.” Jazz said cheerfully, but her eyes told a different story. There was longing in them. “Cousin AJ’s hat… hard to believe it’s still around.”
Applejack extended the hat back to Jazz. “I think this means a lot more to you, then it does me. Besides, I already have a hat I like.” She joked tipping her Stetson. Jazz took the old hat with careful hoofs and placed it on her head. Tears welling up in her eyes.
“Thank you, you have no idea what this means to me. I… I don’t know how to put into words. But thank you, you really are Applejack.”
She simply smiled, unsure how to take the compliment. “I try to live up to the name the best I can. But since we have that settled. Mind telling me what you're doing out here so early? I mean it’s obvious what you were doing, but why?”
Jazz tipped her head, looking confused. “Early? I thought I got off to a pretty late start.” She looked up at the sky. “It’s like seven, right?”
“Six forty-five,” Applejack corrected. Then asked. “What’s early to you?”
Jazz tapped her chin, “Hmm I guess we always tried to get up a little before sunrise, when we finally got clocks we would usually be up around five, of course, most of the mare folk would have already been up making breakfast for the stallions so they could get to the orchards by six. It helped that a lot of the ponies living in the castle at the time were on a night time schedule. What time do you usually get up?”
“I try to be up by six or six thirty.” Applejack replied scratching her neck. She thought waking up by six was bad enough as it is, but five? Jeez, that’s hardcore.
“You don’t have to sound embarrassed, times are different now I bet, we had to walk an hour to get to our orchards, harvest and then carry everything back before nightfall. So, we had to get up early to get the most out of the day. It took the entire clan and now you run this whole farm with just four ponies! That’s amazing in my book!”
“We get by with what we got, but you already harvested more then what we’ll need for the week. By the way, how’d you do that? Was that a kind of magic or something?” Jazz blinked rubbed her eyes and then blinked again looking at her like she’d grown a second head. “Is there something on my face?”
“Do you seriously not know how to use your earth magic?”
“Well, I know earth ponies are more naturally inclined with the earth and can help crops and plants grow in less fertile lands but it’s nothing that special. I use it on the trees here from time to time.”
Jazz walked over to a tree with empty baskets. “Show me how you usually harvest apples.”
Applejack obliged her, trotting up the tree. Getting into her usual stance she braced her front legs, rearing up she cocked her back legs, building power and then released! Her hooves hit the tree square on, just above the base of the trunk of the tree. Apples falling perfectly into the baskets around them.
“How as that?” She asked the red mare when she looked to gauge Jazz’s reaction she was a bit surprised to see a look of pure horror on the red mare’s face. “Um, is something wrong?”
“Wrong? Of course, something’s wrong! You just bucked a tree trunk with enough force to cave in a cyclops’ skull! Do you have any idea what you're doing to your hips when you do that? Why are you using that primitive technique?”
Applejack’s nose wrinkled at the ‘primitive’ comment. “Well, how else are supposed to get the apples down? Your leg isn’t looking much better from what I saw earlier.”
Sighing deeply Jazz walked over to another tree with empty baskets. She held up her right foreleg making a red aura of magic appear, then firmly knocks the hoof against the tree, the red magic traveling through the trunk up to the branches, apples falling by the dozens.
“That’s how. Use your magic, not brawn. This is a simplified version of what I was doing earlier. Applejack developed this so we wouldn’t destroy our bodies from kicking trees. I see that knowledge didn’t get pass down properly through the years though and we’re back to braking our hips.”
“Amazing,” Was all Applejack could say walking up beside Jazz. “Can you teach me how to do that?”
“Of course,” Jazz smiled. “Let’s begin with the basics of harnessing earth magic. Start by…”
The morning passed by quickly with Jazz teaching Applejack the basics of earth pony magic like the first Applejack had taught her so long ago. It was almost poetic really, teaching her cousin’s descendent magic. Jazz sat back observing Applejack’s progress, she was learning rather quickly but it was clear her magical stamina wasn’t up to the task.
As Applejack approached her fifth tree, hitting it with a magic-infused hoof, a quarter of the apples fall into the baskets. She hit the trunk again, making another batch fall, but the way Applejack’s shoulders slumped inwards worries Jazz. Before her very distant cousin could hit the tree again, she calls for her to stop.
“That’s enough. You're too new to using your magic to keep on.” Jazz shouted. “Besides, it's like you said before we have plenty of apples for now.” There were over fifty baskets filled to the brim with apples already.
Applejack pressed her body against the tree, panting hard as she slid to the ground. “I guess your right.” A loud bell noise comes over the trees. “Dinner time already? Time does fly.” She tiredly said struggling to get up. Jazz trotted over and helped her stand. “Come on, you can join us for dinner. We’ll come back with Big Mac and AB to collect the baskets after lunch.”
“I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“Nonsense! You’re an apple and even if you weren’t you’d still be welcomed! Now come on!” Applejack yelled walking ahead on wobbly legs. Jazz smiled, picking up her things and followed Applejack to the yard, at least that was one thing that hasn’t changed. The Apples were still the Apples.
At the yard, Jazz was introduced to Applejack’s siblings. Big Mac and Applebloom and her grandmother Granny Smith. It was a rather awkward meeting. Applejack’s brother, Big Macintosh Apple, looked exactly like Rawhide. Well, he wasn’t quite as muscular as the miner had been and he still had both his eyes, but still, it was freaky, like seeing a ghost freaky. And she’s met an actual ghost pony.
(We never did find Shadow Spector.) She mused sadly. She was still pretty young when he went missing and he looked scary, but he had been a nice pony.
Next Applejack’s little sister, Applebloom. She was neat. Ok, she didn’t have much to say about her, she was a little filly without a mark. She didn’t resemble any dead friends or relatives (None I know at least. so no drama there. She was very inquisitive though. The little redhead has been asking non-stop questions. And still was even as Jazz turned her attention to Granny Smith. An elderly green mare. Again, no drama.
“It’s very nice to meet you all, I’m AppleJazz of the Apple Clan,” Jazz said doing a curtsy, that seems to throw them all off their game as they looked at her strangely. “Is something wrong?”
“Uh, no, it’s just weird for a pony to curtsy for a greeting around here is all.” Applejack explained. “Ponies might think you’re a noble in disguise or something. Folks around here can get some ridiculous ideas in their head sometimes from the smallest things.”
Jazz tilted her head, feeling a bit confused. “It’s just a greeting. We were all taught it in class when we were growing up. Princess Luna was insistent everypony learn proper manners no matter their class or rank.”
“You know Princess Luna!” Applebloom gasped excitingly. Then her face scrunched up. “Wait, but Princess Luna just got back and you're as old as Applejack, so how could you be in Princess Luna’s class? And since we're on the topic, how are related to us again?”
Applejack began to nervously rub her neck, “Right, well, you see it’s a bit complicated but she’s…
Jazz finished the sentence, cutting to the chase. “I’m Applejack the first’s cousin, I was born about ten years before Luna’s banishment and I lived through it. I’m Sargent AppleJazz of Night Patrol, at your service. I was present during Canterlot’s liberation. You might remember me better with these on.” Equipping her wings Jazz spread the metallic appendages wide for the family to see. Applebloom gasped the loudest in awe.
“That was you! You were awesome! The way you came through the window, firing those magic blast and things! Hey, what’s your cutie mark? How’d you get it?” The young foal chattered excitedly.
“Now just hold on a minute little bloom,” Granny said sternly, reining the young filly in. “They’ll be plenty of time to talk over dinner. Now let’s all go inside, the meals getting cold.”
Jazz followed the family of four inside feeling a bit uneasy as she sets her saddlebags on the floor, the metallic sound of her gem bullets clinking in the bags. Next, she unlatched her wings, slipping them into their holsters. Finally came her boots the ones Applejack had gotten from Luna, who had given them to her. She stood in the mudroom, feeling naked without her equipment.
The inside of the house was rustic, but modern to her as she peered around the kitchen, the family gathered around the table. She stopped short of joining them, feeling an intense heat coming from the metal square in the wall.
“What’s this?” She asked.
“That the oven,” Applebloom answered between her bites of steamed carrots.
“Where’s the smoke stack? The firewood?”
“Those went out of style a long time ago, sit down before things get cold, we have plenty to eat.” Encouraged Applejack pulling the chair beside her for Jazz to sit on.
Silently Jazz sat down, a big helping of grilled vegetables, roasted apples, and juice spread out before her. She took a piece of grilled onions and pepper slowly chewing it, enjoying the taste, then takes a sip of juice.
“Do you not like it?” Applebloom asked, looking worried. Jazz shook her head. “Then what’s wrong? Why are you eating so slow?”
“There’s nothing wrong with a mare eating slow Applebloom,” Granny chided. “Not your place to be judging how ponies eat.” Granny then looked at her. “Sorry about that Jazz, she doesn’t understand she can be mighty rude without thinking.”
“Its fine, the food is good. Really it is. But I’m afraid I’ll only be able to eat so much of it.”
“Why is that?”
“Hush child,” Barked Granny.
“It’s ok, I don’t mind explaining. It’s my wings, they can only lift a certain amount of weight, given all the gear I carry, that means I have to maintain a certain weight to be able to fly. So, I can’t really indulge in big hearty meals.” Jazz explained remembering Nightingale’s lectures for maintaining a proper flying weight. Because her wings do all the flying she doesn’t get the workout like a regular pegasus would. Nightingale, an actual pegasus figured this out when one day her prosthetic wings couldn’t carry her anymore after gaining ten pounds from a feast. She was very fussy about her weight ever since.
A hush fell over the table as they indulge in their meal. Jazz eating slow to get all the favor she could get out of each bite and fill up faster. It sadly didn’t take long for her to get full with her stomach so small. It made her picky about what she eats since she can’t eat a lot.
“So, after dinner and we get the apples picked up, how about we go into town?” Applejack suggested. “I’m sure there’s a lot of new things for you to enjoy there. Must be tough waking up after sleeping for a thousand years. You might even make some friends.”
Seeing new inventions would be exciting. From visiting some of the other Apples it was clear modern utensils wasn’t one of the things they kept up on. That made sense though. The Apples have always been a rather simple and stuck in the past family. Liking the old ways as opposed to the new. The only reason the clan was so ready to accept Luna’s help and Gadget’s inventions a thousand years ago was because they wouldn’t have survived without them.
(Still didn’t stop them from moving on once things got good and Applejack settled.) Jazz grumbled to herself. She wasn’t mad at her family for packing up and moving on. After all, she chose to stay with Applejack and then at the castle with Sixes and the others. The apples were pioneers and once an Apple settled down and started a herd of their own, the rest moved onto the next place. It’s how they spread across the land, and they still are to this day.
“Sounds like fun,” Was her answer finishing her muse. Though she wasn’t in the market for new friends just yet. She didn’t need to voice that. What will be, will be. Nothing wrong with making new friends. (Right, Dusk?) She wondered silently, thinking of her missing friend. Wondering where the tawny unicorn ended up.
“There she is, Ponyville!” Applejack beamed with pride as she led Applebloom and AppleJazz over the hill overlooking the town. “I’m sure there are a mighty bit of exciting new things for you to see there. Maybe not as many as Canterlot, but enough to entertain you for a day or more.”
“Yeah, we got all kinds of exciting stuff!” Applebloom added excitedly. “We got arcade games, restaurants, plenty of stores to tickle your fancy, and a bunch of other stuff!”
Jazz nods, enjoying the excited smiles of her cousins as they enter the town. Really it was amazing, the buildings, shops, and smells. And the ponies! There were so many ponies! Sure, she’s seen Canterlot with its thousands of ponies, but this was more impressive to her. Ponies, hundreds of ponies living in a town out here and thriving! It was truly amazing.
In the past, if a village reached a hundred residents that’s considered impressive. Course if a village did manage to reach that size it would have been considered a city then. And then it would be subject to higher taxes. So not many ponies were willing to put in the efforted needed to grow a town that big.
Here though, there must be over several hundred ponies! Maybe a thousand if she includes the rural farm areas. Still despite her joy at seeing such a thriving rural community. It concerned her that there were no guards. Not even goldies (EUP). The town had literary no protections!
To add to the encroaching danger, the Everfree forest had defiantly expanded over the last thousand years. She would know. She used to patrol this area. The town was probably only a few miles away from where her family first tried to settle. If the Everfree kept expanding, a hundred years this town would be overrun by the monstrous trees. Speaking of those trees.
“The road is gone.” She said aloud stopping in the middle of the street. Her gaze fixed in the direction she knew the old castle stood and where the path they had cut through the trees had been. In fact, the forest recovered very well from when the Griffons chopped it down during their siege of the castle. One of the darker times in her life. Being huddled in the lower levels while the patrollers fought off the invaders.
“What road? We’re on a road.” Applebloom stated looking confused, while Applejack follows Jazz’s line of sight.
“She means the old road going to the castle of the Two sisters, Sugar cube. You get halfway into the forest you’ll find an old cobblestone road overtaken by roots and weeds. My friends and I followed it a little way when we went to fight Nightmare Moon.”
Jazz closed her eyes, remembering back to the days of old, a small smile dancing on her lips. “Yeah, our settlement used to be on the edge of the Everfree, much like this town now. It had been colder back then, the land much more hostile. Monsters would roam and kidnap our kin for food. I had been one of the ones taken. By horrible beasts call stone Cyclops. Princess Luna and Cousin Applejack come to save us, and it was that night when I was returned to the warm embarrass of my family. Luna led us by moonlight towards the castle that would be our new home for many years. I would stand in the courtyard, waving as Patrollers left for their routes, walk with my uncles when we went to harvest our trees. I can still hear the ‘click, clack’ of the stone as hooves marched upon it. We fought every year to keep it from the Everfree. Shame to see it now, completely overrun.” She smiled, her eyes gleaming in the sunlight as she made out the tallest peak of the castle just over the canopy. “But we’ll take it back one day soon. It’s our home after all.”
“Isn’t Princess Celestia and Luna’s castle though?” A fourth voice questioned. The apples all jump, Jazz dropping into an aggressive stance as she glared down the pink earth pony that had suddenly appeared! She hadn’t heard her approach at all! “Oh, hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! My Pinkie sense told me there was a new pony in town, so I came to greet you! Unfortunately, my traveling music trailer is in the shop. But I can still sing if you want, some music usually starts playing anyway.”
Applejack stepped in front of her, getting between her and the pink pony. “Jazz, this here is Pinkie Pie, a friend of mine and the local party pony/pastry chef/town weirdo. She’s friendly, so you don’t need to be looking so cross at her. We’ve all come to accept Pinkie is an oddity.”
Jazz peered closer at Pinkie, feeling a strange sort of magic coming off the pink earth pony. She was certain she’s felt this kind of magic before but couldn’t place it. And then it hit her. “Pie? Are you of the Pie clan?”
“Yes, sire bob!” Pinkie replied cheerily. Jazz’s ears flopped down as she grinned haplessly.
“That explains a lot. I don’t need to hear any more than that. Are you still guarding the mirror pool?”
“Yep! It’s right over th…”
“Don’t tell ponies where it is!” Jazz snapped covering Pinkie’s mouth.
Pinkie giggled. “Oops, sorry. But back to my question.”
At this point, Applebloom joined in the debate too. “Yeah, Jazz it’s the castle of the two sisters, so doesn’t belong to Luna and Celestia?”
“It did, Celestia signed over the deed to Sixes about… well over a thousand years ago. We renamed it Night Hallow. I’m guessing it didn’t stick.” The three earth ponies shook their head. “Well, that’s disappointing. But I digress, we own the castle now. I’m sure Sixes has already sent a team to inspect it. But that’s work and I’m on vacation, so what do you girls do for fun around here?”
Pinkie gasped getting right up in Jazz’s face looking very, very excited. “The better question is what we don’t do?”
“That has a way more than one meaning and I’d like you to clarify because I don’t swing that way.”
“Swing what way?” Pinkie asked innocently, while Applejack covered Applebloom’s ears. “Like swing a bat? (DEEP GASP) Do you want to play baseball?”
“What’s baseball?” Jazz asked, cocking her head as the three mares burst into giggles. “I’m serious, I have no idea what you're talking about.”
“Don’t worry cuz,” Assured Applejack, “We’ll get you up to speed on all you need to know.”
They led her to a strange cage-like structure, ponies with clubs in their mouths hit white balls thrown at them by strange machines. The place was called a Batting cage and it was a place where one could practice for the game of baseball by hitting the thrown ball. She sat back, watching Pinkie, Applejack, and Applebloom swing bats with their mouths. Well AJ and AB did, Pinkie used her hair.
Sitting on the grass watching the three mares play was fun enough for her really. She felt strange about that. Maybe it was from sitting with AJ and watching Whiskey and Ale play. Maybe she just didn’t want to chip a tooth. Really those balls were flying at like fifty miles per hour and they were hitting them with the bats between their teeth. Ouch, that must hurt the gums.
“You sure you don’t want to try Jazz?” Applebloom yelled from her cage. “It’s really fun!”
She waved at the little filly, smiling, “Another time. I’m enjoying myself enough. Lots of new things to take in.”
“She right!” Exclaimed Pinkie. “There will always be time for baseball later, we should introduce her to the rest of the girls! Wouldn’t that be super fun!”
“Yeah, I can introduce her to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo too!”
Applejack looked at her, “Does that sound ok, Jazz?”
“That’s fine by me…” Jazz said getting up. She was more interested in new technology then ponies, but maybe Applejack’s friends could lend some insight or something to this new time. The fact the town was so unprotected still hampered her thoughts.
The girls exited the batting cages and begin to trot down the main street. Applejack’s eyes shifting towards the frequently. The orange mare suddenly stopped yelling up to a blue pegasus resting on a cloud. “Slacking off again Rainbow?”
The blue pegasus waved her off, “Yeah, yeah, I can get this done in…”
“Ten seconds flat. I know. Listen, I got somepony I want you to meet.” The blue pegasus sat up, showing off a wild mane of rainbow hair as she looked skeptically down at their group. She hopped off the cloud, slowly descending towards them and gently landing before them.
“Well, whoever it is, there’s no way they're cooler than me.” The pegasus bragged arrogantly. In a strange way, it reminded Jazz of Nightingale, yet not. The mare was far too immature. The pegasus followed Applejack’s point hoof, green eyes meeting magenta. “Another cousin Applejack? Jeez, let the rabbits catch up.”
“Rainbow,” AJ grumbled darkly. The pegasus brushing past the earth mare to get in Jazz’s face. Was there no such thing as personal space anymore?
Still, Jazz offered her hoof, “I’m AppleJazz, nice to meet you, Rainbow was it? Kind of on the nose isn’t?”
“Rainbow Dash,” Rainbow corrected. “And you may not believe this but you’re looking at the greatest flier since Firefly.”
“Firefly?” She replied questionably, while Rainbow nodded, looking proud. Too bad she was about to shatter the smile. “That’s your standard? I mean if you want to shoot for above average she’s fine, but greatest flier? Jeez, I think I even outranked her and I’m number eleven!” Jazz laughed, only for it to slowly die out as she noticed all the awkward stares. “Um, what?”
“You’re a better flier then Firefly? Bullshit!” Spit Rainbow, literary, the Pegasus spit on her cheek. Disgusting. “Prove it, right here, right now! Oh, you can’t! Because you’re an earth pony and you don’t have wings!”
To which Jazz equipped her wings, much to Rainbow’s shock. It was ego enhancing, really. “Still want to put me to the test? I did after all save your ass once already during the wedding, but if you don’t remember, I’ll be happy to give you a refresher.”
“Now, now, none of that,” Applejack interrupted. “Dash, don’t get so uptight, Jazz is here on vacation and I just wanted to introduce you. Besides, it looks like you don’t have time anyway.”
“Why’s that?” Rainbow demanded, Applejack merely pointing up to a grumpy looking stallion, Rainbow’s boss. “Oh, I’m still on the clock, right. Well, we’ll finish the later! At…um… five! Bet on it!”
“Sorry about that Jazz, Rainbow’s a little tough to handle sometimes. She’s nice enough though, once you get past the ego.”
Jazz shrugged as they begin to walk again, she’s meet Rainbow’s type before, nothing to really get upset over. “Her type doesn’t bother me that much, so don’t worry about WHOA!” Jazz’s world does a three-sixty as she found herself flipped onto her back with another pony beneath her. A very, very, very soft voice mewed out an apology from below. Rising quickly of the pony she just bulldozed, Jazz was a bit surprised to see a yellow pegasus laying on the ground covered in critters? What?
“You ok, Fluttershy? You took quite the tumble there,” Applejack says helping the yellow pegasus up. “Jazz, this here is Fluttershy local critter caretaker and the kindest pony you’ll meet in your life. Fluttershy, this here is Jazz, one of my distant cousins, she helps saved us at the wedding.”
At the mention of the wedding Fluttershy’s back went rigged, her legs began to shake and she began to glance frantically at everypony near distrustfully. Clear signs of changeling trauma. No surprise there. Honestly, Jazz was surprised she didn’t see more of it.
“Sorry about that, I’m AppleJazz, nice to meet you.” Jazz reached out her hoof, smiling widely and awkwardly as Fluttershy buried herself into her long pink mane, so she was only looking at a big thing of pink fluff.
“I’m Fluttershy… nice to meet you…” Fluttershy said in the softest voice Jazz ever heard in her life. She did not lift her hoof for a shake. That was ok, some ponies weren’t shakers, that’s fine. A little rude, but fine. She took a breath.
“I see you have a lot of critters there, are they yours? Somepony else’s? Are you a vet?” Jazz asked as crickets begin to chip. She looked behind her to see it was Pinkie making the noise. “Ok… yeah. Alright, I’m done let’s move on.”
“Fluttershy there you are! I’ve been looking for you!” An elegant voice said, Jazz looks toward the source and sees a blast from the past as a carbon copy of Allure trotted up to them. Same white elegant silky coat and same silky mane though styled differently. Which reminds her.
“You must be Rarity,” Jazz said barging in between Fluttershy and the unicorn while rifling through her saddlebags. “I have something to give you from Princess Luna for a favor you did her. Um, let's see, um yes here it is!” Producing the items from her bag Jazz held out Allure’s earrings and a letter addressed to Rarity.
“Oh, why thank you, darling!” Rarity accepted the items, pocketing the earrings in her own saddlebag, while tearing into the letter, her joyful smile, growing even wider! “Oh, this is wonderful! Princess Luna has asked that I make her a dress for an upcoming concert! No, no, wait…” Rarity produced a pair of red cat-eye glasses. “Ok… she wants a dress made for herself and the performers, Octavia and Vinyl melody! Oh, local stars, how wonderful!” Rarity coughed, composing herself before continuing. “The concert is in celebration for Night Patrols return. How lovely. Oh, there’s more, I am to make a dress for Captain Spitfire, Platinum, and AppleJazz. Details and contacts listed below.” Rarity looked up from the letter. “I presume your Applejazz? Given your similarities to Applejack and the apple mark upon your flank? Also by this lovely sketch, the Princess provided.”
“Aye, I am.” Jazz replied, admiring the sketch of her. Who did Luna hire to do that?
“Am I to assume you don’t care for Froo-froo things?”
“I’m not in love with it, but I don’t mind dressing up for the Princess.”
“Alright, I’ll start with you, right now.”
“Wait, what?” Jazz suddenly found herself being dragged by a blue aura of magic! “AJ HELP!”
“Sorry Cuz, it’s out of my hooves now.”
Having previous experiences with Allure Jazz merely resigned herself to Rarity’s whims. Really it just made things easier and go a lot faster. So, when Rarity began fitting her for a dress Jazz simply let her do her work, trying her best not to move or do anything to slow things down. She could deal without the constant chatter though. Not that Rarity’s idle chatter was annoying, she just didn’t feel like talking while being a living mannequin. Rarity seemed to catch on to this fact and slowly turned her chatter to things only relating to the fitting.
Such as is this too tight or too loose? Did she like this color pattern or this one? Frills, no frills? Equestrian style, Europona style, or Nippon style dress? Any patterns or designs? Questions like those that Jazz replied promptly too. A vision of Allure’s last dress for her in mind.
“It’s just fine, purple with yellow lightning bolts are fine, no frills, Nippon style, shortcut, please. I don’t want anything dragging on the ground for ponies to step on.” Jazz answered promptly. Rarity seemingly joyous that she wasn’t fighting her. While Rarity went about her work Applejack, Applebloom, Fluttershy, and Pinkie chattered among themselves.
“So, Darling, I seem to recall seeing you at the wedding. I must ask, who was it that design those sleek uniforms for you? The style, form, and fittings were perfect! Such inspiration! I simply must know!” Rarity asked excitedly, her needle quickly swizzing through the fabric making Jazz nervous she was going to get poked or worse sewn to her clothes!
“A unicorn named Allure, I’m sure Luna spoke of her when she came to get the earrings, yes?” Jazz said fidgeting a little, that needle was getting close!
Rarity seemingly unbothered by her close sewing rambled on while working. “Oh, yes! She did say the earrings belonged to my ancestor. I’m afraid we didn’t get much time to discuss her, but I am quite pleased to see she made such forward-thinking designs! I once did a bunch of costumes for a group of reenactors. Ugh, they wanted authentic uniforms. Which I had no problem making of course, but those old stuffy and wool made uniforms were just so uncomfortable. I felt so bad for the ponies having to wear them, and on such a hot day too.”
“Allure was definitely ahead of her time, but she also had Starwind to help her. He invented so many things it’s unbelievable. His apprentices went on to make some really cool things too.” Jazz mused remembering the old inventor. She tried really hard to be there for him when Dusk disappeared. In a perhaps misguided attempt to fill the void created when Dusk disappeared. In the end, she seemed to only cause him pain. There were a few times he’d mistake her for Dusk and he’d look so sad when he turned around and saw her. Eventually, Fury told her to leave him alone. And so, she did.
Then Sixes’s brought home Platinum.
Out of all of them, Starwind spoke Prench the best. The Prench mare was placed in his workshop, where he could work and teach her Equestrian. He made her prosthetic legs right in front of her, teaching her engineering as well. Platinum became Starwind’s first apprentice. And that had made her jealous. Jealous and angry at herself that she, Dusk’s best friend, couldn’t help her best friend’s father, but a complete stranger could. It had frustrated her to no end and she questioned everypony she knew to ask why?
“Ok, done! How does it feel? Jazz? Hello? Miss Jazz?”
“Uh?”
“I said I’m done,” Rarity repeated. “You can step down now.”
“Oh,” Jazz looked in the mirrors before her, showing off every angle for her check herself. “It’s very nice. Defiantly five-star work.” Jazz said hopping down from the stand. “Can’t wait to wear it for the concert. I’ll be sure to tell the others to get over here ASAP as soon as I get back…” The store doorbell rings, Jazz freezing when she heard the irregular, (Pat, Pat) steps of something on two legs. A high pitch boyish voice called out in the store.
“Rarity! I could really use your and others help!” The voice owner’s shouted entering the fitting room. “Oh, hi girls! Found four of you right of the bat, lucky me. Hey, who’s the red Applejack?”
“DRAGON!” Jazz flew out of her dress her wings flying off her saddlebags and attaching to her stubs, magic blazing wildly around her as she brings her wing blades down to bear on the little dragon’s throat!
“JAZZ WAIT!” Applejack screamed, appearing beside her. “This is Spike! He’s a friend!”
“He’s a dragon!” She snarled back. How did they not see the danger right in front of them? “How can you let a dragon live among you! Have you gone soft in the head? Do you know what his kind can do?”
“Spike wasn’t raised by dragons, he was hatched by Twilight!” Applejack retorts. It took Jazz a full minute to process what her cousin was saying.
“She’s right!” Spike shouted in a panic! “Twilight hatched me from an egg that Princess Celestia’s school had for some test or something!”
Jazz paused, her mind winding back to a very certain mission Nightingale and Fury did. “That egg, it wouldn’t have happened to be purple with purple poke dots, would it?”
“That’s the one,” Spike said proudly. “How did you know?”
“No reason!” Jazz said quickly retracting her wing blades. “Yep, no reason at all, none, so don’t ask any pony about it. Or tell any dragons.”
Spike looked skeptically as he stood up, as did the others, luckily the dragon had something to say. “Almost getting decapitated aside, you girls have to help me! I’m really getting worried about Twilight! She’s acting really weird, she’s reading strange books and she’s away tired too. I caught her a few times coming home in the morning from somewhere and she won’t tell me where!”
“Well, maybe Twilight got a special somepony?” Rarity hesitantly suggested, her friends looking flatly at her. “Right, right, this is Twilight. Boys are the last thing on that mare’s mind.”
Applejack coughed into her hoof, “Rarity’s fantasies aside. Most of that does sound fairly normal for Twilight, Spike.” The dragon’s face droops.
“I know, but… she’s never acted like this for this long, she’s been like this since the wedding! The last few days she hasn’t even come down to eat with me. And we always eat together. I had to force her to come downstairs today.” Spike bemoaned. “Please, maybe you girls can get through to her.”
Jazz watched as the other mares look beside themselves. Applejack looking the most worried. “Well,” AJ said after a long pause. “I would be lying if I wasn’t concerned myself. Actually, I was thinking of going and seeing her tomorrow, but if things are really that bad. Well, best not to let these things fester. Alright girls, let’s go roundup Rainbow and head on over to Twilight’s!”
A resounding, “YEAH!” shakes the boutique as the girls file out the door with Spike.
“Hey, Jazz, could you take Applebloom home? I don’t think things would get too out of hoof, but… well, if Twilight’s running on empty, she’s bound to be a bit grumbly and you know how a pony can get when they’re like that.”
“Well, you have no way of actually knowing I know that, but sure, I’ll take AB home. I’ll swing by afterward and see how things are going. Sometimes a stranger is more help than a friend.” Applejack gave her a strange look. Which was understandable. She made the same face when she was told that. AJ left with the others, leaving her and Applebloom alone. “Well, let’s get you home, kid.”
“I can get home by myself,” She said defiantly. “I’m not a little filly. I wish AJ would see that.” That last part was whispered under breath, but Jazz heard it all too clearly. And kind of agreed, but then again it wasn’t that long ago when she had the same thoughts as Applebloom. So, she was biased.
“Well, I was going to fly you home, but if you want to walk… Oaf!”
“Let’s get soaring!” Applebloom declared loudly. Also, she was heavier then she looks! The filly about took out her back!
Jazz stepped outside, unfolding her wings, “Alright, let’s get going! Hang on!”
The flight back to Sweet Apple Acres was a rather short one. Traveling at 234 wing power tends to do that. Applebloom only seemed slightly disappointed by the short ride. Landing in the yard she deposits the little filly into the care of Big Mac and Granny Smith. Big Mac looking longingly at her wings. Maybe she’d give him some info on getting prosthetic wings if he desires to go through that painful process. She should defiantly make sure they can make wings powerful enough to lift him off the ground first before getting his hopes up.
Saying her goodbyes Jazz raced back to Ponyville, keen on meeting this Twilight. She knew who she was, though she never met her face to face. Celestia was all too happy to point out her student during the celebration. The fact Twilight hatched the egg interested her a lot. And she knew it would interest Sixes and the other Commanders a lot too. They went to a lot of trouble to get that egg from the dragons, lost some patrollers in the mission too. They didn’t know what plans Celestia had for it, only that she wanted it to help find something. Following that logic, Twilight had to be that something or pony. Celestia was looking for.
“Let’s see if you're worth the lives of ten rinin, Twilight Sparkle.”
Veering into Ponyville Jazz circled toward the big oak tree in the center, which was also the town library. Good thing she asked Applebloom for the location, something everypony else failed to mention. Currently, all the lights were on, from the windows she saw silhouettes of the four mares Applejack introduced her to today, plus Applejack herself. And Spike. She saw his fin travel across the window. Their movements seemed rather frantic. Meaning Twilight was probably not home. She flew across the street with the front door in view and talked to the nearest pony.
“Did Twilight Sparkle come out of her home tonight?” It was beginning to get dark, the sun hanging low in the west. It’d be hard to track her soon. The pony she asked, a stallion, shook his head, saying he hadn’t seen her. “Thank you.” She flew to the back of the of the tree. Finding that there was a back door.
Landing she inspected the ground. Finding no tracks. Taking to the air again she observed the surroundings. There wasn’t a lot of building behind the treehouse. The few there were, were fairly spread out making it easy for somepony to walk past unnoticed.
Slowly she flew ahead, keeping her eyes moving side to side. About fifty yards away, directly across from the treehouse she found four imprints, just magically in the middle of nowhere near the forest. With tracks leading into the forest.
“She teleported out of her home, suspicious, but kind of impressive. A jump like that would cause a lesser mage to faint. Still, why go into the Everfree forest? At night no less?” Jazz mused. There was only place to go in the Everfree after all and that was the old castle.
“Jazz? What are you doing? Have you seen Twilight?” Applejack asked leading the others towards her.
She replied, “No, not yet, but I know where she’s going.” She pointed into the forest, a gasp escaping from the group. “So, who's up for a hike in the most dangerous woods in Equestria?” Much to her amusement, the group sighs deeply.
“Not again.” They exasperate, yet they all proceed towards the woods.
Twilight Sparkle pressed her muzzle firmly into the book Celestia gave her on shields. Her eyes flickered, droopy from a lack of sleep. Since returning home from the wedding she’s thrown everything she was into studying magic. Not just any magic, but battle magic. The one magic Celestia never taught her. It was a subject she too ignored, but as the villains became more and more powerful, so did her own want for actual attack spells grow.
To say she was disappointed when Celestia only tossed her a shield spell book was an understatement, but she rationed her teacher knew best. After all, a good defense was key to battle too, if she was to believe the magic duel book she was reading, and she did. It was written by Starswirl after all, how could she not believe it?
“Twilight? I have your lunch.” Spike shouted from outside the library.
“Bring it in then, please,” Twilight called without looking away from her book. When there was no sound of the library door opening and closing and the rumbling of her stomach growing louder. She finally looked away from the words that held her in their sway for the past few days. “Spike? Where’s lunch?”
“Out here! You need to come outside Twilight! It’s been over a week! Your friends are starting to worry, I’m starting to worry!” Her little dragon assistant pleaded. This wouldn’t be his first try at this plan to get her to leave the library. And she did leave from time to time, but only to practice the spells she learned. She was set to ignore his concerns and keep studying, hunger be damned. But then her stomach tightened again. Painfully. Making her wonder when the last time she had eaten was. Looking at the receipt from the last takeout bag Spike brought her, it read well over two days ago. “I thought my magic was a bit weak.” She muttered. Food was as important to magic as it was to the body. Spike had her by the mane.
She relented and scooted away from her desk. “I’m coming!” She called trotting downstairs. Sure, enough Spike was waiting with a blanket out on the front lawn for her and a cucumber sandwich and tea. Smiling she settled down next to him. The sun’s rays re-energizing her. Another important thing for her health.
“Thanks.” She says magicking her sandwich and began to snark it down. Spike poked her, holding up the bottle of tea.
“Small bites and sips or I will call everypony here and if that doesn’t work, I’ll send a letter to Princess Celestia again.” Spike threatened. Making her slow down and take smaller bites. Realizing if she started acting crazy again Celestia would only put further restrictions on her. Something she was unused to. Celestia hardly ever restricted her in anything when it came to learning growing up. Which had made the first time a very devastating blow to her ego, it was the first time she felt she lost Celestia’s trust.
“Thanks, Spike, but I’m fine.”
“You don’t seem fine to me.”
“That’s just your opinion.”
“Should I get a doctor’s then?”
That last rebuke made her pause. Again, she needed to keep the crazy down. Which she wasn’t! She wasn’t acting crazy! She was just binge studying! There was no telling when the next attack would come!
“I said I’m fine, Spike.” She said with a bit more bite then she should have. Devouring the last of her sandwich and gulping down the tea in seconds. She stood up and marched towards the library. “I’m just studying is all. Nothing to worry about. Really. I promise once I finish my research, everything will go back to normal.”
“When will that be?” He skeptically asked. Making her flinch slightly. How long would it take to become a master battlemage? It usually took years, a lifetime even.
“You know,” She said smiling widely, perhaps too widely. “Soon?”
“Soon?” Spike replied.
“Yep, soon.” She replies back, the two of them staring in silence. Spike gets up.
“Ok.”
“Ok?”
“Yeah,” he says, “Ok. Do what you want. I’ll see you when I get home.”
He walked off, her eyes following him. He was going to get the others. She knew it. They would try to make her stop! But she couldn’t stop! Her work was too important! If she doesn’t up her game, then… Imagines of the wedding flood her mind. She and her friends helpless on the ground. Completely useless. The Princess forced to give up for their sakes. She couldn’t let that happen again!
Running inside Twilight grabbed her saddlebags and spell books then teleported out of the house, near the edge of town. Thanks to her training and study, her teleport range has greatly increased. Soon the rest of her skills would follow.
“Time for some private spell practice.” She muttered entering the Everfree forest, heading towards her favorite training spot. The vicious critters along the way made for some good practice too. Breaking off into a trot Twilight followed the glow of her horn. Fully expecting an attack any minute. Her progress was swift, her well-worn path making for much easier travel then when she first started coming out here to practice. Really it just meant she had more time to practice with the reduced travel time. Hopefully, in time, she’ll just be able to teleport straight to her secret practice sight. It was ambitious for a mage her age, but it’s what drove her to do better.
Still the idea of calling her training ground ‘secret’ was a bit silly and childish. But she liked the sound of it. Secret. A place all of her own to really cut loose with her magic. No worrying about unwitting frogs or ponies getting hit by her spells and turning into a sin against nature. Or a law violation. There were laws about what you could and could not turn into an orange. A lot of things.
“Seems kind of quiet tonight,” Twilight said aloud as she follows the path. Usually, something would have tried to attack her by now. Did she scare away the local timber wolf pack by blasting them too much? Oh, that could be a problem. “Distorting nature is never a good thing,” Twilight muttered Celestia’s words from her youth. Now she was probably obligated to control this territory, less something more dangerous fills the void.
“Maybe they're just in a different part of the forest,” Twilight said hopefully, not really wanting to have to maintain a territory in the Everfree. On the other hoof, she was technically already doing that. Really thinking about it more, if she keeps to her routine maintaining a territory wouldn’t be so hard. It was her secret spot after all. Though maybe not that quite secret.
Really could the castle of the two sisters be considered secret? It was a landmark, one that no pony knew off it seemed. Actually, given from what she’s heard around town, no pony seemed to know there was even a castle out in the Everfree. She supposed with Canterlot being the capital now that made sense. So not so much secret but forgotten. Or Abandon. The Castle was still technically Princess Celestia’s. Right?
A roar in the distance made her freeze. Then another roar and another. There was a whole chorus of roars resounding through the tree! The temperature seems to spike too. Ahead of her came a brilliant glow. Twilight began to cough as black smoke rolled around her. The Everfree forest was on fire!
Breaking off into a hard gallop Twilight keeping her head hung low, her eyes on her trail. She wasn’t that far from the castle. If she could make there she could take shelter. There was enough clearing around the old fortress that the fire would never reach it.
“AHHH!” Screaming she burst through the foliage just in front of the old rickety bridge. Only the bridge wasn’t there. It was gone! She took a few moments to catch her breath and clear her vision, it must have just fallen again. That was not the case though. The old wood posts were gone, torn from the ground. With only their rotting bottoms in the earth.
Upon closer examination after clearing away some smoke Twilight found brand new, large trunks stabbed into the earth with strong, thick, new steel cables running across the gorge, with new sturdy boards spanning the whole distance. Somepony had fixed the bridge!
What’s going on here? She wondered, holding a hoof over her mouth. The smoke was getting thicker. Looking above the treetops Twilight could see the raging glow of the fire, black smoke pouring into the air. North towards the castle she heard voices, and the sound of hammer on stone.
Casting a low-level obfuscation spell, she blended into the tree line of the Everfree, intent on seeing the cause of the fire. Her mane began to fizzle, each breath she took painful as she inhales good amounts of smoke. A filter shield did the trick. Filtering the smoke out of the air around her. One of the many new she shields she learned from the book. A good choice of her master. One she was appreciating all the more now.
The temperature reached its zenith, her coat becoming bogged with sweat as the heat swelled around her. Peering from the bushes Twilight kept a firm hoof over her muzzle at the sight before her. Dragon ponies. Seven of them under the light of the moon were lined up in a row spewing fire from their mouths at the tree line. Behind them a team of earth rinin dug into the ground, ripping the tree’s roots from the earth and then burning them. Broken piles of cobblestone and dirt litter the newly made clearing. Remembering the old map she studied for finding the elements, Twilight quickly surmised they were clearing the old road to the castle.
The presence of the rinin meant Princess Luna was mostly like involved. Twilight was about to drop her spell and go speak the Rinin but became intrigued as she watched them work. The rinin were more likely to act themselves if they didn’t know she was watching them. Besides, she was curious about their intentions with her ‘secret’ spot.
About facing, Twilight made her way back to the ravine. Crossing the new and very sturdy bridge. Twilight is once again intrigued by the number of night ponies present. They were all tolling away at the old castle. A team of earth ponies in hard hats bearing the Royal Engineers symbol stood to the side, speaking with an orange Rinin. Obviously, they were here to work on the old castle.
Suddenly the orange Rinin froze and turned towards her, his nostrils flared wide. “Who's there!” He demanded, all the workers coming to a standstill. Suddenly it was very, very quiet. she cowered, keeping still under obfuscation spell. Knowing they couldn’t see her. The orange rinin, much like a dog, sniffs his way over to her, his hot breath blowing against her bangs as he stared right at her.
“Topaz! What are you doing? There’s nothing there.” A pink rinin laughed approaching them. She moved between Twilight and Topaz. “Come now, let’s get back to work. Or are you too tired to keep on? You have been pushing us rather hard these past few days no?”
“I know I smelt something VeeVee,” Topaz grumbled, trying to move past the pink medic, but she doesn’t relent and blocked his path.
“Now, now, it’s probably just something the fire team is burning, a strange plant or something. You know how the forest is? Right?” VeeVee says craning her neck backward. “Look there is nothing behind me.”
Twilight felt a shiver as the raspberry rinin smirked directly at her. She had a feeling the dragon pony could see her.
Topaz sighed, VeeVee turning back to face him, while Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “Perhaps your right. Maybe I am a little tired. Everypony! We pack up for the night in twenty! Make sure your tools are all accounted for!”
Twilight continued to hold her breath as the rinin walked away. The raspberry colored rinin glanced back several times with a knowing smirk. There was no doubt she could see her. So why not say anything? Shaking herself of the uneasy feeling plaguing her, Twilight silked away into the darkness, intent of doing some training tonight.
Continuing on her trail Twilight followed the winding path to her true secret spot. A large clearing with large boulders and a few caves about a mile from the castle proper. The results of her previous sessions marked in the crumbled boulders along the small canyon wall. Here she could truly cut loose.
Walking to the three pony statues in the center, she tapped each atop the head. The statues begin to shake black dirt globing onto their stone bodies morphing their shape into her image. Glowing purple runes appear on the bodies as their eyes open, revealing solid purple eyes of magic. These were the secret to her success for improvement. Detailed in Starswirl’s book of dueling, training golems. Planting just a little of her magic inside of the golems they would take her form and she could fight them. Every time she defeated them they would learn and be much harder to defeat next time. There was a coffee stain covering part of their instructions, but she was sure it wasn’t a concern.
So far, she’s managed to push the golems to level seven, as indicated in glowing magic on their chests.
“Ok, TG (Twilight golem) 1 through 3, another round tonight. Give me all you got!” The golems nodded silently and jump back, each one preparing a magic blast. Twilight bounced in place, her tongue between her teeth as she waited for their attack.
BEUM! Went the first blast, skillfully she blocks with a small square shield, jumping sideways Twilight swings the shield around to block an attack from the left. Side trotting, she looked for the third golem, widening her shield as the two continue to blast at her.
“Where are you?” She whispered under breath searching for golem number three.
A bright light caught her eye, Twilight swings her body reshaping her shield into a half sphere as the third golem charged at her with a mana blade, a blade of magic emitted from the horn. TG-1 pressed against the shield, slowly cutting its way inside the barrier!
“No way! How do you know that spell! I just read up on it tonight! I haven’t even had time to practice it myself!” Twilight gawked while TG 2 and 3 continue to bombard her. She shrinks the shield to strengthen it, but she was being overwhelmed! This was a huge leap from level six!
“We know all you know, Master,” TG-1 said. Which it was not supposed to do!
“You can’t talk! At least the book said nothing about you talking! Well, at least the parts I could read! Oh, this is so exciting!” The golem continued to cut through the shield, the other two stopped shooting and charged the shield with mana blades, piercing it easily! Damn her lack of focus! Also, the tips of those blades were a little close for comfort! “I order you to stand down! Training is over!” Twilight barked, sweat pooling on her brow, she was using a lot of magic keeping the three at bay.
The golems did not stop.
“I said stop!”
“Safety features are disabled after level six, you must defeat us or die.” The three golems said, all in her voice. It was really creepy, also, WHAT!
“Fine then!” Twilight dropped the shield quickly jumping back and blasting the three with a barrage of magic blasts. Her adrenaline got the better of her as she continually fires till her horn turned red. She clenched her jaw, hissing at the intense heat on her brain. She wouldn’t be able to use her horn for at least a minute. Unless she wanted to feel some real pain. “At least that’s over. I’ll have to find another copy of the book and read the stained parts for next time.”
“Foolish master,” the robotic monotone trio of the golems said as they walk out of the smoke, completely unharmed thanks to the pink shield surrounding them. Of course, they knew what she knew. “You are assuming there is a next time.”
“Ha! If you kill me then you’ll disappear!” That was a great counter. Surely that will make them stop.
“No, we won’t. We will drain the life force from your dying flesh and skin your body and take over your life.” TG-1 monotoned.
Twilight chuckled nervously as the three encroached on her, her butt hitting the side of the pit. “Really, wow, that’s should really be in the front of the book. But tell me, which one gets to wear my skin? There are three of you, and one of me. So, who's it going to be?” Maybe they would fight each other, maybe they would bicker, but whatever happens, she just needed enough time for her horn to cool and she could teleport the hell out of here!
“We will figure that out after we kill you. For now, we are a united front.” TG-2 says. “Nice try, but it’ll take more than that to trick us, Master.”
So much for buying time! She breaks right, the TG-3 stabbing with a mana blade, Twilight ducked the blade going over her head and into the boulder. Ramming TG-3 with her shoulder Twilight knocked the golem down, wincing as her tender flesh hit the hard stone body. She should have done some resilience training. Chancing a blast and firing at the other two she managed to hit one in the side, but the burning pain in her skull had her reeling as she ran away from the three. A barrage of magic blasts on her tail as she skidded behind some cover.
“One, two, three, four, five,” Twilight counted as each magic blast hits the rock. Debris falls on her head as she sits there panting. “Each of those was medium powered shots, they’re me so they can each only fire five before having to stop and cool down.” Really being golems, they shouldn’t have limits like that, they shouldn’t feel pain from overheating, or maybe with their new intelligence they could or maybe they think they can. They were trying to skin her, to be her, so… does that mean they’ll act like her too?
Poking out from behind cover, and pointing her hoof outward Twilight shouts “Is that a new copy of Advance spells 1000 and 1?”
“Where!” Surprisingly all three golem Twilights turn in the direction she’s pointing, while she ducks back behind cover. “Hey!” They scream letting out a barrage of magic blasts. Half of Twilight’s cover crumbling from the barrage.
(Ok, I might have just wasted that tactic. But I learned something, they have my quirks. I can use that. What are my weaknesses? No, they know all of mine. What are their weaknesses? Think, think, what is it they always did before?) Then it came to her. (They never attack alone! They didn’t fight without their friends… like I’m doing now. At least I didn’t make six of them.)
The barrage stopped, the sound of heavy galloping hooves coming closer! They were coming! She had to find a way to separate them, to take them by surprise! Something she would never do!
“Frontal attack!” Twilight screamed charging over the half-destroyed boulder. Instantly she took three magic blasts to the body, dropping her to her knees. The golems stand over her, looking pathetically at her. “Why didn’t I take you by surprise?”
Despite not having pupils, the three golems roll their eyes speaking as one. “You charged Nightmare Moon head on before you even knew the basic magic blast. A suicide charge was within our expectations. We just didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to do it again. Now, how do you want to be skinned? Front to back or side to side?”
“Neither please.”
“Front to back it is.”
All three ignite their mana horns, the three glowing pink blades descend toward her, her hair smoldering from the magical heat. Twilight braced for the pain and thought of her parents and brother, wondering how horrified they would be when they found her skinned alive and a rock wearing her flesh. Assuming golems didn’t have changeling level of disguise. But what did she know? Apparently, nothing because of a fricken coffee stain! All hope seemed lost when a sudden battle cry came over the tree line, making the three golems pause.
“YEHAW!” A red and silver blur flew overhead. Distracting the golems.
“Twilight, over here!” Came the voice of AJ, Twilight felt her eyes watering at the sight of her friends appearing from the tree line. In desperate need she teleports, by only reaches halfway, her horn overheating again.
“After her!” TG-1 screamed. The golems galloping after her.
Twilight suddenly found herself airborne! “I got ya!” Said the voice of Rainbow Dash. “Hey, Red AJ! Show me what you got!”
The red and silver streak come toward them, Twilight caught the briefest imagine of a red Applejack with silver wings diving towards the three golems. Instantly Twilight remembered her from the wedding. The red pony began to shoot red blasts from her wings, peppering the three golems, pulling up as the three began to fire at her.
“Those things training golems?” AppleJazz asked her flying up beside Rainbow Dash. Twilight nodded the relief of being saved stealing the last of her strength, even to talk seemed too much for her right now.
Jazz shook her head. “Great, I don’t have the right ammo, red gem bullets don’t do good against rock type enemies. I’ll hold them off, go get Commander Topaz…” A loud whinnying roar echoed through the sky. “Never mind. Follow my lead, you're in for a show.”
Rainbow followed Jazz down to the others, the orange/blue and rosy pink rinin from before stood ahead of the group between them and the three golems. The golems eye the two wearily. Slowly back peddling as the orange rinin snorts a blue smoke from his nostrils. Raising his wings Twilight and the others stare in awe was blue fire erupts on the rinin’s wings. He pounced, claws extended in attack as he raced across the pit. The three golems whirl around, but they were too slow, Topaz passed through their group stopping on the other side, his wings returning to normal. The three golems engulfed in blue fire as they fall to the ground, sliced perfectly in half as they crumbled to dust.
Topaz turned around, walking straight towards her, “Well, well, who do we have here? I thought I smelt something. Turns out it’s Celestia’s protégée.” The orange rinin bowed his long neck looking straight into her eyes. “I think you have some explaining to do, missy. Starting with your friends there.”
Twilight chuckled nervously as she turned to face the disappointed faces of her friends plus Spike. “So… where should I start?”
“Why in the Sam hell did you go off and do something so foolish, Twilight!” They were back at the old castle, sitting around one of the new tables provided for the construction crew, course all work has been stopped for the night, giving her friends a lot of silence to fill as they scold her. Applejack being the first.
Rainbow Dash was the next one. “Yeah, Twilight! Why would you leave us out of something this awesome! Fighting clones of yourself? Awesome! Fighting clones of myself? Even more awesome!” The others proceed to glare at the blue pegasus. “Ah… I mean… you shouldn’t have flown solo and stuff like that.”
“Well, I for one can understand the need to learn how to defend one’s self. I take self-defense classes myself, but this is on the extreme Twilight. You could have gotten hurt. And with no pony around to aid you I don’t think I need to go into detail about what could happen.” Rarity said gaining some stares from the others. “What? What are you all looking at?”
Rainbow snorted, “You study self-defense? As in Karate in the like? I’ve never seen you at the dojo.”
Rarity turned up her nose at Rainbow’s snickering, “I as if I would go to the smelly dojo behind the grocery store. No, I attend Kempo lessons from Lotus Blossom and Aloe at the spa with Fluttershy every Wednesday.”
All eyes turn to Fluttershy whose hiding beneath her mane. “I went to learn massage techniques for my animal friends. But I walked into the wrong class and was too embarrassed to say so. It has actually been a lot of fun. Also, Twilight, I think what you did was very dangerous and I would appreciate if you didn’t do it again. If that’s ok.”
That’s four of six down Twilight mused feeling horrible, not just for putting her friends through so much worry, but the ass kicking her golems put her through. Her horn still cooling off from that last teleport. She most likely has magic exhaustion.
“Do you have anything to say Pinkie? Spike?” Twilight asked the two-feeling miserable. VeeVee, the raspberry colored rinin said she could heal her, but said she would only do so after her friends were done venting. The rinin herself was off to the side, grinning like Cheshire cat, glad she was enjoying the spectacle. The other rinin, Topaz, who had defeated her golems with frightening ease sat next to the raspberry rinin. He kept looking at her as if studying her. Twilight found it unnerving.
“Not really,” Was Pinkie rather curt reply. Which was very strange for the very hyper earth pony. “I think Spike has something to say though.”
Twilight panned to her number one assistance/little brother/son dragon with his arms cross and looking very displeased. Spike was a lot of things to her. If she were honest she would say he was her first friend, but their bond was deeper then that. Or at least it should be. From the look in his narrow green eyes it was obvious she really hurt him this time.
“Before you say anything, I just want to say, I’m sorry.” Spike’s glare didn’t lessen, but he uncrossed his arms and waddled over to her. He stared at her rubbing his claws over her cuts and bruises from the battle. She was certain he was deliberately poking them to teach her a lesson. He then wrapped his little arms around her neck and hugged her tight.
“Just promise you won’t do this again.” He said. The hurt in his voice really cut at her heart.
“I promise not to be so reckless next time. Despite everything, I did learn a very important lesson during that fight. I thought to be stronger I had to do things alone, to isolate myself and devote everything I was to studies. Like I did when I was in Canterlot. I should have known better. I should have known no matter how many spells I learned or how much I improve my magic, I’ll always be stronger with my friends than without them. I’m just sad it took almost dying for me to realize that.”
The girls collectively ‘awwed’ all of them dogpiling in a massive hug on top of her. Which was really sweet, but also hurt! It hurt a lot! She screamed in agony shaking the leaves in the trees as her friends quickly climbed off her. All of them looking guilty while VeeVee causally strolled over seemingly enjoying her pain.
“Now that your all done venting, allow me to patch you up.” VeeVee took a deep breath, pink fire glowing beneath her scaled chest. Twilight began to back away as VeeVee reared back.
“WAIT WAIT WAIT!” Twilight screamed as VeeVee unleash a stream of pink flames. Her friends let out a horrified scream and so does she, but Twilight quickly stops when she realized the pink flames weren’t burning her. They weren’t even hot! They were warm like a cozy blanket was being wrapped around her body, it kind of made her sleepy. Then the cut on her leg disappeared, and slowly did her other injuries as the pink flames slowly began to die down, until they were all gone and she sat on her hunches completely healed. She looked up to VeeVee in complete amazement.
VeeVee smirked, “That never gets old. At least you didn’t roll on the ground. I’d have to set you on fire again.”
“How in the world…” Applejack said slack-jawed.
“Amazing isn’t it?” Jazz said appearing from behind AJ. “VeeVee is a very special Rinin. Instead of burning ponies with fire, she heals them! That’s why she’s our best field medic!”
“Yes, thank you Jazz, though I could have said so myself.” Jazz sank back, bowing her head apologetically. VeeVee turned her full attention to Twilight, lifting her legs and poking the lavender unicorn with her claw. “Hmm, you seem to have healed nicely. My healing flames use the patients own magic as fuel. I had thought you’d be only half healed in your current state, but you have a… potent amount of magic. Still, I would advise no heavy spellcasting for a few days.”
“Thank you, sorry for the trouble,” Twilight bowed her head.
“Oh, it was no trouble, in fact, it was a pleasure,” VeeVee said in a very strange almost enthralled soft tone. “I can see why Celestia chose you as her latest student. She was always good at finding you once in a generation type.”
“What?”
VeeVee went rigid, clearly, the latter part wasn’t supposed to have been heard. “Oh nothing, nothing.” She replied turning away. “Don’t mind me, I like to babble, but we should really wrap this up, you need your rest. I’ll be sure to come by and check on you later. Is there anything you wish to ask the girl Commander Topaz?”
The orange rinin was front and center while VeeVee sank into the background of the forest. His expression was neutral and calculating. “What was the purpose of your training?” Twilight wrinkled her muzzle in confusion. “I’ll clarify. Why were you training out here, alone in the most dangerous woods in Equestria, unsupervised and with no medical personnel or even second to keep watch over you. Why were you using Starswirl’s training golems spell when they are known to go rogue? Thus, they were banned from use in the year ANM 6. Surely all this was not done under Celestia’s guidance or approval.”
“Well, you see…”
“Answer honestly now, Celestia’s student. Honestly will show you leniency, lies will bury you.”
Twilight’s ears drooped as she took a breath, panning from Topaz to her friends back to the rinin. “No, Celestia didn’t know I was doing this, nor did she give me the book where I learned the golem spell. I kept it hidden from her when she caught me taking several advance spell books from the library. Due to a certain event prior to the wedding, I lost Celestia’s confidence in my ability to self-study. The only book I was allowed to take was on shields.”
Topaz nodded, “I see, what drove you to these actions? Surely you knew what you were doing was wrong?”
“Yes, but I needed to get stronger! During the invasion I…, I was useless, helpless even, I wasn’t any help to the princess at all. I just got in the way. If I had been a better mage I could have…”
“Done nothing,” Topaz said bluntly, Twilight’s body going ridged at the harsh words. “Even if you were twice as powerful, you would have still been in the same boat. In the battle between Princess Celestia and the changeling queen adding your power wouldn’t have tilted the scales enough in Celestia’s favor. The only strategy that would have led to victory would have been if you teleported everypony out of the room, allowing Celestia to use her full might. Might, I’m sure you have never seen before that day.” Twilight and the others slowly nodded. Still shaken by what they saw. “She hid her trump card well then these past thousand years. But now it’s been played. I’m sure once things settle down, Celestia will take more interest in your development, just be patient and don’t get yourself killed before then.”
“You talk like you’ve gone through this before,” Twilight inquired.
Topaz nodded, “I too was once her student, as well as two other rinin, for a short time. I’ve also seen her go through several other students before a thousand years ago when she started taking on individual students. They like you, had talent and above average magic. Like you, they got ahead of themselves and got burned for it.”
A clear and loud gulp came from Twilight’s throat. “I’ll… ah… take that into account. (YAWN) But really, it’s late, we should be getting home. I’m feeling particularly tired right now. If you don’t mind, could I ask you a question before we go?
Topaz shrugged, telling her to go ahead.
“What are you all doing out here? You fixed the bridge, your unearthing the old road, are you… are you going to rebuild the castle?” Twilight said with a hint of hope and excitement in tone. Sadly, Topaz’s frown quickly squashed that.
“I was sent here to survey the castle by Commander Sixes, later I received a message from Princess Luna after I sent in my report two days ago. My orders are to build a stage for the concert she planned and then…” Topaz looked warily to Jazz, who caught on to what he was saying. Her face heartbroken.
“Then what?” Applejack demanded noticing her cousin’s mood change. The others leaned in as Topaz looked squarely at them and bluntly said.
“Then we’ll destroy the castle.”
A cricket’s chirp of silence passed through the silence. Twilight slammed her hooves on the table. “WHAT! You can’t destroy the Castle! Its where we found the elements of harmony, it was Celestia castle, it’s also a historical landmark! You can’t destroy it!”
“I didn’t destroy it! Celestia did! Letting it sit and rot in the elements for a thousand years!” Topaz barked back at her. “She abandoned it! She’s the one that didn’t want to fix it properly after the battle with Nightmare Moon! It’s our home! Not hers! She gave up her rights to it long ago before you were an egg in your mother’s, mother’s womb!”
“I’m going to go inside,” Jazz said abruptly, running towards the castle. The sight of the young mare’s tears not making Topaz feel any better about the situation they found themselves in. He didn’t want to see the old castle go either, but the whole place was crumbling. The stones held up longer than any pony probably would have thought without maintenance, but you can’t plaster new brick to old crumbling eroded stone, and you can’t get rid of a thousand years of mold with soap.
Feeling more conflicted then he’s ever felt in his life Topaz looked at the six mares and dragon before him. Tired and wanting to be alone.
“Go home, all of you. VeeVee, escort them home.”
“Alright, you don’t mind if I take a day or two to taken in the town, do you?” Topaz waved off her request, saying he didn’t care. VeeVee looked pleased as she told the girls and Spike to line up and follow her. “Alright, come along now my fillies, I’ll have you back to town in no time!”
Jazz peered out the glassless window of the old classroom where Luna used to teach her and the other fillies and colts. She sniffed as she watched VeeVee lead Applejack and the others back towards down. Taking out a cloth from her saddlebag she blows her nose, feeling pity for her self as she pictures the castle as it had been a thousand years ago. The castle that had been full of life and warmth now as just cold and silent. The pain of the bleak contrast was almost enough for her to want it gone this instant, just so she wouldn’t have to see her home like this.
Trotting down the hall she followed the dim light of the moon through the dark halls, some gem lights were placed here and there, probably for the workers. She saw where they attempted to clean the mold from the walls, the chemicals they used still mucking up the air. Making her noise twitch with irritation. Whatever they used was strong and pungent. She touched one of the whitened bricks with her hoof, the whitened stone instantly crumbling away. Seems whatever they used was too strong. Probably expensive too.
Turning left there was a half-broken wall, part of it was cut cleanly away, new stone next to the old. Hitting the joint where new and old met the old wall broken with only a moderate amount of force on her part. The joint broke easily. Her heart in the slumps she kept heading for her destination, only for one of her hooves to fall through the floor!
“Dammit,” She cursed pulling her leg free. Numerous tiny cuts marring her leg. This place really was done for. Still, she had to see it just one more time. The one room that meant the world to her, Dusk’s room.
Spreading her wings, she flew over the rest of the crumbling floor, seemed the living quarters were in worse conditions than the rest of the castle. Whole segments of the floor were missing. She could see the floor beneath and sometimes she could see even further. Some of the holes probably went straight to the basement.
Coming to her destination Jazz gently tapped the ground, making sure it would hold her weight. It seemed like it would, so she folded her wings staring longingly at her best friend’s door. Half wondering if Starwind’s spell was still in effect. She tapped on the old oak, the door slowly swinging open. The gem lights on the ceiling turned on, flicking, their lights weak. She could barely make out the room, but it looked the same as it had been a thousand years ago, minus the thousand years of dust.
“Hey Dusk, I’m back.” She says walking inside. “It’s been a while, but I just thought I would come and tell you it worked, we’re a thousand years in the future, we saw Princess Luna again. Things are really different though. I guess more then I expected them to be.” She stood in the middle of the dusty room, listening for the reply that was never coming. Then she heard a creek behind her.
“Change is natural.”
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, Jazz turned around, green eyes wide with disbelief at the voice she just heard. In the corner of the room sat a cloaked figure on the old rocking chair, holding a book aloft in black/silver magic with a tawny muzzle and longhorn poking out from beneath the readers hood. The reader closes the book, which Jazz recognized as the journal Starwind left for Dusk by the mark on the cover. The figure smiled, jumping off the rocking chair they’d been sitting on, their cloak detailing their frame to be that of a mare.
“It’s good to see you again,” The tawny mare said brushing Jazz’s hair with her hoof. The mare leaned closer, giving Jazz a closer look at her silver/black eyes, eyes she knew. “My best friend.”
“DUSK!” Jazz screamed reaching out with grab her long-lost friend but the cloaked mare disappears, Jazz catching nothing but dust. “Dusk, please! Come back! Dusk!” She screamed, but to no reply. Making her wonder if what she had been real or her heart playing tricks on her.
“Here we are, I hope you all enjoyed the trip.” VeeVee sings playfully as Twilight and friends moan in exhaustion. Really, she didn’t know what they were complaining about. Sure, the team rebuilding the road to town were only halfway there and the parts of the forest still remaining was very rough walking, but really it was an easy trip.
“Good, I’m beat,” Rainbow Dash said flying up to her cloud home above the town.
“I’ll be fine from here,” Said Fluttershy trotting away from the group.
“The cakes are just over there, that’s me!” Pinkie Pie said bouncing away.
“My lovely abode is merely two blocks away, I’ll bid you all ado.” Chimed Rarity, leaving VeeVee with Spike and Twilight. Applejack having left the group when they came to the main road.
“We’re just over there, we live in the treehouse,” Spike said as Twilight fell on top of him, snoring away. “Um… could you perhaps…”
“No problem,” VeeVee said picking Twilight up with her tail and placing the unicorn on her back. She began to trot towards the library, finding the strange home rather amusing as Spike opened the door for her. “I’ll just put her to bed for you.”
Spike smiled, looking very happy about the offer, “Thanks, um… say can I ask you a question?”
VeeVee’s smirked as the little dragon poked his claws together, his cheeks cherry apple red. She noticed him eyeing the white unicorn on the way here. Eyeing her a lot. “Sure, little one, ask away.” She said laying Twilight down on the bed.
“Well, don’t tell any pony, but I sort of have crush-I mean feelings for Rarity, the white unicorn and I was just wondering with you being a dragon pony and all, does that mean… umm… “Spike’s entire body turns completely red with steam rising from his cheeks, if he gets any hotter he’d probably burn the treehouse down. “Can ponies and dragons… you know?”
This was just precious VeeVee mused taking in the adorable little dragon. A dragon crushing on a pony, maybe her kind could be made outside of a lab. But what to do? Should she tell him the truth? No, this would be fun to watch. “Is the fact that I stand before you not proof enough?” She grinned, complete satisfaction running through her body at the star-struck look of the little purple dragon. Leaning down she butters up her lips, teasing him with a kiss on the cheek. “But it’s such a same, a handsome full-blooded dragon such as yourself must find a half breed like me repulsive.”
“Oh no, no, no! I don’t! You very beautiful Ms. VeeVee! And I really like ponies!” Spike’s cheeks were red as cherries, she could hear his heart pounding through his chest like a drum. She wondered if it would explode if she pushed him a bit more. That might be interesting to see. Spike mood shifts, turning sour. “I don’t really care for dragons, I did meet some once, but we didn’t connect very well.”
“Were any of them female?”
Spike blinked, looking positively confused. He rests his chin on his palm in deep thought. “Hmm… I don’t think so. Yep, I’m pretty sure I just hung out with only the guy dragons during the migration.”
“Well, shouldn’t you wait and meet one first before judging whether your like dragons or not? You never know, you might just find yourself falling for fetching dragoness, who returns your feelings.”
“I love Rarity though! She’s… YAWWN she’s…”
“Ok, ok I get it, but it’s time for little dragons to go to bed. Here I’ll tuck you in.” Before Spike could protest VeeVee wrapped him in her tail. “Is this your bed? This little basket?”
“Yeah,” Spike says sleepily. “It takes up less room. But there’s a second bed Twilight has for sleepovers, your welcome to use it.”
VeeVee laid Spike down in the basket and goes to inspect the spare bed. It wasn’t a thousand count sheets, but it beats flying back to camp to sleep in the woods. Besides Topaz did say it was ok for her to explore the town. She was about to settle down when a bewildered moan came from behind. Seems Twilight has woken up.
“Who are you? How did I get home?” Twilight swiveled her head, looking completely baffled.
“I’m VeeVee of Night Patrol, remember? We just met at the castle no long ago and I was the one to carry you home in case you were wondering. I figured as a medical professional I should keep tabs on my patients.”
Twilight looked around, her eyes half closed, her eyes thinking. “I suppose that makes sense. Why do I feel so drained? I feel like I got hit by a rock, again.”
“Like I told you earlier, my healing flames use your own magic to heal. You stayed awake longer then I expected, you passed out the moment we entered the town. Probably your body giving up since you were home and with friends. Your brain probably decided it didn’t need to stay awake anymore. Just goes to show how much you trust your friends.” Was all that believable? It wasn’t really medical science, but this pony looked really gullible. It was the same for most of these Celestia chosen prodigies. No common sense, they were too special for that.
“I guess that makes sense. I’d want to research that later though,” Twilight replied sleepily. “I feel strange, I want to go sleep, but I feel wide awake now.”
“You were asleep for about twenty minutes. That’s just about the right time to relax and regain some energy. Give it a few minutes and you’ll fall asleep again, if you’re still wound up, I’ll fix you up some milk.”
“I don’t think we have any milk in the fridge though.”
VeeVee snickered, “You said anything about milk from the jug? I have several perfectly healthy teats right here.” Twilight’s face turned a dark shade of green. “Relax, I’m kidding. I’ll just sit right here and talk till you fall asleep again.”
“My mom used to do that. She said I could talk to her until she fell asleep.” Twilight mumbled as she laid her head back down on her pillow. “So, what do you want to talk about?”
“Well,” VeeVee said smiling. “Let’s start with your magic. I was very impressed with your skills tonight. Such self-reliance. I don’t see that very often in Celestia’s students. But I think you could use an actual teacher.”
“Princess Celestia is my teacher,” Twilight countered, her eyes drooping lower.
“Princess Celestia is a ruler, not a teacher. She can teach, I’ve seen her do it, but a true teacher, no a true master would devote all their time and energy to their student. Especially ones as special as you. Yet, Celestia does not. It was fairly obvious to all of us in Night Patrol Celestia has changed. She’s become much more micromanaging then before. Meaning she doesn’t have enough time for everypony, so you, her talented student is set aside for other more pressing tasks. Tell me Twilight, may I call you Twilight? When was the last time Celestia sat down and taught you something? Magic related of course.”
Twilight’s mouth opened and closed, realization and hurt clear on the young mare’s face. “A few months? Maybe. At least nothing major since she sent me here to learn about the magic of friendship.”
“I see, then would you be open to another more present teacher? Say, like me?”
“No offense, but… you’re a rinin, not a unicorn. What do you know about magic?”
VeeVee’s smirk widened as she pinched Twilight’s horn between her claws, the young unicorn’s eyes like stars as VeeVee’s another claw begins to glow. With a mere gesture, the rinin levitated one of the Twilight’s many books over. The young unicorn's mouth was practically on the floor.
“How did you do that?”
“Magic,” VeeVee replied, Twilight giving her a sour ‘I know that’ look. It was adorable. Seemed Twilight was irritable when sleepy. “I used your horn as a focuser. During Night Patrols first disbandment I took the grant Celestia gave us to go to magic school and tested some theories. Would you believe me if I told you some earth ponies gave me this idea? You don’t need to reply, I see the disbelief in your eyes. But really any pony that heard you drilled a hole in your head and stuck a metal rod in it would think you crazy, good thing you're only crazy if it doesn’t work. And it does Twilight. Naturally, I’m not inclined to drill into my skull, but I did rig up something to the same effect.”
VeeVee watched with delight at Twilight’s wonder-filled eyes as she reached into her saddlebag to produce a ‘magic wand’ of sorts. Made from the bones of ‘donated’ dead unicorns. It’s amazing what ponies let you get away with if you’re a medical professional. Naturally Twilight didn’t need to know the material of her little magic stick. She just needs the temptation.
“So, Twilight, what do you say? Care to come under my wing? I promise I’ll be a dutiful teacher.”
“But Princess Celestia…”
“Can still be your teacher, just think of me as a substitute, somepony to help through the day to day lessons. It’s not like you're only allowed to have one teacher, right?”
“I suppose… can we talk about this more in the morning? I’m… starting to feel sleepy again.” Twilight yawned her eyes barely a narrow breath open. “Good night, VeeVee.”
“Oh please, Twilight,” She replied softly tucking the unicorn’s blankets up to her chin. “Call me Vee.”
What is that noise? Where is she? She tried to move, her body stiff, how long has she been laying here? She screamed out, her throat hoarse, only a sad ragged croak escaped her lips. She put her head down, a soft pillow beneath it, it was pleasant, calming, familiar.
Am I in bed? She asked herself, no she told herself, this wasn’t her bed, this bed was too hard, too flat. She was cold also. Her body shivered, she huddled her body tighter, her legs touching. Her left legs touch something, something moist. Her right legs were lighter compared to her left. Something wasn’t right.
Cracking open her eyes, Chrysalis found herself in a room dark with only dim lights to illuminate the horror before her. Her right legs were gone! Frantically she turned on her side, her right-wing pressed beneath her body. A ragged sob escaped her throat as she feels it shredded edges beneath her skin. Tears begin to fall, and it was here she comes to another horrifying realization.
She couldn’t open her right eye!
“NOOOOOOOOO!” She screamed, her vision blurred with tears. The beeping loudens, becoming an ear-splitting rapid tone. Hoof steps come rushing toward her, but she could not tell if they were friend or foe, either way, she didn’t want to be seen in such a state. “Begone! Leave me alone!”
“Queen Chrysalis! Hurry! Restrain her before she reopens her wounds!” A voice shouted. It was perhaps one of her children. Pharynx, loyal Pharynx, her struggles slow as she tried to regain some composure but only one thought stuck in her mind.
“A mirror, bring me a mirror.”
“My Queen, I would advise…”
“Obey my command!” She screamed the world a blur of sounds and blobs. It was all so disorienting. Squeaky wheels come over the chatter; another changeling appeared pushing a full body mirror. She called for them to clean her eye. A gentle hoof and cloth encapsulate her vision, her eye flickered in irritation but for several seconds her vision was clear, and she could see herself. Her body sagged as she moaned in grief, her long blue/green hair falling over her injured eye in the reflection of her battered form. Her right legs wrapped in bloody bandages cut above the knee, several big scars mar her right side up to her thigh and her shoulder. One long scar ran up her neck, disappearing underneath her hair, but it was certain the scar covered her eye too. “Leave me.”
“But my Queen…”
“Leave me!” She screamed again and slowly the changeling's file out of the room. Once she was sure she was alone, she began to weep.
“My Kaiserin.”
She froze at the deep bass tone behind her, Kaiser Hades, her ally, her love was behind her. She could not bear for him to see her like this. “Please leave me. I am no use to you now, crippled and deformed. I am no use to you as a warrior or a lover.”
He didn’t speak. Chrysalis’s heart wrenched in pain, but then Hade’s steps drew closer, his neck fell atop hers, warm and comforting. He began to kiss her cheek, slowly working his way down her jaw line until he found her lips. He captured her with the same force and passion as before and even more, he didn’t stop till he left her breathless and on the brink of fainting.
“I will never toss you away, my love. Let me take you to our bed. But first, let me show you something.” He took her upon his back, easily carrying her weight. “Hold tightly now.”
She squeezed his back with her legs, digging hard with her stubs to maintain her balance if she hurt him he didn’t show it. He didn’t even grunt as he walked toward the darkness ahead.
“Where are we?”
“My lab. Pharynx and the other survivors were quick to find my ship while on my way to Equestria. They explained what happened and we turned around. I made sure you had the best medical equipment available. Had we been able to find your lovely legs we might have been able to reattach them.” Hades told her, sounding very displeased. “No matter, I have a gift for you.”
“I will not be wearing those horrid prosthetics, Hades.” He chuckled as if she’d just told a joke.
“I thought you might feel that way, so I’ve been preparing something different.” They exit the darkness into a well-lit lab, filled with a range of tubes and other material, but the eye-catcher was right before her. A large container, more significant than a pony, inside was a body in the midst of growing. It’s body pink and black, the wings a strange hybrid of insectoid and Pegasus, the horn long and crooked like hers, the mane and tail a mix of her hair color and that of a certain pink princess.
“Is that… what? How? With only that silly feather!” Hades nuzzled her neck, soothing her overtaxed brain. A scientist she was not. But even she knew what this would mean for her.
“Yes, my love, a new body made from your perfect form and the DNA of an alicorn. So generously donated by our mutual friend. I know you may not feel… open to having a body with her DNA but think of the irony for when you make your glorious return.”
A new body, made from alicorn DNA, how beautiful. She slid her neck against her lover nuzzling it with affection. “Your so sweet, my love. Tell me, when can I transfer to it?”
“Not for a little while longer I’m afraid, it’s still developing, but I think I know of a good way to pass the time.” He kissed her lips again, his love recharging her fully. “I’ll enjoy craving my love into every carious of your beautiful form until it’s ready.”
She smirked kissing him this time, “Only if you find a more suitable bed.”
“Isn’t a lovely day, Shining?” Cadence asked as they enter Canterlot in their carriage. Honestly, it was a little embarrassing to be returning from their honeymoon while repairs were still going on. When ponies began to notice their cart and them inside, they began to flock and cheer. Celestia’s training for this kind of situation was smile and wave. And the ploy seemed to work, for which she was very thankful.
“Not as lovely as you dear,” Shining replied after she sat back down. Her leg tired and her cheeks sore for smiling and waving for ten blocks. Smiling and waving was not as easy as her aunt made it seem. A giggle escaped her lips as she imagined Celestia doing a workout routine of smiling and waving.
“Thank you, your handsome too,” She pecked him on the cheek, smiling brightly, but as they rode along the silence began to take its toll. Shining stared gloomily out the carriage window his gaze fixed on the damaged buildings and the lives lost defending them, the lives of his comrades and friends. It had been the sour point of their entire honeymoon. They could only keep their minds off the mess they left behind for so long before the reality of what happened crashed on them. “You did the best you could.” She told her husband for probably the thousandth time. Like every time before it seems to have little effect on his mood especially now that they were home. “Come on; now, a Prince mustn’t be caught frowning in public. You’ll make ponies worry.”
“I’m not a prince, Cadence. I’m a soldier.”
She shook her head. They’d had this conversation too. Like it or not Shining Armor would have to get used to his new Prince moniker. She had a feeling it was mainly Blueblood’s fault he didn’t like the title. Not that she blamed him.
Shining leaned back in his seat, looking tired. “I wonder if they found a pony to replace Spears yet. I’m sure the others must be in a tizzy without me around.” He laughed, it was nice to hear him laugh, but the tingling in her gut left her uneasy about the future as they enter the castle gates. Standing there to greet them was Luna!
“Auntie Luna!” Cadence shouted with glee as she jumped out of the carriage before it could even stop. She all but tackled the lunar princess nuzzling her affectionally.
Luna woofed, catching the younger princess and embracing her. “It’s good to see you too, Cadence. I trust your honeymoon was enjoyable? I assume you relieved a lot of stress?”
A healthy blush spread across Cadence’s cheeks as she recounts her and Shining’s… activities. “Um, yes! Very much, please don’t go into my dreams!”
Luna chuckled bopping her on the nose. “I know what a newlywed stallion and mare do niece. Trust me; I’ve been there before. Now, come, come. I’m sorry to throw this on you so soon, but we need you for several important matters happening right now.”
“Oh, um yes! Shining and I will be right there!” Luna’s form suddenly became ridged. “Um… did I say something wrong?”
Luna turned to her, her eyes shifting toward Shining Armor. “No, but it would be best if Shining Armor stayed… elsewhere. For the time being. Celestia and I are in the middle of reorganizing things and we need you to be the deciding vote on certain matters.”
The noticeable lack of Captain when addressing Shining Armor was apparent. But that was normal right? Shining was a Prince now, but it still made her uneasy as she looks back at her husband’s troubled face.
“Right, no problem. I’ll meet up with you later Shining!” Cadence shouted following Luna into the castle. “So, what do I…” a stack of papers hit her nose before she could finish. She read through them while Luna talked.
“These are several Candidates Celestia, and I have chosen to look at to replace captain Spears and other officers tragically killed in the invasion. Celestia and I are in a bit of gridlock at the moment. Frankly, we’ve been running around night and day, so we’ve had to change the schedule a bit so we’re both awake in the day so we can sign and approve things faster. You will be the swing vote.”
“Ok,” She replied, her nerves getting the better of her as the papers begin to shake in her magic. “But what input can I give? I don’t know anything about military things like you and Celestia do. I don’t think I’ll be of any help.”
Luna turned quickly and bopped her on the nose. “I told you, don’t try to be Celestia or me for that matter, be you. You have insights that we don’t.”
“Like what?”
“For one, you’re a pony of this age. Celestia and I are bit locked in our ways; you can look at things in a more… modern view. Your ability to read ponies will be helpful too.”
“But you two are still…(BOP!)…” Cadence rubbed her noise as Luna glared, she was in teacher mode it seemed. “Right, I’ll do my best.”
“Good girl, and also,” Luna’s cheek turned flush. “I have some matters I wish to speak privately with you, later.”
Cadence blinked, unsure what to say. Does Luna want her advice? “Um… ok, that’s fine.”
“Good, good, a sensitive matter has been plaguing me, and I’m short of ponies I can… vent to. But enough of that, let us be on to business!” Luna opened the double doors leading into a room where Celestia and several others were already waiting. Luna took her seat next to Celestia, while she took the chair next to Luna. A pink chair with gold trim and a blue heart at the top. It was gaudy, but it matched her theme, or so the royal decorator said.
Looking around the room at the other ponies present Cadence recognized Captain Spitfire right off the bat. The Wonderbolt in top formal military garb today, her mirrored shades placed on the desk that encircled the room in a half moon shape. Down below was an open space with a podium. Craning her neck Cadence noticed two more chairs on either side of Spitfire, each bearing a mark. One was the Unicorn corps and the other the earth corps, both empty. Why wasn’t Shining invited to this meeting?
There were more ponies in the room an elderly pony, scruffy looking and smoking a pipe on the far end, on the table laid his hat, bearing the mark of a Unicorn skull with wings. The same mark the ponies that liberated the city wore. Luna’s Night Patrol. Beside him were two more ponies, both in formal wear and baring the same emblem. She remembered them from the attack, Commander Sixes, and Commander Fierce Fury.
“Now that all relevant parties are here let us proceed.” The elderly pony spoke, his voice rough. “An introduction for the two young mares and a formal introduction for both Princess Luna and Cadence. I am Admiral Hunter McGather. A pleasure.”
“Same here,” Cadence replied, Luna and Spitfire, nod as they pour over their notes. Cadence was already feeling lost as Time Keeper entered the room and began passing out more files to each of them.
“Where is Topaz Slicer?” Luna asked, barely looking up from her papers. “I thought he was supposed to return today with his report.”
Admiral Hunter tapped his papers, clearing his throat as he speaks, “Commander Topaz will be late, he said to start without him, stating we had enough ponies to judge the candidates with or without his input. Let us start with the selection, our first candidate for Captain of the Earth pony Corps, Sergeant Castel Bridge of Whinnyapolis.”
Cadence craned her neck looking down as a brown and white pony entered the floor below. She noticed a thin piece of glass in her view.
“It’s a one-way mirror,” Luna whispered. “It’s so he can’t see who votes what.”
“Isn’t that unnerving though?” She asked. “Being interviewed by a bunch of faceless ponies?”
“If this gets to him he doesn’t deserve the job,” Spitfire scoffed, not even looking away from her files. “Not a bad record, though.” She mumbled.
Cadence looked down at the files before her. Castel Bridge’s entire life was printed out before her. His age, every school he attended, his parents, his wife, his kids, his notes from the academy. Everything! It was thorough and creepy.
“State your name for the record.” Timekeeper dully said through a speaker, projecting his voice down below. It was almost like a trial.
“Castel Bridge,” Castel replied.
“The questioning will proceed now, please answer thoroughly.” Time Keeper stated a microphone placed before each of them with a green and red light. Currently, the red light was on, indicating they muted. “The first proctor will speak now.”
The first proctor was, of course, Celestia. When she spoke into the microphone, her voice came out slightly distorted, like somepony else was talking. However, judging from the look on Castel’s face he could tell it was Celestia by her speech patterns and terms. Very perceptive. Or Celestia wasn’t good at acting.
(Stop flaking out and pay attention! What kind of questions is she asking?) Cadence berated herself. Already missing Celestia’s entire statement as the sun princess hit the mute button, allowing for Luna to speak.
Luna’s questions were fairly obvious, she drilled Castel about defensive positions, protocols, what he would do differently for the Earth corps for the next attack. She also asked what he would do if he assigned to Captain of the Guard. A traditionally Unicorn role. It was almost a fact that the unicorn commander was also the captain of the entire EUP with some diverging cases here and there.
Overall Luna’s conversation dragged on for at least half an hour. In the corner of her eye Cadence noticed the three ponies from Night Patrol whispering amongst themselves. At several points, Luna would look to them, as if asking a question without asking, and then they would nod or shake their heads. She did eventually realize that the three were probably voting Yay or neigh on Castel’s answers. It was amazing to watch the four speak without uttering a single word though she did wonder why. The room was sound proof was it not? Or could Luna’s microphone pick up noises from that far away?
“Cadence.”
“Uh?” She whipped her head around, Luna staring at her. Luna’s microphone set to mute. “Oh, ah, is it my turn?” Luna nodded. “Ok, ok, ok… um…” She tapped her papers, chewing on her lip as she quickly read over Castel file again, her mind blank, she couldn’t think of anything to ask him!
“It’s ok if you don’t have anything to say Cadence,” Celestia said. Cadence’s ears flop down, feeling useless and in the way. Maybe she should pass. A tap on the shoulder got her attention, Luna leaned over smiling gently and whispered into her ear. “Just do your best, focus on your talent.” Was the Lunar Princess’s advice Cadence nodded smiling as she focused on one particular part of Castel’s files. She hit the green light. “Sergeant Castel, in your file you are reported to be married and have two foals? Correct?” Castel looked confused by the question, but nods. “Yes, that is correct. I have two foals, one colt, one filly. Ages 10 and 8. My wife and I have been together for twelve years.” She felt Celestia, and the Patrollers eyes fall on her, probably wondering what the hell she was doing, Luna however only smiled, letting her continue to either be brilliant or make an ass of herself. “Right, and you have remained station in Whinnyapolis for the duration of your marriage? For over twelve years? Your work schedule suggests that you are at home regularly, correct?”
“Yes, the hours are stable most of the time,” Castel replied, looking thoroughly confused. And he wasn’t the only one. Everypony was looking at her, waiting to see where she was going with this.
Cadence cleared her throat, ready to pin things down, “When deciding to accept this promotion, did you discuss the effects it would have on your family with your wife? Are you planning to move your young children across the country or have them stay in Whinnyapolis where they have friends and visit on the few weekends you have off? Which I remind you, are very few, less than ten in the entire year regularly. That’s quite the commute.”
Castel stiffened, seems he hadn’t considered that. “As tough as it would be, my family will understand. I am a patriot, I love my country, and if I am worthy of this position, I shall take it for the betterment of all.”
“Ten and eight are very young ages for kids to be away from their father not to mention your wife. That is if you decide to leave your family in Whinnyapolis.”
“Changing cities isn’t easy either,” Castel countered. “And even if they move here with me, I’ll still be swamped. Busier then when I worked at the base in Whinnyapolis. But, if you pardon my asking, how is this relevant?”
She had to nail this less she thought a sentimental idiot. “I ask because it is relevant. You are a patriot, yes. That is clear in your file. You are also a father. While you are more then likely qualified for this job, I must ask if you're prepared to sacrifice your family for it. To have your relationship with your wife strained as you place them lower on your priority list. Your children to become jaded and anti-statists because you weren’t there during their adolescence, which some say is the most important development period for children. So, I am asking, are you prepared to give up your family life and devote all your time to the position of Commander of the Earth pony corps? If not, then I’d encourage you to think before accepting the position.” Cadence hit the mute button, letting out a deep sigh as the tension left her body. Both Luna and Celestia were looking pleased with her, and even the three patrollers seemed impressed.
“You did good, Cadence,” Luna said patting her on the shoulder.
Down below Castel looked disturbed and thoughtful. “If it’s ok with the council. May I have more time to consider this opportunity? There are some important matters I have yet to speak about with my spouse.”
Celestia tapped her green button, “Of course, it’ll be a few days before our final choice is selected. Is that all the questions?” Everypony nodded. “No further questions, have a good day Sergeant Bridge.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
Celestia and Luna began to chat fervently, while Time Keeper went to call the next candidate. Cadence simply remained where she sat, feeling a weight drop on her, so this is what’s like to make life-altering decisions that affect more than just her. The burden of being in charge. Hopefully, she didn’t scare off Castel by bringing up the potential problems the change in dynamic would have on his family. But it was a serious issue. She couldn’t remember how many military couples she’s seen break up because of things like this. Or how many fathers are disconnected from their children because they were stationed far away. She understood the sacrifice the stallions were making, but maybe there was a line to draw with patriotism or perhaps she was stupid.
“Don’t get so worked up about it,” Spitfire said suddenly. Again, not looking up from her papers. She seemed to be sorting them in some way. “Castel’s performance would have suffered if his home life became too unstable. That was good for him.”
“But what if he was the right candidate and doesn’t take the position now?”
“There are others, some better than others. Sometimes you have to go other, simple as that.”
“Announcing the second candidate.”
“Keep working your angle. You're doing fine, Princess.” Spitfire said giving a wink.
Sitting up Cadence flipped her notes as Celestia begins her statements.
Things went much smoother this time. Celestia did her job, Luna did hers, and she did hers. Analyzing and addressing what effects a change such as this taking a new position could have on the candidate's lives and families. It seemed to suit her.
That said she had to make the case against the single candidates too. No foal or intentions to have foals was lack of investment in the future. Granting personal motivations varied but she felt the need to bring it up. Of the five earth pony candidates, Castel still stood out as the most decorated and favorite amongst the group.
But now came the part she’s been dreading the unicorn candidates. She looked at the list each one had an L or a C to indicate which princess favored them. Celestia favored those from noble birth, while Luna favored those from a variety of backgrounds. It worried her that Shining Armor had neither by his name and that he was the last candidate.
“Candidate six for the position of Unicorn Commander, Scarlet kiteshield.”
Scarlet Kiteshield, age 48, was a rather fierce looking mare, with a dirty blond mane and a reddish colored coat. From her file she served as commander of the Equestrian outpost 1339, it was between the Everfree and the wastelands both monster-infested and five times more dangerous than any other outpost. Scarlet had requested a station there. All the scars marring her body were from her time spent fighting every monster Equestria had to offer. To further her pedigree, she was the former Commander of the Unicorn corps before Shining Armor. She was Luna’s top pick.
Celestia began as was routine by now, “Commander Scarlet, how nice to see you again, let’s begin with why you want this position. Your record is impressive, your family’s magical talents are noteworthy, and this is your first visit to Canterlot since you stepped down as Captain of the Guard three years ago. You’ve refused several promotions since that time. What changed your mind so suddenly?”
“I stayed on the frontier because I found it to be homely and in my element. Away from all the politics of Canterlot. I did not want to leave, nor thought I had too. I thought I left the guards in good hooves with Shining Armor, but…” Scarlet paused, her mood shifting as she ground her teeth together with clear vitriol. “I see now I let weaklings and fools take positions they should not have had. I wish to correct this and bring the lessons I learned in the harshest environments our country has to offer here to the softest part.”
Cadence’s stomach turned at Scarlet’s words, and her heart broke as she imagined Shining Armor’s reaction to his former commander’s gripes. There was little doubt they would wound him traumatically.
Scarlet composed herself, reigning her temper. “Of course, I’ll bend the knee to any pony you choose over me. My leader’s judgment is much sharper than my own. If not made clear by the failure I left you. My apologies for that.” Another harsh dig at Shining. It was making her mad, but Cadence bit her lip, less she says something she regrets. Though the look on Luna’s face wasn’t really helping. It was apparent Scarlet was Luna’s type of soldier, hence why the moon princess nominated her. The nods and whispers from the observing Night Patrollers only cemented Scarlet’s position. She was of a similar mind to them, and they liked that.
“Your words are noted and recorded,” Celestia said, she hits the mute on her mike. “Any further questions, Luna, Cadence?”
“None here,” Luna smirked. Clearly, she was happy with her choice of Scarlet.
Celestia rolls her eyes, “I assumed so, how about you Cadence?” Reading the scarred mare’s file Cadence surmised there wasn’t much she could do with this choice. Scarlet was nearly fifty, her children were adults, and her grandchildren were in their late teens. She had the experience, her husband was dead, she only saw her children and grandchildren on holidays because of where she’s based. Her becoming the Commander of the Unicorn Corp or Captain of the Guard would be a perfect fit for her lifestyle.
“None,” Cadence said in defeat. Shining’s chances of keeping his job were slim now.
“Alright then,” Celestia hit the green button. “Thank you for your time, Scarlet, we’ll get back to you later.”
“Thank you, your majesties.” Scarlet bowed and left the interview room.
They all flip their papers, the next Candidate coming after Scarlet, Cobalt Blaze, age 45, Scarlet’s former sub commander, and Celestia’s top pick. He was a blue unicorn, both in mane and coat. His hair an exotic blend of three different shades of blue that made his hair look like flames. Not too dissimilar from Spitfire’s hair really. He was a very distant relative of the Blueblood family. Empathist on very.
“Commander Cobalt, I trust you know why you’re here?” Celestia said beginning the interviews again.
“I am aware, if you are in need of my skills and service then simply put me where you need me. I have plenty of free time these days on my hooves. I wouldn’t mind having a bit of focus.”
Luna hit her green button, butting into Celestia’s time. “You're very confident in your skills then? Then please tell us, what would you do to prevent the next invasion?”
Cobalt coughed, standing up straight. “I’m afraid no amount of skill or intelligence on my end could stop that, but I have a few ideas that could leave us better prepared. In my journeys abroad, I studied with the Zebra’s, they have a method to see through changeling disguises. Incorporating that into our defenses would be paramount or at best a step in the right direction. Of course, a complete overall of our tactics and protocol is in order too. And we’ll have to plan for a variety of attacks. But I would assume those that wish our destruction would learn from the changeling's defeat and use that to their advantage.”
“Please elaborate.” Luna urged, looking rather pleased with Cobalt’s answer so far.
“Right, as it was clearly demonstrated, the changelings are perfect for infiltrating, but their natural magic is quite weak, and without the swarm, a single changeling is weak and easily defeated. They had no siege weapons or any advanced weapons that could help them keep the city because they had to sneak in. A better tactician would have used the changelings spartanly, having them expose our weaknesses to more properly equip forces to take advantages of. That is my view at least.” Cobalt finished.
Luna leaned back, whistling and looking impressed. She hits the mute button. “I like him too.”
“I thought you might,” Smirked Celestia. “How about you Cadence?”
“I have nothing to say,” She said bitterly. Cobalt was in the same boat as Scarlet, minus the dead spouse, but his family life was squared away. There wasn’t much for her to object or bring up that was relevant.
“Thank you for your time Cobalt, we’ll summon you in a day or two with our decision.”
“I’ll take my leave then,” He bowed.
For several minutes the interviewer’s room was quiet. Everypony shuffling their papers as they waited for the next candidates to arrive. Cadence squints at the time schedule. This was actually a break! Maids entered the room, pushing carts of coffee, tea, water, and several kinds of treats. She asked for coffee with a strawberry creamer and two pieces of toffee.
Beside her, Luna took out her personal mug, twice the size of the standard mug, and took a full cup of coffee for herself and a sandwich. Celestia had four pieces of cake and tea. The sun Princess not looking the least bit embarrassed as every other pony in the room shook their head at her sweet tooth.
“Honestly, could you not have curved your sweet tooth in the slightest these past thousand years? Your teeth are going to rot out like last time.” Luna grumbled guzzling down half of her cup and ordering a refill.
Celestia ignored Luna’s comments, eating her second piece of cake in defiance of her sister’s gripes with her diet. Her devilish smirk coming out as she eyes Luna’s coffee cub. “I assume you're not planning on sleeping again? That cup is worth at least four of mine.”
Luna hugged the giant mug close. “Take it from me, if you dare to try.”
Turning away from the royal sisters, Cadence observed Captain Spitfire eating her own lunch. Coffee and some sort of berries. Intrigued she leaned over, the yellow pegasus eyeing her.
“Want to try one?” She presented one of the berries to her. Cadence nodded, accepting the offered treat and popping it into her mouth. Only after she did this Spitfire’s lips split into a mocking smirk. Cadence began to feel very hot, her coat started to sweat, and her tongue was on fire! It was like she just bitten into a hot pepper! But the texture and juiciness of the snack suggested it was a fruit! Oh God’s her tongue was getting hotter!
“What is this?” Cadence croaked quietly, her throat hoarse as tears fell down her cheeks. How hot was this thing!
“A pepper popper cherry,” Spitfire explained popping one of the fruits into her mouth. She was completely unaffected. “They’re a spicy fruit. I used to fly down from Cloudsdale just to buy them. They pack a light kick on the first try.”
(Light kick? I feel like I just drank a bottle of Tabasco!) Cadence moaned laying her head on the table. She signaled for the maids, who were passing out gems to the Night Patrollers. A maid trotted over, and she meekly asked for water, her tongue so swollen from the popper cherry that it hurt to talk. Taking the glass of ice water Cadence gulped the entire drink down, and then another, and on the third glass, the heat subsided.
Spitfire, the Night Patrollers, and her aunts let out a good-hearted chuckle at her expense. As she lays her head on the table, her tongue ungracefully rolling out of her mouth. “I take it she pulled the same prank on you all?”
“Prank?” Spitfire said a gasp and full of ham as she feigned hurt. “Is that how you see my generous offer to share my treats from home?” Cadence only glared, not buying it. Spitfire laughed it off. “Alright, you got me. Your reaction was much funnier than those guys over there.” The Captain pointed disappointedly at the two rinin, who were grinning like idiots.
Fierce Fury smirked and shrugged, “Sorry luv, when your stomach is fireproof, spicy foods don’t have much effect.” Fury laughed out loud. “Still, it was fun freaking out that recruit standing beside her! Shot flames right after I ate the thing, the look on their face was priceless, right Sixes?”
The ashen Rinin chuckled softly, “Yeah, it was a good laugh.” He tapped his papers against the desk, looking at the clock. “If Princess Pink has regained her composure, I suppose we would move onto the next interview.”
Both Luna and Celestia looked up at the clock as well, Cadence followed suit too, her eyes nearly bugging out of their sockets at the time. “It’s 6:00 pm!”
“Yes, it is getting rather late in the day. Let us finish the last three candidates promptly.” Celestia said, “Oh wait, no. Time Keeper am I reading this right?”
The royal scheduler leaned over the Princess’s leg, reading her schedule, and then his own. Cadence copied the movement with everypony else. “Promotions?”
“Yes,” Luna buts in, breaking the peace. “There are two very talented ponies that I’ve had my eye on and with the testimony and recommendation of Captain Spitfire. I see no reason not to put their talents to better use rather than have them stand in an empty hall.”
The double doors below opened, and two ponies entered side by side, one stallion, one mare, both in uniform dress and both looking somewhat frightened at the moment. They were both bat ponies. Cadence read their names from the list.
“Presenting Private Goodnight and Private Sweet Dreams of the Night Guard,” Time Keeper announced over the intercom. The one-way mirror suddenly changed, becoming two way revealing their faces to the two bat ponies. Luna looked down at the two with pride. As a third pony enters the room below, carrying two medals. Two Pink heart.
“For your honor and decoration in battle, I Princess Luna of Equestria, ruler of the Night and Keeper of Dreams, do offer you this medal in recognition of your feats.” The medals are pinned to the two stunned thestrals. “As such, Private Goodnight, Private Sweet Dreams, you two are at this moment promoted too…”
“SEAL: Commandos,” Celestia finished. The two Thestrals jaws literary drop to the floor, their golden eyes wide and blank as the two poked the other to make sure they weren’t dreaming.
Sweet Dreams fangs popped down below her lips, her facing bursting with excitement! “Oh, my sweet Celestia and Luna! We’re Commandos! Oh, my gods, we’re commandos! Did you hear that Goody! DID YOU!” She screamed shaking the Thestral Stallion, her face the dictionary description of drop dead happy. It was also very amusing to those watching.
“Ah hum, may we finish?” Celestia asked as they all giggle at the mare’s antics. Sweet Dream froze in place, awkwardly hugging Goodnight’s neck. Silently she released her hold and moved to the stallion’s side once again. Her gray coat hot pink in embarrassment.
“Right, sorry, I was just expressing my gratitude for this opportunity.”
Celestia smiled, “Of course. Now to elaborate, and probably should have started with this. You are nominated to undergo Commando training, in the newly revised training regimen. You two, Goodnight, Sweet Dreams, will be the first to partake in this training. The challenge will be hard, but if you are up for it and want to serve a more critical role in your country, then please state so. Mind you, this is your choice to take this opportunity.”
Cadence leaned forward as the two bat ponies look at the other, having a silent conversation just between themselves. They smile, nod, and step forward. Goodnight looked up at them with pride and fire in his eyes.
“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, we would be honored. We won’t let you down.” They bow, everypony clapping their hooves for the duo. Sixes flew down offering his claw to the two, they shake, the bat ponies looking a bit uneased by the smile the ashen Rinin wore.
“I look forward to facilitating your training.” He grinned, showing off his entire mouth of fanged teeth.
“Um… thanks?” Goodnight replied leaning away from the rinin. Cadence covered up a giggle as it appeared the thestral might be having second thoughts.
Celestia knocked her hoof against the table, calling for order. Sixes flew back up to his seat, while Goodnight and Sweet Dreams bow and take their leave. The one-way mirror is replaced, and the mood becomes somber as Celestia warily eyes her. As does Luna. Cadence looked at the schedule. They were at the end. The next pony would be Shining Armor.
“Perhaps you should sit this one out Cadence, this will be rather personal for you,” Celestia advised her. She looked to Luna, who was glaring at Celestia.
“She’s not a child. Besides, this matter concerns her as much as him. She can’t escape it.” Luna retorted Celestia’s nose scrunching in displeasure.
“I’ll be fine,” She confirmed before any harsh words could be uttered between the two sisters. “Let's just get this over with. I knew this was coming.”
“Very well, the next and final interviewee, Prince Shining Armor.” Announced Celestia, already Cadence’s fears were beginning to surface. Everypony else was ‘candidate,’ and they were using his new title over his Captain title. It was with those words that the dread she had been shying away from became a reality as she looked over the candidate sheet again.
Shining Armor had neither Celestia’s or Luna’s mark. He had no favorability, he wasn’t even being considered, he was being read out of his position. The doors swing open, Shining Armor entered in his purple armor, looking like the Captain of the Royal guard he was. Cadence looked around at the gathered ponies. Their reactions varied.
Celestia looked sadden, perhaps feeling guilty for what was to come. All the blame for the failure of the guard during the attack was probably going to be put on Shining. Next was Luna, she seemed indifferent to the Captain's plight, which Cadence could understand. She doubts Luna and Shining have had more than half a conversation and he’d hadn’t had a chance to show his worth to the lunar princess. Luna did look her way through with a bit of sympathy for the fate of her husband. Captain Spitfire was next, her expression unreadable. Cadence couldn’t tell if the pegasus felt sorry, pity, or angry at her husband. Perhaps it was a mix of all three. Or maybe it was towards herself. Despite the Pegasus officers coming out mostly intact, they didn’t win the day either.
Finally, was the Night Patrollers. Their faces said this was nothing unexpected to them. Though it did fill Cadence with a bit of contempt, it was as though they thought Shining could have only failed, and this was merely prophecy come true. It made her want to lash out, but it would only hurt Shining’s position. He had to do this himself. If he didn’t, and she helped in any way, then all the rumors he’s been fighting against him being handed positions would be considered valid by the rest of the guard. And that would hurt him more than anything.
Pressing the green button, Celestia addressed the newly titled Prince. “Shining Armor, I trust you have an idea as to what this is about?” The former captain nodded. “Then I’ll be frank. While I personally and others on this board, do not hold you accountable for your actions under the Queen Changeling’s control. Such as aiding in her escape. I’m afraid there are actions not under her influence that must be addressed.”
“Such as?” Shining calmly asked through the tick of his lips revealed a crack in his facade. “I believe I took the appropriate actions with the information I had.”
The speaker cuts out, Cadence looked to Celestia to see her chest fallen. The sun Princess looked to Luna and then to her. “So, who wants to tell him?”
“I will take the burden,” Luna said promptly, no hesitation as she pressed her speaker button. Cadence grimaced, knowing they were about to get the moon Princess’s unfiltered option.
“Let’s start with the fact you didn’t step aside from security for YOUR wedding. You were in a chaotic time of your life, you were stressed, overworked, but most importantly, too close. You brought in many more troops than required. Even your own fiancé, now your wife, addressed concerns of this. Yet, when you hear of an unverified threat, you double down, unknowingly playing into the enemy’s hooves. Unknowing, yes, but had you left things to a less personally involved pony, at least some of the disaster could have been minimized.”
Shining Armor stood up straight, his ears back, his lips are taut with restrained anger. “Please, explain what would have been different, if not for my involvement.”
“For starters, according to what numbers we can find. At least three-quarters of the last five battalions you reassigned to the city for the wedding were changelings. We spoke with the garrisons that you supposedly sent transfer requests too, and the numbers match. You let almost the entire enemy army in without a fight. You might as well have opened the gates, sorry, you did open the gates for them. Had these overwhelming numbers not been inside the castle the defenders might not have been overwhelmed so quickly. But I digress, my real issue isn’t that you walked straight into the enemy’s trap, but the fact you were willing to pull in half. I repeat HALF of the Equestrian Army, for YOUR wedding! Did the rest of the nation ever cross your mind? Did you ever think what could have happened by spreading our forces out so thin?”
“Equestria’s defense is all I think about! I’ve given years devoting myself to national security. My mastery of shield magics a statement to that.”
Cadence sank into her chair as Luna fiercely ground her jaw. “Yes, your shield magic is impressive. So impressive that no pony could break it! With you under the Queen’s sway, you trapped everypony inside the city. Leading to hundreds of thousands of deaths! Corpses of the outer wall guards were found, runners who were supposed to go and warn the nearby cities were all killed because the shield wouldn’t open without your permission!”
Shining’s lips moved, but no words come from his mouth. He bowed his head. “I know I screwed up. I let my emotions get the better of me when I should have stepped back to look at things with a more level head, but I didn’t. I can regret that for the rest of my life, but…” Shining Armor raised his head. “I can’t make up for my mistakes if I don’t have opportunities to reconcile them. I just ask for the chance to prove my true worth!”
Luna sighed, falling ungracefully back in her chair, the green light still on as she covered her face and speaks. “You young fool. Your opportunity came and passed. We cannot bet any more lives just to satisfy your ego. In the motion of retaining Shining Armor as Captain of the Guard or Commander of the Unicorn corps, I vote no.” Luna turned off her microphone.
“I’m afraid I’m inclined to agree,” Celestia said, though without her microphone on, so the statement was unofficial. “He brings back too much baggage. I had thought the public would want a familiar face, but Shining Armor wouldn’t bring them peace. Even if half of what happened wasn’t his fault, he'd still be stuck with the blame. However…” The word caused Cadence’s ears to perk up. “I don’t like just disregarding him so flippantly. I vote he at least be allowed to compete in the trials with the others. If for nothing else but to give him closure.”
“So, you plan to stroke his ego, but pull the carrot away from anyway?” Luna scuffed. “What kind of lesson is that?”
“One I learned from you dear sister,” Celestia replied smiling, much to Luna’s surprise. “Shining Armor is still useful, he just needs to be in a role that suits him better. Don’t you agree?”
Luna tapped her chin, “Hmm… I can’t say I see what your intentions are, but your madness has proven useful in the past. Yet my vote will not be swayed. The deciding factor will be on your shoulders, Cadence.”
She closed her eyes as all eyes fall on her, waiting for her vote. Did she look at this as a wife or a Princess? That was obvious. She had to see with the eyes of a Princess. She stared down at her beloved and stripped away all emotions of him. Trying to see the potential Celestia saw. Shining Armor couldn’t be Captain of the Guard anymore, that much was clear, if not for his rising to Princehood, but for the other reasons listed. So what role could he take on? She thought of the bat ponies. Was Celestia hinting that Shining be moved to the Commandos? For him to take a more frontline role where his shield magic could be put to use? The thought made her stomach queasy. That would put him in a lot more danger.
(Stop it, look at him as if he were just another stallion.) Cadence took a breath and opened her eyes.
“Let him prove himself. At the very least, he deserves that much.”
Celestia pressed her green button. “The vote is 2 to 1. Prince Shining Armor, report to the northern training grounds in two days with the other candidates. A mock battle shall determine everyponies placement. You are dismissed.”
Shining Armor exits the interview room, and everypony begins to pack up. Cadence trotted after Celestia running beside the sun princess down the hall. “Thank you for giving Shining this chance, Auntie. I know I'm selfish in this matter, but well…”
“You don’t have to say anything, I was in a similar position a long time ago. However, I would advise you do not thank me. The chance for Shining to win his position back is slim to none.”
“What? Why? It’s only a mock battle against the other candidates, right?”
“Yes, but,” Luna interrupted. “The candidates won’t be fighting against each other.”
“Then who…” Cadence turned her head as the three Night Patrollers exit the room behind them. Realization hitting her like a brick to the face. “Oh no… you can’t be serious!”
“I’m afraid the time of gentle hooves is over,” Celestia lamented. “Times have been good, perhaps too good for too long.” The Sun Princess silks down the hallway, leaving her and Luna with those words.
Cadence pondered her aunts’ words as the three Night Patrollers pass by. They give a quick nod and left. Now it was only her and Luna, the moon Princess looked somewhat nervous too. Why? Then she remembered, Luna wanted to talk to her privately! She nearly forgot! She really wanted to go check on Shining Armor, but maybe that was best left for later.
“So, um… what did you want to talk about?” Cadence asked breaking the silence.
“Tis a private matter we wish to discuss with you. A very private matter indeed.”
And Luna was using the royal we and speaking old timely. Great. Cadence offered a smile as she followed Luna to the Lunar tower. Before the guards could offer a salute, Luna dismissed them. In a huff, Luna entered her royal suit, her horn lit with magic casting a barrier around the room to keep out all unwanted eyes and ears. Flopping down on the fluffy feather chair, Luna offered her the adjacent seat.
“So, what’s wrong?” Cadence attentively asked. Kind of wishing there was some other pony Luna was comfortable talking to. On the one hoof, this was a fantastic honor, and it warmed her heart that Luna trusted her so much only after a few weeks of really knowing each other and dare she say becoming true friends and family. On the other hoof, if this problem was so bad that Luna didn’t want to talk to Spitfire… well. Hopefully, she can be of some help.
Luna took a breath, floating over a teapot and cups. She doesn’t speak while she prepared the brew. It was unnerving. Another oddity in Luna today, Luna wasn’t a tea drinker. Not only that but the tea was lavender, known for relieving anxiety and stress. The fact Luna had it in her room was worrying.
“Does it taste good? I’m not very skilled at brewing tea, not like my sister is I’m afraid. But I was desperate for something to help.”
“So, does it?”
“Not in the slightest,” Luna frowned. “I guess that’s a lie, it does seem to help me relax, but it is only a fleeting feeling. I just don’t want to admit Celestia was right.”
Cadence took a sip; the tea was ok. It hadn’t been steeped enough to get the full flavor, but she didn’t need to bring that up. Luna clearly had more important things on her mind. Quietly she sat back waiting for Luna to continue. She didn’t have to wait long.
“So,” Luna said setting her cup down. “I suppose I should cut to the matter at hoof. While you were gone, Sixes had a rather violent episode. We had all thought he gone insane as he trekked all the way to Tartarus to do battle with an old enemy, but that matter has been cleared up. The troubling part for me personally, come when I confronted Sixes and Celestia in the dream realm. Again, the issue was resolved for the most part, but I saw something. Something I shouldn’t have seen that came from either Celestia, Sixes or both, but I saw…” Luna swallows hard. “I saw my sister, Celestia, knowingly and deliberately feeding Sixes a love potion.”
The cup and saucer in Cadence’s magic drop to the floor, shattering to pieces, the young pink princess’s mouth was agape. Since being titled the Princess of Love, Celestia was very explicit about the rules and laws regarding love potions. Their punishments were severe. No parole and possible death sentence kind of harsh. Not since the love poison incident between a certain prince and princess many centuries ago as any pony tried to create a love anything.
“So… have you talked to Celestia or Sixes about this? Or is there more?” Cadence asked, trying to organize her thoughts. She was finding it hard to believe Celestia would break one of the biggest Taboos in all of Equestria, but then again, the time of this incident. Love potions might not have the same kind of scrutiny as now.
Luna shook her head. “I don’t know. I was pulled from the dream realm before I could see the whole thing. I had been on my way out and stumbled upon the memory. Celestia reactivating her dream defenses might have been a factor in my viewing being cut short or perhaps I hadn’t wanted to see anymore and subconsciously pulled myself out. Either way, I am conflicted. I want to inquire about the event, but things are already so strained between Sixes, Celestia, and myself. I do not wish to drudge up conflicts from a thousand years ago. Besides, given Sixes attitude towards Celestia, the potion is clearly no longer in effect. On the other hoof, I don’t like being left in the dark on this matter. As it involves to ponies, I hold dear to my heart.”
Cadence’s ‘love’ senses were going off from Luna’s words. Looking with her second sight, she could see the bonds of love coming from Luna to everypony she loved. Much to Cadence’s joy, a yellow thread, the color of love representing family and a strong friendship was connected to her. Another related to Celestia who was in the gardens. Many pink ribbons spread forth, joining Luna to ponies she loved platonically, most of them being patrollers and Spitfire and the like. Basically, her friends. There was one red thread. The most accurate color of love if there ever was one. There was little need to see who it was connected too.
Filtering out all but the thread connecting to Celestia, Cadence got a more detailed look at Luna’s real feeling for her sister. Yes, the thread was gold, representing the love of family, but there was also threads of green, crimson, and black mixed into the thread. Envy, anger, and resentment.
“Maybe you should just go talk to Celestia and Sixes? I know it’s the obvious answer and probably not what you want to hear, but you can’t just let your feelings fester inside you.” Cadence sagely advised. From the look of disappointment Luna’s face, she had already reached that answer on her own.
“I know.” Admitted Luna covering her face with her foreleg. “I just wanted to vent as they say. It’s frustrating, I don’t usually bite my tongue in matters like this, but things are so… fragile now.” She sighed uncovering her face. “Thank you for your help, I will deal with matters from here.”
Jumping off her seat Cadence follows Luna as the Moon Princess goes into the hall. “Are you sure you don’t need any more help? If there’s something I could do… I don’t know what, but you and Celestia are my family too…”
Luna comes to a stop looking fondly at her. “I appreciate the sentiment my beloved niece, but you don’t need to worry yourself over this matter. I’m sorry I dragged you into it, but this is between Celestia, Sixes and I, not you. Besides you have your own troubles to attend to, I’m sure Shining Armor could use your support right now. Give him my regards and apologies for stealing you away without warning.”
Cadence’s ears flopped down, her worry not subsiding for her aunts, and the concern for her husband only worsened things. Making her stomach turn with guilt for neglecting him in these trialing hours. Luna was right though, this wasn’t a matter for her to meddle in.
“Alright, well, goodnight and good luck, Auntie. I hope… I hope things go well.” With those departing words, Cadence turned and trotted down the stairwell to her suite. With ever ‘clop, clop’ of her hooves made her worry increase with every step. Before she even realized it, she was outside her room, no her and Shining’s room. They’d have to do a little remodeling, her room was… well, it was girly, to say the least.
She opened the door, finding Shining sitting at the desk, his hooves crossed over his barrel wearing a serious expression. On the desktop were several papers and files. When she shut the door, he head turned, and smiled.
“Welcome home… ah…Cadence.” He said awkwardly.
“Still can’t call me honey uh? Even after dating for two years and finally getting married.” She teased nuzzling his neck. “Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it, honey.” She whispered seductively, he shivered, smiling goofily. Despite her husband’s tough public persona, he was a dork when not in uniform. He nuzzled her back, kissing her neck, and she moaned moving her neck to give him a better vantage for the attack, her eyes caught his luggage in the corner, still unpacked.
“You still haven’t unpacked?” She said with surprise. Granted he probably had other things on his mind right now.
Shining broke away looking embarrassed. “Yeah, I… I didn’t know what do to do with it all. I still have stuff at my apartment, and I guess… well… it’s a big change. Part of me kind of thought we’d move to my place.”
“As much as I wouldn’t mind moving into your apartment Shining, you knew that wasn’t an option for us. Aunt Celestia is very unrestrictive, but…”
“I know, the security risk is too high, especially now. I guess I didn’t think…”
“You didn’t think anything would change after marrying into royalty?”
“Yes, I mean no, I mean… yes… no… it’s just a lot to take in. I’m still reeling from the fact we actually got married, then the invasion, now all this stuff today. It’s overwhelming.”
She hugged him, pressing him tightly against her body. “It’s a different world now from a week ago. For both of us, but it doesn’t change the fact we have each other.” He wrapped his hooves around her, holding her tight. She’s never said it aloud, but she was afraid, and he was too. Everything seemed so simple before, their future and where it may lead, but now it was muddy and uncertain.
“We’ll get through this. Together.” He whispered in her ear. She buried her head into his coat, enjoying his warmth. “Come on, let’s go to bed.”
Celestia sat on her usual bench, her only bench, looking up at the statue of Crusader. The sculpted face of her son was looking fierce tonight as if he was displeased with her. It was a strange phenomenon indicative of the stone carvers’ skills as her son’s expression seemed to change every time she visits.
“Are you mad I’ve haven’t come by this past week? I apologize, I’ve been swamped since the invasion. Most evenings I simply fall asleep when my head hits the pillow, I don’t even have time to read a book before bed these days. What book? Oh, a cheesy romance one. You probably wouldn’t like it, I know your father wouldn’t like either, I’m sure. Huh? I don’t know that for sure? I suppose your right, but Sixes don’t seem the type to enjoy romance novels.” She sighed smiling at the frozen stern face of her son. She wished he had a softer expression tonight. A stern expression usually meant something troubling was going to happen. “Right, I should cut to the chance. You want to know how the officer selection process went? Right, of course, you do. You’re like your father, business first. He was there too you know. We didn’t talk. Right, the applicants, there’s Scarlet Kiteshield, she was the former Captain of the Guard, she’s spent a lot of time on the wastelands since retiring. Fighting monsters has defiantly made her a keener commander. Then there’s Cobalt Blaze, he hasn’t slacked off since retiring either. He’s gone around the world, acting as my eyes. Kind of like Daring does but more formally. Where’s Daring? Oh, I don’t know, that mare will send me a letter when she feels like reporting in.”
Crusader’s expression becomes more intense.
“I know, I know,” She replied frustrated. “I’m too lacks with her, but she has the skills I need. I would discipline her more if I thought it would help. Can we change the subject, please? I’m tired of talking about politics and the like. I just want a relaxing conversation.”
“Perhaps I could provide some then? But I can’t promise it will be relaxing.” Celestia swirled around frozen by her sister’s sudden presence. Luna struts into her sanctuary taking it in with a critical and worried glance. “So, this is what you do here? Talk to him?” She indicates pointing to the statue of Crusader, his expression much more joyous now. Her son was playing favorites tonight it seemed.
“Yes,” Celestia admitted without hesitance. “It clears my mind and brings me back to simpler days. The day he was by my side. He lived for nearly six hundred years. I didn’t realize the burden he lifted from me until he was gone.” Or the one he left behind. She mused thinking of a certain statue with a broken plate. She should fix that within the next year and a half. The portal would be opening soon. “So, what brings you here tonight, Luna? I thought you’d be enjoying Time Keeper’s designated free time for us. I believe we won’t have any meetings still after lunch tomorrow. Things seem to be quieting down at least a little bit.”
“Can I not simply wish to talk to my sister in this rare instance of free time?” Luna said innocently. Celestia could read right through that look.
“You can, but you looked much more interested in talking to Cadence. Not that I’m jealous. I’m positively overjoyed by how well you two have hit it off these pasts few weeks.” Way to not sound jealous Celestia. Or petty either.
Luna eyed her strangely. “Yes, I was rather vigorous to catch Cadence’s ear before she retired to her chambers to console her husband. But really you shouldn’t be mad or jealous, you’ve simply not been around lately.”
Yes, that was true. First Cadence was in Europona, then when Cadence got back to Equestria, she had to Prance. Quiet the schedule conflict. “She’s really grown up,” Celestia said suddenly. “It seemed not so long ago I was scolding her for using to magic to keep struggling couples together by force. Now she seems to have everything well in hoof, and she married too. It’s almost like she doesn’t need me anymore.”
Luna laughed, “You sound like a doting mother. Sad to see her foal leave the stables.”
“Well,” Celestia said fondly look at the statue of her son. “It’s a feeling I’ve experienced many times before, but one I never quite mastered getting over.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Luna replied. To which Celestia agreed as they sat in the silence of the night. Listening to the cricket’s chirp. It was peaceful, it was nice, it was perfect. So now was probably time to ruin the moment.
“Why are you really here, Luna?”
“I’m I that obvious?” Luna asked looking at her with a sheepish expression. Seems she was right, there was something on her sister’s mind.
“Not always. I’ve just gotten better at reading ponies, so what’s on your mind?”
Luna frowned, humming softly as she looked at the statue of Crusader. For a moment Celestia wondered if Luna was going to dodge the question and keep up the soft talk until she was ready to talk. But that notion passed when Luna looked at her, fire in her teal irises.
“Why did you force feed a love potion to Sixes?”
“How…”
“I saw it in the dream realm.” Luna looked away, hiding her expression. “After you and Sixes showed me the TealBlood incident. I hadn’t intended to see it nor did I look for it, it just appeared before me. I only saw part of it I’m sure. I would like to know what happened after Sixes took the first sip.”
Now it was her turn to sigh, shame and guilt filled her, taking away what joy she cultivated from her visiting with Crusader. It was one of her darkest moments, one of her weakest and most regretted. Celestia raised her head, tears flowing down her cheeks as she looked up at her son.
“I made them both hate me for that mistake. However, and you can confirm this with Sixes if you don’t believe me. I didn’t get to enjoy even Sixes' fake endearment.” She laughed bitterly, Luna looked confused. “Sixes' spit the love poisoned coffee out, well he threw it up to be accurate. Becoming very ill as if I had given him Tatzelwurm poison. When Starwind saw the pink vile on the floor, he knew had I done. He ran tests. He wasn’t sure if it was the alicorn amulet or some genetic trait from the mad doctors, but Sixes' body rejected the potion. He wasn’t happy when he found out what it was I tried to feed him. Crusader even less so.”
Luna smiled bittersweetly, “You just can’t catch a break, can you.”
She smiled in return though there was little joy in it, “I guess so. At least I was able to reconcile with Crusader, it took a while. I hope I can do the same now with Sixes.”
“Stop trying so hard, and you might get somewhere.” Luna snidely replies.
Celestia then realizes what she was implying. “Sorry, I should have remembered, you and him… are you still?”
“We’re somewhere. Or at least I thought we were, things seem to have changed, again, with my absence. But as they say, actions speak louder than words. Sixes went through so much trouble just to be here today. They all did. Just to see me again.” Luna smiled, a bright, warm smile as beautiful as the moon they sat under. “If the saying is true, then Sixes’s and the others actions are louder then the roar of a thousand Dragonlords.”
That made her smile too. It was infectious. She and Luna just talking. Not about politics, policy, foreign nations. Only two sisters talking, about a stallion if things couldn’t get any more cliché.
“Have you shown this place to Sixes yet? Or Cadence? Twilight?”
Celestia shook her head. “No, I would like to show Sixes and tell him of Crusader’s life after he went to sleep in stone, but Cadence and Twilight… I suppose there’s no reason not to show them, but well…”
POOF!
A scroll falls from Celestia’s horn, baring Daring’s seal. Celestia takes it casting worried looks towards Luna’s looking/not looking gaze. “Well,” Celestia sighed rolling the scroll back up to hide its contents. “Seems my personal time is over. Excuse me this needs my attention.”
“Yes,” Luna says cautiously. “It’s late anyway. Goodnight sister, turn in soon and catch up on your sleep.”
“I will,” Celestia said jovially as Luna trotted away, but the mood was ruined. She cursed Daring’s timing to send her report NOW of all times. As she reopens the scroll, thoroughly rereading it to double checks its contents.
(Daring’s note
Found the Black and Purple Amulets. Heard rumors of another in the frozen north, going to investigate.
Signed, Daring) Celestia lowered the scroll, a scowl on her face. The frozen north, Sombra, and the Crystal Empire’s tomb lay there. This did not bode well. Time is short. Shorter then she predicted. Seems she won’t be getting a day off tomorrow after all, nor would any of them. She scribbles back a reply, telling the rogue wonder to be careful and to warn the guards she posted there to vigilant.
The time has come to prove himself. Shining Armor observes the work of his troops as they reinforce the decrepit fortress that was their base for the mock battle. The fort was on the northside of Mt. Canterlot, Fort Artax which had once been a city all its own, named after the commander that died defending it. Or so Princess Celestia said, and he had no reason to doubt her knowledge.
Her story was that in ancient times in her youth, so it was really long ago, several clans broke away from the city of Canterlot to start their own city on the northern side. Sometime an invading force besieged the city as it was about to be completed. Artax, the Captain of the city guard, held the walls as messengers were sent to Canterlot for aid. By the time the Canterlot forces arrived, the enemy had been defeated, but the city defenders weren’t much better off. Artax, an earth pony, had held back the horde of barbarians by himself and a small band at the last gate where the mares and foals were locked away. He was found dead by the Canterlot forces and the survivors named the city after him for his bravery.
Now, today Fort Artax would be the scene for their mock battle. The fort was massive, split between four sections built into the base of the mountain. He held the center north sector. Bridge and Scarlet held the sectors to the south, and Cobalt held the north. Each candidate could reinforce their part of the city in any way they saw fit. Naturally, they were not to help each other. They each were given only a hundred troops each. Each one selected by their own hooves. Such a low number in this big of a fort meant that if any sector were to send troops to aid another, they would be overrun. For the mock battle, each candidate had to hold their part of the city while protecting their VIP hostage. The enemy’s objective was to retake the hostage. To add some incentive and for a better view, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and his own wife Princess Cadence would be the hostages. Scarlet had Luna, Cobalt has Celestia, and Bridge has Cadence. Something that irks him, but it is what it is. That being said who was he supposed to be guarding?
Sweet Dreams.
The bat mare sat awkwardly in one of Luna’s dresses upon the throne humming a little tone as four unicorns encased her in a magic barrier. Originally the role of the fourth Princess was going to be Fleur de Lis, Fancy Pant’s wife, but she and her husband were away on business. Some other names were thrown about, including his sister, Twilight Sparkle, Celestia even sent a letter asking if she would like to fill the role. Much to the surprise of everypony in earshot, Twilight’s reply was a no, stating she was busy with something. He couldn’t believe it, nor Cadence or Celestia. Twilight saying no Celestia? That was madness! However, the Sun Princess brushed it off good-heartedly, saying she was glad Twilight was becoming more independent. Though, she maybe wasn’t as happy as she let on. Anyway, after that, Luna suggested (Forced) Sweet Dreams to take on the role.
His plan was simple. He’s reinforced the decrepit walls as best they could, but with the team, he picked out he was certain the repairs wouldn’t be necessary. He made sure they had food stores stocked and ready. In the rules outlined by Princess Luna, once the battle started, it would not end till one side won, barring any national emergency of course. The general consciences was the battle probably wouldn’t last greater than three days.
For the invaders to win, Night Patrol had to capture all for Princesses. With a limited number of attempts, they could make. Shining read over the rules to double check. Night Patrol would lose, if all their commanders were defeated, they exceeded their budget of one million bits, or if they failed more then three times to take the fortress.
Shining rubs his chin confidently doing the math in his head. The defenders would have four hundred units, one commander for each one hundred, while Night Patrol only had two hundred units total. They were also not allowed to use their airship. Instead, they were set up in the satellite fortress, two miles away. The satellite fort, was in even worse shape than the Artax, with hardly a wall standing. As he looks through the looking glass he watches as vague pony shapes rebuild the walls as smoke rises from behind them. The very faint sound of clanking metal reaches his hears. He wonders what they're doing over there.
“Hey Spearhead,” Shining calls out to his old platoon buy from the academy. The brown earth pony trots up, giving a salute. “Why don’t you round up some fliers and go do a little recon on the enemy?” Spearhead doesn’t move, in fact, he looks rather nervous. “Is something wrong?”
“Well, Shining… I mean Captain Armor. I know I’m only the fourth rank here, but if you’ll allow me to speak my mind?” Shining nods. “It’s just, our platoon is really out of balance. We have over sixty unicorns, and twenty earth and pegasi each. Naturally, pegasi would be the most ap choice for recon, but the risk may not be worth the units. But if those are your orders, sir.”
He held up a hoof for Spearhead to wait. Weighing the options. He was used to having an uncountable number of units to work with, he needs to think strategically, like back when he played Oubliettes & Ogres and Dragons & Dragons with his friends.
“Take a team of two earth ponies and three pegasi, have one pegasus stay back while the others infiltrate the enemy stronghold. Waiting till evening would probably be best. Do your best not to engage them.”
“Sir, yes sir!” Spearhead replied running off to gather his team.
Scooping out the enemy wasn’t against the rules. In fact, there were very few rules. No killing or crippling was one, obviously, neither side can attack till all sides have finished their prep work, the deadline for that was midnight tonight. There were no rules against scooping out the enemy before then though. However, if enemy units are found in your territory before the official start time, they can be captured or eliminated from the battle. Each side wore special armor with teleports runes installed. Several overseers watched from above ready to magic out anypony if they weren’t about to be killed, so both sides would really cut loose without fear of hurting anypony.
Leaving the fortifications Shining trots to the keep were Sweet Dreams sat, from here he could see what the others were doing. Not in detail, but he could hazard a guess as to what Scarlet and Cobalt were doing. They had once been his commanding officers.
To the north Cobalt Blaze was laying out spike traps and the like to narrow the battlefield for ground units and make choke points. He was also setting up anti flyer weapons, catapults, elemental bows, weighted nets. Very little reinforcement was being done, only in key areas. From across the way Celestia waves from her throne, Cobalt beside her. Shining looks away.
He turns south to Scarlet's defenses. She was setting up traps, floor spikes and wall spikes from the looks of it. She had several rune stones, stone carved with enchantments, placed around. They were too far away to tell what she spelled them with. The former Captain of the Guard didn’t bother with the bigger anti flyer weapons, instead to choosing to mount what looks like over fifty elemental bows all around the base. Scarlet stood at the entrance of the keep, with Luna upon her throne, both chatting happily with each other until the red unicorn turns and spots him.
“You worry about ya own place Shiny! Don’t be slacking!” She yelled.
“I’m just making sure everyponies defenses are up to snuff.” He retorts turning away, briefly, he takes a peek at Bridge’s defenses, barely making out the massive amounts of dirt the earth pony was dragging in. He had no idea what the former Sargent had in mind. Scratch that Bridge was a Lieutenant now that he completed his OCS (Officer Candidate school). He had been working on it before being selected as a candidate, either way, the earth pony was going to come out of this with a promotion. Still, it irked him that Bridge was protecting his wife with piles of dirt.
The hours dragged on as the day gave way to evening and evening gave way tonight. Shining checks his pocket watch, the deadline was soon, only thirty minutes away now. Spearhead hasn’t returned from his recon mission. He paces between the second and third tier of the fort. What happened to his friend? Did they get captured? Should he send out another team to check up on them?
No. If they were captured or eliminated he couldn’t risk sending another team and further hampering his unit.
“Open the gates! Help!”
Shining stiffens, that was Spearhead! He runs to the outer wall. His friend galloping like the devil was on his trail. He fires a flare lighting up the area for a better look. What he saw made his blood freeze. Running behind Spearhead was a beast of no other, the giant rinin, Bulwark. A flash of pink clad in black armor appears on the giant’s back. Platinum De Belle.
“Let’s get him sweetie!” the Pinkish/silver mare raises her metal leg and opens fire! A hail of glowing rounds fires out of her hoof hitting Spearhead in the back his body contorting wildly as the stun rounds drop him a like bag of potatoes half a mile from the gate. Barely within range of the elemental bows. A flash of blue light surrounds Spearhead and he disappears. Eliminated from the game. Platinum waves at them as they trot away into the darkness. “Let’s all have fun now!” She says as they disappear into the night.
“So we're down five from the start, huh.” The conceding voice of his second in command said. He turns around coming muzzle to muzzle in the dim crystal light with Fleetfoot. “Thanks for wasting three of my pegasi, Prince.”
“It’s still Captain,” He retorts brushing past the Wonderbolt Vice-captain. Since the Pegasi division took lest causalities commander wise, the top four officers below Spitfire were acting as second in commands under the guise of special training. He had Fleetfoot, Cobalt had Soarin, Scarlet had Misty Fly, and Bridge had High Winds. Originally Fire Streak was supposed to be here in place of High winds, but the rumor was he was talking about retiring soon and said a younger bolt should take the training instead. He didn’t mind having the Wonderbolt officers here, truth be told he wasn’t very well versed in aerial countermeasures, which the Night Patro was bound to employ. He just wished he didn’t have to have Fleetfoot.
“Ten minutes to the deadline! Everypony take your positions and prepare for anything!” He orders, ponies scrambling to their positions by firelight. The other commander's voice could be heard too, hundreds of hooves clop against the worn stone of the fort as they wait for the Night Patrols first attack. Given the ‘night’ in their name, it was obvious this would be their element. Tensions were high as they wait, staring out at the satellite fort. The moon was full, a faint white light revealing pieces of the battlefield.
The moonlight suddenly disappeared.
“Look up,” Fleetfoot advised, so he did, briefly catching the blur of shadows moving clouds to block out the white light of moon heading back towards the enemy camp. The night becoming pitch black.
“Can you…”
“Don’t even think about it.” Fleetfoot interrupts. “We have too few fliers as it is, not counting the three you wasted. We couldn’t clear out those clouds quick enough before a counter-attack is launched, assuming they don’t have units waiting for us.”
Five pegasi from both Cobalt’s and Scarlet's camps fly out, going straight up into the sky above the fort. Two from each group begin clearing out the clouds, well the other three keep watch. Shining checks the roaster for the other camps. It didn’t tell him who was on what team, but it did tell him the numbers. He had 60 unicorns, 18 earth, and 17 pegasi. Cobalt had 40 unicorns, 40 pegasi, and 20 earth. Scarlet had 50 unicorns, 30 pegasi, and 20 earth. Bridge had 20 unicorns, 40 earth, and 40 pegasi.
The numbers on the scroll change, the ten pegasi eliminated from battle. “What happened?” He demands looking up at the sky. No clouds were cleared. The clanging of metal could be heard as the pegasus’ helmets hit the ground in a mangled mess of steel. “Fleetfoot?”
“They were taken out… so quickly too. They didn’t stand a chance.” The Wonderbolt muttered in horror and amazement. “No pegasi is to fly out of arrow range! Don’t fly without anti flyer support!” Fleetfoot looks to him. “No problems with that order Captain?”
“No,” Shining replied bitterly. Climbing the keep he tries to peer out into the darkness. The pitch-black night was impregnable. How was it the Night Patrollers were able to see in this darkness? “Do dragons have good night vision?” He asks the gathered officers. He needs to factor in the enemy’s hybrid nature in this fight.
“Depends on the species. Some dragons are like thestrals and have great night vision, other see no better than ponies. Though from the stories Princess Luna told me and Goodnight. The rinin may have traits of Thestral in them too, their more than just part dragon.” Sweet Dreams states from her throne.
Shining wrinkles his brow, “More than just dragon ponies? What?”
“INCOMING!” The thundering of cannons echoes in the distance as the lower walls is pounded with shells.
Across the battlefield the enemy camp was suddenly overrun with lights, the sudden brightness was harsh on their night adapted eyes. Shining covers his face with his leg, the outline of massive cannons visible against the light. The first volley had probably been sighted in the day, they’d be adjusting for the second volley now. Meaning the next shots would be higher. Horn alight with violet magic he raises his shield. The others follow suit as the second volley pounds the magic shields. Over a hundred cannonballs strike against the shields, each hit feeling like a blow to his brain. How were they firing so many cannonballs?
Night Patrol Camp
“Those cannonball buck shots are working nicely Fancy.” Sixes smirks watching the bombardment through a pair of binoculars. Unicorn teams load the newly made cannons, prototypes hastily made by Fancy’s arms company in Fillydelphia. “Very nice work.”
Fancy wearing earmuffs stands beside the Rinin Commander beaming with pride. “When I heard you would be hosting a mock battle, I pushed for the prototypes to be finished with all haste. Sadly, I was only able to bring seven cannons and fifty shells. But I didn’t want to miss this chance to test them in a more fitting testing ground. Apologies if they give you any trouble.”
The new cannons weren’t anything special, they were just big smoothbore cannons. They were actually less accurate than the regular cannons the castle used, but that smooth bore let them use a diverse range of ammo. For this operation, cannon buckshot. A massive shell holding eight regular cannonballs that fired all at once. Now seven cannons could fire fifty-six cannonballs at once. At a much lower velocity and accuracy, but it was a cheap and effective round.
“We’ll have to add a bigger powder load. Some of the shells are falling short, even after adjusting the aim.” Topaz said landing beside them. “There is potential though.”
“I’ll say,” Fury chimes in landing next to Sixes. “Want to take bets on who’s going to be the weakest link?”
Sixes looks through his binoculars. Observing the four magic shields before them. The far north shield, blue in color, was Cobalts. It was massive, covering his whole area perfectly. It was a unique shape too, sharp triangular angles hover over the fortress, the cannonballs skid against the shield and fly off into the barren plains. The shield was even angled just right so it wouldn’t send ricochets towards Shining Armor’s and Scarlet kiteshield’s positions. A simple, yet effective design that only needed a few extra unicorns to support it.
The red shield of Scarlet’s was really interesting. It was dome in shape, but instead of one layer, it was multilayered with many smaller magical shields overlapping each other, making three layers of protection. The smaller interlocked shield spells would be less draining on the unicorns supporting it. Breaking that shield with require something with a little more oomph.
Next was Bridge’s defenses. The earth pony using little magic to shield his base. Nor did he reinforce his stone walls. Instead, piles of dirt lined the walls. While simple scattered magic shields protected the troops inside, deflecting any cannonballs that came to close for the comfort. Bridge had employed the ‘soft’ shield. Using dirt as a buffer for his walls. The cannonballs hit the piles of earth and the dirt absorbing the impact easily, where stones would have cracked or exploded. It was a good strategy, they’ll have to test the anti-flyer defenses the pony set up. With no dome, the earth ponies base was open to sky bombing.
Finally, was Shining Armor. He was deploying a single layer dome shield with only himself as the power source. The fact one pony could make such a shield by themselves was impressive. Still, it seems the Captain hasn’t learned his lesson from the changeling’s invasion.
“Focus all fire at position A-4, let them have it!” The cannons stop firing. The soft clicking of the adjustment dials the only noise as the cannoneers readjust their sights. “Fire!”
Shining Armor’s Camp
Shining Armor was sweating. He’s never had to hold up a shield against such a bombardment before. Thankfully the gods heard his silent wishes and the cannon fire stopped. The heat of his horn felt like it was boiling his brain! He pants for air, trying to think clearly.
“Second incoming!”
“Everypony take cover!” He shouts redoubling his efforts. Something was amiss though. The bombardment was much heavier than before. His pinkish dome shutters under the attack, and he does too, his head a migraine of pain. Even with that, he still manages to peek out to the Scarlet’s and Cobalt’s bases. Their shields were up, but they weren’t taking any fire. The night Patrollers singled him out. Thinking he was the weakest link! Well, he’d show them!
Rearing back Shining Armor shoots another blast of magic to reinforce the shield, the faint cracks disappear. Momentary. Another barrage splits the crack open again, this time even larger than before. His legs buckle and he’s brought to his belly.
“Support the captain!” A pony yells, more beams of magic shoot up to the shield, reinforcing it once again. Shining stands tall. With this troops behind him, no pony could beat him!
“We can do this, boys! Keep that shield up!” He shouts encouragingly. The cannonballs were bouncing off the shield now. They could do this! “Yeah! That’ll show them!”
This was bliss! He was winning! He was proving his worth! He was…
“AGRHG!” An ear-shattering scream pierced the air, overpowering the noise of the bombardment for a brief moment as one of his unicorns fell to his side, withering in agony, his horn glowing red.
“My brain! Oh, gods my brain! It’s on fire! It’s melting out my ears!” Others shouted falling over in the same manner. One by one the sixty beams of magic that had supported the shield fell like flies to the wind, till only he remained, holding back the bombardment back alone. The dome shield was cracked and crumbling. Shining reduced the zone, bringing the shield closer together, leaving the sides exposed.
“YEEHAA!” From the clouds above three winged figures dived. “Let ’em have it!”
“Anti-flyers fire!” He shouts. His earth ponies man the element bows, firing arrows of ice and fire. The three enemy flyers glide through the barrage easily. “Counter flyers!” Five of his pegasus take flight but are hampered by friendly fire blocking their escape route as they’re stuck between arrows and the shield. He dares not weaken it for friendlies to fly through less it shatters under the bombardment.
The three enemy fliers fly through the hole in the shield and drop their payload, the whistling sound of bombs falling reaches his ears as explosions rock the fort. Bodies are flown up into the air, disappearing in a blue light as the combatants were teleported to safety by the overseers.
More flashes of blue pass by as his unicorns are teleported to safety. The cannon fire stops and Shining takes a deep long breath before hanging his head, his horn lit brighter than a hearth’s warming star. The shield crumbles.
“Captain!”
“I’m fine, I’ll just need a few minutes.”
“We don’t have a few minutes! Look there!”
Charging through the darkness came a hulking figure, its dark armor blending perfectly with the shadows. The Bulldrake had returned. What few ponies in his fort remained fired their bows, nets, and stones at the hulking creature. Every attack bouncing of its shiny black armor. Only the bovine bellows from the Bulldrake gave any sign they were hurting it, or maybe just making him mad.
The massive Night Patroller reached the gate, the wall shielding him from the fire. Shining gallops to a better view, spotting Bulwark doing something strange. The giant rinin shook himself like a dog, loosening the massive hammer from his back. Then Bulwark popped his back, his spine popping inwards, and with a hefty heave, the big dragon pony rose on his hind legs standing nine feet tall nearly as high as the gate! Hammer in claw, the minotaur rinin rears back and swings!
The gate snapping off its hinges.
Suddenly magic bolts began to fall upon the big rinin. Shining whirls around, surprised to see Scarlet with a team of unicorns at the edge of her shield firing down on the rinin. She looks at him, glaring harshly.
“Don’t stand there gawking! Fight!” She sneers. As fire from Cobalt’s side pours on the rinin. Shining rights himself, charging towards the big rinin, rallying his troops.
“Come boys! Push him back!” He declares boldly. Creating a small shield, he rams towards Bulwark, who had already wrecked his way up to the second tier, swinging his hammer with skill. Before the gate busting weapon could even hit its targets they were all pulled out of the battle via teleport. Meaning one swing was enough to kill. The hammer obliterates where the stone where his troops had been standing as if only to drive that point home.
Jumping Shining bares his shield forward, the hammer striking the magic barrier. The shield cracks, but holds true, allowing him to dive at Bulwark’s legs. Being bipedal now meant the big pony wouldn’t be as stable. He forms a shield under the wobbling pony and lift is up, to bring him down!
Only nothing happens.
Shining felt his horn heat up again as Bulwark pressed all his weight on the shield beneath his cloven hoof. He struggles to try to overpower the brute, but his magic falters, too overtaxed from holding up the shield.
“I could use some help!” He shouts, but there was no reply, save for the odd trot of clop, ting, ting, ting. He glances back at the source of the noise, the pinkish mare, Platinum stood behind him. Smirking as she held up her metal hoof.
In her thick Prench accent she said, “You are the last one, goodbye Captain, it was a fun game.” With those words, she fires, hitting him dead center and for several second his world turned blue as he was pulled from the battlefield. He lands on a pile of soft mats, the rest of his troops standing before him in silence. They had been eliminated. Not only that, they’d been the first fort to go down. He walks to the edge of the cliff, looking down as Night Patrol swarms his base, it would be their foothold to take down the others. He checks his watch and curses.
He hadn’t even held out for three hours.
“Dammit…”
Scarlet’s base
“Dammit, and to think he had once been my best student.” Scarlet cursed Shining Armor’s defeat as Night Patrollers swarmed his base, taking Sweet Dreams off the throne and successfully gaining a point for their side. Rinin began to line up outside her shield, daring her to try and retake Shining’s base. She knew it would be a suicide mission and a waste of resources.
Cobalt’s base suddenly began to erupt with magical flack. She took notice of a second wave flying down from the clouds to the north of Cobalt’s base. Pinning her old friend between the force that had taken Shining’s base and the other wing. She could do nothing to help him without great risk to her own forces. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t do anything.
“Fire on those flyers! Keep them at bay the best you can!” She shouts. Her unicorns and bow ponies open up as the rinin’s watching on the other side of the shield spew fire. It wouldn’t be enough to break it, but it kept her from using any more unicorns for attacking. “Come on lads and lassies! Keep it up!”
The heat rose. The shield didn’t repeal the heat, it could, but that would require more magic then she had to spare. Besides what could they hope to accomplish… shit. The arrows and magic bolts of her soldiers were far off their marks. The air distortions from the heat increasing the margin of error.
Scarlet took a step back and breathed. Closing her eyes to focus. Shining Armor’s perspective had narrowed, he got to focused on a minor thing of the bigger picture he didn’t notice the enemies behind him. She would at least not make the same mistake. She looks again with clarity.
The Night Patrollers were swarming Shining’s base and pushing hard on Cobalt’s. Normally diving head first between to enemy forces would by folly, but they knew with only a hundred troops in each base they could take the risk, knowing neither side could help the other without great risk. Cobalt divided his shield into three points, the north, the east, and south. The rinin were hitting his shield from every side, but west. Why would they? There was a mountain… there… it suddenly dawned on her.
“To me! Hurry!” She screams galloping towards the keep. She spots Luna, still enshrined on her throne, but the princess had a small smirk on her lip as they approach the top of the stairs. A claw burst out from the mountain wall, a burly earth rinin fell out of the hole he had dug as several others pour out from the tunnel. The rinin were on them like the dogs of hell! A blue rinin with a gold gauntlet of sorts charged ahead of the pack, throwing a huge blast of gold magic! She raised a shield, the blast knocking out the two ponies she had brought as back up.
Igniting a mana blade on her horn, Scarlet jabbed and swung her horn as the blue rinin used his gold glove to block her strikes. Gold shockwaves blast against her coat, stinging with the heat of magic. What was that thing? Some sort of artifact?
“I need back up!” She shouts as her unicorns turn to fire upon the keep and pegasi dive toward the skirmish. Back trotting, she realized her mistake as the shield above began to crumble. “Belay that! All mages keep up the shield! Pegasi to me! Earth ponies keep firing arrows!”
The haunting cry of a whinny roar of the rinin dashed any hope correcting her mistake. The rattling of chains only further brought the telling of her undoing as she glances to the sky to see the black and gold form of Sixes fall upon her troops. Within his golden chains, he snagged three of her unicorns. Dragging them screaming into the sky as they disappear into blue light. Several more rinin joined him, cutting through her disorganized ranks and within seconds and then she to was surrounded.
“A good effort, Captain.” Said, Luna, as the rinin pounced. Scarlet found herself teleported to the top of the cliff overlooking the battlefield. Along with the rest of her units. Her base overrun.
“Dammit.” She cursed but did not look away. Sharply she watched and she learned.
Cobalt’s base
Scarlet’s shield went down. Here he thought she’d be the last to go down, but then again, if Shining Armor was the weakest link, then Scarlet was the strongest. Or at least the next logical choice. Now there were two bases separating him from reinforcements. Not that he ever planned for any. Bridge was probably having his own problems about now anyway. Not that he was in a position to help either.
“Hold tight boys, they’re coming.” Cobalt was waiting beside the throne where they had Celestia ‘detained’ his best mages and fighters around him. Ten ponies total. Since Scarlet’s shield never went down till the enemy was already inside, he concluded that there was only one place they could have gotten in. The mountain. The once false sense of security they all had misplaced their trust. After all, who would dig through solid granite? Or could in such a short time? A fatal mistake on their part with no doubt.
His eyes were dancing, looking for the point of entry the enemy would take. There were two that stood out, mountain wall behind the throne and floor. Which would it be? A stone fell from above. Out of reflex, they all looked up and then the wall behind Celestia exploded! Rinin rushed out of the pony made cave and charged the throne. He rears back launching a fire spell to try and route them, but the flames seem to do little to slow them down. As he expected from creatures that breathed fire. From out of the pack rushed the orange rinin with crystals on his joints, Topaz Slicer. Cobalt didn’t know if it was his age but the rinin seemed to blip out of existence only to appear again with a wing of plasma fire to his neck.
“Your chance of winning is zero, I’d suggest you give up.” The rinin commander advised.
Cobalt closed his eyes. “I’ll take that into consideration.” Casting a quick teleport Cobalt blinked away, just a few feet down from where he’d been, horn charged and aimed. Several others around him did the same and then… he was on top the cliff next to Scarlet and Shining. He blinks, rubbing an irritating spot on his neck. It was a burn. A burn from an attack he had not seen nor sensed. An attack that without the overseer teleporting him away would have killed him.
“I’m beginning to feel slightly outclassed.” He grumbles looking down at the battlefield as Night Patrol swarms the last holdout, Bridge.
Scarlet snorts, “Join the club.”
Bridge’s base
“Sir! What do we do!” His second in command screamed as fire rains down upon them. The earth walls of his fort were immune to fire. In fact, the dirt made it really easy to put out. However, his flyers were being overwhelmed. Anti-Flyer defenses were being overrun too. There were just too many. They weren’t taking enough patrollers out. From his count maybe only twenty to thirty have been eliminated by his defenses. While his troop strength has been cut in half. “Sir their coming from behind the wall!”
Bridge spun slamming his hoof against the crack in the mountain wall. His hoof coming into contact with a wingless rinin. Others claws at him, cutting his leg as he pulled it back. He barked for his unicorns to seal up the hole as he trots on three legs, trying to think. He peers out the slots in his little dugout, building the earthen walls around the enemy’s objective, Princess Cadence. The outside forces were being torn apart and it was only a matter of time before his little dirt bunker is torn down.
A bright burning light appears in the sky and dives towards them. Bridge moves away from the wall as the flying fireball hits with great impact! The wall crumbling, streams of fire pouring in as his guard plug up the hole with their shields. Behind them, the growls of the rinin in the tunnel grew louder as the wall grew weaker.
“What do we do!” His second screams again.
“Calm down! It’s not over yet!”
“Actually,” A deep raspy voice said. “It is.”
Bridge turns to the destroyed wall as Commander Fierce Fury dug himself out the dirt, the red rinin breaths fire into his claw, creating a sphere.
Fury smirks holding up the flaming orb and crushes it, “Crossfire.”
Bridge throws off his helmet, shaking himself of the embers caught in his mane. He was on the cliff overlooking the battlefield, smoke billows up from below. He runs to the edge where the others stood, his base awash in flames.
“Where’s the princess? Is she safe?” He asks, thinking the rinin had gotten out of hoof with his attack. Whatever it was. Was that a spell?
“I’m fine,” Answers Cadence standing alongside the other princesses and Sweet Dreams. The Rinin Commanders land behind Luna as the royal trio steps towards them.
“A fine display of skill, all of you. You managed to survive five hours total. Impressive for a first try. Much better then I was expecting if you would have lasted another hour it would have been perfect.” Celestia levitates a bag of bits over to Luna. The younger princess looking giddy as she plops the bag into her saddlebag. “Still a very good job. I’m sure after some more training and experience the next bout will be even better. I digress, I’m sure your all eager to know the results and to be truthful I was surprised myself. Luna if would please.”
Luna steps forward, “Of course sister. As you all know this battle was a test for you, four candidates, to determine your positions in the EUP. Before I announce who will be positioned to what, I must clarify some changes to the ranks we have adopted since our meeting three days ago. Traditionally, the captain of the guard would usually be the unicorn Commander, with some exceptions, but we have decided given current events and possible future ones. Celestia, Cadence and I have decided to separate the positions. Each division will have their captains, but one will stand above them, second only to us. The Captain of the Guard no… the leader of the Equestrian army will henceforth be General Cobalt Blaze.”
There was a collective gasp, Cobalt Blaze looks shaken as he flinches at the scope of his new title. There hasn’t been an official Equestrian General in five hundred years!
Luna continues. “With this decree, the royal guard is no more, as well as the EUP. All current military branches will be merged into the new Equestrian army. As such Captain Scarlet Kite shield, Captain Castle Bridge, and Captain Spitfire.” They stepped forth, Spitfire emerging from the shadows and joining them. “As of now all three of you are hereby promoted to the rank of Colonel. Your underlings will be taking your former positions under you for the time being. That will be all for now. We’ll have a more formal meeting later. We are still in the midst of reorganizing everything. I invite you to board the Nightmare to attend a special concert I have organized. That is all.”
As the Princess of the Night trots off joined by the ranks of Night Patrol the three new colonels could only stare at the Princesses of the Sun and Love. In mere seconds two organizations, the EUP, and the royal guard, that have been in place for the last thousand years. Were disbanded. Just like that. It was as if an earthquake had shaken Canterlot from its place on the mountain, yet the Princess of the Sun, who has seen the birth of both long-lived organizations seemed no more heartbroken about the sudden shift then her sister had been. And even though she did not smile or shout for joy. Somehow they could tell the Princess of the Sun was… happy.
Softly Celestia smiles and pats their heads, like a mother comforting her child. “I know this is sudden and perhaps I should have been the one to tell you, but this change… it’s the first step we need to take. The EUP was created because of Luna’s absence. With her return… well obviously their structure is not suited to this new era where there is no two, but three princesses.”
“Yes,” Bridge spoke up. “Why the royal guard too? Surely they are still relevant.”
Celestia chews her cheek. “Right, the royal guard will still be around, but it will not be as relevant. In the past, I only had two guards and at the most twelve before the ranks suddenly exploded under the EUP. We will be returning a much smaller, more elite royal guard. We were going to address this in the meeting later, but since you are the most relevant ponies to this matter. The royal guard will be merged into the Commandos. Now, let us forgo any more of this talk and go enjoy the party Luna has put on for all of you. Believe me when I say she put effort into her concert to help smooth over relations between Night Patrol and the GAE (Grand Army of Equestria). I hope you enjoy it and learn to get along.” With a swallow dip of her head and a smile, the Sun Princess bid them adieu and heads for the airship. With conflicting, yet exciting feelings the General and three new colonels follow her. Leaving the two ponies that had remained silent for the duration of the talking to stand awkwardly alone.
Shining Armor stood in the wind looking at his wife, his expression neutral, but his eyes clear with the disappointment and shame of his defeat, demotion, and now disregard. The princesses hadn’t bothered to even call his name or tell him anything. It was clear to him now, he was never being considered, only humored.
“Shining…” His wife whispered, nuzzling his neck. “It’s ok. They have a place for you.”
“Sure… I guess.” He replied dejectedly. Still, even with his dreams of being a royal guard dashed against the rocks, he took his wife’s leg and lead her to the ship. A concert sounded like a nice idea right now. Even if he was no longer the Captain of the Royal guard or captain of anything. He was still a prince and a husband. He still had duties to fulfill. So, he perked up, kissed his wife, and smiled for her. “My place is right here, next to you.”
She smiled, snorting with laughter as she bounced her hip against his as they climbed the ramp to the ship.
“Come on Vinyl it’s almost time! You have to get ready!” Octavia chides her sister as Vinyl was neck deep in electrical wires, still not in her performance costume! And only thirty minutes till showtime!
Her sister turns, lifts her shades and glares cutting her hoof over her neck for silence. “You get ready. I’ll be finished in a few.” Vinyl’s vocal cords were almost healed. She could finally talk again, but limitedly. Her voice was raspy and hoarse most of the time. For a few hours, after taking her meds, Vinyl could sing for a limited amount of time. They have recorded several songs, but Vinyl insisted on singing tonight as part of big come back and to prove to herself that she could still perform without her mixing table.
“Alright, I need to finish my make up, but be quick. I know you're well versed with this… um… machine, but you still need to be presentable! We’re performing for all three Princesses tonight!”
Vinyl waves her off as if this wasn’t the biggest night of their lives. After their last concert with the Princesses things have been going well, minus the wedding debacle, but their careers have been steadily on the rise. Both she and Vinyl wanted to show the Princesses just how much they’ve improved from last time. Vinyl even wrote a song, specifically at Princess Luna’s request. The Princess of the Night wanted a song that would help mend the strained relations between Night Patrol and the current Equestrian forces. Something to help bring both sides together and show them they were on the same side. How the hell you put that in a song Octavia didn’t know, but Vinyl took the challenge and has been very secretive about the music script she’s been crafting.
Octavia returns to her dressing room. A small little makeshift place made beside the old castle by the frankly terrifying dragon ponies Luna had left to help them. For the past week, she’s been trying to avoid saying anything that could be offensive towards them. Such as she was scared witless by them, their fangs, claws, and overall vicious appearance not really putting her at ease, despite their friendly natures towards her.
Vinyl got along with them fine. Even drank with them. Not surprising for her sister. Vinyl could probably get along with an Ursa Major if she wanted too. Actually, she might have tried once. No matter. Her feelings aside this was a job and she would be professional. Given sometimes she would warm up to them too.
“Your dress, ma’am.”
Octavia nearly jumps out of her skin as a rinin holding her stage costume by its hanger appeared in the room. Had she been so enthralled in her thoughts that she hadn’t heard the door open? Or had the dragon pony snuck in?
“Um, thank you, ah…” Octavia looks the female rinin up and down. She had to admit the way her teal scales sparked in the light against her blue coat was rather dazzling. “I’m sorry, I’m afraid I can’t think of your name at the moment.”
“I’m patroller 3236, Azure Beryl. No need to fret over my name, I know you're busy. Would you like me to help with your make up?”
Octavia bit her tongue from outright saying no to the offer. “Yes, if you don’t mind.”
“Alright sit down and relax, this shouldn’t take long, relatively speaking.” Much to Octavia’s surprise, Beryl worked with the speed and grace of a unicorn makeup artist. With her brush pinched in her claw she daps just amount of shadow and color to her face. “There, just a little blush here and there and you’re done!”
“Wow! That’s amazing! Where to did you learn to be this good! You put my last make artist to shame!”
Beryl shrugs, as she places a sheet over Octavia’s head and slips the singers dress on for her. Tying the back strings as she talks. “I got a degree from Canterlot School of the Arts a thousand years ago, glad to see what they taught me is still relevant. So at least I didn’t waste my free ride.”
The door to the dressing room slams open, Vinyl standing in the doorway breathing hard. “Everypony is almost seated! Shit, I gotta get ready!” Her sister curses running over to the stool and mirror. “Azzie I’m going to need a quick fix up.”
Azure smiles amused as she moves over to Vinyl’s chair. “Of course, Miss Scratch, same as we discussed before?”
“Yeah, and call me Vinyl, stop being so formal all the time. We’re friends!”
“We only went out drinking twice, the first being by chance,” Azure says beginning to style Vinyl’s hair as the white unicorn waves her leg around.
“Oh, come on! Just admit you had a good time! Good drinks, food, and music, what better way is there to bond?”
“I’d prefer walking up on a bed and not the floor, but yes it was a fun night.” Azure finishes styling Vinyl’s unruly hair and begins applying makeup. “If you want to go and do some final checks Miss Octavia now is the time. It’s ten minutes until the curtains rise. I should have Miss Vinyl done one minute before then if you’d please make sure everything else is ready?”
“Yes, a good idea, I’ll leave you two alone.”
Octavia steps out of the dressing room. Not all that surprised Vinyl was already giving out nicknames. Sometimes she was really envious of how easy it was for her sister to make friends.
“No time for that Octavia, you have a show to do!” Trotting around backstage she goes over her personal checklist. Hopefully, after this gig, they could hire a professional staff manager and hire permeant staff. Getting staff of the royal wedding had been easy. What music pony didn’t want to be in a royal wedding? “Check, check, and check! And only FIVE minutes to showtime! Ugh! Vinyl hurry up!”
Peeking out from the curtain Octavia gulps at the size of the crowd! Ponies stretched from the stage to the canyon!
“Everything ok, sis?”
Octavia whirls around, “Oh Vinyl! I was just… what the hell are you wearing?” She eyes her sister up and down. The white unicorn was wearing a fishnet on her legs, a leather jacket, a sailor’s hat, and some weird leather V piece. Overall it was over the top, very suggestive costume that their mother would have pressed their ears to the stove for.
“Like?” Vinyl said with a smirk and raised eyebrows. “To bad if you don’t, it’s showtime!” Vinyl puts on her headset and trots out onto the stage. “Hello everypony! Are your ready to rock!” The crowd cheers. “Good cause I have a very special song for all your awesome ponies tonight!”
Octavia gave the queue to the band; the curtain rises and Vinyl begins to sing for the first time on stage in months.
The song was upbeat, cheery, and heartfelt. The crowd swayed to every word Vinyl sang, whether they were EUP, Night Patrol, or whatever, everypony was having a good time. From her old balcony, Luna hummed with the song, a smile on her lips as the two units that were always historically at odds seemed to enjoy each other’s company for once. Maybe it wouldn’t mend all the wounds, maybe come morning no pony from either side would be friends with the other, but it was a step in the right direction.
“Nice song,” Said Sixes nodding along to the beat. “She’s got Alto’s voice. She’s pretty good.”
“Her sister has Alto’s looks, but she’s no musical slouch either. Both of them are very talented. I’m sure they’ll be the premier duo of Equestria’s music scene soon enough. If nothing else they are at the top of my list for musical entertainment.”
“Drink?” Sixes offers holding out a glass of wine. She accepts. Causally sipping the glass as Sixes pops the cork on a bottle of Hard cider.
Luna swashes the wine around, noticing the strong taste of apples mixed with the other berries. “I wasn’t aware the Apple’s made wine or it was possible to brew wine from apples. The wonders of this new world.”
“We got a crate of it two days ago, from AJ the eighth, she wrote it was new recipe she was trying out. Wanted you to try it.”
She smiles, thinking of the red-eyed Applejack. “I see. I’ll have to visit her and tell her it’s delicious. Have you met her yet? AJ the eighth, I mean?” Sixes shakes his head. “Then you’ll have to come with me.”
“Just me?” Sixes smirks.
A blush adorns her cheeks as she twirls her glass, her gaze looking away from the ashen rinin. “Well, I suppose we could invite more, but I… well… Oh, look Octavia is coming on stage!”
Sixes looked over the balcony. He’s seen Octavia from a distance before during the wedding but the view was much better here if he didn’t know that wasn’t Alto he wouldn’t have known. Those stage lights really made her sparkle like crystal pony. Or maybe it was the crystal looking dress she was wearing. He didn’t know. But she was stunning none the less. The melody sisters gathered around the microphone on stage as an orchestra band assembled behind them. Magic was in the air as they began to sing together.
Luna felt a tear in her eyes as the words touched her heart. “Beautiful, right…??” Luna’s thoughts became jumbled as she felt Sixes' lips against hers for the first time in a thousand years. Her body relaxes as she leans into the kiss. The song ends and they break away, both of them smiling at the other.
“So…” She began, her tongue-tied. Really words didn’t seem necessary, not that she could think of any to say anyway. Sixes wraps his wings around her as they watch the rest of the concert in silence. Enjoying the last night before the old castle was laid to rest.
Song after song was sung, cheerful ones, heartfelt, ones, every song the melody sisters knew was sung and when they were done. Others climbed to the stage and sung. Night Patrollers sang old folk songs from days long past, young privates from the EUP sang the latest pop songs. It was everything Luna had hoped for. But alas the hour of midnight drew and it was time to say goodbye.
“Is everything ready?” She asks Topaz, who had laid out the explosives. He nods. “The memorial wall was removed?”
“Of course, Princess. I dug it out myself. All other valuables worth saving are also accounted for.”
“Good, let us proceed.” The stage was cleared and dissembled. Celestia stood beside her as the detonation lever was set before them. She rests her hoof atop the T shaped handle, while Celestia placed her hoof next to hers. It wasn’t just her home or Night Patrols home, it was also Celestia’s home. Their childhood home. It was where they were raised, where their parents lived. It was only fitting they hit the switch together.
“I should have taken better care of it,” Celestia said with a sob, in a rare act of public emotion. As if to punctuate her words, part of the roof collapsed, toppling the west tower, Celestia’s room. “Seems even the gods mock me this day.”
“Then let’s reply,” Luna said boldly. She pushed the lever, as did Celestia. Several explosions went off, taking out what little support structure was left. The old castle groaned and crumbled, falling into itself. The lower support levels give way and the entire upper structure falls to the earth. In the sky, Sixes flew with every rinin available. Lava and fire fell into the newly made pit. The old stone popped and cracked under the heat as over a thousand years of history was reduced to molten rock. Forever gone. The glow of the fire was bright and could be seen from miles away. And in the morning when the lava had cooled it would become the new foundation of their future.
Military Officer Ranks- A quick general layout of the Command structure. Of course, Princess is above all.
EUP (Disbanded)
Captain of the Guard Division Captain Lieutenant Warrant Officer Sergeant
GAE (Grand Army of Equestria) General Colonel Captain Lieutenant (Vice Captain) Sergeant
Night Patrol (Aerial Navy) Admiral Captain Commander Vice Commander Lieutenant
Goodnight soars through the sky, weaving left and right, Sweet Dreams acting as his wing pony as they dive through the coarse Commander Sixes set up for their training. They dive through a ring of clouds towards the ground adjusting their trajectory as they near the ground. He feels his chest plate grind against the ground, he adjusts his wings, pumping harder to get some height. He levels out and checks to see how Sweet Dreams is doing. She gives him a nervous grin as numerous scraps also adorn her armor. They bank left, Commander Fierce Fury yelling for them to do the course again.
“This is a lot harder then I thought it would be!” Sweet Dreams bemoans as they fly straight up to the beginning of the course again. This would mark the fifth time this morning they’ve had to run it in the last hour. Their poor wings were screaming at them as the weight of their training armor added to their strain. The armor was double the normal weight of their regular armor and much more encumbering. With specially made pieces designed to throw off their weight and balance, greatly diminishing their maneuverability.
They reach the top of the course taking a few moments to breathe as they wait for Fury to give the go ahead. For the full five seconds, they got to rest their lungs burning with resentment for undergoing this training. Compounding on the fact this was only the fifth day of it. They had been given a week’s leave to see friends and a family after the mock battle concert, before and quoting Commander Sixes, “Completely destroying the ponies they had once been.”
“Get going maggots!”
“YES, SIR!”
They take the plunge again. Diving at a forty-five-degree angle, catching speed quickly. Already Goody felt his body tremble and shake in the wind. The turbulence was fierce, so much so that he couldn’t open his wings. He guides his body to the right going into the curve of cloud rings, pressure builds in his ears at the drastic change in altitude. He sucks in a breath and breaths out his nose, his ears popping as the hot air fogs up his goggles.
“Use your masks! They weren’t put on there for show!” Fury berates them from the ground.
The only thing not clunky about their armor was the helmet. Some new design from a Platinum De Belle, it had a respirator to help control breathing at different altitudes, a shade visor, built in gem communicator, and an aerodynamic design. The only downside to it was to use the advanced features it needed a constant feed of magic from the wearer. Something neither he or Sweet Dreams were used to doing. Part of the training, besides improving their wing strength and control in unfavorable conditions was to constantly feed their helmets till it was second nature.
“Hit the ground again and you’ll be doing this again!” Fury warns them as they careen towards the cloud rings leading to the ground.
Determined not to do this again! He adjusts his wings, doing some quick and dirty math as he tries to account for his weight and speed. That was the stickler for them as Thestrals. They shared many traits with Pegasus save for the biology of their wings. Thestral wings were leathery, nimble, made for quick adjustments in tight spaces. They were not evolved to handle high speeds turns and stops. They were defiantly not meant to try and turn a pony with two hundred extra pounds and going at 18.6 wing power (362 MPH)!
“Aim high Sweets!”
They enter the rings keeping their eyes trained towards the top of the rings to keep their trajectory high. He zooms out of the rings, teeth clenched and eyes squinting, but there was no scraping noise!
“OH YEAH! WE’RE AWESOME!” Sweet Dreams screams over the gem com. Together they level out, braking hard with their wings as their boots hit the dirt. The skid and slide through the finish line all but falling to their bellies, their bodies exhausted. Goodnight looks up, Fury standing over them with his back to the sun, creating a fiery red outline of the Rinin. For a moment he was scared they’d have to do it again.
“Good enough for now.” Fury said and with a flick of his claw, the clunky training armor straps were loosed. “Take that crap off and see how you feel.”
Gratefully Goodnight unbuckles the heavy armor, his bones popping as he stretches. Kicking off his boots he helps Sweet Dreams unfasten her armor. The thestral mare blushing as she plants a quick kiss on his cheek when Fury had his back to them.
“Thanks, you’re a true gentle colt.”
“Haha… I try.” He goofy replied with a blush of his own. When Fury turns around they both stand at attention as the red rinin looks them over.
“Jump, now.”
They both did as commanded with no questions, kicking off the ground and feeling… light.
“Wow, I feel like a feather!” Sweet Dream swoons.
“Good, now do the course again.”
“But…”
“Say one more word and you’ll be putting the armor back on.”
At that threat Goody and Sweets kick off into the sky, their wings and bodies still aching, yet in a mere blink, they were at the top of the course again.
“There’s going to be a little twist this time! Now go!”
They jump off the start cloud diving at high speeds, yet it was so smooth now, their bodies turned with the faintest gesture, easily and controlled. Evening as a barrage of golf ball sized fireballs come into their path he and Sweet Dreams were able to nimbly evade them, even at their current speed. Which must be at least 15 wing power (302mph). Nearly double his usual speed without armor.
“Wahoo! Look out, Goody!” Screams Sweets as she comes roaring past him, her wings folded and her body spinning like a top. It was similar in the way the rinin would fly. Taking the hint he does the same, corkscrewing through the sky after his wing pony. They zoom through the cloud rings, unfolding their wings to level out mere inches above the ground. They skid to a stop in front of Fury, who looked pleased for once.
“You’re not completely hopeless. A few more weeks of this and you might have a chance to be Commandos yet. Shower off, we’re done for today.”
“Thank you, sir!” They salute, the red rinin saluting back before taking off into the sky. What was he in such a hurry for? Well didn’t matter! They were free! Trotting happily the duo enter the nearby showers. A crude outdoor setup, but the water was still hot. Fury told them once the Commando base was rebuilt they would be moving there, till then, training field twenty-nine would have to do. It was on the far outskirts of the city, almost at the edge of the cliff, the castle far off in the distance, but The Nightmare was in view. It was private and out of the way, which was kind of nice for the training they were doing.
“Whooh! That was more intense than yesterday!” Sweet Dreams states from her stall. She exits the stall, wet and drying herself off with a towel using her wings, her tail raised high. He keeps his eyes turned on the shower head of the stall, waiting for her to finish. She seemed to notice this and went right into teasing mode. “Oh, come on Goody! It’s nothing you haven’t seen already.”
“Public professionalism, Sweetie. We’re still on the clock, remember?”
“But Fury said we were done with training for the day! Come on let’s go have some fun!”
A whoosh of wind signaled the arrival of another flyer. It didn’t take many guesses to know it was Sixes. Goody finished his shower quickly exiting his stall at attention, with Sweet Dreams doing the same, and choosing now to be embarrassed as the black and orange rinin looked them over with a bemused smile. He pulls several thick books from his saddlebag letting them hit the ground with a ‘thud’!
“Physical training may be over, now it’s time for mental, here’s your homework for the week. I expect you to have a basic understanding of the material by next week. Self-study.”
“No lecture?” Goodnight said with surprise.
“I’m not a professor, take some damn initiative and teach yourself.”
“What are we learning exactly?” Sweet Dreams gingerly asks well flipping through the book.
Sixes replied with, “All of it.”
“All of it?”
“All of it.”
“But this book is six hundred pages long!”
“There’s some pictures. And Before you start whining at least read the damn title.” Sixes picks up the book and holds in front of their muzzles. The two bat ponies squinting while leaning the head back to read the title.
“How to operate and repair an AT-45 tank! We’re learning how to drive tanks! That’s so awesome!” Sweet Dreams began to bounce in place, positively ecstatic! Only to quietly stop under Sixes' stern glare. “Right um… continue… sir.”
“I’m glad you’re enthusiastic. Cause you’ll be going through physical training with Fury every morning for six hours. In the afternoon head down to the Tank docks and see if you can learn anything from the mechanics. All I care about is you can drive and make basic field repairs to a tank, the will be a short-written test, but I think Platinum is dealing with that. Try and get this down quick.” Sixes kicks off the ground and flies away.
“They’re very hooves off with their training huh?” Sweet Dreams state. He could only nod in reply, his eyes still fixed on the massive book lying before them.
“Yeah, come on, let’s get back to the barracks. If we read a hundred pages a night we should finish it in time for the test.”
Sweetie sighs deeply as she picks up her copy. “I thought I was done with homework after getting out of the academy.” He laughs giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Well, if you study hard I’ll give you a reward.”
“Oh yeah? Do tell, because it sounds like that’s more for you.”
He shrugs, “It’s for both of us.”
She giggles, making him smile wider. “I guess, that is if we can move. Last night I was stiff as a board from training! It hurt just lay there in bed! Until you have me that massage… Oh is that my reward?”
“Part of it.” He smirks as they land at the barrack. Which was depressingly empty. It wasn’t the same one they were in before, but still, the lack of other guard ponies was fresh in their minds with the attack only roughly a month ago. Then again, they weren’t guard ponies anymore, they were commandos in training. As far as they knew, they were the first and only ones undergoing training currently.
They walk through the quiet barrack to their room. Even with all the extra space they still shared a room. There were various reasons why, some them less than professional, but no pony raised a fuss about it. Really the main reason they shared a room was the bunks. To make the room homelier they made the closet bigger so the bunks could fit inside to give them a more cave-like feeling. Sleeping in pitch black cramped spaces was very relaxing to their kind and made it a lot easier for them to fall asleep. The rest of the room was pretty standard, two desks, and a dresser and armor rack. Though they still haven’t been issued the new commando armor yet.
“Hey Goody, look! I think that door’s open! Maybe we have a new recruit!” Sweet Dreams said excitedly already bouncing over to the door.
“It can’t be, Fury and Sixes didn’t mention anything about a new recruit.” He argued but followed her anyway. Maybe one of the cleaners just left the door open by mistake.
“I see a tail! Hey neighbor! How’s it going… what are you doing here?” Sweet Dreams asks the occupant of the room. To see what all the fuss was about Goody craned his neck over the female thestral to look through the open door and see the former captain of the guard, Shining Armor himself, with his head shaved in a rookie cut unpacking a suitcase. The former Captain raised a hoof saluting them.
“Private Armor reporting for training.”
A lot of thoughts went through his head, one is surprised about seeing the former captain of the guard here, two he was saluting them, and three he was a private. The lowest rank. Lower than them. If he understood their transfer papers, they were unofficial Lieutenants now until their training was done. They couldn’t really order any pony around while in training, that and they didn’t have any pony to order around until now. Actually, he should get that clarified, could they order ponies around? Either way, they still get saluted as if they were of higher rank at least.
“Um… at ease Captain, I mean Private. Oh, sweet Luna, this is weird. Just put your damn hoof down. What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been enrolled in the commandos by Princess Celestia. I’ll be undergoing training alongside you and I’ll be living here too.”
“What about Princess Cadence? You wife? Isn’t going to be hard on her if you're living here?”
Shining bows his head, “I’d appreciate if you don’t ask about that, just know things between my wife and I are fine, and none of your business, ma’am.”
Sweets blushed, looking a gasped. “Right, your right. My bad. I’m a bit scattered brained sometimes so… um… your living here! Um… welcome and stuff…Goody help me out here!”
He brushes past Sweets, patting her on the head with his wing as he holds out his hoof to Shining. “It’s good to meet you Private Armor. I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced, I’m Goodnight formerly of the night guard. This blushing bride of a bat behind me is Sweet Dreams. We’re from the southern Everfree Thestral tribe, near the wastelands.”
“I’ve seen you two around from time to time. Sorry for not being very forward, but our shifts were on opposite ends of the clock. We don’t get a lot of thestrals. Especially stationed in Canterlot.”
Goody clenched his teeth smiling as hard as he could. “Yeah, the captain before Spitfire played a role in that. Still, I’m hoping more of my brethren will join up with Luna back. But if you’ll excuse us, we have some training material to look over and a quick rest would do us some good, and I’m sure you want to get settled. So, we’ll get out of your hair, but if your free after training and not wiped out, we could go get some drinks or something?”
Shining shook his hoof, the unicorn looking… well, he didn’t know how to describe how Shining was looking, but hopeful? Happy? Goodnight couldn’t place it, but it didn’t seem bad at least.
“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. If you don’t mind I invite Cadence along, if you're comfortable with that. Neither one of us has a wide group of friends. Casual friends I mean.”
“We don’t mind. We’ll see around Cap… Shining.” Closing the door behind them Goodnight and Sweet Dreams leave the captain to his own devices. Shining looks at the door, rubbing his buzzed cut blue mane, it was being a raw recruit all over again.
“Maybe things will be better this time.” He mutters pulling out a picture of him and Cadence and sets is on the nightstand.
“Sorry I’m late,” Sixes lands on a grassy hill overlooking the training fields, The Nightmare moored to the north alongside the cliff. The faint noise of repairs barely audible when the wind blew. It wasn’t the most romantic view in the world, but it was nice. The land sprawling view to the east was fairly breathtaking with the tops of the Everfree just in view. Maybe he should have found a spot with more flowers. “I hope you don’t mind just beer, I’m not much for choosing wines.”
He unbuckles his saddlebag, pulling a six back of Hard Apple cider out and setting on the blanket the mare waiting for him was sprawled across. Giggling Luna levitates a bottle of cider, popping the top and throwing it back with little regard of how it may look. She let out a satisfied “AHHH” patting the spot next to her for him to sit.
“I’m not really much of wine drinker, it’s more for appearances at parties. I’m sure the noble class would be a gasped to see one of their princesses throw back a pint of ale. Though back in the day that was how everypony drank. I’ll never understand how we went from chucking literal pints of beer to dainty sipping from a twenty-four-ounce glass. It’s frankly a rather silly culture change.”
He takes a sip from his own bottle. “It’s just the same old story of ponies trying to outdo each other or show their better or something like that. I’ll never understand nobles.”
“Neither shall I and I’m technically nobler, I’m royalty, a super noble after all.” Luna laughs wondering why did nobles always have to act like they were so high class. What was wrong with enjoying simple things? “Oh, do you remember restaurant row?”
“Yeah, one of the cooks… um… Hot Chocolate? Overheat hooked up with her once. After the first disbanding she went there to run a restaurant or something. Some of the others went and tried it. It was pretty good.”
Luna moans. “Oh, what I wouldn’t give to eat Hot Chocolate’s cooking again. At one of the last meetings, we ordered takeout from one of the restaurants there. I’m not sure why the royal cooks were available. Oh no, I remember, Cadence wanted us to try this thing one of the guest cooks for the wedding made, so we ordered that. I was kind of disappointed by the food that came. It was three pieces of squares or something. Cadence was embarrassed and even asked the delivery pony if it was the right restaurant or if the chief had changed locations. He said no, and just replied that there had been a shakeup and this was the menu now.”
“A shakeup?”
“Don’t ask me what happened, I lean on letting the business ponies handle their business the way they like. Though I wonder how long they will last with such subpar food. It barely had any flavor to it.” Luna tips back her beer, Sixes looking glum in her peripheral vision. “What’s wrong?”
Sixes waves his claw. “Nothing. I just made a reservation at a restaurant tonight it’s supposed to be really good, it has some three something rating, but now I’m worried you won’t like it if it’s the same place.”
Luna rolls over nuzzling Sixes' neck. “My, my, look at you trying to be romantic. Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll be fine, if not, we’ll just grab some food from the royal kitchen, another six pack and come back out here and look at the stars. Really, I’d be content staying here, but since you went through the trouble.”
“No, if you’re happier here, then I’m happy.” Sixes scratches his head leaning into Luna’s neck and nuzzling her back. “Romance isn’t in my skill set. A reservation… well, its… well feels like I’m trying too hard. I know what you like or I should know and um…”
Smooch! Luna’s lips brush against his, silencing his babbling.
“You are trying too hard, just lean back and relax. You already have my heart, Sixes.”
He laughs lightly bobbing her nose. “Now who’s trying too hard?”
She huffs, sitting up and floating another beer over. “Well, even I like to be cute and romantic sometimes too.” “I found that out when we found the cheesy romance novels under your bed.”
Luna’s cheeks turned red as fire. “Those were Celestia’s! I was only borrowing them! She was always swooning over the characters, but they were all so one note and… and… I’m just digging a hole here aren’t I?”
He pops the top of another bottle with his claw, snickering as Luna hid her face behind her hair. “Only a little one. I notice there was a lot of wear on a certain book what was it titled again? It was pretty racy”
“Oh, you just never mind that!” Luna slapped his chest lightly. “That is if you don’t want me to do what that mare did.” Sixes blinks blankly. “You didn’t read it did you?”
“Why would I? It was a romance novel.” He replies eyeing her curiously. “So… what did the mare do?”
“She… well… it’s a certain… never mind forget it!” Luna screams with a hearty blush as she drowns the last of her bottle and quickly pulls her third. She sways a bit as she drowns half the bottle instantly. “Ugh, I’m starting to feel it… waz… timz is it?”
Sixes looked at the sky. “Probably two o’clock?” That reminds him. “Didn’t you have a meeting to go to at one?” This was supposed to be a quick lunch together, how did it turn into two hours?
Luna just waves her hoof, slumping against him like a young puppy that didn’t know how to walk right. “It’s ok. Celestia said she’d handle it. Cadence is there too. Besides it’s not like we were discussing anything that needed my attention today.” She nuzzles against his stomach mumbling. “You’re so warm.”
“Well, your half buzzed anyway.” Sixes laughs adjusting Luna in a more proper sleeping position before laying down beside her, draping his wing over her body. She was already fast asleep. She didn’t have the alcohol tolerance she had in the past. A yawn escapes from his mouth. He didn’t either it seems. Two beers and he was already feeling sleepy. His eyes closed as a gentle wind breezes by the soft rustling of leaves the last thing he heard before slumbering off.
“HAAG! I hate all this paperwork!” Fleetfoot, newly appointed captain of the Wonderbolts screams as she throws a stack of papers into the air. She snorts angrily, leaning over Spitfire’s old desk growling at the official-looking pony with yet another stack of papers for her to read and sign. She’s been at this tedious work for eight hours! Enough was enough! “No!”
“Ma’am…”
“No! Put the stupid things over there! I’ll get to them tomorrow!”
“There will be more tomorrow.” The pony replied. She answered back by slamming the whiskey bottle she found in Spitfire’s desk. The pony sighed and bowed. “Very well.”
The fresh stack of papers set aside the pony left and Fleetfoot kicked back with a long swig. She hated this. She missed out on the invasion because she got sick, then the mock battled happened, and now the whole Equestrian military gets flipped upside down! Next thing she knows Spitfire’s promoted and she’s filling the Captain’s chair. A position she didn’t want or ever even thought about wanting. She was happy with being the number two. Yeah, she had some responsibilities, what officer didn’t? But she could handle them with little effort and time with enough time to clock out and go drinking and looking for a stallion, maybe a mare, but long-term she wanted a stallion. Like the one, she ran into at one of their shows. What town was it again? It was a big red earth pony. It didn’t matter, a stallion like that wouldn’t be on the market long.
Flopping back Fleetfoot began to slowly spin in the chair nursing the bottle of whiskey. This wasn’t her. This wasn’t what she wanted. A list of names when through her head of who could take the job from her. Soarin was probably the closest bet, but he like her, didn’t want the job. Then there was the problem of too many Wonderbolts were either too young and fresh or on the brink of retirement. There wasn’t a wide selection of viable candidates to choose from. On top of all that, no pony wants to deal with all the change that was coming down the pipelines and Spitfire wouldn’t accept her resignation until things settled down. So, one to two years at best. Not that she wants to retire that early or could without being injured or court marshaled.
“Why’d I sign a ten-year service contract?”
“Because you were a hot-headed eighteen-year-old, running from her family’s arranged marriage meddling that wanted to be a Wonderbolt no matter what.” The door slams closed. She hadn’t even heard it open in her inner ravings. Fleetfoot swivels around smiling with joy as Spitfire stood before her. The former captain, now colonel clicks her tongue looking around the office. “Barely two weeks and you’re already pulling out the whiskey. I thought you’d at least last the month.” Wordlessly Fleetfoot passes the bottle to Spitfire who takes a swig and lays her colonel’s badge on the desk. She does the same with new captain’s badge and takes the bottle back.
“There are some glasses in the left top drawer,” Spitfire says. Two glasses were set on the table and half filled. The two fliers make a toast and drink. Spitfire holds her glass in her wing, staring the reflection. “I know you didn’t want this. But there’s no pony else.”
Fleetfoot doesn’t say anything, taking another long slip and staring at the badge on the desk. “That mission in Germane was the worst I’ve never been on, the team captured or killed, cold, injured with the enemy on my tail. I thought for sure even I made it back I was going to have some permeant injury, like frostbite or something, maybe lose a wing or something. Didn’t happen amazingly. I was fine.”
“You were sick. I should have kicked you off the team during the wedding and made you recover properly.” Spitfire said hotly, though it was towards herself.
“Yeah, I should have listened. Maybe I wouldn’t have been dead weight and needed to be left in a closet.” A low point in her life for sure. First, she makes home after a tough mission looking ragged, but badass and next thing she’s being pulled out blanket cocoon after the invasion was over and done with. “I shouldn’t be here. There’s gotta be a better pony for the job. What about Daring?”
Spitfire laughs, spitting out her drink. “Daring? Are you nuts? As if she’d take the job! Even if the Princess agreed, Daring would probably never come back from where ever the hell she is.”
She nods, knowing the idea had been stupid. “I must be disappointing you.”
Spitfire sets down the glass, looking Fleetfoot in the eyes. “It’s too early to have done that. The job is overwhelming and you never wanted it. I know that you told me that how many times. Alongside your life plan, have an amazing flying career and get married when you had your fun. I get it. This isn’t what you wanted, but Equestria needs you to step up, the Princesses’ need you, I need you to. Just for a little while, three to five years tops.”
“Three or five years?” She laughs. “That’s not asking for nothing, Spitfire. But… agh… I’ll try my best.”
“Things will settle down. Once they do you might find you even like the job.” Spitfire took up her glass again, toasting with Fleetfoot again. They sat in silence for several minutes, simply enjoying each other’s company.
“So, what’s it like being a colonel? Sitting down with the princesses and generals and whatnot?”
“It’s really nothing different from when I was a captain, it’s just on a grander scale. I don’t just deal with the Canterlot forces anymore, but all of them. We’ve had about three meets these past few weeks on equipment upgrades and several others about various other things that I can’t tell you about yet. It’s weird having Scarlet and Cobalt back. I feel like a new recruit again.”
“I know right?” Fleetfoot agreed nodding. “It’s so weird! Those two have not aged at like all! Scarlet is like a G…” “Please just stop,” Spitfire quickly interjected.
Fleetfoot blinked. “Grandma. I was going to say Scarlet is a grandma, right? What did you think I was going to say?” Spitfire sips her drink, “Nothing, just forget it.”
The awkward silence builds.
“Let’s go out and get wasted!”
“You're already wasted, Fleet. Besides I have things to do.” Fleetfoot proceeded to pout sprawling herself across the desk. Spitfire rolls her eyes. “No. Don’t give that pouty look. No... no… fuck! Fine, but only if we get something to eat.” “The Rusty horseshoe?” Fleetfoot said expectedly.
Spitfire’s stomach rumbles. “I guess, a hayburger cheeseballs and onion rings don’t sound bad I guess. Come on, let’s go.” Fleetfoot happily trots off her desk landing beside Spitfire, who was looking out the big window behind the desk. The only thing out there was darkening skies and recruits training. Then she remembered.
“You come here looking for Fury, didn’t you?” The red rinin was aiding the retraining of the Pegasus officers off and on. “The love bug starting to set in already?” She teased, Spitfire looking only mildly embarrassed as she pulls her cap down over her face.
“Well, I took the gene test thing and just waiting on the results.”
Fleetfoot blinked, “He was serious about that? I thought a thousand years would be enough time that stuff like that didn’t matter.”
“Some believe that but who knows. Frankly, it would be weird.” Spitfire replied as they enter the hall.
“So, what are you hoping for? What if you are related?”
“Then nothing,” Spitfire replies curtly. “Just shut up about for now.”
“Whatever you say, boss.”
Restaurant Row. Well known as Canterlot’s premier culinary center for the best and diverse foods. Or it once had been. Luna under the guise of Emerald Moon sat across from Sixes in his officer uniform without his medals, his wild orange hair slicked back, his claws morphed into hooves for the first time she’s seen since his awakening. He was going all out to look normal. Or as normal as he can be.
Really it was silly for them to hide, but neither really wanted to deal with the gossip ponies that roam the streets looking for the slightest whiff of a news story. If any pony were to find them out it would probably cause the buzz they were avoiding. They should have just stayed on the hill, but Sixes had gone through the trouble to take her out for supper. And after sleeping the afternoon away, both of them were ravenous and their small picnic lunch of beer had done little to quell their hunger.
That being said their meals didn’t either.
“Dammit,” Sixes growls staring at the three pieces of triangles on a square plate seated before them. The meal was just as she had described earlier, only as a triangle. It was small portioned, bland, and overpriced. “I’m going to go talk to the damn chief. Want the Moon’s name is this crap? I’d rather eat grass!”
His teeth were showing. She reached across the table to calm him. “It’s ok. Let’s just go somewhere else. I’d rather not cause the owner harm if they find out who I really am. If ponies found out a princess walked out on her meal they’d lose business.”
Sixes' sighs visibly taking a deep breath and exhaled through his noise small fumes of smoke rising from his nostrils. He looks at her and then the restaurant and then back to her. They were the only ones here.
“Check please,” He calls, the waiter promptly arriving. Looking about as excited as they did as Sixes places seven bits on the table. “Keep the change.”
“Thank you for your patronage.” The waiter said dully.
Wing in wing the couple exit the restaurant and into the bustling street blending into the crowds of ponies. Their stomachs rumbled. Dissatisfied with their meager meal. They search for another eating establishment, but they all looked the same, from what they saw through the windows the food was the same too. Every restaurant all with the three hooves stamped on their signs.
“I’m starting to think these hooves are a bad omen.” Sixes grumbles.
“Indeed, I know the restaurant over there helped cater Cadence’s wedding and the food was delicious! What happened?” Luna sighs and moves closer to Sixes so they were flank to flank. “Still I am enjoying myself. It may not be romantic, but we could go get some hayburgers from one of the fast food places on the other side of the city, go to the royal kitchens, or even the Rusty Horseshoe.”
Sixes laughs nuzzling her muzzle with his. “I think we're a bit overdressed for the Rusty Horseshoe.”
“You know of it?”
“Yeah Fury told me… Fury?” Sixes came to a sudden stop, as did she following her mate’s eyes to see the familiar red hue that was Fierce Fury standing in an alleyway. There was also quite the aroma coming from that direction too. “Hey, Fury! Over here!”
Fury turns towards them, looking surprised as they approached. “Princess, Sixes, what are you doing here?”
“We’re on a date.” She replied with a bit of giddiness in her stomach. It was so nice to say aloud. She really wasn’t for keeping things quiet, she liked thing out in the open. Most of the time. “What are you doing?”
“Well… I was running an errand when I got hungry and I found this place here. Smells really good. Like Hot Chocolate’s cooking. Better than any other place on this damn street.
The couple looks down the alley spying an exotic looking establishment. “That does look rather inviting… no, it is inviting! I decree we eat there! Care to join us Fury?” Luna asks the red rinin.
“I don’t think I should, you two are on a date. I’ll just be a third wheel.” Fury glances toward Sixes who cocks his head in response before grabbing the red rinin by the shoulder.
“Come with us, brother. Who knows maybe we’ll have a cute waitress for you.” Sixes glances at Fury’s saddlebags, noticing a stack of files peeking out of the flap. “Unless you have some work to attend to.”
Fury reaches back touching the pouch with the papers. “No.” He says hesitantly. “Just some personal things to sort out.” “Then let us go find a table,” Luna says approaching the restaurant door.
The three of them enter, standing awkwardly in the entryway as they found the place barren of any other ponies. A young tannish brown mare with a purplish black mane exits the from the kitchen looking surprised by their presence. She quickly swipes away her frustration and smiles at them.
“Hello! Welcome to the Tasty Treat! I’m Saffron Masala table for three tonight? Please come this way. Come this way. Our special tonight is carrot curry, with spicy rice, Dijon grass sandwich, and vegetable Biryani. Oh, look at me getting ahead of myself. What can I get you to drink?”
The three look amongst themselves. Luna speaking up first. “What do you have to drink? Punch or liquor?”
Saffron looked nervous, “We are new. We still applying for liquor licenses, sorry for the inconvenience. But we have many punches available, strawberry, blueberry, and pineapple.”
“I’ll have Blueberry, how about you Sixes?”
“I’ll have the same.”
“Pineapple for me,” Fury answers.
“Great, I’ll be right back, here’s menu.”
Luna cracks open the menu, practically drooling. “Oh, this all looks and sounds so good! I almost want to try everything!” Sixes leans over pressing against her, but she didn’t mind.
“Hmm, looks like they don’t have a full menu yet, so I guess we could order it all. I’m sure three of us can eat all, if not we’ll get some to go and give some to the first pony we see back on the ship.”
Luna smiles. “Oh, so we’re going back to the Nightmare tonight?
“The quarters are soundproof.”
Fury just shakes his head at their banter as Saffron comes back and passes out their drinks. When they tell her they want the whole menu she drops her pen as well as her jaw to the floor. Excitedly she tells them to wait while she gets the first course ready to go.
They make small talk as they wait. Within ten minutes, Saffron appears again levitating several bowls and plates and setting them down before them. Everything looked great! And smelt even better! The lovely unicorn mare invited them to dig in and they did just that. Each one grabbing a dish.
“Ohhh… now, this is flavor!” Luna moans. “Peppers, garlic salt, oh this favored so nicely!”
“Soups not bad either,” Sixes slurps down the thick broth munching up the diced tomatoes, peppers, and noodles. “Gotta kick to it. Could use a bit more spice, but it’s better the tasteless crap from before.”
Saffron perked up! “You like it! And you don’t think it’s too spicy?”
“I thought it was salty myself,” Fury replies. “Could use some crushed red pepper or habanero. When you breathe fire not much is spicy.”
Saffron blinks, probably noticing for the first time tonight just how different the two Rinin were. She only made a slightly noticeable look of fear before calming down. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you weren’t ponies, but other creatures. How rude of me.”
“Don’t worry about,” The rinin replied. “We’re used to it.”
“Well, you are welcome back anytime my friends. I have to go check on the food again. Please be patient.”
Course after course was brought until they tried everything on the menu and their bellies were filled. They stayed chatting with Saffron till closing time, no other pony entering. They paid for the food, leaving a big tip for the wonderful service before leaving. Flying together the three land on the Nightmare’s flight deck. The horrible noise of power tools rumbling from deep below the ship.
“The crew is still working?” Sixes shouts over the noise. That kind of putter a hamper on his late-night plans. He wasn’t sure the soundproofing was meant to keep out this kind of noise.
Fury shouts back, “They’re going through the engines! There was some corrosion even with the preservation spell, so they got to go through everything now!”
They walk into the depths of the ship. The noise even louder. Several ponies rushed past them, racing to their rooms to escape the horrible noise. They quickly followed suit. Fury only taking a brief glance back as Sixes and Luna enter Sixes' room together. Here he thought they’d go to Luna’s room the bed was bigger.
Entering his room Fury shuts the door, the repair noise becoming mere dull pounding. That was one downside to a metal ship. The noise vibrates through the whole damn thing. Course it wasn’t just the engines they were looking through, but all the other stuff, from the tanks to the helicopter. The repair crew was working in tight shifts to get everything checked out. The biggest thing was they get the engines down quick. Even if one engine was down the Nightmare down 25% it’s usual speed and power. The massive gem engines power everything on the ship.
Deciding to check how the repairs were going later. Fury drops his saddlebags to the floor and pulls the files out and lays them on his desk. On the folder read the words “Genealogy report”. He had been half joking when he told Spitfire and Fleetfoot he’d need a genealogy report before starting any relationships. He was surprised by the boldness of the yellow captain now a colonel. Frankly telling him she wanted stuff like this out of the way so she didn’t waste her time. He could appreciate her boldness in that regard.
Really it was him who was nervous. Not the fact he could have any relations. He knew he didn’t have any foals before being turned to stone. As far as he knew Nightingale was the only possible candidate if he did. Which left to a few uncomfortable questions.
Number one Nightingale moved on, married and had a family after he froze himself. He could accept that. He couldn’t blame her for that. In fact, he would be happy to know that she moved on. The second question was much more disturbing. If in fact he had gotten Nightingale pregnant and froze himself… well... he didn’t like to think about it. But he had to in this case. Either she didn’t know at the time or worse and maybe most hurtful had known and kept it secret from him.
“I’m reading too much into this. Spitfire may act like Nightingale and look a little like her but I could be projecting too. There’s nothing to fret over, things will be what they’ll be. Don’t think about the kid I could or could not have or the fact Nightingale either hid the fact of it or not. Just open the page and look at the facts.”
His claw touches the lip of the folder. He eyes close as he opens the file taking a few seconds to breathe before opening his eyes.
Meanwhile, in the frozen north, a certain adventurer was digging in the snow. The cold winds blew hard against her body. She pulls the strings on her parka tighter, her hooves wet and half froze. She’s been digging for hours. The top of her hole was now at least three times her height. She’d have to fly out. That is if her wings weren’t frozen.
“The damn thing should be around here somewhere.” Daring cursed scraping another layer of ice away. She could feel the amulet’s power. It was a sixth sense she’s developed over the years hunting for the dammed things. She couldn’t quite describe it. It was a like a pulsing sensation ran down her spine, it was more intense when she carried more amulet’s. Only certain ones though. She was unsure why. But the purple and black amulet were pulsing like crazy in her saddlebags. The magic radiating off them was starting to warm her body. As if the gems were eager for her to find their companion. Old magic items tend to have a mind of their own. “Found you!”
Daring cleared away the last layer of snow, a bright red glow breaking through the ice and snow. The red amulet lay beneath a clear sheet of ice, embedded in some sort of metal. Rather than foolishly break the ice, she dug around it some more, revealing more of the metal the gem was fused to. It was a suit of armor. The bones of its wearer still resting inside. A long-curved horn stuck out the top of the helm and broken wing bones lay at the armor’s side. There were even slots for the wings like with pegasus armor.
“Was this an Alicorn? I guess I’m looking for Alicorn amulets, makes sense they’d be attached to alicorn bones, except this is the first body I’ve found out of four.”
The time was neigh. The heat of the gems subsided with her discovery. She shivers as the cold sets in. She should return to camp, but she was so close! Pickaxe in wrapped in her wing she swings down, cracking the ice!
“Come to mama, red.” She cooed going for the gem. As her hoof touched the red crystal something strange happened. The gems in her saddlebag began to pulse again, power flowed through her body and into the gem! “The fuck!” She pulls her hoof back, but the lines of purple and black magic continue to flow into the red gem!
Raaagghhhh!
Along growling, scream broke the silence of the icy wastes as the bones of the fallen skeleton began to move, from under the dead pony’s helm a single red eye glowed in the shadows of its hollow socket.
“Gods dammit! What in Tartarus’s name is it with me and the undead lately!” Daring spread her wings and flew out of the hole, black inky shadows climb out of the hole staining the pure white snow black. She flew hard into the blizzard. Heading towards the outpost were Celestia was supposed to have some troops stationed. Hopefully, they had some means to contact the princess right away!
Behind her a horrible whinny comes, the shadows spread across the ground. A column of blackness rises with tints of red appearing as some sort of face appears in the black cloud. The face screams unintelligently charging towards her!
“Shit, shit, shit!” Daring curses as the shadow chases after her! Black silhouettes of pony shaped creatures emerge from the blackness, hundreds, no hundreds of thousands of them! There was an entire army!
“CRYSTALS! GIVE ME THE CRYSTALS!” The floating head demanded.
Fuck. Was all Daring could think to describe the situation. What did she write in her report? I found the gem, but I also released a giant undead army in the frozen north… wait. Frozen north, an army of darkness, crystals.
The Crystal Empire!
She did some quick mapping in her head, remembering some of the old Equestrian maps her mother used to show her. Yeah, she was smack dab in the middle of what was once the Crystal Empire! It just disappeared one day, erased from time and history. She couldn’t remember the cause though.
“Crystals!”
“I’m guessing you had a hoof in it?” Daring screams back at the black cloud pony. Where was the damn outpost? A flicker of light appears through the blizzard! There! She veers down, catching speed, but also freezing her ass off as the north winds blew. She comes in hot skidding across the snow-covered soil to a stop. Right in front of three confused EUP ponies. She stares back, her wings weighed down with ice, the frozen stinging pain making her painfully aware of how screwed she was right now. “Where’s your outpost!”
“Your standing on it ma’am.” The unicorn of the group said. “Is there something we can do for you, ma’am?”
Daring stares down at disbelief, she could see the chimney of what as probably the outpost’s cabin. “Please tell me you can one shot teleport a message to Canterlot.”
“No, ma’am. Closest I can get is outpost at the train station.”
“Um… Sir!” The earth pony of the group shouts, pointing his hoof north. “What’s that!”
“Shit fuck! Everypony run!” Daring orders leading the small squadron. “Are there any other ponies stationed here?” The unicorn shakes his head. “Fuck, ok. Is there a pony at the station? Can they send a letter via magic?”
“To the next outpost, yes, but what’s going on?”
“Above your pay grade. Get some paper and start writing, send a message for Celestia saying, Lieutenant Daring of the Wonderbolts needs assistance.” She looks behind at the encroaching blackness. “Make that a lot of assistance. Tell her to send help ASAP!”
“Alright!” The unicorn said frantically, pulling the required material from his saddlebag. He had just put ink to paper when a spear made of crystals ran him threw! They continued to run looking with horror as the impaled pony remained stationary as the army of blackness surrounded him. Daring saw the hissing equine shapes of shadow ponies emerge, their glinting carnivore teeth clear to see. The unicorn screams as they bite into his flesh!
“Sargent!” The earth pony screams. Only to get cut short as a black figure pops out of the snow beneath him, a crooked horn running him through the stomach. The earth pony screams in agony as more of the shadow being surround him. “PLEASE DON’T LEAVE ME!”
“We have to help him!” The pegasus screams. She quickly smacks him with her frozen wing before he could do the stupid thing and die.
“He’s already lost!” She grimly chides. The earth ponies scream already gone. The blizzard gave way to the darkness, giving her a clear view of their surroundings. Centuries of ice and snow was cleared away, revealing the hidden city beneath, a dark crystal tower standing boldly in what was once a wasteland. Daring looks to the pegasus. “Can you still fly?”
The pegasus nods, revealing he’s wearing wing muffs. Special mittens for pegasus flying on subzero conditions. They did make it harder to fly through.
“Fly ahead of me, get to Canterlot, and tell the Princess the Crystal Empire has returned. She’ll know what it means!”
“What about you! Those things are still after us and you can’t fly! Let me carry you!”
“Carry me and were both dead! Don’t worry, I have a guardian angel! I can’t die even if wanted to!” She laughs as he looks at her like she was insane. Which she might be. She was really testing her mysterious protector. “Go, I’ll be fine, seriously! You know who I am.”
The pegasus nods. “May the sun protect you, ma’am! I’ll be back!” He kicks off, soaring into the sky and away from the frozen hell.
She runs and runs across the frozen wastes. She didn’t know where anymore. The train station wouldn’t do her any good, there were no trains out here. Her lung burns from the cold, her head dizzy as she slows to a crawl. The black wave still on her tail.
“Might as use this once.” Pulling the rosary, she got from Nippon, the blue necklace floats around her hoof, a tingle of magic running up her leg. Pulling back her leg she whips head, the rosary coming undone taking the shape of a whip! The tip hits the snowy ground, creating a massive wall of ice! The black army slams into it, their high-pitched screams music to her ears. Whatever these things were, they could feel pain, so that means they probably weren’t undead. “Awesome, now what though.”
Daring falls on her rump, that one attack draining the last of her strength She laughs pitifully. She had been half joking when she told the pegasus about her guardian angel, but as the ice wall was shattered and the giant floating head that started this all drew towards her. She really hoped her angel was still keen on saving her. She didn’t feel like dying yet.
“Anytime you're ready.”
The black head drew closer, it smirked mockingly at her, it’s smirk really pissed her off. The gems in her saddlebag pulse seem they were happy to be caught by the head.
“Crystals… hehe…WOAH!” The head rears back, hissing as ice spikes Daring looks up confused. She hadn’t used the rosary, wait, where was it? It was gone! She looks around frantically a shimmer catching her attention. It stood in front of her, a cloaked figure, but the not usual one she was expecting.
Instead of the tawny black mare from last time, this one wore a white cloak with blue lining. A tail swooshed underneath the cloak. She stood and walked beside her savior. The wind kicked up blowing her cloak up and revealing white blue scales and coat, silver hair, and blue eyes. The pony that saved her was a dragon pony! One she knew too. Nippon’s lost daughter, Princess Sake!
“What in the frozen hell are you doing here?” Really that was a valid question. Nippon was offering a king’s ransom for any pony or creature around the world for info on their lost daughter and she just happens to show up here? Right in front of her? Daring notices, the rosary clasped in Sake’s claw. “That’s mine.”
“No, it’s not,” Sake says flatly. “You don’t know how to use it anyway. Let me show you.” The rosary began to spin around her claw. The Nippon Princess held up her claw, a blue sphere forming at the tip of claws. “KORI!” The sphere explodes creating a wave of ice. The black floating head goes into full retreat, the ice was different from before, it was glowing, shining even. When it touched the shadow ponies they sizzled and exploded! The floating head looked warily at them before making a full retreat into the frozen wastes.
“Woah, what did you do?” Daring asked, but Sake was nowhere to be found. She looked in every direction, no tracks, no gust of wing from lifting off. The Nippon Princess was just gone! “So much for getting the reward of the century. Better go find shelter.”
“I did as you asked.” Sake knelt before a figure standing on a frozen ledge. Her master, though she refused to let her call her that. She looks up at floating black hair of the alicorn she devotes her life to. “Lady Dusk, what is my next mission?”
Dusk opens her eyes, staring at the setting sun sinking over the frozen wastes. Soon the pure what snow would be turned red with the coming battle. No. The war that was to resume after a thousand years. A bloody war that would take the lives of thousands if not millions if she did not turn the tides.
“Fly home, Sake, it’s time for her to wake up.”
Sake’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “At once my lady!”
Dusk watches the young rinin fly away, her eyes bright silver as she looks at what was to come. “I hope it will be enough.” She fades away like dust in the wind, not even leaving a hoof print in the snow.
His name was Private Easy Breeze. A low level, none descript grunt. He dyed his coat white just like most of the ponies in the guard. He didn’t stick his head out, and he didn’t complain even when he was sent to the frozen shit hole that was the frozen north. He thought he’d just run out his deployment in the frozen wastes and then maybe sign up for a warmer climate next time. He didn’t need glamorous work or need to become a legendary hero. He just needed a steady paycheck for his family. It was hard living away from his daughters for three months at a time, only coming home for a short three days once a month, but his wife understood. Times were hard for them and this is what they needed to do. He never thought anything exciting would happen out in the frozen wastes.
Then the rogue wonder showed up and in mere seconds. His squadron mates that he’s known for years were killed in the most horrible ways possible. He was fleeing for his life with a message of the utmost importance for the Princesses. The fate of the nation may ride on him. And he hated it.
He falls ungracefully onto the grassy plains, the mountains to the north behind him at least, the sun’s soft kiss warming his body. He unbuckles his heavy coat, now hot and sweaty from his desperate flight and drastic change in climate. He trots forward, his prance swaying widely, there was a pain in his right side. His vision suddenly became blurry and he falls over wheezing hard, his lungs burning. He felt the heat of his own blood spill from his side. Craning his head, he sees the red trail trace back to his coat, a black spike sticking through the heavy fabric.
His adrenaline had been so high he hadn’t even felt it. His coat sealing the wound as he flew. Now it was out and his racing blood was flowing out of him fast. He presses on the wound with his hoof, while reaching for his saddlebags and pulls out a flare. Pulling the string with his teeth the flare shoots up into the air, a bright red light in the blue sky. His head hits the soft grass, he was so tired, and the grass was so comfortable right now. Maybe he’ll just sleep for a little bit. The outpost isn’t far away, somepony will find him.
Two hours later
“Is this where the flare come from?” Sergeant Pinstripe of outpost N1930 asked his subordinates as they comb the area. An emergency flare had been spotted about an hour ago and they quickly mobilized, first sending out the pegasi to investigate. Another flare shot up and he quickly gallops towards the source. He finds his pegasus team encircled around a fallen figure. The red-stained white coat told him all he needed to know. One of their own was taken out. “Does he have his ID with him?”
One of the other pegasus over by a discarded coat and pack flags him over. The pony’s military ID held between his feathers. He takes with his magic and reads it. “P1458039, Easily Breeze, he’s from the northern outpost 1931 if I remember right. Question is what’s he doing here?”
Pinstripe looks down at the bloody winter coat, a black crystal arrow of sorts protruding from the coat. Needless to say, the poor pegasus had been attacked and injured, but by what? He pockets the ID walking back over to Easily Breeze. There was no movement, no indication of life as far as he could tell. But he wasn’t a Doctor.
“Sky Dock, what’s his condition?” A green pegasus with a red cross on his armor pokes and prods the body with his wing. Peeling open Easily Breeze’s eye to reveal their glossy color.
“He’s gone, probably died only thirty minutes ago, maybe an hour. Possibly in his sleep, so at least he went peacefully. His body is already stiff, so he most likely was in a very high adrenaline state allowing rigger mortise to settle in quickly. He might have made if he hadn’t removed the arrow.”
Pinstripes licks his lip. “He might not have realized he was hurt. He must have been running scared. Pinner might be dead too.”
“Pinner, Sir?”
“The unicorn at the frozen outpost. They didn’t send a letter, so it’s safe to assume they couldn’t and he was flying here to tell us something has happened. Something bad obviously.” He magics over the arrow. Really it wasn’t an arrow so much as a spike of crystal. What creature used such a weapon? “We’ll compile a report and send it to Canterlot. In the meantime, we’ll have an expedition team go and check things out. Also, close the track, not many ponies come this way, but we don’t need some civilians wondering into danger.”
“Roger!” The gathered ponies salute and quickly began working on their tasks, while the medic team gathered Easily Breeze’s body and things.
“Make sure to mark this location. Just in case the big wigs at Canterlot want to look at it. Make sure to keep communications open! If this another invasion we need to be alert!”
Pinstripe looks at the daunting cliffs wondering was lurks beyond them.
Three days since The Crystal Empire’s return
Celestia was irked, but unfortunately, she was in a place where she couldn’t show she was irked. It would not do for her to be irked in front of her new general and colonels as they were led through Fancy Pant’s new military factories. Platinum De Belle led their little tour group, chatting excitedly with Fancy as they walk through what they dubbed “The Prototype” Facility. Where they designed all the new weapons and armor before sending the blueprints out to other much more industrialized cities around Equestria.
Now she was not irked about the factory, it’s products or any of that. Frankly, it was all so wonderfully organized and efficient. No, she was irked by the fact that the facility and several others had not been brought to her attention until this morning! The whole works have been in place since after the invasion and this was her first knowing of it!
Truthfully, she was at a crossroad because as Fancy stated when he invited her and the other military brass to come see things, this was his private company, Fancy Arms. As such it was not a government facility and as such, she didn’t need to be told about it. What made it worse is she probably approved the paperwork for it, but failed to really understand what it was in the flood of papers from reconstructing Canterlot. It did not help her irks that Luna stood beside her, chewing popcorn and looking unsurprised, meaning she was well aware of things and didn’t tell her either.
Luna response when asked as to why she didn’t inform her was to simply shrug and say, “You don’t like to deal with the military stuff, so I thought you wouldn’t be bothered.” It was sorry fact that her statement was true.
Still, she wasn’t really mad at Fancy or the others. In fact, she was proud that her ponies did so much without needing her guidance. One of her biggest worries is that ponies depend too much on her, not to name names, (Cough, Twilight, cough) so really it was nice to see her ponies be so independent. On the other hoof, she also felt like a mother whose children didn’t really need them anymore. A rather silly feeling and certainly shouldn’t be enough for her to be irked, but well… she was only a pony too.
“And this is the new model of armor for the GAE unicorn and earth ponies, Solar Mail -Phase 5 Mass production model!” Platinum excitedly presented a full set of armor on display on a rack. The armor looked like it was based on the Night Patrollers Moon Phase -3 Midnight armor. No surprise there, but even she could tell there were noticeable differences. Firstly, the color, it was an orangish brown color, not quite as stealthy as Midnight Blue, but it wasn’t quite as shiny as gold either. Next, while it clearly offered more protection than the old EUP standard, it wasn’t quite as plated as Night Patrols armor either. “As you can see we made several improvements, as well as compromises keeping costs down with the maximum amount of protection for our general troops. We have several heftier variants for specialty troops, such as the Commandos who have added rune protections engraved, but if the wearer so chooses the SM5 can be easily modified with the same runes or whatever the wearer chooses. Next, we have our improved flight armor. Aerial Sky Combat model- Phase three. ASC-3 for short.”
Platinum leads them to the next armor on the rack. A model pony was enclosed in a tight spandex suit, with a slit for the genitals exposed. The model wore a flight helmet, with a chest plate and shoulder plates. As well as segmented plates on the back, belly, and neck for easier maneuverability.
“As you can see here,” Platinum continued. “We stuck with the standard Wonderbolt flight suit with only minor improvements such as sky camouflage and better insulations. Really our pride comes in the lightweight armor added to the suit for maximum protection and flight maneuverability. Capable of taking a direct blast from a standard magic bullet. The ground armor can take up to three hits before the wearer has to really start to worry, so make a note for the fliers that after that first shot, which will hurt by the way. The armor’s structure is compromised. It could take another hit, but its main focus is to keep fliers from being one shot out of the sky.”
Platinum continued to walk moving to a third rack. This armor was almost a complete match to the night patroller armor, with a few slight alterations. “This,” The mare said with pride. “Is the Commando-Phase two armor. Combining the best of the original Commando armor designed by Allure and Master Starwind as well as components from the Phase three Moon Phase armor to make a sleek modern design for our budding special forces units. The armor is equipped with built-in Gem Communicators, magical mapping, a rune powered magical shield, elemental wards and much, much more that is all neatly explained in this manual.” She points to a three-hundred-page book on a pedestal. “Of the three armors we have produced over three thousand Solar Mail models with only a five percent defect rate, fifteen hundred ASC-3 armor sets at a seven percent defect rate, and five sets of commando armor, all are currently in final testing.”
“You’ve produced so many in only what? Two, three weeks? Impressive.” Cobalt states breaking from the pack to inspect the armor closer. Celestia held her tongue wanting to see how the new general conducted things. “What defects have you been finding?”
Platinum shrugs as she points to the problem spots. “The usual whenever you start mass producing stuff like this. Some places send lower quality steel that cracks when we press the plates with the machines. Others are warping from heating, or a piece doesn’t mold properly. I’m just happy we kept it under ten percent. If only the weapons division was doing so well.”
“What problems are you having?” Luna asks running up beside Platinum. “I thought the hoof blasters would be easy to produce.”
“If we were still making the HBM-1 (Hoof Blaster Model-1) yeah it would be easy, but the charge took too long for a lethal shot and their rate of fire was so slow. I was hoping we could jump right into the HBM-16, but that might have been too ambitious. The HBM-16, which you can see here.” Platinum leads them to a glass window where a pony had the hoof blaster mounted to their leg on the other side. The pinkish mare gave a signal and the pony began firing the blaster. “As you see, the HBM-16 fires a smaller more focused gem charged blast with as much power a standard unicorn with a three second recharge time. In this mode, it works well, but we also have it set to fire solid gem bullets for rapid fire.” She made another hoof gesture and the pony on the range began firing gem bullets. The blaster began to glow after only seven shots to which the pony ran and dunked its leg in a waiting bucket of water. “As you can see rapid fire mode overheats very quickly. At least when firing uncontrollably. In short three round bursts, the hoof blaster warms but keeps cool enough to remain in operation. The problem is the blaster operates on a mental trigger and if the wielder is distressed testing has shown they’ll just let loose and overheat the weapons. That being said the HBM-16 works well for both ground troops and fliers. In fact, up in the colder temps in the clouds, the blasters won’t overheat as fast. Let’s move on to something a little heftier in terms of firepower.”
They move over to another firing range, this time a pony stood with a what almost looked like a cannon attached to him via a harness. A chain of gem bullets led from the cannon to a saddle bag on the other side.
“This,” Platinum said with pride. “The heavy flank cannon, HFC, it fires a 750-gran gem bullet via a mental trigger, it fires 450 to 600 rounds a minute. It can be lugged by a single stallion.” On the ground next to the stallion was a mare with her legs flailing in the air. “We’re working on that. The barrel is air-cooled, but there is an emergency cooling system in place to keep from burning the user if they’re not wearing the proper equipment. The HFC weighs roughly ninety pounds, not including the two hundred bullet belt of ammo, a second pony is needed for reloading. But I will let it speak for itself, please observe the wall over there.” She gives the signal to fire.
The pony wielding the HFC nods plants his hooves and fires! The HFC makes a loud BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Each shot hitting the brick wall and blowing chunks off. In little as twenty-five to fifty rounds a hole, the size of a pony’s head was made. The mannequins behind the wall blown to shreds.
“That concludes the small arms part of the tour. We already began produced a number of gem rockets as well, the same model as before, though we did make a ground unit variant. I’m afraid we have yet decided on a design for tanks and helicopters. We’re still setting up the faculties for that and also, we have yet begun constructing any Iron Airships. Though a few of those wooden ones have finally been completed. Anyway, all that can be dealt with later, any questions?”
“Yes, I do,” Cobalt said.
“So, do I!” Spitfire said excitedly.
“I’m interested in the defensive uses of these new weapons,” Bridge said as they all swarm around Platinum in an excited frenzy. The metal legged mare getting swamped as she tries to answers their questions all at once. In the confusion, Celestia, her ears dropped downwards steps away from the group. Looking depressingly at the factory.
The sun Princess looks at the workers as she places her forelegs over a rail overlooking the factory floor. They were so happy, almost gleefully so, how could they be so happy making weapons of war? Weapons meant to kill their fellow ponies, no not just ponies, every creature. It was this same sight that made her bring everything to halt before, but this time there would be no stopping the war machine.
“What are you looking so depressed for?”
Celestia looks to her right, her sister matching her pose of hanging her legs over the guardrail. Luna bore a smile, much like the workers, happy to see the industrial death being rolled out.
“You know why ponies shouldn’t need weapons like this.”
“Did ponies need to know spells that burned ponies alive? Or weaponize thunderclouds into bombs? Or how about sharpening logs into lances to stab each other?”
Celestia closed her eyes. “That’s not what I meant Luna. Why can’t we…”
“Don’t start,” Luna said forcibly. “We’ve had this discussion a hundred times. Can you not accept that some ponies are born to fight? There’s more than one Flash Magnus and Rockhoof. Or let me guess you’ve been suppressing that too these last thousands of years.”
“I just don’t want them to get hurt.”
“You don’t want them to take care of themselves.”
“No, I…!” Celestia’s coat bristled some workers stopped to look up at her before returning to work. She had almost yelled. In public no less. She should know better than to have debates like this in public places. A thousand years of creating her unflinching mask and Luna can still shake her so easily. “Let’s not talk about this now. I’m just… trying to process. I never wanted things like this place.”
“And because of that, we need them, not only that we need to play catch up. Fancy and everypony worked hard to get things where they are in so little time. But Roam wasn’t built in a day and training takes longer than building equipment.” Luna looks squarely at her. “I hope you're not getting cold hooves.”
“No,” Celestia replied promptly, hanging her head. “Just… old habits resurfacing. I am committed to this. I have to be, for the future of Equestria.”
Luna lays her wing over Celestia’s back. “I’ll handle things here if you want to leave.”
“Thank you, but I should stay. Running away won’t help.” A scroll suddenly puffed out of Celestia’s horn. Bearing Time Keeper’s seal. “What now.” She asked aloud unrolling the scroll.
“What does it say?” Luna inquires as she reads.
“Hmm, seems something has come up. A pony from one of the outposts as requested an audience with us. It seems urgent.”
They nod and both of them disappear in a burst of magic, reappearing in the throne room where Time Keeper was awaiting them. “Your Highnesses, I’m glad you’ve come quickly, it’s awful!”
“Slow down Keeper, what’s wrong?” Celestia tries to calm the usually composed pony when the doors open and the scent of blood fills the air. She and Luna turn as a unicorn missing one of its front legs hobble towards them, his bandage still wet with blood. He raises the stub saluting them.
“Sergeant Pinstripe of outpost N1930, reporting in.” The Sergeant wobbled, it wasn’t his only leg, he was covered in wounds! He looks at them with his left eye gouged out. “Two no three days ago, the pegasus of outpost N1931 was found dead at the base of the cliffs to the frozen north. I organized an investigation and we found… we found monsters and a dark fortress amongst the snow. Many, almost all of my unit died. I only made it back because of her help.”
“Her?” Celestia questioned.
“The Rogue wonder herself, Lieutenant Daring. She was in the area when my search team arrived. She warned us to get away, but… well, we didn’t heed her advice soon enough. When I came too, I was patched up and being hauled back by my secondary team. Daring already gone into the frozen wastes again. I was told she was leading the black horde away. They ignored us completely once they caught sight of her. I do not know why though.”
“Could you describe this black horde and this fortress you speak off?” Luna asked the Sergeant. Though they both knew who it was already deep down in their guts, they didn’t want to accept that HE has returned.
Pinstripes explains the horror he saw, Celestia looking very disturbed as the events are recounted to her and Luna. What’s worse is the dark forces of Sombra have been roaming the Northern lands for three or more days already!
“This… this... wasn’t what I saw.” She was feeling faint. How could her vision so wrong? She had been planning on sending Cadence and Twilight with a small band of guards! They would have been slaughtered before even reaching the city! “Luna!” Her sister wasn’t in the room. “Luna!”
She heard what sounded like fireworks and her gut churned. Celestia ran to the nearest balcony, finding Luna shooting up magical bolts that exploded into a simple and familiar code to those who knew it.
From all over Canterlot and beyond a reply of fireballs shooting into the air filled the sky. --break
Canterlot, Southern district Public Park --break
“Uncle Tri! Uncle Tri! Look fireworks!” Little Thrice and Trina squeal with delight, but he looked grimly at the colorful lights, reading their true message.
“Time to get off, you two.” He said depositing the two foals gently on the ground. He nuzzles them as they whine, wanting to play more. “Sorry, I got to go.”
“But why?” Trina cries hugging his leg as their father trots over.
Little Thrice look at him with an impossible amount of wisdom and maturity for his age. “Are you going to fight again?”
Trifecta ruffs the little foal’s mane. “Yeah, I am. I’ll see you two later when I get back.”
“But what if you don’t come back!” Little Thrice screams as Trifecta prepared to take off, freezing at the little foal’s words.
He settles down looking at his descended nephew and niece. “Then I don’t, simple as that.” The two begin to well up with tears. “But I promise I’ll do my best to come back and when I do, I’ll tell you all about it. Ok?”
“Ok.” Little Thrice replies hugging up close to his father.
“Why do you have to go, Uncle Tri?” Trina asks as she snuggles up with her brother. He looks at Thrice the Fourth, their father, trying to come up with some words for the children. Fourth didn’t offer any words merely shrugging to do his best.
“I’m going so your Daddy doesn’t have to and so you two can grow up and not have to go either.” He parts with those words, flying over the city skyline towards the Nightmare. Other Rinin join him in the sky as he made for home. Already the deck was a scrambling mess as all the Patrollers on leave in the city rush to the armory for their equipment. A lightning trail climbing up the side of the airship signals the return of his bunkmates. Shock and Jockey.
Gliding on to the deck Trifecta makes haste for his armor rack, passing fellow sub commander Gloves, the blue rinin hastily pulling on his large golden gauntlet as he makes for the armory.
“Where’s AppleJazz?” He asks wondering where the third sub commander was. Last he knew she was still on vacation in Ponyville.
“She’s with Topaz helping with the castle. Transmissions via gem coms have already been sent with a chopper.”
“Sending a chopper huh, things must be serious.” He said surprised while strapping on his chest plate.
Gloves nodded putting on his helmet. “They’ll probably pick up some of the others there too.”
He puts on his helmet trotting with Gloves to the command deck. Hopefully, the Admiral was around or Fury or Sixes, otherwise, he was in charge and he didn’t want to try organizing this mess.
“Do you know where we’re going?” Trifecta asked Gloves as they entered the command room, it was abuzz with ponies chatting over the gem comms. Several voices yelled over the intercoms all at once.
“North to the frozen wastes. Though I can’t imagine why.”
A grim grin spread across Trifecta’s muzzle. “The Crystal Empire.”
Suddenly the room went quiet as a single gem communicator operator screams into the intercom. “What do you mean we only have one engine!”
--break
Canterlot Train Yard, several hours later
--break
“Please for the love of the gods tell me this is a joke!” Fury barks at the train conductor as a Pink and purple coal train was currently hooked up to a mile of heavy-duty military transport cars. The kind for troop transport and some flatbeds for the tanks, because apparently, some fool thought it was a good idea to disable all the engines at once instead of fixing them one at a time as was planned.
Not that he couldn’t understand the thinking behind it. Things have been slow. So, the engineers probably thought they had plenty of time to do all the engines at once. And since repairing one had only taken the better part of four days they thought they were saving time. Well low and behold, Murphy come at them with full force. Now they only had one gem engine for a ship that needs at least two just to move! Now they had to scramble to get a train ready. Thankfully the tracks ran almost right to the Crystal Empire. However. They were not doing to make there with the tanks with the Pink monstrosity.
“Connect to troop transport cars and start loading infantry off at outpost N1930.” He told the engineer. He barked at some other officer telling them to get their barracks ready for transport. Walking to a quiet place he calls Platinum over the comms. “Platinum, think you can mod a train to pull six tanks, plus artillery and munitions?”
“If your referring to that little pink engine, I already took a look and I’m working on something, but it still won’t be enough. Good news though, Master left us a gift, it’s going to take a few days to get ready, but it’ll beat waiting for the ship.”
“Alright, glad you’re on top of things. I’ll keep organizing things here. Hopefully, the top brass has a more solid plan.”
Ponyville, One week since The Crystal Empire’s return
“Yes, Twilight, very good just like that.” VeeVee encouraged her pupil. They were in an empty field just outside of Ponyville, near the Apple’s farm. Adequate place for training. Not quite as secluded as Twilight’s original training ground, but that was now overrun with the Night Patrollers currently working on the castle. It had taken a little convincing on her part to get Twilight to change locations. Taking all measures to ensure she didn’t spout out that she didn’t want her fellow patrollers to know of her ‘magic’ wand. A hasty excuse of not wanting Twilight’s performance to suffer from peer pressure had barely sufficed. Quickly wittingly VeeVee dug into Twilight’s budding self-doubt and paranoia stating that when she was under Celestia’s wing she had been a student, an amateur and the best in her class. Flipping the praise on its head she told Twilight if she would get in the way of the Patrollers training there. Double downing on the fact she was a novice compared to them.
Thus, with those few words, they changed locations. Luckily, while her words had gotten to the purple unicorn. It only redoubled her training efforts.
VeeVee checked her stopwatch, ten minutes have passed since she sent Twilight about her task. The purple unicorn has been firing a constant beam of magic at the nearby pond, the water boiling from her efforts.
“Another five minutes, and you’ll beat yesterdays time.” She was lying. Twilight beat yesterday’s time five minutes ago, but she wanted to see what the little unicorn could really do and to find that out she was willing to push her. Hard. Harder then Celestia would ever dream of pushing her.
Twilight for her credit was still going at it. Though she looked less than presentable. The young unicorn was nearly on her belly, her eyes squeezed shut with tears falling like a faucet. Her horn was glowing red. Literally growing red! Hot stream bellowing off her horn like a train’s smokestack.
Another minute clicked by.
VeeVee stood tense. Twilight was on her belly now, crying, wailing to the sun in pain. Only she could hear her thanks to the sound barrier set up. It was now thirteen minutes. The magic beam began to waver sputtering out before dying. Twilight fell on her side, breathing hard. She resets the stopwatch and trots over to her student.
“So close, you were nearly there.”
“I can still do it! Please let me…” Twilight tried to get up. Tried being the keyword, but she couldn’t even raise her head. A case of extreme magic exhaustion. Well, it would be, but being a medical professional, VeeVee naturally studied ways to cut down on the recovery time. Popping the cork of a bottle in her saddlebag she pressed it against Twilight’s lips, force feeding the unicorn like a newborn. A pink aura shimmered around the purple unicorn and she bounced right up, her legs bucking slightly from her weight. Twilight began to charge up another beam, but she slapped the young unicorn on the horn. “OOUCH! THAT HURT!”
“It was supposed to,” VeeVee said cuttingly. “We did this yesterday and your still not listening properly. Now I gave you a twenty percent potion so we can move on from increasing your power to bettering your control and spell efficiently. Now fire three blasts repeatedly using as little magic as possible, but still making the blasts lethal. Do so until you’ve used up your magic again.”
“Ok,” Twilight planted her hooves, her coat was soaked with sweat and her horn was still warm, but she began to firing magic bullets into the pond. She swayed and faltered, her blasts landing all over the place.
“Remember accuracy.” VeeVee chides her student. “I’m wondering if you’re serious about becoming a true mage.” Twilight’s next three shots hit dead on in the same spot. “Good, keep that up. Here I’ll give you some targets.”
Pulling her wand from her saddlebag VeeVee levitated some rocks for Twilight to shoot. The purple youth was talented. Efficiently taking out each target in seconds. She levitates more stones, smaller ones. Twilight’s shots begin to miss, her eyes squinting hard, but she kept firing with determination. As if every shot was a major failure. Another proven point to showcase her self-perceived worthlessness.
It almost made VeeVee want to laugh. The filly couldn’t see her own power. She acts as if she was just another one of the cannon fodder. And maybe that’s what Celestia’ wanted, to keep her humble. One usually couldn’t get a pony like Twilight with this much talent without a healthy air of arrogance.
“Maybe she was doing something right,” VeeVee praised the Sun Princess.
Suddenly a whirlwind ran through the apple trees. Four Night Patrol choppers flew overhead heading toward the old castle in a hurry. VeeVee quickly dropped the sound barrier, her gem comm going off like mad!
“VeeVee! VeeVee come in, over! Where the hell are you!” One of the chopper pilots screamed over the comm. She quickly flew over the treetops, spying a fifth helicopter hovering over Ponyville.
“I’m just a few clicks out of town. I’ll be…”
“Twilight! VeeVee there you are!” Spike screamed running towards them with a letter in his claws. “You got a message from the Princess!”
Twilight’s head sprung up as she quickly snatched the scroll from Spike. “Oh, I hope she not mad about me skipping the mock battle thing… AGH!” VeeVee flew down behind Twilight, reading the message. It wasn’t anything special, just stating Twilight needed come to Canterlot immediately. Yet Twilight read it differently.
“Oh no! Princess Celestia probably wants to give me a surprise test! Come on Spike we gotta hurry!” Before VeeVee could begin to process that leap in logic, Twilight teleported, both her and Spike to the library. VeeVee took a moment to be impressed by her student for teleporting the three of them so easily. They had been more than five miles outside of town. And the lavender unicorn carried both her and Spike! On top of that, she was still only at a fraction of her usual power! Yet again! Twilight was obvious to this as if what she did was normal. Spike, of course, didn’t know any better. Really though it was almost as scary as it was amusing that Twilight didn’t seem to know her own power.
Now if only the lavender unicorn would stop gathering random useless trinkets and mumbling about a test that no pony but her mentioned, maybe they could figure things out. As if on cue all of Twilight’s friends entered the library.
“Um, Twilight?” Applejack prodded, trying to get the purple mare’s attention. Twilight ignored her. “TWILIGHT!”
“I know! I gotta get ready for Celestia’s test!” Twilight replied hysterically. “I need my books!”
Applejack sucked in a breath and screamed! “TWILIGHT! QUIT FOOLING AROUND!”
That gave Twilight pause as she slowly turned towards the ground. “Fooling around? Fooling around! I don’t have time to fool around! Celestia summoned me to Canterlot, that can only mean one thing! A TEST! A surprise test! I gotta prepare! I gotta…”
Rarity suddenly clammed Twilight’s mouth closed and approached Twilight. “Darling I don’t think Celestia wants to quiz you, there’s this rather… gruff pony outside waiting to take us all to Canterlot.”
Twilight did a double take. “What?”
It was here VeeVee decided she better get things rolling. The chatter in her coms was getting pretty heated. So, she unstrapped Twilight’s assortments of academic tools. Leading the unicorn and her friends outside where the chopper pilot was patiently waiting. By patient, she meant he already wore a line in the grass.
“Come on! The others are ready on their way back! Let’s move!” He shouts over the propellers. Suddenly the other four choppers fly overhead, suspended by cables was a large back train.
With no further fuss, VeeVee escorts the six mares plus Spike onto the chopper. They chatter, wondering what was going on, while she sits by the door listening to the coms. Things were busy. To an untrained pony, it would all sound like useless babble for the next half hour as they fly for Canterlot.
“What’s going on?” Twilight asked aloud to no one. VeeVee follows her students pointed leg to the direction of Canterlot. Spying plumes of black smog rising from the pristine white city. The others were in shock to as they fly over the train yards. It was packed with hundreds upon hundreds of ponies. But not just any ponies.
Soldiers.
Columns of Equestrian troops lined the train yard, boarding the freight cars. The little purple engine bellowed black smoke, barely pulling the mile-long line of cars. When it was gone, the black train the choppers were carrying was set on the tracks. Its turbine gem engine roared to life once again as it backed onto another line of cars. This one had flat beds on it. VeeVee caught sight of the tanks being moved towards the ramps as they touch down into the chaos.
--break
“All unit’s keep to your squads! Keep it orderly! Move when you're told to move!” Sixes bellows over the crowd of soldiers. Behind him, the choppers carrying the “VIPS” touches down. He shouts at Gloves to takeover loading the cars as he trots over to the landing pad. “VeeVee report to your unit!”
The raspberry colored rinin salutes and quickly disappears in the sea of ponies. Celestia’s student looking strangely concerned as the pink rinin disappeared into the crowd. He looked over the six mares and one dragon. Civilians in a military zone. “Follow me.” He told them, leaving no times for questions as they walk towards the front of the train. “In here.” He points to a tent. Platinum and a team of other mares step out and begin strapping the six down in winter armor. They didn’t have any armor for the dragon.
“You will keep your helmet on at all times. You will not remove your armor. Only use the gem comms, located here, in case of a real emergency. You will listen and do as your told, no if’s what’s or buts!” He said firmly turning around as the Platinum and her team finished adjusting the six’s armor. It was a non-descript model of the new armor. Each mare outfitted to their respected race. The colors were gray. Marking them as non-military according to international laws. Not that the opponent they were heading towards would know that, but it was mainly for their own troops’ benefit. “These two are your escorts.”
With those parting words, Sixes left the frankly baffled mares in the hooves of Goodnight and Sweet Dreams. “This way Lady Twilight, the Princesses are expecting you and your party.”
Twilight’s cheeks were flush at the ‘Lady’ title, though it was technically correct. With her brother’s marriage to Cadence, there was a certain rising of her family’s status. It was something she managed to avoid, what with living outside of Canterlot now, but her parents had been hounded for interviews as of late. Thought her parents didn’t say what they were being asked in their letters.
Following the bat ponies onto the train the group of seven was quiet, even the usual chatterbox that was Pinkie Pie was silence in the face the bleak surrounding the six found themselves thrust into. As the train doors open. Twilight looks over to see the newly uniformed troops hugging their loved ones. Mothers weep, wives waved tearfully, as children cried.
As she passed through the doorway Twilight felt a churning in her gut. This wasn’t what she was expecting. Not even Nightmare Moon or Discord required such a massive force. She was beginning to wonder what role she could possibly play? She’s yet to tell Celestia of her… self-study in combat magic and VeeVee insisted her teaching be kept quiet. She was beginning to lose her eagerness to be thrust into a battle situation like during the invasion.
“Goody…” She whispers to the thestral. “What’s going on?”
Goodnight didn’t answer. He didn’t even turn to look at her. He was different. He looked much bigger than before. Maybe it was just his armor, but he seemed imposing, no he was imposing. How could he have changed so fast?
“In here please,” Goodnight said stepping aside.
Slowly Twilight and company enter the train car that where the Princesses were located. They had to do a double take as all three princesses of the realm stood around a magical hologram of the country all three of them donned in full armor.
Luna wore the same armor from when she arrived during the invasion, her weapons strapped to her side. Celestia wore a similar looking armor to that of Goodnight, but painted gold, Cadence wore the same as Celestia but dyed light blue. The surprises didn’t end there. Her brother, Shining Armor stood beside Cadence in the same armor as Goodnight, looking stoic, he didn’t even turn to greet her.
The Princesses continued to murmur. Luna looking mad, while Celestia spoke to her in hushed whispers. Cadence broke away from the table and greeted them. “Sorry, you’ll have to give them a minute. They’re having a disagreement about how to proceed.”
The doors open and the rinin from before, Sixes, Twilight thought his name was, the same pony that had argued with Celestia after the invasion stepped into the car. He gave her a passing glance, rolling his eyes at them before stepping fearlessly between the two sisters.
“The tanks are locked down, we can leave on your command. Have you decided our battle plan?” Sixes asked, the two sisters looking away from each other. He sighs. “Then might I suggest we go with General Cobalt’s plan?”
Luna looked at Twilight and her friends and then Cadence. “I have only one qualm with his plan and it’s Celestia’s insistence that they go with Cadence with the first wave.”
“To clarify, I only suggested Twilight go.”
“Like her friends were just going to sit around, admit it, you want them to go too.”
“Ok, what in the hay is going on?” Applejack spoke up marching to the front of the group. “Yawl looking like your going to war or something.”
The royal sisters look beside themselves and simply nod. Luna steps to face them looking sad. “It is because we are dear Applejack. As of right now over, 3500 GAE troops have been mobilized.”
The train jostled making everypony sway as the engine let out a high-pitched scream as it pulled out of the station. Twilight and co sat down as Celestia and Luna explained the situation.
The Crystal Empire had returned and with it, the Dark Unicorn King of Maredor, King Sombra along with his armies that infest the ruined city. Luna explains the battle of over a thousand years ago and the death and destructions that ensued. To give an even clearer vision she projected the events with her magic like a movie for them all to watch. The last sight of Sombra bringing the Crystal city into the void the last thing they saw.
“We don’t know what Sombra’s been doing these past thousand years or what he’s planning, but it’s safe to assume he wants to finish what he started. I have little doubt he’s been preparing his forces in whatever limbo he dragged them to. As of now, we know nothing of his numbers or fortifications or how powerful he’s become since last.”
“But you beat him before, right? Just do it again!” Rainbow Dash yelled well punching the air. “You two were awesome in that movie! You totally kicked his ass!”
Twilight looked solemnly as the memories till projecting from Luna’s horn replayed the scene of the Royal Sisters fighting Sombra. They were impressive. They were throwing around spells that ponies today wouldn’t have a chance of casting. They didn’t need them. Celestia didn’t need her getting in the way again.
“We can’t say that for sure Rainbow Dash. Sombra was nearly our equal back then and he’s had a thousand years to hone his skills and power. Or worse train up his subordinates.” Celestia frowns as the scene of her wing getting hit with arrow plays. Twilight and her friends’ gasps and she tell Luna to stop projecting. “We could deal with one Sombra, but it is possible in the last thousand years he may have bred an offspring and raised it and if it took after him then we would have a lot of trouble on our hooves.”
That was a creepy and gross possibility, but there had been plenty of mares in Sombra’s own army and those left behind. Celestia wouldn’t put it past the dark king to indulge in his prisoner’s. And given his connections to the mad doctors, Sombra could have been inspired to do some experimenting of his own. He had a full spread of Crystal ponies, Shadow Ponies and changelings to mess with.
“What if Sombra didn’t have a thousand years in this limbo of his? We don’t know how much time has passed for him, he could have frozen himself in time or traveled through dimensions to a place where time moved differently. Or anything like that, for all we know a day might have only passed for him or ten years or any possible space of time.”
Celestia smiles, ruffling Twilight’s mane. “Yes, my faithful student. You are correct that could be the case, but even if that was the case, Sombra still has an army at his disposal. One better trained I’m afraid to. Our military might be technologically superior, but we haven’t finished training even a quarter of our forces on their new equipment and weapons.”
“We don’t even have the Nightmare right now because of repairs and the number of Rinin available to us now is greatly lower than before. If we're going to win this coming battle we’ll need to plan accordingly.” Luna states glaring at Celestia. “Which is why I don’t understand why you want her here!”
Luna’s hoof rested right in front of Twilight’s face. The lavender unicorn had a shiver of dread tremble down her spine. The chance she’s been waiting for, the chance to help Celestia fight battle was here and the most battle-oriented pony doubted her!
“Luna!” Celestia barked.
“I’ll do it!” Twilight said quickly shaking off her fear of Luna’s doubt. She glanced at her brother, who was looking at her with a blank expression. “I’ll gladly fight by your side Princess!”
Celestia rubs her foreleg. “Well, that’s not exactly what we have planned Twilight, you see…”
“You’ll be going in with me,” Cadence interrupts, she stood tall with a commanding presence. She really took Luna’s lessons to heart Celestia observed, feeling proud of her niece. “Well I don’t really want to put you in harm's way Twilight, you have a lot of raw talent and magic that could prove useful.”
Twilight blinks looking between her sister in law and her teacher. “I don’t understand, aren’t you going, Princess?”
Shining Armor spoke up for the first time since they arrived. “Princess Luna and Celestia will stay in the rear with half of our gathered forces. Princess Cadence, under the advisement of Commander Fierce Fury, will take the other half of the army to the Crystal Empire. Whether Sombra had a thousand years or ten days to prepare while he was in limbo the fact remains, he will be prepared for the Princesses. He’s may have even developed weapons or spells that possibly target them specifically. On top of that, he suffered a defeat from them. In the Princesses memories, you can see he was arrogant and taking them lightly, he won’t make that mistake this time. So, when he’s expecting Celestia and Luna and gets Cadence instead he may lower his guard and think of her as a non-threat and possibly toy with her like he did with Celestia and Luna.”
“And then we’ll take him out.” Fierce Fury states entering the room. “We’re almost to the nervous point, your majesties.”
“Thank you, Fury, we’ll be there in a moment.” Celestia turns to Twilight as the train begins to slow. “Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student, as your teacher I cannot ask you undertake this task, but…” Celestia bits her lip. “As your Princess and ruler, I believe you would a valuable resource for this mission, but even so I will not force you to go. The choice is yours. Take a few minutes to think and if you decide to go, then simply stay on the train.”
“Princess I…”
“Don’t answer Twilight,” Celestia said in the doorway. “Please, whatever you decide. I want you to do it of your own will. Not because I told you too.” She exits the war room. Luna following her as they step down from the train onto the grass of the base camp. Rows upon rows of pegasus sat fully equipped and ready to go on a moments notice. In the sky, three wooden airships float. Waiting.
“She’s going to go,” Luna stated. “You know she is. She could never turn down a request from you. At least not a serious one.”
Behind her, the train whistle bellows. Celestia doesn’t bother to turn around, she knew Twilight wouldn’t be on the platform. Instead, she turns to Cobalt and the other officers. She gives the nod and Spitfire breaks from the group, shouting for everypony to take off. Over half of the gathered pegasi take to the sky blocking out the sun as they head into the frozen north.
The thousand-year battle was about to begin again. Celestia bites her quivering lips, cursing the elements once again. She could have won this war easily, but she didn’t know if the elements would stop her or not. That could get her killed, or Luna killed, or any pony near her killed if she suddenly became powerless. So, thanks to that uncertainty, she now had to send her niece and many others in her place to die. “Twilight, Cadence, be safe.”
A cold wind rattled the windows of the train car, the cold draft seeped through the cracks in the frame. Soldiers huddled close, rubbing their bodies to try and keep warm, even packed in like sardines in a can one hundred of them flank to flank they were cold. Their combined body heat should have made the cramped train car a furnace. Of course, the frozen north wasn’t called the frozen north for no reason. Many of them have spent a summer out in the warmer months of the frozen wasteland. And it was nearly autumn now, a whopping negative thirty degrees was the warmest it got out in this frozen hell this time of year and it would only get colder.
“Keep focused boys and girls; we’re almost there.” Their Commander, the red Rinin Fierce Fury told them as he flew overhead. He and the others of his kin were flying through the transports holding fire in their guts to raise their body temperature. The dragon ponies were probably a steaming two hundred degrees, but the radiating heat barely raised the frigid temperatures five degrees.
With the frozen thirty miles per hour winds and the train bolting across the snow-laden tracks at fifty miles per hour and the uninsulated walls of the transports, they might as well be in freezers.
Fury looked sympathetically at the shivering troops. It was going to be even worse when they stopped and faced the high winds directly outside. He turns up his body temperature as high as he could. A few ponies stop shivering as the room temperature spikes up to zero. Almost a laughable blessing compared to minus thirty.
Tapping the side of his helmet Fury brings up his rune map, checking their location. They were nearly there. They’d be passing the final cloud base in an hour or so.
For this mission the Pegasi under the command of Colonel Spitfire and Captain Fleetfoot would establish a series of cloud bases, using weather factory equipment from Cloudsdale to support artillery weapons and munitions. Rocketeers and Fliers equipped with HCB-16’s would act as air support along with the three wooden airships. Where Spitfire would be in command with Colonel Bridge, who would coordinate the ground forces with a sky eye view. A chain of smaller cloud bases reaching back to Celestia’s and Luna’s positions would filter supplies to the front, each base had two gem comm radios to quickly call for reinforcements should the need arrive. After they leave the train, it would go back and wait to bring in the next wave of ground troops while the Pegasi flew from the bases.
Rechecking the time Fury switched out with another rinin for furnace duty they really should have done more with these walls, but the station was only three hours away, it would be fine. Is what they thought at the moment. Bad move on their part.
“Platinum,” He grabbed the metal legged mare and pulled her side. “See about getting some pots of coffee made. These guys deserve something warm in their hooves before going out into that nut freezing cold.”
Platinum taps her helmet, checking their time. “Yeah, we should have enough time for that. I’ll get Cookie to start brewing. Have everypony get out their tin cups. Why don’t you go check on the civilians and the Princess? You are the Lead Commander right now.”
“Right, right, I’ll go check on the kiddies.” He mumbles heading toward the front car. He flies over the next huddled mass of troops, Gloves was on furnace duty. He nods to the Vice Commander and continues on through, rising his body heat as he passed. Some troopers sighed, only to begin groaning again as the heat quickly faded. He did the same in Trifecta’s car. The triplet looking haggard as he lands in the galley. One of the cook/medics levitates the both of them some MREs.
“Make sure to stay well-fed Commanders. You're burning up a lot of calories using your fire magic like that. We can’t have you passing out before the battle begins.” Cookie smiles. Cookie was a unicorn, the head combat cook, and one of the medics. It was decided way back that the two roles would be merged so the medics could maintain everyponies dietary health. At the time Celestia set up the funds for all the cooks and medics to learn herbal cooking or something like that.
Taking a bite off the bar of dried grains and vegetables and fruit extract Fury let a faint smile touch his face when the familiar crunch of gems filled his mouth. “Special treat for us, Cookie?”
Cookie smiled, “Of course, gems are a part of Rinin diet and help you replenish your magic quicker. It’s only natural I would have a few hundred on hand for you. FYI The MREs wrapped in green are the ones with the gems, in case you end up having to share in combat. Gems are good for Rinin, but a bit hard on a normal ponies digestive track.”
He pockets the extra bar in his saddle bag. “Thanks, Cookie.”
“No problem, You two want some coffee? I just got the first five pots filled.” Cookie stepped aside to reveal the industrial coffee maker behind her, already brewing another five pots.
“Yeah, I’ll take a cup to go. Gotta go check on the civilians.” Cookie’s nose scrunched up as she levitates him a hot cup. “What’s bugging you?” Cookie sighs, as does Trifecta, both looking at him with a ‘really’ look. He takes a gulp, downing half of the cup in an instant. “I know, I didn’t want them here either, but their here so deal with it.”
“But the troops are barely ready for this weather and what’s to come, those six mares… well… as a medical professional…”
“I know Cookie, believe me, I know.” He growls, some flames igniting on his coat. Cookie quickly calms up and backs away. He takes a breath; the flames die out. “Sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry. I should know my place, it’s above you or me. We’re both just following orders. Still, I can’t believe Celestia allowed them… sigh… I’ll drop it. I would have thought she’s grown tired of doing this to her students.”
Trifecta laughed humorlessly. “Yeah, how many got killed doing this stuff like this with us? What was the point of it?”
“Tri,” Fury growled.
“What? It’s a valid question.”
“It’s our job to keep this one alive, simple as that, don’t need to know more than that.”
Trifecta snorts, “Oh yeah, that’ll be easy until she runs off on her own. They always do. Claiming to be chasing their destiny or some bullshit like that. Five bits says she’ll be on the ground crying with blood…”
“ENOUGH! Back to work, both of you breaks over!” Fury said with bite. Angerly he downs the last of his coffee, shoving the cup back in Cookie’s face. “Thanks. It was good.”
“Your welcome,” She replies meekly as Fury stomps away.
As he fumed Fury tried, really tried to keep from thinking back to those old days where Celestia was fully dedicated to finding the next chosen one or something like that. He didn’t know what the sun princess was actually looking for. But those few years many talented young ponies, mostly unicorns, had been thrown into their ranks. Trained by Celestia herself from her school. Always had a name relating to night or day strangely enough. Most of them were above average to possibility once in a generation kind of talent. A lot of them knew it too. Why else would the princess pick them?
He didn’t remember a lot of them. They passed through his life so quickly he didn’t even bother to know their names. Their own hubris bringing their bright futures to a quick and gruesome end. He enters the VIP/Command car. Princess Cadence stood by the map with Shining Armor, Goodnight stood outside the door, Sweet Dreams inside by the Princesses side. On the benches to the right, the six civilians and dragon sat chatting like they weren’t on the way to a war zone. Ignorance was indeed bliss.
The first mare to stand out to him was Applejack’s and Allure’s descendants, Applejack the ninth and Rarity Belle. Both had an uncanny look in the fact they looked like their ancestors to a T. He kept his mouth shut as he passed them, less he called them the wrong name. Well one of them the wrong name.
Next, was a yellow and pink mare. One shivering in her seat, looking the most aware of their situation, the other was a Pie. And not the normal dull ones, but the crazy one that appears every other odd generation. She was chatting excitedly to the yellow one, who did seem vaguely familiar now that he thought about it. Maybe he met her ancestor once upon a time.
The final two was… he paused looking closely at the rainbow-maned mare. Rainbow hair, why did that seem so familiar? It seemed important too, but he couldn’t recall where he’d seen such hair before. Seemed like something he would remember too. Rainbow hair wasn’t all that common. He was about to pass her by only to double take.
“Why aren’t you wearing your armor.” He questioned the mare. Now she was wearing armor, but not the gray, noncombatant version, no she was wearing standard ‘I’m a soldier armor’ that basically says it’s ok to kill me armor. At least according to international law. Again, they were going to fight a thousand-year-old unicorn tyrant. So not relevant for this battle, but it does leave one nagging question. “Where did you get that.”
The rainbow maned mare shrugged, “Went to the bathroom and some mare wanted to trade. Didn’t think it was a big deal.”
Ouch, this is a different kind of stupidity or ignorance. Fury thought grinding his claws into his temple. He walked away to the corner of the room, switching his com to the commander line. “Commander Fierce Fury to Colonel Spitfire, Commander Fierce Fury to Colonel Spitfire, please respond.”
“Colonel Spitfire here, what do you need?”
“We have an issue here, we have a deserter, a mare more than likely. Swapped her armor for one of the civilians. She might have jumped off the train. Try and pick up her gem comm signal and see if she’s still alive. If so, get her ready for a court-martial, if she’s dead… well, that’s that I guess.”
“Roger that, I’ll get a flier team ready. Gods dammit, dealing with this shit…” The comms goes quiet, he chuckled, certain that last part wasn’t supposed to be broadcast. Spitfire would take care of the deserter. It was a waste of resources and a distraction, but rules are rules.
He stepped back from the corner surprised to find Princess Cadence standing behind him. “Is everything alright, Commander Fury?” She asked looked worried. She should really learn how to get that under control. Leaders can’t look worried in front of others.
“Everything’s fine, just a… minor complication.” Cadence followed his gaze to the rainbow-maned mare. A spark of realization glinted in the princess’s eyes. Softly Cadence cursed under the breath. He found that amusing.
“I’m sorry, I should have noticed sooner, I’m just so…”
“Drop it,” Fury told her sternly. “It’s below your pay grade. Have you been reviewing the plan with them?” Them being the six civilians. In particular, his eyes fell on Celestia’s latest pupil. Twilight Sparkle. She was looking rather reclusive sitting away from her friends. That didn’t seem like a good sign. Not that he was going to anything about it right now. She didn’t look to be in a state of mind that would be open to advise.
Cadence looked forlorn. Her shoulders sagging heavily. “I’ve tried several times, but maybe half of them take it seriously. I don’t think they understand just what we’re doing.”
And why the hell would they, it’s not like they were at the half-dozen meetings held in the last week! Fury seethed, growling silently at the six. Sometimes he really wonders if Celestia realizes how much of bother it was when she just throws curb balls into their plans at the last minute. She had to. She wasn’t stupid. But she did have an almost blind faith about her methods that were extremely annoying. (Well, might as try and set things on track.)
“Alright, kiddies,” The six-look perplexed at him. “Yes, I mean you six, and the dragon. Come here.” He brings up the map of the Crystal Empire. “Doubtless, Princess Cadence has overlaid the operation plan. We will be reviewing it again.”
A collective reply of groans and disinterest was his response. Great.
“Our arrival point will be here at the train station. We will deploy our forces there. You six, will and I repeat. Will stay with Princess Cadence and her Commando escort. Please denote the ponies in the black and gray armor with skull and sword emblem, Lieutenant Goodnight and Lieutenant Sweet Dreams and Private Shining Armor.”
“Private!” Interrupted Twilight, looking completely outraged. “My brother is Captain of the Royal guard!”
He blinked. He was absolutely astonished. Where in the hell had this pony been for the last month? Had she not read a freaking newspaper? Also, a few of her friends were looking nervous right now. Two in particular. Seems they actually read the news. “You have to be fucking with me right now.” Fury said his filter officially off.
Shining Armor stepped forward, “Commander if I may,” Fury chewed his lip but allowed him to speak. “Listen Twily, things have changed. It’s not a big deal so just drop it.”
“But your dream! All your years of hard work!” She protested.
Shining Armor to his credit, took a deep breath and calmly addressed his little sister. “Twilight, it’s fine. I had to take responsibility.”
“Responsibility for what? The invasion? There was nothing…”
“There was a lot I could have done,” Shining barked, his voice rising, starling Twilight and Cadence as well. Neither mare probably thought he’d ever do that. Shining hung his head. “I could have done so many things differently. I could have been less blinded by my own self-pity and arrogance and saw the trap laid before me. But I didn’t. Besides.” He said smiling and ruffling Twilight’s mane. “Dreams change, but my purpose in life doesn’t, I’m still protecting what’s important to me. Just in a different way, a more effective way than before. And plus, it’s nice to be away from that stupid desk.”
“Shining…”
Fury coughed. “Right, heartwarming crap aside. You six, stay with Goodnight and Sweet Dreams, if you don’t your lives are in your own hooves. Now after we deploy you six along with Princess Cadence will remain in your transports. By transports, I am referring to the tanks. We’ll divide you up so the ponies that are actually doing something aren’t smooshed against the walls. You will sit in the corner, you will remain silent unless spoken to or if you notice something of importance. Which will be nothing because you’ll be inside a windowless metal box. Any questions so far? Good. Now we will approach the Crystal Empire which is in a currently unknown situation. Once there we will examine the situation and if it is deemed safe, you will be allowed to leave your transports, following which will establish a FOB and staging point to retake the city. That is if we don’t encounter the enemy before then. So far, our scouts haven’t spotted any hostiles. Your helmet has a gem on the side, touch it and it’ll show you your position in the scouted area and nearby friendlies. It will also show you spotted enemies for a time. Any questions?”
Rainbow Dash raised her leg.
“Yes, what is it.”
“When do we get to rumble!” The pegasus mare flew out of her seat doing some mock strikes in the air. Not a bad form, clearly, she’s gone under some teaching. “The future Wonderbolt and Element of loyalty Rainbow Dash is ready for action!”
For a brief moment, he found her ramblings amusing. “Well you’re not a Wonderbolt nor is Element of harmony an official rank, so you will not be partaking in any battle. Despite your current uniform. That being said, you are free to defend yourselves while we recon the city. However, should any fighting break out, I expect you all to return to the FOB and get an escort back to the rear guard.”
“And what if we don’t want to? We’re not military ponies so you can’t order us around!” Rainbow Dash rebuked with the same amount of snark he would expect from a pony her age. It made him grin.
“Say that again when you’re in a Canterlot dungeon cell after I throw you in it for interfering in a military operation.” A look of horror passed through the group. “Sorry ladies, but you suspended your rights when you chose to stay on this train. Now we’ll be arriving at our destination soon, I suggest you all get ready.”
With those words, Fury left the six to stew. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to rile them up, but it would be bad if they were to roam around freely. Who knows what could happen. Better they understand this wasn’t going to be like their previous adventures. He read the reports. He was amazed they survived. No, they didn’t survive per se, they were toyed with, viewed as non-threats and they gained the advantage for that leniency.
If Luna had been taking them seriously, they would have been found dead on the ground, elements or no. He remembered the battle between Emerald Cutter and Luna, yeah if Luna had been using even a quarter of her full power, they would be talking to Emerald in that great pasture in the sky right now. The same with Discord. Granted Discord never took any pony seriously. Or so Luna stated. He and his brethren have never had the chance to do battle with the Lord of Chaos. Sad to say they probably won’t be much help in that battle. But this was their bread and butter, they knew war, and they new Sombra.
“Could you have not been kinder to them?” Princess Cadence asked joining him in the hall outside. Goodnight stood with indifference and closed the door to give them privacy.
“Their tagalongs. We’ve prepared for this, they have not. They jump into adventure blindly and have twice conquered foes beyond their levels. They need some humbling. Firing a magical rainbow isn’t going to solve this. The elements probably wouldn’t even work here anyway, if they did, I’m sure Celestia would have brought them.”
Cadence nodded, “Yes, that true. The artifact we need here is the Crystal Heart. Auntie Celestia already gave me all the reading material she had on it. It wasn’t much mind you, but our main goal is to capture it. With it, we can take control of the city with ease.”
“Sombra won’t just leave it out in the open,” Fury pointed out. “He may have even found a way to weaponize it against us. None the less it is our ultimate goal. Have you prepared your weapons princess?”
“Yes, I have.” Cadence levitated what looked like a knife from the holster on her saddle bag, only for the weapon to extend into a spear. A small heart-shaped shield companied the weapon. “I wish ponies would stop putting hearts on everything when it comes to me!” She vented finding the shield a bit over the top and an embarrassing. Even the spear blade was heart shaped. Vaguely, but it was still there.
Fury gave the shield a tap with his claw. “It looks ridiculous, but it will work fine. It’s sturdy at least. So, you chose the lance then?”
Cadence blushed, “Yes, Celestia’s axes were too heavy for me lift easily with my magic, and Luna’s star blades were too hard to control, and swords didn’t suit me either.” She held the lance in front of her. “I made a makeshift spear when I escaped from the changelings, it was crude and a spur of the moment thing, but I find myself… comforted by them. I don’t know maybe I just have an affinity for spears. Or maybe I just wanted to be different from Celestia and Luna.”
“Just use what works for you, Princess. Everypony is inclined to a certain weapon or tool or no tool, for obvious and not so obvious reasons. It makes about as much sense as mark magic really.” He chuckled glancing at his former number brand which was now vigil of a phoenix.
Cadence laughed with him. “I suppose I should take the advice of a veteran such as yourself to heart then.” Her laughter puttered and she sighed. “I must be an open book to all of you and a poor substitute for my aunts.”
“That’s yet to be seen, Princess. We were all inexperienced once.” The train began to slow, joisting them slightly as the brakes were applied. The steam whistle blew signaling they arrived at their destination. “And now it’s time to be tested. Not just you, but all of them too.” Fury pointed to the line of cars before them, filled to the brim with untested troops, excited, worried, and afraid. He presents Cadence a gem com, one tied into the General line so all would hear what was said. “Now give the order, Princess Cadence.”
She took the gem nervously and placed in the slot in her helmet. Took a breath and counted to three. “This is Princess Cadence, by my order we disembark! Prepare to march into battle!”
Troops filed out of the train cars, the side of the cars opened to allow them to jump into the snow on mass. The gathered into formations, bearing the cold they watched the tanks roar to life. The massive metal machines turned slowly pointing to the edge of their transports. Massive snow plows were equipped to the front of the war machines. The tracks of the tanks moved dropping the fifty-ton machines into the soft now. White mist filled the air as the tanks sunk. The order to stand back was given through their coms and they did so.
Overhead the rinin flew and breathed fire down, melting the huge swaths of snow in an instant. The tanks rolled forward and plunged into the arctic wasteland clearing a path for them. They traveled roughly a hundred yards ahead and stopped. As one they filed in behind the tanks in their units. Waiting for their next order.
The Princess and her companions flew overhead. She landed on the lead tank with Commander Fury while the six mares who had defeated Discord and Nightmare Moon were displaced into separate tanks. A sense of foreboding filled them. Wondering what dark force they would be facing if the Elements of harmony were to accompany as well.
Princess Cadence turned to them, the newly minted commandos flanking her as she began to speak. The wind drowned out her voice, but they could all still hear her through their helmet comms. It was a one-way communication for them. They were the grunts, after all, no pony of meaningful rank. That’s what their officers were for. Many of them wondered what the Princess had to say and wondered if would be important or not. It was only Princess Cadenza after all. The third wheel of their royal trinity. What could she possibly have to say?
“We march now to a great evil. One that my aunts failed to subdue well over a thousand years ago. It has already claimed one kingdom already, the Crystal Empire. We do not know what remains of it or it’s citizens, but know this! We are not going there to liberate a lost kingdom that none of us, including myself even knew existed until a week ago. If we find survivors and can save them that is a bonus, but not our main objective. No, we are going there to make sure that evil that has been buried in the ice for the last thousand years doesn’t escape this frozen hellhole and do the some to our home and our loved ones! We will put it down here and now! And I will stand by you until our goal is met and we are victorious!”
Something passed through them. Something warm, something burning, a fire. Yes, a fire has been lit within them! They cheered feeling the Princess’s words sink into their hearts, they felt the strength of the pony beside them and the ones waiting back home. The tanks roared to life and began the charge and they followed in their wake. Envigored and determined to see their mission through.
Right now, at this moment, they could walk through hell and not care.
“That was an amazing speech Princess! It gave me goosebumps!” Sweet Dreams clamored excitedly as the latch to the tank was closed. “Oh yeah, I feel pumped! This feels like the time I went into that old Nippon Castle with Luna! She didn’t really give a big speech, but you had the same presence.”
“Thank you, Sweet Dreams. Though I think riding outside or even walking with them would have helped show my dedication. Actions, over words and all that.”
Fury shook his head. “Not a chance. I know you don’t like hearing this, but your safety is above theirs. If not for the space restriction we would have all the commandos here, but this is the best we can do with our surprise guests.”
Currently, Shining Armor was with Twilight in another tank and Goodnight was with Applejack. The rest… well, they were protected, just not by commandos. Of course, all tanks crew were made up of Night Patrollers, Rinin and regular ponies, so they were just as protected. That being said, there was a hierarchy of who was more important. Those named being at the top the list.
“You did a good job inspiring the troops, you’ll have your chance in battle later to make good on your words with actions. For now, save your strength and keep a sharp eye out for the enemy. We may counter some resistance before reaching the city.”
Silence followed those words. All chatter was restricted to important conversation only. The comm lines were clear, only the occasion report from the other tank commanders broke the silence. Several times the wind would howl and Cadence would worry for the troops outside marching. Fury would ask of the overwatch, the rinin flying over the troop columns, how things were going. They’d report back not great, but not bad either. So, no pony had died yet.
At the second hour in their march to the city proper, Spitfire called Fury over the line, they found the deserters body. They found her without her armor following the tracks, dead not from the cold, but from wounds. The body was taken for a medical evaluation. Several ideas of what happened crossed the two commanders’ minds but the more pressing concern was did this mean the enemy was behind them?
Several tense minutes pass as Spitfire hailed her scouts, trying to figure if they missed anything. The snowstorm wasn’t making it easy to confirm, but to the best of the pegasi ability, they determined no enemy units, at least notice amounts of them were not behind them.
Another hour passed and they remained on high alert. The tanks slowed their speed so those trotting behind them could catch their breath. The navigators angrily checked their maps and the rune maps the pegasus was mapping out. Some of the navigators bickered over which way they were going. For several minutes it appeared they were lost.
And then they saw it.
Like a shining beacon in the darkness, they saw the bright glare of light reflection off the crystal palace in the distance. They adjusted their trajectory and moved forward with caution. No enemies were spotted. Soon the temperature began to rise, the snow and wind fell away and they were driving on grass. The tanks came to a stop. Fury stuck his head out of the hatch amazed by what he saw and distrusted every inch of it.
“It’s so pretty! WeeWee!” Already the Pink one was bouncing toward the city proper. Before she could get too far several Rinin grabbed her and dragged her back. Fury could only shake his head as the other civilian exited their tanks and were roaming around like tourists. Even Shining’s sister.
“Oh, gods I’m not being paid enough for this.” He sucked in some air and shouted. “If you lot don’t get the fuck back here right now, I’m chaining you to the tanks!” He wheels around to the ground troops as they finally finished filing through whatever force was keeping the winter out. “You keep your helmets on! We are in enemy territory! Be on alert and start prepping the FOB! Gloves call Fleetfoot and tell her to start bringing in her Pegasus squads! Let’s move ponies!”
He jumped down from the tank and observed the crystal city. Cadence and Sweet Dreams walked up behind him. “Nothing about this is right.” He said grimly.
“The city looks fine, isn’t that a good thing?” Sweet Dreams asked puzzled.
He scoffs, “I was here over one thousand years ago when this city was attacked. It was the furthest away from fine as it could get. Hell, there was hardly a building standing! Now it looks like the war never happened! Something stinks here. We need to do some recon. We’ll dispatch some squads, with rinin leaders, ten ponies to a squad. We need to figure out what’s going on here before the main force shows up and whatever trap this is, is sprung.”
Fury turned around, already thinking about who he wants leading the squads when he finds Twilight Sparkle in his way. “What do you want.”
“I’m going with you.”
“And so are we,” Her friends chimed in as well, though some looked more hesitant than others. Celestia’s student looked defiant standing before him, she probably wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“Fine,” He replied, surprising her as she jolted back, clearly expecting a different answer. “Just don’t go running off on your own. Trifecta, Applejazz, Gloves!”
As Fury marched into the troops to organize the recon teams Twilight stood with her friends next to Cadence as they look over the city. It was so beautiful. What could possibly go wrong? Confident Twilight took a step forward only for Cadence to hold out her leg to stop her.
“Listen to Fury Twilight, no running off. That goes for all of you, Princess orders.”
Within thirty minutes, three squads of ten were formed. Led by Fury, Trifecta, and AppleJazz. Gloves would stay back to manage the FOB. Cadence with her commando escort would join Fury’s squad, along with Twilight, Spike, and Applejack. Rarity and Pinkie would go with Trifecta, and Fluttershy and Rainbow would go with Applejazz. One tank would be assigned as back up.
A final tally of their small force, Fury gave the order for them to move out and they stroll into the city proper. They encounter no resistance, no enemy scouts or lookouts. They roll peacefully over the grassy hill into the city gates and then down the cobbled stone streets. Everyponies fur on edge as they wait for something to happen.
The tank finally came to a stop in the city square just outside of the palace, in the heart of the city. Fury took one look around and his fears only worsened. There was no crystal heart on the pedestal, but the more disturbing part was the crystal ponies milling around. One, in particular, caught his eye and he jumped down from the tank to catch the pony in question and get a good look at his muzzle. What he saw should have been impossible.
Luna looked out over the field of troops as the transport train pulled into the station. The second wave of ground troops already lined up and waiting to board. Beside her and Celestia stood General Cobalt chatting over the gemcoms to the Caviler, the airship Spitfire was stationed on. The latest report? Fury and Cadence have entered the Empire. That was the last transmission, and they have not heard any word since.
“How long has it been now?” Celestia asked checking the position of the sun. There were so many things to keep track of such a large scale operation. Many moving parts were required to field a force of this size for every soldier they had out on the field, they needed three to keep the supply chain moving. To ease the burden civilian contractors were being used to help reduce the burden of the military staff. Neither her or Luna was thrilled to have civilians here, but there was little choice in the matter if they were going to keep operations running smoothly.
“Barely an hour sister, try not to worry so much. You’ll rattle the troops.” Luna advised while she chatted with Colonel Bridge and several other officers’ station along the cloud base. “Yes, yes, thank you, right. Prepare the first wave of pegasus to fly in… twenty minutes. Have a small recon team hook up with Commander Fury’s battalion. Make sure things are alright there haven’t been any emergency calls yet we will assume their fine and establishing a FOB. We’ll need to be there with supplies, and air support, keep building cloud bases along the way. Hmm… yes, I know the enemy could come in from behind, you’ll have to keep a keen eye out. Look Bridge I know you're cautious, but we can’t just sit back, we need to be in a position that is beneficial to us if fighting breaks out. Yes… I hear your concerns, but those are my orders. I expect another report as soon as you find them. Over and out.”
Luna replaced the gemcom back in her helmet and sighed. “Wow, he is meticulous if not a little too cautious.” Celestia blinked. “Bridge I mean.” Luna clarified. “He’s worried about advancing so quickly, but we can’t leave Fury’s battalion all alone out there. Still, it is a bit concerning we haven’t heard anything from them since they found the empire. Something is a hoof here.”
“It could be the barrier,” Celestia suggested. “You remember right, Luna? There was a barrier made by the crystal heart that kept the winter out. Sombra could have created one for himself.”
“Or he could be using the crystal heart himself to make one.” Luna countered looking displeased. “We hadn’t considered that had we? Sombra using the crystal heart.”
The sun Princess looked displeased by the idea. “The crystal heart is a purifying artifact, there is no… well, no proof Sombra could have corrupted it. It’s an artifact that was ancient when we were foals sucking on mother’s teat.”
“That only means we know nothing about it. Everything thing we knew about it up till now has been second hoof stories, and what little Symphony had figured out and those secrets died with her.” Luna grumbled, not liking the situation anymore, maybe they were advancing too quickly. They could be walking right into a trap. “We should call the Canterlot Scholars to see if they can’t dig something up about the crystal heart. They know of the forbidden section, right? Or rather Starswirl’s private library?”
“I will put in the call, though I don’t expect much to come of it. I’ve looked through those books myself for answers and didn’t find much, but that was a few decades ago. Perhaps a second look will bear some fruit.” As far as Celestia knew there was no record of the artifacts being corrupted, but that certainly didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of time. Still even if, and that was a big if, Sombra managed to somehow corrupt and control the Crystal Heart he probably didn’t know much more about it than they did or how to fully use its power. Which she and Luna certainly didn’t know. Regardless Celestia began writing a scroll to send.
Luna tapped her chin, deep in thought. “Hmm, don’t know, but I suppose if it were corrupted it would be a simple manner of stealing it back and purifying it. Our biggest concern is dealing with Sombra while it’s under his control.”
“We can’t forget about the red alicorn amulet either, he still has that.” Celestia reminded her while putting the finishing touches on her letter. The Sun Princess still hadn’t revealed that Daring was somewhere out in the wastelands with the purple and black amulets. She’ll have to address the amulets later, but right now there were too many ears around them.
“Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, we’re ready to move out!” Fleetfoot said over the gemcom. “We await your command.”
Together she and Luna nodded at Cobalt, while the train whistle blew as it took off with the next batch of ground troops. “This is General Cobalt Blaze you are clear to go, keep an eye on the second wave coming by train.”
“Roger that we’ll keep a sky eye view of them.”
Ponies began to spring into action as a second train with supplies arrived. Pegasus loaded up as much as they could carry to bring to the cloud bases overlooking the frozen wastelands. Boxes of gem bullets, explosives, bandages, and food would be transported from cloud base to cloud base to the front lines of the coming war.
As she watched the line of war supplies pass overhead Luna couldn’t help but shiver. An ill feeling overcoming her. Things were too quiet. She looked toward the towering cliffs again, a harsh wind blew in from the north and with it the cold storm that was on its way. Her legs aching from the shift in the atmosphere.
“We can only hope for the best,” Luna said though she wasn’t sure who she was talking to her or Celestia. Maybe it was mostly for herself, but hopefully, her words were of some assurance to the others. She rechecked the time the minute hand seemed frozen in place as the clocked hands turned slowly. Her feet pranced in place on their own accord, her body restless from waiting. “I’m going to take a quick walk around.” She told Celestia, leaving before her sister could even reply.
Trotting away from the command post-Luna snuck behind a tree looked for any pony nearby and tapped her gem com. “Sixes? Are you there?”
A bunch of noise came over the com, the sound of machines and banging tools and ponies shouting assaulting her ears, the noise persisted for several seconds as the sound of hooves against steel clanged over the commutator. There was a sound of a door closing, and all other noises were muffled.
“Sorry, I was looking over the repairs of the Nightmare. What's up? Your calling on a private line.”
Luna blushed brushing her bangs out of her eyes. “Um… yes, I wanted to… ah… check on the repairs. Yes, that what I’m doing. How are they coming along?” Sixes chuckled, causing Luna to slump against the tree. Who did she think she was fooling?
“Well,” Sixes said while laughing. “That’s a shame. I was hoping you just wanted to talk to me.”
“That too,” Luna admitted. This was a breach in conduct, but she needed this right now. “Fury and Cadence have entered the Empire. We’re sending in the pegasi units now and… I’m worried Sixes. I’m worried about them. Sombra… he’s dangerous. I’m worried Cadence might not be able to hold him off in the time it takes for Celestia and I to get there and even then, he could just do what he did before and…” Sixes laugh broke her rant. “What’s so funny? I'm serious Sixes!”
He muffled his laughter, but it was still in his voice when he spoke. Luna bit the inside of her cheek, miffed that her worries seemed so amusing to him. “Sorry, it’s funny to hear you so worried. You never worried like this before.” His tone shifted to serious. “So, don’t. We sent Fury with Cadence for a reason. She has plenty of others to help her, an entire battalion, eight hundred ponies to be exact and soon she’ll have even more and you and Celestia when the time is right. We’re pushing the engineers as hard as we can so hopefully the Nightmare will be there to help too. I’ll be on the next transport out to your position by tonight. The admiral can handle the rest of the repairs from here.”
Luna sighed in relief. “I’m glad to hear that. It’s not just Cadence I’m worried about, I’m worried about everypony, but mostly Twilight Sparkle and her friends, they joined the mission at the last minute via Celestia’s coaxing.” The line goes silent. “Sixes? Can you hear me?”
“Why did Celestia do that? I thought she’s seen enough of her students die.” Sixes said clucking his tongue. “Can’t believe she wants to go through that again.”
“What? What are you talking about?” Luna demanded hopping to her feet.
Sixes grumbled saying a few soft curses with his mouth away from the com. “Go ask Celesta. I never figured out why she sent them with us on missions, but their survival rate is lower than a greenhorn recruit. If she wants this one to live past twenty-five, you better withdraw her ASAP.”
The line goes dead, Luna stood stunned for several seconds before she fought down a scream and ran out of the brush for the command center and skidded to a stop in front of her sister. “We need to talk. No, actually forget talking, recall Twilight Sparkle and her friends, now.”
Celestia didn’t turn to look at her, nor did she even look upset at being yelled at in front of their officers and troops. She merely looked ahead to the north. “Twilight went on her own accord. I will not stand in her way.”
“Even if she never comes back? Like your other students?” Luna chastised.
Celestia nodded solemnly. “Yes. I gave them all the choice. No safety nets, that what your philosophy wasn’t it?”
Luna growled taking her spot next to her sister and stared up at the frozen cliffs. For several minutes she didn’t say anything. Not because she didn’t have anything to say, but because all her words would have been curses.
“When I first trained Night Patrol I wanted to make sure they’d be ready for anything, even then some didn’t make it. Do you believe you did the same for your students?” Luna grimly asked. Celestia took a deep breath and exhaled looking solemn. “I like to think I did.”
“I see, then I hope Twilight lives up to your expectations.”
“So, do I,” Celestia admitted. “I hope they all do.”
Gloves watched as the tanks used snow plows to pile dirt into earth walls to help protect the base. Over the gemcoms, Colonel Bridge was directing his vision very clearly and concisely, and they were doing the best they could meet his demands. It did help that they had a few troops that had been in the mock battle with the colonel and they were able to assist in the construction directly.
The base design was simple. The main camp was made of a one hundred by one-hundred-yard square about half a mile from where they entered from the frozen wastelands. They were a fair distance out of the city limits, but artillery would still be effective from this position. Whenever the artillery cannons arrived. For now, the tanks would provide artillery support. They weren’t as effective, but they would work in a pinch.
Next, they added two more squares to both sides and then two more in the back for sleeping quarters, supplies and things of that nature. The front wall was taller with hills for the tanks to drive up and gain some more vantage point for firing. A half wall of dirt was placed in front of the tanks to absorb incoming fire. Overall it wasn’t a grand base, but it was effective. The earth ponies were using their magic to harden and pack the dirt tighter further increasing the defenses of the base.
Now they just needed to solve their communications problem. Gloves flew up into the air overlooking the base and following the line of wire that led towards the edge of the bubble that kept the snow and cold at bay. A team of troopers and radio ponies stood out in the middle of the plains only reaching halfway to the edge of the bubble. The cable reached back to the base where the central gem communicator was stationed.
Gloves flew back down and tapped a brown pony on the shoulder, “Private Knien, we may need to make a satellite base closer to the border see that it’d done when we’re done reinforcing the walls.”
“Yes, sir.”
Things were looking good, now they just needed to wait for their supplies to arrive along with the air force and they’ll have a proper staging area to take the city. Flying to the top of the northern wall Gloves surveyed the field before him, looking left and right to see if any pony else was around. Find none he pressed his gemcom.
“Commander Fury, this is Vice Commander Gloves, Commander Fury do you read me?” Static came over the channel, same as before. Even their short-range communications were blocked. They may have to leave the shield bubble to report back to home base. With an angry tick, Gloves tapped his gemcom off again. He was about to fly back down when something caught his eye. He froze and slowly turned towards the city again, sighting a black line of silhouettes. There were dozens, no, hundreds of them! “Get me a spyglass!” He barked, one pony frantically running up the central hill of the dirt wall to full fill the request. Gloves took the spyglass in his claw and looked out over yonder.
“What do you see sir?” The Private asked fearfully.
Gloves didn’t reply. Simply panning the growing line of ponies, seeing no weapons, no armor, or any indication that they were soldiers, yet still, they stood in a loose line formation on the low hill just outside the city. A rough guess was maybe five hundred ponies were looking down at their little base.
“Get sentries on the walls, keep an eye on them, but don’t engage them unless they pass those crystals, the ones about two hundred yards out. Make sure the tanks are set up and ready to fire if needed.” Gloves calmly ordered the private, who nodded nervously and slid back down the hill, the base suddenly very lively. Solemnly Gloves tapped his com again, still only static. “Shit, be safe Fury.”
“Captain Shiny Stone?” Fury was befuddled by the pony standing in front of him a gruff looking teal colored crystal unicorn with a mustache and grayed hair. Same as the Shiny Stone he’d met before. His coat was looking a bit dull right now, but other than that he was a perfect match. Which only made this meeting even more impossible. Shiny Stone was last seen charging into Sombra’s forces to by time for their escape. There was no way he could have survived.
The pony brushed off Fury’s grip and took a step back, his old eyes squinting hard at the red Rinin. “I’m sorry young lad, but do we know each other? Actually… who am I?”
Fury took a few cautious steps back, the surrounding crystal ponies looking scared and confused. Funny how they didn’t react to the fifty-ton war machine rolling through their city. “Your Shiny Stone, Captain of the Crystal Royal guard, Queen Symphony was your ruler, we met on the coronation of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. We fought together when Sombra invaded the kingdom. Does any of that ring any bells?”
“No, I’m afraid not laddie. As you can see, there had been no invasion here… I think.”
“What about your son? Shiny Silver? Have you forgotten him?” Fury pressed. Finally getting a reaction from the crystal pony. Shiny Stone’s face scrunched in pain, sweat bleeding from his brow.
“I… ah… I don’t know, please leave me be laddie. I suddenly have a headache.” Fury grabbed the old stallion as he began to sway, digging his claws deep. “Lad, that hurts.”
Fury let him go. “Sorry, you're free to go.”
Shiny Stone nodded, “Yes thank you.” The old stallion staggered off, trotting haphazardly without direction. The other crystal ponies began to slink away, leaving them alone in the plaza.
“Hey wait, I want to talk to you!” Twilight shouted at the retreating ponies, running after them, but Fury grabbed her and pulled her back into the unit. “Hey what are you doing!”
“What do you think you're doing?” Fury countered. “I gave you specific instructions to stay close, do that again and you're going back to base. We can’t trust these ponies.”
“Why not? You saw them! They were confused and didn’t have any memories! You even touched one! So, they must be real right?”
Fury flexed his claw. Shiny Stone had indeed been made of flesh or at least solid, or this was very advanced illusion magic. “Maybe they’re real, maybe not, but that doesn’t mean they’re friendly either. Forgive my skepticism, but I don’t trust dead ponies. Let’s move out, bravo team will recon the northeast side of the city, team Charlie will recon the east, and my team will go west. Keep the comm links open, be wary of everything!”
“I’m going with these guys! Come on Fluttershy, let’s go check out that Colosseum!” Rainbow Dash declared landing beside Fury with the yellow pegasus in tow.
“Um, I’m going to look at all the crystal architecture and the crystal ponies! Whoa! There are so many crystals!” Rarity said excitedly walking over to AppleJazz’s unit with Pinkie bouncing after her.
“I’m going to check out the baked goods!” The pink pony declared.
Fury could only groan. Cadence gave him an understanding smile as Twilight walked over to Trifecta. “It looks like there’s a library over there.” Twilight pointed to the tower in the east with a tree carved into it, the symbol of knowledge and learning. She looked at him nervously. “Is it ok for me to go with… um… what’s your name?”
“Vice Commander Trifecta,” Trifecta bowed. Flashing the lavender unicorn, a heart-melting smile. “Don’t worry I’m not quite the hardass as the Boss over there is.”
Twilight looked desperately at Fury. It would be better to have the VIPS in one group so they could evac them all at once. On the other hoof, if they were ambushed at least, they all wouldn’t have the chance of dying instantly, if say, a cannon was fired at them. It was really a no-win situation for him.
“Fine, Goodnight go with them, and Sweet Dreams go with AppleJazz. Shining Armor and I will take care of the Princess’s protection.” Fury turned around looking the group over, there was one who hadn’t made any requests to leave. “Do you desire to travel in a different group Lady Applejack?”
“Applejack’s just fine, and I’ll stick with you if you don’t mind.”
“Very well. Let’s move out then, we’ll rendezvous back here in an hour. Unless something happens, such as an attack. If that’s the case, proceed with the plan we laid out on the trip here. For those that weren’t part of the meeting, the plan is to get back to base ASAP.” Fury nodded at the other two, who nodded back. “Bixin.”
A brown rinin poked his head out from the driver's hatch of the tank. “Yes, sir?”
“Stay here, keep an eye out. If there’s any trouble send up a flare. Lock the hatches too.” Fury ordered. The brown rinin nodded and closed the latch, the lock fastening with a loud ‘clang.’
The three groups separated each going their own way. As they march, Fury glanced back at the pedestal where the crystal heart had rested once upon a time a thousand years ago. He wasn’t surprised to find it missing. Really, he would have been more surprised if it had actually been there.
“So, you might think me stupid for asking, but why didn’t we go into the castle?” Applejack asked as they trotted towards the Colosseum. The massive structure towering over everything else in the west sector of the city.
“We’ll save that for last if things don’t go to shit.” Fury replied. He glanced warily around the streets as they weaved through the stalls and games. This place looked exactly like it had before the attack, minus about seventy percent of the ponies were present. There were a few vendors mindlessly minding their stalls and a few crystal ponies milling about in a dazed state that was frankly creepy as hell. This place might as well have been a ghost town compared to before.
The castle would be the best place to search first, but I have a bad feeling about it. He thought as they approach the gates to the Colosseum floor. He took a breath, remembering the cheering crowds, his fight with Blood Moon, the bat pony that had served Sombra and the hell that had broken out when their match finished.
“Keep your guards up, this is where it all started.” He warned slowly entering the narrow hallway. It seemed to take forever to walk through the darkened tunnel like they were walking through honey or maybe it was just him. As the light from the outside blinded him as it did before Fury stood in the dirt floor once again. The seats were empty, all was quiet, but they were not alone. Across the arena stood a pony hidden in the shadow of the other contender hall.
“Are you my opponent this day?” The pony asked with a booming voice. “If so which one? All non-participants must return to the stands.”
“Why don’t you come out? Let’s talk where we can see each other.” Fury shouted back.
The pony scoffed. “Any ruin my dramatic entrance? A champion needs to have a little flare when he enters no? Now please all non-participants please exit the arena.”
The gate behind them closed, blocking the tunnel. The Princess and Applejack looked worried as Shining raise a shield around them and the others spread outpointing their hoof blasters at the ‘champion.’
“Stand down,” Fury barked walking ahead of the group. “All of you go take a seat and just watch. We don’t need to make a scene.”
Shining balked. “You can’t be serious?” Shining’s eye darted around the arena wall, he spotted several runes scribed into the arena walls. “Once we go up there, they’ll probably throw up a shield over the arena, we won’t be able to help you.”
“Yeah, I want in on this action too!” Rainbow Dash brashly boasted.
Fury ignored the Pegasus’s outburst, continuing to talk to Shining. “I won’t need your help, you just focus on your objective, besides I got a hunch about who this guy is. For now, we’ll play his game.”
Shining bit his lip, but relented and made a flat shield for everypony to walk up to the stands. One by one they all sat down on the front row of the lowest row of stone benches and sure enough just as Shining predicted the protect shield rose over the arena cutting Fury off from the others. Not that he minded, better he be in here then somepony else.
“Royalty is to be seated on the balcony.” A booming voice said. The group looked up to the balcony above Fury’s opponent, the speaker covered in shadows with only the outline of green magic levitating a wine glass insight. “Please proceed to your proper seating Princess.”
Cadence looked worriedly at the opposite balcony above Fury. There’s no way this isn’t a trap. She grumbled, “Only if my husband can join me. He is a Prince after all.”
The shadowed pony waved, a booted hoof flashing in the light. “Very well, but the rift raft stays in the commoner seats.”
“Sorry, everypony.” With great reluctance Cadence and Shining move up to the royal suite, two large comfy chairs, one white, one blue, waited for them with a chilled bottle of wine. She ignored the wine and took a seat in the right chair, while Shining stood beside her, leaving the other vacant. “I think they were expecting Celestia and Luna.” She remarked getting comfortable. It was a perfect view from up here.
“This is seat is comfy.” Cadence whipped her head around to find Rainbow Dash sitting in the other chair. “What?”
“Nothing,” She replied sourly. “Just don’t touch anything.”
With the seating arrangement taken care off Fury focused on his opponent. “Alright, it’s just you and me now, champ. You ready for your big reveal?”
The champion chuckled darkly as he exited the tunnel. “Oh yes. I’m so excited for our rematch, Fierce Fury.”
Fury crouched digging his claws into the dirt as the champion stepped into the light. He wasn’t surprised, that blood colored coat, those dark red stained leathery wings, it was Blood Moon. At least he thought it was. The red thestral had blue crystals adorning his body, not too dissimilar to Topaz and Emerald.
“What happened to you?” Fury asked the bat pony.
Blood Moon growled his vampiric fangs dropping below his lower lip. “I got stronger.”
Fury snorted fire from his nostrils. “We’ll see about that.” Slowly he stomped to the center of the arena, Blood Moon matching his stride step for step until they stood muzzle to muzzle both waiting for the other to make the first move.
“RAGH!” Blood Moon spun swinging his crystal covered leg, the spike protruding from his knee gleaming like a blade. Fury ducked, charged with his shoulder and tackled Blood Moon the crystal blade bouncing off his scales. Claws dug deep into ground Fury bit the bat pony’s shoulder and ran, dragging Blood Moon across the loose dirt. The bat pony kicked and swore as Fury rammed full throttle into the side wall. A massive plume of dust kicked up, and Fury flew into the air, his chest glowing and balloon as fire poured out from between his teeth. The stream of fire sailed towards the dust cloud which suddenly dispersed Blood Moon releasing a sonic shriek to counter.
The stream of fire hit shriek, fire exploding everywhere as the crowd shield lit up as tiny fireballs peppered the dome.
Blood Moon growled, his heckles vibrating as he flew into the air at full speed. Fury readied his claws diving to meet the threstral. Blood posed his crystal blade forward, while Fury built up more flames. The two met, Blood swinging his bladed knee, Fury rolled under the strike, puckering his lips he shot a barrage of tiny fireballs at the thestral exposed belly. The thestral howling as his under hair burned. Fury comes up from below on Blood’s right flank and thrust his claws between the thestrals ribs. The bat pony let out a pained gasp as Fury sunk his claws deeper and twisted, bones snapped as Fury worked his claws past the ribcage, tearing through organs until the Rinin grasped the thestral heart.
Softly Fury whispered, “This is for betraying Luna.” With an air shaking roar Fury gripped the threstal’s heart and ripped it free nearly tearing the pony in two. Blood Moon tumbled through the air, hitting the ground with a hard ‘SPLAT.’
Fury looked down upon the withering thestral, barely clinging to life, choking on his own blood as he reached toward the Royal suite, only for his leg to fall to the ground. His body finally shutting down.
From the royal suite, the shadowed occupation clapped. “Quite the show, quite the show indeed. A marvelous rematch, even with Blood Moon’s crystals enhancements you still beat him. You Rinin are indeed the apex of pony kind, you are truly monstrous, Fierce Fury. Even your companions think so.”
Fury glanced at the others, they were quiet, jaw slacked and looking at him in shock and horror. Some of them had even emptied their stomachs. Applejack seemed to be barely holding herself together as Fluttershy sat hunched over. He expected as much. He just wished his own troops weren’t doing the same. In the royal suite, Rainbow Dash was looking green too, while Cadence and Shining Armor looked solemn but still sick.
“They’ll get used to it.” Fury replied. He couldn’t really see, but he was certain the shadowed pony was smirking. “Why doesn’t your grace come out, Sombra?”
The shadowed pony laughed, “I assumed you think that, but no, no, I am not him.” The pony stepped into the light, revealing a long gold curved horn, and mane, the pony’s coat was gray, almost black, and he stood probably as tall as Celestia with triple the muscle mass. “My name is Prince Scath, Second son of King Sombra, and I will be facing you now, Fierce Fury.” From a burst of black fire a claymore the size of which only giants would wield appeared. The massive ten-foot blade cleaved the roof of the royal suite clean off as the dark unicorn swung his weapon. Wings of crystals unflurried from under the black stallion's body, and he took to the air, sword swinging downward as he passed through the arena shield.
“Have at thee!”
Conjuring two spheres of fire Fury slammed them together to create a sword of fire. “Everypony, run!” He shouted as he met Scath’s blade. The massive sword pushed him down, and he was slammed into the ground. Fury growled and tried to stand up, but a gigantic black hoof crushed his blackleg. He let out a scream as Scath grabbed him with his magic and hauled him into the air.
“Tell me, Fierce Fury,” Scath said devilish forcing Fury to look at the stands as ponies clad in black swarmed the stands. His troops engaged, firing their hoof blasters, but they were hopelessly outnumbered. A pair of troopers led Applejack and Fluttershy toward Shining Armor’s position, which as also being overrun. “Which mare should I have first after I kill you?”
The royal suite where Cadence was suddenly exploded as the Princess and Shining Armor leaped down to aid the others with Rainbow inside a spherical shield. The princess gave him a quick look before having Shining throw Fluttershy and Applejack in with Rainbow Dash, and the royal couple made a break for it with the remaining troopers. Cadence blasted open a hole in the stands, and they slipped away from view.
“I think they’ll be too strong-willed for a limp dick like you.” Fury laughed. Scath growled and brought his blade down. “After them fools!”
“This place is lovely! Look at all these amazing fabrics, crystal thread, crystal silk fabric, so many crystals! This place is paradise!” Rarity swooned running from vendor to vendor like a love-sick puppy. The stall vendors were very…unresponsive to her excitement. All of them hadn’t even blinked an eye as she dashed back and forth excitedly chattering about all the designs and dresses she could make. “Oh, that thread there would be amazing! Oh, I hope I have enough bits. Do you take Equestrian gold?”
The shop vendor Rarity was talking to slowly blinked looking at the gold coin the unicorn had set down. “Is that not enough? I have more.” Rarity worried as the vendor looked from the gold bit to her, and shrugged.
“I don’t know.”
Rarity cocked her head to the side. “I beg your pardon? These are your wares are they not?”
The vender pony shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Is there a price tag perhaps?” Rarity asked leaning on the store counter, looking desperately at the shiny crystal thread on the shelf. “Please check if there’s a price tag, I must have that thread!”
The vendor looked behind her at the shelf and then turned her head forward again. “I don’t know.”
Rarity bit down hard, smiling widely as she held in some very choice words. “Could you look again? Maybe there’s a price book somewhere?” The vendor didn’t move. “Fine! But I will be back! Please have a price by then.”
The vendor slowly blinked as Rarity left the store. “Ok…”
Outside Rarity let out a frustrated sigh and trotted over to AppleJazz and Sweet Dreams who were looking down opposite directions of the street, keeping a careful watch on their troops and Pinkie Pie who was running around talking to the food vendors.
“This Crystal frosting is delicious!” The pink pony cheered bouncing past them.
“How does she get service but I don’t?” Rarity asked sulking beside the two military mares.
“She’s been walking into the stalls and making her own food using the ingredients she found,” AppleJazz answered, her eyes following Pinkie’s every bouncing step. “I would advise you not to eat anything pre-made here. Fury is right, something is wrong with these ponies, their all dead-eyed and act like zombies.”
Rarity looked around at the ponies milling about. They all did seem a bit… derpy, like they weren’t all there. “Maybe they’re just feeling a bit down. What if we did something to raise their spirits, perhaps their memories would return as well.”
“That sounds like a lot of work.” Sweet Dreams said plopping down on her haunches. “You seriously going to do that just to get some string?”
“Of course… um… no I mean it just pains me to see these ponies so lost and miserable, but yes I would like the string too. I mean how hard can it be? I’m the element of Generosity and Pinkie is the element of laughter between the two of us, I’m sure we can….”
“Rarity! Check this out!” Pinkie Pie shouted down the street. All three of them galloped down the street and turn down an alley where Pinkie excitedly bounced in place in front of a peach-colored Crystal pony mare with frosting on her muzzle. The crystal pony looked wide-eyed her coat shining, becoming more transparent, more crystal like. “See, see! She started glowing after I gave her a cupcake and she remarked how she farmed wheat, and suddenly she started glowing and then you showed up.”
The peach crystal pony held her head, swaying side to side and then snapped at attention. “Amberlocks! My name is Amberlocks. I’m a wheat farmer! I made the crystal flour in that cupcake! Oh, Symphony I remember!” Amberlocks looked around her eyes clear. “What am I doing here? Hmm, must have been on a delivery.” She finally looked at the four, her smile widening. “Oh, a thestral! Are you here for the Crystal Festival? Are you part of King Sombra’s entourage?”
Sweet Dreams was taken aback. “Um… no, I’m from Equestria. Why are you happy to speak of King Sombra? He…” AppleJazz covered Sweet Dreams mouth with her hoof, Amberlocks looking confused.
“I’m sorry what was that?”
“Nothing,” Jazz said quickly. “Nothing at all. Sorry for bothering you, ma’am. Let’s go you three.” Walking into the center of the street Jazz motioned for her troops to gather closer. As they complied Amberlocks trotted out of the alley and began talking to other ponies. They began to shine as well their eyes coming alive again as their coats changed to crystal.
“Why didn’t you tell her about Sombra?” Sweet Dreams demanded.
Double checking that no pony was paying them any mind, yet, Jazz explained. “She thought it was the day of Princess Cadenza’s coronation or at least before the war broke out. To her, Sombra is an ally. I don’t know what’s going on, but we started something, and it’s spreading, look.”
They all turned around and saw more and more crystal ponies returning to their natural state. They became lively and began to take notice of their surroundings. Happily, the crystal ponies trotted up to the group of armed soldiers asking how they were doing and if they were enjoying the festival and where they were from. Soon an entire crowd surrounded them.
“What should we do?” Sweet Dreams asked as the crystal ponies began to tighten around them. “We can’t fire on unarmed civilians.”
If that’s what they indeed are. Jazz grumbled darkly. She couldn’t tell if these ponies were genuine or not and that was dangerous. Carefully she reached into her saddle gab and retrieved a jar of green sav, uncorked the bottle and dipped her hoof in it. Slowly she fought through the crowd of her own troops and dabbed a little of the sav on a random pony and then another, hitting three totaled. Nothing happened.
“What’d you do?” Sweet Dreams whispered as Jazz rejoined them.
“This sav is a zebra mixture that can force a changeling to take its true form. I dabbed a little on some random ponies, and none of them changed.”
“That’s good right?” Rarity asked.
“The only thing it means is that those three ponies weren’t changelings, it doesn’t account for illusion spells or just plan acting. We need to… where the fuck is Pinkie Pie.” Jazz barked noticing the pink mare’s absence.
Suddenly a bell rang, and a familiar voice cried out. “Free cupcakes! Come get some cupcakes that’ll put your frown upside down and make you shine again! Both literally and figuratively. Just ask my new friend Amberlocks!”
“Ok new plan, we start to make our way back to base. I don’t like the situation. I’ll tell Commander Fury what’s going on.” Jazz tapped her gem com, getting static. “What the hell? This thing never fritzed out like this before. Come on, work!”
“You're wearing strange armor Miss, where are you from?” Somepony asked. Jazz didn’t bother to turn and look at who was talking to her.
“Equestria, look I’m busy right now.”
“Equestria? How interesting. Are Princess Celestia and Luna on their way?” The pony asked again.
Jazz was about to answer again but stopped herself. Cautiously she turned to the pony talking to her, it was a stallion, a black unicorn with a green mane and wearing some sort of military uniform with a black cloak with several medals and markings she’s only seen in history books. He bore the symbol of Maredor, Sombra’s kingdom.
“Who wants to know?” She asked hotly getting in front of Rarity and Sweet Dreams.
“Oh, I am merely a humble servant to my lord, King Sombra, I am Commander Brim Bight. My master is curious if the royal sisters are on their way.”
Brim Bight. That sounds familiar. Jazz mused. “Can’t say, you know how it is.”
“Yes, yes, I understand. I would be on edge if you were to ask me the same. Really you shouldn’t be so jumpy, we are both allies here to enjoy a festival in the Crystal Empire no? Better we don’t make a scene, right? Miss…”
“Vice Commander AppleJazz.”
Brim chuckled. “Really, a female a Vice Commander? Now I’ve truly seen everything. Good day, Vice Commander, I hope we’ll see each other again.”
Rarity growled, “Why that… who does he think he is! He’s acting like it’s…”
“A thousand years ago,” AppleJazz finished for her, paying no heed to Brims comments. “We need to get out of here. Everypony lineup! And grab Ms. Pie! We’re going back to base!”
Jazz marched at the front, Sweet Dreams and Rarity behind her, flanked by two stallions on both sides. Pinkie was placed in the center so they could hopefully stop her from running away again. “Miss Jazz, what has you so worked up?” Rarity asked trotting closer. “That’s stallion’s fossil ideals aside things don’t…”
She cut off the Element of Generosity. “I don’t give a crap about his words; his name is what’s bothering me. That was Brim Bight, one of Sombra’s legion Commanders and a dead pony by all records. He took a pickaxe through the face for Celestia’s sake!”
Rarity looked green as she fell back into line with the others. Her eyes wondering worriedly at everypony they passed. “Does that mean, everypony here is…”
“I don’t know.” Jazz sharply replied. “I don’t know, but I don’t know what to find out when there’s barely a dozen of us.”
“What about Commander Fury and Trifecta?” Sweet Dreams brought up. “We have to warn them.”
Jazz growled. “The coms aren’t working. Besides, I’m sure they’ll figure it out themselves soon enough. Right now, we’re closer to the base than the others. It makes more sense for us to get there and report our findings. Then we can mount a larger rescue force for the others. Hopefully, the pegasi are here by now.”
As they marched, Jazz kept her eyes moving, several times she spied ponies in the shadows watching them. They didn’t seem to notice that she spotted them. The fools probably thought their black armor kept them well hidden, a common misconception. They were no doubt Sombra’s agents, but what were they waiting for? Why not attack right now? They surely didn’t care about civilian casualties. Unless they had something else planned.
“Keep your guard up, expect a fight at any second.” Jazz cautioned her troops as they steadily marched towards the base. All the while Sombra’s shadows heckled them with a constant threat of attack. The meadows outside of town came into view their long grasses offering salvation from the crystal city or at least that’s what it seemed at first. A line of black-clad ponies ran out into the road, blocking it, on the rooftops hooves clattered as more black-clad stallions took up position above them.
They were surrounded.
“Sweets!” AppleJazz grabbed Rarity, while Sweet Dreams grabbed Pinkie Pie, both of them taking flight with a mare in tow. “We’ll be back! Try to hold out!” Jazz shouted to the unit. “Defend yourselves and survive!”
Rarity squirmed in AppleJazz’s grip as the noise of hoof blasters firing filled the air. “You can’t even suggest we’re leaving them behind!”
“I’m not suggesting, I already did.” Jazz retorted hotly. “Lucky you, you two are more important then all those guys combined. Must be nice to be such important ponies, others get to die for you.” As they fly over the meadows, the four mares get a look at the massing army of ponies in the meadow. A single tear fell from Jazz’s face. “I hate it when I have to lie.”
Rarity looked solemn while Pinkie was confused. “What do you mean lie?” The pink pony asked. Jazz keeping quiet as they dive towards the base.
“She means we probably won’t be able to help the ones we left behind, at least not before it’s too late.” Sweets explained as they touched down in the base.
“Thank Luna your guys are back!” Gloves marveled galloping over to them. “What’s going on? We’ve haven’t been able to establish contact with any pony! We really should have double checked the gemcoms before scouting, do you know where the others are? Are they on their way back?”
Jazz shouted. “Gloves! Settle down!” Gloves took a step back and righted himself. “Good, I know the other general locations, but I don’t know if they’re on their way back. I had to… separate from my team to get the VIPs to safety. I want to go back for them, but… well, care to explain your friends on the hill over yonder?”
Gloves looked grim as he and Jazz walk to the top of the dirt wall the enemy spread out before them. “Yeah, they started amassing not long after your guys went in. They haven’t done anything, yet, they must be waiting for something. I doubt they know this, but even with those numbers, we could repeal them a few times even the supplies we have now. At least until they number more than a thousand.”
“They might have eight hundred from what I saw when I flew over them. It’s strange there weren’t any flyers among them.” Jazz noted. “They're not flying Sombra’s colors either.”
“I noticed that too. The first dozen that showed up looked like regular crystal ponies at first, but they gradually turned into the black wall of ponies we now face. Before you ask the pegasi units, haven’t shown up yet or our second wave of ground units. I sent a team outside the bubble to try and make contact with the Princesses, but they haven’t reported back yet.” Gloves took a breath. “What’s the situation in the city?”
“It’s weird, we talked to some crystal ponies, Fury said something about this one… yes, Shiny Stone, he said he was dead, and then we split up, and we talked to some other ponies that thought it was the day of Princess Cadenza’s coronation and thought Sombra was still their ally.”
Gloves rubbed his chin thinking over the situation. It sucked that Fury and Trifecta, their most experienced commanders on sight weren’t here. Both he and Jazz had been in minor leadership roles before, leading platoons and special missions, but they were always following orders of Sixes, Fury, or Topaz. They didn’t make the battle plans, they only acted them out.
“This is a lot harder then they make it look.” He admitted sighing. “We should probably sit and wait, if any pony can make it back it’s those two.”
“Is that with or without burning down half the city?” Jazz joked, both of them chuckling until they realized Fury and Trifecta would do that. “I should go back for my team.”
“You know it’s already too late.”
“You don’t know that!”
“I don’t, but we can’t risk it. You did the right thing getting the VIPs out.”
“I know, but…”
“You’ll only get more ponied killed trying to save them.” Gloves said with finality. “I was given charge of base operations. Until Fury, another commander or one of the Princess’s comes it’s my call, and I’m ordering you to stay Jazz.” He turned away shouting at the lookouts. “Keep your eyes open for allied signal flares! Everypony be prepared for combat!”
A resounding “Yes, sir!” Shook the base. Jazz looked on at the crystal city wondering what was happening to the others.
“This place is amazing!” Gushed Twilight, she bounced from bookshelf to bookshelf. Trifecta sat back with Goodnight, watching the unicorn collect book after book as Spike waddled after her with even more books. The rest of the unit stood guard outside, save for two, who was inside with them keeping an eye on the doors. Eight troopers outside should make enough noise to alert them to any problems.
As Twilight finally settled down and actually finally began reading her books. Goodnight prodded him on the shoulder. “So, Commander Trifecta, what did Commander Fury mean when he said he didn’t trust dead ponies?”
Trifecta raised an eyebrow at the thestral. “That seems self-explanatory to me kid.”
Goody chuckled nervously. “I know, I know, but that pony, Shiny Stone, he looked alive and well. He certainly didn’t look like a zombie at least.”
“Did he?” Trifecta chuckled. “I guess he looked alive to me too, but I’m in the same camp as Fury. I didn’t know the stallion, didn’t even talk to him, but I was on the ship when I saw him, and a bunch of other old studs charges straight into the enemy lines. I very much doubt he survived. Especially after Sombra turned into this black hole thing and swallowed the Crystal Empire whole.”
“That sounds like it was epic,” Goody said giddily. “They probably wrote a lot of songs about that battle.”
“Maybe they did, not that it mattered, everypony forgot about that battle and us,” Trifecta said bitterly. “My brothers lived to be more than four hundred years old, they should have had statues, poems and songs about them for their heroics. Not just them, but everypony that served with us, rinin or not. Bastards didn’t even remember Princess Luna. We didn’t even get a stupid stain glass window.” He ground his fangs, his temper rising. “But.” Trifecta continued taking a relaxing breath. “My brother Thrice did leave behind a good-sized family. He did enough mating to make up for my lack of input. My brother Trinity left some kids over in Nippon too. I’m thinking of visiting them after this is over.”
A strangled gasp interrupts their conversation, both stallions look in the direction of Twilight who was on the verge of a panic attack. “Who defiled this book!” She shrilled, several more books lay opened with haphazard red ink covering the printed text. “What language is this even? It’s so hard to read.”
Trifecta got up and trotted over to the desk where Twilight was working. She was muttering to herself focusing hard on the words scribbled into the books in dark red ink. Trifecta hoped it was ink, but he had his doubts. Picking up one of the books he poured over it.
Twilight looked doubtfully at the rinin, “That’s ancient Equestrian, it took me weeks to decipher the text warning about Nightmare Moon and…”
Trifecta began reading aloud. “In the tenth summer of darkness, by Amethyst Maresbury, Librarian of the Crystal Empire. End my suffering please, for I can take no more, will a savior not come and free us from the shadows reign? I have borne five of his monsters by force and shall bear no more.” He turns the page. “In the tenth fall of darkness, Amethyst Maresbury, I will find my own salvation and achieve it with my own hooves. I leave this for my son, my true son, please forgive your mother. My resting place will be with my true love. You’ll find me in the back, I’m sorry.”
Twilight, Spike and Goodnight looked green. “Was that a…”
“Yes,” Trifecta curtly answered picking up another book. “This one too. My name is Bright Smile, and I just found my mother hanging in the back of the library, she took her life. Unable to bare our living conditions any longer, not that I blame her. Father was killed in the war ten years ago, and we’ve been in this realm of darkness under Sombra’s rule acting as tools for his return. I… I’m sorry mother, but I can’t do this alone. I will be joining you.”
“Oh, Celestia that’s…”
Trifecta picked up another book. The script in this book one frantic and messy. “The fifteenth Winter of darkness, Jade, I can’t take anymore! That brute! That monster! He called me to his chamber again! I won’t do it again! I won’t bear his spawn again! I’d rather die! I’ll throw myself from this building before that!” He turned the page. This one stained from water, the writing slobby and smudged, barely legible. “My name is Night Knight, my beloved Jade, they found her during the curfew, splattered on the street, she threw herself from the library’s roof. It has been come popular to write one’s final thoughts and… end their suffering at the library. Sombra leaves it untouched, he seems to enjoy watching our will break. I will miss my Jade, but I will not give him the satisfaction of killing myself. I will avenge her! I will avenge my beloved!” Trifecta closed the book.
He heard sniffling. Trifecta looked over to see Twilight wiping her tears with her leg, the young lavender mare looking weak and valuable her dragon patting her on the back while Goodnight looked at a lost about what to do. Not really the best time to breaking down. He opened a few more books, finding more and more of the same. Just about every page had some poor souls’ final words and frustrations scribbled onto it. Walking to the bookshelf Trifecta pulled a random book out and opened it up, find even more last wills. He wouldn’t be surprised if every book was like this.
“How many did we leave behind?” He wondered aloud snapping the book closed. He moved to replace it and found an eye peering back at him from between the book space. A gleeful red eye surrounded by green. “Fuck.”
Trifecta jumped back, chest ballooning with fire, he spewed a stream of silver flames at the bookshelf, the old paper lighting up like a match. Behind him, Twilight gasped and demanded what he was doing while Goodnight stood protectively in front of her. He moved between them and shadow that emerged from the fire. An amused chuckle echoing through the library.
The shadow gained form, it was a unicorn, a big unicorn, standing at least five inches taller then Trifecta, with a long-curved blue horn sticking from his head and a mane that changed from blue to black. “Very amusing, Dragon pony, very amusing indeed, but completely expected. My father has been preparing me for your kind since my birth.”
Trifecta clicked his tongue looking from the stallion to Twilight and Goody. He’s never seen Sombra up close himself, but if he were a guessing pony, he’d have to say this guy, and Sombra share some DNA. “So, what are you? Sombra’s son?”
“Yes, simply put, I am Schatten the fourth son of Sombra, and you shall be my first kill.” A spear with three prongs and one long scythe-like blade bursts forth from the flaming shadows surrounding Schatten, who took the weapon up in his magic and aimed it squarely at Trifecta. “Once I dispose of the stallions, I shall have to give the mare my attention. I sense a great source of magic from her.”
Trifecta snapped his jaws, fire spewing from between his teeth, “Don’t think you’ve won before we’ve even begun kid! I’ll gut ya and hang you up by your entrails for your daddy to see!”
Schatten chuckled, “What clever last words, my trophy.” He charged, and Trifecta jumped back, breathing fire at the dark unicorn. Schatten wasn’t fazed and charged through the flames and stuck Trifecta in the shoulder with his lance ramming the rinin through several bookcases before slamming him against the wall. Hard.
Coughing blood Trifecta grabbed the spear, holding it in as he looked at Twilight and Goodnight. “Run you, idiots.”
Goodnight hesitated for only a second before grabbing Spike and Twilight and rushing through the window. The wall of the library exploded behind them as Trifecta and Schatten continued to fight. Goodnight looked frantically around for the others and heard the sound of hoof blasters in the distance. With Spike on his back and Twilight tucked beneath his wing he ran towards the blaster fire, finding his fellow equestrians engaged with a mob of black-clad ponies.
“Hold them back!” Matchbox, the squad leader of the fire team, shouted. Goodnight looked dismayed as the gem bullets bounced off the black-clad ponies. He debated on helping but knew his mission was to keep Twilight safe.
“I’m sorry,” He said leading Twilight away.
“What happened to the city?” Twilight said in a state of shock. He didn’t know what she was talking about as they slipped into an alleyway to hide. A group of black-clad ponies rushing past as Goodnight used his body to cover Twilight and Spike, keeping them hidden in the shadows.
Taking a moment to catch their breath Goodnight finally noticed the enormous change that had taken place since they entered the library. The Crystal Empire, which had been a brilliant design of blue, purples, pink, and greenery. Was now a bare shell of blacks, red, and gray. In less than an hour, the entire city had changed entirely.
“We need to get out of here.”
“Not without my friends!” Twilight objected with fire in her eyes. “Cadence and Shining Armor, and everypony else too!”
Goodnight covered her mouth with his hoof, looking fearfully around for any pony that might have overheard her. “Shush! Look, I get it. I want to help the others too, but it’s just you, me, and a baby dragon. We have to play this smart!”
Twilight knocked his hoof away, glaring at him, “Don’t lecture me about friendship, you left your friends behind!”
He bared his fangs getting right up in the unicorns face. “You think I wanted to do that! You think I just wanted to leave Trifecta and the others! I had to do it, I was told to run, and I did. And you know why Twilight? No, don’t worry, I’ll tell you the answer. It’s because of you. I had to leave Trifecta, Matchbox, and everypony else, because of you. Because you’re an element of harmony and Celestia’s student, your more important and thus pony’s like my friends and I get to die for you. Now listen to me, we are going to back to base, if we find anypony else we’ll try to join up with them if we can, but for now. We need to keep a low profile otherwise Schatten, and those black-clad goons will find us. I know they’re going to kill me outright if they do. You? Well… I’m more afraid of what they might do to you.”
Twilight’s ears flopped flat against her head. The unicorn looking heartbroken, she took a staggered breath and looked him in the eye. “Ok.” She said softly, the fire reignited in her eyes. “What do we do?”
Goodnight tapped a piece on her armor, changing it from non-combatant gray, to midnight blue, the same color as his. “Follow me and stick to the shadows, how far can you teleport?” He asked leading the way across the street.
“By myself about a mile, with all of three of us, half a mile. I can teleport about three times before needing to cool down. Teleporting creates a big flash and surge of magic they’ll be able to track me easily.”
He led them down another alley, letting a parade of Sombra's soldier march past. “That fine.” He said once the column was gone. “I’ll get you close enough, you just worry about getting yourself and Spike out of here. I’ll be staying behind.”
“But Goody…”
“I’m not leaving them behind.” He said firmly. “Once you’re safe, I’m going back for everypony else. You tell command what happened, that’s your mission.”
“But I’m supposed to…”
“Find the crystal heart? Fat chance of that happening with things the way they are now. Look, Fury told me this once in training, don’t focus on what you think you should be doing and do what you need to do to complete the mission. Understand?”
The snowstorm ragged, pelting her armor hard while frost gathered at the edge of her goggle lens. Captain Fleetfoot of the Equestrian air force let out a frustrated scream into her muzzle mask, angrily hitting the side of her helmet as she tried to make her gem map work. The tiny black display in the corner of her vision showed a narrow squiggly line that was supposed to be the route Fury’s battalion took to the empire.
It couldn’t be a straight line of course. Fleetfoot growled fighting against the high winds of the storm. A strong gust had her careening to the side, her map began to flash, a blinking red arrow appeared in the middle of her visor demanding her to get back on course. “I know.” She snapped adjusting her flight path. This was not the first time this happened, the whole trip has been like this.
We really should have taken off sooner or waited for the storm to pass. This is fucking impossible! I thought we just had to fly straight north, but nope! We’re out here in the middle of nowhere with a map that looks like it was drawn by a foul!
Another gust knocked her off route and before Fleetfoot could even attempt to realign herself, another blast of wind hit her again! Fleetfoot’s world spun as she tumbled through the sky, hitting two others. Everything a blurry whirl until she came to an abrupt and soft landing in the snow. After digging out of the white fluff, Fleetfoot was unsurprised to find many others in the snow with her.
Seething through her teeth she tapped her gemcom, “Alright, enough of this, everypony land at my mark. Check your squads to make sure everypony is still there, and we’ll march to the damn city!” Fleetfoot waited for everypony that didn’t get knocked out of the sky to land. Visibility wasn’t much better, but since they weren’t flying at two hundred miles per hour into forty miles per hour winds, the visibility was slightly better than in the air. Slightly being the keyword. Twenty-five yards was about as far as she could see, which would make reorganizing her units difficult.
Chatter came over the gemcom as everypony tried to find their units. Fleetfoot tapped her helm bringing up her map, from what she read in the instruction book she should be able to set a beacon that others can follow. Now if she could only remember how to place it.
“Um… set a beacon to…” She bit her tongue trying to remember what the book said. The letters and numbers on her grid map caught her attention. “Set beacons at A8, B8, and C8 and D8.” Much to her amazement, four different color markers dotted her map now. “Good, good, alright, listen up everypony!” Fleetfoot commanded. “Platoon A will gather at marker Alpha, Platoon B will gather at marker Bravo, and so on you get the picture. Don’t worry about finding your individual units, just find your Platoon and stay to gather. We don’t need any pony getting lost out here.”
Doing as she commanded the pegasi ponies regrouped and stood in parade formation at attention in ten by twenty blocks. Once it looked like everypony was back information Fleetfoot flew over the columns and counted the rows.
“Seven hundred and eighty, Seven hundred ninety... what?” She was missing an entire row! Fleetfoot flew two hundred feet up in that air and tapped her display control boarding her map. Everyponies helmet had a gemcom that acted as a beacon and marked their location. She expanded her map again, covering a near three-mile radius. There was one bright column in her location, but darkness everywhere else. “Dammit.” She tapped her map back to default and flew back down. “Come on everypony! Let’s go! It’s do or die!”
They began to march through the snow with nothing but the red path indicating Fury’s route to guide them in the frozen wastelands. There were no landmarks, no tracks, nothing but snow, snow, and more snow.
Fleetfoot led the way forward, leading everypony to their salvation or their death if they didn’t get out of this snow. “Hey Fleet?” Spitfire’s voice said over the officer’s line. Her voice distorted and filled with static. “What’s going on, you guys were flying fast, and now you’re at a crawl. Did something happen?”
“Storm knocked us off course. We’re marching on the ground can you see how long till we get there on that fancy map of yours?” Spitfire and Bridge were on the airships with a large overview map of the area, they could see everything the gemcoms recorded as long as they weren’t destroyed. “Also, could you look for ten units that aren’t with the column? The storm blew away some of my soldiers. They might be out of range of my com.”
“I’ll see what I can do, we’ve been having a hard time with the gemcoms, the storm is really pushing them to their limits. We’re lucky we can still talk to you. We haven’t been able to talk or see Fury’s battalion since the storm rolled in.” Fleetfoot cursed, while Spitfire sighed. “I know how you feel my friend. Some good news you guys are on the right track to the Empire. At your current speed, you’ll probably reach it in an hour.”
“What’s the bad news?”
“Bad news I can’t see your ten missing units. Their coms are either damaged, destroyed, or they're… indisposed. The gems only work if they're receiving magic from the pony using them. They could only be unconscious.” Spitfire said with a glint of hope, but they both knew even if the ten ponies were alive, the storm would get them sooner then later. Especially if they were unconscious.
Fleetfoot chewed the inside of her lip, angry at herself. How could I lose ten of them before even getting to the stupid city?
“These things happen, Fleet, just focus on getting to the FOB.”
“Roger that,” Fleetfoot replied bitterly.
Fleetfoot and her battalion battled their way through the snowstorm, the conditions completely whited out. To try and keep everypony together they stretched out their wings to the pony next to them. It helped, but only slightly.
“Fleetfoot!” Soarin yelled fighting his way up to her. “Misty Fly’s reporting she’s missing five more ponies!”
She tapped her gemcom, looking for them. The map only showed a faint red line, their path, and a bright green line that represented the column, everything else was blurry. The five gemcoms signals too weak to break through the storm’s interference.
“We’ll lose more looking for them, if they can find the path, they’ll make it.” She grimly replied.
“Will we even make it?” Soarin pressed, the wind picking up. The helmets registered over sixty miles per hour winds. “We should bunker down! If we dig into the snow, we can wait out the storm.”
Biting her lip Fleetfoot took a sharp breath and weighed their options. They’ve already lost fifteen ponies, but hunkering down in the storm wouldn’t grantee any pony’s life. Checking the map, Fleetfoot squinted trying to figure out just how far they were from the empire. Spitfire said they were an hour away, but that time and more have passed since then, and she didn’t see anything.
“Spitfire? Spitfire, do you read me?” No reply. “Dammit.”
Fleetfoot turned around the column coming to a stop. She could see Soarin and the first row behind him, and nothing else. Only the glowing of the others gemcoms let her know they were still there.
“Winter protocol is to stay put in a storm like this Fleetfoot,” Soarin commented. “We should bunker down.”
“If we do that there’s no telling how many we’ll lose to the cold! We’re moving, we’re as well fed and warm as we’ll ever get if we stop the sweat is going to freeze to our coat and then we’ll really be freezing. We’re close! We have to be!”
Soarin hung his head. “Are those your orders, captain?”
She stood up straight and nodded, “Yes, we keep moving! Stay on the trail!”
Pushing on again Fleetfoot dug through the snow. The snow as now deeper than her legs, so she had to drive her body through the drifts. She paused in her efforts, looking side to side, some piles were higher on either side of her like something had pushed a path… “Holy Celestia’s teat this is it! We found Fury’s path!” She cheered through the gemcoms, her troops cheering as they moved up beside her. “All together now! Pack this snow down good, Mares and Studs!”
Altogether the first row began stomping in place, packing the snow down deep, so it was easier for the ones behind them to march. They switched rows every few minutes, turning the deep drifts into a smooth snow road.
The storm began to wain, and an object could be seen in the distance, a giant transparent dome with a shining city inside. Fleetfoot and Soarin stood on the hill staring down into the valley where the Crystal Empire was nestled.
“We found it,” Fleetfoot exclaimed. “We fucking found it!”
Everypony breathed a sigh of relief as they looked upon the crystal city. A weight dropping from their shoulders. Down near the dome, several small specks waved at them, shooting up flares. Fleetfoot nodded to Soarin who replied with a flare of their own. They were friendlies.
“Thank Celestia,” the blue stallion sighed exhausted.
“Gotta thank somepony,” Fleetfoot said as they marched down the hill to the ponies. They saluted as they passed the group of earth ponies working on a huge gemcom with a dish on it. Fleetfoot stepped out of the lead allowing Soarin to take over and trotted over the radio ponies. “How’s it going?”
“Better now that the storm finally cleared up, we just reconnected with command. We’re still having problems inside I think.” One pony said frustrated.
“I see, well keep working on it.” She encouraged flying to the edge of the dome to watch the columns march inside. Carefully she counted the rows. “Seven hundred and eighty-six?” Fleetfoot blinked. Redoing the numbers again as the last row slipped into the dome. She had lost fifteen, and she had been expecting more to begone, but she had one extra.
She entered the dome, mumbling. “Did somepony manage to make it back?” Her train of thought was completely lost when she breathed the warm air. Quickly she removed her helmet, rubbed her eyes and stared at the greenery around her. After slapping herself, Fleetfoot confirmed what she was seeing was real. “Well, fuck me, if I didn’t know better, I’d say I just died and went to paradise.”
“Captain!” Soarin yelled from above. “Commander Gloves wants to talk to you!”
“Um, right, I’ll be right there!” She replied flying over her troops, who were relishing the change in climate. As she flew, Fleetfoot admired the base Gloves managed to make in only a few hours. It was made of dirt, but it looked fortified at least. Spotting the blue Rinin Fleetfoot dived down landing beside him on the exterior wall facing the city. “Holy shit.” She quickly took notice of the black-clad army directly opposed to them.
“You can say that again, glad you finally made it. I was getting worried.” Gloves reached out a claw for her shake, which she did. “Nice to meet you properly Captain Fleetfoot, looks like we’ll be going to war together.”
“Yeah,” She laughed nervously. “Be the first time I’ve been in something this grand scale. I’m more an infiltrator and black ops kind of mare.”
Gloves looked at her with sympathy. “Same, this is the first time I’ve been in command of a force this big. I’m used to small units and carrying out orders. Unfortunately, all our experienced commanders are currently trapped inside the city with the Princess and most of the VIPs.”
Slowly Fleetfoot turned to her head looking agape at the rinin, her jaw hanging wide open. “Why the hell are they there? Didn’t you have recon units or anything?”
“They were the recon unit.” Gloves answered. “Probably wasn’t the wisest course of action in hindsight.”
“Gloves!” AppleJazz shouted running up the wall with another pony. “I got the map made!” She said excitedly grabbing the rolled map from the pony trotting beside her. “This guy is amazing, look how detailed this is!”
“Thank you, ma’am,” The pony said with a higher pitched voice then Jazz was expecting, almost sounded like a mare. Ignoring that Jazz took the map back and laid it over the pony’s back, who spread their wings to be a makeshift table for them.
The map was of the Crystal city laid out on a grid. In the center of the map was the castle with markings for the Colosseum, the library, and the market district. Jazz laid several different colored chips on the gridded sheet. “The Pink and Red represent where Fury and the Princess went, I think they had Applejack and the two pegasi with them, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Trifecta and Goodnight took Twilight to the library, and I had Rarity and Pinkie Pie, who are safe inside the base. My unit… well… I hope Fury finds them.”
“What about the tank?” Gloves inquired.
“Right, sorry, Bixin and the tank are in front of the castle.”
Fleetfoot brushed against Gloves, trying to get a closer look at the map. “How’d you mark these streets if you didn’t go down them.”
“I flew up and made notes of any streets I could see and gave them to this guy.” Jazz answered. “There may be some inconsistencies.”
“Better then nothing I suppose.” The pegasi captain snorted grinding her hoof into her skull. “Oh, sweet Celestia their really all scattered throughout the city?”
Gloves and Jazz nodded. “That is the situation I’m afraid. We were trying to think of a way to get into the city to extract them, but I doubt our friends will let us pass so easily this time.” Gloves indicated the black army opposing them. “Of course, now that we have more air units, our options have greatly broadened.”
“As eager as I am to get into the fight, my ponies just flew and marched through the snow for hours. They’ll need some rest before launching a major attack.” Fleetfoot pointed out.
“That is a luxury we may not have, Captain Fleetfoot.” Gloves countered. He looked down the hill at the pegasi unit mingling with the earth units. “That said, we’ll give them what rest we can, but we’ll have to remain on high alert for…”
“Um… Commanders?” The pony acting as their table pointed out to the field between the two armies. The three officers squinted their eyes, spotting a single lavender figure galloping at them.
“Fuck… is that?”
“It’s Twilight and Spike!” Jazz shouted, leaping into action.
“Gods dammit Jazz!!” Gloves yelled, he slapped his face and groaned. “Dammit! Ponies of Equestria! To battle stations!” He bellowed the walls coming alive as earth ponies took up their assigned positions with their hoof blasters aimed and ready. “We have an ally incoming! Provide cover fire!”
Fleetfoot swirled around and yelled at the top of her lungs. “Soarin! Get your squad up here! We have a rescue mission!”
“Roger!” The blue stallion saluted, flying up to her with twenty other pegasi.
“Come on! The enemy is on the move! First Platoon provide air support!” Fleetfoot barked as the enemy lines began to move, black specks galloping towards the purple unicorn. “Come on! Hurry, hurry, hurry!”
Earlier
“RAGH!” Goodnight slammed one of Sombra’s soldiers against the wall, the black soldier’s mouth was clamped shut via magic rope provided by Twilight. He punched the soldier again, again, and again, his hoof breaking the soldier’s jaw with a loud and sickening ‘crack!’ Breathing hard Goodnight stepped back, reared up and brought his full weight down on the black pony’s neck. The pony’s head rolled to the side, its eyes rolled back showing only white. His hoof raised Goodnight flicked his boot blade out and stabbed it into the pony’s neck for good measure. Same as the last five Sombra soldiers he and Twilight had run into.
“Come on, let’s go.” He commanded gruffly. Twilight attentively stepped around the corpse, the lavender unicorn looked greener then purple at the moment. Spike, the young dragon, rode on her back, his face buried into her mane.
“What are these ponies?” Twilight asked softly for the fifth time since they got separated from the others. It’s not that he didn’t share her curiosity. The five ponies he’d killed were strange, but right now was not the time for questions, but action. He let her talk, as long she did it softly, it seemed to help Twilight keep calm as she continued to work out her thesis. “They’re all black coated, and have crystals attached to their bodies, but not like normal crystal ponies. The crystal almost seems like it’s apart of their bodies and then they…”
“Twilight,” Goodnight said sharply, she instantly shut up, knowing what was going on. More enemies. “Two of them this time.” He guided her around the corner, directing her focus to the two ponies standing guard just at the edge of the city. Blocking their way into the rolling green hills to the base, which was a brown line in the distance. “You know what to do.”
Grimly Twilight nodded and light up her horn with as little magic as possible to not draw attention. Thanks to VeeVee’s magic control lessons Twilight could craft a magic thread so subtle it was barely visible. Slowly she tied the magic string into a loop and in a blink of eye fastened it around the two ponies’ muzzles and hoist them up into the air! Their legs dangling above the ground.
Quick as lightning, Goodnight zipped across the street, flicked his boot and wing blades free and slashed the ponies throats. Blood sprayed from their severed artilleries painting the crystal walls they guarded red.
“Over here, quick!” Goodnight hissed motioning Twilight over. She nodded and scrambled across the barren and broken street. Goodnight patted her on the head and escorted her to the edge of the city. Twilight took a few steps into the grassy field only to turn around and look at him. “This is where we part, Twilight.” He told her.
Her lips quivered with fear and worry. “But… Goodnight… I… can’t leave you here! Not alone!”
“I need to find the others. I need to… I need to find Commander Trifecta. Besides, you’ll have a better chance of escaping by yourself. Teleport as far as you can, get as close to the base as possible, the others will take it from there.”
“But Goodnight!”
“No, now go!” He growled. “Stop wasting time!”
“But my friends… and you’re my friend too, every time I’d visit the library or visit the castle, you’d be there, and we’d talk and… I can’t just leave you or any pony behind!”
Goodnight’s expression softened. “Thanks, it’s nice that you think of me like that. Really it means a lot, but I have a duty to my friends and comrades. Tell Commander Gloves what’s going on, and we’ll hold out for recuse. Now go!”
Twilight squeezed her eyes tight, tears streamed down her face as she turned and ran. Goodnight smiled and watched her go. “Celestia’s speed and Luna’s fortune Twilight.” He smiled and sunk back into the shadows.
Twilight breathed hard galloping full speed across the grassy plain, her body screaming for her to stop, but stopping would mean death or capture for her. Her eyes darted toward the line of black ponies. They hadn’t noticed her yet, she had to make it! She ignored the pain in her sides, her punishment for sitting around reading books most of her life.
Spike screamed in her ears, shouting that the black army spotted them. Twilight dared not look back, looking back would only slow her down. Instead, she lowered her head and ran faster, charging up her horn for a teleport. Calculating the distance, she closed her eyes and disappeared in a burst of magic, jumping over a hundred yards. Shorter then she wanted. She hadn’t counted for Spike.
Behind her, she heard the enemy shouted. “Lord Ombre demands her capture! Get her, or it’s your life!”
“Twilight!” Spike screamed as gem bullets whizzed over their heads. They were barely halfway to the base. Ponies began to pour over the earth walls charging toward her while Pegasi took to the sky. Behind her, the horns of the black battle horns bellowed, and they charged across the grassy plains after her. Twilight bit her lip with enough force to break the skin, realizing she just instigated a battle between the two sides. “Dammit…” She sobbed teleporting again. Jumping another hundred yards, right in the middle of the two charging armies.
“Protect Lady Sparkle!” An earth pony shouted charging past her meeting the black horde.
“For Equestria!” Another group shouted firing their hoof blasters from behind crystal pillars. Magic bolts from the enemy’s side flew overhead, striking her rescuers and vise versa. She stalled in her gallop, fighting against the charging soldiers.
“Come on! We gotta get you out of here!” A pony shouted as six others surrounded her and charged against the Equestrian line. Twilight let out a panicked shriek as several pegasi bodies hit the ground around them.
From behind her a shout of, “Get her!” Come over the roar of battle, and one of the ponies behind her were blasted by magic bolts and another pony at her side was skewered by a crystal horn.
“Keep going, miss!” The lead pony barked pushing her head, a black crystal pegasus landed atop of him, skewering him with its crystal blade, only for it to be swiftly taken out by a stray gem bullet.
“Twilight come on! Move! We gotta get out of here!” Spike screamed kicking his heels into her sides, but she wouldn’t move. Instead Twilight stood in the middle of the chaos, ponies dying left, right, and above around her.
She began to sob, wailing in anguish as ponies died to protect her. “This is my fault. What have I done?”
“Twilight this isn’t the place!” Spike pulled her hair trying to get her to move, but with no success. “Twilight please!” He cried jumping off her back and tried to push her, but he was only digging his heels.
A cry of, “Look out!” Cut through the noise, a group of Equestrians charging toward her was suddenly wiped, their broken bodies flying high into the sky and crashing to earth with sickening CRACKS! A black blur circled around Twilight, leaving her surrounded with corpses of fallen Equestrians. The object of death come to a stop, revealing it to be a ball and chain enshrouded in green magic. A pony the size of which put the legendary Rockhoof of the Mighty helm to shame stood before the stunned unicorn.
“My, my, my, what’s a dazzling little mare like you doing in a place like this?” The black pony inquired. Some stray gem blasts flew at the pony, his green curved horn flashed, and a dome appeared over them, stopping the blasts easily. “Tsk, pests.” The flail flew through the shield, the screams Twilight heard were all she needed to hear to know more ponies just died.
“Aa..gh…” Her mouth moved, but no words would come from it, fear petrified her. Her the mare that faced down Nightmare Moon and Discord. Why? Why am I so afraid? Twilight begged for an answer as the stallion’s green magic surrounded her body and levitated her off the ground.
The stallion pressed his muzzles against her neck and breathed her scent. “What a fine wine of mare I’ve found this day. Such potent magic in your blood, yes you will make a fine addition to my collection.”
“What?” Twilight squawked with horror, finally finding her voice. She began to struggle, flaring her own magic to push against her attacker. “I’m Twilight Sparkle! I’m Princess Celestia’s number one student and sent to defeat you, Sombra!” Magic surged from her body, pushing the green away from her, she was about to break free when the stallion began to chuckle, his grip on her clamping down even harder, completely reversing her efforts as his magic pressed against her like a vise.
The stallions snorted, removing his helm, revealing a luscious black and green mane. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t compare my handsome muzzle to my father’s withered one, my dear.” The stallion leaned in and stole her first kiss for himself, Twilight struggled, but she couldn’t get away!
“Lord Ombre! More enemies approaching!” A shadow crystal pony warned as several pegasi units bore down on the dome.
Ombre broke the kiss. “Such a trifle. Here take her back to the castle for safekeeping. I shall deal with the rift raft.” He said dismissively. His horn flashed, and Twilight’s world was all-stars, and then nothing as her head rolled to the side. “It will take three of you to hold her at the very least when she regains her bearings. If she escapes, it will be your life.”
“I understand, my lord.” The pony replied fearfully. “Come your lazy lot of Equinox! To the castle!”
“Take the dragon too,” Ombre tossed the unconscious dragon to his minions and slipped his helm back on, lit his horn, and raised his flail.
“Come at me!” He taunted as a group of pegasi fired their exotic weapons at him. He flung his flail the barbed chain wrapping around one and ripping the poor pony in half! With a magic bolt he blasted another out of the sky and for the third he recalled his flail, the spiked ball smashing into the ponies back with a crack!
“Let her go!” Demanded Fleetfoot unloading a full barrage of gem bullets at the dome shield. She broke off her attack as her blaster’s barrels turned glowing red. Ariel rolling out of the way of the flying flail, she banked away glaring at the ponies escorting Twilight away. They were covered under a dome shield and getting further and further away. The unit she sent after them wiped out by magic flak, their bodies laid broken on the ground. “Shit.” She growled about to try and save the unicorn herself when somepony pulled her back.
“Don’t,” Gloves told her, pulling her away from the large black and green stud currently massacring their troops. The massive black pony’s flail rammed through everypony around pushing their forces back. “One problem at a time, we gotta put that pony down before even trying to recuse Twilight at this point.”
Fleetfoot relented, knowing he was right. That big black bastard was cutting way too deep into their lines. He’s probably killed a hundred ponies just by himself! “Got a plan?” She asked, Jazz roaring past them.
Gloves chaffed, “A better one than hers. Start pulling everypony back to base, I’ll make sure Jazz doesn’t get herself killed.”
“Roger.”
Jazz barreled down on Ombre firing a salvo of gem rockets from her wings. “Take this fucker!” She screamed her vision red from all the dead Equestrians laying on the ground. The rockets hit the shield shattering it. “Hell yeah!” She brought her gem blasters forward strife running the black pony, peppering his dark green armor with several shots.
Interesting. Ombre mused as Jazz circled around him. He raised another dome shield, the red mare’s attacks barely scratching the force field. He caught sight of one of her projectiles on the ground and levitated it over for a better look. Hmm, a tiny arrowhead with no arrow shaft, and flies at a high velocity, interesting missile. Useless against me though. He crushed the gem bullet and focused on the flying mare, noticing her silver wings. I wonder. He ignited his horn.
Jazz came to a sudden halt midair. Frantically she struggled against the green magic that held her wings, but her thrusters couldn’t break free! “Fuck!” She jolted her shoulders up, a soft click, and her wings detached. Sending her free falling to the ground. Hooves blazing with magic she slammed into the earth, creating a crater three times her size. “Asshole!” She barked running out of the crater, only to stop dead as Ombre met her at the edge of the cavity.
“Hmm a flying earth pony, now I’ve seen everything.”
Gritting her teeth Jazz charged up her legs and swung! Ombre merely held up his massive hoof in response, dust exploded into the air, and Jazz was stupefied that her attack had done nothing! She staggered back, Ombre bearing down on her as he kicked off his boot, the bottom of which was barely dented.
“Hmm, that’ll take an hour to fix.” He clucked. “Impressive for an earth pony. I don’t find your kind very appealing, but perhaps one of my brothers will fancy you. Mares like you don’t belong on the field of the battle anyway.”
“Hey what! What the hell are you doing? Put me down!” Jazz struggled in Ombre’s green magic. “I said put me down! I’ll show you what a mare can do you fucker!”
He chuckled, “How amusing, but I’ve already seen enough. Lenker,” A Green crystal Equinox galloped over to his side and bowed. “Take her too. Honestly, I come out to the battlefield, and I find it’s a ball.” Jazz’s struggles ceased, her eyes closing as Ombre sent her to sleep. The green Equinox took Jazz on his back and began galloping for their base.
Ombre levitated Jazz’s wings over finding them attractive. He’d never seen such advance prosthetics. Dropping the wings into his saddlebag, Ombre looked up to observe the battle raging in the sky. The ‘Ratatak’ of the Equestrians exotic weapons filled the battlefield. A few of the projectiles whizzed by glancing off his dome shield. He seemed to be too far out for them to accurately him as the projectile’s hits varied greatly.
“Charge!” One of his captains yelled breaking ahead of the rest of the army, cutting deep into the retreating Equestrian army. Ombre signaled for the others to stay back, letting the lone unit of a hundred charge ahead. Carefully he counted the distance from his soldiers to the enemy walls.
“Two hundred yards, one hundred and fifty yards.” One or two Equinoxes dropped here and there, their black crystal-covered bodies disappeared beneath the hooves of their brethren. For the moment it seemed their crystal covered skin was a match to the Equestrians gem bullets, and they could storm the enemy encampment with few casualties. “One hundred yards.”
Suddenly the base roared with the sounds of the cannon fire, explosions larger then he’d ever seen flung bodies high up into the air and crashing to the ground. A different sound filled the air, a dense, slow beat of another terrifying weapon in the Equestrians employ. Ombre watched with morbid fascination as a bright red projectile of light blew one of his Equinox in half and the downed the one behind it, crystal coat and all. The scene playing over and over again as the attacking force was swiftly defeated.
“The pegasi are in retreat, sir!” His second in command, Plaga reported. Ombre glanced at the sky to confirm. The Equestrian Pegasi were indeed falling back as well, the enemy ground units gathered at the base of their earth walls. “Shall we peruse?” Plaga asked him already hoovering off the ground. The crystal shell on his back split open, a pair of transparent insectoid wings rapidly flapping.
“No,” Ombre ordered pointing to the spot where his pawn unit had been massacred. “Beyond that point is when their weapons are at their most accurate and lethal. Our causalities would be too great.”
“But sir… the King…”
“Is sitting happily on his throne, where he should be. I am here. Thus my word is absolute. But if you wish to die, go gallop to your death as Captain Toxicus did.”
“I…” The Equinox bowed. “I spoke out of turn Prince Ombre.”
“Yes, you did, but I will forgive you, Plaga. I’m quite happy right now. I’ve captured two rather intriguing mares this day of battle. However fun such spoils are, I do desire a fight worthy of me. I wonder if there’s a stallion, stud enough to provide it or if Equestria is only led by mares now.”
An explosion went off behind them, Ombre and Plaga turned around to see the unit transporting Jazz in disarray. A dust trail led away circling the long way around. Ombre removed his helmet and summoned a spyglass for a better look. “Interesting.” He grinned spying a blue rinin stallion carrying the red earth mare on his back, who he then passed onto a pegasus acting as his wing pony. “Seems I might have found my challenge.” Ombre folded his spyglass and vanished in a burst of black and green.
“Dammit, dammit, dammit!” Gloves cursed as he tossed Jazz over to Fleetfoot. He told her to organize the retreat, but she just had to be part of the recuse mission and instead had Soarin manage the retreat. Not that it didn’t work, the plan to make the enemy back off with the tanks was a success, but the enemy commander hadn’t taken the bait, wasting their trump card. Now he had to deal with that huge bastard personally. Speaking of which… In a burst of magic, the massive black pony appeared less than a hundred yards away and was closing in fast! “Get out of here!” He barked at Fleetfoot barring towards the charging pony, gauntlet raised and glowing with gold energy.
The black stallion responded by whipping out his flail and spinning in front of him.
“Shit,” Gloves reared back his right claw, gauntlet aglow with power. He punched the air, a massive ethereal blast shooting from his fist. The attack hit the spinning flail, the weapon dispelled the attack. Charging another, Gloves swung his fist again, this time shooting a mass of smaller blasts in a scattershot. The black pony stopped and threw up a dome shield, blocking all of the attacks.
Flying up Gloves inhaled and unleashed a stream of fire upon the black stallion. The dome shield blocked it of course, but the grassy field lit up filling the air with smoke the fire spreading rapidly. He flew through the rising smoke observing the enemy units fighting the fire trying to get to their General.
“Come down here!” Ombre demanded, but he didn’t sound angry, dare say, the black pony sounded happy? “I wish to properly meet you.” Much to Gloves surprise the black stallion removed his helm and set it on the ground. An old way of portraying a desire to speak peacefully. To further add to the insanity Ombre dropped his flail into a portal, the weapon disappearing from view.
He didn’t immediately fly down, at first looking for a spot for the weapon to come falling on his head. When no such place was found, Gloves warily and very cautiously landed roughly twenty-five yards from the big pony and set his helmet on the ground as well. Right now, they were alone on the battlefield, neither one’s side close enough to assist or launch a surprise attack as the smoke from the fire surrounded them.
“I am Ombre, Third Son of King Sombra, and General of the Outer Equinox legions.” Ombre introduced bowing to Gloves. It would be a perfect time to attack the dark prince.
“I’m Vice Commander Gloves, Night Hunter 9650,” Gloves curtly nodded, not wanting to keep his head down too long. “A bit late for pleasantries isn’t?” He chastised picking his helmet up but didn’t put it back on. That would mean talks were done, and they would resume fighting.
“It’s never too late for a proper introduction. I’ve waited many years for this day to come, I refuse to squander it by not even knowing the names of the ponies I’m fighting. Father may scold me later, but… well, I don’t have much to fear from him other than his tongue lashings.” Ombre answered looking happy and relaxed as if he wasn’t on the battlefield and they weren’t enemies. “I must admit, I was worried there wouldn’t be a stallion able to match me, especially when only mares come charging at me.”
“Gotta problem fighting mares?”
“I don’t find it very exciting. I prefer mares for other activities.” Ombre chuckled darkly, looking way too happy. “But I must also say you Rinin don’t disappoint. For my entire life, my father trained my brothers and me to face you one day. He even went so far to breed a new species of pony to counter your kind. Of course, trapped in the void of the Empire he only had Crystal ponies, Changelings and Shadow ponies to work with, but as you can see our Equinox are quite the force to reckon with. I would go on in detail, but as fond of you I am, I can’t go telling all of my father’s secrets.”
“Oh yeah?” Gloves glanced at the so-named Equinox currently fighting the wildfire. He didn’t know much about Shadow and Crystal ponies, but he could see the changeling in them with those bug-like wings. He wondered what other traits they got from their mixed breeding. “So, what now? You want to reset the battle lines and try again, killing more ponies or…” He raised his gauntlet, energy crackling on the surface of the metal fist. “Do you want to end this the old way with just you and me?”
Ombre laughed, “As fun as that sounds, even if you managed to beat me, one of my brothers would simply take my place and then I would lose my chance at the lovely lavender mare. That being said, I doubt you can beat me.”
“Oh really?” Gloves claw twitched at the insult. “Big words coming from a spoiled prince.”
Ombre snorted, “Believe me, my upbringing was all but glorious despite my status, but I grow tired of this conversation. I will be defeating you this day, but know I will remember your name, Gloves.” He replaced his helm, as did Gloves.
“Don’t cry when I kill you!” Gloves launched a magic blast and spewed fire, creating a swirling twister of gold flames. A shadow appeared in front of Ombre, his flail emerging from the void. The dark prince charged his weapon with magic sending it through the flames. Gloves cantered sideways, avoiding the metal ball and chain or so he thought. The chain coiled around his back-right leg, the barbs digging in deep and dragging him across the ground as the flail continued to fly. Gloves whacked the chain with his gauntlet, the chain links exploding apart as the magical weapon made contact.
The flail wasn’t done though it flew into the air and came back around. Gloves raised the gauntlet to block hoping to break the ball against his weapon. The two collided and Gloves found himself flying and skidding across the ground. He shook himself and stood, but his gauntlet wasn’t wholly intact. In fact, there was little left of it.
“I hope that didn’t finish you,” Ombre taunted. “I would hate for you lose your vigor just by losing your little trinket.”
“It’s not a trinket,” Gloves seethed in pain, unlatching the straps around his leg. The gold gauntlet fell away, and he pulled his right claw-free, revealing the secret beneath. From his knee down his right leg was red with crackles in his skin bursting with red ether. “Commander Sixes made it because I have a hard time controlling this stupid right claw of mine. Looks pretty demonic doesn’t it?” Gloves stretched out his red claw, a sphere of energy materializing in his palm. “No offense, but I hope this kills you.”
He let the attack fly. Ombre summoned up green shadows as the menacing blast of energy barreled towards him, his grin full and giddy like a child’s. “Yes! This is what I’ve been waiting for!”
Fleetfoot landed on the base walls, letting the medics take Jazz off her back, quickly she turned around to observe the battlefield. Looking for Gloves. The smoke from the grass fire hung in the air clouding her field of vision. A bright red light shined through the blackness, blowing away the smoke momentary. She and the others watched as something flew towards them that something hit the ground skipping like a rock, before coming to a stop just within their lines. Much to their collective horror, it was Gloves, his gauntlet gone, his armor trashed with a huge crack running up the side where his ribs were.
She flew down, gagging, he looked even worse close up! His breathing shallow with blood dripping out of his mouth and several of his fangs missing. His weird claw, the one usually covered by his gauntlet glowed faintly with strange magic, pulsing slowly as if representing just how bad of shape he was in.
“Come on, let’s get go,” She bit onto his armor and began dragging him towards the base, stopping cold when she felt a dark presence nearby. From the smoke emerged the enemy general, blazingly standing in their territory alone and well within the tanks cannon range and heavy gem blasters. Unfortunately, so were her and Gloves.
She shook the downed Rinin, trying to rose him. “Come on, get up, get up! You were the only one that stood a chance against him! So, wake the fuck up!”
Blaster fire rained down from the walls, Ombre merely threw up a shield, the rain of gem bullets not even a bother. Behind him, black legions under magic shields pushed forward. The tanks fired towards the approaching army, but the real threat was beneath.
“Get out of the way!” One of the tank drivers demanded over the gemcoms as they drive down earth wall. The tracks of the massive war machine spun as they slide down the side of the embankment the cannon fidgeting for a shot.
Fleetfoot grabbed Gloves by the neck with her mouth, biting as hard as she could into his coat to lift him. Her wings flapped, but she could barely lift him off the ground! How fucking heavy are you! She snorted and fluttered with all her might managing to pull him up a foot. Good enough. She flew as fast she could, the tank's gunner letting loose with the rapid gem blaster to keep Ombre back. The third son of Sombra blocking the barrage with a magic shield.
“They're out of the way!” The gunner shouted and the tank’s cannon roared! The gem tipped shell rocketed out of the barrel and blowing through Ombre’s shield. The shockwave of the blast rocked the black stallion, leaving him shaking his head, his ear ringing.
“Protect Lord Ombre!” Plaga bellowed leading the charge to the dark prince.
“I have this! This is my glory!” Ombre retorted firing a barrage of magic drill bullets from his horn. The magic projectiles pieced the tank’s armor, the war machine let out a terrible noise as black smoke billowed out of it. The crew scrambled to get out. Ombre fired upon the escaping tank crew, killing them, the machine exploding before the remainder of the team could take their chances against the dark prince.
Fleetfoot was flying up the dirt wall with all her might when she felt a pull on her wings. She tried to fight it, but in one sharp tug, she was dragged back down the hill with Gloves in tow. She let him go, trying to save him, her body was flung roughly, and she ate dirt as she tumbled to the bottom. Disoriented she stood up trying to aline herself. A barrage of magic blasts shot over her head, hitting the top of the wall where her troops returned fire. One brave soldiered tried to break through, but he was gunned down, his body sliding down the hill.
“Gloves!” She shouted looking for the blue Rinin. She swayed with her steps, half of her vision black, some sort of moisture, probably blood ran down her face. Frantically she looked for the Rinin, spying him on the ground ahead of her at Ombre’s mercy, the black stallion’s massive hoof posed to crush his head.
She ran, screaming, cursing, and praying for Ombre to stop. Her hoof fell into a hole, and she hit the ground hard, her left foreleg screaming in pain. Ombre’s foot came down.
“GLOVES!”
“LORD OMBRE!”
Fleetfoot blinked with her good eye the scene before drastically different. Gloves lay beside her and Ombre…
“RAGGH!” Was screaming bloody murder, staggering back as blood poured from his now missing right foreleg.
She panned around spotting the missing leg laying on the ground, crushed beneath an orange clawed grip. “Topaz… Slicer… that means…” The roar of Airship engines came into clear focus now, drowning out the noise of battle as all stood in awe as Equestria’s greatest engineering marvel descended. Fleetfoot rolled her head to look up, smiling as the image of Spitfire standing on the bow come into view. “Spitfire…” Fleetfoot cried tears of joy at the sight of her friend.
The second wave has arrived!
Topaz broke the bone of Ombre’s severed leg and declared, “The cavalry is here.”
Shining Armor peered around the corner of their little hovel watching the lines of black-clad soldier’s march pass toward the southern end of the city. He ducked back slipping under the broken fence and down into the basement where the others were hiding. They found this little hiding spot in what looked like the slums of the city. He covered the hole with some broken boards and trotted to the half rotten door of the other room, Sweet Dreams let him into the cramped room.
“How does it look?” Cadence asked mushed between Fluttershy and Applejack, the remainder of their troops surrounding them.
“Not good,” He replied. “The entire city changed, and the streets are flooded with soldiers.”
After fleeing from Scath, the bright and colorful crystal city changed to a dark and bleak one. Not just methodically either. Black clouds covered the city making it as dark as night. All the bright colors from before were drained and replaced with black, gray and dashes of red. The scant crowd of Crystal ponies had vanished, replaced with legions of enemy troops. Shining wondered if they had been real or just illusions. Thinking of Commander Fury’s comments, the latter seemed likely. They had been duped.
“Is there any way out of here?” Fluttershy stuttered, her entire body trembling in fear.
Shining didn’t answer, because he didn’t have an answer. Their options were limited, their numbers, while reduced from their light skirmish, were still too large for proper stealth. They’d have to split up and hope everypony made it out alive. That being said, how to split up the groups?
“If we split up, we could increase our chances of getting out of here.” He suggested looking directly at Cadence. He didn’t want to throw such a choice on his wife, but she was a Princess unless she conceded command, she was still in charge. “What do you want to do, your highness?”
“We aren’t abandoning ponies to die.” Cadence replied sternly.
Shining sighed, biting down his retort less he says something foolish. “I… understand, but the situation will… may not allow for that. Dividing into smaller groups would increase the chance that most of us escape. Pairs or groups of three would be best any larger, and it becomes more difficult to move unnoticed.”
Cadence too bit back a hot-blooded retort, glowering at him, before snorting in a huff. “I am aware.” She conceded.
“We can’t stay here forever,” Applejack voiced. Each of them knowing she was right. Scath probably had ponies looking for them, they’d sniff around every rock to find them. It was only a matter of time before they were discovered.
“Then let’s fight!” Rainbow Dash declared, several hooves quickly covered the brash Pegasus’s mouth. “Sorry,” She muttered.
“That’s…” Shining was about to say pure foolishness, but as he thought about it more, there was maybe something there. They were already inside the city. Gloves is besieging the southern border trying to get to them. The second and third waves were on their way. This could be an opportune time to cause havoc behind enemy lines. Too bad they didn’t have twelve Commando ponies or Night hunters with them. Their current group wasn’t what he’d call special ops.
“Shining do you have an idea?” Cadence prodded.
“It’s risky,” He admitted. “But Rainbow Dash may have a point. Fighting or sabotaging maybe in our best interest. The quicker our allies can break the enemy lines, the sooner they can get to us. The only problem is we lack ponies with the proper skills and training.”
“I can go out alone, I have the training, skills, and natural sleuthing talents for this.” Sweet Dreams proclaimed all eyes turning to the thestral. She shrunk back from all the stares, but then puffed her chest and stood up straight. “I can do this, Princess.”
“What can you do alone?” Rainbow Dash argued.
The bat mare’s eyes narrowed, “More than a loud mouth like you can.”
“What!” Several ponies slapped their hooves over Rainbow Dash’s mouth.
Shining breathed through his nostrils, looking from Cadence to Sweet Dreams. His wife’s face was a hurricane of worry as she stared at the brave thestral. He wondered if his wife was steeled enough to send the thestral out on her own to an unknown fate.
“Cadence…”
“You have my permission to go,” Cadence interrupted quickly. “But you won’t be going alone. I will be going with you.”
“Princess you can’t…”
“Are you disobeying an order Sweet Dreams?” Cadence accused.
Sweet Dreams stuttered fumbling over her words, “No, but I must protest if I must have a partner it should be somepony…” She gulped and whispered, “Somepony expendable.”
“I see no ponies like that here,” Cadence rebuked walking over to her. “Besides I am the only pony with a horn here besides Shining Armor, I can fly, and I’m the third strongest magic user in all of Equestria. And I am no wilting flower, Aunt Luna has been teaching me in the ways of combat since before my wedding.”
Sweet Dreams shuttered under the Princess’s blazing smile and in desperation turned to Shining Armor, “Captain...”
“I’m only a Private now, you outrank me Sweet Dreams, I have no say professionally in this decision. Though I have many personal options that I cannot express right now.” Shining took a deep breath, his face scrunched from his inner conflict of being a soldier and a husband. He relented against his feeling, remembering the disaster that ensued when his love blinded him. “Still Princess Cadence, even with your… stats it wouldn’t be the wisest to send you out. My rank may be meager, but I am still in the top ten of mages in just raw power alone, never mind my specialization. Please send me with Lieutenant Sweet Dreams. My shield magic would greatly increase her chances of survival if she were to find herself in a pinch.”
“That is a fair point Private Shining, I will debate it, now what other talents do we have here? Any pony here specialized in explosives?”
“I know the basics,” One pony said raising his hoof and stepped to the front of the group. “Name’s Amatex.”
Cadence smiled and nodded, “Good, we’ll bring you along as well if you volunteer that is.”
“Of course, ma’am.”
“Is there any other skill set we’ll need, Sweet Dreams?” Cadence asked the bat commando who looked over the group with a concentrated frown.
“A sharpshooter, somepony that can accurately hit over at least one hundred fifty yards.”
A pony with a skull pierced by an arrow on his armor stepped forth. “I’m Far Reach, I can manage one hundred eleven yards with one of these things.” He indicated his hoof blaster. “I’ll step down if there’s a better shot among us.”
No pony stepped forward.
“We’ll take you. Before we head out, we’ll need to make some preparation. Amatex take whatever explosives the others can spare. Far Reach and Princess Cadence come with me. I need to apply some makeup.”
“Makeup?” Cadence asked as Sweet Dreams rummaged through her saddlebags. Producing a black jar. Untwisting the cap Sweet Dreams showed the Princess the contents, a blackish blue substance, almost matching the tone of Sweet Dreams coat.
“I’m going to dye your mane and coat, at least what your armor doesn’t cover. Pink… pink is one of the worse colors for stealth. That is unless you're sneaking through a field of pink flowers of course.” Sweet Dreams joked earning a brief smile as the Princess stroked her mane with a nervous grin. “Don’t worry it washes out… eventually.”
Cadence hung head, “Right, let’s proceed then.” She shivered as Sweet Dreams smeared the cold goo onto her face, rubbing the thick gray gel into her coat and mane. Cadence eeped as Sweet Dreams worked her way under her belly and privates, blushing up a storm as everypony adverted their eyes. A hard tug on her tail signaled the end of Sweet Dreams makeover.
“Alright, which one you boys want to go first?” Sweet Dreams asked looking at the two volunteer stallions.
The boards covering the hole to the Equestrian’s hiding spot lifted, a narrow gaze peered out from underneath before the makeshift cover was entirely lifted and four ponies quickly and quietly scrambled out of the basement. Sealing the entrance once again. They didn’t linger. Quickly clambering over the ruined walls and trotted on light hooves through the next building. The lead pony gestured for them to follow as she led them upstairs to the second floor. Hugging the walls as she made her way to the corner of the building taking quick and hurried glances out the windows facing northwest. Spotting a patrol, she ducked down and raised her hoof for her companions to stop, and they froze on the stairs crouching down. Counting to thirty Sweet Dreams peaked out the window again and found the patrol gone. She told her teammates to stay as she hugged the wall and crawled to the northeast side of the room peeking out the corner window that overlooked where the others hid. Checking the surrounding buildings to see if there were any enemy that could spot the hideout.
Seeing none she crawled to the room beside the stairs and motioned for the others to follow, they crept low matching her height and pace as she led them up another flight of stairs which led to the loft above. The attic was a half story, the ceiling low and the windows small and narrow. They would be hard to see through and vice versa.
“We should be good here.” Sweet Dreams whispered breaking the silence. Her three teammates lined up in front of her waiting for her to lay out the plan. “You did well following my lead, this just might work, so now we need to sneak out of here without drawing the enemy’s attention, so they don’t find the others. We’ll sneak it to the neighboring building and keep climbing to a higher vantage point to find enemy targets. Remember to stay quiet.”
They nodded.
Leading the way Sweet Dreams opened the window facing the neighboring building, quickly passing through the small opening. Couching in the shadows she watched for patrols, counting to thirty again when none came, she tapped her hoof against the tiled roof, and Princess Cadence came through the window. The alicorn looked around before finding her and scurrying over to Sweat Dreams position. The bat mare gestured for the Princess to slow down and move quieter. The Princess complied easing into the shadows next to her. Sweet Dreams took a moment to observe her make up work on the formerly pink pony, who was now a mix of grays and dark blues. Cadence blended perfectly into the darkness, just as well as any bat pony.
Hearing voices, Sweet Dreams pressed Cadence against the roof tiles spotting a patrol of four passing by on the street below. Counting to thirty again, she waited before double tapping the roof, Far Reach and Amatex quickly coming through the window. She leaped to the other roof gesturing for everypony to follow her. Leading the three of them from shadow to shadow. Sweet Dreams called for a halt as a group of flyers flew overhead. Each of them hiding in a roof valley. She counted again watching the skies for more flyers.
“There’s a tower over there.” Far Reach reported.
Sweet Dreams shushed him and repositioned herself for a better view of where the sharpshooter was pointing. There was indeed a tower a few blocks over. A clock tower to exact. It was nearly halfway to the castle, almost in the center of the city. She nodded and pointed to the tower. It would be the perfect overlook. Checking the skies and ground once more Sweet Dreams gestured to Cadence who snuck over to her.
“Grab Amatex, I’ll grab Far Reach. We’ll fly over the street to that stretch of buildings and move to that tower. Be quick when you fly.”
“Ok.” The Princess whispered, sneaking over to Amatex, grabbing the stallion with her forelegs and mouthed “Ready.”
Sweet Dreams hugged Far Reach, searching the skies one more time before taking off, Cadence following her lead. They zoomed across the street, landing on the adjacent building and quickly snuck into the shadows all of them sitting completely still listening for any shouts of being spotted.
“We did it,” Cadence said, her chest heaving heavily with excitement. The tension almost making her heart explode!
“We’re just getting started, keep on my lead.” Sweet Dreams reminded her checking the skies and jumping to the next shadow. Giving the all clear, they followed her. Slowly they moved from shadow to shadow, ducking patrols, hiding from flyers that flew overhead, slowly inching their way to their objective. Sweet Dreams checked the time, over an hour and a half had passed, and they were barely over a block and half away from their starting point. The urge to move faster rose, but she quickly squashed it, Fury’s angry voice rebuking her for even having the thought.
(Stealth over speed when infiltrating the enemy, better to go unnoticed then save a minute.) Fury’s disembodied voice lectured.
Steeling herself, Sweet Dreams made a final push gathering some speed she jumped over the alleyway, spreading her wings to gently glide over the three-story drop. Her booted hooves made a little sound when she landed. Cadence landed beside her making a fair bit more nose that made her cringe and look around for enemy ponies. Next, the two stallions jumped, and Sweet Dreams hair stood up as one of them tripped and skidded down the slanted the roof. Quickly she grabbed the fallen stud by the neck and dragged him into the shadows of the chimney. Cadence and Amatex disappeared over the other side. She kept her hoof over the mouth of Far Reach his heart racing a mile a minute as voices spoke above.
An enemy patrol.
“I heard something over here!” One of the black crystal ponies said. Two more gliding in behind him. The appearance of the trio varied Sweet Dreams couldn’t quite comprehend their species. The one claiming to have heard Far Reach’s blunder had insectoid wings, while one of his companions had regular pegasi wings and the other had what looked like bat pony wings. Each of them sported a crystal horn, a vicious spike as long as Cadence’s horn. She wondered if they could use magic or if it was for stabbing only. Right now, she didn’t want to find out and slowed her breathing and kept completely still.
“Some tiles are loose, look there,” The one with pegasi wings pointed out.
“Could some pony be up here?” The bat-winged one questioned landing on the roof. The other two followed his lead, and all three stood at the top of the duel sided slope looking in both directions.
(Don’t do anything, don’t do anything.) Sweet Dreams prayed, hoping Cadence and Amatex wouldn’t get skittish. There would be no telling how many of these things would show up if they had to engage them.
“I do not see anything,” The pegasi winged one said.
“Let’s check the valleys by the windows just to be sure damn clouds make it as dark as night.”
Suddenly a series of explosions when off in the distance and the trio turned to the south. Horns blared, and the three quickly set off, losing all interest in their search. Sweet Dreams didn’t come out of hiding though and counted for a full minute as several others flyer groups zoomed by. When none flew past for a full minute, she finally released Far Reach and climbed out of the shadows. Walking to the top of the roof she tapped her hoof and Cadence, and Amatex peeked out from the shadows.
“Let’s move, we’re almost there.” She broke off in a rush. Leaping to the next building and landing on the flat roof connected to the clock tower. The four of them raced to the door at the opposite end of the roof, Cadence opening it with her magic, and they all rushed in. Quietly shutting it as several flyer groups zoomed through the narrowing view of the door. When it was completely closed, they all took a deep sigh of relief.
“Thank Celestia we made it,” Far Reach praised looking apologetically at her. “I’m sorry Lieutenant, I messed up.”
“It happens,” She said encouragingly. “Landing on an A-frame roof for the first time without wings isn’t easy. You’ll know to watch your footing better next time.”
“Yes, I will.”
“I know you will,” She smiled turning to Cadence and Amatex. “Good job keeping hidden.”
“Thank you,” Cadence nodded. “So, what now?”
“Now,” Sweet Dreams said looking up the stairwell running to the top of the tower. “Now we climb. Be quick, but be quiet.” She reminded them, trotting up the stone stairs.
The trip up to the top of the clock tower was the most relaxed they felt since starting this mission. They were making some noise, the metal of their boots clicked against the stone stairs produced a musical melody as they trotted in unison. This would be more concerning if not for the thick stone walls of the clock tower and the machinal turning of the gears that covered whatever noise they made. After circling up another three flights of stairs, Sweet Dreams and company stood in the brain of the giant clock.
“Let’s see if we can find a spot to look out over the city.” Sweet Dreams shouted over the noise of the clock. With the gears as a mask, they trotted looking for a window or something to spy through.
“Will up there work? It looks like an observatory.” Following Cadence’s pointed hoof, Sweet Dreams saw what looked like a loft surrounded by windows.
“That’ll be perfect, grab Amatex, I’ll take Far Reach.” Grabbing the stallion, the two mares flew up to the loft and set the two down. All of them gazing out over the black city in awe and dread. They could see nearly everything from here.
To the south, they saw the massive army of black ponies barring Sombra’s banner, the grassy field where they had walked through earlier was trampled and marred with signs of fire and fighting. Smoke rose from east covering their view of their base. Cannon shots flew out of the smoke bombarding the enemy lines. Many shells fell short of their targets. The smoke mostly likely hindering their aim.
“Is that a sail?” Far Reach asked looking through a spyglass.
“Where?” Sweet Dreams demanded, looking fruitlessly through the smoke.
“There,” He pointed. “Above the base.”
A gust of wind blew revealing there was indeed something floating over the base. Sweet Dreams smiled feeling hope as three airships come into view. “The second wave is here.”
“I thought the airships were going to hold back and come in with the third wave. That is unless they were needed.” Cadence stated, unintendedly sapping the hope from Sweet Dreams heart, but the Princess was right.
“The enemy is putting up some major resistance then. Give me that spyglass,” Sweet Dreams demanded, Far Reach hoofing it over. She looked through the spy tool trying to get a read on the battlefield. The enemy was really close to their base. “We need to find some targets, supply depots, weapons cache, medical supplies, food stores anything to help.” She listed off looking through the city for any obvious signs of her intended targets. “Ok, I see what look like enemy supply bases, but I can’t tell what they are, the symbols are all foreign to me.”
“Let me see,” Cadence requested, Sweet Dreams giving up the telescope. “Is that one of the places you were talking about? The tent with the bull head on it?”
“That one yes.”
Cadence chewed her lip, deep in thought. “I think and don’t take this as solid proof, but I think that’s a weapon cache. If my ancient Maredor history was right. Suddenly Aunt Celestia’s lessons on a former kingdom make sense.”
“What about over there,” Sweet Dreams pushed the spyglass toward another camp on the east side of the city. “The one with the three plus signs intersecting?”
“Medical station, I think.”
Sweet Dreams pulled Cadence away from the edge and led her to the north side of the loft. A gathering of soldiers mingled to the northwest were plumes of smoke rose into the sky, a banner with a fork on it fluttered in the wind. “I’m guessing that’s probably food?”
“Correct,” Cadence confirmed.
Sweet Dreams took the spyglass from Cadence and began looking over the city again, softly counting off how many of each supply base she found. “Two dozen medical stations, three dozen weapon cache, four mess halls, and over five dozen unmarked other locations, probably barracks for resting soldiers.”
“They marked everything else why leave the barracks blank?” Amatex asked as they all crouched below the railing.
Cadence explained, “It’s a standard tactic. At least it was a thousand years ago, in the olden days, to counteract pegasi spies they’d leave some bases blank to avoid them from being targeted. More often then not the marked bases were sometimes actually something else or empty.”
“Wouldn’t that be confusing for the soldiers?” Far Reach inquired.
“Not if you were given a map or told before hoof about it, they’ve probably been planning and drilling for this day longer then we have.” Sweet Dreams sighed it dawning on her just how half-assed their invasion plan was. “Actually, scratch that they have been and for who knows how long too.”
Cadence chimed in with “Long enough for Sombra to have at least two sons, Scath was his name, right? He looked to be in his twenties and he for sure has an older brother.”
“He said he was the second son wouldn’t that imply he has sisters as well?”
The pink Alicorn looked stumped for a moment and then nodded, “Your right Sweet Dreams, that’s probably true. We could be in some real trouble.”
Amatex and Far Reach look beside themselves, trying to decipher their superiors worries. “What does it matter if that sword-wielding bastard has seven sisters or none?” Amatex asked.
“It matters because magic is genetic,” Cadence clarified to the two. “In the first crystal war Sombra had the might to match up to Celestia and Luna in single combat, and could even hold his own against the both of them, and he was only a unicorn. Imagine now if he had children with another pony who also was gifted in magic, imagine how powerful they could be by themselves and then factor in brothers and sisters. That’s not including what other artificial methods he used to make them even stronger.”
“That is rather worrying then, huh,” Amatex shivered nervously.
“As daunting as that is, and we’ll have to face Scath and his brethren sooner or later, right now that is not our concern.” Sweet Dreams stated drawing all eyes to her. “Our mission to weaken the enemy supply lines so our forces and get into the city. To do that we need to attack the enemy’s rear. Cause some chaos and put them in disarray. Amatex can you make a time bomb?”
“Yes, ma’am I can. When I was going through retraining, the instructors showed us how. I have a few timers on me, and a few more I took from the others. The bombs won’t be anything impressive, just five gem grenades duck taped together with an analog time pin. But in the right spot, they can do some damage. I have enough to make five FYI.”
“Ok here’s the plan…”
“LET ME GO!” A voice screamed below. Both Sweet Dreams and Cadence’s ears twitched their eyes shrinking in horror. Slowly they stood, edging to the railing to peek out on the street below. Down on the road with a collar around her neck and an anti-magic ring around her horn was Twilight Sparkle. Escorted by over two dozen enemy soldiers. She struggled against her bonds, digging her hooves into the ground making the ponies pulling her drag her across the cobblestone road. Her leg hit a loose cobble tripping her, and she fell to the ground. Her escorts pounced on her binding her legs and slipping a spear through the ropes to hoist her up like a freshly caught piece of game meat.
“Twi…mmmpoh!” Sweet Dreams covered the princess’s mouth and dragged her back out of sight.
“Quiet, be quiet! There’s too many! We can’t take them! We can’t save her right now! But we will!” Sweet Dreams whispered harshly, Cadence’s thrashing coming to a stop. She let the princess go, Cadence doing a quick breathing exercise before sitting back down this the others. Before Sweet Dreams could detail her plan, another cry came from below. She held up for the other to stay while she looked to see what was going on. What she saw made her heart sink and her stomach churn.
“Please no! I don’t want to! Don’t take me! Please!” A mare, an actual crystal mare cried in a panic, and she wasn’t alone either. Another company of troops escorted what looked like three dozen or more mares, all them ranging from teenagers to what the maybe early forties. Two distinct features were separating the group. One part of the group was made up dull looking ponies, their bellies bulging with foul their faces canvases of defeat and hopelessness. The other were mares that still had some shine to them and weren’t with child, but what hope they held was quickly fading as they were dragged to the gates of the castle.
Slowly Sweet Dreams turned around and slid down the side of the railing wall. The others looked at her, wondering what was going on.
“Sweet Dreams?” Cadence prodded.
“Don’t ask, don’t look,” Was her reply. They sat there listening to the screams and cries for help, doing nothing to answer the prayers of those who desperately needed them answered. When the doors to the dark castle closed, they were blessed with silence.
Heart racing and eyes burning with rage Sweet Dreams looked up to face the three before her. “This is what we’re going to do.”
Inside the castle, Twilight was roughly dropped inside of a beautiful room. Not the prison cell she had been expecting. Her bonds were cut, but something else was clamped to her legs, by the time she rolled and righted herself the soldiers that brought her here were gone. Inspecting her legs, she saw some sort of leg bands had been placed on them. She broke off into a gallop to escape, only for pink lightning to shoot out of the cuffs and pull her legs together leaving her helpless on the floor again.
“No, the smartest mare, are you? As if we’d capture you just let you run free. Must be a lowborn.” A hotly voice said Twilight craned her neck up to see a black coated mare with a curved lavender horn lording over her. “What’s your name?”
“Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight answered with shock. She hadn’t intended to speak!
“The truth ring is working, good.” The mare smirked circling around her and tapping the black ring that now adorned the base of Twilight’s tail. “Don’t go lying out of your ass now, Twilight Sparkle.” She laughed, though it wasn’t that funny of a joke in Twilight’s mind. The mare seemed to think so too as her face turned sour once again. “Stand up.”
Upon hearing the command Twilight’s bonds disappeared, and her body moved without her commanding it to. She began to hyperventilate as it sunk in, she was utterly at the enemy’s mercy. No magic, no friends and Celestia knew how many enchantments and magical items placed on her body to keep her check.
The mare seemed delighted by her panic as she jumped onto the large bed laying down in the black satin sheets with a devious smile. “So which brother am I training you to be a bride for?”
“Ombre,” Twilight answered readily. She tried to say more, but her mouth wouldn’t move!
“Speak freely,” The mare commanded, Twilight regained control of her mouth at the very least.
“Who are you?”
The mare rolled her eyes. “That’s your first question? For all you know that was the only one you get, and that’s what you waste it on? I suppose it’s a natural one to ask, but I was hoping for a less cliché response. Very well through, I am the second daughter of King Sombra, Cien Blask, in Equestrian that would be Shadow Sparkle.”
“Shadow Sparkle…” Twilight gasped. “But that’s… it can’t be!”
Cien looked amused and stretched on the bed her wild purple and black mane spilling over her body, it was so long that it nearly reached her tail. “What? Do you think we’re related? Wouldn’t that be funny? If I had actually known my mother, I could tell you for sure, but daddy didn't keep them around once we got weened off their teats. Didn't want them softening us, had to be daddy’s tough little fillies, not that he would ever let us fight on the frontlines. My sisters and I. Such an old, softly isn’t he?” Cien chuckled climbing off the bed and trotted over to the closet. Soon dresses began to fly out and land on the mattress.
“What are you going to do to me?”
Cien sighed dramatically, “Seriously? What hick town did you come from? I already told you. Your Ombre’s new war bride, it’s my job to doll you up, teach some table manners, present you to daddy and then sit back and watch you bare my next niece or nephew.”
“What!”
“Relax, be lucky daddy’s too old to be rutting anymore. My oldest brother kind of took over that job. I guess thinking about it you might not end up as Ombre’s bride, I mean you look stupid, but I feel the magic fighting against that ring from here. You got some pop to you, don’t you?”
“I’m Princess Celestia’s student! My talent is magic, of course, I would have a lot of magic!” Twilight barked only to immediately regret her outburst as Cien let the dress she was inspecting fall to the floor.
“Princess Celestia’s personal student?” Cien sputtered getting right up in Twilight’s face. “Now that makes things a lot more interesting! Forget the dress, I’m taking you to daddy right now! Come with me, Twily!” She sang, Twilight unwillingly and stiffy following the black unicorn mare into the hall. Wondering what fate, she had brought on herself.
Trifecta groaned his body arched against the cold floor, drops of water annoyingly dripped from the ceiling. He cracked his eyes open seeing only half of what he should. The left side of his face blazed with pain and throbbed like hell. It was probably swollen shut. Rolling to his hooves Trifecta let out a yelp and fell on his right side. Hissing as he brought his left foreleg into view, his claws were twisted and broken, a bloody mess of bones and cracked scales.
“That’s going to suck to heal.” Folding his leg against his body Trifecta hopped back onto the remaining three, swaying slightly as he tried to find his balance. Slowly he got the hang of walking on three legs and finally got around to observing his surroundings. He was in a prison cell.
“Finally awake,” A voice said from outside, it was one of the enemy soldiers, the crystal shadow pony bug things. Which was too long of a title.
“What are you?” Trifecta demanded walking up to the front of the cell.
“We are called the Equinox, Lord Sombra created us to be a countermeasure to you Rinin. Though the young Lords had already dealt with the two of you before we had our chance. You got off a lot easier than your friend over there.” The guard moved out of the way to show Fierce Fury’s broken and mangled corpse, a mess of flesh, feathers, and ash. “Lord Scath can’t wait to make a trophy of him, I’m sure lord Schatten will want to do the same to you. But not before Lord Sombra interrogates you for everything you know.”
“Fuck off, before the end of this war all the heads of Sombra’s sons and Sombra himself will be on a stick!” Trifecta barked, the guard laughing arrogantly as he trotted away. Once he was sure the guard was out of earshot and no one else was around Trifecta stuck his head through the bars and whispered, “So did you actually die this time?”
No movement came from Fury’s ceil. Trifecta slumped the against the bars and sighed. “Well if you got a plan to get out of here let me know.”
Topaz Slicer slashed at Ombre, the big black stallion roared with anger swinging his mace wildly at the orange rinin. Moving nimbly Topaz ducked and dodged the spiked ball and chain. Wings ignited with plasma he rushed for one of the dark Prince’s other appendages. Ombre saw him coming and smashed the ground with his mace kicked up more dirt to go with the smoky haze covering the battlefield. Topaz pushed through the smoke, two Equinoxes jumped out in front of him. With his blazing wings, he severed the enemy grunts in two, wasting his attack.
“Got you!” Ombre declared from behind him and stomped with his remaining front leg. Topaz zoomed underneath the big pony and spun clawing at Ombre’s underbelly. The dark Prince’s under armor proved too hard for his claws to pierce as sparks arced of the tempered steel.
Whistling sharply Topaz got the dark Prince’s attention as he swirled around to face him. Only for a large looming shadow to break out of the haze, it was Bulwark with his hammer in his big minotaur hands and lined up for a swing. Ombre went flying when the quarter ton slab of metal on a stick smashed into him.
“Let moi get in on this action!” Platinum boasted appearing on Bulwark’s shoulder with a dozen stick grenades aloft in her magic. The explosives twirled through the air landing with thuds around the fallen prince and exploded!
There was no cry of pain though. The three Night Hunters stayed on their guard waiting.
In a burst of magic Ombre appeared above Bulwark, the big rinin scooped his wife from his shoulder and tossed Platinum out of harm's way, taking the full brunt of Ombre’s flying tackle. The spawn of Sombra let out a hysterical laugh as he punched with his single foreleg.
“Yes! This is it! This is the thrill I’ve been seeking! Battle, blood, and glory!” He raved igniting his horn.
“Beloved!” Platinum cried flaring her own horn and fired a blast of magic to counter the one that would have blown a hole through Bulwark’s neck. “Hang on! I’m coming!”
Topaz caught her and pushed her aside, “Get back in the base! You’re an engineer Platinum!”
“But Bully!” She cried in dismay at the orange rinin. “I cannot leave him!”
“I’ll save him, just go!” He insisted charging at two giants wrestling on the ground. Wings ablaze with blue plasma he leaped to take the dark Prince’s head when something shot out of the black stud’s stub. A mass of black and green magic surrounded Topaz and caught him in its grip. “What is this?” Topaz struggled as Ombre pressed Bulwark’s face into the ground.
The black stallion grinned with glee, “It’s a secret, now.” He said turning his eyes to Platinum. “Come here.”
Platinum felt a tug on her prosthetics and found herself being dragged toward Ombre. She cried and struggled but couldn’t break free and with a sudden and painful pull her metal legs were pulled from her stubs, and she collapsed to the ground. Crawling futilely with her only organic leg.
“First mares, and now crippled mares? Seems any pony can be in the Equestrian Army.” Ombre said dully. Platinum spat in his face. “Don’t lump me in those louts! I am a Night Patroller!” She declared proudly. Magicking her spiked mace, she tossed it at the Dark Prince, the stick of barb bounced of his helm, Ombre looked amused as he leered down at the crippled unicorn.
“Indeed, you have more fire in you than twenty stallions.” Ombre hoisted Platinum of the ground with his magic bringing her level with his muzzle. “Not a bad looking face either. I might just have to take you too.”
Ombre found his footing compromised as Bulwark pushed him off with a guttural roar. With a bellowing whinny the minotaur rinin stood on his hind legs, his massive claws wrapped tight around Ombre’s neck, the dark Prince’s armor screamed as it cracked and collapsed around his throat. Ombre dropped Platinum who was caught by Topaz as Bulwark glared through the slots in his helm, instilling a real fear into the prince.
“Don’t touch my wife.” Bulwark slammed Ombre’s head into the ground, bellowing like a raging bull he picked up his massive hammer and brought it down on the dark Prince’s head. His cathartic retort was short lived as a barrage of magic bolts peppered him. Several squads of Equinox engaged in a full charge to reach their leader. Bulwark staggered back and used his hammer as a shield to fend off the barrage. His armor was thick, but even it couldn’t withstand this kind of attack.
“TANKS!” Topaz yelled over the gemcom. “Get down here!”
The metal monsters roared to life, three of the massive war machines slid down the earthen wall firing their main cannons and unloading with their rapid-fire gem blasters. The attacking wave was quickly thinned leaving only a few stragglers who were immediately taken out.
“Spitfire aim the cannons closer we have to push the enemy back! Get the more ground forces out here for support and start air raids for Luna’s sake!” Topaz seethed absolutely hating how disorganized everything was. War was chaos he knew that, but there were plans and protocols in place, what did he spend days drilling plans into everyponies skull if they weren’t going follow them! “Bridge, get to the ground and take control of the ground forces.”
“Roger, but what will you be doing?”
Topaz looked to the hole Bulwark had put Ombre in, not surprised to see the black stallion rising up with merely his helm gone and some blood running down his face. (No surprise what’s so ever.)
“I’m going to be busy, push to the city walls. We need to gain some ground.” He ended the transmission and charged for Ombre, who was still disoriented. Another wave of Sombra’s soldiers was keeping Bulwark pinned down, even as the tanks provided support.
“LOOK OUT!”
A massive explosion hit the dirt wall, the explosion rocked the earth and left Topaz staggered with his ears ringing. Teeth clenched he whipped around for the source of the attack spying five large cylinders on the enemy encampment. One of them smoking pink fumes.
“Spitfire get the ships back into the sky!”
His warning came too late. The cannons fired four pink colored blasts of magical energy that arched over the battlefield, one flew behind their base, another went off to the west, the third hit the wall again, and the fourth hit one of the airships. The Comet. The hulking piece of flying timber creaked and moaned as the blast made the bow bend and then collapse upon its self. The engines sputtered and died. The two halves fell to earth in a fireball with its screaming crew. The ship sank just off the corner of the base. The other two airships began moving higher as enemy flyers swarmed them. No doubt to stall so their cannons could recharge.
“Dammit,” Topaz took off into the air but stopped when he heard Ombre roar in rage and blast one of the tanks, cutting the war machine in two with a plasma horn blade. His hackles rose as he watched the dark Prince chase down the crew of the tank and kill them. Bulwark tackled the Prince, but more enemy units swarmed the base. A trumpet sounded, and earth ponies inside the earth fortress came charging down the hill, while others fired from the top off the wall. Friendly flyers intercepted the enemy swarm, the sound of gem bullets whizzing through the air made a sharp and distinctive sound, and bodies began falling all around him.
Chaos unfolded as the two armies clashed. Pegasi fired their gem blasters with reckless abandon, engaging in high thrill dogfights as the Equinox retaliated with blasts from their spear-like horns. Some cut out the middle pony and used their long lance like appendages to run through the Pegasi and let their bodies fall to the earth where they were trampled by the ground forces engaged in an all-out brawl. Hoof to hoof combat was in full effect as the two armies crossed swords. Earth ponies used their immense strength and steel covered feet to stomp and crush any Equinox in their path, while the Equinox stabbed with their horns and other spiked appendages. Staining the ground with both armies blood.
Three Equinox’s tried to get the jump on Topaz by flying up behind him as he observed the chaos. He sensed their intent and swirled around grabbing two by the throat with his claws and killed the third by spewing fire. Dropping the corpses Topaz growled and tried to focus, to make a plan, and to figure out what he should do.
“Spitfire,” He called through the gemcom while soaring through the enemy ranks trying to cut down as many as he could while making his way toward Ombre. Ahead of him the cannons of Spitfire’s ship, the Centurion, roared as the anti-flyer countermeasures lit the ship up brighter than a fireworks show.
“I’m busy right now!” Spitfire spat, her voice almost completely drowned out by the background noise.
“We’re all busy. Call for the third wave, your supreme commander until Sixes or the Princesses arrive. I’m going to be tied up. Forget trying to fly up just keep the ships moving.”
“I’ll get on that. Get off my ship you fuckers!” The line when silent as several explosions came from the deck of the Centurion.
Folding his forelegs against his belly Topaz twisted his body as blue steam rose from under his scales. With a mighty flap of his wings, he rocketed through the sky with a flame burst, appearing as an orange blur to everypony that managed to catch a glimpse. He weaved through the warring armies aiming for Ombre who tanked another hit from Bulwark and managed to pin the big rinin down again. Blue fire erupted from his wings, and Topaz spun turning into a tornado of blue flame.
The dark Prince suddenly whipped around and threw up a dome shield. “Not this time!”
Banking a hard-left Topaz spun away from the shield, scrapping it with his claw as he passed. He let out a cry of pain as he skidded across the ground, two of his talons missing. Reluctantly he morphed his claws into hooves, not wanting to risk his appendages. He couldn’t grow them back like Fury could. Balancing awkwardly on flat feet again for the first time in years he sized up his opponent.
(Right in a middle of tough battle too.) He mused trying to get a feel for hooves again. His opponent Ombre seemed to appreciate the pause awhile. The dark Prince kept behind his magic dome nursing his stub, while the black substance from before stayed the bleeding, but Ombre had still lost a lot of blood. Topaz pondered his odds, calculating they weren’t too good if he couldn’t make the dark Prince retreat at the very least. (Time for the ace, I just hope he didn’t see me use it the first time.)
Topaz sucked in air, ballooning his chest like he was about to breath fire, but held in. Hot blue steam began to rise from the scales on his back, his wings ignited a brilliant blue, the crystals on his body started to shine as blades of blue plasma jutted out into crackling thrusters of pure energy. The final touch was the magic seeping from under his hooves.
Of the three of them, Sixes, Fury, and himself, he had learned very different magic from Sixe’s runes or Fury’s Ignis magick, something very different and simple. One might even call it mundane. Celestia taught him the magic of Haste, in simpler terms, speed. Speed so fast some might call it teleporting. When combined with his plasma it made him the unstoppable spear.
(Full Throttle Blaze!)
Rocketing like a shot out of cannon Topaz barreled toward Ombre, his vision a complete blur, his body barely seen by the naked eye. Anything in his path was cut down, no barrier could stop him, he was a living bullet of pure cutting power. When he hit Ombre’s forcefield, he barely noticed it was there, slicing through the magical barrier with ease. Inside he picked his target and adjusted his trajectory ever so slightly. Ombre perhaps out of pure instinct sensed the coming attack and moved to dodge, but his movements were so slow he might as well be standing still to Topaz as he flew past Ombre and came to a sudden halt.
“RAGH!” Screamed the dark Prince and Topaz turned to look at the damage done. He had intended to cleave Ombre in half, but as he predicted trying to adjust the upward angle of his strike had been too complicated to be effective. Much to his disappointment, he had only managed to gash through Ombre’s intestines. The big stud was laying face first in the dirt using his remaining foreleg to keep his insides inside his body.
Hearing the howls of their lord several enemy officers quickly sprang into action and levitated Ombre off the ground and began galloping with all haste to their base. Topaz fired a barrage of fireballs to try and finish off the injured lord, but his guards proved competent and raised a shield over Ombre. However, despite missing the chance to eliminate one of Sombra’s sons, the sight of their commander being carried away wounded was enough for Sombra’s forces to break and they began retreating.
Now the critical moment. Topaz watched as his own forces gave chase, by all logic they should push and take the enemy stronghold. However, he observed the thinning line of Equestrian troops nearing Sombra’s base, Topaz knew that even with the momentum they would not break through.
“Halt! Everypony halt!” Topaz barked over the gemcoms to the advancing troops. Some stopped midway, looking confused as they panned from their base to the enemy and their friends still charging. The ones too enthralled in attacking got within range of the enemy’s defenses and magic bolts and arrows fell upon them in an instant. Several dozen Equestrians instantly killed in the counter-attack.
The battlefield stilled, and the two armies grew silent, bringing an end to the first bout.
The first thing Topaz did was tap his gemcom to get a report of their losses. At the start of the battle, two battalions of Equestrians had been deployed with eight hundred earth ponies and pegasi. A total of 1600 troops plus the three airship crews. Not counting the airship which was an automatic loss of hundred ponies of various races. They lost two hundred and fifty-seven earth ponies and three hundred and twenty pegasi. As he looked out at the battlefield were the corpses lay, his only hope was they managed to take double that of the enemy. He tried to estimate their kills, but the enemy’s black bodies and armor made them blend together, appearing as one large black stain on the once green fields.
Topaz sighed landing at the top of the north wall of the base as Spitfire flew down from the airship, looking very angry. “Why did we stop! We could have pushed through!”
“Maybe, but we most likely would have been repelled and back to square one. At least this way we cut our losses and I told you to get those Airships out of those cannons range!” Topaz chastised. The yellow pegasus held back a retort before flying back to the ship, leaving him to look at the burning remains of the Comet.
(I should have expected they’d have a counter for airships.) Topaz berated to himself as Pegasus crew gathered clouds to put out the fire. Call him petty, but he laid the lives of the ponies lost at Celestia’s hooves. Maybe unfairly, but it was a partial truth. They tried to modernize, no revolutionize the Equestrian army and Navy well beyond any nation a thousand years ago. Celestia had refused on some moral grounds he couldn’t comprehend and thus instead of being ahead a thousand years later, they were behind. Far behind. With the loss of the Comet, they were weaker than Night Patrol before the Third Griffon War.
Topaz took a moment to pity himself, desperately wishing for the days of Night Patrols peak. The days when losing ten ponies was considered a bad day. All those years of training, building, and fighting for Equestria and how did the nation they sacrificed everything to honor their hard work and dedication? They threw it away in the dust bin a of history. Never advancing, never innovating.
“They even wore the same ridiculous armor.” Topaz laughed humorlessly. “Emerald, you might have been blessed with an early death, so you didn’t have to see this mockery of your efforts and sacrifice.”
His moment of brooding over Topaz began pacing the wall racking his brain a for strategy. Projections and figures ran through his mind, percentages, chances of success and failure and how many ponies he was willing to lose to accomplish said plans. He tried to put himself in the hooves of Sombra, a pony he had never met before. Which only made this battle harder to plan. The Crystal War had taken place before he had joined Night Patrol, everything he was doing was based on historical records and heresy.
(I don’t need to think like Sombra per se, I merely need to think of a pony that needs to counter a new and terrifying weapon and creatures I’ve never encountered before.)
The giant cannons were undoubtedly a good start he reasoned observing the enemy lines. Four massive magically powered guns that felled an Airship in a single hit. Topaz feared they may have enough power to even make the Nightmare take notice. The iron Airship certainly could tank at least one or maybe two of those blasts, but he doubted it could take much more. And if Sombra was a smart pony, and he had every reason to believe he was, there were likely more cannons or weapons similar to them in the city.
That was one countermeasure the Unicorn king designed, and it worked too. If the burning remains of the comet weren’t proof enough of that. The Equinox was harder to pin down. They were obviously a new species. Whether bred through crossbreeding or alchemy Topaz didn’t know. The black ponies were a strange mix of Changelings, pony, and something else. Possibly Shadow ponies, he hadn’t encountered any until the Battle of Maredor, the all black ponies were a menace. They could jump between shadows like spectators, and they were cannibals who eat ponies. They were really monsters that just looked like ponies.
“The characteristic shape of the Equinox is they all have horns, wings, and crystal on their bodies. They can all fly and use basic spells. Their wings seemed to vary significantly from insectoid, pegasi, to thestrial.” Topaz brewed aloud. Equinox were basically mini alicorns, they just seemed to lack the oomph that the Princesses had. He studied his own foreleg staring at the crystal coming out near his knee joint and wondered if somehow Crystal ponies factored into the trait. “Well their about as strong as an average unicorn, weaker than an earth pony, and fly on par with Pegasi, overall they are a threat, but…” Topaz trailed off, picturing Ombre.
(I wonder what Sombra did to create that monster and how many more there are. For sure two given the Third Son of Sombra title.)
Looking inward Topaz watched the medics rush from stretcher to stretcher in a frantic panic. They’d have to get VeeVee here fast. His gaze fell on Gloves who laid on the ground with his mutated arm exposed and his head resting by Fleetfoots legs as she stroked his hair. He was glad his young student had survived. Not far away AppleJazz was being tended too. It was good both youngsters were alive, and perhaps, more importantly, they set the bar.
(The Vice Commanders couldn’t beat Ombre, I could have maybe killed him, but I have the feeling the big guy wasn't serious, he won’t be as reckless if he recovers, and he has older brothers and maybe more. Who knows, but if their all in that general power range or greater we could be in trouble.)
“Spitfire,” Topaz hailed over the gemcom.
“What? I’m moving the ships!”
He looked up, confirming the claim. “I see that, have you managed to contact headquarters?”
“Not yet, we still have some interference, I’m about to talk to the boys outside the dome and see if they're having any better luck. If not I’m planning on sending a small team to deliver the message personally. Why you want to cancel the call of the third wave?”
“No, we’ll need them here for sure. But I want you to send a message to Sixes, tell him to let the kids come out and play.”
There was silence on Spitfire’s end for several long seconds. “Is that code or a joke?”
“Both, he’ll know what I mean.”
“Alright, over and out.”
Topaz turned back to the enemy base. There were a lot of things to deal with, but taking out those cannons would be first on the list. Checking the time it has been fifteen minutes since they fired and the battle came to a halt. Interesting they weren’t bombarding the base. He considered doing so but didn’t want to agitate the enemy just yet. Not until he had a clear plan.
“Platinum,” Topaz hailed over the gemcoms.
“Yes, Topaz?” The light pink unicorn replied.
“Are you well enough to visit me at the top of the northern wall?”
“Yes, I just reattached my legs. Bulwark please, I’m fine.” There was some hushed back and for the between the husband and wife. Most of which Topaz tuned out. “Ok, fine. Is it ok if Bulwark comes with me?”
Topaz bit back a sigh, “That’s fine, just get up here.”
His wait wasn’t long. Platinum arrived with Bulwark holding her in his arms, the giant rinin cradling her lovingly as he stomped around on two legs. A sweet scene if not for the fact he looked like some fairytale monster holding the fair maiden hostage. To this day their marriage was one even he could not have predicted.
“What do you need Commander?”
He pointed to the enemy base, “How long do you think it would take to build one of those cannons?”
Platinum pulled a spyglass from her saddlebag and studied the cannons in question. She mumbled to herself, pulling pen and paper out as well. Soon more pens were dispatched, five of them floated in Platinum’s magic scribbling madly and then all at once they stopped.
“Given their size, it would take about a year to forge one factoring old metalworking methods unless they carved from stone, which would take a long time, but it less than a year depending on how much labor power was dispatched. Mostly likely runes act as the power source, given how exact the runes need to be carved to ensure they stay stable and don’t explode, I would tack on another production year, as these would have to be some sizable runes. High mark two years to make one cannon with a regular work schedule. Not including working on multiple cannons at once, but after the first one they probably streamed lined the process a little bit, so maybe a year and a half after the first cannon. That’s just going off my measurements of course. I’m bound to be off by a fair margin.”
Topaz smiled and patted her head, Platinum blushed at the gesture and Bulwark growled. “You were helpful regardless, I’ll be sure to tell Sixes. How many do you think they could have made in twenty years?”
“Ten or more based on my estimates and time frame. I supposed you're worried about them having more in the city?”
“Correct, they’re probably hidden. Lying in wait for the Airships to fly overhead. Most leaders wouldn’t want to drop an Airship in their own city, but I have a feeling Sombra is a pony that would make that sacrifice for victory.”
Platinum mewed, rubbing where to metal leg and stub connected. “That Ombre was certainly brutish, I can only assume his father will be even more so.”
“Hard to say, but it’s very likely.” Topaz conceded. Now wanting to get into a nature verse nurture debate.
Up above the Airships circled the base slowly flying higher out of the cannon's range. At least Topaz hoped so. The enemy cannons could still shoot at them, but aiming that high up would certainly be more difficult, and so far, the enemy had yet to fire another barrage. That fact the timber ships were flying so slow only agitated him more. Celestia finally builds airships and their out of date frigates. Gadget must be rolling in his grave.
“How long do you think it takes for those things to recharge?” He asked Platinum, hoping her genius would provide another strategic advantage.
The pink unicorn stuck out her tongue doing some equations in her notebook. “I didn’t really get a good look at the blasts. Just going off the size of the barrels won’t be accurate, they look about 1000mm, and magic blasts shrink with distance. The fact they fired four at once may imply extreme shrinkage too or just overcompensation. Assuming they're just not sending unicorns to their death, they’d probably be pulling magic from the earth, so thirty minutes to an hour?”
“Halfway to the thirty-minute mark. They probably tried to shoot down all three of our ships at once,” Topaz stated rubbing his chin. They lucked out, and the enemy’s shots just happen to hit one ship. “No,” He corrected looking down at the crater in the northern wall. He flew up several feet doing a quick three-hundred-and-sixty-degree search around the base for similar craters. There was one way off to the west. “Platinum.”
“Yes?”
“What are the chances they’re still using a line of sight aiming? No sights or anything in the like?”
She shrugged, “Can’t say. I mean they can use spy glasses and judge distance like in the olden days, but we both know how well that worked half the time.”
Topaz touched back down looking very pleased. “Yeah, I remember. Given their slow reload they probably won’t be sighted in probably next time either. I’m sure they're doing their best right now to get us in their sights, but they probably won’t risk firing a full barrage again.”
“So, you have a plan?”
Topaz smirked, “The beginnings of one.”
Suddenly an explosion came from within the city, giant plumes of black smoke rose into the sky. Topaz and Platinum looked at one another before looking back wondering what was going on.
Goodnight drove his boot blade into the neck of another unsuspecting Equinox, the black pony creature thrashed hitting his helmet several times before finally fading to the afterlife. He pulled the knife free whipping the blood on the dead pony’s coat. The once sharp edge was chipped and getting duller with each use. This last pony would mark his twentieth kill. A fact he was both proud and slightly sickened by.
Sheathing his blade, Goodnight dragged the body into the shadows and then disappeared into the darkness himself moving swiftly and precisely from shadow to shadow. Spotting another patrol, two Equinoxes with their backs turned to him, he sprang into action. Leaping like a hungry predator, his glistening as he striked the two ponies necks dropping his entire weight into the attack and flattening both of them to the ground.
Twenty-two kills now.
Dragging the two into the alley and hiding them like many others before them Goodnight slumped against the brick wall. His search for the others had been fruitless so far. None of his kills had spoken a word of the others yet. The buzz among the enemy was the action taking place on the frontlines to the south. It was thanks to that he was able to get the drop on so many of them as they looked south like children searching through a crowd to peek at a parade.
The analogy of children was the wrong choice as Goodnight suddenly felt sick. Because even though they were the enemy, the ponies he killed were surely the children of somepony else. He ground his teeth and knocked his head against the wall and remembered Fury’s words from training.
(Don’t worry about such nonsense.) Was what the Rinin had said, it had been so cold hearted it shocked him and Sweet Dreams. But he understood now. Until the enemy surrendered or was utterly wiped out, he couldn’t think of them as ponies. They were just monsters and monstered need to be killed.
Despite reaching that conclusion, Goodnight felt doubt and wondered what his parents would think of him. Or if he even dared to tell them about the blood on his hooves. He was far gone from the mediocre guard he had been only a few months ago. He was different. He couldn’t explain how, but he knew he had changed. Both he and Sweet Dreams had. (I wonder if she’s noticed.)
Goodnight shook his head. “Don’t worry about nonsense,” he whispered getting back up. He can’t be sitting here when another patrol might come around at any time.
Taking flight, Goodnight latched onto the side of the building and flapped his leathery appendages to stay aloft as he ran along the wall of the building. Another tactic from training. As long as he didn’t do anything foolish, like make a lot of noise or step on a broken brick, he could exploit the fact most ponies don’t look up past a forty-five-degree angle and literally run over their heads.
Spying a group of soldiers Goodnight took cover on a ledge, hiding in the darkness of a statue depicting a rearing unicorn. Back pressed against the cold stone, he closed his eyes and listened. His ears twitched as the voices below were clear to him as if he was standing right next to them.
“Did you here Lord Ombre captured a mare?” One said to the others.
“I saw her, a lavender unicorn, the escorts had her chained up good and tied to a lance. She must be something special.” (Dammit Twilight,) Now he regretted not escorting Twilight across the field. Maybe she wouldn’t have been captured or… Goodnight clamped down on that train of thought and threw it away. (Can’t do anything about it now, but to save her. Just another thing to add to the list. Besides if any pony else is captured they’d be at the castle to probably.)
Another pony scoffed. “Lord Ombre was never picky about mares. He’d take any young thing that piqued his interest. If the girl is truly extraordinary, you know who will probably get her.”
“The eldest lord, Erebus,” The third member said with pride. “If the mare is worth anything, he will no doubt lay claim to her.”
“Maybe she’ll be the new queen too, Queen of the broodmares,” The group shared a laugh and Goodnight’s stomach clenched easily imagining what fate lay in store for Twilight Sparkle if nothing was done.
Goodnight peeked around the statue to the dark looming fortress. He was probably going to die trying to get there, and if he didn’t, he’d probably die trying to get inside. There was a lot of ground to cover from here to there, and his luck was bound to run out. Maybe it would be better to try and find one of the other squads, perhaps not all of them hadn’t been captured. At least that’s what he’s been telling himself all this time.
“Did you hear the reports about the pink alicorn?” One of the guards below said, instantly catching Goodnight’s attention. These guys were surprisingly informative.
“Indeed, Lord Scath was the one to confront her, she got away, but only because one of those Rinin covered her escape. You can all imagine what lord Scath did with him, right?”
“No question about that.” The other talkative guard chuckled.
(Fury was the one that went with Princess Cadence.) Goodnight thought with dread. (Does that mean… no Commander Fury would never be taken about that easily. Besides they didn’t expressly say this Scath killed him. I hope.)
A loud boom thundered through the city rattling Goodnight down to his bones. The soldiers below became quiet as they moved to the middle of the street. He peered down to watch them, the four of them seemed giddy by whatever just a happened. They shouted profanities against Celestia and Luna with great joy as more soldiers came running down the street waving a banner.
“We sunk one! We sunk one of the airships!” The banner bearer whooped as he passed.
Goodnight pressed his head against the statue panting as the numbers of his brothers in arms counted in his head. He flicked his boot blades out, his legs shaking with the urge to fly down and kill the lot of them right now.
“Don’t do foolish things when on a mission.” Goodnight chanted.
They celebrated the death of his friends.
“Don’t do foolish things.”
They mocked his princesses.
“Don’t do foolish things!” Before Goodnight repeated his chant, he was on the ground, his blades stuck into one of the laughing ponies’ necks. Fangs barred he snapped at another Equinox and ripped off the pony’s ear with his teeth. In a rage, he threw himself at the whimpering enemy striking him several times with his knives before jumping to the next one. One of the boot blades, dull and weakened from use snapped when the Equinox parried with his horn and jabbed at exposed skin. Blood flew from his leg as Goodnight sucked in air, and sonic shrieked point blank into the pony’s face. The hybrid creature swayed and stumbled his ears bleeding profusely running down the side of his head as his eyes rolled back into his head.
Goodnight stood in the middle of the street with the three Equinoxes dead at his feet. He stumbled over the bodies, his mind and body out of sync as he dizzily made his way to the nearby alleyway. He had to get moving again. He couldn’t stay here.
A blaring horn came from the south, and he wondered what happened now. More horns blared this time from within the city and squads of enemy fliers flew overhead, ignoring him completely. A team of twenty ran across the street a block away, they were in such a hurry they didn’t even notice him. He wondered what happened.
“Make way! Make way! Lord Ombre is injured! All troops go reinforce the frontline!” A messenger shouted running frantically through the streets.
A bit a Goodnight’s vigor returned upon hearing the news. Everypony else was still fighting, so he would too. To add to his pleasure, it was the pony who captured Twilight that was injured. As he took the first steps toward his mission, a cry of panic come from over yonder, followed by an explosion.
Panicked screams came from behind, he whipped around and ducked behind a stack of wooden crates to observe the commotion. A squad of Equinox appeared at the end of the alleyway, firing their horns frantically at some approaching force. An ear ringing boom resounded, and the center line of the squad was reduced to platters of meat. The Equinox broke rank and ran, pursued by a squeaking metallic sound. As broken glass rained down from the shockwave of the previous cannon shot, another split the air as the barrel of the weapon firing come into view. Treads appeared around the corner, and the scarred metal plating of an NP-45 tank rolled into view. Bixin riding atop it in the turret hatch breathing fire upon the fleeing foes.
“Given them another taste!” The copper-colored Rinin ordered the rapid-fire gem blasters at the front of the tank lit up, mowing down the fleeing enemy combatants.
Sighing with relief, Goodnight stepped out of his hiding place and tapped his gemcom. Bixin twisted in his direction a wide grin on his face.
“Well, look who we found. Need a ride?” The copper Rinin yelled over the rumble of the tank, waving his forelegs. “Come on! We can’t just sit here, more of them are coming!”
Goodnight grinned as he hopped up on the turret, hoof bumping the brown Rinin. “It’s good to see you, Bixin.”
“Same to you, you doing alright kid?” The Rinin asked patting Goodnight on the back and let him down into the tank where there were two other rinin sitting inside at the controls. “I don’t think you guys were introduced, this is my crew, the crème colored gal is Vani Lu, and the grey fellow is Smokey Haze. Guys this is Goodnight.”
The two Rinin wave without looking back. “Sorry, those two nothing but stiffs when on the clock.”
“That’s fine. I’m fine to answer your question. I got separated from Commander Trifecta and the others, but the hell happened to you guys? Weren’t you attacked?”
Bixin scoffed, “Of course we were, this thing is a rolling target. Not ten minutes went by after the city went all bizarre on us and we had swarms of the enemy on our tail. We took care of them, a good idea to lock the hatch. Anyway shake those fuckers off, and we run into another patrol when we try to go to the library. The closest spot we knew were some friendly might be. Luckily they don’t seem to really care about us for the time being. A good chunk of their units are to the south, so if we stay in the northern part of the city, we meet a lot less resistance. Unfortunately, that also means we can’t stop and rest either. We planned to take out some supply bases or other soft targets, but this place is a damn maze. None of the streets match up to the map.”
“I’ve noticed that too. The city’s completely changed from before. You haven’t seen any of the others have you?” Bixin shook his head. “Afraid not. Like I said we went to the library and found the place a wreck the whole place was nearly leveled and… well, we found some of the others on spears out front. Trifecta wasn’t among them though.” Bixin hit Smokey Haze on the shoulder, and the tank turned left. “Have you heard anything Goodnight?”
He nodded and told the tank crew of what he overheard.
The Rinin stroked his chin with worry. “I see, well we can either go over the Colosseum or to the castle. I think you technically outrank me, so you decide Goodnight.”
“Take me to the castle, if you guys can make some noise maybe I can sneak in while you draw the guard’s attention.”
“Kind of sucks being bait, but we’ll make it work. You just sit down and relax the best you can. We’ll have you there soon enough.”
As Bixin directed the crew on the plan, while Goodnight leaned against the side of the tank, the vibrations having a lulling effect on him as his eyes fluttered closed. He hadn’t realized how tired he was or how relieved he felt to finally find a friendly pony in this Celestia forsaken city. Despite the rumble of the tank he slept.
Luna waited by the master gemcom tapping her leg feverishly as she waited for Spitfire’s report. The pegasus colonel had brought her ships down to the battlefield entering the magical dome that covered the Crystal Empire. No further transmissions have been sent since then.
Her patience at an end she tapped the speaker, “Cloud base fourteen, come in.”
“Yes, Princess Luna?” The radio pony answered.
“Give me a status report, what is the situation on the ground there? Have you been able to contact Spitfire or the FOB?”
“No, ma’am, we thought the snow storm was the cause of the interference, but we still can’t get through to them. The magic of the dome covering the city may be too strong for our gemcoms to pierce. Do you have any order ma’am?”
“Yes, send a scouting team down and have them make contact with the forces on the ground and report back their findings.”
“At once ma’am, it will be done.”
Luna sighed taking her hoof off the transmitter. Nothing seemed to be going right. She had no idea what was going on, and no reports were making it back to her. Should she send in the third wave? Should she wait? It was hard to say.
“You should rest Luna,” Celestia said appearing behind her. “You need to have faith in them.”
“We already had this talk, I do have faith, faith in strategy and tactics. We rest on a knife’s edge, Celestia. Our first two waves have already gone, and our third way remains the only battle-ready legion ready to go, the rest are in Canterlot. Staging and moving another massive influx of troops will take too much time and resources we need here. If we strike too early, there won’t be any reinforcements for hours to possibly days.”
“I understand our plight, but back when I led Night Patrol, I had faith in the skills you taught your ponies. Even against all impossible odds, they made it out ok.”
“You don’t need to tell me that sister, but Night Patrol isn’t what it once was. Sixes told me what happened to them after my banishment. The quality went up, but their numbers were low, and now those numbers are barely half that now.” Luna bit her lip, pained by the words she was about to speak. “We’re not what we used to be.”
“No, we’re better.” Celestia retorted with a smile. Luna did not reciprocate the gesture.
“Blind faith is not an advantage.”
Celestia’s shoulders slouched, dishearted by her comment. “Sometimes faith is all we have, Luna.”
The two Princesses stood in silence waiting for the other speak again. Five minutes passed, and no words were uttered. Luna having enough of the stale air walked away to the cook tent for a meal. The cook gave her stewed vegetables, and she ate her lunch alone.
When the bowl was empty and the remaining broth soaked into the bread, the cook brought to her a loud shout came from the command center. Quickly discarding the container in the mess tent, Luna ran full gallop to the headquarters where Celestia, Cobalt, and Scarlet stood around the gemcom operator. The lanky young pony nodded feverishly as he wrote down the incoming message.
“What’s going on?” Luna demanded and inserted herself into the group.
“Colonel Spitfire sent a message to the cloud base, she’s requesting that the third wave is sent.” Cobalt reported his brow founded in confusion. “There’s also a message for Commander Sixies, It’s… odd. It’s from Commander Topaz.”
“What’s the message?” Celestia and Luna asked at the same time, their tones mismatched. The former was filled with dread and the later confusion. Luna took a moment to study her sister’s face. Wondering if the Sun Princess already knew what it was.
Cobalt scratched his head. “It says: let the kids out to play.”
Luna blinked, completely baffled, “Kids? What kids? What in Tartarus name are those two on about? Celestia you know…” Luna’s voice trailed off when she got a look at the horror on Celestia’s face. “Celestia, what's wrong?”
“Things are much worsed then I feared,” Celestia whispered, her voice so soft Luna wasn’t sure she had intended to actually speak.
“Celestia,” Luna prodded. “Celestia now is not the time for secrets. What does Topaz’s message mean?”
Celestia raised her head, her expression was deathly grim. “Topaz is asking for the Monster Squad.”
A wizened pony sat proudly upon a red throne, his mane once luscious black was peppered with white and gray, his bread which had grown long and whitened the same as his hair fell past his neck. His eyes drooped, wrinkled skin of decades lived weighed heavily upon his eyelids. Under the heavy ornate red fur cloak hid the Crimson Alicorn Amulet. The red jewel pulsed with power with every beat of his heart. The cape hid the horror beneath, the mystic gem jammed into his torso with veins of magic digging into his body like the tendrils of a demonic creature feasting on his soul.
The oversized doors of the throne room opened, and the pony looked up from his red carpet admiring the Empire he built in his image as his guests trotted to him, their reflections clear in the polished black marble floor. A small smile graced his wizen lips, and he gave his guest permission to stand.
“Thou have returned my sons, how goes the battle?”
Scath and Schatten smile upon their father’s from, King Sombra, each of them showing their respect by presenting their head to the old king. As the elder son Scath went first, receiving a pat on the head followed by Schatten. The fourth son relished this form of affection, so Sombra gave him an extra pat.
Scath stood up straight beaming with pride. “The battle is underway father. Our brother Ombre leads the fight against the Main Equestrian force to the south. I encountered an enemy in the Colosseum. I am happy to report to you that the red Rinin, Fierce Fury, fell by my blade.”
Sombra’s eyes widened. “The red Rinin has been slain? Tell me, what did he look like?”
“Pardon Lord Father?”
“His age!” Sombra spat but quickly reined himself in as a violent coughing fit assaulted him. For several long, tense seconds, he could only cough. A maid rushed to his side offering a cup of a bitter smelling liquid. Reluctantly he took it and drank, wrinkling his muzzle in disgust, but his cough finally subsided. “As I was saying, what was the Rinin’s age, how old did he appear? Was he as wizened as I?”
Scath shook his head. “No, father. He looked my age with not a grey hair on him.”
Sombra pounded the arms of his throne, grinding his teeth as his blood boiled. “Damnable creatures. They make a mockery of me even now. Curse them. Curse them all and damn those Princesses!”
“Father,” Schatten yelped with concern.
Feeling the tension in his body Sombra took a long deep sigh, his fine form slouching into a much less imposing figure of a unicorn of nearly sixty. (Who am I trying to fool?) He scoffed to himself. He was sixty-seven years old now. When he last faced the Princesses and their dragon ponies, he had been just under forty, aged by the standards then. He was the oldest being in his entire kingdom now.
“The pony in question could have been the Rinin’s son, Father.” Schatten offered in an attempt to comfort him.
Sombra smiled at his youngest boy extending his wrinkled leg to pat the mountain of a stallion that was his son. All his sons towered over him now. He had ensured they would be the mightiest ponies, mightier than even him. To ensure his legacy after he was gone. His heart ached as the Crimson Alicorn Amulet pulsed again, sending poisonous magic into his veins. He had embedded the gem into his body in a vain attempt to prolong his life and give him more power.
It did one of the two.
The amulet did indeed prolong his life. He lived well beyond his own father, Umbra, who had died at fifty. But it was a pained life. Every heartbeat was painful, every day he seemed to degrade more and more. The only thing to give him strength was the amulet, it was the only thing keeping him going, that and revenge.
Revenge that was finally being sewn.
“Schatten what is your report?”
“I encountered another Rinin, a grey one, in the library, with a lavender unicorn and a bat pony. I captured him and left his subordinates as a warning to their allies still in the city. I regret to tell you the unicorn and thestral escaped my grasp.”
“One more thing father, before I forget,” Scath suddenly spoke up. “I happened upon a pink Alicorn in the Colosseum. A young one, probably no more than twenty years old. My soldiers still search for her, but she is elusive.”
Sombra blinked his mind processing his son’s words. “A pink alicorn… a child of Celestia or Luna? No, that doesn’t seem right. Tell me what color was her hair and what mark did she bare?”
“Her head was a mix of purple, gold, and pink, and she bore a crystal heart as a mark. At least that’s what it seemed, I was too far away to truly tell.”
“There is no doubt.” Sombra laughed. “That is the child of Symphony. Mi Amore Cadenza. Scath you are to personally go and find her and bring her to me. Alive.”
“Yes, father!” He saluted. About facing Scath trotted out the door, leaving him and Schatten alone.
Schatten stood rigidly under his father’s half-closed gaze. The old stallion plotting. “What do you desire me to do father? Shall I accompany Scath?”
Sombra shook his head. “No, I have something else in mind.”
The doors of the throne room opened again, both stallions looking at who dared to enter without announcing. “Oh, father!” The honey-laced voice of his second daughter cooed. “I have a surprise for you!” Cien Blask sang skipping down the red carpet. A bound Lavender unicorn followed in her wake. The young mare fought against her restraints moving at a snail’s pace.
“Hurry up now Twily, you're rude to your new King.” Cien chided at the unicorn. Bounding up the stairs to the throne Cien pecked Sombra on the cheek, and he replied by kissing her forehead and ruffling her silky mane.
“My little Cien what have you brought before me?” He asked in a sweet tone. If he had one weakness, it was his daughters. He had only had sons before, but when his three little girls arrived, a part of him changed.
Cien jumped off the throne and pressed her hoof against the top of the lavender unicorn’s neck making her kiss the floor. “Be respectful to daddy!” The bonds around the unicorn body light up, pink lightning arced between the braces as the mare’s hair stood on the edge, she let out a whimper as the collar around her neck tightened.
“I’m sorry.” The Unicorn said weakly with tears in her eyes.
He smiled admiring his daughter’s ruthlessness. “Enough dear. Tell me who this is.”
“This is Twilight Sparkle, Ombre’s newest war bride,” Cien explained.
Sombra raised an eyebrow looking closely at the captured. “Sparkle, huh, interesting. She certainly has a strong aura about her, but even so, she’s not worth bringing here without formal attire. You better not be slacking in your duties.”
Cien chuckled. “Perish the thought father, but while I was making her presentable, she said something exciting. Go on Twily tell daddy what you told me and no lying.”
The cuffs around Twilight’s body lit up, she held her mouth shut, the bands tightened and shocked her, the pain increased the more she resisted. A river of tears cascaded down her face as her mouth opened and betrayed her.
“I’m Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia’s personal student. I’m on a mission to stop you.”
A smile spread across the dark king’s face, genuinely happy smile. Great joy filled his old body, and he let out a loud villainous mocking laugh. The likes of which put terror into the young unicorn’s heart as she trembled in fear.
“Hohoho, now this is a treat! Celestia’s student bound and at my mercy? Dare I say I may have just been given the ultimate shield! And you’re just brimming with magical power! As expected of the Sparkle Clan. I wouldn’t expect anything less from one of Maredor’s most prestige families.”
Twilight’s mouth hung open, but she couldn’t speak, not without permission.
“Oh, you didn’t know? Celestia never told you? That is simply precious. Your family originated in my kingdom, the product of good breeding. Many of your Familia joined me in my invasion. They were the most loyal of soldiers. Cien’s mother was given when she came of age by her father. Gleam Sparkle I believe her name was.” Sombra paused his reminiscing to enjoy the look of conflict on Twilight’s face. The young mare’s entire world was shattered. He put on his best sympathetic mask and stepped down from his throne forcing the young mare to look at him as she cried. “It must hurt being lied to your whole life. Celestia would have known the origin of your family. I’m certain she took your clan from Maredor after my defeat. Tell me, child, how many years have passed in the outside world.”
“One thousand years,” Twilight answered; her mouth clamped shut once again leaving her words locked inside as Sombra paced before her.
“Hmm, a much longer time then I expected. It’s only been about thirty here. I guess that’s dimension hopping for you.” Sombra shrugged as he paced the floor with a keen interest in his new slave. “So many questions to ask, so much knowledge to attain, but were to start? Oh yes. Let’s start with the obvious. What battle magic did Celestia teach you? Did she have you follow in her hoof steps with light and fire magic like her?”
“No.”
“I see, then what style of magic did she teach you?”
“Celestia didn’t teach me any styles. She mostly taught me non-combative magic. I had to learn battle magic on my own, and when I did, she pushed me to learn shields like my brother Shining Armor. My other master taught me battle magic.”
Sombra cocked his head in confusion. “Strange Celestia didn’t teach you’re her fighting style. You would make a great magical artillery caster. Launching powerful and destructive spells from the back, wiping out hordes of enemies in a single flash. You certainly have the magic for it. Why not teach you? No matter, who is this other master you spoke off, what did she teach you?”
“VeeVee, her name is VeeVee, she’s a rinin and a medic, but she’s very knowledgeable of many magics and trained me how to increase my basic spells with stamina and power training. She hadn’t had the chance to teach me other spells.”
His eye twitched, “Then what combat spells do you know?”
“Basic magic blast, Plasma horn, teleportation, and some tier three magic shields.”
“You cannot be serious.”
“She cannot lie father.” Schatten reminded him.
“Yes, boy, I know, I am simply taken aback. When I heard you were Celestia’s student I never imagined you would be so… so… useless! My lowest rung soldier is more equipped than you. How long have you been Celestia’s student?”
Twilight bowed her head, feelings of shame and resentment bubbled inside her. “Since I was a filly, probably seven years or eight years old. I’m seventeen now.”
Sombra gaffed. “Ten years under the Sun Princess’s eye and this all you have to show for it? Did she really teach you? With your talent, I’m surprised Luna didn’t snatch you up for herself.”
“Luna was sealed in the moon until a few months ago.”
He blinked. “Luna sealed in the moon? What’s all this now? Explain, everything, now.”
Her magic strained, and her mind on the brink of shattering Twilight monotoned out the legend of Nightmare Moon and her defeat, her battles with Discord, the Canterlot Invasion and the Return of Night Patrol. She told the dark king everything.
“Interesting, very interesting. You have been a great help to me Twilight Sparkle. More then you will ever know. I am torn though.” Sombra laughed as he retook his seat. “I can’t decide if I should let Ombre have you for capturing you in the first place or give you to Erebus. His magical power is much more potent, your two genes would defiantly make me strong grandchildren. Since our population was so limited, I had to ensure proper bloodlines. You know to avoid inbreeding. Since we’re about to push on to the greater wide world. Maybe I could bend the rules and let both have at you? What do you think?”
“You're disgusting!” Twilight spat.
Sombra merely waved his foreleg, Twilight’s mouth slammed closed, muffling her protests. “I will enjoy watching the fire dwindle in your eyes, but I have more questions. You’ve already spilled your battle plans, and given away all your secrets, the bit about Luna falling to darkness was particularly intriguing. I wish I could have been there to see that. There is one very personal question that burns me, and that is what happened to my Kingdom? What befell my country of Maredor? What happened to my son, Sombra the Second? Answer me.”
Twilight robotically replied, “I don’t know. It wasn’t in our history books, nor did Celestia ever bring it up. I never heard the name until Night Patrol returned, but I didn’t have time to research it. All I know is that the Rinins speak of it in passing and of a battle that took place there.”
“Hmm, not quite as helpful in that area, but don’t you find it funny Celestia never brought it up?”
“Perhaps she thought it was irrelevant to my studies, the battle did take place nearly a thousand years ago,” Twilight argued.
He scoffed. “No matter. Schatten bring the rinin you captured here. I’m sure we can preen something from him.”
“At once father.”
Sombra turned to Cien. “Cien go get Twilight properly dressed. Make sure the dress is nice. I want your new slave sister in formal attire for her husbands.”
Cien bowed, “Of course, father, I will ensure she is proper. Come on Twily, let’s go play dress up.”
As the three left Sombra sat back in his throne, shuffling against the silky fur for comfort. Everything was going brilliantly. Celestia and Luna were playing right into his hooves, and all he had to do was sit back and wait.
“I suppose I could give Cadenza to Erebus and Twilight to Ombre, that would be fairer. Or maybe Scath should have the Princess of love? Augh, no matter whoever finds her first can have her. The real interest is Twilight. Why did Celestia waste her time teaching her nothing? What is her plan, what does she see in the child if not the budding of a powerful mage?” Sombra’s eyes waned, exhaustion weighed heavily on his shoulders. He had gotten too excited. A short nap would be in order. “Servant.”
“Yes, milord.” The maid from earlier answered stepping out from behind the curtain. She was a middle-aged mare, her blue mane tied in a braid her coat was violet coat with white running halfway up her legs.
“I am going to rest, wake me before allowing any pony to enter. I do not want to be embarrassed by being found asleep.”
“Of course, milord.” The maid bowed. “I will inform the guards.”
Sombra’s breath shallowed as sleep began to work its will upon him. “Very good, Gleam, thank you.” He uttered softly, soft snores rising from his throat.
Gleam Sparkle smiled sadly and climbed the throne, and gently pressed her lips to the king’s cheek. “It is my duty and pleasure.” She whispered to the stallion that had once been hers and like so many others were now exiled to watch her child grow without knowing their mother. Such is the fate of the King’s concubine.
As Gleam walked to the door to keep watch, her mind wondered. “Twilight Sparkle, I wonder if she’s descended from father’s brother. How did she end up in Equestria?”
“Get up!” The guard shouted at Trifecta. The last of the Triplets opened his silted eyes from the furthest corner in his cell. His glare made the guard gulp as a low growl rumbled in his throat.
“What is it?”
From around the corner, the pony that had captured him stepped out behind the guard. Trifecta had thought Schatten was big before, but inside the narrow and short cell hall, the black stud looked gigantic, his head almost touching the seven-foot-high ceiling and his width covering half of his cell.
“My father demands your presence.” The Dark Prince grumbled.
Trifecta raised an eye and scoffed. “Does he now? What could he want with a little soldier like me?”
“Your jests are not amusing.” Schatten looked down at the guard. “Why did you not place the command bonds on him?”
“We thought you were going to execute him right away. We thought a restriction collar would suffice. His leg is broken, so we thought he wouldn’t be hard to handle.”
Schatten raised his hoof and knocked the Equinox to his belly. “He’s a rinin. You shouldn’t have been so careless; be lucky I chose to spare you this time.”
“Of course, my lord, I will be more thorough next time.”
The big unicorn squeezed himself backward to allow the other guards waiting to enter the cell and chain Trifecta u. A heavy iron yoke was placed around Trifecta’s neck, and the same bands that bound Twilight were placed on his legs.
“Lord Schatten, I’m afraid we cannot place a truth ring on this one. His tail is… well, as you can see.”
Schatten peered into the ceil. Indeed, the truth ring was designed to be fixed to the base of a pony’s tail. Trifecta’s dragon tail was far too large for it to fit, even on the tip. The Rinin’s claws were morphed into hooves, though his claws would likely be too big anyway.
“Pierce his ear and place it there.”
“That will limit the ring’s effects.” One of the guards replied.
“Do it.”
“At once my lord.”
As he waited, Schatten turned his gaze to the cell opposite of Trifecta. Eying the mangled red corpse his elder brother had brought in. The red Rinin. A being that had wounded their father in the war before their birth lay dead on the floor. The rinin’s body was crushed, his center flattened by Scath’s heavy blade. Well, it was more like a club since his brother hardly ever sharpened the damn thing, but the weapon was still lethal.
He crouched wanting a better look at the hated enemy his father would rave about in his stories. He found it hard to believe that this creature could earn his father’s ire so much that he was disdained equally with the Princesses.
(How underwhelming.) Schatten monologed looking into Fierce Fury’s empty eye socket. Bits of exposed blackened skull turned to ash. The body was decomposing very rapidly. A draft blew from the entrance, the light breeze enough to make other pieces of the rinin’s body break apart into ash. He continued to stare memorized by the black void of Fury’s empty socket. His vision blurred from prolong staring and when it came back into focus, a brief flash of light like the light of candle appeared and disappeared in a single breath. Schatten blinked again, but the fire did not appear. “Musta been a trick of the eye.”
“What’s that sir?”
Schatten stood up, the guards waiting with Trifecta yoked and shackled inside the cell. “Nothing, let’s go. To the throne room.”
Trifecta did not fight against his bonds, choosing to save his strength for when it was truly needed. As the guards pulled him along, he glanced back keeping a keen eye on Fury’s cell.
“You’ll be joining your friend soon.” One of the guards prattled.
He faced forward watching the back of Schatten, the dark prince’s ears twitched, indicating he was listening. “Perhaps your right,” Trifecta replied to the guard, as he flashed his teeth. “I’ll make sure you see your friends first, though.”
“Your confidence is extremely high for a pony in chains,” Schatten remarked as they entered the finer hallways of the castle proper. Red carpets and banners littered the place as well as empty suits of armor. The designs varied. They were most likely out of date models that’s only usefulness was decoration.
“Gotta stay positive is what my brother always said. Can’t remember which one said it, I’m a triplet, so my brothers and I look the same.”
“Interesting. I can somewhat relate. Though our appearance and ages vary slightly, my brothers and I do not deviate much in looks either.” Schatten said in a surprising cordial tone of voice.
Trifecta laughed, the dark prince shooting him a perplexed glare. “Sorry, but you’re awfully casual to a pony whose leg you broke.”
Now it was Schatten’s turn to laugh. “No reason we can’t be civil even if we're enemies. At least that’s what my father taught us.”
“Really. Forgive my disbelief, but last time I saw your father he was mad with rage and sucking everypony into a black hole after we gave him a trouncing.”
“And what would an invader such as you know of my father?”
“I prefer the term liberator, thank you very much.”
Their conversation came to an end as they approached the throne room doors. Standing outside was lavender and white unicorn maid blocking the door. On the other side of her stood Twilight Sparkle dolled up in a red ruffled dress with makeup and her hair styled. Trifecta did a quick double-take before noticing the magical cuffs on her legs and the collar around her neck. Standing beside Twilight was black unicorn mare in a similarly silky dress with a purple curved horn.
“Cien, I see you did your job.”
Cien turned up her nose. “And what do you mean by that dear brother? Of course, I did my job. Not that it will matter when brother Ombre comes home and tears her out of it.” The second daughter of Sombra made a sharp turn toward Trifecta and rubbed up against him. “My, my, so this is a rinin. You're more handsome than in father’s tales.”
“Cien,” Schatten said sharply.
“Oh fine.” She scoffed detaching herself from Trifecta. “Maid is father ready for us? Huh? She’s gone.”
The maid in question poked her head out of the throne room doors shaking her head. “The King is occupied. Some troublesome news has come from the front that needs his attention." She shut the door on them.
(A remarkably bold move by a mere servant.) Trifecta observed eying the Prince and Princess. He had expected them to get mad or demand to be let in. After all, if things were haywire at the front, then Schatten at least should be let in, yet the royal siblings didn’t even look displeased. In fact, they seemed anxious. Cien saddled up close to Schatten whispering in her brother’s ear. Every so slightly he adjusted his ears for a better listen.
“Father’s asleep, isn’t he? We should return him to his chambers. Sleeping in that chair isn’t good for him.” Cien whispered in concern.
“Hush,” Schatten softly reprimanded. “It would hurt his pride if we did that. Let’s lock up the prisoners for now until he’s rested.”
“Oh, that gives me an idea!” Cien said in a cheerful voice. Trifecta couldn’t tell if she was being genuine or just putting up an act, so they didn’t catch to the fact something was wrong, but he didn’t like the delighted gleam in her eyes as she swaggered between him and Twilight. She placed her hoof under Twilight’s chin in a very subjected fashion. “You two follow me. Trust me this will be enjoyable.”
“Cien, no games,” Schatten grumbled.
“It’s just a little fun. Now come, come. Let’s go this way.” She beckoned leading them down the hall. Under the compulsion of their bonds, he and Twilight had no chance but to follow Cien. The second daughter of Sombra led them away from the throne room. Taking so many turns that Trifecta was utterly lost.
(Why isn’t she bringing me back to the dungeon? Twilight they have a reign on, but why chance me?) His stomach tingled, and he quickly gave it a slap with his injured leg to calm it down. (Settle down!)
“Here we are!” Cien sang presenting an ornate door to them. He wasn’t well versed in runes, but he knew enough to know those were prison runes. The guard stationed next to the door opened it, and Cien shoed him and Twilight inside. A single bed was the only piece of furniture, and a noxious musk stained the air, causing both his and Twilight’s nose to wrinkle.
A playful smirk danced on the dark princess’s lips. “Feel free to speak and move freely, but only within this room. Go outside, and you will freeze where you stand. That is my command.”
Twilight recoiled covering her nose. “What is that smell!”
“The scent of love, dear Twily.” Cien cooed.
“What?” Twilight gasped in confusion. “How does love have a smell?”
“She means sex, Twilight.” Trifecta clarified looking his fellow captive over. “You’ve had sex before, right? Your what seventeen?”
Twilight’s purple coat became a deep, deep shade of pink. “No.” She replied in the meekest voice he’d ever heard.
Cien cackled. “Oh, this makes it even better! I knew this would be fun. Now Twilight as you know once we win this war and we will. You're going to be passed off to one of my brothers. Ombre, Erebus I don’t know, the point is your life is over. But since I’m so kind, I will give you the privilege of choosing who deflowers you. This lovely stallion of a rinin or my brother. It’s all up to you. You have until we come for you to decide. I’m curious which choice you’ll make.”
In the hallway, Schatten sighed, “Must you do this with every mare we capture? What amusement to do you find it in?” “If you're so opposed feel free to stop me, little brother,” Cien smirked staring Schatten down.
Schatten rubbed his temple in dismay. “Father gives you three way too much leeway. Play your games, but don’t expect Erebus or Ombre to be so generous. You won’t be able to hide behind father forever.”
“Which is why I need to get away with my fun for as long as possible. Things will be a lot more boring when Erebus takes the throne.” Cien said stepping out into the hall. Shutting the door. Leaving Twilight and Trifecta staring awkwardly at each other and at the bed.
“So, what do you think she’ll do?” Cien asked as she and Schatten trotted toward the throne room. “Do you think she’ll do it? I think she will. She’s desperate, afraid. She’ll take comfort in him. And he’ll want to give her a pleasurable first time and…”
“For the love of the gods, sister, can you not discuss your fantasies with Skaggi or Zil? Why do you do these games of yours?”
“For romance novels.” She quipped.
“Romance novels?”
“Yes, It’s my hobby. The castle staff enjoys them.”
“You’ve already written them?”
“Several in fact, each one tragic and dark, and gripping!”
Schatten looked at her in disbelief. “Our subjects have some twisted tastes then.”
“Zil enjoys them too.”
“You expect me to believe our prim and proper elder sister enjoys your smut?”
She merely shrugged at his question. “Why do think I’m ranting to you, Zil doesn’t want spoilers and Daddy would punish me if I introduced such things to little Skaggi.”
A chuckle escaped the fourth son, “Indeed. Dare say you might actually be scolded if you did that.”
A cry from down the hallway caught to the two sibling’s attention. Gleam ran frantically towards them doing a quick bow while panting for breath. “My lord, my lady, terrible news!”
“Has something happened to father!” Cien cried fearfully.
“No, no, thank the gods no, I’m afraid it’s lord Ombre. He’s been injured. The soldiers brought him to the castle. He is severely wounded and missing a leg.”
Cien’s eyes shriveled, “What? How could that happen? To brother Ombre even?”
Schatten pushed his sister behind him. “Who commands the front now?”
“I don’t know, milord.”
He growled. “Then I shall go. Inform father.”
Suddenly an explosion erupted from outside. Schatten raced to the nearest balcony watching as flames rose from the center of the city. “What madness is this!” He bellowed creating wings of shadow and taking flight.
1 hour earlier in the clock tower.
“Are you sure this will work? Do you really know what you're doing?” Far Reach asked for the fifth time.
“It will work, trust me.” Amatex insisted. On the floor of the clock tower, he had all their explosion material laid out on his bedroll. Three bundles of three stick grenades were duct taped together. Small glass vials were attached to the explosives. “How is that catalyst coming Princess?”
Cadence wiped the sweat from her brow as she slowly used her magic to grind orange gemstones into dust. A small pile of fine powder rested in the bowl Amatex provided her. “Almost done. Please don’t distract me. It’s hard enough to concentrate with all this noise and keep my magic to unnoticeable levels.” She warned as the last orange gem crumbled away. “There now what?”
Amatex pushed a bowl of clear jelly-like substance towards her. “Now mix the gem power with this and then add it to the vials on the grenades and cap them gently.” Cadence did as commanded mixing the two ingredients until the gelatin became orange. When she floated it out of the bowl, the substance was slimly and threaten to fall out of her magic.
“Don’t let it hit the ground it if it does it will blow this whole place up!”
Cold sweat poured over the princess as she worked to place the explosive substance into the glass containers. There were four vials to each bomb, and she had to hold the seals with her magic as well. After several tense sweat dropping seconds, she sealed the mixture and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Good job,” Sweet dreams congratulated, eying the three bombs. On the ground, the Lieutenant skimmed over the reference book Amatex had taken out. “The Overheat special. Created by Starwind the Beardless, finely grind down orange gems and add gelignite. Orange gems have a property of enhancing explosions. Use standard grenade as an ignition source. Be sure to be at least… sweet Celestia two hundred hundred meters away? Flames of the explosion will take a glue-like property when airborne and stick to targets, flames can only be put out by using anti-fire chemical formula located on page fifteen.”
Amatex looked nervous as they all stared at him. “I don’t have the materials to make the chemical, be careful.”
Sweet Dreams nodded as she placed a bomb in each of their saddlebags, save for Princess Cadence. Clearing the bedroll, she led the others over to chalk drawing she made on the floor. “After observing the area I’ve made a rough sketch of our target. As seen here. I’ve chosen this base.”
“Isn’t it a little close?” Far Reach asked concerned. “If things go bad the clock tower would make a good fall back point.”
“No, after the attack I plan to group back up with the others, and we all make a break for it in the chaos. The attack will draw the attention of the frontlines, and hopefully, enough troops will scramble to the center of the city while we go around to regroup and head out the long way.”
“That will take too long,” Amatex grunted. “It would be better if one of us goes back to the others and warns them ahead of time. In fact, better yet, instead of struggling to regroup once the bombs go off Shining Armor’s group can go out one way, while the bomb team heads out another.”
Sweet Dreams tapped her chin at the idea. Weighing the pros and cons. “You may be right. Coordinating with the others on the spot will be hard. Plus, we’d waste time getting to them, shortening our window of escape. The obvious choice to go would be you, Princess.”
“Now just hold it right there,” Cadence protested. “It wouldn’t be better for me tactically to go with the bombing group. Once the bomb goes off, I can teleport the three of us out of there. With all the chaos it should be safe to use my magic to escape the city.”
“I can’t disagree with the logic, but you’re a priority target. It’s more important that we get you out first.” Argued Sweet Dreams. Cadence sat up straight flashing a smirk that announced the princess had counter to her statement.
“Whose to say going to Shining Armor’s group would be the quickest or safety way? Speaking logically as you say. A smaller group can cover much more ground and move faster. Thus, a higher chance of me escaping.”
“It’s also risky.”
“So is going back to the basement without you. Your stealth skills are the sole reason we made it this far Sweet Dreams. Unless you want to go?”
She grumbled at the Princess’s statement. “You know I can’t do that. You three would never get within a hundred yards of that base. We need Amatex in case something comes up with the bombs so Far Reach would have to be the one to go. Your sharp eyes will hopefully be enough to get you back to Shining Armor undetected.”
They sat in collective silence; each one knowing this was the only option they had. Gathering up the scattered equipment the four ponies packed up. Amatex held two bombs while Sweet Dreams carried one. Whatever couldn’t fit inside their saddlebags because of the bombs bulk was discarded.
Descending the stairs, the four made quick progress, the mechanical noise of the clock tower covered their tracks once again. At the base of the tower, they separated. Far Reach galloped into the nearest alley, never looking back as he slinked into the shadows.
(I hope he makes it.) Sweet Dreams prayed, leading Amatex and Cadence toward their target. The streets were dense with patrols. Sneaking around with three ponies was difficult, four might have been impossible with their current level of stealth.
Following her, the mental image of the city Sweet Dreams ducked and weaved, their progress slow, but steady. As they pressed themselves against the wall, waiting for a patrol to pass, Sweet Dreams eyed Cadence, who was staring at the direction of the castle.
The capture of Twilight Sparkle weighed heavily on the Princess. Any capture from their side would, thought the fact the unicorn was her sister in law elevated things. As much as Sweet Dreams wanted to go save Twilight as well, it wasn’t in the cards. Their group could never get in there alive to retrieve her.
If she was right, that was the real reason Cadence wanted to be on the bombing team. Once the bombs went off, Sweet Dreams was sure the Princess would use her teleport to get them far away as possible and then jump again towards the castle to go after Twilight. Most likely by herself. Cadence probably thought she was playing it cool by not bringing it up or objecting to leaving Twilight behind for now, but her silence gave her away. At least that was her theory. Sweet Dreams didn’t know Princess Cadence well enough to know just how reckless she could be, but in her gut, she knew the princess would go after Twilight.
(And sadly, it will be my duty to try and stop her. Good thing I’m not a career seeker. I doubt I’ll be getting any promotions for stopping the recuse of Celestia’s student and Cadence’s sister in law.)
“Sweet Dreams,” Cadence whispered nudging her shoulder. “Is the coast clear?”
Shaking her head Sweet Dreams took another look and found the street empty. Getting her wits back she led the two across to the next alley and thus began the game of duck and weave again. Soon a noise of joyful music and laughter could be heard. The trio emerged from the shadows with a pile of crates stacked four high. Between the spaces between the containers, hundreds of Equinox partying. There was at least one entire company stationed here. The roaring glow of the bonfire made their shows dance as the enemy soldiers partook in food and drink.
“It’s here! The war is finally here!” One cheered.
“Those bastards on the front are so lucky! I owe some of them drinks now! I wanted to be the first to kill the evil Equestrians!” Said another half drunk.
A third said. This one older and wearing a green cape. An officer perhaps? “Don’t get too drunk boys, we’re relief unit. Things are quiet now, but don’t have more than two cups of wine.”
“Ah, you worry too much you, old coot. Lord Ombre and Commander Bright got this in the bag!”
Sweet Dreams motioned for Amatex and Cadence to follow her, leading them toward the wall and crates met. (I can’t believe they were dumb enough to stack their supplies next to an alley like this, let alone cover the ally with said supplies too. This is almost too perfect. If not for what they said, I would almost feel sorry for them.)
“Amatex place the bombs on the back of these crates and set the timers.” She ordered. “The bombs should have enough force to turn all these wood crates into shrapnel.”
Amatex nodded and began placing the bombs. One where they were, one in the center, and one on the opposite end. Sweet Dreams was a little perplexed when Amatex pulled out a cord of sting and began tying it to the pins of the bombs.
“Don’t tell me.”
“No timers, sorry ma’am,” Amatex said sitting on the ground with all three strings before him. “No more rope either. Why don’t you ladies go on ahead, I’ll catch up.”
“Drop the macho crap, you know you won’t survive the blast.” Sweet Dreams retorted with tears. There’s got to be another way.”
“Maybe, but we don’t have time to find one.”
“What about shooting them with your hoof blaster? Surely you can do that?” Cadence offered.
Amatex shook his head. “They need to go off all at once. The shockwaves might cancel each other out and lessen the damage. Look I’m single, I’m a grunt, let me do this. I’ll be the sacrificial pawn. I don't mind a good tombstone in the heroes section.”
“I could shield you.” Cadence insisted. “There’s no need for you to die today.”
“Appreciate the thought, but this boom is going to be big, your magic might not hold it back. Teleportation is out too; I can’t risk you waiting for the bombs to go off and teleport all three of us. Can you even teleport two ponies in eight seconds?”
Cadence hung her head. “No, not without knowing where I’m going, and I’d need to charge up magic for three of us.”
He nodded, “Because extra bodies cause drag, shortening the distance traveled. Now you two go, I’ll do my duty once you get out of here.” Amatex took the ends of the rope in his mouth, bringing an end to the argument. “It’s been a pleasure serving under you.”
Sweet Dreams saluted as Cadence flared her horn, the two mares disappeared in a blink. Once the last sparkle of magic dissipated and the enemy became aware of the disturbance. Amatex tugged on the ropes. The pins of the grenades popped loose perfectly in sync.
“One, two, three…”
“Something’s going on over there!”
“Four, five…”
“I see an Equestrian behind the crates!”
“Six, Seven…”
“Get them!”
“Eight…”
Cadence and Sweet Dreams appeared on the roof of the clock tower, the princess panting from the long jump. There was a horrible ringing in their ears. The shockwave of the blast must have hit them mid-teleport, the shockwave disabling their hearing temporarily. They heard nothing as a giant fireball engulfed the enemy base, the fire covered the entire block. A giant glow in the middle of the black city. The screams of the wounded soon reached them as their hearing returned.
“We should go.” Sweet Dreams said somberly.
“Yeah, we should go east to keep them off Far Reach’s trail,” Cadence said absentmindedly. Amatex’s sacrifice weighed heavily on her, and it made her wonder if Shining would have done the same. Maybe if there was no other choice and the thought scared her. (I kind of get now why Celestia was never gung-ho about pressing ponies into military service.) “Hopefully this will be of help to the others enter the city.”
“Even a quick response could take hours. We better get out of this area and out of this hellhole.” Sweet Dreams advised pulling the pink alicorn towards the edge of the roof. The enemy was focused on the fires. They’d probably think it was sneak attack and a lot of the patrols would probably run towards the explosion. This would the perfect time to sneak around unnoticed.
Cadence offered no resistance following Sweet Dreams east. The two mares glided smoothly over the streets of the city, weaving between alleys and unpopulated roads. Beneath them, hordes of enemy soldiers ran towards the city center. From their varied shouts none of them knew what was going on, nor did their leaders seem to either.
“Their communications don’t seem very sophisticated.” Sweet Dreams noted as she and Cadence rested on the ledge, waiting for the gaggle of troops to get moving again. Two units, a total of forty, met at the crossroads the two officers exchanging information. She didn’t bother risking getting closer to hear what they were saying. The chatter from their units would have interfered with her superb hearing even if she did.
So, they waited. Five, ten and then fifteen painful minutes passed, and the soldiers finally moved on. She could hardly believe they would stall for that long, but then she didn’t know what their protocol for an event like this was. From Fierce Fury’s lessons, he taught all units in the immediate area would help, but any pony outside a specific zone was to remain at their post. They had gotten lucky in the beginning being able to fly several blocks through the city unnoticed, but that window was shrinking with every second the soldier’s of Sombra got to collect information and react to the crisis.
“Let’s go.” Sweet Dreams urged scrambling across the ledge and gliding into the alleyway again. Cadence followed her lead, and they flew low and quick over the buildings, keeping an eye out for enemy patrols. If any ground patrols spotted them, it would look odd to be going in the opposite direction of everypony else. If their armor didn’t give them away outright, that is. Which is why despite how desperate they were to leave; they weren’t going so fast as to draw attention.
“The edge of the city.” Cadence declared as they neared the green crystal grass of the plains. The green plains provided a stark contrast to the black crystal of the city, much like a light at the end of a dark tunnel.
“Almost there,” Sweet Dreams fretted, feeling of foreboding rising within her. Things were going well, in fact, they were great as far as their escape was concerned, so what was this feeling in her stomach? Why did the plains that offered their freedom suddenly scare her?
The answer to the question came in the form of a pony, a unicorn to be precise, a black unicorn with a curved pink horn, pink and black mane and sporting an ornate red cape with white fur trim. Resting upon the mare’s head was a small crown. Symbolizing her status, royal. She was a princess.
“Please tell me she’s one of your Princess friends, Princess Cadence?” Sweet Dreams begged; Cadence shook her head.
“She’s no friend of mine.” She confirmed as a magical barrier rose at the edge of the city. The pink wall flew over them forming a dome that covered an entire quarter of the town. When compared to Shining Armor’s ability to cover all of Canterlot that wouldn’t seem as impressive, but the Crystal Empire was much more spread out and by Cadence’s curacy glance the dome could have easily fit most of Canterlot. That was assuming this was the limits of the mare’s powers. Somepony had cast an enormous net just to capture them.
“Come down here.” The mare demanded her tone that of one who expected her orders to be heeded.
Reluctantly Sweet Dreams and Cadence complied, landing a fair distance away, while still in speaking distance. “Introduce yourselves,” The black mare ordered.
Cadence stood up straight and dignified. If the royal trappings on the mare were accurate, they were of the same rank. Even if they were on opposite sides, a certain amount of respect was due. “You first. I see we are in the presence of royalty, while so are you, it is only proper for you to introduce yourself first.”
“Princess what are you doing?” Sweet Dreams hissed, not liking that Cadence had given away her status so quickly. Though if it weren’t apparent by her horn and wings, still, it would be nice if her VIP didn’t paint a target on herself.
“Ah, I see,” The unicorn replied her eyes zeroing in on the Cadence’s horn and wings. “Very well, it is only proper. I am First Princess Zil Von Rosa, eldest daughter of King Sombra, and leader of the Maiden Legion. Who are you that call themselves my peer?”
Cadence breathed and stepped forward. “I am Third Princess of Equestria, The Princess of Love, Princess Mi Amor Cadenza, Cadence for short.”
Zil chuckled. “And I thought my title was a mouthful. Princess of love, huh? Not crystals or anything like that? Whatever I guess, so you have any good romance novels?”
“I know of few, but I am not an author of any nor do I have any on me. Wouldn’t be appropriate given the situation.”
“I suppose that’s to be expected. That’s a shame. I was hoping you’d have one, if you did, I would have been willing to let you pass with little resistance.” Zil said sounding haggard. She hung her head her entire body slouched. “It’s tough being the oldest daughter and second oldest child. Dad pushes a lot of work on me. I really didn’t want to deal with you two, I’m busy enough already, but none of the soldiers were clever enough not to run towards that fireball you created. Leaving this vital post unguarded.”
Zil ground her teeth two sets of fangs poked out between her lips. Her face contorting with rage. “Really it ticks me off. I was enjoying my book, sitting back and letting my brothers deal with the battle. But nope, that was too much to ask!” Zil’s expression softened, returning to calm and composed. “Ah, sorry, sometimes you just need to vent, right? Well, I guess I better kill you now.”
Sweet Dreams moved in front of Cadence spreading her wings to cover the princess. “You get through that barrier. I’ll hold her off!” With a flick of her wings she equipped her wing blades, and unsheathed a boot blade and equipped a small buckler to her off leg.
“Sweet Dreams!” Cadence screamed, but the bat pony was already on the attack. With high speed she covered the distance between her and Zil, baring down on the dark Princess with all three blades. Zil moved her head slightly dodging the boot knife, with a twirl she danced under the wing blade and then with her magic Zil grabbed Sweet Dreams by the leg and dragged her high into the air, higher than the buildings and then brought her down at breakneck speeds!
“No!” Cadence screamed wielding her own magic to stop Sweet Dreams from being added to the pavement. The Thestral was pressed against a flat blue shield an inch from the ground, while Zil’s pink magic clung to her leg. She let out a scream as her bound leg was bent against the shield. The popping of bones filled the air. Cadence released her spell, and Sweet Dream hit the ground, but at least she wasn’t a puddle of gore. Her left back leg wasn’t so lucky, the leg bent opposite of the way it should be.
“Sweet Celestia’s teat!” Sweet Dreams swore and put pressure on her leg. Zil’s unsympathetic gaze unnerved her as the dark Princess began to twist the already broken leg. “You're going to tear it off! Stop it! Fucking stop it, you bitch!”
“I’m afraid that’s my intent, little thestral.” Zil calmly said while Sweet Dreams vainly tried to stop the tearing of her leg. “I’d suggest taking a deep breath and biting down on something.”
“Fuck you!” Sweet Dreams jabbed with her boot blade but was well out of reach. With a focused breath, she sucked in as much as she could, biting back her screams of pain to release a sonic shriek at Zil. A pink field of magic surrounded the dark Princess, absorbing the sound attack.
“Nice try.” Zil commended adjusting her magic for the final twist.
“Let her go!”
Zil released Sweet Dreams and spun around toward Cadence. Several crystal spikes bounced off the shield. She observed the crude weapons and gazed upon the Princess of love brandishing a crystal spear and shield while levitating several more dirks. Though they looked more like arrows.
“I would have expected you to use a bow. Like the Alicorn of Love of old, Cupid. I see you kept the arrows at least.”
Lance aloft in her magic Cadence stalked toward Zil. “Sweet Dreams if you can get away, I will deal with her.” Twirling her spear, she pointed the tip at Zil, who remained unphased. “Came at me.”
“Well you heard her; no commoners allowed in this fight.” Zil grabbed Sweet Dreams with her magic and sent the poor thestral skipping across the cobblestone road. Sweet Dreams screamed as she rolled up against a wall getting a first-class seat between the battle of Princesses.
“Do not think I’ll let you get away with that!” Cadence declared taking flight.
“A smarter less honorable pony would have charged their weapon and pierced my skull from behind. For that chivalry, I will respond in kind.” Zil said drawing a black rapier and buckler from a portal. “En garde.”
Cadence didn’t hesitate, and launched a barrage of crystal daggers at Zil and fired a series of magical blasts while circling around the dark Princess. She knew she was in trouble as Zil elegantly and smoothly deflected her attacks with her rapier. The narrow black blade making short work of the spikes and magic attacks. Her stance and no waste of movement were that a of a pony well-practiced. Cadence wasn’t so confident in her own ability. The sum of her combat experience was her week training with Luna and a few weeks of self-practice.
(I should have done more sparing.) Cadence lamented as she rotated her spear, filling the weapon with magic, she let it fly. The lance spiraled toward Zil, who raise buckler, sparks flew as crystal met metal, Cadence willed her lance to keep drilling as Zil tried to defect the attack. (Why isn’t she using her magic to block? Wait… where’s her sword?)
In a very sixth sense moment Cadence raised her own shield to cover her neck, the point of the rapier punctured the surface of the shield’s protection digging into her armored boot. A bead of sweat traveled down her throat as the sharp edge of the blade glistened with magic.
“You should concentrate!” Zil sang, bringing Cadence back into focus just in time for her own spear to come flying back at her! With a grunt and snarl, she took control of her weapon once again, while Zil ripped her rapier free, nearly splitting the shield in two! “And you need better equipment. Did you serious bring beginner level gear to a war? That stuff is only good for blocking practice weapons. Real steel tends to make a mess of them, you know?”
“I’m aware.” Cadence retorted hotly tossing her shield aside. How had she not thought of that! (Night Patrol gave me armor, but I brought my own weapons and shield because I was used to using them. I forgot they were only for practice.)
If only to mock her further Cadence realized the tip of her spear was dull. She hadn’t engaged in equipment maintenance either. (I’ll have to get her with the spikes. I know those are sharp.)
Gaining some height Cadence circled around Zil from the air to keep her off balance or at least make her dizzy maybe. Zil comfortably kept in step with her, holding her weapon close and turning slowly, ready for a quick counter. Bringing forth her dirks Cadence spread them out into a long firing line and let them loose. The ten spikes scattered attacking from every direction and angle. Even if Zil was more skilled even she couldn’t block them all.
Much to Cadence’s disheartening. Zil moved faster the lighting, knocking the spikes aside with her rapier with precise ease. Never once resorting to a dome shield or any shield of magic. The display of her martial arts skills was enough for Cadence to know close combat would be her doom.
(Fighting Luna’s way won’t do me much good. Maybe Celestia’s style will be better.) During her training with Luna, her aunt explained the varies ways to fight and what methods her and Celestia preferred. Luna preferred rapid-fire melee with some magic casting. Celestia would be classified as a magical artillery caster, launching massive spells with a broad area effect. Luna didn’t tell her which style was better only that Cadence would have to decide on what suited her best, before listing several other methods and combos. (I never did find out what suited me, but here I go.)
Keeping her air advantage Cadence began crafting her spell. Nearby buildings started to break down turning to shards of crystal, hundred of them. The razor edge of the shards glistened as Cadence willed them forward becoming a tornado of razor-sharp stone.
(Diamond Rain!)
Zil did not back down from the attack, instead she stuck her rapier into the street and flared her horn, pink energy radiated off the curved appendage, the air crackled with power as she reared back and fired a mix of pink fire and lightning. The two spells met creating a massive surge of energy as the gems crackled and exploded, the dust adding fuel the raging fire. Cadence flapped her wings absent-mindedly as her spell was utterly overpowered.
“Not yet!” She willed clusters of gems to burrow out of the ground attacking Zil from both sides. The dark Princess retaliated with two quick blasts of fire and lightning. She wheeled around firing a third at Cadence, who raised a barrier to block.
Taking evasive actions, Cadence fired a barrage of magic blasts. Zil responded in kind, running all over the place to make a harder target. It was down to who had more stamina now. Cadence let out a wild scream as her horn began to overheat, the pain going right to the brain, but she persisted diving toward Zil to get a better shot.
Zil saw the princess coming, her horn burned with intense heat. A smile graced her lips. She was enjoying this. Holding back her shot she dodged Cadence’s wild attacks, one glanced her shoulders singeing it slightly. Cadence’s attacks come to a stop as the Princess of Love reached her limit, her horn red hot. For a brief second Cadence’s eyes rolled back and Zil lined up her shot and fired. The charged blast hit the Princess of Love dead center, her armor exploding off her body as she hit the ground hard.
“Whoof, that was more intense then I was expecting,” Zil said wiping her brow while fanning her horn. She tried to levitate her rapier over for the finishing blow, but even that was beyond her as the weapon fell from her grip to clatter against the ground. “Ugh, this is such a pain. I don’t like doing this brutal stuff.” She lamented raising her foreleg to crush Cadence’s neck. She brought her black booted hoof down only for a shell of ice to engulf Cadence, saving her life.
Zil whirled around expecting another enemy, but relaxed when she saw the light blue and white fur cape of her youngest sister. “Skaggi, what are you doing here?”
A light blue curved horn poked out from under the fur hood the third daughter of Sombra wore, exposing only her light grey muzzle and concealing the rest of her face. A constant fog of cold air escaped the third princess’s mouth as she breathed.
“Daddy said she was to be taken alive. Scath is looking for her now.”
“I see, while I found her, so I guess that means she mine?” Zil laughed, unsure what she would do the Princess of Love. She shook her head knowing her father wouldn’t let her keep such a valuable breeding tool. “Unless he lets me decide who she breeds with? I guess that would be fun. Maybe I’ll give that right to Cien for her next book.”
Remembering her little sister was within earshot Zil coughed to cover up her mumblings and gave her attention to Skaggi who now held the unconscious thestral from earlier by the neck, much like how a child carried a doll.
“You want her?” Zil inquired. Skaggi silently nodded yes. “Then she’s yours. Now come let’s get back to the castle. Things have certainly gotten exciting. I wonder what will happen next?” She said aloud while picking up her rapier and getting Cadence onto her back. “What do you think Skaggi?”
“I want more cute new dolls.” The youngest princess replied squeezing Sweet Dreams as if she were actually a doll.
“Well, I’m sure there will be more cute mares for you to add to your collection. Now come on, let’s go find some soldiers to carry these louts for us. I’m sure father will be quite pleased with us.”
Equestrian FOB
“Commander Topaz look at that! Another explosion!”
“I have eyes,” he rebuked turning his eyes from the center of the city to the second ball of fire that now blossomed on the eastern edge. He could only assume it was the work of their allies inside the city. What worried him was the second explosion was in a place that was of no tactical value as far as he could tell. Worse case somepony was trying to escape, and it turned into a fight. “Get scouts over to the east side and see what they can find.”
“Yes sir!” one of the pegasi saluted and flew off with three others to carry out the command.
With that taken care of Topaz checked the time and tried to radio Celestia and Luna to get a status on the third wave. Still nothing. So, he ordered a pony to fly outside and personally deliver the message to the nearest cloud base before turning his attention back to the enemy lines.
The soldiers of Sombra were breaking, a considerable number of them rushing into the city, probably to check on their comrades. Leaving their frontlines undermanned. He looked down the center of the base where his troops stood in mass. Third wave or no, this was a chance he couldn’t let pass any longer.
“Colonel Spitfire begin ship bombardment and bombing runs. Squads one through five form up! We’re moving out ASAP! Attack the enemy base! We make for the City!”
The sound of hammers and power tools has been a constant noise in his ears for hours now. Sixes slammed the heavy steel door to the engine room with a disgruntled growl. His ire reaching new heights as he had to deal with yet another delay to getting the Nightmare operational again. Engine number four’s crankshaft bearing was shot wrecking the crankshaft. It was a part not available readily in this era, and the spare they saved was back in the secret hanger in the Everfree forest.
The crankshaft was massive. Sixes had already dispatched six helicopters to assist with bringing it to Canterlot, but that would still take hours and Engine number three was still half part. The only good news was engine one was done, and number two was only three hours away from being finished. Supposedly.
(I’m not fucking holding my breath.)
With nothing for him to do. Sixes made his way to his room. There was nothing to be done. The Nightmare wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He should get ready to leave anyway. Luna was expecting him on the next train out to the rear base.
(I wonder if she’ll be happy to see me?) He mused with a smile. Ever since the concert they had officially become an item at least privately. If he thought about it, they had been in this position before a thousand years ago. They probably would have been further along had Crusader not unexpectedly come into the picture. The presence of his newly created ‘son’ made with his and Celestia’s DNA had complicated things. (That was the only way to describe it. Complicated.) He snorted remembering those many awkward years tiptoeing around Crusader and Celestia. Especially Celestia.
(Jokingly I had once said I found her attractive. That was before Luna, before Crusader. I think before the Battle for the Crystal Empire.) As Sixes shut this door, he began checking his equipment. He wanted to be ready to move at the drop of a hat. While going through his com systems and making sure his straps were in place, he glanced toward his desk. A picture lay face down on top of it.
He walked over to the desk and flipped it back up. The picture was of him, Crusader, and Platinum. One of the few they had ever taken together. He had just returned from Prance, he didn’t remember how they had gotten him to take the photo, but they did. He remembered it was before the Tealblood Incident, but not before Platinum had gotten her new legs. He stood beside his son, scowling, looking displeased, and grumpy. Both Platinum and Crusader were smiling. Making him look even more irritated.
“Mon Pere,” He whispered, remembering what Platinum had called him after the picture. She babbled in Prench the entire time hugging him and being more affectionate then he deserved. He didn’t speak a lick of Prench and still doesn’t. There had been no translator either. Maybe Crusader knew what she had been saying because he remembered his son smiling and laughing at her words. He had said something in Prench to her and Platinum had looked ecstatic. After that, she earnestly began calling him Mon Pere almost all the time.
Sixes shook his head. “Mon Pere, my father, that foolish girl. Even now to this day, you call me that.” He set the picture face down again. Somehow without laying with the mare he loved, he had two ‘kids’ already and had been a piss poor father to both. “Both of them tried too hard.”
With still more time to kill Sixes opened the bottom drawer of his desk and retrieved the album from it. Opening the book, he smiled with nostalgia flipping through the photos taken of his friends. Gadget’s camera invention had been trendy, and basically, put painters out of business.
(Shame he couldn’t have made it before Luna’s banishment. It would have been nice to have pictures of Luna.)
“Was its Gadget or one of his students that made the camera? He had the one… what was her name? He picked her up after the battle of Maredor. Stardust something or other, whatever doesn’t matter now.” Flipping through the photos, he came to the ones of Kira’s wedding. His favorite was the one of him threatening her husband if he made her sad. He didn’t know who took the picture, but it funny, one of those moments that only happened once. It was nice to be able to see over and over again.
“Let’s see this one is Fury and Nightingale sneaking off. Trinity talking to his future wife.” As he mused, he came to a page that really brought a smile to his face. It was of Kira, in full Queen regalia with her husband Shinto and their first born. Rokuji was his name. In Nippon, that was the word for six or so, Kira told him. That wasn’t his full name. His full name long and ridiculous. “Rokujimaru no Shiroyama-sama? Was that the kid’s name?”
Usually, he’d feel bad about not remember his friend’s child’s name, but before he had been sealed in stone Kira had about ten kids. Even with his regular visits, he couldn’t keep them straight. “Of course, there are her other ‘kids’” He reminisced fondly turning to the next page. This one was also of Kira, but she was in uniform again. The last time she had ever worn the Night Patrol uniform before officially retiring to become Queen of Nippon.
The picture was of her surrounded by a crowd of young rinin, all odd and unique from the standard rinin. Kira’s little monsters were what they were called. The name was much more affectionate then it sounded. He remembered when the brats weren’t any taller than his barrel, and then suddenly, they grew up! Or maybe he got old.
“Had a better relationship with those kids then I did with my own blood. Maybe It’s because I actually spent time with them. They were Kira’s last trainees, her replacements, and they had been children of the horde, so everypony was affectionate to them.” Sixes brushed his claws over the red Rinin at the front of the group, Ruby Blaze, the leader of the new monster squad. “She’s really grown up since our days in the caves. I think she and Jazz are about the same age.”
Somepony knocked at the door. Sixes quickly closed the album and set it back in the drawer. “Come in.” The door opened, and Admiral Hunter McGather’s entered. The old stud took a cursory look at his abode, puffing out a few plumes of smoke from his pipe as he did so.
“Commander Sixes.” The elder stallions saluted.
“Admiral,” he replied saluting.
“At ease, my friend, I have news from the front. A message has just arrived stating the third wave is moving forward.”
Sixes hid his surprise, thinking of what could possibly be going on that the Princesses would take off before he rendezvoused with them. “Things are progressing quicker than expected. Anything else?”
“Yes, a message from Commander Topaz Slicer was forward from the rear base for you. Quote, ‘let the kids come and play’ end quote. You and I both know what this means.”
“Yeah,” He sighed glancing at his desk. “Alright, I’ll round up the brats then.”
“Already, done,” McGather stated. “They’re waiting on the flight deck. They’re very excited about their first mission in this era. I still feel we should have let them help with the retaking of Canterlot, they could have used the experience.”
Sixes placed a claw on McGather’s shoulder, “I understand where you're coming from, but I wanted them in the rear in case more powerful enemies appeared. Changelings aren’t well known for having multiple heavy hitters, their Queens get too scared of being overthrown to risk having more than one heir. Which stunts their potential of high-level fighters, so I wasn’t too worried we’d need them, but it’s good to keep an ace, right?”
The admiral took a few puffs of his pipe before nodding. “I see your reasoning, but as powerful as they are, they lack experience. You hired me on for my input, I made this lofty journey with you, but I suppose it’s up to you if you want to listen to my advice, lad.”
“Your dedication is beyond doubt Hunter; don’t worry, they’ll be getting plenty of experience this time.” Sixes patted the admiral about to take his leave, but the old stud wasn’t done yet.
“Take these before you go, a present for you boys when you win.” McGather retrieved three fat cigars from his breast pocket and offered them to Sixes. “I wish I could smoke without consequence like you boys can. That’s pure tobacco, no chemical or any of that crap.”
Sixes pocketed the cigars, “I’ll be sure Topaz, Fury, and I light them over Sombra’s corpse. Might even get a picture of it for you.”
“Good on you, sorry this old horse will probably miss this one. These repairs, ugh, they are vexing. The war may be over before we can get the Nightmare moving again.”
“There’s always next time.” Sixes replied with a sigh. He couldn’t fault the engineers for what they did. Taking all the engines apart at once seemed like an excellent idea instead of doing each individually. Engine four would have been unusable either way, but engine one was done, and if engine two was completed on time, they could at least fly while fixing engine three. “Maybe in hindsight this will be a good thing. Three is enough to fly and run most of the weapon systems, but running at seventy-five percent power might have done more harm than good in this war. Imagine if something would have failed out in that snowy hellhole?”
The admiral mused puffing out rings of smoke. “Indeed, repairs in favorable weather are hard enough. Perhaps we need to rethink how our engines are set up. A retrofit maybe in order when we have the time. That’s my department anyway, you should get going, lad.”
“Right, I’ll see you later, Admiral.”
“Good luck with your mission, Commander.”
In the hall, Sixes placed his helmet on and made his way down the Officers’ quarters and then up again to the flight deck. Waiting for him was the new monster squad, Kira’s last gift to them before leaving to live her life. Those three of those gifts stood at attention, waiting for him.
“Squad M-Alpha,” He greeted, the three ponies beamed with pride as he addressed them. “8122, Ensign Ruby Blaze, 9756 Ensign Hazel Thunder, and 9357 Ensign High Octane, your mission begins now!”
Like their predecessors, the three Rinin before him had unique qualities that separated them from the rest of the brethren. In their case, those particular traits didn’t manifest until they reached the age of adolescent. Kira took an interest in them all and several others.
Night Patroller 8122, Ruby Blaze had been with them since the beginning, back in the early days of living in the caves of Mountain Firehorn. She had been one of the older foals of their group, most likely about AppleJazz’s age. She was similar to Topaz Slicer, except red. Her coat was red, as while as her mane and the crystals protruding from her joints. Other then that she had no distinct different abilities on the surface.
Next Night Patroller 9756 and 9357, Hazel Thunder and High Octane. Both of them had been with the group freed from Rainbow Factory. Hazel was a mare and a tall one at that, taller than even him and he was as tall as Princess Luna. Her coat was a crème color and her hair a strange crystalized yellow tied into a long braid that hung off her shoulder. Kira had taken a particular shine to Hazel. Most likely because she resembled Emerald Cutter in all but color. She like the previous monster squad members had six legs. That being said, Hazel’s ability didn’t lie in close quarters like Emerald’s had.
Finally, High Octane. He was hard to describe. He was one of these experiments that they weren’t sure what the mad doctors had intended him to be. The lone stallion of the group hardly looked like a pony. He was big with crusted rock skin, volcanic-like vents protrude from his back and claws. His muzzle was that a of beast none of them had never seen before, large with square jaws that resembled some sort of dragon most likely. The tone of his skin was like glowing magmatic rock with splashes of blue. High Octane was indeed a what the hell is this kind of creature, dubbed a Special Rinin. Overheat had been the first to be classified as such. There were several others in the category.
“Alright, the code is let the kids come out and play. That means we have enemy combatants on par with the Commanders. Commander Topaz Slicer what the one to make the call, so that should give you a general idea of the enemy’s strength.” Sixes informed the team. “Any questions?”
High Octane raised his foreleg, Sixes nodded, giving him permission to speak. “Has Commander Topaz sent verification that the enemy is stronger or merely on par with him?”
“Unclear, assume stronger, never underestimate the enemy.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Ugh, can we just get on with this? I’m eager to bring honor Lady Kira this day of battle.” Hazel Thunder impatiently gloated itching with excitement. Ruby Blaze smiled awkwardly and bowed her head to Sixes.
“Sorry, Commander.” She stressed shooting Hazel a sharp look. “Lady Kira taught you decorum to, remember?” Ruby sniped making Hazel go rigged.
“Yes, forgive my excitement, sir.”
“You’re forgiven, now let’s move out!” Sixes declared leading the way to the helicopter. “Azzie, take us up! We’re moving out!”
“Roger that,” Azure Beryl said over the coms taking the helicopter up. As the ground became a blur of colors and they settled down in their seats in the passenger bay for the long flight. Ruby posed a question.
“Commander what about Squad M-Bravo?”
Sixes laid his head against the wall of the passenger bay, paying little mind to the three sets of curious eyes on him. Still, it wouldn’t hurt for them to know. “A few of your little siblings are already playing.”
“I thought it was weird. I didn’t see the full Bravo team.” Hazel remarked. “Hey, why’d they get to go first?”
“That is rather curious commander.” Ruby piled on. “Why weren’t we sent first or together?”
Sixes rested his head against his chest, preparing to get some rest, who knows when he’d get to sleep again once they reach the frontline. “I have my reasons.” He mumbled chomping his gums. “Now rest up.”
“Yes, sir.” The trio begrudgingly moaned, complying with the order.
(And they wonder why their codename is kids.) Sixes mused before drifting off to sleep. (I wonder how things are going on the front?)
“That’s the situation.” Explained Far Reach relied Sweet Dream’s plans to Shining Armor and the others. Just as he finished, a powerful rumble shook the room. Signaling the bases destruction and their cue to leave.
“Wait,” Shining said before he could open the door. “We should wait. Just a few minutes. No doubt a lot of the guards and patrols will send envoys to see what’s going on. It would be foolish to think all of them would rush there without thinking.”
The group looked beside themselves, looking between Shining Armor and Far Reach, no pony sure who to follow. Who was even the leader of this group? Shining Armor? He was technically the highest ranked one here, not counting the three elements of harmony bearers. Or was Far Reach in charge because he had orders from the Princess and Lieutenant Sweet Dreams? Neither of the stallions seemed to know either as they just stared at each other inadvertently following Shining Armor’s suggestion.
“How long are we going to wait?” Rainbow dash impatiently demanded.
“Ah agree, if we’re going, we should go, better or for worse.” Applejack seconded.
“Whatever you think is best.” Mumbled Fluttershy.
Shining Armor stepped towards the door but hesitated to go any further. He looked to Far Reach, who smiled and nodded. Giving his support. Shining nodded and smiled.
“Everypony, follow me. Let’s get out of here.” He opened the door, and they stepped out to other room. Shining quickly formed four groups. Each on centered around three Element Bearers and himself. “We’ll split up to increase our chances of escape. Ladies Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy. Your escape takes priority. Celestia’s speed to you all.”
“What will you be doing?” Applejack inquired.
“My team… we’ll run interference. We’ll make a commotion and get the enemy to focus on us, declaring ourselves the attackers and head in the opposite direction of your groups.”
“Ah, come on! Why do you guys get all the action!” Rainbow complained.
“Rainbow!” Fluttershy said in a surprisingly harsh tone as she stared down the other pegasus. “Please see the bigger picture!”
Shining could only smile bewilderedly as the pony he least expected caught on to his intentions and what fate would most likely meet him.
“Why does he get to have all the fun!” Rainbow babbled on. Fluttershy began tearing up and hid her face in her mane to suppress her cries while Applejack tried to smooth the poor mare by rubbing her back.
“Ya really don’t get it. Aren’t you training to join the Wonderbolts? AKA the military?” Applejack pressured Rainbow only receive a perplexed look of pure confusion. “They’re throwing themselves to the wolves for Pete’s sake! Can’t you see that?”
“What do you mean… oh…OH! Wait, what? But why?” Asked Rainbow her eyes wide with shock.
Shining smiled solemnly at the mare, which only seemed to confuse her more. “Because it's our duty as soldiers. Now come on, we’re wasting time.”
They filed out of the basement into the small empty lot outside their hideout. Shining listened for any signs of the enemy and thankfully found none. Breathing a sigh of relief, he took a moment to observe the black column of smoke rising from the center of the city. Sweet Dream’s distraction was impressive. He couldn’t have done better.
“Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy,” He addressed the two pegasi with a heavy heart. “If the chance presents itself and you two can fly out of here. Do not hesitate to do so. Remember our objective is for you three Bearers to escape.”
“Like I could leave any pony behind. I am the element of loyalty.” Rainbow asserted. Her attuite was becoming tedious in the nicest of terms.
“Then you’re just wasting my comrades’ lives. Stop being so self-centered and follow the plan.” He stressed to the gun-ho pegasi. That heart to heart from just a few minutes ago seemed to have already passed through her mind like a breeze. “Will you comply, Lady Fluttershy?”
The yellow pegasus shivered, nodding silently. He honestly had his doubts she could fly fast enough to escape anyway.
“I’m sorry Applejack, but you’ll have to hoof it out here with the rest of us.”
“I understand, I won’t slow you down.” The farm mare acknowledged.
“Good, my team will go out first and raise a ruckus. Take that chance to make your escape.” Shining gave the soldiers guarding the three mares one last salute and then saluted the volunteers in his group. With one final farewell, he teleported onto the roof of the building three doors down. Already they had the enemy’s attention as several patrol groups spotted them at once. Weaving another spell, Shining stuck out his chest with pride and shouted at the top of his lungs. “Come and face us you scum! For Equestria!” He screamed his horn flashed with a blinding light, momentary blinding everypony looking at them. His team began firing with their hoof blasters killing a dozen enemy combatants in seconds. Random magic blast zoomed past as the enemy blindly fired back. Raising a shield Shining made it as bright and flashy as possible, making themselves an even bigger target. In the corner of his eye, he saw the flash of Rainbow’s tail disappear as the others made their escape.
(Thank Celestia.) He sighed as the enemy surrounded them in mass. With his talents, he should be able to hold them off for a while. After covering Canterlot and fending off an army of Changelings, maintaining a shield of this size was nothing.
“Conserve your ammo, I got this, take your time and make sure every attack is a kill,” Shining ordered. “We’ll hold out for as long as we can!”
“””“YEEEAH!””” His comrades roared in reply.
While the others attacked, Shining took a moment to look at the giant magic wall erected at the southern part of the city. Explosions rocked the area as the sound of the airship’s cannons boomed. He hoped if they made enough noise here, they would pull some forces from the front.
“Please, breakthrough.” He prayed, fortifying the shield even further as more Equinox joined the fray. Sweat began to drip down his temple. At this rate, ten minutes was all he could last. Comparing these ponies to changelings was laughable. They were twice or maybe even five times for powerful.
Suddenly in the east, a massive explosion wiped out a section of the city. In the shockwaves, he could fell the tingle of magic. Not just any magic, but Cadence’s magic. His magic flicked for a moment, but he redoubled his focus.
(She’ll be fine. She will be fine!)
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions shake the magical barrier projected by Sombra’s forces. Many shivered with fear as the old stories of the menacing war machine from their bedtime tales was finally before them. The joyous feeling of sinking one of the vessels had long since passed as the remaining two opened up with their artillery batteries. The constant rain of heavy cannon fire kept them in their place while the Equestrian forces set up defensive positions barely a hundred yards from their base. The cannons on wheels. Another new terrifying Equestrian weapon bombarded bottom of the shield while the enemy soldiers dug their foxholes and angulate the earth into walls. Further strengthening their foothold.
Historically being the besieged army, they would have the advantage. They had the protection of their mages and the numbers and supplies to ward off the enemy. They could even shoot through their own shield, but they couldn’t charge outside of the barrier less they be struck down another one of the Equestrians offensive weapons. Five hundred of their brethren lay on the ground in front of their base from when they tried to overrun the smaller force. The skies were no better as the airship’s heavy flak, and enemy pegasi filled the skies making take-off impossible.
They planned to stay hunkered down until reinforcement arrived or one of their Lords showed up to take command. Waiting should have been a safe and viable option. They could simply pick off the Equestrians from the safety of the shield in the meantime.
Then an explosion came from within the city.
They all knew when they saw the fireball that it was the staging base for their reinforcements. Commander Bright Jr. looked stressed as he swiveled his head from the front and rear. Thinking what they were all thinking. Could there be enemies behind them? Had they slipped up? There had been no reports that new enemy forces had entered the city. It should just be the small party they allowed inside, and most of them had been captured or killed. Inevitably there weren’t enough of them manage such an outrageous attack?
“Stand strong my brothers!” Commander Bright urged heroically. “We shall not fail our king here!”
The commander’s words of encouragement lifted their spirits for a moment. The brief, fleeting moment that was quickly washed away like a message in the sand. The cause? The horrible whinnying roar of the one dubbed ‘shield breaker.’ To add insult to injury, it was the Equestrian Rinin Commander that forced Lord Ombre to withdraw from battle.
The orange rinin cloaked in a brilliant azure fire broke through their massive defensive shield like it was nothing. His speed was that of gods soaring swiftly into the ranks and cutting down any pony in his path. Sometimes he would hit one of the mages casting the shield spell, and their barrier would gain a hole, and that would, in turn, let a stray cannonball fly in and wipe out a dozen or more of them. The most vexing part was before they could even react to the rinin he would slip out of their range, daring them to give chase into the field of death outside.
“Damn you! Damn you all to hell!”
“Daga!” Commander Bright shouted. He turned to his commanding lord with hope to retaliate against the enemy. “Take your unit into the city and see what’s happening.”
Daga stared glossy eyed at his commander wanting to protest his assignment, but Bright already turned his attention to other more pressing things. “At once, sir.” He saluted and led his band of Equinox into the streets. As he marched, a shadow passed overhead. A shadow that made him well with hope and zeal.
“Come on! Let’s hurry so we can aid our lord!”
“Hazzuh!” His troops cheered as they galloped.
“Commander Topaz, how are things going?” Spitfire asked. From her position aboard the Centurion, she could only see a haze of black smoke and the occasional orange flash of Topaz as he zoomed through the skies. A bit of jealousy swelled in her heart as she watched the orange rinin soar at speeds she would be lucky to reach on her best day.
“Poorly. We brought the fight to them, but we’re stalled. If we don’t break through soon, we’ll be in real trouble again. What’s the status on the Princesses arrival? Could really use some of Celestia’s artillery magic right now.”
Spitfire glowered. “No idea. And if she would have been such a help, why did you have the Princesses and all the unicorns stay back until now?”
“Because of the guys that knocked out Gloves would have killed them first getting rid of our magic support. I also wanted the enemy to exhaust their mages first. That guy, Ombre, said he was the third son. I have to assume his siblings are off similar if not higher level. If we really need to Fury, Sixes and I could each take one and the Princess one each, that’s if we don’t get ganged up on. Hold on I’m going in for another sweep.” Topaz cut off the transmission, and a bright blue fireball engulfed the sky and careened down into the enemy base.
Once again, Spitfire was left waiting and stewing in her own shortcomings. Seeing the power Topaz and the other Rinin displayed really made her wish one her parents had been a dragon or something.
“Speaking which…” Her mind to turned to Fury and what the results of the DNA test were. “Forget it, another time and place.” She muttered going straight to professional again. If she has time to waste on silly things, she can better use it by thinking of a way to take down that barrier before the enemy magic cannons get ready to fire again.
Right now, Topaz was the only one that could pierce through the shield. They tried sending flyers around the barrier to flank the enemy, but that didn’t pan out. The enemy flak decimated the squads sent and even trying to break into the city was proving difficult. Several other teams prodded other sectors of the city meeting stiff resistance. Painfully as is it to admit that spectacular explosion earlier did little to weaken the city’s defenses.
“Could we go around through the rear?” Posed Spitfire. The rear of a fortress was usually under guarded if the army was out front, but even as the question left her mouth, it was apparent it wouldn’t work. To sneak around the city would require going back outside with a small enough force that wouldn’t be noticed easily. Such a task force would be of little use if the back of the city were even half as fortified as the front. A few dozen ponies would be the max amount they could send. Still, it may have its merits. When the third wave arrives, it would be more likely to work. Right now they couldn’t spare anypony.
“What if we aim over the shield and strike the city? That would violate several international laws unless we send a notice, then it’s perfectly legal. Kind of. Not really. Princess Celestia would have my career if I ordered that. Never mind we have ally forces inside. So urban bombing is out.” Spitfire sighed, lamenting her new position. When she was a captain, she didn’t have to think this hard during a battle. Not that she’s ever been in anything this grand scale. Just special ops and some volunteering for other countries allied with Equestria.
While in her musing a bright blue light come flying out of force field, but not in a controlled manner. Spitfire took up her spyglass and saw Topaz Slicer flying backward through the sky. “That can’t be good. Topaz what’s happening?” Before he could answer, another giant black stallion come barreling after the rinin. She could only assume it was one of Ombre’s brothers. “Never mind, need any backup?”
“Focus on the bombardment, break that shield!” Topaz snarled through his gemcom.
She didn’t retort at his tone because it was apparent, he was snarling at the newcomer. Which unfortunately meant their lead Commander and strategist was tied up.
“Ok, do we have any pony here that can help take on that?” Spitfire pointed to the epic battle between Topaz and Sombra’s son as a fantastical series of explosions went off around them. Her staff remained tight-lipped. “That’s what I thought. Focus on taking down the shield, one of you keep me updated on Topaz’s battle. If you see a chance throw a few missiles or bombs at that black stallion, do it.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Good now,” A pegasus flew by her catching Spitfire off guard as she watched the flyer head right for Topaz. “Stop right there! You’ll just get in the way!”
“I can handle myself,” The mystery flyer replied over the coms, leaving Spitfire stumped because she recognized the voice.
“Colonel, should we go stop her?” Somepony asked.
She shook her head, “No, if any pony can help it might just be her. You all better get this one tape; we get the rare chance to see the Rogue Wonder in action.”
“That’s the rogue wonder?” The deck crew whispered with astonishment. Their moral rising as they rushed back to their posts.
(Daring if you can do something please do it!) Spitfire agonized before turning her attention to the task before her.
(Another desperate fight, just what I need today!) Were Topaz’s thoughts as he spun and flipped over his opponent’s spear thrust. The fourth son of Sombra, Schatten, is what he introduced himself as while ramming into him screaming his name, but it was all the same. An irrational part of his brain wanted to believe since this was the fourth son, perhaps, just maybe he would be weaker than his brother Ombre.
That theory was quickly proven false. Schatten was as skilled if not more so then his older brother. Attacking with pinpoint strikes, leaving little chance to counter and most importantly, he wasn’t rambling on and on. As he dodged another strike Topaz let loose a stream of hot plasma to keep the black and blue stallion at bay.
(If I weren’t using haste I would have been gutted from the outset. This guy is fast!) Skidding across the ground Topaz ignited his wings with Plasma, combined with Haste he zoomed forward blindly. He flew right by Schatten, his attack missing completely as he rocketed past. Before he had a chance to recover Schatten was on him. Shooting spells and thrusting with his spear. The tip scrapped across his shoulder plate. He cringed and ducked under the larger pony only to get a metal boot to the face! Schatten bore his spear downward, and Topaz was forced to use Haste to randomly fly out of the way.
“I thought you were using teleportation at first, I admit. But you're just using speed enhancement. It’s simple enough to counter if you don’t have your head up your ass like my older brother does.” Said Schatten keeping on guard as he spoke. Topaz did the same staying several yards away from the Dark Prince. “You’re putting up a better fight then your brethren did. The gray one.”
“Trifecta?” Topaz questioned.
“I believe that was his name. He’s alive at the moment, my sister is using her in one of her twisted schemes.”
(So, Trifecta is in the castle most likely. That opens up a lot of doors to exploit.)
“You look like you think your friend has a chance to escape.”
Topaz smirked. “For all you know he already has. I’m not worried about him.”
“Even though your red brethren, Fierce Fury has already been slain?”
“You killed Fierce Fury?”
“My brother did, but I saw the body myself.” Schatten pointed his spear forward. “Tell me your name before I kill you. I’ll spare you from the madness that is my older sister.”
“Topaz Slicer and don’t worry I’ll make sure your sister doesn’t have to see your mangled body, I’ll reduce you to ash and give you to her in a jar!”
“We shall see!”
Topaz bolted right letting loose with his hoof blaster firing a full barrage and spewing fire to keep Schatten from charging him. Next, he gained altitude and fired his blaster again and charged up the crystal blade on his left foreleg. A crackling sword of plasma extended from the crystal spike and he charged forward, knocking Schatten’s thrust astray and thrusting his right claw forward.
“Not good enough!” Schatten declared summoning a black portal in front of him. Sending Topaz flying through it and right into the path of his spear.
“Look out!” A feminine voice screamed ramming on to Topaz. Much to the shock of Schatten, both Topaz and mysterious mare disappeared right before his eyes. Wildly he looked around for them, finding them more than half a mile away from him! At first, he wondered if this was one of the princesses. What breed besides alicorn could fly and cast teleport? Casting a sight enhancement spell, he was surprised to see the newcomer had no horn that he could see. Not only that, she was vomiting blood?
“Hmm, some strange ability perhaps? No matter.” He pointed his lance forward and charged at the duo.
“Sweet Celestia’s ass! What the hell?” Daring screamed, throwing up another gulp of blood. This never happened before when her guardian angel saved her, so why now? As she swayed on her feet, Topaz grabbed her and carried her away as Schatten appeared, the ground exploding as the Dark Prince’s spear hit the earth. She was still reeling when something hot sprinkled on her cheek. Daring touched the spot in question and found more blood staining her coat. The realization hit her like a train as she looked at Topaz, who had blood seeping out between his teeth. Even he got hurt from the teleport.
“I’m sorry this usually doesn’t happen.” She tried to explain. “See I have this guardian angel and she usually keeps me from dying so… ahh…”
“Save it for later!” Topaz snapped.
They zoomed ahead Schatten hot on their trail firing a barrage of magic blasts at them. Topaz spun upside down flying backward and fired his hoof blaster at the prince and then zoomed into the sky, firing a full-scale fire breath. All the while hugging Daring close, she got a good read on his heartbeat, and it was going two miles a minute!
“Hey, buddy if you keep this up your heart might explode!” She warned.
“Shut up!” More blood flew out of his mouth, his vision blurred as he dodged another barrage of magic blasts. One hit his right rear leg. He staggered in midair adjusting his flight path now that one his legs out of commission. A focused magic beam shot at them, he twirled and ducked around the blast, but it changed course coming right back at them and was about to hit them when they vanished again!
Topaz now conscious that something was happening to them noted how different it was from teleportation. When traveling via teleport, the sensation of moving is still there because of the air resistance the magic has to fight when moving. This was completely different. It wasn’t so much moving at high speed. It was as if somepony plucked him out of existence and put him back. No feeling of movement, no resistance. He was just boom! In a different place.
Once again, they were in a completely different spot, this time behind Schatten and same as before it felt like his organs were rupturing! “Fuck…” He agonized in pain, falling to his stomach. Friendly fire was going to kill him well before the enemy would!
“Hey… you don’t look… so good…” Daring said weakly.
Topaz looked down to see the tawny pegasus was bleeding from her eyes! The wetness rolling down his cheek informed him so was he.
(I can’t do that again.) A disembodied voice said. It sounded like a mare. For a brief moment, Topaz saw the static black visage of a pony appear before him and disappear like a phantom.
“What the fuck is going on here? I would have been better off without your fucking help!” He screamed at the phantom. He usually didn’t lose his cool, but Luna dammit how was rupturing his organs helping?!
(I’m sorry.)
He snarled, barely standing up straight anymore. Schatten slowly approached, twirling his spear slowly as he did so. “Well, this isn’t very sporting. I’ve barely hit you and look at the mess you're in. Tell me, is this your ability or hers?” He asked, pointing his spear at Daring.
“No idea.”
“Hmm, I can’t sense any pony else. Perhaps I’ll take the mare back as a war bride. I’m not as aggressive about it as my brother is, but she intrigues me.”
“Back the fuck off!” Snarled Topaz standing protectively over Daring. “I don’t know her name, but she’s one of ours. I’ll die before letting you have her.”
Schatten pointed his spear forward, engulfing it in a blue aura. “Very well.”
Topaz closed his eyes instinctively. He almost couldn’t believe this is how it ends for him, protecting some strange mare he didn’t know. There were worse ways to die, but it sucked that despite his convictions, the girl was still going to be taken and get abused in all sorts of ways he couldn’t imagine. While he could, but he didn’t want to. (It’s taking a long time to die, or am I already dead?)
He dared to open his eyes. The spear tip floated right in front of his face stopped by some mysterious force. Quickly he looked around for the Princesses or some pony with horn, expecting even Platinum, but there was no pony else here. Then he looked down, the mare he was protecting was glowing her eyes whited out. A horn constructed of black lightning protruded from her head.
“Activating Defense Measures-Alpha 1 Gamma 5, Project double Rainbow, Series black,” Daring spoke in a robotic and toneless voice. “Changing electrical molecule vectors, shield spell, Reject, activated.”
Schatten spear rebounded, cutting his cheek as it flew a mile past him. The dark prince could only stare touching the wound on his face in disbelief. “What madness is this?” He fired a blast of magic from his horn, the attack flying right back at him. Seering his breastplate. Strolling around Schatten prodded from every direction, every attack he used firing back at him. “Interesting.”
Several explosions rocked the area around them. Both Topaz and Schatten looked to see one of the Equestrians airships flying towards them, blasting away with their cannons. One came really close to hitting the dark prince while another bounced off the mysterious shield surrounded Topaz, drifting off into a random direction.
“Well, let’s call it a draw this time.” Schatten declared opening a portal. “I will be back for her, though. Keep her alive for me.” With those words, he disappeared into black mist.
Topaz took a second to pinch himself, disbelieving what he had seen with his own eyes. The enemy had actually retreated? He knew well enough a single airship wouldn’t have been enough to beat Schatten, maybe it had more to do with the dark prince’s fighting style. Just maybe he wasn’t well versed fighting multiple opponents.
“I’ll have to think about that later. What do I do about you?” He asked Daring. She was still doing the whole glowing eyes thing, and the black horn of lightning was still perched on her head. Topaz hesitated to snap her out of the trance, afraid Schatten only pretended to retreat to throw him off guard.
“Commander Topaz!” The leader of the Pegasus squad shouted landing beside Daring’s barrier. “What is all this?”
“Don’t know,” He replied curtly flicking Daring on the forehead. Immediately her pupils returned, and her lightning horn disappeared along with the magic shield. Topaz hoped she could explain what she just did, but she fell to the ground like a puppet that had its strings cut. Unconscious. (How typical.) “Keep your mouths shut about this and help me get her to the ship. She’s injured.”
“Right away sir, you look to be in a bad way yourself.”
Topaz didn’t comment. He wasn’t in good shape, he needed medical assistance and a gallon of healing potion. As he limped, his ears twitched at the sound behind him, a soft, gentle noise, like something hitting the ground. Whirling around Topaz cursed himself. Schatten stood over the four ponies that had been helping Daring, the mare herself thrown on to his back. The dark prince was smirking victoriously sinking back into the black portal he had emerged from.
“Damn you!” Topaz charged plasma danced on his wings as he cast haste to cut off the fourth son’s head. He zoomed past, cutting nothing but air as Schatten disappeared beneath the ground. Another portal opened in the sky over the enemy’s barrier, the dark Prince vanished beyond the horizon with his prize.
“Sir, sir, where you going?” The squad leader shouted as Topaz took off at a run. “Sir your injuries!”
“I’m getting her back!” He snarled in reply, his eyes narrow slits of rage with hints of silver hue. Taking flight Topaz cast haste and flew through the enemy barrier. The first enemy he saw he grabbed with his jaws, crushing the poor soul’s skull between his teeth. He spat the dead urchin out and leaped onto the next one. Fighting with a ferociousness and savagery, the Equinox had never seen. So, shell shocked they were by the bold attack, many could only remain stunned as the hungry orange beast sliced through their ranks. Only when two dozen of them fell did they retaliate. Their attempts were feeble as few dared to actually approach the rinin. Choosing to fire magic attacks from a distance. Eventually, their fear compelled them to charge as Topaz tanked through the storm of attacks.
They stabbed him. They shot him. They clubbed him with their bare hooves. They did everything they could think of to stop him. His armor fell from his body, pieces of it were left in his wake as Topaz made a beeline into the city. A blood trail so obvious even a child could follow it led into the city, but none of them followed. None of them dared to.
“He’ll die of blood loss, right?” One soldier quivered.
“Yeah, he’s done for either way.”
“No creature could survive all that for long.”
It seemed rational. No, it was only logical that was the fate awaiting the Rinin. There was no way he could survive. “Commander Bright?” The first soldier inquired, fearing what his commanding officer might say.
“Leave him be, send a message to the castle though, just in case. Stay focus on the front! I’m sure lord Schatten will return soon. What’s the status on the disturbance in the western sector?”
“Sir,” A breathless Equinox saluted. “The last report was Lord Scath was on his way to deal with the enemy combatants in that area. Another eyewitness report from the east stats that a Princess Zil captured two intruders.”
“Good, things may look grim, but remember this is our home! Our country! It is our duty and honor to defend it from invaders!”
“” YEAH!”’’
Commander Bright turned back toward the Equestrian, his heart soaring with pride. They could do this. They would win!
An explosion when off behind him.
“Smoke rising from the castle gate!” A soldier shouted.
Bright looked back to see the report was accurate and sighed. “Let it not phase you! Remember who dwells there, our master and king! And the mightiest of us all. Let the fools there meet their death! Our duty is here!”
The lines reformed, but the damage was done. The soldiers were continually looking behind their backs, afraid of another surprise attack in the rear. He couldn’t blame them. He was sincerely regretting letting those ponies in now.
(I must make up for my failure here. I’m sorry for burdening you, my lords.)
In the shadow of the castle wall, Goodnight and Smokey Haze lied in waiting in the shadows, watching Bixin and Vani Lu attack the front gate with the tank. Their shots weren’t pinpoint. Instead, they were random and scattered to rile up the enemy. A few smoke rounds were mixed in to make things extra hazy. By the time the guards were organized and firing back, the tank was rolling off to the west leading the guards away.
“They’ll be ok. Let’s go.” Smokey Haze said urging Goodnight to move. “I’ll meet you up top.”
Before his very eyes, Smokey Haze became a literal cloud of smoke and floated to the guard tower at the top of the wall. A short-pained yelp was heard and then nothing. Goodnight flew up, and the door to the guard house opened, Smokey holding open the door. Inside was creepy. Every guard was dead from clear signs of smoke inhalation. Their eyes were rolled back, and their tongues were shriveled up extreme heat.
“That’s a scary ability you have.” Goodnight shuttered.
A knock came from the other door, Smokey Haze dispersed into a cloud of black smoke and traveled through the cracks in the door. Goodnight opened the door, letting the gasping guard in. The Equinox gasped for air as pure black carbon poured from his mouth, he coughed and sputtered as his eyes rolled back and he fell to the ground dead. Smokey Haze emerged from the guard’s mouth and became corporeal again.
“Very scary,” He repeated. “What do we do next?”
“What we came to do. Don’t worry, my squad is very adept for things like this.” Smokey said brazenly exiting the guard house.
Goodnight cocked his head in curiosity as he chased after the quiet rinin. “What squad is that?”
“Squad M: Bravo.” He replied, dispersing into smoke. “I’ll watch your flank, just walk around like you belong here. I’ll take care of any problems.”
(I don’t think we’ll have enough hiding places for bodies.) Goodnight half-joked as he entered the castle.
“Ombre! Where is he? Where is my son?” Sombra demanded, limping through the halls of his castle. Disgust stained his regal muzzle, not disgust at his son, no it was at himself. One little nap. Just an hour or so to rest his eyes. Now his third son was back from the frontlines, injured no less. How feeble has he become? To allow such a thing to happen while he was asleep?
“In here, my lord.” An Equinox in a surgeon’s uniform called out.
Sombra made all haste for the room indicated. Inside rested his third son on a bed double his size. Four mares lay on their bellies beside it with collars around their necks. Ombre’s concubines. The four whimpered upon seeing him and moved out of the way against the wall. A nurse tended to his son, who was missing his left foreleg. A string of fresh stitches lined Ombre’s belly. Making Sombra’s guilt deepen.
The stub of the severed leg bubbled with black ooze dripping to a bucket beside the bed. Sombra stood at his son’ side, Ombre’s face flush with alcohol. He turned to the nurse who bowed and returned to her duties of cleaning his son’s leg.
“Do we have the missing limb?”
The nurse shook her head. “From the report of those that carried him here, his leg was crushed by the one who severed it. Even if we had acquired it, it probably wouldn’t have been fit to reattach. We gave him one hundred proof whiskey to numb the pain for now. Once he rests for a while, we should be able to cast a regeneration spell to regrow his leg.”
A soft growl filled the room. The nurse wanting to keep her health stepped away from her king. She dared not speak lest she incurs Sombra’s fury by proximity.
“Who did this? Who did this to my son?”
The nurse blinked sweating nervously as her king’s growling eyes turned on her. “I’m afraid I don’t know those details milord. The soldiers that brought him are downstairs at the gate. They should be able to provide answers.”
“Very well,” Sombra seethed, struggling to regain his composure. Adjusting the collar of his cape, he nodded gracefully and accused himself from the room. The nurse breathed a deep sigh of relief, her knees shaking uncontrollably as she collapsed to her belly when the door slammed shut.
The nurse looked at the four collared mares and smiled with sympathy as she levitated several needles and injected the contents into her charge’s leg. “I’m sorry girls, but he’s going to be very excited when he wakes up, one leg short or not. Be sure not let him get too wild.”
The four quivered as she hastily made her way out of the room, lest she be pulled into the prince’s activates when he awakens.
Halfway to the front gate, Sombra was anxious, feeling to troubled to simply sit on his throne and call the soldiers in question before him. When he touched the bottom step, a vibration shook the castle. His teeth rattled from the shockwave as brick and mortar assaulted the inner wall of the castle. Casting a barrier spell, he stepped out to the courtyard. His guards scrambling, calling for aid as several more cannon shots blasted his outer wall. Three guards flew off the top and died when they hit the ground, the falling rubble making sure for good measure.
As he limped to see what was causing all this destruction a loud noise he had never heard before roared over the panic and then faded away, his guards giving chase. Leaving him alone with a few stragglers who were still catching their bearings.
“You there, what’s going on?”
“My liege!” The guard hopped to his feet only to fall back down, his back leg in a twisted mess of flesh. “I’m sorry, I’ll…”
“Be at ease.” Soothed Sombra casting a numbing pain spell on the guard. “Report calmly and precisely what happened.”
The guard nodded, at ease now that his pain was no more than a throbbing pain in the back of his mind. He reported a new Equestrian war machine. A self-propelled carriage with a metal shell and a cannon. Sombra could only lament as the Equestrians engineered another death machine against him.
“Bring me reports from the front. I want to know everything. Assign somepony else, somepony able, you earned your rest soldier.”
The guard bowed. “Thank you, my liege.”
“A doctor will fix you up, and I will personally ensure a mare will be waiting for you afterward.”
“I am most grateful; you are a kind king.”
Satisfied with his current course of actions. Sombra began his journey back to the throne room. If he were to be active in this campaign, he would need to be where every pony could find him.
“My, my what happened here? Oh, father! What are you doing here?”
Sombra turned to greet his oldest and youngest daughters. Zil carrying a pink mare on her back ran up to him and hugged him. She smiled and presented the pony on her back to him. Dropping the unconscious pony to the ground. Needless to say, the mare’s appearance caught him off guard.
“This is the rumored third alicorn?” He asked, poking the pink pony’s horn and wings to ensure their authenticity. From what he could feel they were real. A true alicorn lay on the ground before him, his daughter looked delighted with herself. No doubt. She had captured her.
“Indeed, it is. If the Princess of Love had just a little more battle experience, she might have bested me. I can attest her power is real.” Zil replied with a curtsy. “Skaggi is holding her guard, a thestral, she’s taken a liking to her if you know what I mean.”
His youngest daughter and child, Skaggi, approached with the bat mare held tight in her lanky leg. The bat was unconscious, but still alive despite being choked. From under her hood, Skaggi’s bright red eyes shined like sparkling rubies, pleading and begging.
“You can have her, but get her processed first with Cien. Zil and I must speak.”
“Ok, daddy,” Skaggi muttered softly, Sombra shivered as his youngest’s consistently cold coat touched his, but he endured ruffling her mane through her hood before sending her off.
“Have Gleam and Tundra help you,” He called after her. Skaggi briefly waved, indicating she heard him.
“So…” Zil began standing beside him, balancing on the tips of her toes. “What becomes of Princess Pink here?”
“Get her collared and bound, and presentable first and then we’ll talk about that,” Sombra instructed beginning to make his way back inside. He paused at the entrance looking back at his oldest daughter’s pout as she picked the alicorn princess off the ground. “I will make a note of your efforts. You will be rewarded.”
Zil bowed. “Thank you, father.”
Cien sat at her desk, giggling mischievously to herself as she scribbled her deepest and utmost fantasies onto the blank page. No, it wasn’t a dairy, and it wasn’t her next novel either, it was merely her story notes. Ideas of a most perverse nature flowed through her quill; she was practically drooling at all she wanted to subject Twilight Sparkle too.
“She’s so sweet and innocent…” She gushed lovingly. “I want to completely destroy her in every way. Mentally, emotionally, physically, ooh, I can just imagine the contortions her face will make before coming a blank slate of hopelessness. A tragic heroine is the best heroine.” Cien giggled, anxious to begin her next novel, but first, she needed Twilight to make the first choice in her little mind game.
(I really hope she decides to sleep with that Rinin. Just to spite Ombre, I hate how he indulges in his prizes, it’s so dull. I question if we're related, he doesn’t do anything that twisted, he just has orgies. Twilight is unique; she deserves to be treated much worse. She is my new heroine, after all.)
A knock interrupted her twist parade of thoughts. “Come in.” She droned, knowing she had to do her official duty. How in the hell did she get saddled with processing her brothers’ female captives? (I guess I do have a good sense of fashion. I should look at this more positively. I get a new toy to dress up!)
When the door opened, Cien was surprised to see her older sister Zil with a pink female on her back. “Got another one for you,” Zil stated, dropping the mare on the bed. “She’s a special one too. Ever played dress up with an alicorn?”
Cien was speechless her eyes gazing over the alicorn’s entire body. A wide devious grin spread across her lips; her eyes hungry as she looked at the one in a lifetime chance before her. “No dear sister, I haven’t. Whose she for?”
“Don’t know. Cadence is her name, I caught her, but I don’t know if I’ll get to keep her.” Zil lamented. “It sucks the boys get the first pick.”
“Yes, well they do have the equipment to put these sows to good use. As much as I love playing with them, it is a waste, and you know how dad is about waste.”
“Of course, I am. Unlike you, I’m actually expected to do things. How I envy your freedom sister.”
“I have restrictions of my own, Zil.” Cien countered as she fitted Cadence with her bonds. Just to be safe, she placed double the amount of magic suppression, control, and restraints. The Princess of Love was sporting eight magic restricting shackles on her legs, two truth rings on her tail, two magic sealing rings on her horn, and clamps were placed on her wings to keep them being unfurled. “Better add two command neckless too.”
Zil observed the bonded Princess with a snicker.
“What is so funny, sister?”
“She looks like Bondage Gimp.”
Cien took a second look and laughed. “I suppose Father won’t find that ‘proper’ better find her a dress. Be a dear and wake her up.”
“With pleasure.” Zil’s horn flashed the gems on the collar activated.
Cadence awoke with a start as a magic rope, pulled her head back while her collars choked her. She reached for her throat, but the bonds on her legs activated and clamped her hooves together. She fell in a tangled mess of her own limps to the floor. Eyes wide with panic as her oxygen was still being restricted. Zil rested on her belly, looking her in the eyes with a smirk.
“I bet you wish I killed you.”
Cadence tried to retort, but her mouth won’t open. “Right, you may speak,” Zil commanded.
“No.” Was Cadence’s answer.
Zil blinked a bit surprised by the answer. “No? Really? Can you even imagine what’s going to happen to you?”
“I can guess,” Cadence answered with resolve. “But nonetheless, as long as I’m alive, I still have a future worth hoping for.”
“Ugh, my gods! That’s so cheesy I think I clogged an artery!” Zil snickered. “Did you hear her Cien?”
“I did,” Cien replied while tossing out several dresses. “Don’t put too much stock in her words. Plenty said similar things before, and they were always the first to break. Now, what goes better with pink? Blue or black?”
“Black, of course. Ugh, I almost feel sorry for the brother that gets to rut her. That shade of pink! Her tri-colored fuck up of a mane. It’s all so unfaltering!”
Cadence glared and mumbled what was most likely a curse at them through her muzzled mouth.
“She is kind of feisty,” Cien comments, walking over with a dress. It was a black gown like thing with gold accents. “Do you want to dye her hair? Gold, purple, and pink, gods what a sin against nature. Just bad genes all around.”
“Yeah, what color, though?” Zil pondered. “Also, I’ve been curious, shouldn’t her mane be all floaty?”
“Floaty?”
“Yeah, floaty like in dad’s stories about the Princesses? He says their hair is made of ethereal and floats.
The two sisters look beside themselves remembering their father’s ravings that counted at their bedtime stories. They cocked their head as they observed Cadence with a critical eye.
“Hmm, maybe it’s an age thing? Like maybe she’s too young to have the floating hair.” Cien offered for an explanation.
“Maybe… ah dammit. We’re running behind! Get her dressed. Dad’s holding a war council. And yes, you have to come.”
“Dammit, I was about to start writing my next book! I have the perfect heroine as a reference too.” Cien pouted, but really, she was just playing her best card against her sister as Zil’s expression went from stern to anxious.
“Your next book…” The eldest daughter trailed off. “Who’s the main character?”
“This girl Ombre captured, Twilight Sparkle.”
Zil blinked, and Cadence went rigged. “Twilight Sparkle.” The eldest daughter repeated. “Are you serious, Sparkle is your last name in Equestrian!”
“I know, right? Crazy, which makes it all the more fun. I should check on her, see if she’s broken down and gave it up to the Rinin I locked her in with. It’s been an hour or more now, I think. Better get this one fitted first.”
“You’re still coming to the meeting.”
Cien sighed, “Really? You won’t let me skip, even for a preview?”
“No, this is too important. Now get Cadence dressed.”
“Fine, fine. I’ll have to check on my pets later. Gods this sucks.” Stuffing Cadence into her chosen dress the second daughter of Sombra pierced the Princess of Love’s ears and tied her mane back. “There a ponytail suits you better. You’re still drab, but better than before. Now come on, let’s go.”
At Cien’s behest Cadence unwilfully followed the dark princess into the hall. Bound and demeaned like her Sister in law before her.
(Twilight, please be alright!)
In the throne room, Sombra resumed his command. A gaggle of reports was hastily presented to him in a disorderly fashion that brought the place to chaos. Only after a firm bark of his displeased tone did his soldiers organize into a proper line and present their reports.
First, the gate. The enemy had performed a hit and run with their new weapon and sped off, forces were searching for metal war machine in the western part of the city, but he loath to put too many resources on the hunt for one enemy war machine. He decreed a small task force will hunt for the metal vehicle and sent out a request for one of his sons to end the machine’s nuisance.
Now the frontlines. With Ombre back in the rear morale had taken a huge hit, but Schatten was there to take control…
“Lord Schatten returns!” A messenger shouted. An awkward silence filled the room as Schatten entered and took his place next to his siblings. Disposing an unconscious mare before Cien. His fourth son had the good sense to appear bashful by his untimely arrival. Sombra did not rise in anger, though.
“Schatten, if you would inform us of the status of the front?”
“Yes, father, of course. When I arrived, an enemy rinin was using enhanced Haste magic to penetrate our shield and wreak havoc on our defensive lines. He is the same one that took Ombre’s leg.”
“We’re you able to defeat him?” He inquired of his son.
“Subdued. Lord Ombre’s injuries are grave. I would have finished him off, but we were in between our two armies and his allies were closing in. On top of that this mare I dragged before you unpresentable showed a rather unique power that you might find of interest.”
Sombra nodded, finding his son’s actions excusable. “That still leaves our frontlines without a General. Find Scath and have him take command. Where is his last reported location?”
“My lord, Lord Scath, was last reported to be heading toward the southwest. An enemy unit has started a bold battle near the location of our destroyed base. We believe they are the saboteurs behind that attack.”
Yes, the attack on one of their rear bases. That was a huge blow. “Once Scath finishes off the enemy unit have him report here with the enemy commander if possible. Schatten you are resume command of the front. Leave now, I will have your mare processed. Cien you are excused. Go make her presentable and bring her back once she is processed.”
“At once, father.” Both of his children reply.
“To the forward lines, hold off using our magic cannons until given the order. Schatten I expect your judgment to be sound in this matter. Now all of you return to your posts.” The room cleared quickly, leaving only him and a select few. “Zil.”
His eldest daughter nodded, “Move and bow before your King.”
Cadence with great reluctance walked before the throne, her movements stiff as stone, her teeth bared in a definite grimace while her eye burned with a rebellious fire. Her ridged posture was proof of her power as she fought against her bonds. The restraints sparking heavily with magic as they fought against the princess’s raw power. Sombra was impressed by the display. He would be more impressed if she could have actually ignored the command.
“Lick the floor and tell me it tastes good.” He ordered with a devious smirk. Much to his and everypony else amusement Cadence stuck her tongue out and licked the red carpet, her face distorting in disgust.
“It tastes delicious. The grime especially delectable.”
It was always essential to test the command device with something outrageous. Even the most skilled spy would be hard pressed to prove his loyalty on the spot when given such a command. They would hesitate subconsciously, having to fortify their physique, before performing the act in question. No pony could just lick the floor without hesitation, solid proof the control collar was working. Also, he just found it fun. His agents would already be spreading the propaganda to the army about the Princess that licked the floor upon his command, thus hopefully improving their morale.
“I’m glad you find it to your tastes Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Tell me how you came to be here? How old are you?”
Cadence blinked in confusion, her bonds compelling her to speak regardless, “I’m twenty-two. I was raised by two earth ponies in a village, my mother apparently leaving me to them before her death, that’s what Princess Luna speculates. Time travel might have been involved.”
If it wasn’t for the fact, he knew Cadence couldn’t lie to him, Sombra would have punished her for such an outrageous story. “Interesting. Tell me about the unit attacking our city.”
Cadence visibly resisted, biting her inner cheek to keep from spilling her guts. Sombra was impressed as blood trickled out of the Princess’s lips, but her resistance was once again futile as she blurted out the answer.
“It’s most likely the rest of my escorts. Led most likely by my husband Prince Shining Armor, Former Captain of the Royal guard. Without myself or Sweet Dreams, he most likely took up command. He’s probably causing a distraction so the VIPs can escape.”
“And who are these VIPs?”
“Three Bearers of the Elements of harmony, they are all honorary noble mares, their names are Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy.”
(The elements of Harmony? Oh yes, those old relics. I shouldn’t need to fear them. If I were using my old tricks, it would be a different story. Brainwashing is reversible magic, but pure natural loyalty? Well, the elements don’t usually mess with a ponies’ free will.) Not that Sombra really knew that much about the items, just that they were a counter to dark magic, and putting Discord back into his prison.
(Wait a second…)
“What were those names again?”
“Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy,” Cadence repeated robotically.
Sombra tapped his chin in deep thought, “Applejack, Applejack, that name sounds familiar… Ah! Yes! She was one of Luna’s guards at that time. The unremarkable one, the earth mare, yes! I remember now. Luna had a particular fondness for her. I order you, cast the image of the mare Applejack.” Once again, Cadence does as she is told, projecting Applejack’s imagine for the King to see. “Good, make a note of this mare, I want her alive. She will be a great tool to use against Princess Luna.”
“I shall put the order out.” One of the maids replied, leaving the room.
“I am done with the Princess, for now. Zil, take her to one of the luxury prisons.”
“If I may delegate that task father, I wish to speak words with you.” Zil requested.
Sombra pondered a moment before nodding to another one of the maids. “Take her. The rest of you leave us.”
“Thank you, father,” Zil curtseyed, moving directly in front of the throne. This was to be a business matter Sombra mused, he had thought she would want to discuss the ownership of the Princess.
“You may speak your mind, daughter.” He declared.
Zil took a deep breath, visibly shaking with emotion, it was odd to see his eldest daughter so worked up. “Father, I think we are far too casual in this war. Ombre is out of action his foolishness for tail chasing interfering with his duties, you have Erebus on some secret mission that only you know about, and Schatten while not as bad as Ombre, is indulging in the same foolish behavior as Ombre. Only Scath seems to be taking this seriously, well for how serious Scath can be.”
“I hear your concerns, but what is your goal for bringing this up? I have tightened the reins on your brothers already.”
“I would like you to think with an open mind as I say this, but I think you should allow myself and my sisters to take part in the battle. We are as skilled in combat as our brothers, my capture of Princess Cadence proof of that.”
Sombra kept his mouth tight, “You have your roles. You are to support from the rear where it is safe.”
“Father I appreciate your concern for my sisters and me, but you must realize that with Erebus tied up in your plans, and Ombre resting, Scath and Schatten can’t be expected to hold the lines once the Princesses show up.”
“You speak too harshly of your brothers. They are a match for the Princesses. Provided they aren’t distracted.” He chuckled, trying to reassure his worrywart of a daughter.
This time Zil held her tone, her face visibly distorting as she fought back her words. “I know they are, but we don’t know how many ponies there are like the one that disabled Ombre. They could wear them down and allow the Princesses to kill them. They are your sons and my brothers; I do not wish to seem them fall to the enemy. Even if it’s just me or better yet send Skaggi, she’s more powerful than Cien.”
“NO!”
Zil flinched at her father’s harsh tone, he eyes burning with genuine anger. “I…”
“I will not send Skaggi! I will not allow even the slightest chance of my youngest child entering the battlefield!”
“I overstepped myself, but you can’t deny how powerful she is! She’s even…”
Sombra pounded his hoof against the throne, Zil tensed as her father roared. “I said NO! This matter is over!”
Reluctantly Zil bowed her head, her breathing uneven with fear and anger. “I understand. I apologize. Let the matter of Skaggi drop, but at least consider allowing me to share some of my brothers’ burden. I am competent.”
His anger sizzled out. Sombra took a moment to regain his composure but was still rattled by his daughter’s suggestion. For a full minute, he fought against his emotion, going over her points and ideas with a calm, logical mind that a ruler must possess.
“I will consider your proposal. I would rather you trust in me and my plan with Erebus, but should another of your brothers be rendered incapacitated… you may take his place.”
“Thank you, father, you are generous and wise.”
He waved her off, still shaken by his uncontrolled outburst. “Go rest, for now, so you may have the strength to fill in. Princess Cadence, while not as impressive as Celestia or Luna, was still a match for you. Don’t let your victory over her make you arrogant to think you can match Celestia and Luna.”
“I will thank you for your concern.”
As she left Sombra slouched in his throne and looked up at the black marbled ceiling. (Of course, I’m concerned, my children. How pathetic can one be when they must send their children to fight for them?)
When he started his grand plan, he had tried, tried to stay emotionally detached from his children. He even separated them from their mothers and never laid with them again to keep from growing soft, for both him and his children. That plan backfired. He ended up spending a lot of time with them, teaching them, raising them, it was only natural his fatherly instincts blossomed.
(Next thing I knew I was reading bedtime stories, fussing over colds, my original plan to have them be powerful disposable soldiers was dashed away. Now… now… they are my children, my heirs, the ones who will carry on my line and ideals. That is why we’ll win this war, Celestia. Because I have experienced the one thing you haven’t in this world. Aging and realization that life is finite. What’s the point of building an empire when I waste my life to make it and have it wash away with my death?)
He knew about both Celestia’s and Luna’s many children over the centuries. By his own logic, they should understand what he does, but Sombra was competent; their long existence was their real weakness. It was their long lives, the fact they have sworn off having children since becoming Princesses, and the wear of time making them forget that powerful truth. The truth that when you have so little time to live, you make the most of it.
The Princesses were the embodiment of stagnation. That is why his children could, no would surpass them. Because they were moving forward, looking to the future. Zil’s comments were a testament to that. He was proud of her for her forward thinking, even if he had a hard time accepting it.
(Still… I wish she wouldn’t have brought up Skaggi. I don’t like to play favorites, but as my youngest, she holds my heart. Besides that, Skaggi is dangerous, so dangerous that even if the enemy broke through and reached the castle, I would still be reluctant to call upon her. Because once I do…) He shivered praying that time never came. Sombra laughed despite himself.
“All that power in one lanky little teenager, how ironic.”
“Ok Miss Batty Bat, you go here!” The chipper high pitched voice of her capturer said. Sweet Dreams had no idea what the hell was going on, only that she was bound with magical devices that inhibited everything from her magic to her movements to even her own power to speak. She felt completely naked without her armor, which had been stripped away by the two maids standing politely away from their charge. A young mare, barely maybe fourteen to sixteen? It was hard to tell because she acted so childish.
The young mare, Skaggi, bounced excitedly around her room. She wore a white and blue cape, the hood down showed off her white-blue crystalized hair that shimmered like snowflakes in the light. It was her eyes that really had Sweet Dreams on edge. They shined like blood rubies with traces of white swirling around the red irises. A persistent cold mist escaped from her mouth.
“We’re going to be the best, best, best of friends!” Skaggi declared rubbing against her. If Sweet Dream had been in the position to, she would have cried out and shrunk away from the kid affectionally rubbing against her.
(Sweet fucking Celestia’s frozen teets! This girl is a fucking iceberg! How can somepony be so cold and still be alive?)
“Young mistress,” One the maid mares said, it was the one the right side of the door. She had a strangely similar color scheme to Skaggi. Skaggi ignored her, though.
The purple mare beside her sighed smiling sympathetically at her. “Mistress Skaggi.”
“Yes, Auntie Gleam?”
Gleam frowned, “You know you're not supposed to call me that, Skaggi. Please be considerate to Tundra as well, she is your primary maid, miss.”
Skaggi pouted, “But you are my Auntie, your Cien’s mama, right?”
“Hahaha, yes well…” Gleam laughed nervously. “That’s our little secret. You remember what I told you about keeping secrets, right?”
Skaggi nodded cutely, but then glared at Tundra who looked away. From her position, Sweet Dreams could see the blue maid was sad. Naturally, she could deduce the obvious.
“Well, um… what do you want to dress your…um… new doll as?” Gleam suggested powering through the stifling atmosphere. It was with that one sentence that Sweet Dream grew a passionate disliking to the purple maid Gleam.
(Don’t use me as a scapegoat bitch!)
“Hmm, I don’t know…” Skaggi pondered humming in that sickly-sweet child voice. “I know!” She declared. “Princess! I want to make her a Princess! We can be two princesses having a tea party!”
Gleam clapped. “Oh, a wonderful choice. I will fetch the tea; do you want any snacks to go with that?”
“Yes, please!”
“I will prepare some cake and cookies. Meanwhile, Tundra will help you dress her.” Skaggi’s smile took a downturn. “Please Skaggi? Tundra is… well, she’s not as cold-hearted as she seems. Unless you want her to make the food?” Sombra’s youngest daughter made a terror-stricken face, hastily shaking her head. “Good choice, my lady, I will be back.”
“My cooking isn’t that bad,” Tundra grumbled under breath as Gleam left. “Alright, little snow pixie, why style dress, you want?”
Skaggi puffed her cheeks, turning away from Tundra, “I ordered you not to call me that anymore.”
“Yes, yes, I forgot, I’m sorry. So, about the dress?”
“Something blue, sparkly, and pretty.”
“Snow Queen?”
“Snow Queen,” Skaggi affirmed.
“Alright, I’ll go talk to Lady Cien. Do you wish for her to join your tea party?”
Skaggi nodded.
“I’ll be back.”
Now it was just her and Sweet Dreams, and Sweet Dreams wasn’t thrilled to be stuck in the room with this child. “She’s my mom.” Skaggi suddenly said. “Tundra. Auntie Gleam told me. All our personal maids are our moms, but I’m the only one that knows. At least I think so, my siblings are all smarter them me, so I find it hard that they don’t know. I think they do; they just pretend they don’t know for Dad’s sake. I don’t understand it. But Tundra…” Skaggi shook with anger. “I called her out, but she refuses to acknowledge me, but she doesn’t deny it. I wish she could be more like Auntie Gleam.”
(Oh, sweet gods, I’m going to be this child’s personal griper, aren’t I? Please don’t ask me for an answer!)
“What do you think of this? Answer me.”
(Son of a bitch!) Sweet Dreams wanted to curse Skaggi out but found she couldn’t, seemed she could only speak words relevant to the child’s question.
“Well, it’s kind of messed up. Makes me appreciate my parents more, they were traditionalists, so I was raised in a cave, but most bat ponies were like that. Would have been nice to see the outside world more. That’s why I joined the military.”
Skaggi cocked her head sliding on her rump with a transfixed gaze. “What’s the outside world like? Tell me.”
“It’s wonderful. There large green forests, vast deserts, wide oceans that stretch on forever. My… ahh… friend Goodnight, he got to go to another country with Princess Luna, called Nippon. I can’t really describe it, but he made it sound like an awesome place. They had hot springs, trees with pink petals, and they knew how to have fun. They practice Tankery as a sport over there, it sounds awesome.”
“What’s a tank?”
“It’s a kind of military machine, a self-propelled armored cannon is the best I can describe it.”
The more she talked, the more Skaggi questioned her. Weirdly, it was fun, the white/blue unicorn gazed at her with childlike wonder that was rather endearing. Before Sweet Dreams knew it, the tea and cookies arrived, but she didn’t get to enjoy them, at least not before being stuffed into the most exquisite dress she’ll probably ever wear. It was soft, silky, and clearly expensive. She hadn’t expected that.
“Join us Auntie Gleam!” Skaggi begged. “Listen to all the things Miss Batty Bat knows about.
(I guess that’s my new name.) Sweet Dream mentally sighed as Gleam joined them at the table.
“If you wish, is it ok if Tundra joins in as well?”
Skaggi looked crossly at her mother and turned up her nose. “If she wants.”
The tension could be cut with a knife, but Tundra did join them. “Don’t chew with your mouth open.” She chided Skaggi while levitating a napkin over to clean the young princess’s face.
Taking in the bizarre scene, Sweet Dreams sipped her tea, Skaggi’s command only letting her sip daintily like a refined Princess. She couldn’t even complain the tea was too hot or request sugar. She could only sip and burn her tongue without being able to react or complain.
(I honestly wish I could have just been thrown in a jail cell.)
“Hey, Princess Batty Bats!”
“Yes?” She replied in an upper-crust accent, similar to one the mares of Canterlot spoke in. She heard it a million times while on guard duty. She didn’t know why she was using it now, except to maybe fulfill her role as ‘princess.’ It sounded unnatural coming out of her lips. Sweet Dreams could barely stand her own voice.
“When Daddy wins this war, will you show me all the wonderful places you told me about?”
Sweet Dreams trembled as she tried to force out her real thoughts. Wanting to so badly declare it was her friends who would win the war.
“Speak freely,” Skaggi ordered. “Tell me how you really feel.”
(Will she get mad? Does she really want to hear the truth? She’s the enemy, but she’s a child! I can’t… I can’t actually hate her.)
“It would be nice if the chance arises.” She replied in that same noble tone she hated, but her words were her own. “What would you like to see first?”
Skaggi babbled excitedly, Gleam and Tundra smiling happily across the table, while Sweet Dream was left to wallow in her guilt. Feeling she’s betrayed everypony. Her friends were fighting, dying, trying to get to her and the others, and she was sitting at a table playing pretend with the enemy’s daughter.
(I’m sorry. If only I were stronger.) She wanted to cry, but couldn’t, she couldn’t do anything. After all the training and trust given to her, taking on the role of commando, this is what she was reduced too. A child’s doll.
“Ugh another one,” Cien said snidely as she roughly dropped Daring on the bed. Mindlessly she began attaching the control collars and leg bands, the task losing some of its allure after performing it for the third time today. “Let’s get rid of that drab uniform and this utility crap.”
With little regard for Daring’s effects, Cien cut the rogue wonder out of her flight suit and armor, tossing shredded material into the trash pile. Next came the straps of the saddlebags, the bag discarded with the rest. She locked the leg bands in place, activating the suppression spells when something hit the floor behind her.
Curious Cien turned around, the discarded saddlebag was upside down with the lid propped open, on the floor were two jewels. A Purple and a black. Her eyes were transfixed by the gems she strode over to them, her eye dancing between the mysterious rocks. The purple one held her attention as if calling out to her. As she kneeled down for a closer look, she spotted magic suppression runes on the inside of the saddlebag.
“Why would you need something like this inside of a bag?” Setting the bag on the floor Cien levitated the purple gem off the ground, a sudden surge of power filled her, and the desire to put the jewel on became overwhelming!
“NO!” A tan blur breezed past, taking both gems with it. It was the mare she was supposed to be processing.
(How stupid of me, getting distracted like that.) Cien seethed. She was a bit shaken up, if the mare had been thinking clearly, she could have attacked from behind, yet she prioritized the gems. Daring hastily shoved the jewels into the pack and snapped the lock shut with a frantic and scared look. (Those little trinkets must be something interesting then.)
“Stand still,” Cien commanded, but suddenly realized she hadn’t programmed the command collar yet! “Shit.”
“Hiya!”
The pegasus was on her, attacking like a savage brute, wailing away with her bare hooves. Cien fumed with anger, her horn aglow with power as she grabbed the mare by all four limbs and glued her to the ceiling. She looked in her mirror, her hair was a mess, and her lip was bleeding. Her entire body shook, and she slammed Daring to the floor.
“If not for the fact my brother is going to put you eight ways to Sunday in every way soon, I would be inclined to kill you, but that would be an easy death for messing up my hair.” With a gleeful grin, Cien activated the command collar, the black band glowing a soft purple. “Stop breathing until you’re ready to tell me about those gems, please.”
Daring tried to breathe, to refuse the command, but her lungs fought against her, refusing to function. She wheezed for air, pounding the floor, trying to breathe. The eyes of her tormentor gleamed with sinister happiness as her vision began to blacken.
“Come now, all you have to do is spill the beans as the commoners say. Oh, I suppose that’s hard to do when you can’t breathe. Quite the catch twenty-two. Well, I guess when I think you suffered enough, I’ll let you breathe again. Maybe after a little brain damage.”
Daring gasped like a fish out of water, reaching out with her foreleg, wondering if her guardian angel would step in. It was hard to say, but she was running out of time.
“They’re Ali…” She eeped and then blacked out.
Equestrian FOB
“How’s he doing?”
“His condition is stable, the same as the last time you asked an hour ago, Captain Fleetfoot. I have other patients to tend too. Please only call me if his condition destabilizes.”
“How will I know that?”
“If he starts spitting up blood or anything abnormal like that. Trust me, I’ve been a field medic for ten years.” Doctor Blue Cross stated, as a matter of fact, patting the pegasus captain on the shoulder before leaving the tent. Muttering, “Jeez, you’d think they were married or something the way she’s fretting.”
Having not heard the doctor’s gripe Fleetfoot gave her undivided attention to the pony laying on the bedroll. The pony that saved her life, Vice Commander Gloves. For the last few hours, she had remained by his side, her own condition minor compared to his, but the doctor still told her to stay in the base rather than return to battle. So, she broke a few ribs with realizing it, her leg was sprained, and her left wing was possibly cracked. It’s not like she’s unconscious like Gloves is. When she fretted about how long the blue rinin was sleeping, the Doctor’s response was Quote, “He used a lot of magic, of course, he’s going to sleep! Just be glad he doesn’t have a concussion.”
“Ha-ha, what am I doing here?” She laughed nervously while running her hoof through her frizzled mane, a sudden want to have long silky hair crept into her mind as she watched Glove’s soft slumbering snores. “Probably just feeling… off… because he saved my life. It’s only natural, don’t get too worked about up about it. This is a war zone remember.” Fleetfoot told herself. This really wasn’t the place to get all lovey-dovey.
Still, she was grateful to the Rinin. Even if he was just doing his duty as a fellow soldier, she appreciated the lengths he went through to save her and others lives. Which is why she wanted to do all she could for him. Revealing that demonic looking leg couldn’t have been easy for him. Even now the red leg (or is an arm? It has a dragon’s claw.) glowed with a menacing aura. It was easy to speculate that even with his good looks, that red leg made it hard to get with the ladies.
Since the doctor placed them in this tent, she was assigned nursing duty to free up the actual nurses, Fleetfoot as taken to staring at the red limb off and on. Since Gloves showed no signs of waking and there were no alerts of enemy attacks, and no pony was poking their head in the tent flap. Fleetfoot scooted around to the other side of the bedroll. After one more nervous glance at the entryway, she reached out and touched the red leg, expecting the appendage to be scathing hot since it looked like lava rock.
It was warm, but not the burning to the touch she had been expecting. It was pleasant, actually. She began to run her hoof along the rough surface of the appendage. Fascinated by it.
“Cool…”
“Hey you awake, Gloves?”
Fleetfoot instantly removed her hoof when the owner of the gruff voice popped his head inside the tent. It was Bulwark and his wife Platinum. She knew it was rude to stare at the odd couple, but really how could she not? The size differences. It was like a mountain dating a small rolling hill. (I’m actually finding that more appealing the more I think about it.)
“No,” She shushed the large rinin, keeping a polite tone because he did help save her life too.
“Oh, sorry, are you free Captain? The other officers on base wanted to discuss a plan to help the main force.”
As much as she didn’t want to leave the tent, duty called. “Yes, I’m free, but I’d like to stay near the tent. To keep an eye on Gloves, in case his condition worsened, the doctors are very busy, you know.”
“Hey Gloves is our friend too; I’ll get a table set up. I’ll leave you ladies to chat in the meantime.” He and Platinum exchanged kisses, very unprofessional given the setting, but even as a superior officer, there was no way in hell Fleetfoot was going to say anything. Bulwark was on their side, but he was still scary, even to her.
“Sorry about that, he gets mushy after we face danger. Stoic really suits him better, but I like it when he shows me his buttery soft side.” Platinum smiled.
Fleetfoot didn’t think she could do the same after going through what Platinum did just a few hours ago. So instead of bringing it up, she returned the smile and followed the unicorn outside where an open tent with a table inside was set up. Bulwark returned, sticking his head inside while she and Platinum stood at the edge of the table looking over the laid-out map.
“Where’s Applejazz?” Platinum inquired.
“Making repairs to her equipment, she said to go on without her.”
The map, imbued with a spell, showed their forces current positions and what they knew of the enemy’s formation. There was a lot of unknown on the enemy’s side, and even worse, only Spitfire was registered on the enchanted piece of paper as the only active officer. Both Night Patrollers looked concerned as they scowled over the map for Topaz’s name.
Platinum put on her helmet, fanatically tapping the gemcom for several tense seconds before sighing. “I don’t see a message reporting his death, let me…” Platinum touched the gemcom again. Fleetfoot watched as the map changed with a time stamp of one hour ago. Topaz’s name appeared on the map, and they watched as it made a beeline for the enemy lines breaking through the defense lines and then faded away. The message signal jammed appearing.
“That’s surprisingly reckless of Topaz, going beyond enemy lines with no backup or what looks like any semblance of a plan. Something must have happened.”
Fleetfoot could only nod in agreement. She didn’t know Topaz like the other two did, but their scant interactions lead her to believe he was one of the more logical types of ponies. “So, what’s the difference between the signal loss and the death signal? I mean not to sound stupid, but they are very similar.”
Bulwark snorted in agreement. “I can’t blame you. We’ve had trouble with this kind of thing in the past. Going by the manual definition signal lost just means the gemcom network can’t track the owners gemcom, but the user is reported to be still alive. Death signal is when the gemcom is cut off and no longer detects body functions.” Bulwark explained, looking guff. “It is confusing, though. We’ll have to make that clearer for the future. The important difference is lost signal or jammed usually means the owner is potentially alive. I’m certain once we breach the enemy’s shield the network will reconnect.”
“As worried as I am for Topaz, bringing down the enemy’s shield is more important right now. Colonel Spitfire is barely holding our advance together right now. My own estimates say the enemy’s magic artillery cannons should be charged up again, putting our ships in danger.” Platinum pointed at the enemy line running the tip of her toe across the map. “Our scouts report that even in these area’s outside the shield’s protection zone, the enemy has a solid line of defense. We lost dozens of pegasi just to get that much. Their Anti-air defenses are solid.”
Fleetfoot nodded while pointing to the very edges of the city. “If we move a large number of troops to attack the city’s flanks they're sure to respond and fortify their positions. One of our biggest problems is we’d have to use all our current reserves, it would be an all-in maneuver, we’d either have to breach the city or retreat.”
“Retreat might not be possible if we get there far. The ships are tied up, and we’d never be able to load every pony aboard in time. Even if we took heavy losses. Our second biggest problem is the fact we don’t have any high-level fighters left. Gloves, Trifecta, Fierce Fury are all MIA. Not to cut short AppleJazz, but she’s not equipped to take on ponies like that Ombre, neither are you I’m afraid honey.”
Bulwark grumbled at his wife’s stinging statement, “If it were pure brute strength perhaps.” He griped, dissatisfied with his lack of talent for magic. Platinum patted his shoulder.
“There, there, we all have to work with what we got.”
A massive explosion, followed by a torrent of radio static caught the three Equestrian officers off guard. Together they all ran for the top of the wall, marveling at the drastic change in the battlefield terrain. A large trench scarred the surface area in front of the enemy shields. One of the airships smoked heavily as it limped away from the battle. The three of them grimaced as they caught sight of fire bursting out the side of the haul where the engine was.
It was only a matter of time before the ship sank from the sky.
“What happened?” Fleetfoot wondered aloud using her binoculars to get a better look. On the flagship, she saw Spitfire in a frenzy as she ordered ponies around. A shadow flew over the deck of the ship, Fleetfoot barely managed to track it and gulped loudly when she got a look at the cause of the panic. “Son of a bitch! Another one!”
Bulwark and Platinum didn’t even need to ask. Another son of Sombra has joined the fray.
“What can you make of him?” Bulwark asked anxiously while gripping his hammer for assurance.
“He’s as big as Ombre, maybe bigger, and is using a HUGE ass sword! The thing is as big as him! Could almost be mistaken for the anchor of a ship.”
He snarled, his grip tightening. “Damn, and he can fly. I’m useless here. Nothing but a big dumb pony with a hammer.”
“Darling…”
“Don’t, we all must know our limits,” Bulwark growled dejectedly, planting his hammer into the top of the wall. “I wish I could do more.”
A voice spoke from behind them. “In that case, mind if I borrow this?” Bulwark and the two mares could barely register the familiar voice before Bulwark’s massive one-ton hammer was levitated off the ground and carried into the sky by a golden aura. All three of them and those below in the base cheered as Celestia and Luna flew over the skyline towards the frontlines. The officers turned and looked down to see ranks of unicorns joining their forces.
The third wave had arrived at last.
“Are you ready for this sister?” Luna jovially asked while readying her star blades.
Celestia tested the weigh of the hammer in her magic, getting a feel for the weapon. “Yes, dear sister.” She embedded the weapon with magic, gold fire danced on the edge of the blunt weapon matching her blazing gold mane. “I am.”
In the skies above the charred remains of the crystal grass fields flew the ponies of legends, rulers of the Sun and Moon, the pinnacle of pony kind, the Royal Sisters, Celestia, and Luna. To those on the ground, it was as if the gods themselves had come down from the heavens to aid them. The warily and beaten Earth and Pegasus forces cheered with renewed vigor as the Princess flew overhead. In their wake, the Unicorns finally made their arrival to the field. Equestrian white Mages cast healing and support spell on the injured, while the combat mages broke for the frontlines, casting shields of protection to reinforce the defensive line. The bolder mages pushed forward, gaining new footholds for the earth ponies who dug foxholes and trenches at legendary speeds.
The Equestrian Airships, which had been forced to stay back, crept closer offering artillery support while launching smoke bombs to cloud the enemies’ field of vision. At the front of the ship Flagship Centurion, stood General Cobalt Blaze with Spitfire and Castle, the three of them organizing the forward advance.
Forces from the FOB sortied allowing troop rotation. Bulwark and Platinum taking charge of the ground force, while AppleJazz, sporting a new pair of machinal wings soared into the sky, chasing after the Princesses. With her another red pony tagged long, flying on a floating magic square.
“Hey Kid, you don’t mind if I tag along?” Scarlet joked surfing up beside Jazz on her shield.
“Just don’t slow me down ya old Nag,” Jazz snorted, payback heavy on her mind as the two them accelerated to catch up with the Princesses, who are ahead of everypony else.
Far ahead of everypony Celestia and Luna felt nostalgic as the Crystal City drew closer and closer. Though it was dark and bleak, the Crystal Empire still had a beauty all its own. Even the black crystal buildings shimmered like glass, and the splotches of red complimented the black nicely. Sombra had indeed made the place his own. Which is why they’d take much joy in reducing it to rubble like he had done before.
“Brings back memories, huh, sister? Us flying in to take down a tyrant and restore order. Remember those days?” Celestia beamed, a fire burning in her eyes as she adjusted Bulwark’s hammer in her magic. “I remember last time… this time things will be different.”
“My recollection of this place is fresher, the memories not so heralding as yours, more desperation and fleeting hope than anything else.” Luna recounted, remembering the terrible battle of the Crystal Empire. Being here brought it all back. Symphony’s death, the disappearance of Cadenza, Dusk’s transformation, and the end of so many others. Watching the city Symphony had loved being sucked into the black abyss and seeing it now rebuilt in the image of the enemy. It was like Sombra was mocking them.
Luna readied her star blades, spotting a black speck fly over the top of the enemy’s shield. “I think we found our dance partner, sister.”
Celestia narrowed her gaze, her horn flashed with magic as she cast a spell for better sight. “Well, if that’s not a spawn of Sombra, then I might need to start wearing glasses.”
“Indeed,” Luna affirmed taking a look at the pony in question. His similarities to Sombra were striking. Other than his size and the curved greenhorn with splashes of green in his mane, he was a carbon copy. “I suppose we should say hello to the enemy commander first?”
Bringing her hammer forward Celestia enchanted the smashing weapon with fire and reared back, “I’ll be polite and go first!” The hammer spun, taking on the appearance of a miniature blazing sun arcing across the sky. Celestia’s hair was ablaze as she pulled on the power she displayed at Cadence’s wedding. Luna threw up her dark cloak to protect herself from her sister’s incinerating power. The chicken scratched runes on the Sun Princess’s armor barely keeping the intense heat in check. To properly contain it Sixes would have to forge Celestia’s armor and weapons for her, but he was still en route and more than a few hours behind them. They’d have to make due.
“To all Equestrians, this is Princess Luna, by my order you are to stay away from my sister and I. Less you become a hindrance. My sister is fighting unchained, her power dangerous to foe and ally until the proper equipment can be equipped.”
Satisfied that no pony on their side was going to get in the way, Luna hung back to act as support while Celestia dealt with the front. Her hammer, which came flying back, was sporting a distinctive scar on its smooth iron face.
Sombra’s spawn floated a black cloud with a giant sword aloft in green magic, circling him like a moon around a planet. “Tsk, nothing against Bulwark’s tastes, but he could have gone for a higher quality hammer.” Celestia griped, playing with the weapon to get a better feel for it. “Agh… I wish I had my Axes.”
“Well you don’t, now you know how I felt when I had to use Symphony’s lances, at least a hammer is similar to your ax.” Celestia sighed, “I suppose.” She gave the hammer a few more practice swings, egging on their unknown opponent. “Come here, boy! Introduce yourself!” The Sun Princess demanded with the Canterlot voice.
The pony launched his sword like Celestia had done earlier, the weapon surrounded by a whirl of green magic. (Wind Magic, maybe? Could be poison too or just dark magic.) Celestia analyzed pulling her hammer back and swung like a batter, knocking the sword back to its owner. She grimaced as another dent visibly appeared on the surface of her weapon. Showing the vast difference in quality between them, and that was with her enchanting it.
(I’ll have to buy Bulwark a new sledgehammer after this. I doubt this one will survive.)
“Here, he comes!” Luna warned.
Celestia brought the hammer forward, blocking the sword just in time, and it was a big sword! The blade was nearly as long as her entire body and half the width of her wingspan!
“Speak your name, I, Celestia Solaris, first Daughter of Solaris, challenge you!”
“Scath, Second Son of King Sombra of Maredor and ruler of the Crystal Empire. I hope you’ll be more of a challenge then your soldiers were. I ran into a gaggle of them on the way here, none of them a challenge, they seemed surprised when I shattered that shield they were hiding behind with a single strike.”
(Shield?) Celestia pressed harder, her mind faltering for a moment. Most if not all of her soldiers new some sort of shield magic, it could have been any pony he ran into, but her gut feeling said that it was Shining Armor he was talking about.
“What did you do to them?” Luna barked, her blades rotating and picking up speed. “Answer!”
“Whelps like that aren’t worth my time. I cut through their ranks and left whoever was still alive for my soldiers to clean up. Why bother with them when I sensed you two?”
“Don’t think you’ll get away with that, I, Luna Selene Solaris, will challenge you as well.”
Neither Celestia or Scath objected. They were going through the civil introductions as was the custom of warriors, but this was war, not a formal duel. Besides, he preferred things this way. “Great! You’ll do me the honor of defeating both of you alone then!”
With a guttural roar, Scath pressed and then overpowered Celestia! Pushing with all his might, his black cloud proving to be more effective then Celestia’s wings. The Sun Princess struggled flashed her horn and then disappeared and reappeared to Scath’s right, while he did the same and appeared behind her. Luna intercepted him, one-star blade blocking his sword, while the other went for the neck. With his sword, Scath deflected the one throwing star and teleported out of the path of the second.
Luna retrieved her weapons, frowning when she spotted a nick on the Star blade that bounced off the sword. Wondering just what the great sword was made out of to do this to Nippon Steel.
“Change it up!” Luna ordered shoving Celestia to the back so her sister could use her actual combat talent, Artillery Caster. “Right! Be careful! Give me room!” Celestia’s horn sparked and flashed, a complex array of magic circles of varying sizes traveled up the length of her horn. Four pony size circled appeared behind her, the circles slowly rotating as inscriptions filled in the space between the lines.
Scath laughed grinning like a mad stallion, not the reaction the two sisters were expecting. No sane pony would see Celestia’s complex multi-layer spell array and laugh excitedly about it.
Wanting to shut him up Luna pounced firing a barrage of hard-hitting magic blasts, each one a three-second charge, Scath used his sword like a baseball bat and swung at the incoming attacks. The attacks exploded, knocking his sword off balance and forcing him to readjust his angle of attack as Luna flew by with her star blades for a close-range strike. Its vexed Luna to find she wasn’t damaging the weapon at all. Barely even a scuff appeared on the polished surface.
(Enchanted steel? Or some rare material?) She dodged Scath’s hack, her dark cloak counterattacking automatically firing black tendrils that wrapped around the great sword and held it in place, while she sent her star blades from either side to sever Scath’s head. The Son of Sombra, let go of his sword, forcing her to bear all its weight. Luna hadn’t expected that and couldn’t compensate the sword pulled her towards the ground like a rock in the water. Runes along the length of the blade began to glow, power pulsed along the surface of the polished black steel, followed by an explosive shockwave that knocked her back. The sword flew free from her grasp and spun upwards, flying back to Scath.
“Celestia!” Luna screamed, expecting Scath to go after her sister, but much to her shock and perhaps shame, he didn’t. The bastard was waiting for Celestia to finish her spell!
“Care to assume me some more Princess Luna? I suspect I have another minute or so before the real show starts.” Scath said casually like he was waiting for a play to begin.
Luna shook with rage, her eyes bleeding black as her dark cloak deepened to a darker shade of black with shining dots like stars appearing against the darkness, giving it the appearance of the void of space.
“You will eat those words you young welp!” Luna spoke in a duality voice, two sharp fangs poked beneath her lip, giving her a vampiric appearance. Her star blades became encased in black as her cloak expanded in size, the edges of the void becoming menacing claws of darkness. “Get down here!”
Scath felt his body become heavy and suddenly was slammed into the ground; a glowing blue magic circle pressed down on top of him. Luna’s black blades began to orbit in front of her, sparks of purple lightning formed a ball crackling of energy. “Let darkness turn to night and night to darkness, blot out the light of the stars and cast the world in an endless void, Noctis Stella!” The mass of purple plasma flew towards Scath, but his smile never left his face.
“A full chant Gravity based spell! Amazing, no pony can do those these days and look how powerful it is! You're amazing! And pulling on that mysterious dark power! I find that rather attractive.” The runes on Scath’s sword began to glow again, this time a bright white light shined from the blade, changing the black steel to pure white. Luna attack began to shrink growing smaller and smaller before becoming little more than the size of a gold coin and then nothing.
Luna reared back in shock, unable to believe what was right before her. “Impossible. Even an enchanted weapon can’t have that much power, no matter the user.”
“Enchanted? Please as if we’d use something so mundane.” Scath raised his blade again, at the top of the handle Luna caught a glimpse of something. Something that made her eyes widened. There was a piece of an odd-shaped jewel embedded in the guard. A smaller portion of something bigger, something powerful.
“The crystal heart… what did you do to it!”
Scath brandished his sword, his lips curled into a superior smirk as he let the secret of his weapon be known. “We only put it to use. Why leave such a powerful and double-edged weapon lying around, when it can be processed into something more useful? Now, Purify!”
With a swing of his sword, Scath fired a blade of pure white light, Luna out of instinct than sense raised her dark cloak to block. Scath’s attack was so intense that it penetrated the darkness, causing the mantle of the black void to disintegrate before her very eyes. Luna braced herself, but when the light touched her, it merely suppressed the dark power she was borrowing from Nightmare Moon. It actually reminded her of the time Twilight and her friends hit her with the Elements of Harmony, the light was peaceful, warm, and welcoming. It made her entire body want to relax.
“Got ya!” Scath came barreling through the light, his blade now dark as night, he swung, catching Luna entirely by surprise, knocking her straight into the ground! He laughed heartily circling in the sky like a vulture. “Wonderful isn’t? Using both light and dark magic?”
Luna did not reply, she lay in a small crater in the ground, staring out with a drooping eye, her entire body in pain. (How could I have dropped my guard like that? How stupid can I be?) Gritting her teeth, Luna forced herself to stand, spreading her wings for balance as she wavered on three legs, cradling her right foreleg against her body. Sneering with blood seeping between her teeth, she looked up and smiled.
Scath cocked his head at her bizarre action when he suddenly remembered he was righting two Princesses. It seemed like a long time, but only twenty to thirty seconds have passed. He looked up the overcast sky alight with the glowing radiance of four miniature suns that orbited around Celestia.
“Forgotten gods of old, heed thy will, come to me and sacrifice yourselves that I can claim victory, let your charred corpses become the kindling for my foes pyre! Radiant Stargate Cannon!”
The four suns shank dramatically compounding into the size of a child’s ball and scattered in four directions! The first, second, and third sun assaulted the Scath’s barrier, the magic wall shuttered under the intense attack, the Equinox holding it up screamed as they held back the magic, but the heat of the attack was like that of the sun. Those closest to the barrier dried out, their bodies withering to dust in seconds, boiled alive by their own blood, but before blowing away as black specs of ash in the wind. Their deaths were swift, nearly painless. Those behind them were not so lucky. Their fur caught fire, the very air they breathed burned their lungs and left them bleeding from their mouths gasping for air as their eyes shriveled into their socks from the heat. Those in the middle and the very rear of the formation, they felt the heat, some getting third-degree burns that boiled their flesh as their armor turned bright red, some unlucky enough to have the steel plates melt to their bodies.
Yet, even with nearly a thousand dead and many more injured and suffering intense pain. The shield keeping the Equestrian army held.
Scath barely had time to process any of this, too busy dealing with the fourth sun that Celestia had aimed at him. His sword glowed with green magic the blade becoming a star-filled void of darkness, and he swung firing a black blade flew to intercept the sun, and the two spells caved into each other canceling the other out.
He looked for the Princesses, both of them were on the ground, Celestia teleporting Luna to a safe distance. He scoffed and chawed, flying after them.
“He’s giving chase,” Luna said dryly as Celestia cast a quick healing spell on her. Quick was an understatement, the enchantment barely reduced the major headache she had. Could be a concussion. “He’s an arrogant little prick, but he is skilled, though his leadership is lacking. He’s not even attempting to go and reorganize his forces.”
“Hush Luna, let me get you patched up and then we’ll worry about Sombra’s son.” Celestia chided, teleporting away again to keep the distance between them and Scath. It was hard casting heal and teleporting at the same time after using such a taxing spell. “I really thought three would have been enough to take down that shield. I must have roasted a third of their forces, yet it still stands.”
Luna patted Celestia on the neck. “I know you don’t like doing that… reducing ponies to ash or any creature.”
Celestia smiled bitterly. “Yes, well it’s something I’ve done many times already. This is the first time in three hundred years I’ve had to use that spell. Of course, back then, I had your magic too, so it was weaker than back then.”
After teleporting to the west, Luna pushed Celestia away, flying on her own, Scath speeding towards them, no doubt blind with rage. That could work in their favor. “How long until you can cast that spell again?”
“I could cast it right now, but it depends on how much time I get to charge it. Each sun takes about a minute to form and another minute to fully charge them. You think you can hold him off for eight minutes again?”
Luna grimaced, “Probably not. I doubt he’ll be so generous again.” Celestia agreed. “Let’s try hitting him with some smaller spells. Hopefully, our forces under Cobalt’s guidance can break through the shield.”
Celestia glanced towards the sky, tapped her helmet, and smiled. “If we can keep Scath busy for another five minutes, that shield won’t be a problem.”
“Really? They're almost ready?” Luna tapped her helmet as well but kept her face composed as Scath got in range.
Together they dodged, flying in different directions and firing magic bolts at the black stallion. Luna threw her stars catching Scath in the side, while Celestia brought her hammer down on his skull, he blocked, roared and parried her back and swung. The Sun Princess screamed as her shoulder plate was ripped off her body, the piece of scrap metal falling to the ground. Enraged Luna charged in, only to get a stiff kick in the chest plate by Scath. Her breastplate buckled and bent, leaving an indent of his horseshoed boot on the gleaming metal. She coughed blood, feeling a something poking into her barrel.
“Luna!” Celestia yelled as she dueled Scath with her hammer, the two of them exchanging blows while firing off the occasional magic blast at the other.
“I’m fine!” Luna wheezed, unbuckling her chest plate. The whole front of her armor fell free, and she hissed as blood began to freely flow where the piece of her armor had stabbed her.
“I got you covered your majesty!”
A soothing sensation enveloped Luna, Scarlet riding on a fly red square rode up beside her casting a healing spell. Another red blur zipped by; it was AppleJazz with a pull payload of rockets mounted on her new wings.
“AGGGHH!” The red apple girl screamed, firing her hoof blasters and launching every rocket she had at Scath, who threw up a shield to block the barrage. Celestia charged her hammer and knocked Scath towards the ground, barrier and all allowing Jazz to fly free and go reload.
“Pepper him!”
Both Celestia and Luna reared back and unloaded a torrent of magic drill bullets at the Second Son of Sombra. Several counter shots come through the dust cloud, Scarlet throwing up several shields to absorb the damage. There was a green flash, and the Princesses stopped knowing Scath had teleported.
“Be on guard Luna.”
“I know sister,” Luna summoned her dark cloak, spreading it wide to create a pair of wings at blow away the haze surrounding them. Scath became visible, having positioned himself half a mile away to recover. “Still another three minutes.” Scarlet cocked her head, “Three minutes until what?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Celestia told her, the red unicorn merely shrugging it off.
“Let’s go!” Celestia and Luna charged this time, Scarlet on their heels, but before they even got halfway, a static message came through their gemcoms, they stopped hard, Cobalt’s voice coming over the line.
“Enemy forces are rallying! Another Black stallion showed up, this one blue!”
Noticing the commotion as the two armies engaged in a long-distance standoff with hoof blasters, magic bolts and a high number of other spells peppering the from either side Scath took the chance and teleported back to his lines, where another black stallion, one of his brothers joined him. The two of them began casting a combo spell while the magic cannons behind them charged up.
“Come on! Before it’s too late!” Celestia and Luna teleported over their troops, each of them flaring their magic as they crafted their spells as quickly as possible. There was no time for charging or chanting, two single magic arrays formed behind them as they prepared two of their highest tier spells.
“Radiant Star!”
“Midnight Sonata!”
Against the incoming hail of black fire and purple plasma, Celestia fired a miniature sun to crash into the path of the magic cannons blast, the two attacks mixed in midair becoming a bright gold and purple ball of energy that exploded the middle of the sky. Regretfully, the second magic cannon blast made it through and landed somewhere behind her, but she didn’t dare turn around to see where.
Luna’s spell, Midnight Sonata, had Luna letting lose a very high-pitched music-based attack, the air shook with power as black sound waves crashed into the fireballs fired by the Sombra’s sons. The blaring notes steadily overpowering the mixture of flames.
With either sides attack rendered null, the opposing pair of siblings could only star back at one another, admiring the others strength. Below the armies still raged, but for the four of them, an entirely different battle was taking place.
“You’re as grand as our father proclaimed you to be.” Scath’s brother declared, projecting his voice over the roar of the battle. “I am Schatten, the fourth son. You need not introduce yourselves. Your appearance has been drilled thoroughly into me by my father.”
“Glad to see we left Sombra shaken from our last encounter. How is your father? I imagine he must be an old gelding by now?” Mocked Luna, taking pleasure in the seething looks the brothers pointed at her.
“Not as old as you pair of barren nags.” Scath snapped back.
This time it was the sisters turn to growl. “I’m as fertile as I was a thousand years ago, you young whelps are too inexperienced to even try and court me.”
“Don’t fall for their taunts Luna,” Celestia warned, bringing her hammer forth, while Schatten readied his lance. She wasn’t concerned, though. Tapping her gemcom, Celestia couldn’t help but smirk. “It’s time.”
Luna checked her gemcom, her smile like that certain villainess as a voice came over her gemcom.
“This is Patroller 4444, Shamrock, of the 442nd Platoon, executing the operation. Get ready to see some shit go down!”
“Why are they smiling?” Schatten wondered aloud.
“They’re just drunk on the fight; I know I am! Come on, we can take them.” Scath boasted, ready to go for another round. Schatten held him back, trapping Scath’s tail with his magic. “Easy brother, haste gets you killed. Besides, something is bothering me. It’s been bothering me since this all started.”
Scath cast recovery on himself while he mulled over his younger brother’s worries. “I’ll bite, what’s bothering you?”
“There are no Rinin.”
Scath cocked his head, “What? Are you blind? You captured one, I killed one. How can you say there are no rinin?
“From what I can tell the ones we’ve faced are the only Rinin any pony on our side as encountered. The one called Fierce Fury, the one that fought Ombre and me, Topaz Slicer, the one named Trifecta that I captured, the huge one in their base that looks like a minotaur, and the one Ombre injured called Gloves. There was at least one more in the metal machine when lured them into the city, but that’s only six. From what we gleaned from Princess Cadence and Twilight Sparkle, there should be hundreds of Rinin, yet we’ve only seen half a dozen of them? There are none on the frontlines? Don’t you find that strange?”
Scath paused, popped his sword on his back and though hard. “I have noticed it was only Pegasus for air support and none appeared with the unicorns either.” He reasoned. His brother was right, something was off. The rinin could have turned the tide at any point. Literally, hundreds of Pegasus and Earth ponies were dead, and the rinin never showed up to help.
“Schatten,” Scath whispered warily. “If we had a force like the Rinin in similar numbers, how would you use them?”
“Brother you’re much more suited…”
Scath snapped, “Don’t brown nose me, I’m no good at this wider picture stuff, answer me. Before the Princesses finish recovering. One of us may need to leave to warn father.”
“A small unit with only a few hundred numbers, but elite in skill and have the qualities of a dragon. I would either use them as shock troopers to break the enemy line or have them flank the enemy position with fast cutting attacks to make an opening for the main force.”
Suddenly the sky cracked with thunder and bodies began to fall from the sky. The brothers were horrified to see it was their sky defenders. Soldiers they placed in the clouds to keep the enemy from flying over the city falling towards the ground. How had they been defeated without notifying any pony?
“Catch them!” One of their officers shouted, lowering the shield slightly to allow those falling to land in friendly territory. Squads scrambled to catch their falling comrades, and it was then Schatten realized their foully.
“No, don’t let them in! Stay away!” He bellowed too late.
A roar, the haunting whinnying roar that their father described in vivid detail, reached their ears. The Equinox falling into their base were suddenly shredded to pieces as Rinin, the ones that had been missing until now, tore through the bodies they had been hiding behind. Their vicious claws piercing the ones who had gone to save their comrades. In mere seconds, one hundred rinin infuriated their lines bringing down a rain of fire upon the weary and beaten Equinox. Their soldiers screamed as the smell of burning flesh filled the air once again. The shield that had stood firm against the might of Celestia fell as those holding it up were slaughtered without mercy.
“All ponies charge!” The Equestrian commanders screamed. The combined force of Unicorn, Earth, and pegasi breached the gap in the lines and slammed into their troops. Close quarters combat quickly ensured, the scattered and confused Equinox easy prey to the organized Equestrians.
“All cannons fire!”
The airships unleashed a full broadside, taking out their magic cannons and firing into the city. Buildings exploded in a fiery blaze the citizens inside the city screamed and panicked.
Scath looked at his little brother and said, “Sorry.”
“Scath what are-!”
Schatten disappeared, teleported away, the second son of Sombra wheeled around readying his sword as seven blasts of magic pelted him. Luna and Celestia charged at him ready for another round.
“You’re much more ruthless then my father let on.” Scath laughed humorlessly.
Celestia smiled motherly at him, which creeped him out, “I can’t take credit for one of my ponies plans. Really it’s almost scary how cunning some ponies can be.”
Scath raised his sword, blocking Celestia’s hammer, only to have to give up ground as Luna flung her star blades. “Why did none of the ponies we captured tell us of this scheme? They had no way to hide it from us!” Scath snapped, hating how desperate things have gotten. He could only hope Schatten could rally the secondary defenses in time.
“I don’t know what magic you used, but you can’t make a pony tell you something they don’t know.” Celestia quipped. Her eyes burned with fury as she readied her hammer. “Now just who do you have in your care?”
“I haven’t been attending our meetings, but I killed the red rinin, Fierce Fury, and I know my brothers have taken several others captive. One male rinin and a few females.”
Celestia powered through, smacking his sword away. “No matter, we’ll have them all back soon enough!”
He dodged and weaved between the two Princess attacks. Mainly focusing on blocking Celestia, but his nerves were fried as Luna’s spinning blades found their mark, leaving deep cuts in the gaps in his armor. Stopping the hammer once more he seethed as the star blades cut up his back once more. He whirled around, firing a scattershot of magic bolts at the Princess of the night, only to get mana blade in the chest!
“GAH!”
Scath twisted his neck to look down at Celestia, her gold glowing horn keep in his right shoulder. A gouge in his armor told him she’d been aiming for his heart, his breastplate just managing to deflect the attack to somewhere less lethal. She had gone in for the kill and was now stuck trying to free her horn. With his magic he held her place, grinning viciously he began to clobber her with his booted hoof.
“CELESTIA!” Luna screamed as he slammed his boot into the Sun Princess face for the fifth time. Her right eye was swollen shut and blood gushed out between her teeth. Most importantly, Celestia’s horn lost its glow, and her hammer fell like a rock to the earth. Her brain to scrambled by pain and blunt force trauma to properly channel magic.
“Let’s break that horn!” Scath aimed at the base of Celestia’s horn digging hard with the toe of his boot. The Sun Princess let out a terrible scream, grit her teeth and twisted her head riming Scath’s wound, hot blood poured on to her face, stinging her eyes as she persisted in her assault.
“This is fun! Like the old days for you isn’t princess?”
“You wouldn’t have survived!” Celestia rebuked.
With a flap of her wings Celestia drove her horn deeper, bottoming out, Scath’s boot bashed her upside the face, but his magic slipped allowing her strike with her booted hoof from below. The toe of her golden boot wedged up between Scath’s helmet and muzzle right into his eye!
“GAGH!” Scath reared back, and Celestia freed her horn just as Luna arrived in a fit of fury, her sister’s eyes blacker than night as she bore her star blades into Scath’s exposed side. Sparks few as the spinning stars ground away at his armor, eventually hitting soft flesh and splattering blood in the air. Scath swung his massive sword wildly as Luna grabbed her and flew them out of there. Three red blasts of magic peppered Scath, Scarlet sitting far back on a low hanging cloud in a sniper position.
Scath wheeled in a panic, trying to gauge the situation with his functioning eye. His depth perception was off, and he couldn’t help but keep trying to check his blind spot leading him to fly in circles. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, he calmed his scattered brain enough to confirm the location of the Princesses while using his sword as a shield on his right side. The sniper fire stopped, and he saw the red unicorn move to regroup with the princesses. Luna was still in fighting shape, but Celestia had to have a concussion and more. Helmets don’t stop one’s brain from bouncing against their skull. If Luna were the same type of sibling he was and from what he’s seen she was, she’d focus on getting Celestia treated. Meaning they would be retreating.
(I should do the same.)
He turned to take his leave. His forces already fighting defensively along the outskirts of the city and regrouping back to their predetermined bases where fresh soldiers and supplies were awaiting them. The buildings would slow the enemy advance as urban warfare kicked in. In the last war, Father learned how dangerous a few traps and soldiers could be.
Urging his cloud forward, Scath suddenly felt weaker. He blindly pawed at his gaping shoulder wound and pressed his hoof against it as best he could. The pain was distracting. Too distracting.
“Oi, laddie! Come git some!”
He never saw the attack, but he knew, Scath knew from the prick in the base of his neck, his attacker was Rinin. The sneaky bastard wormed his claws around his armor and dug into his flesh, grabbed claw full and then ripped it free!
“GAGGHH!” Scath swung his sword in a three-hundred-degree spin. Catching sight of his attacker, it was a Rinin no doubt with splotches of exposed green scales where his midnight blue armor didn’t cover. He also had a green mane and tail and spoke in a thick accent he had never heard before.
“Let me show ya how the Clydesdales ponies fight!”
There was a popping sound, and the Rinin snapped his spine back and stood bipedal in the air like dragons were known to do. He raised his fists, which had green crystals protruding from the scaled knuckles. In one claw he held a flask and took a long swing before tossing the bottle into his saddlebag, swaying slightly. Was he drunk?
“Night Patroller 4444, (HICCIUP) Shamrock! Ready to brawl ya little daoty bassa! Highlander, keep score, Ah’m gonna knock this little wanker fuckers head off!”
Another Rinin, also green, but a darker shade hoovered a ways back with a one more Rinin of a slenderer frame. Scath would have been interested in seeing a female Rinin had Shamrock not already knocked his helmet off.
“Keep ye eyes forward! Don’t go gawkin’ at lass’ in battles! Even one with a nice ass! Not that’s Ah’d let ya get your scabby dick near her, even if ya did beat me down, her big brother would tear ya cock off and feed it to ya!”
“Sham, shut up!” The female Rinin snapped.
“Right, right, alright, time for a good head hurtin’!” Shamrock spat green fire on to his fist and threw a right jab, catching Scath on the nose and followed it up with a left, right, left combo. Scath kicked with his forelegs, but Shamrock simply sidestepped and ducked under the awkward attacks, almost dancing around Scath, laying down a fury of blows. “Amazing, isn’t it! What fightin’ on two legs can do! Learned all this from an emerald dragon in Clydesdale, I did!”
“That’s ten hits.” Highlander drawled sounding board.
“Stop playin’ Shammy!” The female barked in the same thick accent.
“Oi, oi! Let me have ma fun!” Shamrock inhaled, his chest ballooning and glowing with green fire, flames sputtered out between his lips, and he let loose a stream of green flames. The fire breath washed over Scath, but a strange cube shape appeared. The cube vanished, leaving behind nothing as the wind flew the fire away. “Got away, huh.”
“Only because ya were playin’ him!”
“Yes, yes, darling, I know. Come on, let’s go check in with the Princesses. Highlander go organize the squads. Make sure no units to far push into the city by themselves before we have a real plan ready. Just get a foothold. Also, have the earth ponies start making another earth base.”
“Got it, Chief Master Sergeant.”
Shamrock waved him off, “Ah, get our here. (Burp!) Gods, shooting fire burns up alcohol so fast it’s not even funny.” “Let’s just go report to the Princesses. Keep your mouth shut about you know what too. That’s unverified information anyway.” The female grumbled hotly.
“Ah, yer just bein’ shy!”
“Shut up! How the hell did a bob codger like you get ranked higher than me! Highlander and I do most of the work!” “Ah, but it’s work I told you to do, thus proving my leadership capabilities.” Shamrock teased as they flew towards Spitfire’s airship. On the deck was the Princesses, Scarlet, Cobalt, and AppleJazz. With the colonel herself all situated around a roundtable and map.
Loudly Shamrock shouted, “Patroller 4444, Chief Master Sergeant Lucky Shamrock reporting in! How ye all doing this day fair maidens?”
Celestia, face swollen but cleaned of blood tried to smile, but only managed a pained wince. “Shamrock how good to see you, your sneak attack was perfect.”
“Can’t take the credit. Commander Topaz was the one who came up with the plan, I was merely the tool.” Shamrock bowed deeply to Celestia before turning to Luna. “Princess Luna, it’s been a while, longer than most others. You might not remember me, I was… I was one of the ones that left to go out into the world. I don’t think we met face to face until now, but I wanted to say… thank you for what you did for us. When I heard what happened, three years after the fact, I came back and joined Night Patrol. It’s a little late, but it’s an honor to serve you.”
Luna smiled and extended her hoof. “Thank you, Shamrock, it’s good to have you. Let us be the best of comrades. You did well bruising Scath’s ego.”
“Ah, if you hadn’t softened the lad up, I would have been useless, but I couldn’t just let him get away smackin’ a lady around could I?”
“You have my thanks again.” Luna patted him on the shoulder before turning her attention to Shamrock’s female companion. “You must be another that left, please introduce yourself, we are all friends here.”
The female rinin pranced nervously before giving up, “…if you insist, Night Patroller 6667, Essex.” Essex removed her full-face helmet a waterfall of braided silky orange hair fell against ash black scales and fur. Everypony was taken aback by the very striking resemblance to a certain other orange-haired and black scaled rinin.
Luna looked to Celestia bewildered, “Is she…? She can’t be… can she really be…?”
“Let’s not worry about it,” Essex said quickly replacing her helmet. “It’s probably just a fluke from the experiments. We have more important things to worry about.”
“Yes, your right, we can discuss this… later,” Luna whispered as they all began to discuss the battle going forward and what’s has happened. Phase two of Topaz’s plan was over. Now the real nightmare began. Step three: Urban Combat.
Last time it had been Luna and the remnants of the Crystal Royal guard and any pony they could find defending against the invading army with everything they had. Sombra no doubtfully learned from their last battle and has more than likely prepared to do the same to them. Ambushes, traps, close-quarters fighting. Taking the city was a disaster waiting to happen.
“Let’s be clear, we don’t have enough to troops to take the entire city, we should focus on storming the castle and killing Sombra and his children, without their leader the army should fall and scatter. Since we're in the icy wastelands, even if some of them manage to survive the weather, their numbers will be few.”
Celestia hummed tapping the table with her toe. “Right now, Sombra’s forces are at their peak. We could go old school and siege the city into starvation. Like you said Luna, it’s a frozen wasteland outside the barrier, their food stores can only be so large and we control most of their farmland. If we could take out their water, then we could cripple them even further. Meanwhile, we could extend the rail and import more supplies and soldiers.”
The group sat in silence going over mulling over both plans, each one good yet flawed in their own ways.
“If I may interject your majesties.” Cobalt said.
The Princesses nodded, “Go ahead, General Cobalt.”
“Thank you, both of your plans are valid, but I think we need to lean towards Princess Luna’s hasty approach. The sooner we win, the better, not just for logistic or moral reasons either. There is one factor that you failed to account for Princess Celestia, and that is that magical shield above our heads keeping that very cold out. We don’t know the means, but the enemy controls the weather around us. We may be nice and warm now, but the enemy could shrink the barrier around their forces and leave us out in the cold. If that were to happen right now or even within the next hour or day, we’d have no choice but to retreat. We’re not equipped or supplied to handle a winter war. We’d burn through our food in a week and finishing the rail will take time. Less you forget your march through the snow.”
The Sun Princess shook her head, her face a mix of emotions of dismay and gratefulness. “And that’s why you’re my General. Thank you, Cobalt. The throbbing pain in my head has left me ill-equipped for strategizing.”
Luna frowned at her beaten and bruised sister. Doctor BlueCross after tending to her was off to the side trying to get a hold of VeeVee in hopes the raspberry-colored Rinin’s healing fire could get Celestia back into fighting shape quicker.
“It wasn’t a bad plan, I failed to overlook the weather barrier as well, which leave me perplexed as to how Sombra is doing it.”
“Isn’t it the crystal heart?” Celestia droned wistfully.
She shook her head, “No. I’m afraid Sombra has broken the heart into pieces. I saw a fragment embedded in Scath’s sword. Doubtless, he has done the same for all his children.”
“That’s not good.” Celestia sighed leaning against the outer wall of the cabin.
“That aside we need a plan of attack, any suggestions?” Luna inquired.
Surprisingly it was Shamrock who stepped forward with an idea. “Why don’t we do what we did when we sieged the Capital of Prance? That worked well enough.”
“Only you would think to do something that barbaric again!” Essex scolded.
“Well, I didn’t come up with the idea! Sixes and Fury did! So, don’t go yellin’ at me!”
“What is it?” Luna demanded, the two rinin to clamped up and looked to Celestia, who stared back. Her sister nodded, and Shamrock took control of the map.
“Back then, we faced the same problem. Prance had split into two factions, and we were backing one of them. Urban warfare was in play with the resistance holding the capital building, making the streets dangerous and run with blood. The capital building was shielded, and the ship's cannons couldn’t pierce through, and anti-flyer flak filled the skies. So, Sixes and Fury come up with a plan to get ground unit with mages to break through the shield.” Shamrock put his claw on the map and made a line straight to Sombra’s castle. “We bombarded a straight line through the city. Really blew it up, caused a firestorm to kick up in the middle of the town, burned a quarter of it to the ground. Anyway, when the fire died down, it left a vast wide-open area for us to march down. There was nothing to use for ambush and with our mages projecting a shield and tanks leading the charge even sniping fire from mages was ineffective. We rolled right up to the front door and disabled the shield and took the capital building.”
The air was tense as Luna stared silently at the map. “Cobalt… will it work?”
“There little question if it will work, but I’d like to make an amendment. Instead of one path, we should do three. We have two Airship left and enough mages to equal another. Though things will go much more smoothly once Princess Celestia can cast artillery magic once again.”
“Won’t that spread our forces to thin?” Spitfire questioned.
“It’s a risk, but I think we can get by with fewer units on the wings if we have Princess Celestia in the center. I’m sure the enemy will focus their forces there, leaving their sides open for us to exploit. Remember, we only need one path to reach the castle. This will also force the enemy to spread out and prevent them from going around the outer edge of the city and attack our rear if we only make one path. On top of that, if one path were to get ahead of the others, it would surely cause them to panic and flood that path with extra forces leaving the others paths with more breathing room.”
The table fell silent again, everypony looking to Luna as only she could approve the plan or not. “Get me estimates of how many cannonballs we’ll need. I doubt we’ll have enough stockpiled on the ships, so we should put in an order with the supply trains to start having the necessary materials brought in through on the rail and then through the sky bases. Try not to overwork the pegasus manning the flying carts.”
A chorus of, “Yes, ma’am!” And everypony sprang into action as Luna went to the railing to look out over the city she just ordered to be destroyed. Already the ships began to move, the cannons going silent as adjustments were made. Scarlet flew down to the ground to reorganize the troops into mixed united. Shamrock joined her. The rinin would need to be divided evenly amongst the three positions.
Luna tapped her gemcom and asked for a sitrep on Sixes and the Monster Squads current position. A static-filled reply told her it would still be some time before they arrived. Which was a shame. They’d need ponies who could take on Sombra’s children, and with Celestia down, she didn’t feel confident in her chances of overcoming Sombra’s spawn on her own.
(Am I chopped liver?) Nightmare Moon grumbled from her unconscious. Adding another annoyance to her list of problems.
(You weren’t much help last time.) Luna retorted, the dark entity going silent, for now.
“Umm… Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, can I speak to you in private?” Spitfire looked nervous. “I have some… sensitive information that I need to tell you.”
“Yes, that’s fine Spitfire,” She replied following the pegasus while helping Celestia into the Captain’s cabin of the ship. Spitfire poured a glass of water for each of them and sat at the desk in the center while she and Celestia sat on the couch.
“What do you need to tell us?”
“Well…” Spitfire when into how Twilight had been captured by one of Sombra’s sons, and then Daring, Topaz apparently going AWOL and the unknown status of Cadence the rest of her team. The only good news was that Spike, Rarity and Pinkie Pie were safe at the FOB. All of them waiting to be evacuated once the way home was confirmed to safe.
Luna had been worried about how Celestia would handle the news of Twilight being captured, but in a shocking twist, her sister was more concerned about Daring?
“Did Daring leave you with anything? Her saddlebags? Anything at all?” Celestia demanded tensely. Her mood turning downright dark when Spitfire shook her head. “Finding Daring is to be at the top of your list Spitfire. The very top.”
Spitfire, who was looking as confused as Luna could only nod. “Yes, of course, but there is one more thing. Daring did this weird thing, I only saw it through my binoculars, but she called forth lightning, and I think she had a horn coming out of her head. Not a real one, like a magical one made of lightning. There was some other weird shit like her and Topaz just straight up disappearing and reappearing, and that was before the horn appeared on her head.”
Celestia muttered something under breath, her expression erratic and tense as both Luna and Spitfire gazed at her, expecting answers. “Sorry, but I don’t know about this mysterious power of Daring’s could be. As for the teleporting, that could have been Topaz, if he tries really hard, he can use his Haste magic to move faster then the eye can see.”
“I see… that’s all I have for now…” Spitfire looked expectantly at the both of them. Chewing her lip nervously.
Ignoring her sister’s strange behavior chalking it up to her concussion, for now, Luna addressed Spitfire. “Is there something else?”
Spitfire stared blankly at her, visibly upset as a rogue tear fell from her eye. “How can you be so cold? I heard it over the coms… That Scath guy, he said he killed Fierce Fury! How can you do be so… so… nonchalant about it! You didn’t even acknowledge it! Did he really mean so little to you two?”
Now it was Luna turn to be perplexed while Celestia let out an inappropriate laugh. Snorting even. That had to be one bad concussion.
“What’s so funny!” Spitfire seethed slamming her hooves down on the face of the desk.
Luna took a long deep breath and used the throw pillow to cover her sister's stupid grinning face, Doctor BlueCross must have given Celestia some drug or something.
“Spitfire, believe me when I say this, Fury isn’t dead.”
“I blew him up once! Cut him half, oh and cut off all his limbs and he’s still alive isn’t he!” Celestia giggled. Confirming she was under the influence of some sort of substance. Probably a painkiller.
“Fierce Fury is not a pony that is easily removed from this mortal coil.” Luna continued, Celestia flailing her legs wildly while Spitfire’s face twisted into bewilderment.
Celestia knocked away the pillow, and boastfully declared, “He’s the Eternal Flame! The Ingis Infernus! He rises from the ashes of defeat stronger than before!”
In dungeons of Sombra’s castle, the blackened bones of Fierce Fury continued to break down into pieces of black dust. In the dark socket of his grinning skeleton, a flame, like that of a candle appeared. The ash of his body filled the air of the dungeon unbeknown to the guards. With one more drafty breeze, the decomposing corpse vanished in a whirlwind. The guards heard the sound of sand shifting against the cold stone floor and went to check the cell and gasped when they found it empty. Suddenly they began to cough as a storm of ash whirled around them. The micro specks of dust turning glowing red. The tiny flame appeared in their line of vision, and their eyes widened as it sparked.
“Supernova.”
The fine dust exploded engulfing the dungeon in flames and shaking the very foundation of the castle. Amid the smoke and bleached outlines of the two guards stood Fierce Fury, whole once more, returned from the ashes like the phoenix.
Left Equestria after being recused from the factory and stayed in Clydesdale for five years. Missing the Nightmare Moon incident and only hearing about it three years after the fact and returned to Equestria in 3 ANM. While in Clydesdale he befriended the Emerald Dragon of the isle, The Clydesdale Dragonlord. Emblem: four fours interlocked together. Doesn’t like to be called Lucky and prefers Sham or Shammy if it’s Essex. His favorite drink is whiskey, followed by ale. Plays the bagpipes.
Patroller 6667, Essex, Rank Master Sergeant.
Also left Equestria at the same time as Shamrock, but for different mysterious reasons. She first went to Nippon and then Europa, before settling in Clydesdale with Shamrock. She returned to Equestria two years after he did, in 5 ANM, with Highlander. She prefers Ale and likes to keep her face covered. When not on duty, she wears a large green bandana around her head to hide her hair. She speaks in a Clydesdale accent when angry or embarrassed.
Patroller 4342, Highlander, Rank Master Sergeant.
Highlander left with Shamrock, but separated and went to the Zebra lands for several years before moving up to Clydesdale. He was Best colt for Shamrock’s wedding and prefers to drink lager in peace at night, usually on the top of hills. Visited the Peaks of Peril on a regular basis.
Applejack and the rest of the VIP group made a mad dash toward the enemy lines. The way forward was clear, and they met hardly any enemy soldiers. What few they did were quietly taken out by her escorts boot blades. That’s not to say they weren’t taking any casualties. Sadly, seven of the soldiers protecting her had fallen. For every single enemy they killed, the enemy managed to take one or two with them. If they had been able to use their hoof blasters things wouldn’t be so bad, but the sound of the weapon would attract more enemies. No matter the cost they couldn’t bring more attention to themselves. Otherwise, Shining Armor’s sacrifice would be for nothing.
“We’re almost there! Lady Dash, Lady Fluttershy, please fly on ahead!” Ordered Far Reach.
The only two pegasi of the group looked beside themselves, she could feel RD’s and Fluttershy’s gaze on her. Applejack smiled, “Go, I’ll be fine with these gentlecolts.”
“But we could carry you, maybe…” Fluttershy meekly suggested. This wasn’t the first time it was brought up; the topic had been hotly debated as they made their escape.
The plan was logical. If Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy carry her, which they could do, then all three of them could escape, which was the mission objective. However, it was all or nothing. Carrying her would slow the two of them down, and even though Fluttershy could fly at a level close to Rainbow Dash’s when it really counts. Like when critters were in danger, her stamina wasn’t on par of the Wonderbolt hopeful.
That didn’t mean the two of them flying off ahead was a perfect plan either. It basically meant sacrificing Applejack and the escorts. This plan. Their original primary method would allow two of the three of them to escape. If Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy could get back the frontlines undetected, they were home free. Somepony would see them though, it was impossible not to and even if they managed to escape the enemy would sure come to investigate the area they come from. That would leave her and the other earth ponies in a severe bind.
In the deepest darkest part of her mind, Applejack preferred that her friends escaped. Even if it meant she and the others might get captured and killed. Well, the stallions were dead either way. She was fearful of what her fate maybe be at the enemy’s hooves. Her imagination probably wasn’t good enough to flush it out thoroughly. Not that she wanted to imagine such things.
“Go, I’ll be fine.” She told the pegasi again. They were nearing the edge of the city. The time to debate was over.
“I can’t leave you! It would go against everything I stand for!” Rainbow Dash protested.
Applejack couldn’t help but snicker to herself. Rainbow Dash’s loyalty, while substantial, wasn’t as stalwart as the bearer of the Element of Loyalty would lead on, but Rainbow has always been there when the chips were down. Which is why her steadfast loyalty was a bit of hindrance right now.
“And leave Fluttershy to fly off alone? You can’t let that fly, can you?”
“Well… I… that’s not fair, AJ!”
Using Fluttershy was low. Really low. But everypony knew keeping her in the war zone was like chaining their legs with one-ton iron balls. She couldn’t fight, could barely fly, and while she knew first aid, it was all vet stuff, and she didn’t have any medical supplies. The soldiers had first aid kits, but that only added to Fluttershy’s redundancy. It’s not like she was combat medic. Applejack didn’t know if Fluttershy could even stand the sight of blood. Given she bandages animals so she should be used to blood, one would think, but this wasn’t the place to find out.
“Get going already!” Applejack barked. Dash being stubborn would try to stick her ground, but with Fluttershy shaking like a leaf, they thankfully didn’t devolve into one of their fights.
“FINE! I’m going! Let’s go Fluttershy, as fast as we can so we can get help!”
Applejack breathed a sigh of relief, resigned to whatever may come next. “We’re changing course!” Far Reach shouted, leading them to a different street. Getting off Rainbow Dash’s and Fluttershy’s path might increase their chances of getting out themselves. If only a little.
Fate, destiny, or whatever controlled the cosmic universe decided differently. A building ahead of RD and Fluttershy split in half as if cut by a knife. The top half of the building fell into the street in front of them, the dust cloud obscuring everything, bringing their frantic run to a crawl.
When the dust cleared, they were all surprised to see a familiar pony standing on what remained, yet they didn’t feel friendly.
“Commander Topaz Slicer!” Far Reach shouted with surprise and hope. “Commander have you broke through? Are reinforcements on their way?”
Topaz didn’t answer as the enemy’s shield crumbled behind him in the distance as the roar of the Rinin battling at the edge of the city reached their ears. All this should have brought the beleaguered group hope, but even Applejack knew the shield falling came at the worst possible time. Now the enemy army would be retreating towards them.
“Guys…” Applejack whispered as she stared at the orange Rinin. She didn’t know what was going on, but when she looked at Topaz, she saw this silver aura surrounding him. With silver rings around his irises. (That’s not normal.)
“Lady Applejack… why are your eyes glowing?”
“The hell if I know, but I think we should stay away from him.” She pointed to Topaz and everypony else seemed to at least sense the same unease as her. The strange aura and his eyes aside, Topaz’s bloody and slashed body had her questioning if he was even alive. (Is he a zombie?)
“Hey, buddy stop staring!” Rainbow Dash growled, antagonizing the orange killing machine instead of flying away. (Like she supposed to!)
Topaz’s gaze narrowed, and when he spoke, there was a distortion in his voice, like two ponies were talking. “Activate Protocol 7-Alpha 2 Delta 7, Project Double Rainbow, Series white.”
Rainbow Dash’s body went rigged, her eyes whited out, her hair stood on end turn ethereal with bursts of lightning arcing between the waving strands. Her blue coat turned white, and a crackling horn of white lightning emerged from her head.
“What… Rainbow Dash!” Applejack screamed, but her friend didn’t even look her way. Instead, Rainbow flew before Topaz and spoke in a creepy robotic way.
“Protocol 7, acknowledged, Rainbow model White, ready for orders.”
Topaz looked down at them, regarding them with a cold, calculating look before addressing the transformed Rainbow Dash. “I order you to help me save your sister, Rainbow model Black, you can sense her, right?” Topaz asked.
Rainbow nodded, still acting robotic. “Rainbow Black found, Lightning teleportation not viable, recalculating route… most efficient route found, ready to lead when ordered.”
Topaz nodded, “Good, lead the way.”
Applejack screamed, “Rainbow, wait!” Her plea went unanswered Rainbow did a one-eighty towards the enemy castle, Topaz flying beside her, apparently just leaving them to the whims of fate.
Fluttershy landed beside her, the yellow pegasus equally as shocked as her. “Applejack…”
The street began to rumble, the rubble blocking their path was blown away as Sombra’s army made their retreat. The two groups could only stare at each other, one in horror and confusion.
“Capture them!” The leader of the enemy forces screamed, and they charged. A black wall of bodies charging at them.
Fluttershy clung to her crying while the stallions formed a protective line in front, Far Reach screaming at them to run. Applejack with Fluttershy in her forelegs could only look up at Topaz, no, the entity controlling Topaz and beg silently for it to help. He looked back with conflicting emotions, raised his right claw, and snapped them.
The entire world went black and white, her and Fluttershy the only ones with color. An intense pain filled her stomach, and Applejack threw up her guts, the pain increasing as time dragged on slowly. Fluttershy was doing no better as she cried, hacking up blood and withering on the ground. Applejack tried to stand but found it too painful to even try, so she fell beside her pegasus friend as the scene around them slowly changed. Far Reach and the others fought against the horde of enemies like they were in molasses. She could only watch as every single one of them was killed, Far Reach fell beside her and was trembled beneath the fleeing enemy hooves, yet she and Fluttershy remained removed from it all.
“Wha…” Speaking hurt, it felt like gravity was crushing her body when she tried to talk, she coughed, and she coughed, blood flew out her mouth.
Then suddenly it happened, the color returned to the world, and Applejack could breathe again. Her body still hurt, but she was alive at least.
“Are ye alright lasses?” A Green Rinin carrying claymore inquired. “I’m Highlander, we’ve been looking for ye two, why are you lying on the ground?”
“Ah… Ah, don’t know…” She answered looking around, Applejack covered her mouth, tears falling down her cheeks when she saw Far Reach’s body. “Are they all…”
“I’m afraid so, lass. Come on, let’s get you two out here and to a medic tent. I don’t see any injuries, but you have a lot of blood coming from your mouth. Do you know why?”
She shook her head, “No, I don’t…”
Under the protection of Highlander and the other Rinin, Applejack and Fluttershy were brought back to the FOB, where they reunited with Rarity and Pinkie Pie. There, Applejack told Highlander what she could recall, but was having a hard time remembering what happened. She just knew Rainbow Dash was Topaz. They asked if they knew where they went, but she only shook her head, saying she didn’t know. When all their questioned were answered, Highlander left them in the care of Dr. BlueCross.
“Like in the report, you don’t have any visible injuries, but a scan shows both of you have some internal damage, can you tell me what happened?”
“I don’t know.” Applejack answered blankly. “I really don’t know. I just want to go home.”
The doctor laughed humorlessly, “Don’t we all. Well, first chance you and your friends will be the first to get out of here.” She scribbled something on her clipboard and moved to leave, but Applejack stopped her with a question.
“What about Twilight? Is she alright?”
“Unknown, she was captured. All efforts are being made to save her, now get some rest, Miss Apple.” Dr. BlueCross walked outside the tent, calling out to the other medics. “Has anyone seen VeeVee yet?” She shouted the chatter faded into the background as Applejack laid her head down on her cot and tipped her hat over her eyes and fell asleep.
“What are we going to do? What am I going to do? What should I do?”
“Try sitting down and taking a deep breath.” Trifecta droned tiredly; his eyes drooping low from exhaustion. He didn’t think it was possible to be so mentally exhausted from watching a pony have a several-hour long panic attack. Really it had been fun, amusing even, watching Twilight freak out in the beginning. After the first half-hour, it lost its charm, her frets, valid as they are, and repeated questions continually chipped away at his physique.
“I can’t sit down! I can’t calm down! I get to make the wonderful choice of sleeping with you or getting…” Twilight’s face turned a deep shade a green, unable to utter the vile word. “How come you so calm? I know! You calm because you might get lucky as ponies say.”
Black smoke rose from his nostril, his throat reverberating a deep growl as he stared the wild mare down. “If I wanted you, I’d court you, sweet talk you off your hooves and have you in the bed before you even knew what happened.” Trifecta tugged at his collar. “I don’t need this crap to do that either. That said, I see why you’re still a virgin.”
Twilight turned red. “What do you mean by that!” She demanded fiercely.
(Having her angry beats panicking, I guess. She looks cute when she’s upset. Really puffs out those cheeks adorably.)
“You're fucking exhausting!” Trifecta stated bluntly, disregarding his inner thoughts, it was probably just his libido anyway. “Gods, just make a decision and go with it. Keep in mind, I retain my right to reject you.”
Twilight’s face became a pantheon of different emotions, anger, confusion, thoughtful, back to angry and then exhaustion and finally, embarrassment. She leaned against the bed looking at the silky red sheets and then him. Her face burning bright pink.
“So…” She began tapping her hooves together. “I’m not saying I want to, but… would you? Me? I don’t know how this works. I spent all my time studying, I didn’t even have any friends until… just a few months ago. I… I never even thought about… mare and colt relationships. Unless you think I’m too annoying…”
Trifecta haggard and feeling a little bad walked over and ruffled Twilight’s hair. Twilight’s blush deepened as she looked up at him with expecting yet, fearful eyes. “Don’t worry.” He told her. “You don’t have to make that stupid choice now or ever.”
“But Cien… these collars… I… we don’t have a choice.”
He smiled reassuringly. “I have an ace in the hole. I’m just waiting for the right time.”
“You’ve had a plan to get out of here this whole time! Why didn’t you tell me!”
He booed her on the nose. “Because it was fun watching you freak out.”
“That’s mean! No cruel!”
Trifecta laughed at Twilight’s weak attempts to hit him. “Ok, the real reason is I didn’t want them to use that truth ring to spill the beans. Since my truth ring is pierced in my ear, its effect is weakened on me, that and most of us rinin have higher magic resistance than regular ponies. I can tell when I can lie and when I can’t. The damn thing itches when I can’t.”
Twilight went through another mix of emotions and landed on awe, which was cute. “That’s amazing! You have to let me study you when we get out this?”
“Jeez,” Trifecta snorted. “At least let me take you out to lunch first.” Twilight turned pink again, and he pressed on. “And what exactly do you want to study, hmm?”
“E-e-verything,” Fumbled Twilight, looking away.
Trifecta cocked a brow leaning close and whispered in her ear, “Everything? Including that?”
“That?” Twilight eeped. “What’s that?”
He laughed and leaned away. “Gods, you are a virgin.”
Twilight fumed. “Why you-!”
Suddenly the entire castle shook from the bottom to the top. Twilight and Trifecta lost their footing and fell against each other. Twilight quietly apologized as she removed herself, but Trifecta ignored it, his eyes stern as he glared at the chair in the room.
“It’s time.” He grumbled. Walking to the center of the room, Trifecta took a deep breath and sighed. He had to do this, every time. “Ugh this is going to suck.”
“What are…”
Twilight didn’t get to finish as Trifecta took off sprinting, jumped into the air, and slammed his belly down on the top of the chair. The rinin let out a loud painful hack, making vomiting noises, Twilight gaped expecting a pile of vile to come out of the Rinin’s mouth, but instead of puke two glowing blue balls floated out of his mouth.
The two balls zigzagged around the room, a trail of electricity sparked following in their wake until they landed between her and Trifecta. The lightning balls arced and transformed into two identical blue rinin.
“Night Patroller Shock!”
“Night Patroller Jockey!”
“Together we’re the thunder brothers!”
Twilight could only gape. “Those two were inside you this whole time? How?”
“I ate them.”
“I saw that, but… but… how are they alive?”
“We turn to pure magical energy, it’s no big deal,” said Shock.
“Yeah, yeah, don’t get so uptight about the specifics, so you go down on our bro or what?”
Twilight for what must have been the hundredth time turned a deep, deep shade of pink. “You heard that? Everything?”
The thunder brothers nodded. “Hey, we’re rooting for you just so you know.”
“Yeah, Tri-bro needs to catch up with his real bros.”
“Yeah, yeah, Thrice-bro holds the record of twenty.”
Twilight gulped, “Twenty what?”
“Twenty kids!” The two said in unison, which was followed by a quick smack to the head by Trifecta.
“And that’s why you two will never breed, you’re too blunt and annoying.”
“Nah, bro we’re just waiting out for a pair of twins like ourselves.”
“Yeah, we have certain tastes.”
“Four ways.”
“All the way, bro!”
Trifecta smacked them again. “Sorry about them… they’re weird, and they’ve only gotten weirder the longer they lived.”
Twilight smiled shakily. “Yeah… I see that…”
“Enough fooling around you two, get this crap off us.”
The twins turned into balls of light and zoomed around the room faster then the eye could see, small lacerations appeared on the bonds holding Trifecta and Twilight, the latter was startled, a cut appeared on her right foreleg.
“Don’t move, they can’t really see when they’re like that.” Trifecta informed her as the collar around his neck fell to the ground, next came the shackles. “I got the rest, get her free.” He told the brothers, using his claws to pull the truth ring and other small accessories off his body.
Twilight trembled as the two thunder brothers zipped around her like electrified bees, her restraints falling off her body in pieces, allowing Twilight to breathe a sigh of relief as her sense of antonymy came back. Reaching for the Anti-Magic ring on her horn, Twilight was annoyed to find she couldn’t get it off with her hoof.
“Allow me.” Trifecta plucked the ring off her horn and chucked it behind him. In the corner the Thunder Bros materialized in their pony forms, grinning like idiots.
“Usually you put the ring on the mare, bro.”
“That’s right, but I think Tri-Bro will want a different ring, this one is a little tacky.”
“Right, bro?
“Right, bro!”
Trifecta groaned, “For the love of the gods, will you do shut up!”
“We’re just trying to be wing pony’s bro!
“That’s right bro, we’re behind you and Sis-Twi all the way!”
Baffled Twilight inquired, “Since when did I become your sister?”
“Since now!”
“You’re gonna be one day anyway, Sis, you and Bro, ya know?”
She chuckled awkwardly in a nervous sweat, “No, not really…” Twilight leaned towards Trifecta, the brother’s grins growing larger. “Are these two mentally stable?”
“Do they look and act like they are?” He commented, looking at her like the answer was obvious. Making Twilight frown her brow with thought before nodding.
“Right, it’s kind of obvious, I guess.”
“Ah, Sis! That’s mean!”
“But that’s just like Tri-bro, so you’re proving our point!”
She ground her teeth, trying really, really hard not to scream at the two that just saved her. (But they're making it so hard! It’s like they want to be yelled at, they’re like children!) Twilight raged, not noticing Trifecta walking over to the door. When she did, she took a deep breath and wandered over to see what was up. He was looking curiously at the door, so she moved closer for a better look, sure enough, the door was rigged with spells that would probably alert Cien or somepony of their escape.
“So, what’s the plan?” Twilight asked looking at alternate escape routes, such at the windows, but quick check of them yielded the same results, the room was completely sealed. “I can crack these runes with some time.”
Trifecta frowned, billowing smoke out his nostrils as he pondered the best way forward. “Whatever caused that explosion is sure to have drawn the enemy’s attention. Thrown them into a panic and disrupt their internal defenses, braking out would hypothetically be easy. That said, they don’t seem to know we escaped our bonds. We could be passing up an even better chance if we try to get out of here now.”
“A better chance for what?” Twilight asked.
“A chance to assassinate one of Sombra’s Children. That satanic Princess Cien would be our most likely target, it could be a while with that explosion distracting them, but if we wait for someone to come here, they’ll open the door without triggering the alarm, and we can kill them, whoever it is that comes to check on us. Really it being Cien or one of the other siblings is just a bonus.”
Twilight gulped, “Assassinate?”
He nodded, “As much as I would like to show off, I was captured. In a straight-up fight, I can’t beat Schatten, and if can’t beat him, I most likely can’t beat his siblings either. But if I were to drop in from the ceiling and get my fangs in their neck and sever their spinal cords. Well, they wouldn’t be much of a bother then.”
“But bro…” Shock said hesitantly.
“We could…” Jockey continued uncertainly as Trifecta glared at them.
“That’s not an option right now,” Trifecta said moving over to the chair in the corner and sat down. “I’m still a little beat up, you know any healing magic Twilight?”
She nodded, “I do, but it’s only a Tier 3 spell.”
“Tier 3?”
“It’s one of the ways we measure how powerful a spell is, some books use Letter Classifications such as C, D, A. Most spells are categorized as common, Advanced, and Forbidden/Lost and then divided into subcategories like non-elemental, elemental, mental.” Twilight gushed with a twinkle in her eye, while Trifecta could only blink. “Right, I suppose Spell classification and ranking is bit of dry subject…” She continued awkwardly.
“I rarely use magic or study it,” Trifecta explained as Twilight wondered over and began casting a faint green light form her horn. Instantly the pain from his fight with Schatten started to dull, the swelling going down. “That feels… nice… is Tier 3 a high rank?”
“No, it’s basically average. It’s actually the third lowest rank a spell can receive, at least by modern standards. There used to be only five, including Tier 0, but about four hundred years ago this pony did a thesis on why Tier 0 was redundant and made motion with the Mage Association to do away with it…” Twilight looked up her cheeks a deep rosy color. “This probably boring for you. Listening to me rambling about stuff like this.”
“I’m not an intellectual, but I’m not disinterested either,” Trifecta replied with a faint blush on his own. “Ramble on if you want to.”
Twilight beamed, her magic flaring with her swelling positive emotions, “Right, so anyway, they did away with Tier 0, but they added two new higher classes in the year…”
As the Gray Rinin and Lavender Unicorn engaged in conversation, the other two forgotten rinin in the room smiled gleefully from their position watching the door. Enjoying the smile on their usual grim brother’s muzzle. They knew this moment was fleeting, it would probably last only a few minutes at the very most, but they wanted their honoree brother to have every second of peace he could. They were still after all, in a war zone.
“What’s going on?” Zil demanded as she brandished her saber, a crowd of soldiers shaking like leaves blocked her from proceeding any closer to the dungeons. She volunteered to see what the disturbance was, it irritated her that their soldiers were roadblocking her. “I order you to move at once!”
One guard his face half burned off sobbed as he fell to his belly before her. “Princess Zil! You must flee! It’s a monster! A creature from the depths of Tartarus! Nothing hurts it! Flee before it takes you too! It’s taken everypony else!”
Zil coughed as black smoke filled the hallway, “What are you babbling about? Where are the others? There well over fifty of you stationed here!”
“They’re gone!” The Guard screamed clinging to her leg. “They were taken by the flame!”
Frustrated Zil levitated the crazed guard off her and tossed him to his companions and readied her rapier. “Take him to the medical wing and send reinforcements. I’ll deal with whatever creature has you so frazzled.”
“My lady, no! You must not!”
“Silence! You insult me, now go!”
With strong reluctance, the gaggle of guards stormed off leaving her alone in the hall. The heat was intense, the carpet and tapestries were ablaze, the rising heat waves caused her vision to blur.
“Come out and fight coward!” Zil taunted. There was no reply save for the crackle of fire as the wood furniture burned. The smoke grew thicker, making her tense up as her sight was almost completely obscured. Suddenly the sound of rushing hooves caught her ear, she posed her rapier forward, the panicked gallop drawing closer.
“Somepony help ME!” A pony screamed, his cries for help quickly turned to painfilled horrible screams, the likes of which she’s never heard, even from the torture chamber. A gust of wind cleared a hole in the smoke, giving Zil a glimpse of the creature her soldiers were fleeing from. The red monster had an Equinox pinned against the wall, its claw sunk deep into the pony’s chest, the soldier was screaming as fire spewed from his eyes and mouth. The black pony’s body began to crumble as crackles formed across its body like lava rock before exploding into ashes!
She could only stare, her mouth dry, real fear the likes she’s never felt before traveled down her spine. Beyond any rationale or sense of duty, Zil, first daughter of King Sombra, turned tail and ran.
“Princess Zil we’ve come too…” The leader of the reinforcement trailed off, he looked in the direction the Princess came from and quickly found himself burned alive, the flaming monster grabbed him by the neck sending liquid fire straight into his body like an injection shot. Broiling him alive.
“What the hell!”
“Fire! Fire! Fire!”
One Equinox charged stabbing with his horn, the red monster grabbed him by the magic appendage snapped it and then stuck it into his eye socket before incinerating him. The one firing a barrage of magic bolts could only back away as their attacks passed right through the monster.
“Somepony fire a water spell!”
Those were his last words, the red monster opened it’s flaming jaw and unleashed a breath of fire that filled the entire hall, the enclosed space superheating the already blazing attack. Princess Zil just barely rounded the corner as flames shot past, the drawn-out screams of her subjects ringing in her ears as she pressed against the wall and cried.
(What is that? What hell beast is that?) She shook with fear, taking deep strangled breaths to try and calm her nerves. Nothing! Not even her father’s wrath had frightened her so much in her entire life! She stared at her forelegs, her hooves trembling. When she heard slow methodical footstep drawing closer, Zil covered her mouth and held her breath, a red muzzle appeared around the corner. (Impossible!)
What came into view looking bored was Fierce Fury, the Red Rinin that Scath was supposed to have killed! He was alive. Not just that his body radiated with a power she couldn’t pin down, the heat rising off his body made the end of her hair singe and smoke. Clutched in the red Rinin’s claw was a blackened pony skull, which he crushed beneath his foot as he passed by. For a second it looked like he was going to overlook her when his blazing yellow eyes panned towards her. Glaring intensely as she sat frozen in place, wondering what he would do. He glanced at her weapon, discarded on the floor, and then to her.
“Run.” He told her.
Pressure like a rope tightening around her neck had her lacking for air, and before she even realized it, she was running away. She ran, and ran, and ran, never looking back once. When it became evident Fury wasn’t following her, she stopped, breathed and quickly felt shame for her actions. She whirled around, her own fury rising as she prepared to go back and face the Red Rinin, but her body wouldn’t move.
“He’s nothing special!” She screamed. “So, what if Scath failed to kill him! So, what if magic bolts didn’t work on him! Even if he’s made of fire, that just means I need to pour water on him! Easy!” Her self-pep talk had no effect on her courage. She remained rooted where she stood.
Zil suddenly began to laugh, “Yes! It’s only natural to be afraid! Father’s stories are just getting the better of me! Right? Haha! Nothing but childhood fears rearing up is all!”
Taking long deep breaths Zil calmed her mind and raced back to where she came, picking up her discarded rapier along the way. Swallowing all doubt and fear she followed the trail of fire, ice creeping up the length of her blade, she would get Fury from behind and bring the Red Rinin down and present his real corpse to her father. He could have no reservations of sending her to battle after that.
Bounding around the next bend she saw Fury’s back, she dared not slow down, biting back her battle cry, her rapier spinning like a drill as Zil cocked it back. When she was sure, she wouldn’t miss she launched the ice infused sword fly. Zil braked hard watching her attack fly with anticipation the whole scene playing out in slow motion.
The tip of the blade buried itself into Fierce Fury’s neck! Drilling deeper and deeper until it surely burrowed through, but Zil had to take pause as her weapon flew through Fury’s neck. Guard and all, with only a faint flick of flame exploding out of his neck before the rapier passed through his body and buried itself into the wall at the other end of the hall, the black steel smoking.
“What… what are you!” She screamed, her panic returned with a vengeance. Out of perhaps misguided instinct she cast an anti-illusion spell just to be sure she wasn’t being tricked. Nothing happened. She scene before didn’t alter one bit, what stood before her was real.
Fury shook his head, flames flaring up all over his body, nearly covering him entirely in fire. “You came back… how stupid. I don’t like killing mares, but since you clearly want to die in battle. I’ll honor your convictions.” Rising up on his hindlegs Fury’s spine popped several times as he stood upright and stretched out his claws. Holding two sphere’s of fire, one red, one green in his claws and smashed them together. “Hellroad Crossfire!”
A mix of red and green flames engulfed the entire hallway the small passageway making the fire more intense as rushed towards Zil. She threw up a barrier, biting her lip as the attack raged against the force field. For a moment she thought she could hold it, but then the green flames began licking at the shield, creating small openings where ever they appeared. The fire started to escape and burn her.
Her horn burning from overuse, Zil locked on her to rapier and called it toward her. The weapon flew back and embedded itself into the stone floor. She dropped her barrier and crouched behind the thin blade.
“Activate Heart’s protection!” The black rapier turned white with a transparent white heart-shaped shield appeared before her and sucked up all the flames. Zil breathed a sigh of relief, taking up her sword again and brandishing it defensively while Fury cocked his head with confusion.
“Damn magic, so annoying. Always feeling like a one-trick pony.” He grumbled stepping towards her. Suddenly a ball and chain smashed through the wall and slammed into Fury, sending him through the parallel wall.
Zil smiled with joy, “Ombre! Your…ick…” the relief of seeing her brother waned significantly when he hopped out of his room unarmored and still flaccid. He walked awkwardly on three legs observing the destruction of the hall.
“Zil? What’s all the noise? I was just in the middle of…”
“I know! I can see you!” She screamed, squeezing her eyes shut. “At least clean up first before joining a fight.”
Ombre laughed. “Fight? I hardly call that a fight. Barely worth my time.”
“You’re a fool if you think that’s all it takes! That’s the pony Scath was supposed to have killed! I hit him in the neck with my rapier, and he’s still alive!”
Ombre didn’t seem concerned as he casually approached the hole he made and summoned his weapon back. The mace came first, and he tried to pocket it in his storage dimension, but the chain snapped tight. He tugged with his magic, and the ball and chain pulled away from him!
“Impossible!” He strained, digging his hooves and pulling with all his might. “No pony is this strong!”
“You’re right,” The mocking voice of Fury said as he materialized from flames beside Ombre. “I doubt any pony can pull chain out of that much rubble. Must be under several hundred tons!” He laughed, Ombre and Zil watching with horror as he summoned ball of fire in his claws with no chant or any indication of magic, it just appeared. He then crushed it in his claw, turning it into sword of fire.
Zil quickly reached a dreadful conclusion. (Body made of fire, regenerates with fire, that’s what… no way! How could he achieve that kind of power?)
“Ombre! He’s a fire spirit! Get away from him!”
He didn’t get away, there wasn’t time. Fury swung his flame sword right at the big three-legged stallion, burning the right side of Ombre’s face. Zil threw up when she saw the flesh melting off her brother’s muzzle.
“You kids…” Fury said gruffly. “Are you done playing, or are we going to actually fight? I don’t have time for pretenders.”
Zil’s lips trembled as her fear rose to new levels, it was like Fury was clutching her heart in his palm, “Pretenders?”
Fury stalked closer, becoming the flaming demon she had first seen, what looked like green veins covered Fury’s body, something she hadn’t noticed the first time. That didn’t matter to her. Heart pounding out her chest Zil in a flash of panic she grabbed onto Ombre and teleported the both of them out of there.
“Gods,” Fury sighed, the flames on his body extinguished. He swayed slightly dropping back on all fours, steamrolled off his body as he held his chest, the green veins disappearing. “Argh… how does Sixes deal with this? It’s so taxing.”
The sound of whimpering caught his attention, and he looked into the hole Ombre had climbed out of to see a plethora of exhausted mares thrown around the room like rag dolls. They looked at him not with fear, nor with hope, but apathy. Their eyes were dull of any emotion.
“Are you going to kill us?” One mare, a yellow one, asked him.
“No.”
“So, you aren’t here to release us from this hell? A spirit to answer our prayers?” A green mare begged desperately.
That one made him blink. “I’m nothing that grand. I’m just a pony, not an angel, a devil, or a spirit, but I can get you out of here if you have the strength to move. Otherwise you’ll have to wait until the war is over. It would be safer if you all just stayed here and waited.”
One mare, a blue one, stood up, “Fuck that. Even if means death, I’m not staying in this room any longer!”
“I can’t guarantee your safety, but if your feeling helpful, tell me where these guys put captured VIPs?”
The three mares looked at each other and nodded, the Yellow speaking for the group. “We know a place like that. Are any of them, female?”
“More than likely.”
“We know where they are. Follow us.” The mares walked towards him, but they froze when they reached the boundary of the room. Noticing their bonds Fury made a small torch flame on his index claw and held it close to their bounds.
“You might get a little burned, but give me a second.” He warned them and then torched the control collars and other accessories off their bodies. Each of the mares sported a burn from where he cut the shackles, but they didn’t seem to mind. They happily leaped out of the room, dancing and crying for joy as they shouted.
“I can move! I can move my body! I’m free! We’re all free!”
Fury could only look on at the mares. They were smiling and sobbing as they held each other, wailing in grief. He left them briefly to check out the room, he found more mares, but they were not so lively. They were dead. He was no detective, but they looked like they had been used and then tossed against the wall like a toy, breaking their necks against the stone wall.
“We know there won’t be time to bury them.” The green mare said from the hall as she wiped her tears. “They were like sisters to us. I know we can’t take them, but could you…” She covered her mouth holding in her words as she looked shamefully away. “Could you send them away from here?”
Fury looked up at the ceiling as his body became engulfed in flames. “Yeah, I’ll send them somewhere really nice. Better than here anyway.” The three mares moved a safe distance away, and he let loose an intense flame that reduced the dead mares to ashes, their remains swirled around him, he broke a nearby window to let them fly free.
When he stepped outside the room, the mares bowed to him and said ‘thank you.’ He merely grunted and took point. “Which way?” He asked, and they pointed him forward. “Let’s go.”
King Sombra poured over the map of his city, he kept a level head as he watched the holographic images of his troops retreat play out before him. Panic was minimal, and everypony was making their way to fall back position. Recon mages hiding in the buildings observed the enemy formation.
The enemy airship sat on the wings, laying down a heavy barrage of cannon fire. Each barrage was aimed slightly further from last. At first, it appeared they were wasting their ammo stores, but after some duration, a clear path could be seen. Two actually. They were knocking out the buildings to reduce the threat of ambush.
“Hmm… I suppose it’s no surprise they’d have a tactic to counter the one I borrowed. I had planned for that, but I hadn’t expected such a brutal and barbaric answer.”
“Sir,” His General Black Steele drew his attention to the enemy’s center formation. Mages were bombarding another path, straight down the main road. “How should we respond?”
Sombra took a breath reading the situation, it was too soon to play his trump cards. “Have the center fall back, and focus on destroying or at the very least damaging those ships. They are key in our enemy’s strategy. Set up barriers here, and here to imped their progress, I’m sure the ships will cease their fire until ground units can clear out the shields.”
General Steele did a bit of calculating before countering his lord’s plan. “Do you intend to let them breach so far into the city, sire?”
He merely nodded, and the general held his tongue. “Now about the matter of that attack earlier, what reports are there from Zil?”
“Nothing as of yet sire, perhaps it was so unnoteworthy the Princess thought not to waste your time with it.”
Sombra looked at his General, who held doubt in his own words, “Yes, perhaps, but things are rarely so perfect. Find my daughter and have her report!”
“At once sir!” A random officer saluted and moved for the door when the runes inside the Throne room flashed, signaling magic was in use. Everypony stiffed charging their horn in anticipation of an enemy attack. The flash and noise of a teleport filled the room, and the massive body of Ombre crashed on top of the table with Zil atop her brother’s back, her face wet with sweat and her eyes dilated in panic.
“We made it… we’re alive…”
“Princess Zil! Prince Ombre! What is the meaning of this?” General Steele shouted, but the Princess ignored his question and ran for her father, clinging to the elderly king in a fashion much more becoming of a child than a grown mare.
“Father! He’s a monster! A red devil in the guise of a pony!”
Sombra used his cape to cover his shaking daughter, while the General and other officers gawked at Ombre’s face, he stole a glance and felt his blood run cold at the sight of his son’s half charred muzzle.
“What… who did this.” He demanded in a deathly quiet tone.
Composing herself, Zil answered, “The Red Rinin, Fierce Fury, he fanned defeat at Scath’s hoof to get inside the castle. I believe he is a Fire Spirit. His body is made of flames, our attacks do nothing to him, they either fly right threw him, or they regenerate as soon as their made.”
“A fire Spirit,” Sombra closed his eyes with thought. The most known Spirit in the world was Discord, the Spirit or sometimes called God of Chaos. There were, of course, more spirits in the world other than Discord, Fire, water, wind, etc. but they were still rare and powerful creatures with powers from the cosmic plane.
(The Spirit of Fire is… Ingis or is Ifrit? Doesn’t matter.) He concluded as he stroked Zil’s mane to calm her. (Zil would have no frame of reference other than my stories and textbooks. If the Red Rinin were indeed the Fire Spirit, Celestia would not need an army.)
“Trust your, king, when I say our enemy is not a Fire Spirit, though he could have the spirit’s blessing. Granting him incredible power, but he is not unbeatable.” Sombra told the room.
“Then I will go hunt for him at once father! With Cien I’m sure we can bring him down!” Zil said with zeal. He shook his head, her pride getting the in the way of her intelligence.
“No,” He rejected gently, turning his eye to the chained up Cadence against the wall. “I have a more effective way of dealing with that red menace. Bring me the relics Sanctus Armatura and the Saintess Hastams from the treasury.”
“Oh father!” The sweet voice of his second daughter rang as she burst into the hall. A devious smile on her lips as she trotted to the strategy table. General Steele confronted her.
“Princess Cien now is not the time for..” The General didn’t get to finish his sentence when Cien pulled something from the saddlebags she wore. It was a black gem, and from the ache in his chest, Sombra knew just what kind of jewel it was. The dark, ominous aura radiating off it was evident for the entire room to see as black aura oozed out of it. Polluting the air with darkness.
Cien smiled as she nuzzled the gem lovingly, “Look what was in little Schatten’s bride to be was carrying on her. I thought it might be useful to you, father.”
With his magic trembling with barely contained excitement Sombra took the gem from his daughter, it’s power flowing into him. There was no doubt, it was an alicorn amulet!
Cadence gulped as Sombra engulfed in shadow turned his menacing red eyes on her. “Oh yes my dear Cien, most defiantly. This…” He clutched the Amulet in his aura. “Will help me very much.”
“What the hell was the explosion?” Goodnight screeched, hugging the wall for support as the castle shook. Smokey Haze hoovered as a cloud of smoke above the floor unaffected. The Rinin clamped his claw over Goodnight’s muzzle to keep him quiet as a gaggle of guards rushed past. In a whiff of smoke Haze chased after them, Goodnight cringed at the guards' short, panicked gargles of death before going silent. Smokey returned and dropped the three bodies in a random room. “You know somepony is going to find these bodies at some point, right?”
Smokey Haze looked disinterested in his commentary. “It’s not worth the time to incinerate them. Check their packs for a map or something.”
“Right…” Goodnight rifled through the dead guards’ saddlebags. He didn’t bother keeping an eye out for enemies. The sound of booted hooves barely reached his ears, the guard’s demand of ‘who are you?’ didn’t even make him turn his head. Smokey Haze already engulfed the poor guard strangling him in a cloud of toxic smoke. The unfortunate bastard fell dead to the ground as Goodnight finished his search. “Nothing, we might just have to grab a guard and interrogate him.”
The Monster Pony growled with displeasure and craned his neck around the corner in search of more guards. “Bastards have been showing up like they’re on sale, and now they’re gone. Must have killed most of them in this area. That explosion probably has them running around like headless chickens.”
Goodnight silently agreed as he trotted into the hall, Smokey turned to smoke to travel on the ceiling. With no map and no signs to show him the way he just started picking random hallways and stairs. He seemed to still be in the east part of the castle if his sense of direction was right.
“Can’t you find ponies with sonar?” Smokey asked as they came to a highly decorative hallway. Lots of silk tapestries and banners. (Maybe that’s a good sign?)
Goodnight answered, “I could try, but that would involve using a sonic shriek, it’s not quiet.”
“No risk, no reward as they say.”
The bat pony braced himself, “Well, I can’t say how well it’ll work since this isn’t a cave, but here we go!” Inhaling deeply, Goodnight held his breath and then let loose a sonic shriek that bounced off the walls, with his eyes closed, his ears twitched violently reading the sonic vibrations showing Goodnight a vague image in his mind. It was a lot harder to ‘see’ since the walls were crystal, the noise was all over the place, but if the walls had been made of brick, this might have been even harder.
“I got something,” He announced. The returning echoes told him everything it found. “The room up head, third door down, on the south side. There are ponies inside, two or more.”
Haze materialized on the ground retaking the lead. The door in question was a thick iron braced wooden door with a sophisticated combination lock, and key held it shut with runes boldly inscribed on the metal to alert ponies if it was opened improperly.
“Can you read those?” Goodnight asked Smokey Haze as the rinin peered at the runes. He pulled a small pocketbook from his saddlebag, flipping through it until he came to a section with what looked like an alphabet. “Smokey?”
“Quiet, keep watch, I’ll decipher these runes. Let’s see this symbol means this… there don’t seem to be any variants from the standard rune codex. This rune means… to warn… and this, according to Commander Sixes' side notes, means… umm… maybe slave lock? Ok, ok… so the complete formula is read as ‘Keep thy slave bound, within, warn master of escape lock… the lock override code is…”
Smokey Haze reached into his saddlebag again and retrieved a brush and ink. He dabbed brush, and drew what looked two U’s turned on their sides and interlocked, and then added a bolt of lightning between them. The numbers on the padlock spun landing on 1,9,5,2,4, the keyhole turned and made a loud ‘click!’ noise as the lock fell off the door.
“Wow, how’d you know to do that?”
“Sixes taught a class on basic rune function. This lock was pretty simple really, it’s mostly for keeping the ponies inside. ‘In’ is the keyword here. Opening the door from the outside if relatively easy.”
Goodnight was starstruck, “Still, that’s really cool. Will I get to learn stuff like that?”
“Most likely, I’m sure Commander Sixes will have it in the Commando course.” Smokey Haze pushed open the door, the first thing they saw was a large bed with red silk sheets and a fireplace crackling off to the side. The room seemed empty at first glance, and Haze looked to Goodnight for confirmation, which he gave. So the rinin took a closer look, stepping further into the room and noticed a budge in the blankets and the swooning of a mare. A mop of navy-blue hair on lavender popped out of the sheets, the owner trying and utterly failing to pull off alluring.
“Twilight?”
“Goody?” Twilight replied surprised as she twisted her neck to look at them. She smiled with relief, and then her eyes widened in horror. “Wait, GET BACK!”
Lucky for Goodnight, he was still in the hall, Smokey, however, was halfway in the room, so when Trifecta and the thunder brothers landed on him and ripped into the top of his neck… well, it was a good thing, it was Smokey. When the three stallions fell on top of him, he just dissipated into a cloud of smoke and rematerialized several feet away.
“Smokey?” Trifecta looked puzzled from his position on the floor. “What are you doing here?”
“Saving you.”
“Well… you're doing a good job.” The triplet laughed at his assassination attempt, throwing Shock and Jockey off him. “The rest of the team with you?”
Smokey shook his head. “You and are the only ones from B-team in the castle, Commander.”
“B-team? What team?” Goodnight asked and was ignored.
“Shock, Jockey, back inside.” The twins saluted, and turned into their energy ball forms and flew into Trifecta’s open jaws. The gray rinin swallowed hard, a glowing blue light shining through his throat as the brothers traveled down into his stomach.
Twilight and Goodnight were stupefied. Even though the former knew they could do that, she hadn’t expected to bear witness to the process. Goodnight, having no warning, was understandably confused.
“What the hell! You ate them!”
Trifecta burped, electric sparks arced between his teeth. “Yeah, it’s better to keep a trump card at the ready. Now, if you can shut that door, we need to plan our next move.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to move to a different room?” Twilight suggested.
Trifecta already pulled Goodnight into the room, cleaned up the lock, and shut the door. He gestured for them all to sit in the north left corner of the room so the door would face them when opened. Twilight sat beside Trifecta, while Goodnight and Smokey sat across from them. The two rinin began discussing the castle layout, Smokey provided a blank notebook from his saddlebag for Twilight, who quickly and precisely drew a quick map based on their description. She added a few corrections to Trifecta’s observations. When they finished, they had a basic layout of the castle from the dungeons to the throne room, to their current location, and a rough draft of the east hallways.
Now the bigger question, What to do now?
“That explosion had to be Fierce Fury. He must have finally decided to make his escape. It worked out great that I was taken from my cell. Fury must have blown the place sky-high. I assume he’s looking for other prisoners.” Trifecta theorized. “We have several options to choose from to proceed forward.”
The first plan Trifecta proposed was a follow up on his assassination idea. They were already deep in enemy territory, left to their own devices while Sombra’s forces dealt with Fierce Fury. In the chaos, they could get to the throne room and kill the king. According to Twilight’s report from her interrogation, the king was not in excellent shape. Killing Sombra would be a huge moral blow to the enemy. However, it might not matter. Given the number of Sombra’s sons ready to take over. The percentage that killing their father could lead to a power struggle, the brothers and sisters fighting each other for control, was dismally low.
“That’s being too hopeful, I think, Commander Trifecta,” Smokey Haze interjected. “A Sibling rivalry and power struggle might very well exist, but if they have any intelligence, they will put that aside, and rallying behind the mysterious first son, until the war is over.”
Twilight nodded and said, “I have to agree. I know I’m out of my depth when it comes to stuff like this, but Celestia did teach me history. She showed me plenty of books of this very thing, nine times out of ten as long as there’s an outside enemy to fight, the royals in charge will rally behind the current leader until that threat is taken care of. Plus, while we are technically invading them, they plan to go out and conquer the outside world, they’ll have plenty of lands to give away if we fail here.”
“Alright, alright, I get it! Fuck, I’m not writing this shit in stone and proclaiming it from the mountain tops!” Trifecta barked. “Alright, the second option is simpler, and it’s probably what we should do, but there are a lot of caveats. Recusing the VIPs, AKA Twilight, and getting her back to base. And before any pony speaks up, I know logistics are a nightmare. Frankly, it would almost be easier to wait for our forces to breach the city and rescue us.”
Much to Twilight’s resentment, everypony around her gave the idea serious thought. “I’m not useless! I can help! I know a ton of support magic!”
“Could you teleport out of the city if we bought you time to charge up?” Goodnight asked, seemingly ignoring her protests.
“I could, but I’d still only make it halfway, probably, either way, I’d completely hopeless after casting such a spell. If I bungled it, I’d just be captured again.”
“She’s got the point,” Smokey nodded. “plus, it would leave us up shit’s creek defending her in a place with a good field of vision. We’d be overwhelmed in under a minute, maybe two. There’s also a chance there are other ponies from outside captured. If they have Fierce Fury, that means they might have Princess Cadence somewhere. Have either of you seen her?”
Twilight and Trifecta shook their heads.
“Fury was already in the cell when I got there. He didn’t try to signal me or anything, so they might not have Cadence. That was a few hours ago, though.” He admitted thumping foot excitedly while glancing at the door. “We should wrap this up quick, I’m getting worried about how long they’ve left us alone. Here are my final proposals.”
His next idea involved splitting the team. Trifecta, Goodnight, and the Thunder Brothers would stay and wreak havoc behind enemy lines, while Haze escorted Twilight to safety. The monster pony was the lavender unicorn’s best shot of getting out. Haze’s smoke ability made him deadly to the oomph degree, Trifecta was sure even Sombra’s kids would have a hard time with him.
The final plan was like the first, but instead all of them forgot about trying to escape, and for better or for worse they do as much damage as possible to the enemy, whether that meant killing Sombra or any of his children if they could manage or simply just distract them so the frontlines could have an easier time. Tactically it was the best and most useful plan if they ignored Twilight’s VIP status that is.
“I vote for the fourth plan!” Twilight boldly declared.
“This wasn’t up for a vote, I’m the highest-ranked pony here, I’ll make the call. But I’ll take note of your answer.” Trifecta turned to Smokey. “What do you think? Any chance Bixin can make it back?”
Smokey shook his head. “We didn’t discuss that, we only planned on the way to get in. He’s being chased as we speak, and Bixin most likely won’t come back to the castle, it would make the enemy suspect something is up if they don’t already. Whatever you decide, Vice-Commander, I will follow you.”
“Thanks, Smokey,” Trifecta looked at Twilight, looking deep into her innocent purple eyes. Seeing the spark of resolve, but how powerful was it? “Twilight, if you stay here, there’s a chance you’ll be safe for a while, but if you come with us, you’ll be put at great risk. Furthermore, whatever the enemy was planning will be ten times worse if they capture you again. They probably won’t wait either, especially if we do a lot of damage.”
“You're making it sound like we’ll fail.” She replied softly.
“I’m only planning for the most likely outcome. We’re outnumbered, no chance of back up, this is basically a suicide mission. If you come with us, you have to be ready to kill. Can you do it?”
Twilight licked her lips and gulped audibility. The three stallions looked doubtful. “Y-yes… YES, I can! I will!” She swore. “VeeVee has been teaching me!”
Trifecta inwardly raised a brow at the mention of the raspberry medic, but let the slip slid and ruffled Twilight’s hair with a sad smile. Twilight had no idea what she just signed up for, but then again, if she had, she wouldn’t be here in the first place. If they survived, Celestia was going to be cross with him.
“Alright, let’s do this.”
Sweet Dreams was not in a very comfortable position, correction, she was in a lovely bed with silk sheets, wearing black silk pajamas that would cost her entire military salary for the year to buy. It was jarring really, being put in clothes that only royalty/nobles would be able to wear. She was raised in a literal cave, it was a large cave with a town inside, but still a cave. Honestly, it almost felt like she was on paid leave.
The only problem? She wasn’t on leave, she was captured by the enemy, and the said enemy was juvenile filly currently hugging her like plushie and cold as the snow she marched through to get to this Celestia forsaken place!
With a violent shiver, Sweet Dreams felt Skaggi nuzzle against her back and tighten her grip around her, mumbling soft sleepy gibberish. While laying in bed was better than standing against the wall or drinking hot tea without being able to cool it first. All the heavy fur blankets didn’t amount for crap when she was forced to lay next to a pony with the warmth of iceberg!
(Oh, how did this happen? Really how? How did I end up psycho child’s plaything? I mean, there could be worse things happening to me, but at least I would be warm! Also, if I die from frostbite, I don’t want this to be how they find me!)
If Sweet Dreams could cry, she would, but she couldn’t. Her orders from her frosty little master were to cuddle until suppertime. Apparently, being an ice pony meant having low blood pressure, which meant being sleepy and being very hard to wake up.
Now Sweet Dreams could move, she discovered. She had full movement of her legs and free-range to go as far as the edge of the bed as long as Skaggi was touching her. Once she wriggled free from Skaggi, and she promptly became unable to move at all until the ice princess reached out and snuggled her again. Naturally, Sweet Dreams couldn’t, say, strangle Skaggi or do anything that might hurt her, but Sweet Dreams did discover she could pet her. It wasn’t useful, but it helped her understand the limits of her control collar more.
However, her escape plans were still in the development stages. When the castle shook, and Skaggi’s maids put her down for a nap to go investigate. She thought that would give her the chance to trick Skaggi into letting her move freely. That plan was dashed as soon as Skaggi mumbled sleepily for her to join her, and things haven’t progressed far since then.
Time kept ticking away, and if she was right, it’s been at least maybe an hour and a half since the explosion happened? It was hard to tell since there were no clocks in the room. And to be honest, she did fall asleep before the bed became a frozen ice sheet. She didn’t know if that was because she was exhausted from all the fighting or if her command collar could just make her sleep, but it didn’t matter.
A yawn escaped her lips as the cold began lulling her to sleep again. Fear of dying from the frost in her sleep was there, but Sweet Dreams couldn’t gather the energy to fight it. As her eyes closed, the door open, and Sweet Dreams remained still as the intruder walked beside the bed.
Cracking her eyelids open a touch, Sweet Dreams saw the light blue coat belonging to Tundra standing by the bed, the ice queen maid gazed at Skaggi as if in a trance. The maid reached out and began to brush Skaggi’s hair singing in a soft, mournful wailing tone. It was beautiful.
Little one, little one, rest your eyes Mother’s here to sing you a lullaby Dream, dream, my little child Of frozen fields and artic wilds The whistling wails of ponies’ cries As we snicker and watch them die Hatred feeds our eternal storm Frigid, bitter, piercing winds Turn all warmth to an eternal Winter!
The motherly scene took a very dark twist as Tundra sang her frankly disturbing song. Yet for the watchful thestral, it reminded her of something. An old story. One all ponies knew. Tundra’s red iris vanished into white voids as cold mist poured from her body, the temperature dropped even further.
“When the time comes, my child, you will know my love. When this curse put upon me is broken, you will know me, and you will be free as well. I promise.” Tundra resumed her haunting song, her deathly wails filling the room as snowflakes fluttered down from the ceiling.
“Somepony get help!” Was the last thing an unsuspecting guard heard before being eviscerated by Fierce Fury’s flames. The red rinin was normal, using his fire breath to smite the enemies in his way. As soon as the one guard fell, he pounced on the next and ripped into the flesh of Equinox’s neck, gouging a mouth-sized chunk from the black pony’s body. His comrade screamed in terror, backing frantically against the wall, his mind broken by horror before him.
Fury spat the chunk of meat out and stalked towards the trembling pony, extended his claw, and slowly dug his talons into poor soul’s neck and ripped a clawful of flesh out. The Equinox gasped, holding the wound before bleeding out seconds later. No guards remained.
“Which way next?” Fury asked the three mare’s peeking around the corner.
“To the right,” Ms. Green answered. “That will lead to the southern hall, which will take us away from the third Princess’s chambers. She is the youngest of Sombra’s children.”
Fury cocked his head walking to the intersection of the hall. A persuasive cold draft bellowed forth, further down he could see frost creeping across the crystal walls.
“How young?”
“What?”
“How young is the third princess?” He reiterated.
The three mares, now behind him, looked at one another, whispering for a bit and answered. “About… fourteen maybe sixteen years? I don’t think she’s reached the age of marriage, at least.” Ms. Blue answered for the group. “I’ve only seen her once, she’s quite reclusive. Only her Nanny Tundra and Lady Cien’s Maid, Gleam, enter her room on a regular bias. Lady Zil and Lady Cien will visit her the most, often when they have a new ‘doll’ for. Doll referring to a pony of our status.”
“So, a slave, what does she do with you them?” Fury inquired.
The three mares sported shared looks of terror. Ms. Yellow was the first to recover, her voice trembled when she spoke. “She treats them as dolls, her toys, she doesn’t even seem to recognize them as living beings with thoughts. I’ve heard rumors… that many ‘dolls’ died of neglect, dehydration, or starvation, were the most common way to go under her care if she lost interest and left you on the shelf to collect dust.”
“Hmm, I can’t hardly believe she’s a filly on the verge of marehood.”
Ms. Yellow nodded, “She’s very sheltered. Lord Sombra dots on her and all her sibling’s spoiled her.”
“Is she strong?” Fury asked, looking down the other halls. The three mares looked beside themselves as they struggled to answer.
“We don’t know,” Ms. Blue answered.
Ms. Green continued, “I’ve never heard anything of her studies or training. Her upbringing was very different from her siblings. One could almost call it normal as far as I know.”
“I don’t know anything, either,” Added Ms. Yellow when he looked at her.
Fury tapped his chin as the ice expanded. “What’s to the… left, I mean north?”
“That will take us closer to the throne room. It’s shorter to go that way to get to where your friends might be, but like I said, the throne room is that way.” Ms. Green explained, glancing nervously in the direction of Fury’s gaze. “You’re not actually planning on going there, are you?”
“Sounds like it will be fun, better than fighting an immature teenager, you three can come with me or go the other way. Either way, I think I’ll jump to the final boss. I got a score to settle with Sombra anyway.”
“I don’t think that’s wise, Mr. Fury!” Ms. Green shouted; Fury was already halfway down the northern hallway. With an uncertain glance at her companions and their other options not much better, they raced after the red rinin.
“It was this way right, Twilight?” Trifecta asked the lavender unicorn as they navigated the hallways back to the throne room. It was a long shot, but killing Sombra and any of his military leaders and children should help the front, if not outright cause the Sombra forces to collapse. The real snag in the plan was they needed princess level power, and they maybe had half a princess collectively. He didn’t know how to actually scale that.
“It’s just another left up ahead.” She replied. He could barely hear the nerves in her voice, this young mare was made of harder stuff then he initially thought. Still, she was far to green to be doing this kind of mission.
He nodded, signaling for Smokey to do his thing and scout ahead, while they waited by the corner, Goodnight watched the rear. It was quiet. While he peered around the corner, Twilight pressed up beside him to get a better look.
“You should get back,” Trifecta told her. “You’re blocking me.”
“Sorry,” Twilight whispered, moving back a bit. Now her head was just behind his neck. She was still trying to sneak a peek. The sound of somepony gurgling on their own blood come from down the hall, Haze pulled some poor sap up by the neck and crushed their head against the ceiling. Twilight made a meek sound and closed her eyes, she flinched when squishy brain matter splattered to the floor.
(Gods Haze, you carving him up for Hearth’s warming feast?) Thought Trifecta as he watched Haze twist, the guards head off and toss the head into the next hall. There was as startled scream that was quickly cut short.
“Is it ok to open my eyes?” Twilight meekly asked.
“Ahh… no…” He answered flatly. “Stay here.”
Running down the hall, Trifecta puffed his chest with silver fire and burned the corpse to a crispy black. He didn’t have the time to waste burning it to ashes, so this was the next best thing.
“Clear, come here, you two.” He ordered. Twilight and Goodnight rejoined them. The unicorn cringed at the charred body and gagged as the smell of cooked pony meat filled the hall, but it was better than before. Better being marginal.
Around the corner, they found Haze with two more charred bodies standing in the broader hallway with a big red door halfway down. Another hall just before the door. The other rinin caught on that Trifecta wanted to keep Twilight’s exposure to gore to a minimum and disposed of the carnage best he could.
“This is it.” Goodnight gulped nervously as they formed a line and approached the throne room door. The hall was eerily quiet. There were no other guards. In fact, this place was horribly understaffed from the looks of it.
“This feels like a fucking trap,” Trifecta said warily. His eyes darted side to side. How many times had he walked into a similar set up like this? It was a named strategy. The empty castle, if he remembered Kira’s lesson, it was where the enemy makes it easy to enter, but hard to escape.
As the group approached the adjoining hall, they heard a noise. The rhythmic thumb of trotting hooves drew closer. Smokey looked at Trifecta, who nodded. The smoke rinin did his thing and rushed into the hall as a cloud. For several seconds they waited. There were sounds of a struggle followed by an angry guttural roar and a copper-colored flash zoomed across their vision as Smokey Haze slammed into the wall!
“Sweet fucking moon…” Trifecta gasped. It was not easy to toss Smokey Haze, a monster pony, like that, it had to be one of the siblings! Building up the fire, Trifecta’s barrel swelled, and he leaped around the corner, ready to engulf the hall in flames, but before he could open his mouth, a red claw clamped it close. He whimpered as razor-sharp talons dug into his muzzle, and the blazing gold eyes of a pissed off Fierce Fury bore into him.
“Trifecta! That’s a fucked-up way to greet a superior officer!” Fury shoved him back and slapped him across the face, making Trifecta cough smoke and fire as he staggered back towards the others. The red Rinin Commander strode into the hall like he owned the place. “Goodnight, at attention! Or were you asleep during my training?”
“No, sir!” Goodnight said quickly with fear, his body rigid as a post.
Fury snorted fire as his gaze fell on Smokey Haze, “Stand up, Junior Lieutenant Smokey Haze, your embarrassing yourself.”
Smokey was on his feet in a flash, saluting, “Yes, sir, sorry, sir!”
The Red Rinin Commander panned the hall, his brow frowned when he saw Twilight but didn’t say anything to her. “Where is Bixin and Vani Lu?”
“They made a distraction so Commando Goodnight and I could infiltrate the castle, their current location is unknown. As is the frontlines, sir.”
Fury nodded and waved behind him; three different colored mares joined them. “Alright, I won’t ask why you brought a VIP towards the enemy, but Trifecta, Smokey, and Goodnight take these three with Ms. Twilight and get them to safety.”
“Now, hold on!” Twilight objected. “We already decided we were going to take on Sombra, you can’t just show up and change… that…” Twilight trailed off under Fury’s golden-eyed scowl. “Um… ha…haha… what was I saying again?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing! Right! That’s exactly right! I was saying nothing…” She sighed while Goodnight patted her on the shoulder. It was tough to speak up to Commander Fury.
“You tried Twilight.”
“Yeah, sure I did.”
“I have to object to that order, sir.” Trifecta boldly declared, much to everyponies shock, Fury looked indifferent. “We already went over the risks, our time is better spent taking out the enemy hierarchy, and with you here, our chances just went up. Our team is in the best position possible for a decapitation strike, VIP, or no.”
Fury stared into Trifecta’s eyes, the gray rinin held his ground, and the red rinin chuckled. “Here I thought you only got pissy when it was Sixes calling the shots. Alright, Trifecta, it’s probably against my better judgment, but I do agree. Tactically we are in the best position to trigger this obvious trap. So, if we do and shit goes south, are you ready to take responsibility?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am.”
Fury nodded, “Alright. Well, if shit goes south, I guess I get blamed anyway, but know your ass will be in the fire with me. Whether it be hells or Celestia’s.” He chuckled, taking point.
“Of course, sir.”
“Alright, ladies, this is your last chance to try and escape.” The commander said to his three mare companions.
“We’ll take our chances with you, Mr. Fury, our fate is the same either way.” Ms. Green said for the group.
Fury nodded his understanding. They gathered before the wide double doors, a mix-matched and cobbled together task force with more than enough dead weight to drag along for the ride. A buy the books pony would have suggested they get the VIP and Civilians out of here ASAP, that was the logical thing to do.
(Normally I’d agree with that logic, but we’re too close to the heart of the enemy command. Ms. Green, Yellow, and Blue will most likely be unfortunate causalities, but their grown mares that made their own chances. As for Twilight Sparkle… well, her fate is unclear, but worse case, it’s not like Celestia hasn’t buried her foolish students before. Honestly, even I’m getting curious how the hell they end up in situations like this. It’s like death is offering them candy or something.) Fury monologed as he opened the throne room door.
In an instant, he, Trifecta, and Smokey Haze formed a three-point guard in front of the others, Trifecta to his left and Haze on his right, with Goodnight covering the mares. Twilight formed a dome shield over their group, which was good on her. The last student they had to babysit got an arrow through the head before they could even do that.
(I guess that’s an improvement.) Fury thought as he observed the throne room. The room was made of shiny black marble with a red carpet lead up to a large throne with three blood-red crystal sprouted behind it. The gems arranged to resemble a crown.
There were three key things to note. One, there were no guards, two Sombra was on his throne flanked by two mares. One was the one that got away from him earlier. She must be a daughter, he could see the resemblance in their horns and coat now, and the other was a slightly smaller mare, her horn, and hair a lavender color. If Fury were taking bets, he would say she was also Sombra’s daughter. Both wore armor that was way too fancy for the battlefield, yet it didn’t look flimsy either. The third note was Sombra himself, and Fury couldn’t help but smile.
“Look who got old,” He grinned at the dark king, who bit back a growl as they locked eyes.
“The Red Rinin, the one who took my wing, Fierce Fury. I’m almost happy my son failed to kill you, it saves me the pleasure of doing it myself.” The dark King spoke boldly, his voice boomed off the black walls.
Fury remained unimpressed. “I don’t see any windows in here, probably for the best, I imagine a stiff breeze would shatter your fragile old bones. I mean that wing I broke off was pretty brittle, and you were what, forty back then?”
Sombra coughed, struggling to keep himself composed. “Late thirties, honestly, I barely remember that.”
“Going senile too must be hard for the kids. Having to deal with a pigheaded, arrogant piece of shit who wailed like a child in time out and sucked and entire kingdom into a void when he was beaten. By the way, just want did you do? I’ve always been curious.”
“Father, your blood pressure,” Zil whispered as the blood vessel on Sombra’s forehead threatened to pop. She floated a small bottle of purple elixir, which he drank bitterly before his enemies. Fury’s smile only widened at the display of weakness.
“So, was the COLT that had his leg hacked off by Topaz your heir or what? Must be hard having a son like that, but what can you do, look at the gene pool he’s working with. Did your daughter tell you how she sat against the wall trembling like scared filly while I walked past her?”
“You hold your tongue!” Zil shouted, embarrassed, though tears were building under eyes.
Fury was taken aback, or he fainted being taken aback. “Wow, you must have found your spine after you ran away, Princess.”
Zil bristled at Fury’s mocking of her title. “Dare to profane me while you can! Know that it was I that captured Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and defeated her in combat to boot!”
He blinked and looked to Trifecta, “Who the hell is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza?”
“She means Princess Cadence,” Twilight whispered.
“Oh… right, right, I guess that’s impressive? Is it? I honestly don’t know.” Fury looked to his Rinin brethren, both of whom shrugged. “Um… yeah, this is awkward… Twilight, how strong is Princess Cadence? I’ve never seen her fight or seen her train, I think Princess Luna mentioned training her for a week? I don’t know. Look, Princess… what’s your name?”
“Zil.”
“Princess Zil, I’m not trying to take away your gold star here, but we’re comparing apples to watermelons. Cadence is the apple in this metaphor. Personally, I find watermelons disgusting, though, but the size difference is obvious. I know this must be hard to follow, given your probably inbred.”
Zil, Cien, and Sombra all growled at the Red Rinin while his companions gave him an enormous breadth. Fearful, one of the dark royals would lash out in a moment of rage. However, in a surprise show of extreme self-control, the three royals managed to constrain their wrath if only slightly as to not fall for Fury’s ploy. Their tolerance for Fury’s banter has been rendered fully nulled.
Cien stepped forth, her smirk devious and off-putting, especially how it lingered on Twilight in particular. “And so, the tragic heroine hath made her escape, but in her hubris, she walked back into the hooves of her capturers once more and now must face a heart-wrenching trial that will shatter her pour innocent virgin mind.”
“What are you…” Twilight roared, but Fury pushed her back, only to be too late. A magic circle appeared under the group and froze them in place. The magic patterns spun as Cien continued to speak, adding in theatrical dance moves as she hopped towards them gracefully. “Chant magic!” Twilight informed the group too late.
“And so, the Tragic heroine with her brave but foolish companions are sent to face the coming trial beneath in the very pits of hell! Whisked away by the winds of fate and at the mercy of destiny!” Cien reared up on her hind legs and threw her forelegs into the air as the magic reached its zenith, banishing the entire group from the throne room.
Twirling in a curtsy, Cien bowed to her father and elder sister. “Care to join me in my fun, Father, Elder Sister?”
Sombra’s baritone chuckle thundered through the throne room as he stepped down from his seat of power. “I shall indulge you Cien, Zil tend to matters until I return.”
“Me? Father?” Zil gasped, eyeing the empty throne her father has just thrust upon her.
“Yes, you, should things get out off, send for me.” Were Sombra’s only instructions as he and Cien vanished in a flash.
The eldest daughter of Sombra took the seat of power, the officers and generals of the army which had remained hidden marched out before her and awaited her command. “It’s time for us to turn this battle around! Let’s show these Equestrians our strength! The Obsidian Empire will reign forever!”
“Yeah!” The officers cheered, envigored by the Princess’s speech as she regally sat above them.
“Now, what is the current situation?”
The General’s and Commander’s mood took a severe downturn. “What?” Zil inquired, General Steele, whispered the situation to her. The unfortunate Princess’s eyes nearly bulged out of her skull.
“They’re halfway to where?!”
When Fury and the others rematerialized, the first thing the red rinin noticed was they were underground. He couldn’t prove that for a fact as it was just his sixth sense, but living caves for months had made him and most of the other rinin sensitive about this sort of thing. A quick glance told him he was in an arena, not too different from the Crystal Colosseum, really. Only here everything was made out of black obsidian crystal with spooky and evil-looking décor like skulls and pointy menacing torches, the usual villain motif. Rusted and broken chains littered the ground with half-buried collared skeletons in the sand.
The stands were smaller and higher, a hundred ponies at best could fit down here to watch the fights. There was, of course, a royal suite, where Sombra and Cien were sitting looking down at him from on high.
“Fierce Fury, how do you like my children’s playground?” Sombra’s voice boomed over the large area, more touches ignited to reveal Trifecta, Goodnight, and Smokey Haze and the three mares inside what looked glass cages, no they were in hourglasses with the tops full of sand. On the opposite side of the arena, Twilight Sparkle and another pony. He had to squint because the other pony was nearly beaten to death. From the tuffs of white fur and the dirty blue mane, the Rinin commander safely concluded that it was Shining Armor. Twilight’s horrified face and silent screams also helped.
“Looks like a fun place.” Fury answered warily. He had a good idea of what was going on. Overused Villain trope number two hundred and thirty-six, making the good guys fight each other. “So, where is she?”
“My, my, aren’t you perceptive?” Cien sang joyfully.
(I feel like she’s getting off on this.)
“It doesn’t take a detective to figure out if you got Shining Armor, who CLEARLY failed at his one job! Then it’s safe to say you have Princess Cadence.”
Cien looked even more thrilled by Fury’s seething glare, “No mercy even for your defeated subordinate? My, you make our officers seem kind in comparison. Sure, this stallion and his friends were easily subdued by my elder brother Scath, but give him credit, he was holding off three platoons of soldiers with only a dozen or fewer soldiers. Is that not worthy of praise?”
“I’ll make sure to give him a fucking cookie and gold star. The rest are dead, right?”
“Of course,” Cien chirped, “Why waste the prison space for riff-raff? But we’ve bantered enough, you must be excited to see your opponent! Let us introduce you to the new and improved Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!”
A black boot with blue ascents comes into the right, followed by a pink horn with a similar colored helm. Princess Cadence stepped into the light, and he recognized her armor and weapons.
“Queen Symphony’s armor,” Fury muttered under his breath. They changed the color scheme, but he could never forget the ill-fitting armor Luna wore in the crystal war. The original color had been pink, and he was no fashioner, but pink and midnight blue didn’t mix well. Doubtless, the color wasn’t the only change Sombra made to the dead Alicorn’s battle attire. He could make out several new unknown runes, and the lances sported a visible upgrade with slots or holes traveling around the flare of the joisting lances. A night blue visor covered Cadence’s face so he couldn’t tell if she was being controlled or not. Brainwashing usually affected the eyes in some way.
What really caught Fury’s eye was the black pulsing gem embedded in her breastplate. It was an alicorn amulet for sure.
Cadence readied her lances, pointing them forward with her teeth clenched tight. Her breathing was steady and controlled like an experienced warrior. He expected it to be more erratic.
“So, are you going to explain the rules of this game, or do I get to guess? I mean obvious is obvious, but please make your villain’s speech. I know how much your type loves that kind of shit.”
Giddily Cien leaned over the edge of the balcony, creepily admiring him. “My, my, just how many villains you vanquished, Sir Hero?”
“Give me a change for a coin, and I’ll tell you a hundred stories for each silver.”
“Impressive.”
“Not really. Two-bit tin horned tyrants were a bargain deal, kill one, get another free. Your father disappearing was more trouble then it was worth getting rid of him.” Fury remarked. There were plenty of missions in those ten years after Luna’s fall, where every third-rate villain thought they were next Sombra or Nightmare Moon and rose up to challenge Celestia or take over the world. Shame for them, they never stacked up.
“So, just hurry up and explain this bullshit death game!”
Cien sighed, slouching on the railing. “Fine, take all my fun away. You are going to fight her, and while you do, sand will trickle into the bottom of the hourglasses. There’s one hour’s worth of sand, if you kill Cadence your friends get to live, if she kills you, you’re her husband and cute little sister in law lives. Easy peas, right?”
Fury crouched low baring his fangs at the princess, Cadence copied his stance, baring her dull teeth at him with more emotion than someone under mind control should be able to produce. Behind her, the glass began to fill in Twilight’s and Shining Armor’s cages. He guessed there were other ways to control a pony.
Above, Cien shouted, “Begin!”
“Give me all you got, Princess!” Fury roared racing across the arena.
Cadence roared, willing her lances to spin and fire blue-tinted blasts from the bases like a Gatling gun. The barrage of magic blasts tore through the red Rinin’s body, severing his left foreleg with a spray of hot blood splatter raining onto the gray sand. The sight was so horrid Cadence stopped her attack.
“You’re an idiot!” Fury barked at her, tackling her by the neck with his remaining foreleg, he whipped her around, switching to bipedal in an instant to slam her against the bone littered ground. In a harsh whisper, he said, “How much autonomy do you have?”
Beneath her visor, Cadence’s eyes widened. A faint spark of hope ignited in her irises. “I can fight and move freely as long as I don’t attack Sombra, Cien, or try to leave the arena or break the others out. This black jewel…” Cadence suddenly headbutted him, snarling like a feral animal a black aura outlined her body while the amulet pulsed with magic.
Fury tackled her pressing her against the wall and knocked her head against the stone to break the gems hold. “Use your wing to knock me back, make it look good, follow up with another barrage, kick up a lot of dust!”
Cadence used her wing blade to cut Fury across the barrel, she grimaced as hot blood sprayed on her breastplate, but the Rinin grinned, as if proud of her. She didn’t get a lot of time to analyze his expression as his chest ballooned. She knew what that meant!
In a mad dash, Cadence scurried away from the stream of fire that turned the sand she had been standing on into glass. Fury’s hardened gaze followed, another breath attack already primed.
(Tell me! Tell me how we’re going to save everypony!) She begged as she fired another barrage of magic bullets from her lances. With a scream, she focused her magic to the tip of her spears, creating a shining light that turned into a laser that ripped up the ground and filled the air with dust.
Taking flight, Cadence flew above the cloud and fired blindly into the smoke to keep appearances for Sombra and Cien. A part of her thought the two dark royals already knew they were comprising and just wanted to see what they come up with. On a chance she stole a glance at Sombra, who grinned with excitement, while Cien looked more calculating, she was even taking notes.
From the cloud, Fury shouted, “Staub!” There was a faint flash of light and snap, followed by the entire dust cloud exploding! Cadence could only gape as flames filled the whole arena activating the barrier to protect the onlookers. The runes on her breastplate glowed, absorbing the fire, but the shock wave sent her hurdling against the ceiling. There was no rune to protect her from the G-Force pressing against her body. A strangled cry escaped her lips as her ribs cracked.
“What do you think you're doing? Huh? You think you can save them fighting halfheartedly like that?” Fury scolded her from the center of the blast, standing in a smoking crater of glass, fully recovered.
At first, she didn’t know what to think, but when she saw his gold eyes darting side to side, she did the same, looking for any damage to the arena walls. The glass cages were perfectly intact, but there were cracks in the wall.
(I think I get it! We need to make the fight so intense we destroy the arena!) Cadence reasoned, fighting to keep the smile off her face at first, then went with it.
“You think that’s all I got! I’ll show you!”
“Says the third-rate Princess!”
Cadence visibly reacted to the jab, flinching as if Fury had smacked her across the nose. First came the hurt to her pride, next came all her anger and frustration from years of hearing that insult behind her back. The black Alicorn Amulet pulsed with dark magic Cadence willingly calling upon the curse jewels power. Two sharp vampiric fangs poked down from her top lip, and her coat took on a darker shade of pink.
“I’ll show you! I show everypony! I’m not third rate!” Cadence roared, her horn shined with magic, and shot a pink thread into Twilight. The barrier did nothing to stop it. With a gleeful tug, Cadance drew upon the young unicorn’s magic, combined with the dark magic already racing through her veins, her power went to the next level.
“I feel it! I can feel it! The feel the true power of love!” Cadence’s eyes whited out, her hair burst into pink/purple/gold ethereal fire, her coat a very dark, almost black, pink.
Meanwhile, inside her cell, Twilight was in a trance, her eyes whited out with a megaton of magic flowing through her body as she acted as a conduit for the Princess of Love. While all this happened, tears floated upward in the thick, energized atmosphere.
“Cadence…” The young unicorn whimpered; her voice unheard by everypony.
Fury stood composed watching Cadence titer on becoming whatever the Nightmare version of her would be called. He was unsure if this was an act or if the gem overtook her, but the third Princess certainly surprised him, having no idea she could ‘borrow’ power from others like this.
(I would hazard to say she’s about equal with Celestia in terms of raw power, maybe even just a little stronger, not counting Celestia’s flaming mane thing that is. Speaking of flaming manes.) Fury noted the ethereal fire now acting as the Princess’s hair. (I did wonder why she didn’t have the floaty hair, I guess she’s not mature enough yet.)
The Pink Alicorn flexed her wings, unleashing a wave of magic that activated the arena shield. He stole a glance at Sombra and found him unconcerned.
(I guess he anticipated having to keep Celestia in here, probably Luna too.) Fury bit back a curse he had hoped Cadence would be enough, but since that clearly wasn’t the case. He’d have to chip in.
Cadence felt like she was in pure ecstasy, even more then her honeymoon, the power felt so good! Her head was felt dizzy, merely floating. Just her wing flaps were enough to create waves of magic wind that hit with the power of hundred magic blasts! Sombra’s magical barrier sparked the runes burning bright.
(I need to keep control!) She scolded herself. It wouldn’t do for her to get high off borrowed magic, but she was at lost about what to do. In her current state, she would kill Fury for real by accident if she wasn’t careful, but would they be able to keep up the act anyway? From Sombra’s point of view, she should be able and can end the battle in an instant.
Heat began to distort the air. At first, Cadence thought her hair was the cause, but after second of thought, she realized she wouldn’t be able to see the distortion if it was. So, she looked down spied Fierce Fury with green veins all over his body.
“What the…”
She didn’t get to finish as Fury suddenly ignited his body, disintegrating like a false shell leaving only a fire in the shape of the rinin with a glowing green jewel at the center.
Sombra rose from his seat, his eyes wide with numerous emotions. “The Green Alicorn Amulet!” He shouted.
Spurts of green fire erupted and mixed with the red flames as if the two lights were competing for domination. The red fire suddenly exploded, swallowing the green and hiding the amulet let from view. The monster that tore through Sombra’s forces and traumatized Zil was back.
Cadence wisely was on guard, the fire being before her had no eyes or features, it was just a pony shaped bonfire. “Attack already!” Cien ordered from the stands.
The collar around her neck squeezed tighter, and Cadence leveled her lances. “Gatling Barrage!” Spinning the lances with her magic, Cadence let loose hundreds of blue magic blasts in seconds. The attacks tore through the Fury with no chance to dodge. Or so it seemed. From a different point of view, perhaps he didn’t need to.
Cadence poured on the rain, but Fury did not budge. Every one of her attacks merely flew harmlessly through him. So she braked her lances, smoke rising from the barrels on the flare of the guard.
“Let’s try this!” She reared back, charging her wings with pegasus magic and released a mighty gust that kicked up abused amounts of sand. The fire that was Fury wavered for a second before flaring up, the wind fanning the flames rather than snuffing them out.
“Use ice magic, you dumbass!” Cien coached from the sidelines.
Cadence, with her limited freedom, glared at the dark Princess. “I don’t know ice magic or water magic, and I can’t make clouds here. The only elemental magic I know is earth.”
Cien gawked at her. “What kind of fucking character build are you!”
Annoyed for other reasons, Cadence shouted, “I’m not an Ogres and Oubliettes character!”
The dark Princess replied, “What the hell is Ogres and Oubliettes! Whatever snuff him out under a pile of dirt or something!” Seething through her teeth with memories from some of the lower points in her dating years with Shining Armor fueling her anger. Cadence began circling the outer edge of the arena using one lance to lay down a constant Gatling Barrage on Fury, who wasn’t even bothering to follow her. It was kind of insulting, actually.
Here she was an alicorn, a powered-up one at that, and he still treated her like a nonthreat!
(Whoa, where is that coming from? Is that amulet or me?) Cadence disregarded that disturbing train of thought to try and reason while she could. What was Fury doing? Was this part of his plan? What should she be going?
In blink and miss moment, Fury shot at her and slammed her against the wall. His claw materialized and punched her in the face! When she swiped it with her lance, it burst into flames, and then his back legs appeared, and buck kicked her in the barrel!
“What the hell!” Cadence leveled her jousting lances, charged them with magic, and propelled forward at Wonderbolt speed with a small flap of her wings. She soared through the malleable firestorm and out the other side. Still flying backward, Cadence flipped upside down, aiming her spears only for Fury, now corporeal, about to fly kick her in the face!
Now bipedal Fury summoned two fire swords in his claws, his foot buried into Cadence’s muzzle and head into the ground. He swung both fire swords, each of them exploded on impact.
Firing a massive beam from her horn, Cadence wildly lashed out, unloading a Gatling Barrage while blood poured from the top of her helmet. Her eyes bled black as she pulled on the black gems powers. Her attacked went from blue to black, her magic aura flared wildly, and though she couldn’t hear it, Twilight screamed as more of her magic was siphoned.
Fury landed, holding another pair of swords and pointed one towards her, “All that power, and you’re still hesitating! Go wild already, or Dumbass and Twilight are dead ponies!”
“Don’t call him that!” Cadence roared.
Black balls of magic materialized and fired beams. Fury dodge weaving through them with ease. The runes powering the shield producing a constant glow under the rays relentless assault.
Screaming like a feral animal, Cadence leveled her lances and fired a thick beam blast that cut up the ground, leaving a five-foot deep trench, the attack severed Fury’s right foreleg and wing while he dodged the dark beams. Her satisfaction was cut short when they instantly grew back. Spinning her lances, she fired a Gatling barrage while chanting.
“Theia! Daughter of Gaia, bare your teeth and feast upon the blood of thy enemies, let their decaying corpse be your supper! Mother Earth’s Maul!”
Two massive stone jaws with gem-encrusted fangs rose from the ground and swallowed Fury whole, the gem shined overloaded with magic and then exploded! Shrapnel peppered the arena walls. The runes now began to smoke.
“How did you like that!” She bragged, proud of the spell that took her full month to learn.
Fury’s reply was, “Hell road Crossfire!”
The Rinin came flying out of the crater with two spheres of fire in his claws, landed right in front of her, and crushed them. The energy flew between his claws and exploded right in her face! The runes on her armor light up, but they couldn’t absorb it all. Her armor heated up and burned against her body, while the shockwave pummeled her insides. He wasn’t done. Fury grabbed her helmet, slammed her head against the wall, and proceeded to run grinding her helm against the wall. As they passed the prison with Trifecta, Fury shouted something that she couldn’t catch through the noise of scraping metal. He finished the move by tossing her back into the center, her lances lost long the way.
“Keep up, Princess!” He roared ramming into her. The fight suddenly went from feeling staged to real as Fury assaulted her with quick jabs and strikes. She had no chance of parrying. Her skill in hoof to hoof combat was nonexistent. Cadence jabbed blindly with her horn, Fury made her regret that by grabbing it and tossed her against the wall again.
Blindly she fired a magic beam only to get slammed from the side and run up against the wall again. This time with her entire body.
“When did we start playing hockey?” She mumbled deliriously. Her power was still wailing out of control, but she could feel it tampering off. Her power sources were about to reach the limit of what her body could handle.
(Come on! Just a little longer!) She begged, looking across the arena at the runes above the others. They were smoking fiercely, and cracks appeared in the stone. (We’re almost there!)
“Come on!” Cadence roared, catching Fury in the corner of her eye. Unleashing a three hundred sixty-degree blast of magic to keep him back, she kept blasting wave after wave to keep the rinin at bay. Her real target was the overworked shield. Fury skidded to a stop after the third blast opened his mouth a let lose a fire breath that looked more like beam hitting her shield and deflecting to the wall. She kept up the guard and unleashed a blast with everything she had until it all suddenly come to a stop.
The familiar burning pain that felt like her brain was going to melt out through her ears told her all she needed to now. Her horn was overheated. Cadence felt the tip of her horn and felt her blood run cold upon discovering overheating wasn’t her problem.
(Did Sombra do something?) She fretted tugging on her love lines and getting nothing, it was like a dam had suddenly been constructed in a raging river. Cadence turned around following her connections to Shining Armor and Twilight and found her answer. Twilight surrounded by swirling sand and crying a river with whited out eyes was somehow stopping the power from getting to her. (But why?) Cadence panicked as Fury’s attack waned, the runes were just about to give to!
Looking to Fury for guidance the rinin didn’t spare her a glance, he spun a complete one-eighty to Trifecta and the others and made a quick series of signs with his claws and roared at the top of his lungs.
“Do it!” He shouted.
Inside his cell Trifecta waited for Fury’s signal, the moment the red commander signed the go-ahead, adding an ear-ringing roar for good measure. The grey rinin tapped his belly three times in a specific pattern. “Let’s do it! Time to play our ace, brothers!”
Shock and Jockey’s electricity surged from inside his stomach, but they didn’t try to escape. No, something else happened. Lightning arced around Trifecta’s body, blue tuffs of cloud-shaped fur spouted on the back of his knees, his scales glowed blue, more electricity danced across their surface., Two blue heads sprouted from his body on his left and right, the leaders were very draconic with wavy sparking hair and lightning-shaped horns atop their foreheads. Finally, Trifecta’s silver mane began stood on edge with lightning dancing between the spiked points.
“Monster Squad Bravo: Triple Thunder!” The three heads of Trifecta roared. His voice mixed with that of the Thunder brothers. A massive surge electrical power built up in Triple’s chest, ballooning it to near comic proportions as the three heads reared back in sync and let loose a triple breath attack! The attack pierced through the magic glass across the arena and hit the rune above Cadence. The barrier buckled, and the attack hit the engravings shattering the shield. Lifting his heads, Triple pointed his stream of raging thunder at the Dark King and Princess.
“Father, get back!” Cien screamed, summoning her weapon, and it was a really nasty one, a black barbed whip with an enlarged handle that housed some sort of broken jewel. With a crack and a witch’s cackle, she snapped her weapon at his attack. The entire length lit up with runes. The whip became electrified, and then darkness was added, turning the lightning black.
“Triple Thunder! Get the others out!” Fury ordered while he and Cadence flew up to meet Cien. Charging his tail with lightning, Triple quickly freed the others. Goodnight and Smokey Haze joined him.
One was utterly flabbergasted and the other steadfast and ready. “Let’s get in there!” Triple Thunder spurred the other two on as the three of them joined the fight. Independently his left head fired a thunderbolt at Shining and Twilight’s cells, but they either couldn’t or wouldn’t move despite being free. The left head paid it no mind as the three mares Fury found raced across the field to the siblings.
“Don’t you know you’re not supposed to gang up on a lady! It’s very unbecoming!” Cien shouted as she teleported throughout the entire arena. However, despite her gripes, she grinned like a mad pony. She appeared on the opposite side of the field, taking a second to double-check the secondary safety barrier protecting Sombra. The Unicorn King growled uselessly, pawing at the shield, keeping him contained. As she intended, her style of battle worked better when there were no allies around.
With a snap of her whip she caught Cadence in an exposed spot between her half-wrecked armor, the pink Princess let out a horrible, but delightful scream, as the barbed whip left a bloody long gash just below her neck. Most ponies discounted her as nonviable, saying the damage was all show. What most ponies didn’t know is the pain inflicted by a lash was sometimes so painful the body would sometimes just give up and die after only a few frogs. At least that what the torturer told her. He then proceeded to demonstrate his claim by whipping fresh prisoner six times, she had been ten at the time, the prisoner died after the fourth lash.
(And I’ve been in love with this weapon ever since!) She smirked, teleporting out of the way of Triple Thunder’s breath attack. When Goodnight tried to sonic shriek her from behind, she willed the whip to curve backward and strike him in the face. Satisfied when she heard a painful scream and the cluttering of a helmet bouncing down the stadium stairs.
“Try that on me, bitch!” Smokey Haze encircled her, trying to suffocate her.
“Easily,” Twirling her whip by the handle, the broken jewel glowed white, lighting up the runes on the length of the black strap. “Blessed Winds!” Smokey Haze became a solid once more captured by the whirlwind and sent careening into the opposing wall. Next, Cien summoned black lightning and swung her weapon in a long wide arc, firing a blade of electricity that covered the entire length of the arena.
“Tri-head strike!” Triple Thunder countered with another massive triple thunder breath.
Cien teleported away before the attack could even come close to harming her. Naturally, she positioned herself behind the heroes and readied for another attack when she felt a presence beside her.
“Your kind of predictable,” Fury whispered in her ear. Her blood chilled by how frighteningly close he was!
With a surprised eek! She vanished again and stood over the downed Cadence. “And you forgot I still have the Princess by the teats! Stand down, or I’ll command she stop breathing until she suffocates!”
“Then, fucking do it!” Fury dared, much to her shock.
Cien grinned viciously, willing to take the bluff. “Fine. Cadence, kill yourself.” The second daughter of Sombra waited with bated breath for the Third Princess to off herself, stealing quick glances to catch the show. Cadence had her hooves pressed against her neck, but she wasn’t choking herself. Both mares were confused until Fury dropped all control collars on the ground.
“How!” Cien demanded, only for the answer to come to her. When Fury tackled Cadence and was ruffling her up, he wasn’t attacking her, he was pulling the bonds off! “You bastard!”
“And you’re a bitch!” Cadence retorted her joisting Lances aloft and spinning. “Gatling Barrage!”
Cien did her usual runaway tactic, but some of the blasts were so close they were caught up in the spell, and she was peppered with seven magic blasts the instant she materialized.
“Payback is a bitch!” Goodnight screamed, biting into her exploded neck with his vampire-like fangs. He balked and spat out her blood while she reeled from getting chomped on. Black smoke rolled around, putting her on guard, but before she could do anything, claws materialized out of the smoke cloud, four of them. They grabbed, raked, and slashed at her striking with such speed she couldn’t tell where they were even coming from half the time.
With a growl, Cien unleashed a widespread attack to blow Haze back. Only to be met by Triple Thunder with a tri-head strike aimed at her. Hastily she threw up a shield, keeping the attack at bay, but much to her horror Fury was going for Father! “Father!” She cried as Goodnight, and Haze chipped in, adding more fire and ear bleeding sonic shrieks.
“Fierce Fury,” Boomed the Dark King as he rose from his throne, his horn ablaze with bubbling black/green magic. His heckles reverberated, hot blood raced through his old veins the adrenaline of battle flooded his system. Fury created two green flame swords and threw them. Sombra fired a magic blast through the shield, Fury nimbly dodged twisting with skill and grace, his swords buried up to their sizzling hilts.
The crackling blade was mere inches from piercing Sombra’s skull. The Dark King smirked, but quickly frowned when he spied Fury’s own smirk as he snapped his claws.
“Hell Flare Cross,” said Fury, the flaming cross suddenly exploded, becoming a blazing plus sign the fire filled the inside of the shield. Had Sombra not teleported out, he would have been roasted alive.
“I’m glad I get this satisfaction!” Sombra roared conjuring another spell, he grinned with glee like a spry foal about to open a present. “How I missed the thrill of…gagh…ugh…” The Dark King placed his hoof over his chest, his body convulsed violently as he fell to the floor.
“Father!” Cien screamed again and appeared over the fallen king. “Father!” She threw up a shield as six breath attacks fell upon them, Princess Cadence laid down a Gatling barrage, and Goodnight unloaded with his hoof blaster. With no choice, Cien pulled on her whip, the broken gem inside glowing, the black weapon turned white, and she let loose a barrage of lashes. Each lash created a distortion that became a pure white shield of magic. Over fifty Interlocking layers now guarded her and Sombra.
The Second Princess bit her lip, the Equestrians were quickly blasting their way through. Fearful for her life and that of her father’s, Cien reached back into the saddlebag she had stolen from Daring and pulled the Violet Alicorn Amulet out. “Cien… no…” Sombra pleaded as she held the cursed gem aloft, smiling sadly at him.
“And so, this tragic heroine does what she must for her beloved father.” She said before slamming the jewel into her chest. The Amulet released a bright lavender light, purple veins began to appear over Cien's body. She screamed as her back began to pop and stretch disturbingly, the sight so awful, her skin twisted her attacker could only stop to watch as two large black wings grew from her back.
“She compatible!” Shouted Fury with horror as Cien suddenly grew in size, standing somewhere between Celestia and Luna. Her horn lengthened as well, curving longer, almost looking like a sword jutted out of her head as magical power poured off her body. The last change was her eyes, her pupils changed to a dark orchid shade, and her mane and tail became a mass of dancing purple energy.
“Did she just become a…” Cadence gasped.
Fury barked, “Don’t worry about it! Kill her!”
The shields holding them back crackled and exploded the shards, pelting them all. Several more massive shards cut Fury to ribbons, practically turning him into mincemeat. Smokey Haze turned into a cloud of smoke and charged, but was blasted back. Goodnight grabbed Cadence, and they both dropped to the ground out of the way. Triple Thunder unleashed a triple strike destroying most of the shrapnel coming at him. The center head breathed fire, the sides fired a barrage of lightning, but Cien’s whip lashed out and absorbed all the attacks. The whip cracked, sending black flame and thunder back at him. He weaved and dodged and dropped to the arena floor with the others.
“Hurry up and regenerate!” He yelled at Fury, who was taking a long time to put himself back to gather. The RedRinin crawled over to his separated limbs, turned them into fire, and absorbed them into his body. Instantly his legs regrew, but Fury looked ill. He swayed, gaggling on something in his throat. A budge traveled up the length of Rinin Commander’s neck, and spit out a green gem.
Fury clutched the Green Alicorn Amulet in his claw, short of breath. “Emerald…” And fell flat on his stomach unconscious. Triple Thunder grimaced as Cien approached the edge of the top of the arena, a purple whirlwind of magic gathered around her horn, creating a miniature purple sun the size of a basketball.
“Time to die!” The Dark Princess cackled.
(What do we do, bro!) The Thunder brothers cried in unison inside his head.
Triple Thunder looked to Cadence, who was out cold. Goodnight and Smokey Haze were useless in this situation. “Mr. Trifecta,” A quivering voice said, getting his attention. He turned to Ms. Green, Yellow, and Blue helping Twilight carry Shining Armor to him. The three mares smiled sadly as Ms. Green held up the Black Alicorn Amulet in her shaking magic. It must have been knocked off Cadence during the fight. “Tell Mr. Fury, thank you.”
He didn’t try to stop them. Ms. Green slammed the Black Amulet into her chest as Cien had before. Ms. Yellow and Ms. Blue linked their horns to their friend as the black gem quickly consumed Ms. Green, the power too much for her body to bare for even a few seconds. Even with all of them trying to control it, it was impossible. But they weren’t trying to control it, merely use it for one spell that could save them all.
“We’ll send you as far as we can!” Ms. Yellow screamed, her fur turning black, her horn began to crack, blood poured from her eyes, but she still smiled at him.
“Somewhere safe!” Ms. Blue declared as their horns flashed. Cien realized what they were doing and fired her spell. Triple Thunder reared back to counter, but a bright pinkish shield appeared over them. He quickly knew who it was.
“Twilight, no!” The Lavender Unicorn threw her brother and Cadence to Goodnight, and Smokey Haze. Her eyes whited her magic running full bore, and out of control. The purple unicorn linked with the other three and tapped into the power of the black gem, bolstering the shield.
“I need to do this! If you all can get away, then it’s worth it! In this state, I might interfere with the spell!” She cried, moving even further away from the group. Her smile sad as the three mares screamed finishing their calculations. “Please, save my brother and Cadence!”
“Don’t be an idiot-!” His rebuke was cut short as darkness swallowed them whole, and they were transported through space to somewhere else.
Trifecta started out at the fields of untouched green crystal grass, disorientated, Shock and Jockey, and the rest all behind him. Ahead black smoke rose from the battlefield, the Vice Commander blinked and shook his head to clear his vision. Not wanting to accept what his eyes were seeing.
“Fury…” He said monotone, violent memories flashed through his mind as the red Rinin stood beside him, his expression the same.
“I see it.” Fury said grimly.
Two massive plumes of black smoke rose into the clouded sky, one in the middle of the city and the second at the edge. The roaring fire was all too familiar, they’ve both seen it before, the blaze of a crashed airship. The city was ablaze with magic flak, hoof blaster fire, and the roar of battle. The south was no better. The FOB was entirely overwhelmed by what looked like a black swarm of locus. It only took a second for the Commander and Vice Commander to realized what happened as a column of fire, lightning, and bright explosions of gold littered the ground and sky.
“Get up! Let’s go! Let’s go!” Fury spurred, pulling ponies to their feet and shoved them forward. “What about Twilight!” Cadence yelled in a daze.
“We can’t save her if we don’t have an army!” Fury seethed flying ahead with Trifecta and Smokey on his tail.
(How did this happen! How did they get behind us!)
What was once a contested battlefield was now completely one-sided, with the Equestrians on the verge of collapse as the black horde’s encirclement grew tighter and tighter.
Luna observed the horror playing out before her, the screams of dying ponies, the stench of burned flesh, the anguished cries of those who lost their friends. It was all familiar, she’s heard it a thousand times, and like many times before, it was her standing on high over her enemies as they screamed for the mercy they never gave. She peered over the guard rail of the ship, spying a group of younger soldiers firing their horn at the bottom of the Centurion. The cannons roared, smoke filled the air, and when it cleared, they were all gone.
Now, as before she did not reveal in the massacre, nor did she let compassion sway her. She observed the destruction, baring all the sins that came with it.
“We’re almost halfway there!” One of the soldiers declared.
Indeed, they in the western half of the city deep the heart of the urban center. On the east side, their sister ship lay not far behind, and in the center, enshrined in a secondary FOB was Celestia. Laying down a scathing barrage of artillery magic.
Now it’s essential to note Celestia wasn’t spamming her spells like a mad mare. Really with her concussion casting complex high tier spells such as Radiant Stargate in succession would virtually be impossible. Especially after how loopy her sister had become when Doctor BlueCross’s drugs kicked in.
So, to work around this problem, Scarlet, that devious genius of a mare, come up with a solution. Celestia was still drugged out. The last update stated as such, but they managed to at least make it appear she wasn’t. How?
Well, Scarlet was the one casting the spell. Celestia was currently acting like an over-glorified battery for the red unicorn who siphoned the Sun Princess’s magic and used it for her own devices. Several squads of unicorn mages pitched in to help cast the spells, lowering the toll casting such magic would usually have.
The cherry on top was another unicorn under glamor was acting as Celestia, impersonating the princess by standing at the top the earth wall and appearing to cast spell after spell without tiring. It was quite the propaganda production.
“I can’t believe it actually worked,” Luna muttered as she pulled her hood down more and walked away from the edge of the ship.
When they first started the plan to bombard their way through the city, things didn’t start off so hopeful. The East and West flank met heavy resistance; their progress slow as maple syrup harvesting. The fake Celestia had yet to take the stage then, and the center of the city was hardly touched safe for the stray tank cannon blast. The enemy seemed ready to dig in deep.
Then the first Radiant Stargate Cannon was cast, and the false Celestia stood boldly atop the wall, her hair waving majestically like a war goddess had come down from the heavens. The effect was immediate. Enemy forces from the flanks dwindled, the appearance of Celestia making the enemy congest in the middle, leaving their sides open. Their fear of the Sun Princess’s dominance overrode any sense of strategy.
(Still, this is a very high-risk operation.)
To keep the enemy from reinforcing either of the sides, Luna had to stay out of the limelight for as long as possible. Once the enemy knew of her position, they would seek to reinforce it. That would leave only one path of least resistance. An obvious one that a cooler headed commander would see and dam up like beavers in a river. Gridlocking the battlefield.
“Princess, we have a message from Sergeant Bulwark, he’s asking for orders.”
She tapped her gemcom, switching Bulwark to a private channel. On her HUD map, she saw his position as well as everypony else of rank. Platinum was with him, as was Fleetfoot, with Gloves highlighted in yellow, meaning he was out of action, but not dead. AppleJazz was also there.
“You are to stay on standby Bulwark, your mission is to protect FOB-Alpha with the other officers present. Your position is acting as our medical facility at the moment. You must be their protection, now that we can’t spare soldiers to guard them.”
A gruff, “Affirmative.” Was his reply.
It hard to tell if he was upset or not about being left out of the action. Luna didn’t know Bulwark very well. He reminded her of P-Rex, the giant pony that gave his life in the Griffon War. That might just because Bulwark is the biggest pony in Night Patrol now with P-Rex gone. He wasn’t quite a match in size, but he was close.
“I hope that’s the right decision,” Luna mumbled under breath.
It felt so wrong to be second-guessing herself when it came to commanding the Night Patrollers, but there were a good number of them she legitly didn’t remember or know very well. So many Rinin had left to see the world after being recused from the factory, she barely had a day to even know their names before they left, and then a lot of them came back after she was sealed away. A lot of the familiar faces weren’t here, which made her wonder why they took the risk of sealing themselves in stone with Sixes.
“You look, troubled, Princess.” A feminine voice said. Luna had to look around before landing on the black Rinin mare with the orange braided falling out from under her helmet. It was Essex.
“Oh, no, I’m fine. I was just contemplating if it was wise to have Bulwark stay at FOB-Alpha, he strikes me as the warrior type, and I know how much they love battle.”
Essex tilted her head, her eyes hidden behind her visor. “Is Platinum at FOB-Alpha?”
Luna nodded, “Yes, she is.”
“Then he’s fine. If Platinum is close by, then he could be in hell tortured by demons and be happy as a clam. So long as nothing bad was happening to Platinum.” The Rinin shook her head. “I still can’t believe she lets him mount her. I saw his…umm lower head by accident once and couldn’t even imagine…” Essex paused, remembering who she was talking too. “Well, it’s not my place to question what a wife sees in her husband.”
Luna blinked her brain, doing a hard reboot. (Those two are married?) A part of her thought she knew that, but if that was true, then she shouldn’t be so surprised. (I really need to take the time to reacquaint myself with my ponies. This is disgraceful! They showed so much loyalty and dedication, and I can’t even remember such a simple detail about two of my own officers?)
“Yes, quite right, it’s none of our business.” Luna breezed past her insecurities and focused on the battlefield.
Well, she tried. Things were in a bit of a lull. They were steadily pushing further towards Sombra’s castle, they were encountering resistance, but not enough she needed to be involved. Heck Sombra’s children weren’t even… Luna did another hard reboot.
Stealing a spyglass from an artillery spotter pony, Luna took the risk of flying up to the crow’s nest. Vaguely she noted Essex following her as she looked through magnifying device searching fruitlessly for signs of the two sons of Sombra.
“My senses are dull.” She admitted aloud, Essex looked confused for her, while Luna ground her teeth. “I’m a fool!”
“Princess?”
Luna didn’t respond. Instead, she tapped her gemcom, opening channels to all officers. “Attention, I need verification of the presence of Sombra’s sons, Scath and Schatten, or any pony resembling them. Can any pony spot them on the battlefield?”
The gemcom rumbled, various voices reported their findings.
“This is Colonel Castle Bridge, no sightings.”
“General Cobalt, no reports from FOB-Bravo.
“Aye, Master Chief Sergeant Lucky Shamrock reporting nothin’ yet on the bleedin’ bastards.”
“Sham! Ya know how ta speak proper! So, do it ya, bampot!”
“Aye, Aye, mah Loue.”
Essex claw palmed, muttering, “Glaikit Guidman.”
Luna’s anxiety about Sombra’s sons was broken for second as she tried to recall her Clydesdale vocabulary. Only to shake her head and dismiss it. If what they were saying was urgent, then they wouldn’t be speaking in Clydesdale.
“Find them!” She ordered getting the conversation back on track. “Actively search for them! Their lack of presence is troubling.”
“Couldn’t they just be lying low recovering and waiting for you to make a move, Princess?” Essex spoke to her directly, but her words spread across the linked com channel.
“That is a sound argument.” Cobalt interjected. “Very logical. They did take a lot of damage from the fight with you and Princess Celestia.”
Luna hummed, thinking. They had a point, but this still didn’t feel right. Wouldn’t one of their siblings’ sub in or something? Scath was the second son and Schatten the fourth.
“What son was the one Topaz fought?” She asked the chat.
“The third,” Answered Bulwark, his tone deadly. “Ombre was his name.”
Essex leaned in and whispered so the others didn’t hear, “He must have hurt Platinum if Bulwark remembers his name.”
Luna nodded her understanding, thankful for the insights. She was kind of jealous that Essex just knew all of these little quirks, but once she had time, she would know everypony like a friend again.
“Schatten is the fourth son, Scath is the second, so there is at least one more son we know of for sure, the first son of Sombra,” Luna announced to the group chat. It was troubling that the mysterious first son hasn’t shown up next. Given how things used to be back Sombra’s day, the first son was the successor, and most likely is the strongest. Why is he absent from the battle?
“Is Sombra keeping his heir in the rear to keep him safe?” Luna wondered aloud. No pony could answer.
(That doesn’t seem right, Sombra was certainly never afraid to take the field. Then again, Sombra hasn’t appeared either.)
“Ya know,” Essex said. “It must have taken a long time to make an army this big and train them all, those magic cannons too. Must have taken years, right?” She said with a slight accent.
Luna frowned her brow at the Rinin, “Of course it took… years… years… yes, how many years I wonder? Is it possible Sombra is too old to take the field? She kept thinking of the Sombra she fought in the First Crystal war, a pony just below middle age in the prime of his life.
How many have passed for the Dark King? Ten, twenty, fifty? Pony's lives were usually a blip in her life. One day she was attending a baby shower. Next, she was attending that baby’s funeral after what only seemed like a few years to her, but had actually been an entire lifetime.
“I’ve been a fool again,” Luna admitted aloud. “We came here thinking we knew our enemy like the back of our hooves, but we have no idea.”
The Princess of the Night shook her head sadly, blaming this lack of foresight on rustiness or dulled instincts would be the height of irresponsibility.
“Know thyself and know thy enemy, and thou will not fear the results of a hundred battles.” She quoted a long since gone pony from even before her youth. “We do not know our enemy.”
With a healthy dose of anxiety, Luna flew into the sky, it was dangerous, but she had to see things from a different angle. She overlooked everything. Her forces clearly distinguished from the enemy. Next, she reversed her thinking, putting herself in the shoes of her enemy, putting up a hard resistance against an invading force. She looked at her own troops. On the gemcom map, everything looked so clustered together that it almost looked like a massive blob of light on the illuminated grid. Inspecting with her own eyes, she saw the truth. They were spread thin with significant gaps of space between the different units of the army. Their force wasn’t as large as it should be. When sieging a city, the old rule was to bring double to even three times as many troops stationed in the enemy stronghold
Modern weapons such as the hoof blaster, tanks, and Airships allowed a much smaller army to take on a much larger force. But how large? And could they do it when everypony was spread across such a large area?
The answer was no. Not a chance in Tartarus.
“Everypony regroup!” Luna gave the order in a moment of panic; it was evident by Cobalt’s question. “Regroup, where?” The General asked.
Luna chewed her lip. Her choices were FOB A and B. If they grouped at Alpha they might as well prepare their retreat if she chooses Bravo, they’d have to settle down for the long fight with the possibility of being surrounded from behind.
In this critical moment that needed a split-second decision, Luna hesitated. They were so close! To regroup at Alpha would make all their progress null and void, but they could be locked in with no escape at Bravo!
Before Luna could make a choice, it was made for her. An explosive blast of magical energy came from the outside the shield, blowing up the southern wall of FOB-Alpha. A white-clad army emerged from the snowy wastelands and overran the base.
“All ponies at FOB-Alpha, retreat to Bravo!” She shouted, flying to FOB-A. Essex flew up beside her, acting as her wing pony. From the other Airship, a green blur flew parallel to them.
“Shamrock…” She began.
“Highlander can handle this! I gotta get to her quick!”
“Who are you talking about?” Luna demanded.
Essex answered, “He’s going to save Platinum. I am too if yer wondering.” She wore a profoundly concerned expression. “I could never look him in the face again if I don’t.”
Luna blinked, confused, “Who? What’s your connection to Platinum?”
“She’s family,” Essex answered, flying ahead. Luna hastened her speed after the Rinin, confused, angry, and disappointed at her self.
“Mother’s mane, how could I have let this happen?”
FOB-Alpha
Bulwark faced south. The cry of enemy battle horns drawing the entire base’s attention. He acted fast, but he didn’t run towards the enemy. Instead, he scooped up his wife and the VIPs nearby on his back and took off running. Platinum provided cover with her horn. Without her prosthetics, there was little more she could do. As they raced past the rows of medic tents, she caught sight of Fleetfoot dragging Gloves outside.
“Bully! Over there!”
The Minotaur rinin followed his wife’s command and skidded up beside the two ponies. He tossed Gloves on his back and took off running again. Fleetfoot flew beside him.
“What are we going to do?” The pegasus screamed. Enemy forces were flooding around the base. The southern wall was completely gone. There was no chance to organize a counter-attack or even defend. It was everypony for themselves. Every able-bodied pony was running, following in Bulwark’s wake.
“We need to get to Bravo, it's our only chance,” Bulwark told her. It would take a few minutes to get there, but the ponies at Bravo Base should have time to organize a proper defense. As they scaled the north wall, the two tanks they left at the base rotated their torrents backward and fired into the coming horde.
“Go!” Their crew leaders shouted over the coms. “We’ll slow them down a bit.” The rapid-fire gem blasters lit up with red bolts of magic that peppered the enemy ranks. The enemy fired back with their own green colored blasts and shields. The cannons fired, wiping out entire enemy units in one blow. The tankers weren’t holding back, using the High Explosive shells without restraint.
Bulwark reached the top of the wall and braced his legs, skidding down the slope of the earth wall. From either side, more enemy troops emerged, Platinum fired in one direction, and he spewed fire in the other. Fleetfoot fired both her hoof blasters in both directions, they weren’t even putting a dent in the swarm. Once he reached the base of the wall, Bulwark gave up attacking and just ran. He regretted wearing just heavy armor. A speed demon he was not, and armor only slowed him down more, but the locks were so elaborate to even attempt to undo them in this situation would be suicide.
A shadow flew overhead, followed by a series of explosions. Bulwark didn’t dare look, but Platinum’s gasp and cheerful shout explained everything, “AppleJazz!”
“I’ll keep them busy.” Jazz said, strafing through the enemy ranks with her wing blasters. A few more pegasuses joined her, but they were woefully outnumbered. Twenty against an entire army. Unlike the Equinox, they’d been fighting, the new arrivals revealed green crystalized insectoid wings and swarmed the sky like locus.
Behind them, the short cut screams of Equinox made a horrifying chorus as the tanks ran them over by the dozen. The boom of cannon fire and PUPUPUPU of the rapid-fire gem blasters filled the air. AppleJazz let loose a barrage of missiles and switched to her wing blades.
“Bully!”
“We can’t help her!” He shouted something landed in his path. Bulwark swerved out of the way, but the object confused him, it was a breaking wheel. An old torture device in the shape of wagon wheel made of heavy torn, this one had an extra nasty feature in the form of ax heads traveling around the wheel, in the center laid a broken black jewel. “Oh, no.” He realized as the second wheel fell from the sky, the ax head split his shoulder pad, and cut deep into his shoulder, bring their frantic run to a dead stop.
“Bulwark!” His wife screamed, crawling up his back to cast healing magic on the gaping wound.
The two breaking wheels spun and flew through the sky to their master. A deep sinister chuckle filled the air. The ground seemed to tremble as another black pony came into Bulwark’s view. This one was big, but not absurdly, he was probably twice the size of Rawhide, he wore little armor showing off his bulging muscles. His mane and horn were white.
“Greetings, welcome to the Obsidian Empire.” The Pony’s voice was a deep baritone, filled with confidence and authority. He posed before them tall and proud. “I’m Erebus, the first son, and heir to the throne.”
The Obsidian army kept running past them, leaving the first son to lord over them.
Form the sky, a scream of “Bastard!” Come from AppleJazz as she came roaring in from the air. White magic grabbed her out of the air and slammed her to the ground without mercy.
Erebus dragged the earth mare before him, delirious and bleeding from the nose and other places. He didn’t flirt with her, speak ill of her or ridicule her, Erebus merely held her down and brought forth on his breaking wheels. The disk weapon began to spin like saw blade and lower toward the mare.
“No,” Bulwark shook the others off and tried to charge, but his injuries were too significant. “Jazz! Runaway!”
He and the others could only watch as the breaking wheel lowered about to turn AppleJazz into mincemeat when a miracle happened. An energy blast struck the weapon, it stopped short of gouging Jazz’s neck, Erebus didn’t even look mad as he turned to the source.
Gloves was awake, his demonic claw smoking. He stalked silently towards the first son. Bulwark noticed his left claw began to crack, broken lava-like skin grew over his blue coat.
“Gloves…” he said warily. “Gloves, what are you doing!”
“What I need to do!” Glove’s left foreleg exploded matching his right, his coat cracked open, Glove’s entire body changed to a to match his forelegs giving him a demonic appearance. He roared, sinister red energy radiating off his body as crystal red spikes grew from his body. Standing bipedal, Gloves roared once again.
“Monster Squad B: Codename: Archfiend!”
Gloves puffed up his chest, small explosions erupted from his cracked lava-like coat. Red energy gathered in his claws, he roared as if in pain as the power built, and blasted red-colored beams at Erebus.
The first Son of Sombra blocked with his breaking wheels, smiling with amusement. The energy attacks ended, and the demonic rinin came flying from above with another blast in his claws. He tossed up one of his wheels, the spinning weapon tanked the attack, with the other he sent it arching upward. Gloves blasted it with one claw but dropped to the ground when he realized he couldn’t stop it. The demon Rinin landed behind him, doing the obvious.
“This is getting less interesting. Can’t you do something else?” Erebus yawned, blocking the attack with his wheels. He hasn’t even had to move an inch yet.
Gloves snarled, building up energy, but he didn’t fire it. Instead, he charged and slammed his claws at the intercepting breaking wheel. Between the raging red power and the spinning wheel, neither came out of on top. The rinin’s attack managed to blast the breaking wheel back, stopping its momentum, but Gloves was holding his claw with a look of pain.
“This is why the one-trick pony dies.” Erebus apathetically yawned, sending both breaking wheels at Gloves. In the corner of his eye, he spied Bulwark trying to get up. He blasted the oversized Rinin with his horn, the single-legged unicorn screamed in anguish as she crawled to him.
“Bully!” She screamed.
Letting his weapons auto-attack, Erebus stalked closer to the Rinin and Unicorn. Vaguely he noticed the others the rinin had been carrying were running off ahead to the next base. He paid them little mind; it was only a matter of time until they were captured.
“My, my, what tragedy is this play?” He inquired, the unicorn glared at him with such fire he was impressed. “Aren’t you high spirited. I’m going to guess this big lug isn’t a sibling so… lover? Yes, I can see it. This is perfect.”
“What are you…” Platinum’s question as cut off as Erebus grabbed her in his magic and brought her face to face with Bulwark. The dark Prince dropped her on the ground and pulled her leg, so it was fully extended.
“Since you have no problem laying with a one-legged mare, I figure you’ll have no issue laying a with a none legged one! But what method to sever it? Cut? Bash? Oh, how about rip?”
Bulwark’s shrunk into tiny pinpricks of rage. “Fuck you!” He fought against his pain and injuries, but Erebus’s magic held him down. The dark prince grinding his muzzle into the earth.
Erebus shook his head, “That wasn’t an option. Fine, I’ll let the lady go first. Right horn or left horn?” His magic wrapped around Bulwark’s bull horns, Platinum in tears shook her head.
“No, no, no!”
“Right, it is then.” A twist and snap! Pierced through the noise of battle, followed by Bulwark’s bull-like bellow of pain. Erebus tossed the broken horn away with disinterest. “Now ‘Bully’ your wife’s leg or maybe one of her ears? Or perhaps a horn for a horn?”
“Take mine!” Bulwark gasped, fighting through the pain. “My horn, my ears, whatever! Just don’t hurt her!”
Erebus frowned. “So, you’re that type of pony. Noble, but not very interesting… wait, wait, wait. I know how to spin this! Somepony bring me a prisoner!”
“Right here, sir!” A white-clad Equinox led a mixed group of chained Equestrian soldiers to the group. Two unicorns, one pegasus, and two earth ponies.”
Erebus nodded with delight, “Good, good. Now since you’re willing to take the torture for your lover, you must instead torture your friends in her stead. Something fun, yes, I want you to burn…”
Before he could even finish his sentence, Bulwark incinerated the entire group. Stunning all of the Obsidian forces by his sheer brutality, even Erebus was taken aback, but a smile quickly spread across his lips. The subdued sobs of Platinum like a melody to his ears. He gazed upon the tearful mare, her single leg covering her eyes.
“Amazing, you knew he would do it, didn’t you, mare?” Platinum just continued to cry. “This! This is why I love, love! Everypony thinks it’s some beautiful emotion, but it’s it truly the darkest and most evil emotion of pony kind! Look, my friends, look at what love drove this pony to do. For his love, he killed five comrades without a second thought! This is true entertainment! Yet, I wonder, can this mare except the barbarism displayed by her lover? I would like to see, please feel free to comfort each other.”
Erebus let Platinum go but kept Bulwark subdued. If the rinin’s head hadn’t been pressed into the ground unable to turn, that fire could have easily been aimed at him. While waiting for Platinum to crawl to her lover, Erebus spared a glance at Gloves. The demonic rinin was still fighting. More red energy was misting of his body, but it was clear he was slowing down.
“Must be some sort of berserker form.” The formerly blue rinin was so focused on fighting his weapons that he didn’t even attempt any other tactic other than a full-frontal assault. He had expected more, really.
A soldier spoke, “Milord.”
Erebus turned his attention back to the couple, surprised to see Platinum hugging her lover’s neck and kissing him deeply. From here, he could hear her honeyed words as they broke for air.
“It’s ok, I still love you. I love you. I love you so much. I know anything means anything, even if it’s bad. I forgive you. Don’t worry, I forgive you.”
Erebus remained amazed by the couple, a bit envious if he were to say so. (Is this true love? Heartful and warm, yet dark and twisted? I wish I had a mare like that. I would steal her, but I’m so impressed, I would hate to separate this rare treasure of the world.)
“I like you two.” He said suddenly, much to the surprise of everypony. “Segundo spread the word, these two are not to be killed if they are, the ponies responsible will have their rectums pulled out through their mouths. Understood?”
Segundo, the second in command under Erebus, bowed statically. “Of course, I’ll spread those exact words.”
“Good now, where to safely keep these two?” He pondered, only for a blast to hit him in the back. Erebus saw red and whipped around and then literally saw red, Gloves was practically on top of him! Two full charged claw blasts ready. The dark prince felt for his breaking wheels, but Gloves blasted him in the muzzle, blinding him as the demonic energy singed his white hair when his vision cleared, he saw his own weapons flying at him!
“Whoa!” He stopped the breaking wheels, his own ax head just inches from his own face! He couldn’t help but chuckle! “Amazing! Was that on purpose or a fluke? I wonder.”
Turning his head, Erebus saw Gloves trying to lift Bulwark and Platinum. The mare he had over his shoulder, but Bulwark, even if the minotaur rinin wasn’t held down by Erebus’s magic, the smaller Rinin wasn’t carrying him anywhere.
Erebus clapped for the demonic rinin’s efforts. “I am impressed, but no. You’re not taking them.”
“Gloves, if you don’t drop me and get Platinum out of here, I’m going to kill you!” Bulwark bellowed darkly.
“I believe you, but I’m not leaving you to die!” Gloves grumbled in reply with herculean amounts of determination, the blazing red Rinin squatted and lifted with his knees managing to lift the one-ton pony exactly one inch before collapsing.
The Dark prince continued to clap, genuinely impressed by the feat of strength Gloves displayed. “The strength! I have not seen such a display since the strong circus pony lifted five mares above his head. You rinin, what marvels you are.”
“My lord, I know your having fun, but we should press our advantage. Lord Sombra would scold you if he saw you overindulging.” Segundo advised, earning a displeased look from his lord and future king.
“Is Tercero not doing just that?” Erebus demonstrated his point by looking at his third in command, who was leading the charge on the Equestrian second dirt fort. “He seems to be doing a fine job. Being a ruler means delegating right, my friend?”
Segundo sighed, “If you say so, my lord.”
Erebus patted the haggard Equinox on the back. “Cheer up, you’re my right hoof pony, my oldest friend, and soon to be my closest advisor! Revel in the thrill of battle with me! Enjoy it!”
Segundo’s lips curled up for a moment. “There, I smiled. Can we please say on track, sir? You can’t become king if you lose this battle. While I’m ‘advising you,’ please refrain from letting the enemy hit you on purpose.”
“Why I never! Are you saying I let that fiery little Rinin hit from behind on purpose?”
“Yes, you did.”
The Dark Prince pouted. “It barely tickled, don’t worry about it.”
“He could have killed you!”
“And that’s what makes this so much fun.”
“Where does this… this… insane behavior even come from Erebus!”
The Prince smiled with pride, “My mother, Red Rum.”
Segundo shuttered at the mere mention of the name. Of all of Sombra’s wife’s that he took after their journey into the void, that mare was truly and utterly disturbed. She had been a red-haired beauty with a sparkling midnight blue coat that shimmered like silk with tiny demonic pinprick eyes that held not an ounce of sanity. She was the only mother that wasn’t forced to serve as a maid to their child, no instead she was locked away in a quarter section of the castle and left alone. Her mad cackles were heard for years, and some say they still heard them, even though the mare in question has long since passed.
She had been a mare obsessed with death, drank poison regularly, and even fed it to her son. Her fur had become toxic to the touch. It was said to melt a pony’s hoof off if one touched her for more then a minute. Whenever there was a rebellious wave in the captured populace of the Crystal Ponies. Just the mere mention of letting that mare out was enough to quell any rebellion.
For a short period before her death, Erebus was under her study, Sombra reluctantly agreed to his first lover’s demand to teach the child. It was after she finished Erebus ‘education’ that she took her own life. No pony, safe for maybe Erebus knew why, and he wouldn't tell.
(She also killed the mother of Lord Scath, Lord Ombre, and Lord Schatten before taking her life. Lady Zil’s mother died later, but some say Red Rum was still the cause. Thankfully Lady Cien’s and Lady Skaggi’s mothers didn’t have to deal with her.)
Since then, those tragic events, a strange power manifested in the Dark Prince. Only Segundo Erebus’s closest friend knew about it. The power unknown bordered on the fantastic, and he dare not ask about it. The Dark Prince knew a disturbing amount knowledge of things he shouldn’t know, things no pony could know.
Erebus suddenly turned towards the castle. “Hmm… so father and Cien are engaging in some fun with some intruders. They’re in the playground. Perfect. See Segundo, there is nothing to worry about. Father is slacking off too.” He chuckled.
“How do you know that, my lord?”
“Oh, I just know.” The dark prince said mysteriously. “As I know, Princess Luna and two others will show up in 3…2…1…now.” Erebus’s breaking wheels suddenly came to life and blocked the incoming star blades from Princess Luna. He didn’t even turn away from his conversation to greet the princess. “See?”
“Amazing, sir, but could you please be less nonchalant about this?” Segundo said with panic.
He sighed, “I guess. Run along, I’ll be fine.”
Luna clenched her teeth; her star blades sparked up a storm against the sturdier breaking wheels. It was taking all she had to reinforce her own weapons with magic to keep Sombra’s newest offspring from grinding them down into metal sand.
(I don’t know what’s more irritating, the fact he’s uses a similar weapon, is this powerful, or the fact he’s not even looking at me!)
She hasn’t faced a being this arrogant since Discord. “Face me, cretin!” Luna fired a magic blast, but the wheels intercepted the attack automatically while continuing to keep her own weapons occupied.
(What enchantment does that?) Pulling her blades back. Luna gained some distance and relaunched her star blades, controlling them to fly in a very intricate pattern. One was intercepted, but the other slipped by a hair’s breadth and went for Sombra’s son’s neck. Only for the most outrageous thing to happen, her star blade, the one gifted to her by King Kusanagi, made by the finest metalworkers in all of Nippon flew apart! The pivot pin went flying, and the two halves of the weapons veered off in different directions.
“Out of the way, Princess!” Came Essex’s strained warning, the rinin mare came flying in fast, her chest puffed up to wild proportions as liquid fire spilled from her teeth. Hot Lava flew from Essex’s mouth, the free Breaking Wheel intercepted the attack, becoming covered in molten rock and falling to the ground with a hard thud. “Ha!”
The hardened rock shook, and the breaking wheel broke free, flying back to its master.
Essex glared at the weapons while taking up a guard position next to Luna, the two mares eyed their enemy warily. The pony next to the dark Prince saluted and ran off, and he finally turned to face them.
“Good day, your highness nice day for a war, no?” Erebus greeted with a disarming smile, not that Luna or Essex dropped their guard. “I’m Erebus, the first son of Sombra and heir to the throne. My aid informed me that you had already fought all of my brothers, yes?”
Luna kept her guard up, but took the chance to speak politely with the Dark Prince, his strange power needed investigating, and maybe he was arrogant enough to be forthcoming about it. Most villains got caught up in their own power and explained it in stupidly good detail, making countering it easy. The number of idiots that did that was as many as the feathers on her wings.
“I’m sure you already know this, but I’m Princess Luna Selene Solaris of Equestria, my companion is Essex. To answer your question, I’ve faced your brothers Scath and Schatten, the third, Ombre? Was defeated by one of my commanders before my arrival.”
“Hmm, I’ll have to tease him mercilessly about that later. He always did think with his dick more than his brain, probably got jumped while chasing down mares. Speaking of mares, I see you’ve brought quite a few to the battlefield. Is this common practice in Equestria, or are your stallions just weak? It must be hard for you and Celestia to find mates.” He grinned smugly. “We could end this war now, you know? Why must we fight? A union between our two nations would be quite the powerhouse.”
Luna rolled her eyes, knowing where this was going, “Let me guess, then world domination?”
“Actually no,” Retorted Erebus. “That would be pointless. Spreading the empire far and wide is fine, but if we don’t plant our roots deep and gain the support of the occupied populace, rebellion tends to creep up. Maybe my grandchildren can take over the next nation or my siblings and raise an army and go take land for their own, but I will be stopping at Equestria.”
Luna opened and closed her mouth several times, her brain taking a second to process what the dark prince was saying and was objectively horrified. (Crap, he is not actually insane?)
“I can see my answer shocked you, princess. To be honest, I’m only going through with this plan because of father, but if you were to accept my proposal, I will claim my birthright right here and now and bring his head to you. You could end this war with two words, Princess.”
The offer was too good. Way too good. It seemed so simple, and it’s not like something like this has never happened in history before. Hell, Celestia had agreed to such a marriage once in the era of city-states. Of course, that fell apart once Celestia’s husband died, but it bought a good few decades of peace.
“Princess,” Essex’s tone could freeze the fires of hell. Luna spared a glance at the rinin who had her hackles raised, and her ire was directed at her. “If ya agree to this, I’ll kill ya here.”
Maybe it was because she didn’t know Essex, but the statement came at a surprise and with a lot of emotion and genuine wrath. It made Luna think she had ripped Essex’s pet or something in half.
Whatever the cause for Essex's threat to her life, it cleared Luna’s mind. “How could I ever trust such an offer? Do you take me for a fool?”
Erebus laughed, “Of course not. I would be more than willing for you to place a double-edged curse on me to prove how serious I am.”
Essex cocked her head, “Double what now?”
“Double-edged curse, it’s an old rune, one Celestia, and I used a lot back in the more chaotic days before Equestria,” Luna explained. “To keep two nations or tribes from warring we’d usually broker a union with marriage, to ensure they wouldn’t go back on the treaty, we placed a seal that if either pony under the curse broke the terms, then both would die.” Luna felt Essex’s judgment burn into the back of her skull, but ignored her. “Basically, you agree to let me place a seal on you with the terms that if you killed your father and end the war, I swear to marry you.”
He nodded.
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am.”
(What angle is he playing here? That curse can’t be altered once it’s placed, and tampering results in death. So why would he want… it… oh…I see now)
It was Luna’s turn to smirk. “I see now. I know what you’re really after.”
“And what’s that?” Erebus answered curiously.
“Immortality, if you’re bound to a double edge cursed seal with the conditions, married until death, as long as I don’t get assassinated, you get to live for as long as I do. The drawback is if you're killed, it sucks for me, but if you word the curse right, you can avoid a natural death for hundreds if not thousands of years.”
“An interesting theory Princess, but you hardly have any proof.”
“History is my proof Erebus, I’ve seen Fathers and mothers kill their own offspring in pursuit of immortality, children killing parents too, it’s a sad cycle.”
The dark prince merely smiled wistfully, shaking his head, “So you’ve seen through me. Experience is truly a frightening thing, but you’ve missed a few things.”
“Like what?”
“That proposal wasn’t mine; it was my father's.”
“WHAT! That’s impossible! Sombra would never…”
“Age is a funny thing, princess. What is life to an old, ill pony whose days are numbered? Wouldn’t that pony want to do something for his offspring? Something that would ensure his bloodline forever?”
“That’s… that’s…ok, I can see Sombra doing that, just for himself.”
Erebus looked at her sadly. “The pony you knew is gone. My father has as he says ‘ripened with age’ that being said, it’s not like the plan is a failure even if you reject me. I mean, all it means is I will have to kill every pony here, but you and Celestia, cut off your legs, horn, and tongue, place the curse and be done with it. And as an added bonus, I can stay single too. Really the marriage offer was just us being kind. Speaking of your sister, has she recovered from her concussion yet? I would like to exchange witty barbs with her before cutting out her tongue.”
(How the hell does he know about Celestia’s injury! No pony beside a few officers and some on Spitfire’s crew should know that. A traitor is impossible! No pony even knew Sombra existed until we told them he did!)
“I can see your surprise, so it is true.”
“How?” Growled Luna, spinning her star blade. “You couldn’t have read my mind!”
“I need nothing so complex. My mother told me is all. Oh, wait, sorry it was Aunt Lily, it’s so hard to keep track of them sometimes.”
The look on Luna’s face was confusion. Nothing about Erebus was adding up, his strange weapons, his knowledge about current events. It made her uneasy. Was there an assassin watching Celestia waiting for a chance to strike?
“Essex, go back to base and guard my sister.”
“She should stay, she won’t be able to do anything anyway.” Erebus chimed in. “I can tell what your thinking, don’t worry, your sister is safe. Aunt Lily can’t hurt her. She can only report on what she sees. Ah, Celestia is muttering something, hard to tell what, though.”
Luna lashed out with her remaining star blade, firing barrage of magic blasts and taking flight. The breaking wheels responded automatically, deflecting her weapon and blocking her blasts. She fired another three, with Essex acting as her wing pony. The female rinin breathed lava, which fell like flaming rain. Erebus threw up an umbrella shield, and his wheels took off after them.
Essex yelled, “Fuck off!” Shooting fireballs to try and stop the breaking wheels. The circler weapons plowed through the flames, so she spat lava, but they broke through that too before it could harden. As a last resort, Essex fired her hoof blaster, firing until the barrels turned red and then engaged in high-speed maneuvers to avoid being crushed between the two iron wheels.
With the weapons occupied, Luna dived for Erebus, the dark princess had yet to move, but his eyes were on her. (Does he really not need to even look at his weapons to control them?)
Enchanting her star blade with magic. Luna let fly the four-bladed gun and observed it. Teal light energy protruded from the spinning edges, capable of cutting through most shields and flesh like a hot knife through butter.
The First son remained still, unconcerned about the incoming attack, the star blade come within two feet of him, aiming for his neck. Then it was smacked to the ground, like volleyball. The star blade bounced harmlessly away, coming to a haunt in the blackened earth.
With narrowed eyes, Luna flashed her horn and muttered a soft chant. “Show me things that can not be seen, reveal all truths to me, Sight Beyond Sight!” The Night Princess’s eyes glowed with magic, changing her view of the world. She looked upon the dark prince and found him embraced by a pony shaped specter, a ghost. More specifically, it was a mare, a tall ghostly unicorn clung to the prince nuzzling him lovingly with a smile that would make children cry. An aura of black magic surrounded her.
“What is that!” Luna cried, pointing at the Prince.
Erebus, as if he could see her, patted the mare’s head with affection. “So, you can see mother, it’s rude not to introduce yourself.”
“Mother… but she shouldn’t be here! She’s dead, ghosts can’t stay that long in this plan of existence unless bound! Did you soul bind your own mother?”
He shook his head. “No, of course not. She bound herself to me, as well as the sister wives of my brothers. She used the Grim Reapers Ritual to become a guardian spirit. She is quite a loving mother, wanting to protect me even after dying or rather killing herself to protect me.”
Luna glanced at the breaking wheels, their mysterious revealed to her, it was no rune that moved them, but two poor chained souls, who screamed in agony as they controlled the weapons. The chains of black magic extended to Erebus’s mother, who was controlling them.
(She killed them, just so they could be her slaves in death. What an evil bitch, no wonder Sombra mated with her.)
To the uneducated Dark Magic and Black magic might be the same thing, and they were similar, but Dark Magic was confused for Black magic by almost everypony. Dark Magic wasn’t evil magic. It was magic fueled by dark emotions, negative energy, darkness, shadows, it was natural in every creature.
Black Magic was evil. It was magic used by witches and their ilk and required sacrifice, usually in the form of another. The purer and more innocent, the better. Its uses were varied and numerous, but black magic was nasty and only benefited the user, so long as they keep a steady supply of sacrifices ready.
“Your mother is a witch or was a witch.”
“I am aware.”
“Do you not care for the souls of your ‘aunts’?”
Erebus shrugged, “They’re not my mothers, but they are grateful. Through me, they can protect their own sons, my brothers.”
“How laughable,” Luna sneered. “As if you care for them. My sister and I nearly killed Scath, and Schatten and Ombre lost a leg, and you did nothing!”
An invisible force suddenly punched Luna in the muzzle. In the corner of her eye, she saw a ghost with a faint yellow outline. “That made Aunt Lily Lemon mad. She’s Ombre’s mother, by the way,” Erebus informed her. His tone was calm, but white magic poured off his bristled black coat in tranquil fury. “And I’m quite displeased myself. Aunt Skyla, Aunt Rosy.” The two breaking wheels broke off the chase of Essex and changed course for Luna. The Night Princess threw up a shield, but the two metal wheels suddenly teleported right in front of her! Giving her no time to react. One hit her shoulder, her armor flying apart, and the other hit her left foreleg, her boot went flying, but it wasn’t done, it clipped her wing, and Luna suddenly found herself heading towards the ground.
(What the hell?)
“I got you!” Essex cried. The rinin’s teeth bit into her neck, and Luna felt her world spin as she was tossed onto Essex’s back. The world kept spinning as the rinin mare made sharp turns and dives at random. “Are you ok, Princess?”
“No,” She groaned in reply. “Please tell me I still have my leg.”
Essex waited to reply. “Well… it’s not on the ground.”
Luna felt for her foreleg and was relieved to feel it still there, minus the bone sticking out of it. “Gods! How could I be so careless!”
Righteous anger boiled inside her. The Breaking Wheels were on their tail, and Luna had enough of them. She leaped off Essex’s back, her black cloak spreading across the sky like a storm. (TIME TO WAKE UP FREELOADER!)
Deep, deep inside Luna’s mindscape, the cackle of Nightmare Moon rose like an opera pitch. (ABOUT TIME!)
The Dark cloak grew in size, forming two claws of darkness that could fit an adult dragon into their palms. “CRUSH!” Luna screamed her voice distorted with another; her eyes whited out.
The claws of darkness grabbed the spinning wheels and closed its appendages around them, pulled back, and then snapped like a pitcher. The breaking wheels smashed into the ground, but Luna wasn’t done, the dark cloak reshaped its self into a full flat wall, but its target wasn’t Erebus. Black spike grew from the wall and shot out spears of darkness upon the army the dark Princes had brought.
There had to be over ten thousand. Celestia was usually the artillery caster, but Luna wasn’t a worthless one, just not as good. Thousands of black spears ravaged the enemy ranks, cutting out an entire swath from the massive army. She wanted to help the FOB, but they would have to hold out without her.
The dark cloak continued to grow.
“Erebus! Face me if you dare!”
The dark prince casually walked towards his weapons; his casual attitude persisted despite her wrath. Which only served to fuel it more. The dark cloak spread even further swords of darkness, buzz saws, axes, and other weapons manifested and took aim at Erebus, who reached his breaking wheels.
He looked up to her with a smirk. “Checkmate.”
Erebus’s breaking wheels come to life again, turning pure white, the broken crystals shining with purifying light. The wheels flew at Luna, who countered with her cloak, but the darkness gave way to the holy rays, the black void vanished. Luna poured more power into the mantle, but it was no use.
Light beat Dark.
She took a second hit from the one-ton wheels. Pieces of her armor flew everywhere, and she fell towards the ground in slimily slow motion. Essex was trying to get to her, but to no avail, the breaking wheels were keeping her at bay. Luna couldn’t help but smile at her own foolishness.
(To think I still wouldn’t learn this lesson. To give into darkness doesn’t work.)
Inside her mind, Nightmare Moon pouted. (I tried to help!)
(I know.)
She closed her eyes and waited for the pain, but something caught her attention, something coming from up above. A roar, a whinnying roar the shook the air. Luna opened her eyes again to see a black shadow descending rapidly towards her, it’s clawing desperately outstretched.
“LUNA!”
It was inappropriate, or maybe it wasn’t, but tears filled her eyes as she happily cried out, “SIXES!”
“Now approaching the Crystal Empire, ETA, ten minutes.” Azure Beryl’s voice said over the gemcom. To the four ponies in the back of the chopper, the words got their blood going. Well, it got three of them excited. Monster Squad Alpha was giddy, but their commander was asleep. This was impressive because even with the ear protection, the noise from the whooshing wind made speaking impossible without the assistance of the gemcoms.
Ruby Blaze was the brave soul that shook Sixes by the shoulder, stirring the black rinin awake, his orange-eyes opened with their usual hardened glare. Wordlessly Sixes stretched activating the fire organ in his stomach to warm his body.
Azure Beryl chatted over the coms, “This is AC-1, to FOB, we are making our descent.” No reply. “FOB this is AC-1, please respond.” No response, again. “Alright… Cloud base thirty-eight, come in Cloud base Thirty-eight. This AC-1, requesting a sitrep.”
“Cloud Base 38, copy, the situation is all green.”
“Cloud Base 38, can you contact the FOB?”
“Wait to confirm AC-1.” For several tense seconds, the five rinin waited with bated breath. “AC-1, we are unable to contact FOB Alpha, and all transitions with FOB-Bravo are static. Battlefield situation is unknown, sending warning level yellow to rear. Shall we send escorts?”
Azure looked to Sixes. “Orders, Commander?”
He sighed, tapping his gemcom. “This is Mage Killer, hold off on escorts, we’re gonna check things out. Standby. If we don’t report anything in fifteen minutes, send word to Admiral McGather, over and out.”
“Copy that Mage Killer, Cloud Base 38 out.”
“Everypony suit up! We’re going in blind! Azzie, this rig got weapons?”
“Of course, it does! What doesn’t have weapons in Night Patrol!”
Sixes laughed at her sarcasm. “Just double-checking. M Squad-A, prepare to go in hot! Azzie, provide air support to any friendly units.”
“Roger, beginning descent. The Empire’s dome is in sight, visibility unclear… sweet Luna’s teats!”
Sixes unbuckled and climbed into the front of the chopper, through the blowing snow he could barely make out the glowing blue shield that protected the Crystal Empire from the elements, outside the city was a massive rank of troops in winter camo, and they were filing into the dome.
“They don’t seem to have noticed us, what do we do Sixes?”
Sixes' claws tore into the co-pilots seat, his jaw clenched tight with anger. “Light them up! We breaking through!
“Roger!” They all shouted.
“Cloud Base 38, this is AC-1, engaging the enemy! Repeat AC-1 engaging!” Azure flicked a series of switches in a row, the final one had a green cover, which she also flipped and flicked the metal toggle up. A red light shined on the panel, the word armed written beneath it. “Weapons hot!”
The Apple Assault Chopper was equipped with an impressive amount of firepower. Its loadout consisted of two twenty salvo gem rocket pods, two Auto Gatling ‘Solid’ Gem blasters with two thousand rounds of ammo, and two nose-mounted ‘energy’ Gem Blasters.
Azure pressed her thumb claw on the trigger of the control stick, after a centering breath, she pressed the button.
A salvo of ten rockets, five from each pod, rampaged through the enemy ranks. Thanks to the enemy's tightly packed formation, dozens and more bodies were flung high into the air, with others being eviscerated on the spot. Azure increased speed, strafing through the enemy with the Gatling blasters, the projectiles pierced armor and flesh with ease. Flying through the shield, Azure grit her teeth at the sight of FOB Alpha entirely overrun. She circled around the west side of the walls laying down a storm of fire upon the enemy. The enemy soldiers hissed and shook their hooves at them, many flying into the sky to give chase. Azure rotated the chopper a hundred eighty degrees laying down another barrage of rockets and solid fire. The pursuit ended very quickly, and she turned the helicopter around, speeding headlong for FOB-Bravo.
“We planned for five thousand, but given the fresh look of these troops, they must have fifteen thousand or more. Not counting civilians.” Sixes really didn’t want to think about what Sombra had to do to repopulate this many ponies to field his army. They loosely guessed what percent of his army survived the first war with the Crystal Ponies population left behind, and his heart went out to the ones they hadn’t been able to save.
“Sorry,” He mumbled, looking at the negative visage of the Crystal City. On his forelegs jingled a gold chain on a cuff with many runes inscribed on the shiny metal. At the ends of those chains were golden hooks, with even more runes written on them. “I’ll set this right.”
Tapping his gemcom, the numbers of all the commanders appeared on his hub, “This is Sixes, any pony copy?”
All of the Commanders and Vice Commanders status signals were listed. He checked their last known locations. Feri was last recorded somewhere in the city limits, Topaz also disappeared there, Gloves had a WIA (Wounded in Action) last known location FOB-A, Trifecta was unknown, last known location was in the city, and AppleJazz’s was active, in fact, they were about to fly over her position!
Disregarding the unknowns, Sixes focused in on Jazz’s location. The 2-d holographic Hub map showed her position below them. Most likely, she was grounded. Her status was still alive. He synced his gemcom with everypony.
“Go to Jazz’s location, she’s in the thick of it. We’ll evac her to Bravo.”
Azure nodded while the monster squad did a final check of their equipment. “I’ll get you as close as I can… SWEET LUNA’S TEATS! I have a visual on Princess LUNA! Also, hostiles incoming!” Azure Beryl screamed over the coms.
Sixes followed Azure’s pointed claw and saw Luna falling out of the sky. A million thoughts went through his mind, such as why didn’t he see her location on the map, where were her escorts, why wasn’t Celestia with her, and other nonsense that he straight out didn’t think about because he already jumped out of the chopper bay door.
Dive bombing through the sky, Sixes folded his wings against his body, becoming a living bullet soaring through the air. Some foolish enemy soldiers tried to get in his way, that was their last mistake, his hooks caught the first pair of idiots like fish and at his speed, the hooks shredded through their armor and flesh nearly cutting them in half. He didn’t bother to look back and confirm the kills.
“For the glory of Sombra and the Obsidian Empire!” Another enemy soldier charged into his path, and Sixes' eyes shrunk to pinpricks.
Sixes stuck out his claw grabbed the fool by the neck, and tore it out, letting the wind take the dumbass’s windpipe. A fourth enemy appeared and wisely gave him the right away, wise, too bad he didn’t account for the hooks tailing behind.
Luna came into focus. Sixes could see her blood-spattered coat, her destroyed armor, her broken leg, and wing. He let out a roar! Luna looked up, finally seeing him. Teardrops pelted his face while she screamed out his name.
He screamed her name rolling his body tighter into a spin and unleashing a flame burst. He caught Luna in his forelegs, shifting to bipedal and came in for a hard landing, bending his knees and rolling. Luna yelped, her broken leg and wing pinned beneath him.
“Sorry,” He muttered, standing and cradling the Night Princess like a princess. “Sorry, I’m late.”
“You better be,” Luna said, doing a fantastic job of hiding her pain, but she couldn’t hide her blush, even though the situation was far from romantic. (Broken leg, broken wing, middle of a battlefield? Not a novel setting.)
Ruby, Octane, and Hazel landed behind Sixes, Essex joined them, finally escaping Erebus’s weapons, and Shamrock appeared with her. The enemy army tried to encircle them, but a quick flyover by Azure pushed them back. They tried again while the chopper pilot repositioned, but a black stallion with white hair came forth and shouted.
“Stand down, rift raft should fight rift raft. These ponies are mine.” The Stallion shouted, every Obsidian took one look at him, and they resumed their charge, flowing around them like they were a stone in a river.
Behind the stallion was a sight, Bulwark lay bloody on the ground, Platinum was crying and clinging to his neck, Gloves was on the ground next to them with AppleJazz not far away. They looked worse for wear and qualified to be rotated out of the fight.
Platinum wiped away her tears, her eyes red and puffy, she snorted, trying to put on a composed face. The light of hope shined in her eyes. “Pere…”
Calmly, Sixes set Luna on her feet and gently pushed the Princess behind him. The others formed a defensive circle around her. He stalked toward the white-haired pony, chains jingling, bloody gold hooks dragging across the ground.
“Another interesting pony as appeared. I must say the way the Princess called out your name with such emotion, it piques my interest. Are you her lover? If my Prench is correct, that mare just called you father.” Erebus inquired, but Sixes said nothing. “Oh, how rude, I should introduce myself. Been doing that a lot today. I’m Erebus, first son of Sombra and heir to the throne…”
He didn’t get to finish. A gold hook was sent flying at him, the breaking wheel on his right intercepted the golden weapon. The chain snagged and wrapped around the Wheel. Sixes severed the chain before it could reel him in. Erebus didn’t think much of this, but when the wrapped-up Breaker Wheel fell to the ground, the spirit of his Aunt Rosy flew away screaming as glowing runes appeared all over the tangled gold.
Erebus tried to manually take control of his weapon. His white-colored magic washed over the Breaker Wheel like oil in water. The runes on the chain glowed, and his spell was dispelled.
“Anti-magic…”
“Did you do all this?”
Erebus faced Sixes, a cold tingle made his neck hair stand on edge, the black rinin’s tone was deathly cold as golden veins appeared over his scarred body.
“What was that?”
“I asked, did you hurt them? Luna, Platinum, Gloves, Jazz, and Bulwark. Are you responsible?”
“And if I am?”
The second hook and chain flew at him, Erebus took control of his remaining Breaker Wheel and deflected the chain. For a brief second, the wheel fell to the ground, but Erebus was able to recover it. In that second, Sixes closed the distance between them. Liquid gold spilled from the rinin’s mouth, forming another gold hook and chain.
“Don’t think I’m afraid you one-trick pony!”
Erebus willed his weapon out of the way and threw up a magic shield, the point of the hook sunk through the protective barrier as expected, but Sixes flew away, the discarded weapon shining and sparking. The hook exploded! Erebus grunted, shaking off the surprise attack and bringing his wheel in front of him as a shield.
“So, you know more than one trick! Interesting!”
The ground rumbled. Erebus braced himself as High Octane, rolled into a jagged rocky ball with pillars of blue flame jutting out of the vents in his body, and charged at him. The monster pony hit the Breaker Wheel, and Erebus dug in his hooves, but found himself being pushed back!
“Don’t think you can overpower me!” He cast an enhancement spell on himself and stopped moving, but two craved pieces of amber appeared on either side of them, honey-colored lightning sparked around the gems.
“Thunder Snipe!” Shouted Hazel Thunder, her horn glowing with an amber light.
Bolts of a Lightning shot from both gems. Erebus roared, slammed his weapon to the ground turning it white. A protective barrier formed around him. Octane broke off his frontal charge, reared back, and breathed fire from his mouth.
From within his shield, Erebus heard the roar of the chopper as Azure came in for a landing. Ruby Blaze helped Platinum, Jazz, Gloves, and Luna onto the flying machine, which took off towards the remaining Equestrian base. The dark prince felt a sense of delight as the hulking rinin was left behind, knowing how anguished the Equestrians would be to leave a pony behind.
His expectations were quickly crushed. Ruby Blaze reared up, her entire body alight with fire that grew and grew until it was about the same size the Chopper had been. When the flames blew away, Ruby, was the size of a small adult dragon. She grabbed Bulwark, cradling the bull rinin in her arms, and carried him into the sky. The mare who had appeared with Luna and the Green Rinin flew beside her as escorts.
(And here I thought nothing would surprise me.) The Dark Prince mumbled to himself, before unleashing a surge of magic that gave him some much-needed breathing room. Octane and Hazel regrouped and pressed the attack again.
The battle raged while Luna looked on from the cluttered passenger bay. Flying beside them was Ruby Blaze with Bulwark in her forelegs. The red rinin smiled and waved. Luna waved with her wing, smiling awkwardly, experiencing a massive disconnect from the little filly she once knew.
“She’s certainly grown.” She mumbled while Shamrock and Essex ran inference for Ruby. Keeping any would-be attacker at bay with brutal efficiently. Equinox skulls were bashed, clawed, and burned out of the sky by the green and black rinin.
Confident in her protectors, Luna looked over the others in the bay. Casting light healing magic to help in any way she could. Only to experience another moment of disconnect when standing over the transformed Gloves, who looked like a completely different creature with his cracked red lava rock like coat. If Platinum hadn’t told her who it was, she wouldn’t have figured it out.
“I’m fine,” Shouted Platinum over the noise when Luna started casting her spell. “Save your strength for somepony who can still fight. Without my prosthetics.” The Pinkish unicorn sadly waved her single leg in the air to emphasize her point.
Sitting next to the pinkish/white unicorn, Luna continued to glance sideways at Platinum while they rode through the enemy storm toward the base. Occasionally the chopper would jolt and careen as Azure maneuvered them to safety.
A pair of ear muffs suddenly appeared in Luna’s vision, Platinum’s magic surrounding them. The unicorn indicated for her to put them on, and she did. The noise of the chopper was muted, and Platinum’s voice came through crisp and clear.
“This is a private channel.” She stated through her gemcom. “Do you have something to say to me?”
After a hard minute of thought, debating whether now as the appropriate time or not, Luna gave in to her curiosity. “Why did you call Sixes… ah…well… why did you call him, Pere? Prench for Father?”
Platinum smiled warmly, placing her hoof over her heart. “Because he took me in after my family was killed in the Prench Civil war. He was the one who pulled me from the rubble of my home. He saw that I got treatment. He got me an education, a goal to strive for in life, and it was thanks to that I was able to meet my husband. I even had him give me away. I learned Equestrian just to tell him, thank you.”
Luna admired the childlike admiration Platinum had in her eyes when she spoke of Sixes, yet even though the unicorn was so joyful. The princess couldn’t help but frown her brow in confusion.
(Why didn’t Sixes tell me about her?)
As the chopper settled down into the base, Platinum and the others were extracted for medication attention. At Luna’s insistence, she made sure her subordinates were taken care of first, even though her leg was giving her hell. She resumed command of the army. Everything was a mess.
“Sure up our defenses! Use long-range attacks to pick off their numbers and keep them at bay. Use explosives in moderation. Scarlet redirect Magic Artillery to the incoming troops. Squads six, nine, and sixteen keep an eye on the city. What’s the situation on the airships?” Luna barked a mass of ponies running around her like a twister to full fill her orders.
A random grunt approached her. “Colonel Spitfire and Colonel Bridge say they are halfway through the city, but the enemy’s resistance has hardened, what do you want them to do?”
“As much I hate to give up ground, we need those airships here.” It was the last thing Luna wanted to do, but retreating may be their only option. It would mean abandoning every pony, not in the base, but she had to face reality and come to a decision. For now, she would set the pieces for escape. Just in case.
Remaining rooted Luna received various reports from all fronts and gave her follow up orders before moving to the tent her sister was being kept, ordering Scarlet to join her along the way. Inside Celestia lay on a bed of pillows, two unicorns siphoning her magic to use in a mass casting ritual. She excused the two, telling them they were going to hold on the heavy magic artillery to give Scarlet a rest.
“What can I do for you, Princess?” Scarlet asked once they were alone. The red unicorn looked her age from casting Celestia’s signature spell, Radiant Star, even using Celestia as a power source. The technique was very taxing. Requiring as much mental endurance as magical.
Luna looked around the tent, making sure no pony was near. “I’m considering a retreat. What are your thoughts on a tactical level?”
“I think you should talk to Cobalt; he is the General.”
“I am aware, Scarlet, and I will, but you have first eyes on our present predicament. What is your gut response?”
Scarlet frowned, looking at the downed and mumbling Celestia, still suffering from a concussion and under the influence of drugs that made her loopy and giddy. The look she wore made it clear her thoughts on the current situation.
“We can hold out, but for how long is a huge question mark. Besides just being outnumbered. We have limited food, medical supplies, and our injured are piling up by the minute, and we have several VIPs captured or missing.”
Luna nodded, “That is our current situation, yes. What would be your call?”
The red unicorn frowned, “The same as yours, I bet, bring the airships in, load up everypony we can and get out of here and regroup at home. Is that it, or do you have something else in mind? Maybe Cobalt can come up with something better, but that’s all I got.”
Luna smiled, patting Scarlet on the shoulder. “Thank you.” She looked longingly at her sister. “I needed another pony to bounce off of, to be honest, but that is my plan more or less. It pains me, but we may have to cut our losses. That said, it will take time to gather up the wounded and load them on the ships. Until that time, we have one important job.”
Scarlet cocked her head. “What’s that?”
“We’re going to cause as much damage as we can. To be more on point, we need to kill as many of Sombra’s children as possible. Erebus, in particular, uses black magic. That gives him access to a list of dangerous spells, and the only way to counter black magic is with white magic or Purity magic as it was called in my youth. It’s a troublesome affair.”
Scarlet cocked her head, her brow frowned as she recalled her own magic studies. “Black magic I know is different from Dark Magic, but isn’t White Magic healing magic?”
“It’s a subcategory,” Luna explained, lighting up her horn and casting a light healing spell on Celestia to hopefully speed up her recovery, if only a bit. “That’s what most ponies think White Magic is, but the bulk of the spells are counters to Black Magic, sometimes called Cursed Magic.”
“Ok…” Scarlet said slowly, feeling like she was back in school again. “So, can’t you just use this White Magic or Purity Magic to counter Erebus’s Black Magic?”
“I used to be able to about twenty-two thousand years ago, Celestia, too, but we’ve long since lost the ability to cast it ourselves without a proxy.”
Scarlet scrunched her nose, her brain working hard to make sense of the Princess’s words. “You can lose the ability to cast Purity Magic? How?”
Luna went stiff, coughed into her wing, and looked at the red unicorn with a cocked eyebrow. “I would think it would be self-explanatory. It is called Purity Magic!”
“Wait, wait, wait…” Scarlet said quickly, unable to hide the shock on her face. “You mean you have to be a…” Luna nodded. “Seriously?” Luna nodded again, and Scarlet buried her face in her hooves. “Does gender matter?” Luna shook her head. “Ok… there may be some hope.”
When Luna and Scarlet left the tent, Celestia stirred, moaning and holding her head as it throbbed. She laid her head against the soft pillows mumbling out gibberish. When she tried to sit up, the world went all hazy and upside down. She’s forgotten this feeling.
“Only Bluecross could make a drug strong enough to affect me. What is in it?” She asked in a moment of coherence. Laying her head back down, Celestia was distressed to hear a ‘beep…beep…beep…’ noise. It was soft and barely audible, but it to her sounded like somepony was ringing a gong beside her head
Irritated, she rolled towards the source, her vision an absolute roller coaster. Blindly she tapped her hoof around the floor to find the source of the noise and knocked over her helmet.
“Wha?” She picked up the piece of armor, popping it on her head and tapping the gemcom controls.
The beeps stopped.
“Ahh… that’s… BZZZZZZZ… better.” She grumbled as a terrible amount of static came over the com. Squinting her eyes, Celestia read out the signal she was communicating with. “4242… wait… that’s!” A voice came through the static. “Ma.k.. al… loca..ti… pre…bo…ardm…t…thirty minutes…” “Wait, I didn’t catch that! Hello! Please repeat!” Celestia dapped with the tuning, but never caught the signal again. Biting her lip, the Sun Princess focused all the magic she could and cast anti-toxic, flushing the medicine from her system. Her pain doubled, but she bore through it and stood firmly on her feet.
When Luna and Scarlet emerged from Celestia’s hospital tent, the Princess addressed the entire base with her Canterlot voice so all would hear. Everypony not engaged in fighting gave the princess their full attention. Expecting some brilliant, genius battle plan to save the day, all were eager for good news.
“IS ANYPONY HERE A VIRGIN?” The Princess shouted, causing jaws to drop and many to stutter and look away. “WE KNOW ITS EMBARRASSING, BUT IT’S IMPORTANT! PLEASE BE HONEST!”
Scarlet coughed, looking as uncomfortable as the rest of them, “Who among you has not laid with the opposite sex? Male or female. It doesn’t matter. We just need a virgin! I know it’s silly, but magic bullshit and all.”
A deep silence came over the base. Followed by ‘ohs’ of understanding. Not everypony understood magic, but they knew some magic had some strange requirements and didn’t question it any further. Still, many ponies awkwardly coughed, averted their eyes, and spoke in low whispers, but none volunteered to out themselves one way or the other.
“Please, your very lives hang in the balance!” The Princess pleaded with one hundred percent all seriousness. When no volunteers presented them, she looked began to look to those nearest to her. “Essex?”
“Yeah, I’m a married mare, I’ve stopped being a pure maiden a long time ago.” The black rinin mare admitted with a blush. Shamrock grinned ear to ear beside her, she elbowed him in the side.
Luna turned her gaze to Platinum, who quickly shook her head and pointed to Bulwark, making a thrusting gesture with her hoof. Next came the elements, who all looked in different directions.
“Seriously? Even Fluttershy and Applejack?” Applejack hid her face under her hat, and Fluttershy practically crawled into her own hair. “Rarity, Pinkie Pie?”
“Well, business and pleasure tend to mix in the fashion industry.” Rarity blushed, looking off to the side. “What’s your excuse, Pinkie?”
“I’m a Party Pony, and sometimes ponies use icing and baked goods for other things, and sometimes I joined in.”
“Has thou never heard of chastity!” She scolded the crowd. After another awkward period of silence followed with everypony looking like a teenager that was caught with a Play Pony magazine by their mother. The silence was so deafening that even the sounds of battle seemed to fade, and then, some pony spoke.
“I’m a virgin, Princess.” An embarrassed booming feminine voice declared.
All eyes turned to the brave and very embarrassed pony in question. Ruby Blaze.
Luna smiled gently at the maiden rinin, sighing deeply with relief. “Let’s get to work then.”
The base cheered for victory, only to be stumbled entirely once again as Celestia came barreling out of her tent. Shouting something that made them all cock their heads.
“Huh… what did she just say?” Essex asked Luna as they watched Celestia climb to the top of the wall. Already soldiers were trying to stop her, thinking she was going to return to the battle.
Luna, too, cocked her head, not grasping her sister’s frantic message. “Something about BO? Wait, Celestia, what are you doing!”
Erebus fired a barrage of magic missiles, sidestepped left, fired again, then used his Breaker Wheel to block. The Dark Prince’s eyes darted wildly from side to side, his breathing slightly elevated. From the right charged the hulking rinin, High Octane, Erebus transferred his Breaker Wheel from his left to his right, stonewalling the rinin, his hooves dug deep into the earth. Octane blew fire out the vents his back, increasing his thrust and the heat. Erebus’s backed off, letting the rinin get in close and then shield bashed him, staggering Octane.
The Prince didn’t have time to rest. Behind him, five amber crystals spun. He teleported, as lightning shot from the gems. The beam of electricity scorched a black line across the ground in his wake. Erebus flung his Breaker Wheel, his Aunt Rosy took control of the weapon and shielded him, while he ran for his second Breaker Wheel to free it.
Predictably his third opponent got in his way, the rinin Sixes. The black rinin flung his chains, aggressively attacking like a wild dog. He rushed in close, wrapping Erebus’s left foreleg and hacked with the pointed end.
The veins in Erebus’s head popped as he growled. He flung Sixes away and created a magic shield in the shape of a cone and charged, aiming his horn at Sixes. Sixes adjusted his wings, landing with a skid, throwing his hooks again. The anti-magic runes shined phasing through Erebus’s defenses with ease. Erebus veered right to avoid the first hook, but the second snagged him, and the rinin pulled, taking to the sky. Without hesitation, Erebus grabbed the length of the hook with his mouth, removed it from his shoulder, and spat it out.
(Three on one is harder when it’s not with my brothers.) Erebus frowned his brow as he veered away, Rosy flying close, the Breaker Wheel orbited around him to protect him from every direction. (I hate to think I overestimated myself, but this wouldn’t be any fun if it weren’t a challenge.)
Grinning with glee, Erebus racked his brain. Inspiration hit him, and he quickly formed a new battle plan as the three rinin circled him like vultures. Cocking his head east, his gaze fell on Hazel Thunder and the seven amber crystals that floated around her. Honey-colored lightning fired from the gems when she noticed he had his eye on her.
Running headlong at the only female present, Erebus took a bet that she was an artillery caster type, close-range would be her downfall. Breaker Wheel in front of him, the lightning was absorbed by the shattered gem. He zigzagged as Sixes and Octane breathed fire to try and lead him off course. He jumped into the air closing the remaining distance between him and the mare. Through the spokes of the Breaker Wheel, he could see her panic as she reared back.
“I got you!” He stated confidently.
One of the gems moved in front of Hazel, spinning so fast it looked like a high-speed drill. Hazel’s horn crackled and sparked with electric power, a wide smirk danced on her lips.
“Don’t peg me for weak, fool!” Yellow lightning shot out the sides of the spinning gem before shooting off like a rocket. “Gungnir!”
Gungnir, an artifact of the Ancient Alicorn of the Skies, Odin. The weapon was a spear that could produce lightning and control storms from what Erebus remembered from his studies. As the numbness spread across his shoulder and he stared at the broken spoke in his wheel. He recalled there was an attack spell of the same name some pony created.
He moved his gaze from his damaged weapon to the place his pauldron had been. One of the few pieces of armor he wore was almost completely gone, the metal sporting a canyon where the attack had hit, the flesh it was supposed to protect was charred and smoking. The skin must be dead because he couldn’t feel any of it. On closer analysis, he found he couldn’t move his left foreleg.
As Erebus took evasive action, running and zigzagging on three legs as the rinin pressed their attack, he laughed and sang his attacker’s praises. “An attack that pierces reinforced enchanted iron and numbs its victim. That sure is something!” He threw his head back, laughing with great joy. “This is fun! So much fun! I never would have expected that from any pony that wasn’t one of the Princesses! Hahahaha! You rinin are great!”
“Are we sure this guy is playing with a full deck?” Hazel asked Octane and Sixes as they chased Erebus. Even on three legs, the Dark Prince was fast! Jaw vibrating with a repressed snarl Sixes pointed ahead. “Right, sorry, pressing the attack! Gungnir!”
Firing another thunder spear, Hazel’s eyes widened when her attack, which had been dead on to blow Erebus’s neck out from the back, suddenly just veered off. Not the wind changed the trajectory or something like that, the attack did a completely unnatural ninety-degree turn and flew through dozens of Obsidian soldiers still keeping their distance.
“What was that shit, Hazel!” Octane berated her.
“Don’t look at me! The first time was spray and pray. That time I had him dead to rights! He should be breathing through a hole in his neck! Or be decapitated! I call hacks!”
Sixes' eyes narrowed as his two subordinates exchange insults. “Shut up.” The two promptly fell silent as he focused on their fleeing target. His eyes narrowing even further. “Why aren’t we closing the distance?”
Whether it was a trick of the eyes or Erebus was just that fast. The three Rinin weren’t gaining ground on the injured prince. Octane was falling behind actually, his massive from not lending him to sprinting. Hazel, with her six long sturdy legs, should have caught up to him by now or Sixes, who was flying beside Hazel. Sixes called for them to halt, and they did, the distance between them and their target never changing, even though Erebus was still running, and they were standing still.
“Illusion magic!” Gold veins spread across Sixes' body. He spewed molten gold, which took the shape of three monocles with a single rune engraved on the lens. “Put these on, quick!” He ordered affixing the item to his face. “All-seeing Eye, activate.”
The rune on the monocle glowed, creating a blue lens in place of the glass that would be on a normal one. The three rinin looked around with a blue filter in their vision. In the uncovered eye, they saw Erebus still running, but in the blue world, they saw nothing.
“Behind us!” Sixes spun, and sure enough, Erebus was behind them, still back where he had gotten hit by Hazel, casting a healing spell on himself. “What’s that…” his voice trailed off; Sixes squinted, noticing several floating pony shapes around Erebus. After a brief look around the battlefield, as he expected saw more of the same forms. “Ghosts, no,” looking again Sixes saw the spectral chains around the necks of the spirits surrounding Erebus, only they were all linked back to the specter riding on his back.
“What’s going on, Commander?” Hazel’s voice pitched with her question, she probably already knew but didn’t want to say it out loud. Understandable, until now, she’s only read about this twisted stuff.
With a deep frustrated sigh that made his shoulders sag, Sixes answered their worse fears, “Black magic, those spirits around Erebus were most likely tortured, killed, bound to the mortal plane and are enslaved, even though they're dead.”
“That’s horrible! Those poor souls!”
“Hey now, they could have been murders or something for all we know,” Octane chimed in, his lava rock-like face fixed into a deep grimace. “Still, that’s messed up.”
“Regardless,” Sixes grumbled, bringing an end to the chatter. “Our mission is the same, kill that bastard, you two remember Kira’s lecture on black magic, or do you need a fresher?”
The two monster ponies shuttered. Hazel vehemently shaking her head side to side, “Please, never again! Oh gods, the visual aids still haunt me!”
Octane more composed nodded his agreement stonily but still shivered.
Sixes crouched low; gold veins flared across his body as he prepared his assault. “Alright, you two know what to do, Hazel get ready to cast Purity Magic. I’ll hold him back.”
Hazel made a loud, very audible gulp that Sixes didn’t hear because he already took off, “Wait! Commander! I can’t do that anymore! I…” Hazel’s cream coat turned pink, but the words died in her throat as she looked awkwardly at Octane. “So… do you want to call him on the gemcom?”
Octane visibility deflated. “I suppose it is half my fault.”
“Who’s the other half?”
“Yours.” He snorted, sparing a grin at Hazel’s offended scrunched up nose followed by a smack on his head.
“Well, fuck you!”
“You already did.”
Erebus’s mouth ticked up in a smile as he finished his healing spell, his natural pure white aura overwritten by a menacing black one that swallowed all light and bubbled with venomous purple hues. It was the color of his mother’s magic. While he healed, he listened to her coos to soothe his anxiety as his flesh stitched itself back together.
His Aunt Lily suddenly appeared before him, pointing her hoof at the approaching rinin. He sighed, cocking his head to the side. “You couldn’t distract them longer?”
Lily bowed her head.
“No matter.” Ready for the second round, Erebus couldn’t contain himself, bouncing lightly on his toes as his second Breaker Wheel, now free, floated beside him. The set of Wheels took up defensive positions while a black void opened before him. “Now seems like the time to use this.”
From the dimensional pocket, a menacing dual bladed scythe with long jagged blades, a spear tip, and hooks on the backs emerged. From the Breaker Wheels, Erebus removed the two pieces of the crystal heart and placed them in the slots on both blades, the weapon hummed with power as he brought it to bear.
Making a few practice swings, Erebus got a feel for the weapon, his brow frowned. (Father gave me this. He had built for himself years ago, shame he never got to use it. Still, I guess there something poetic about using it.)
In truth, he didn’t like the weapon, it was hard to balance, hard to control, and required a lot more focus to use. That being said, it was very, very deadly. The bisected practice corpses were proof of that.
At the sight of the spinning scythe, Sixes skidded to the halt, his gaze narrowed at the weapon. The rinin spat gold into his palm, the molten metal forming to a long cylinder shape.
“Well, come on!” Erebus egged on, launching the scythe. It spun head over heel in a blinding blur of speed. Sixes rose to bipedal, pulling back his foreleg/arm with the misshapen glop of gold in his grip. Blight blinding gold light radiated from the hap formed weapon. When Sixes threw, it broke into pieces having a buckshot effect firing golfball-sized specks of light at mock speed. The attack hit the scythe, peppering it, Erebus clamped his jaw tight, pulling his head back to keep the weapon from hitting the ground.
The scythe wobbled, losing some of its speed. Sixes took flight shooting lava on the unwieldy weapon and gunned for Erebus. Instantly his Breaker Wheels intercepted the rinin. Sixes swung his chains, forcing the Breaker Wheels back and diving for Erebus. The Prince jumped towards the rinin, the two of them clashing. Erebus jabbed with his horn, and Sixes caught it between his claws, Erebus dropped his head, dragging Sixes along the ground.
Knowing he was in a tough spot, Sixes squeezed his claws tighter, digging into the base of Erebus’s horn. The unicorn grunted, but didn’t back off, so Sixes changed tactics, he pulled instead. Their trajectory changed as Erebus’s body followed the direction of his head unconsciously. Sixes kicked his feet up around Erebus’s neck and squeezed.
“URAGH!” Erebus made a hard stop and bucked wildly, shaking his head violently.
Sixes let go, and Erebus’s slammed his hooves down. The Rinin tackled the unicorn, and the two rolled across the ground. The lack of appendages worked against the dark prince as Sixes used his claws to lock his legs down. Sixes stood awkwardly with his left foreleg binding Erebus’s front legs and his back-right nails pinning his back. The black unicorn thrashed, and some mysterious force socked Sixes in the muzzle. This only served to tighten his hold as he reached with jaw and took hold of the unicorn’s neck.
Razor-sharp teeth punctured Erebus’s exposed neck; hot blood filled Sixes' mouth as he sunk his fangs further into the prince’s neck. Once he thought he had a good enough hold, Sixes pulled back, the flesh ripping as he did.
He would have ripped a mouthful right out of Erebus, but the same mysterious force that hit him before now held his head in place. “Nice fucking help, you got there.” Sixes mumbled with a full mouth.
“They are useful,” Cold sweat dripped down Erebus’s face, his left eye strained to see three of his spirits working to keep Sixes from tearing out his neck. “This is quite the in pass.”
“Afraid of dying, kid?” Sixes asked, wiggling his neck, slowly pulling the flesh apart.
“What pony isn’t?”
He chuckled, “Good point.” Sixes let go of Erebus’s leg, braced his foot, and pulled! The air filled with the sickening sound of wet meat being torn apart, followed by a panicked gasp.
Erebus rolled to his feet, his hoof pressed against the wound with a waterfall of blood spilling down his leg.
Spitting out the piece of meat, Sixes forewent any fancy finish and went straight for the kill with his bare claws. Much to his irritation, his claw was deflected by one of the spirits. He swiped blindly at the invisible entity that he couldn’t touch. He tried to break through but kept being repelled.
All the while, steam rose from the Dark Prince’s neck, new muscle fibers stitched up his raw throat. A bubbling black and purple aura mended the near-fatal wound instantly.
“Dammit!” Sixes swung again, tried to get closer, but to no avail. The spirits kept pushing him back! “Hazel! Where’s that counterspell!”
“Sorry, having some technical difficulties.” Hazels meekly said over the gemcom.
His eye twitched as another invisible punch hit him, the attack didn’t do much damage, but they were annoying. “What technical difficulties!”
“Well…” Hazel trailed off. Sixes growled, demanding she answer. “Okay! Before we took the petrifaction potion, Octane and I thought, hey, it would really suck to be stuck as a statue for possibly forever, so we thought before we take that risk, we’d at least not do it as virgins.”
“So, you can’t cast Purity Magic?”
“No.”
Sixes' hackles rose, his body igniting with gold veins, even his mane turned to gold. “Fuck plan B then! Fucking waste my time!”
Spitting molten gold into claws, Sixes quickly crafted three rings on his talons. “Ring of Focus+5%, Ring of Magic+5%, Ring of Dexterity+5%! Fast craft!” The remaining gold took the shape of a familiar spear, which Sixes grabbed just as Erebus’s wound healed.
The two warriors regarded each other. One burning with anger and frustration and the other calm and collected. Sixes struck a spear-throwing pose, while Erebus summoned his Breaker Wheels, now shining with the shattered gems again.
“The unstoppable spear or the unbreakable shield? Which will win, I wonder.” Erebus pondered, taking refuge behind his Breaker Wheels. Double stacking them.
The spear in Sixes' hand shined with light, the temperature spiking as the weapon cracked and shook from its hasty creation. “Spear of Solaris!” Sixes let loose the spear, which shot at mock speeds. The attack was a blink, and you’ll miss it.
When the dust settled Sixes panted, a smoking trench lead to Erebus where it ended just two feet from where the Prince stood. He was unharmed, but his eyes were wide with amazement. His Breaker Wheels, the weapons that were or had been his pride and joy, were gone. Only the fragments of the crystal heart remained, floating in the air where they had shielded him.
“Neither is the correct answer, I guess.” Erebus hung his head, staring at the red hot remains of his weapons, slowly cooling in the dirt. With a jerk of his head, he summoned his scythe through the void again, disposing the gems into the slot in the blades.
The scythe became engulfed with the magic of the shattered heart. In his gasp, Erebus thrust the tip of the blade forward.
“Round two?”
Grabbing his shaking wrist, Sixes massaged it, digging his talons deep, his claws moving in a sporadic jerky way. “Fine by me.” He growled; his teeth clenched so tight his gums bled.
The two combatants circled each other, ignoring the spectators in the form of Hazel and Octane. The two monster ponies were about to jump into the fray but yielded when Sixes motioned from the to say put. Erebus did the same to Segundo, who had been watching from afar, hiding under an illusion spell. He became visible under his prince’s command with a magic blast charged and waiting.
“Don’t go stealing my fun, Segundo.”
The Obsidian army officer shrunk, his horn blowing out like a candle in the wind. “Wouldn’t think of its milord.”
With that out of the way, Sixes created more gold rings on both his forelegs and back legs, for a total of twelve accessories. Each one engraved with runes.
Gold veins pulsed across Sixes' body, even his scars shined as he breathed more gold. “It’s cliched, but I’m not holding back, boy.”
Erebus twirled his scythe, grinning wide with excitement. “I’ll rise to the challenge.”
“Milord!
“Sixes!”
Sixes closed his eyes, mumbling something under his breath before snapping them open again. “Ring of Focus+10%x3, Ring of Dexterity+10%x3, Ring of Power+20%x1, Ring of Magic+20%x1, Ring of Agility+10%x1, Ring of Greater Strength+25%x1, Ring of Greater Magic+25%x1, Ring of Dues-All Stats+5%x1!”
As Sixes listed of the magic items, his magic grew brighter and hotter, gold mist rose from his body like steam. Blood bled from his eyes; his irises changed from orange to gold. His chest pulsed with energy, his scars lighting up like cracks on a hatching shell.
Erebus spun his scythe faster, enchanting it with black magic, the black blades became even darker, menacing purple mixed in with pitch-black void. What vegetation still lived through the battle thus far shriveled and died on the spot. Segundo took several long steps back as death spread through the earth like a disease.
“Well, come on! Let’s put that old phrase to the test, light verse dark!” The dark Prince egged on, black magic filled the air around him like the winds of death, while Sixes shined like the rays of the rising sun.
Sixes, his eyes entirely overcome with gold energy as he took his stance, held three globs of gold floating in his palm. “Multi-cast: Spears of Solaris Barrage!” One after another, Sixes fired the shining spears in succession. In response, Erebus let loose his scythe, entirely overtaken by darkness, looking like a black hole that grew and grew threatening to swallow everything whole.
“Campe, Keeper of Tartarus! Shatter thy chains and return thy true form! Show these mortals your unholy might! Sinister Winds!” The whirling wind around the scythe became visible, extending the darkness even further, sucking the life from the earth, feeding its power even more.
Spears of light met darkness. Three explosions went off inside the dark void, which had stopped cold, the two powers now mixing, fighting for dominance. All looked on, their eyes glued as the massive sphere of magic continued to grow larger and larger. Rays of light would burst from the darkness and then be swallowed up, before shining again. Then the blackness compressed to the size of a golf ball with tiny gold electric arcs bouncing across its surface.
Then it exploded.
Three arrows of darkness and light fired off in random directions, massive domes of the polarized magic decimated everything in a mile radius of their center. Meaning for the massive Obsidian Army that was scattered on the open field, they were more likely to get it. Entire Battalions were wiped out in a blink of an eye. Those lucky enough to be caught within the dome of death were eviscerated into nothing. Those that were only partially in the sphere of death suffered as whatever part of their body was inside was erased, as if from existence. Ponies suddenly lost limbs, half their bodies, or chunks.
Some particular horrible cases were the ones that were bisected down the center or suddenly found themselves without their back halves or a quarter of their body. Those unfortunate enough to receive this fate cried out for death as they screamed, their minds unable to process what just happened to them.
At the source of this unholy attack of light and dark, stood the two users that brought this rain of death upon the army. Sixes breathed hard in his base form, stared at the smirking Prince with blood-filled eyes. The Prince’s head thrown back in deep, mocking laughter. When Sixes turned to see what was so funny, he froze, his blood running colder than the artic.
One of the two remaining Airships, by the most impossible of margins, had been hit. It's grave marked by the newly made clearing in the Crystal City.
“How tragic, killed by friendly fire. But I’ll take half of the responsibility, it’s only fair. Besides look on the flip side, more of my soldiers were killed then yours. Oops, I suppose you don’t have that many to spare.”
Sixes shook, grinding his teeth. He wasn’t a unicorn, he could use magic, but couldn’t guide it like they could. “Did you sacrifice your own troops just to aim one of those rebounds?”
Erebus tilted his head, looking bemused as he shrugged. “Possibly, hard to say isn’t? Maybe fate just isn’t on your side?”
Suddenly an explosion rocked behind them. The Equestrians turned to see that last and final Airship was a fire. Black smoke rose from where the black powder was stored. Seconds passed, and Sixes knew what was coming next.
A secondary explosion.
From inside the hull of the Airship, a massive fireball erupted, engulfing the entire ship and any crew that didn’t manage to escape the fiery remains that fell into the city. From that fireball two glowing spheres, one green, one blue emerged and flew towards them, landing beside Erebus. Who suddenly frowned?
“Get lost.” The First son barked foully, irritated by the sudden arrival of his younger brothers.
Scath and Schatten emerged from their respective colored transports and took up positions beside Erebus, whose frowned deepened. While opposite of them, Hazel and Octane jumped back into the fray beside Sixes, who struggled to stand.
“Fuck… you two leave. That’s an order.” He said to the two monster squad members, his eyes squeezed shut while bloody tears rolled down his face.
“Can you even see, Commander?” Octane looked worriedly at the commander officer, who looked like he just got his eyed pulled out.
Sixes looked at him, his eyes opened in a narrow slit. “Well enough to see you’re not fucking listening!”
Hazel stepped forward and pushed Sixes behind her. “If any pony needs to leave, it’s you, Commander. We’ve trained for this. Trust us. Besides, you’ll be in the way as you are.”
“I’m not blind, but flying isn’t an option. Who are the ponies that showed up? I can’t make out any details on them, but they look big.”
“Erebus’s brothers apparently. Must be hard, being the eldest, but being shorter.” Hazel laughed humorlessly; her body sagged at the sight of the new arrivals. “Fuck, we’re fucked.”
“Maybe not,” Octane indicated with his head to the brothers, bringing up the battle damage the two sported, the slight motion of their chest indicated they were more tired then they let on. “They must have just gotten done resting after a big fight. They can’t be fully recovered, maybe eighty percent. Even if they used magic to heal, they'd be fatigued.”
Octane shifted his weight lumbering toward Hazel and standing in front of Sixes like a shield. The half-blind rinin snarled and lashed out, he missed, as if to visibly show the crushing blow to their combat strength. “Hazel, how many Gungnirs do you have left?”
Hazel looked uncertainly at her fellow monster pony. Like Emerald Cutter before her, she could control gemstones that corresponded to her color palette. In her case, Amber, which she carried a lot of for various applications. Such as flight, defense, and attack.
The gemstones used for Gungnir weren’t just gems pulled from the earth. Of course not. The Amber for Gungnir needed to be created. First, it was mined, using only the purest chunks of amber, next it was carved and polished and finally enchanted and engraved with runes. Discounting the mining. It took Sixes a full day to make one Gungnir for her. It took Hazel two if she did the engraving herself.
“Six.” She whispered bitterly, patting her saddlebags where the specially carved stones were stored. “I was going to bring nine, but I didn’t finish the ninth, and then I used two already, so six, yeah.”
“Then save them for a finishing shot.”
Hazel looked at Octane with narrowed eyes. “Don’t tell me what I already know, Octane. Kira trained both of us.”
He bowed his head in apology. Both of them crouched, digging their claws into the earth as faced down the three sons of Sombra. Who bickered amongst each other?
“I took you two to leave! This is my prey.” Erebus restated again, brushing past his brothers to resume his battle with Sixes. Scath’s huge sword barred his path, the green-haired pony towered over his elder brother with a condescending grin.
“Time for you to go rest, Brother. You know the rules, if two of us rule against you, then you have to back down.” Scath reminded Erebus, but the first son retorted.
“That only applies to Zil, and you. Ombre and the others don’t count.”
“That was when we were teenagers, Elder brother, we’ve grown, you know.” Schatten pressed crossing his spear with Scath’s sword, making an X before Erebus. “Besides, you’re injured, your weapons are gone, and your magic is depilated. You’re a burden in this fight.”
Erebus’s eyed narrowed, black/purple magic blazed from his eyes. “If ya thinkin’ ye can take me, little brother, try it! If not, back down!”
Schatten bristled, his coat standing on end as he backed away from Erebus. “Of course not, but as the heir, your health is important.”
Upon hearing that, Erebus visibly relaxed. None of them could see it, but Red Rum was stroking her son’s mane, whispering into his ear and calming him down. To the younger brothers, it merely appeared their brother reined himself in.
“You two take the two protecting my prey, he’s half blind and tired, surely I can be trusted to finish him off? It is my right.”
Scath pulled his sword from the earth and brandished above his head. “I can’t argue with that! Right, Schatten? I’ll take the big guy on the left!”
“Well, your sword is more a metal club anyway; it would be better suited against him.” Schatten retrieved his spear, their opponents already waiting for them. He could only assume the reason they let them finish taking was to gain a few more seconds of rest and to plan.
“En guard!”
With that single word, the six ponies charged at each other.
Unlike the battle between Sixes and Erebus, which could be better described as a duel. The fight between the six ponies was a pure brawl. There was no banter, no waiting, no respect. It was blood in the mud beat the enemy’s brains out with a shovel at the bottom of a trench brawl.
Scath hit Octane with the side of his greatsword, bombarding the rocky rinin with fast and wild strikes, while he curled into a ball and tanked the attacks. Fire shot from Octane like thrusters propelling him forward. Scath used his sword like a bat to hit the rinin away, but he always came roaring back, faster, and with even more fire.
The time came when Scath missed his pitch, and Octane rammed him, running the unicorn over and pinning him to the ground. Octane unrolled from his shell, using his bare claws to punch, gouge and rip Scath’s body. The big stallion roared rising to his feet and flung the rinin off and flailed his forelegs. The armored hooves cracked Octane upside the head, but that didn’t stop him.
Octane rammed Scath, and the two clashed, rolled, and tackled each other over and over again. Blood poured from their noses, their lips were busted, fresh cuts and bruises adorned both their bodies, but neither of them noticed or cared. They were focused on only one thing, and that was killing each other.
Not far away, Schatten and Hazel fought a battle with slightly more elegance. Instead of exchanging blows like savages, the two danced a deadly dance of magic. They stood forty paces from another, circling each other with narrowed eyes and glowing horns.
Schatten fired a burst of three magic blasts, Hazel countered with a beam of lightning and fired Amber spikes as a follow-up, which Schatten blocked with his spear. The two of them galloped, each of them running faster and faster as they exchanged attacks at a distance. Some blasts pelted Hazel, scorching her skin and blasting off pieces of her armor, while Schatten was pierced by spikes of amber. Neither used defense, trying to cast such a spell would take time and focus, which would slow them down. No, in a battle like this, it was better dodge and put your shots on target.
In the few minutes the two have been dancing this dance, they exchanged over fifty ranged attacks. Such a thing was unheard up. The average magical shootout usually only used ten to fifteen shots at most.
Snarling, Hazel shot an electric beam, leading the crackling and unwieldy energy at her target. The attack bent and turned as it tried to catch up to its goal. Hazel grunted in frustration, canceling the attack, and switched to thunderbolts. Again, her anger rose as her shots fell behind her target.
(Come on, come on! Lead the fucker! Take a breath and aim!) She scolded herself, steading her breath as she zeroes in on Schatten. Several blue blasts kicked up dirt around her, but just like her, her opponent was also suffering from the lack of stability, spell recoil, and the opponent's speed and movements.
They may be circling, but they weren’t moving in straight lines. They were zigzagging, jumping, ducking, and everything else they could think of to throw off each other’s shots. In this situation, the common tactic was to put as many bolts in the air and hope for a lucky hit. Kind of like Anti-flyer fire. In most cases, it was a waste of magic and stamina. The winner decided by who could put out for shots before tiring.
It was a bad habit Hazel herself once had and one she still fell into. If not for her training under Kira, she would be blasting away.
(A clear and deceive strike is better than a hundred weaker blows.) The elder rinin’s words rung in her mind.
With a clear and focused mind, Hazel leaped into the air, summoning a Gungnir shell from her saddlebag and charged the projectile while calculating Schatten’s path. She could see that he saw what she was doing and, in a panic, chose to stop and block, the blue shield just started to flicker into existence when Hazel let go of the breath she held and fired.
The Gungnir fired straight and true like a shot from a rifled barrel.
“I got you!”
Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and blood was spilled.
Between the two other battles fought Sixes and Erebus. It wasn’t the brutal brawl of Scath and Octane, nor was it the somewhat elegant magic battle of Schatten and Hazel. No. It lay somewhere in between.
Sixes, half-blind, exhausted, and fighting out of pure sheer force of will. Didn’t try to dodge or block, but instead threw himself at Erebus with everything he could muster in his current state. For Erebus, who had exhausted much of his magic, could still fight thanks to his hidden support. It wasn’t enough to cast anything major, but it kept him going. Unfortunately, what little power his aunts could supply him was being funneled to heal him. Not that he cared. His eyes were wide with disbelief and joy as Sixes, like a vicious cornered black beast, attacked over, and over, and over again! Every strike was brutal, the rinin’s claws cutting long and deep with every swing.
It was taking all the magic of his Mother and Aunts just to stay healed. Erebus, who hardly ever fought bare hoofed before, found his attacks inefficient. He flailed a foreleg or kicked with his blacklegs, but his moves were too straight forward, too predictable. He shouldn’t be surprised, nor could he be upset at any pony but himself. He won most of his battles without hardly ever needing to move a muscle.
“Not bad for a blind pony!”
“I told you, I’m not blind!” Sixes raked his claws across Erebus’s barrel. He didn’t try to gain distance, no, he pressed his attack harder. Ignoring the Prince’s half-assed strikes. Sure, it hurt, but he’d been hit harder. He struck deep, trying to bury his claws into the stallion’s chest and rip his heart out.
Erebus’s wild blows succeeded in knocking Sixes away, and the Prince teleported away to start healing. Why the Prince didn’t teleport further away was simple. He was using most of his magic to heal himself. Treating the wounds Sixes inflicted took a lot of energy and focus. Even if he was outsourcing, there was no time to teleport more then twenty feet away. Before he could catch his breath, Sixes was on him again, like a hunting dog after it’s prey.
“You can’t do this forever, but I can!” Erebus boasted, even if his breathing was labored, he could heal and heal, and heal again. Unlike Sixes, who could only grow more tired and grew weaker with every round. The fact Erebus had time to even taunt was proof the rinin was slowing down.
Sixes ran towards the sound of the Prince’s voice, his vision only giving him a black outline of the stallion. Sucking in air, Sixes’s chest expanded and glowed, he spewed fire. Not having the time to create lava or gold.
The flames made Erebus give ground, shooting wild shots from his horn, while he continued to heal. Of the three he fired, two-hit Sixes, their rush casting made them weak and comfortable for the rinin to tank.
Sixes roared, snarling and snapping his jaws like a feral dragon. He leaped forward, and so did Erebus, his horn thrust forward. Sixes fell upon the curved appendage, raging in pain, the horn pierced above his lung. But he didn’t let this opportunity pass by, Sixes jabbed his claw into the side of Erebus’s head, his thumb sinking deep into the prince’s eye sock. He hooked his thumb deep into the socket, digging for the other stallion’s brain!
“RAGHA!”
“WHAHA! How do you like that! How do you like that bastard!”
“Milord!”
A newcomer entered the fray, Segundo, the equinox officer, shot a full charged magic shot and hit Sixes in the base of the neck. The attack was strong enough to dislodge the rinin from the unicorn’s horn and send him sprawling to the ground.
“Segundo! Don’t you dare!” Erebus’s tone lacked any gratitude. In fact, it was murderous as he searched for his lackey with his remaining eye. “He’s my kill! If you dare kill him, don’t expect to see tomorrow!”
Instead of responding to his lord’s threat, Segundo charged ahead, charging another blast, he’d strike the rinin point-blank and shoot a magic missile directly into his body. That should kill the rinin for sure. And possibly him, but it was the more honorable way to go.
(I’m sorry, Erebus, but I have to protect you, even if it makes you hate me.)
Sixes laid on the ground, barely twitching, but the rinin was still trying to get up. Falling like a newborn foal with every attempt.
“For King Sombra!” Segundo roared, leaping ahead for the killing strike.
Time seemed slow down, every heartbeat was slow and beat as loud as a bass drum. Excitement swelled up inside of him. Even if it would be his first and last kill, he could take pride that this rinin, this monster, would be his to claim.
“Sorry to upstage you, my friend.” As he careened toward the downed rinin, a sudden chill overcame him. The rinin half-blind, injured, that could barely stand, turned to face him. Through his blood-filled eyes he could see the slit pupils and the gold hue that surrounded him. The scars on Sixes' body began to glow, and because he was so close, Segundo was able to see something no pony else did.
The scars that marred Sixes' body weren’t just scars, they were runes. Carved into the rinin’s skin.
Gold fire filled his vision, Segundo screamed, his eyeballs melting out of his skull. “Impossible! HOW! HOW!” “Shut up and die already you third string.”
Something jagged, and metallic pierced his throat. Segundo couldn’t see it, but it was a broken pierce of Sixes' armor. Thrown by the rinin and by extreme luck caught him right in the jugular.
“Segundo!”
In a moment of pure rage, Erebus forgot his transgressions against his now dead friend/underling and charged Sixes while ignoring his mother’s warnings. He didn’t need magic; he’d just trample the bastard beneath his boot heels!
(EREBUS, STOP!) Red Rum screamed to no avail. (In the sky, foolish boy!)
Before Erebus could register what, his mother was saying it was too late.
“GATLING BARRAGE!”
Dozens of magical blasts fell from the sky, pelting him hard and stopping his charge. He threw up a shield and looked up to see who dared get in his way. It was a pink alicorn.
A pair of whinnying roars shook the sky as Fierce Fury and Triple Thunder dived into fray, spraying fire and lightning all over the place.
“Keep the pressure, Princess! Don’t stop!” Fury roared as he zoomed around the battlefield, shooting fireballs at all of Sombra’s sons while yelling at Hazel and Octane. “Don’t just stare! Grab Sixes and go!”
“Yes, sir!” The monster pony duo replied, hurriedly breaking off their fights. Fury ran interference for Octane. Coming face to face with Scath again.
“I killed you!” The Second son stated furiously swinging his sword at the red rinin. Like at the arena, Fury was cut to pieces, but unlike last time. He quickly reformed and shot a stream of fire at Scath’s face.
“You’re not the first!” Fury taunted bombarding Scath with as much fire as he could.
“I’m not letting you get away!” Schatten chased after Hazel, but Triple Thunder blocked his path.
The three-headed rinin smirked, “Remember me?” He asked, earning a confused look from the fourth son. “Doesn’t matter. Let him have it!” The extra heads shot blue lightning at the fourth son, who was missing one of his back legs.
Schatten dodged, teleported, and threw up a shield to getaway. He spared a moment to look at the situation and made the best call he could. Charging his horn, he fired two, three, and then two more magic flares into the air.
The black horde, which had been running around them all this time, suddenly began to close in.
“Schatten!”
“It had to be done. You're selfish and foolish, brother.” Schatten calmly replied to Erebus’s rage. “We can’t let these ponies escape. They cannot be allowed to regroup and heal.”
“I know! I know…” Erebus trailed off, looking sadly at the Sixes as he was placed on Octane’s back. Even though the rinin killed Segundo, a pony he considered a friend, he respected the black rinin. “Death by trampling it not a proper death for him.” He said to himself, yet he could do nothing to save or finish off his prey.
As the horde drew closer and closer, and the rinin’s death was all the more assured. Something strange happened. A magic flare, bright and yellow shot from the Equestrian base. Cadence contestant barrage of fire came to a halt as the red rinin all but screamed for her to get to them.
As all the Equestrians regrouped, for some reason digging frantically in the dirt, even making the Princess move the earth for them. Erebus stared at the second magic flared floating above the Equestrian base and then a third over the castle.
“What’s going on?” Scath asked as he and Schatten stood beside them. “They’re acting crazy. Digging a hole.”
“No, they’re doing it for a reason…” Schatten trailed off as a loud whistling noise filled the air, followed by three massive explosions!
Behind the three brothers, three towering fireballs touched the sky, followed by three more, and another three. They looked around for the source and saw that it come from the east. They looked just in time to see another three flashes of burning light arc across the sky and explode somewhere behind them.
“What is that? A cannon? How far is that?”
Schatten gulped, earning his brothers’ attention. “Schatten?”
“Fifteen miles…”
“What?”
He repeated his statement, with fear and disbelief, “Fifteen miles, look in the distance, you can see them!”
Far, far in the distance against the back of the rising sun. An outline appeared. A massive silhouette, as tall, no, even taller than their castle. And there were more of them. Black smoke rose from their stacks as they rode across the clouds, massive guns, the size of which was beyond anything the brothers could imagine raised and fired another barrage.
One particular ship was more massive than the rest. Nearly double the size of the two battleships flanking it. The flagship of the fleet. From the brothers’ point of view, it looked like somepony dropped a castle onto an oversized boat. Giving the ship a boxy image offset by the two tiers of triple barrel cannons on the deck.
“What are those! What army is that!”
As the ships drew closer, they suddenly began to turn broadside revealing even more guns.
“Ship… Airships… and they're made of metal…” Schatten’s legs shook as the rear guns slowly turned towards them and when he recognized the flag flattering on the mast of one of the ships. Everything clicked. “Get under the flare! Now!”
Massive high explosive shells hit everywhere, the open plain, the city, wherever that wasn’t marked with a yellow flare. Bodies, guts, and earth rained down from the sky.
Smaller iron Airship began to encircle the barrier of the Crystal Empire and fired their own guns. Well, not as massive, they fired quicker, raining down even more death from above. The obsidian forces didn’t know what to do.
Some ran towards the ships, some ran toward the castle, some just stared up at the sky and waited for their turn to die.
“What… what is this…” Scath asked, not expecting an answer, but he did get one.
“It’s the Nippon Navy, a sky navy… Schatten muttered with a deep tremble of fear as the entire fleet of iron airships barreled down on them.
The leading battleship of the fleet turned broadside, written on its hull was BB-42, INN Emerald Cutter, it’s twelve triple-barreled eighteen-inch guns all trained on the chaotic Obsidian forces.
One second, two seconds, and three seconds, and they fired again. Unleashing death and destruction, the likes of which the Son’s of Sombra have never seen. The recoil was enough to push the ship backward despite its mass. When it’s sister ships did the same, BB-47 Overheat, and BB-52 Shinto. The destruction was unfathomable.
Upon the flagship, The Emerald Cutter, ponies scurried across the deck. A tall flight of stairs left up the multilevel staggered castle that made up the main body of the ship. A massive group of ponies in formal dress banged massive war drums, flutes let out a windy cry, and the twang of shamisens and battle horns blaring created a harmonious mix of music that offered death.
Up the ornate stairs, past the procession of war drums, past the communications officers directing the fleet, to the very top of the castle tower. Sat a single pony dressed an ornate white kimono with red patterns on it.
Surrounding this pony was over fifty other ponies in elegant armor that stood at the ready, katana at their sides. In the center kneeling before the throne where two white stallions. King Kusanagi and his son, Prince Kiri.
But who would the King of his own country bow to?
The answer was the white six-legged, six-winged, mare seated on the throne, the true eternal leader of Nippon, the Great Mother Queen. Though she was known by other names.
Night Patroller 4242, Kira Perfecta Shiroyama, The Goddess of Nippon, The Eternal Queen, The White Death, and the world's deadest grandma.
“How are you doing, Vani?” Bixin asked the vanilla-colored rinin in a calm and even tone. That was quite the feat in the younger rinin’s eyes since the two of them were surrounded by dozens if not maybe a hundred enemy soldiers breathing down their necks.
“Situation is yellow!” She replied concern and fear laced her words as she manned the rapid-fire gem blaster mounted on the turret of the tank. Vani wasn’t even correctly wielding the gun; she was still inside the war machine with only her claw reaching out of the hatch to pull the trigger. Literary firing the weapon blind. Not that it mattered all she had to do was keep the Obsidian soldiers from overwhelming them while Bixin drove.
Situation yellow was code for, unhurt, and feeling overwhelmed. It was less an official term and more slang for, ‘I’d rather be home.’
“Noted,” Bixin replied, his gaze narrowed through the driver’s visor, giving him a very narrow view of the path ahead. He reached for the front-mounted blasters, shooting a quick burst before straightening out again. Cringing as the tank skidded against the side of a building. “Vani, I know it sucks, but you need to get up and actually aim! Get these flies out of my view!”
“Ooh…” She moaned, but none the less, Vani did as ordered and popped her head out of the safety of the tank to lay down a focused barrage in front and above them. After a total of twenty seconds of exposing herself to harm, Vani ducked back into the tank with several plumes of smoke rising from her armor. The metal scorched and damaged. “I don’t know how many more blasts I can take! The RFB is getting hot too!”
Bixin merely, “Tch.” At their current situation, empty cannon shells rolling across the floor as he turned, the ammo rack completely empty. The tank bounced slightly over the road, a few faint screams coming up from the floor.
“Must have got a few more idiots.” He remarked.
Sometimes the Obsidians tried to stop the tank by forming a line on the road and casting shield magic. More than fifty have been killed by running them over.
Making another left, Bixin checked the gauges, his eyes fixated on the engine temperature. Thanks to gem motors, they didn’t have to worry about fuel, since as long as the gem powering the motor spun, they could operate.
What they did have to worry about was the gem overheating, cracking, and then exploding. Other things could go wrong, but right now, he was most worried about breaking because the gauge was twenty degrees over the standard limit. It wasn’t in the red, but it was getting there.
“Vani, what’s the operation time of this model?”
“Umm, hold on, I’ll look!” Keeping her claw on the trigger, Vani reached over and grabbed the operator’s manual. Something landing on the roof made her pause and shoot fire out the open hatch, before skimming through the table of contents again. “Right, when running at infantry marching speed, max five miles per hour, operation time is estimated to be seventy hours. At blitz speed, thirty to fifty-five miles per hour, operation time is roughly twenty hours with no shutdown.”
Bixin bit back a growl doing the math in his head. Having to multitask so much made time slip his mind, so he didn’t know how long they’ve been running the tank hard. That being said, they should be nowhere near the operation time limit, which means the engine might be damaged in some way. There was no way to check without stopping, though.
“At least we haven’t been tracked yet.” He mumbled while making another turn, using the compass to roughly guess where they were, since near of them had the time to look at a map.
“All…bzzz….repe… all allies… prepare… for… bro…ar…w…”
“What as that?” Vani reached for the gemcom mounted on the wall of the tank, turning up the frequency. Loud static filled the interior of the tank, a broken voice repeated the message with some clarity.
“To all allies, bombardment will commence in four minutes twenty seconds, please get to the safe zones. Enacting BROKEN ARROW, REPEAT BROKEN ARROW!”
Vani frowned, “Broken arrow? What code is that? Bixin, do you know?”
The copper-colored rinin turned back to look at her, his face drained of all color, his eyes the size of pinpricks. “Vani, get out and look for a giant flare in the sky.”
“But…”
“We’ll both die if you don’t! Hurry, we don’t have much time!”
Hearing the panic in her usually calm and collected commander made Vani stick her head out without further questions. She braced for the pain, but no magic blasts were flying at her. All the Obsidians were staring at the same thing she was, a giant yellow flare hoovering over the castle.
“Flare over the castle! Enemies are distracted!”
“Get in! Close the hatch!”
Following Bixin’s orders, Vani took the seat next to the drivers as Bixin shifted to the high gear, the tank rocked revving up to max speed.
“Sir, you’re going to fast! The engine…”
“It doesn’t matter now! If we don’t get under that flare, we’re dead!”
“What’s even happening! Why are you so scared!”
The tank rocked and veered through the streets, Bixin spared a glance at Vani Lu, completely surprised by her code ignorance. He opened his mouth to rebuke her but stopped upon realizing she wouldn’t know the code due to Celestia’s meddling in the last Patroller class curriculum. Of which Vani Lu was a graduate of.
“The short version is every cannon, bomb, in the entire area is going to shot at everything not under those flares. And they’re not going to stop for ten minutes. I don’t know what doing the firing, but it’s not a code sent for jokes.”
“But what about allies that can’t make it to the safe zone?” Bixin didn’t answer. The younger rinin visibility paled and reached for the fire extinguisher. “I’m going to try cooling down the engine.”
The AT-45 driven by Bixin roared through the crystal streets. It bounced over broken roads, crushed rubble under its tracks, and shook off any stray fire from the Obsidian forces. Black smoke poured out of the exhaust, a loud grinding sound coming from the engine, but it pressed on.
Sombra’s soldiers were beginning to remove their gaze from the flare hoovering over the castle and turned back to the machine that terrorized their streets. One officer shouted they charge their horns to the max, and they did. Firing a focused barrage of blasts.
The maxed-out shots slammed against the armor plating, which was scratched and dented from hours of fighting. This last barrage brought out a cheer for the black army as pieces of reinforced metal flew off the tank.
“Keep hammering them, boys!” The officer shouted with gusto. Envigored by their success. They continued to fire wave after wave of charged shots on the tank. Scorch marks littered the armor, some armored plates melted, yet the machine kept running. “Aim for the wheels!”
A squad of five took up the job. Flying low beside the tank, avoiding debris and the enduring high-speed pebbles that the tank kicked up. Warily they eyed the top of the tank, expecting the gunner to pop out at any second, but the weapon that had been keeping them at bay remained silent.
“Ready!”
“Same!”
“Then, fire!” The squad leader shouted, and all five shot their blasts at the track.
It broke, the interlocked metal snapping, but the soldiers didn’t get to celebrate. Hot broken pieces of metal flew in their faces. And they were heavy. At the tank's current speed, a shot to the head that would have had the same result. The shrapnel tore all but one of them apart, flinging their bodies into the buildings lining the street.
The Obsidian Officer who gave the ordered watched tensely as the tank continued to roll ahead. Sparks were flying everywhere. The drive wheels continued to spin, keeping the tank moving. He thought he sent his comrades to die for nothing, but he noticed the tank suddenly lost a lot of speed, and it was no longer driving straight.
“Yes…”
The tank skidded onto the castle road, coming to a dead stop, black smoke rising from the back.
“YESSS! Come, comrades! For the King!”
“For the King!”
Bixin cursed, slamming his claw against the controls. “Dammit!” He peered through the driver’s visor, they weren’t even half a mile away from flare, but they wouldn’t make it on foot. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Vani!”
“Wha…wha!” The vanilla rinin was cut off by Bixin grabbing her and shoving her down the floor escape hatch. Bixin locked the top hatch and climbed down with her, making things uncomfortable as his body pressed against hers. “Commander…”
“Dig.”
“What?”
“I said, DIG!” He stressed quietly as he could. Being an earth rinin, digging was easy for Bixin. His claws were dense, perfect for breaking apart rock. The crystal street was no exception. He bore with fervor tossing dirt and broken diamond into the tank without regard. In seconds he dug a hole big enough for himself.
The radio crackled.
Without hesitation, Bixin grabbed Vani Lu, threw her in the hole, and covered her body with his own. Black fur hoovers appeared in front of the tank, and behind, along with peering eyes.
A loud whistling sound filled the air.
The Obsidian looking under the tank now looked up in the air. “What is that…”
High explosive eighteen-inch shells fell like rain upon the city. The ton and a half-shells bulldozed their way through the thin crystal walls, a far cry from the sixteen-inch reinforced steel they were designed to punch through. The buildings might as well be pinatas getting hit with a steel bat. Entire buildings collapsed, only to be blown back into the sky when the explosives denotated after hitting the ground. Flaming debris flew like shrapnel, spreading fires and creating even more destruction.
Beneath the tank, which by some miracle had yet to be hit, but would defiantly not survive a single shot, Vani Lu screamed her lungs out. Confused and frightened beyond her wildest fears. The ground shook like an earthquake and didn’t stop.
Bixin could do nothing to ease his young subordinates’ fears because there was nothing he could do but lay over her and hope by some miracle they didn’t get hit. Shockwaves from the shells made the tank wobble above them, even lifting the thirty-three-ton machine off the ground.
There was no pause in the shelling. The next volley struck not far away, pieces of stone and metal pelted the tank, flying through the three-inch armor.
“BIXIN!”
“JUST STAY DOWN!”
“BUT, YOUR BACK!”
He didn’t understand what she was talking about. Then he felt something rolling down his body, something wet. Taking the risk, Bixin moved his head back, so it wasn’t pressed into Vani’s mane and saw the young rinin was splattered with blood. His blood. Shrapnel had cut up him up.
Laying his head back into the hole, he reassured Vani it was ok. That they were going to be ok, even if he was lying. The chancing of them surviving this were in the single digits. How did he know that? Well, after they bombarded the Prench capital with the Nightmare, only nine percent of the residents in that AOE were left alive. That was still a few thousand, but most of them had been underground, not in a hasty dug hole that wasn’t even big enough for two ponies!
The tank suddenly flipped over carried away by a nearby blast and slammed against the outer castle wall. Bixin hugged Vani tighter in a vain hope that his body could shield her from the next explosion, or maybe it was to give her some comfort.
Death whistled above. A shell was careened towards them, even a non-direct hit would be the end. Bixin closed his eyes, Vani sobbed against his neck, and he stroked hair.
“Sorry, Vani…”
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three shells hit right on top of them.
Bixin blinked, Vani blinked. They were still wrapped around each other, but they were on flat ground, not in the hole, not only that they were under the flare! Untangling themselves, they sat with wide eyes at the crater that should have been their graves.
“It’s a… bluggh!” Vani’s happy cheer was cut short by hard cough and blood flying out of her mouth, she doubled over, coughing more and more blood.
“Vani!” Bixin too fell prey to the same thing. Blood poured from his mouth, his organs felt like they were on fire like they were dosed in whiskey and then stepped on. “What’s… going… on…” Every breath hurt, he’d never felt this kind of pain before or anything remotely close to it.
The copper Rinin fell on his back, sprawled on the ground, gazing up at the sky. He squinted, shielding his eyes from the flare when a shadow stepped over him. One he knew, yet seeing the familiar face didn’t put him at ease like should have.
“Commander Topaz?” Bixin mumbled weakly, trying to stand, but Topaz put his claw on his barrel and held him down.
“Rest,” Topaz commanded in a weird mixed voice that sounded like two ponies talking. One seemed like a mare’s voice.
(What the hell?)
“You look like you need a rest, Commander.” Bixin’s eyes darted around, the bombardment was eerily… quiet. They were surrounded by some sort of silver bubble with runes far beyond his understand floating in the air.
(What happened to him?)
Topaz wasn’t looking very pristine. Scratch that, Bixin wondered how the hell the orange rinin was even standing! He was covered in gashes, not cuts, gashes! Large bloody wounds that would have killed a pony twice over. Yet Topaz tilted his head like he didn’t even notice, and Bixin saw no blood was flowing from the wounds like some force was keeping in the body.
That was a problem. Topaz had no healing ability, at least none Bixin knew of.
“I cannot,” Was Topaz’s response, in the same mixed voice. It was here Bixin caught Topaz’s eyes, which Topaz had been avoiding. There was a silver hue running around the commander’s irises.
Bixin pushed Topaz’s claw off and stood, and was finally able to see the white-coated rainbow maned pony standing like a complete statue behind Topaz. He bet twenty bits that is Rainbow Dash.
“Who are you?”
“That’s Commander Topaz,” Vani stated, weakly rising to her feet. “Right? It looks like him?”
Bixin ignored her. “No, it’s not. At least not upstairs. Who are you?” He pressed, baring his fangs.
“I can’t tell you.”
Bixin nodded, smiling like he didn’t have a care, before punching ‘Topaz’ in the face. ‘Topaz’ blinked out his sight faster than any teleportation and appeared three feet to the left.
“Please don’t do that. I’m exhausted enough.” The bubble around them shook, then stabilized. “See?”
Vani hurried to his side, the vanilla rinin crouched for an attack, looking between Rainbow and ‘Topaz,’ “Whatever spell you have on the commander release it!”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?” Barked Bixin, losing his patients.
‘Topaz’ sighed, exhaustion seeping from every pore of his body. “If I do, then I can’t come back, and Topaz will die. My… magic is keeping his wounds from taking his life.”
“How do we know that isn’t bullshit!”
“Do you really want to test my words? He will die unless he receives treatment.”
“Good thing I’m here then, huh?” A chirper voice said.
All eyes turned to the newcomer. Her raspberry scales and hair were unmistakable. It was VeeVee, Night Patrol’s best field medic, standing here unharmed, right in front of them. What are the odds?
“What? You guys don’t look happy to see me. And I came all the way through…” She pointed to the burning city. “That! Just to help those in need.”
Bixin narrowed his eyes, “State your number.”
VeeVee rolled her eyes, “Night Patroller 099, my room number on the Nightmare is 203, my roommate is Green Heart, also a medic and Doctor BlueCross’s niece. My favorite food is…”
“Ok, ok, your VeeVee, but how did you get here? Where is your escort team?”
VeeVee snorted, “As if we have the troops to spare. I left my team to take care of Blue Cross and was tending to troops on the frontline when we broke through the city’s shield. When I heard reports of Topaz cutting his way through the city, I decided I should go support him. I did find you, but since you were doing a thorough job of killing everypony in your way, I hanged back. I tried to approach you several times, but you kept running off. Thankfully I managed to keep up, huh? I mean, look at the city burn. I haven’t seen a sight like that in a while. Reminds me of that mission in Prance.”
“That all seems highly unlikely,” said ‘Topaz’ glared at the medic, but Bixin moved between them. “But not impossible, I suppose. Can you heal this body?”
“Easily,” VeeVee chirped, peering around Bixin. “But it’ll cost you. Give and take, you know? Let’s start with something easy. Why don’t you give us a name? It doesn’t have to be your real one, but some we can call you because you’re obviously not Topaz.”
“Call me Evening Shimmer, Eve, for short.”
“Eve, huh, interesting, interesting. Did you know the original Evening Shimmer?” VeeVee inquired with a fascinated gleam in her eye.
“That depends, did you?”
VeeVee shrugged her wings, “I heard the name before. So, I guess I’ll heal that nasty gash on the leg first.”
Puffing up her chest, pink fire built up inside VeeVee’s stomach. When she exhaled, sparkly bright pink-fire shot from her mouth hitting Eve/Topaz’s injured leg. Unlike the others of her kind, the pink flames mended wounds rather than caused them. The wound closed completely and scarred over.
“All better. Now and I’ll just rapid-fire theses off to save time, what is your objective, and do you have to stay in Topaz’s body or can you transfer to another?”
Eve frowned at VeeVee, “Your willingness to bet with your friends’ life, I find appalling, but as I am hijacking his body, I can’t judge. I’m here to save a pony, a mare, captured and held prisoner in the castle. And yes, I can move bodies.”
VeeVee smiled wickedly, stalking around the group, sizing each of them up. “Alright, good, good, we might be able to do something with this party then. First, before I fully heal Topaz, I want you, Eve, to move to Vanilla Moon.”
“What’s your game VeeVee!” Bixin got up in the raspberry rinin’s muzzle, pressing his snout against hers and baring down with blazing eyes. “Don’t go volunteering, Vani Lu, for things you’re not willing to do!”
She chuckled while backpedaling away from the copper rinin. “Sorry, sorry, I misspoke. Let me reword that. Vani, you would please kindly let Eve take over your body? Topaz will be much more useful if she’s not hijacking him, and you became much more combat viable with her inside you. I would obviously volunteer myself, but I’m the white mage, so that’s a no go.”
“VeeVee…” Bixin threatened, still not happy.
“I’ll do it,” Vani said suddenly, her head hung. “I’m weak, I can’t really fight like other rinin, I’m just a tank operator. If it will help save our friends. I’ll let Eve control me, as long as I get my body back.”
“Of course, it will be only temporary,” Eve assured the vanilla rinin with a smile. “I promise. When I leave, you’ll be as healthy as you are now.”
Vani nodded, though, from her shivers, it was apparent she was nervous. “Ok. Do it.”
“Wait!” Bixin interjected, getting between Eve and Vani. “Why are you so eager to change bodies? Topaz is the stronger vessel? Why switch?”
Eve's frowned, looking away with a slight blush, “Because I’m a mare, being in a stallion’s body is one, weird, two makes harder for me to control Topaz, three Topaz is very strong-willed and has been trying to kick me out. So a more willing host would be appreciated. A female one is a bonus, and even if she is physically weaker, I’m not the brawler type anyway.”
“Mistress, I sense Rainbow Black is in distress, suggesting we move along,” Rainbow said, robotically speaking for the first time.
Bixin turned up his lips, growling at Eve, but stepped aside. “Fine, but if you so much as…”
“She will be fine. VeeVee if you would please?”
VeeVee engulfed Topaz’s entire body with her fire, healing it completely. “It’ll take a little time for the new flesh to toughen up, so be careful, or they’ll burst open again.”
“Don’t tell me that, tell him.” Eve rebuked, touching her claw to Vani Lu’s muzzle. A silvery image of a pony floated out of Topaz’s body and flew into Vani Lu’s. The vanilla rinin went ridged, and silver rings appeared around her yellow eyes.
Topaz shook his head, blinked, and looked around completely confused. “What the hell is going on?” He turned around, witnessing the city bombardment. “I’ll repeat what the hell is going on?”
“Feeling better, Commander?” VeeVee brushed up against the orange rinin, making him turn a slight shade of red. Topaz coughed and stepped away, took a centering breath, and tried to piece his fragmented memory together. He remembered fighting. A lot. From the vivid, yet blurred, memories he cut down a lot of ponies. Over a hundred from what he estimated.
Topaz resumed his usual stone face expression. “What’s the situation? What is your mission?”
“We’re going to go save our friends, of course!” VeeVee cheered, taking point. “We better hurry too, the bombardment is almost over.”
It was the truth. The flare was barely half the original size. In less than a minute, it would go out, and the cannon would stop firing in fear of hitting friendlies.
Topaz pulled VeeVee back, taking point for himself. “Fine, explain on the way. I got business here anyway.”
--break
In the middle of the wasteland that had once been rolling hills of crystal green grass stood three sons of Sombra. Erebus, the first son, Scath, the second son, and Schatten, the fourth son. All three stood in silence. Disbelieving their own eyes.
Such destruction. In such a short amount of time. Entire battalions, no their whole army, the army their father spent all his later years growing, training and fielding. Ten thousand Equinox. Specially bred ponies mixed with Shadow ponies, unicorns, changelings, and incubated by Crystal Ponies. The best mix breed soldiers they could make with what little resources they had. Over fifty years of research, breeding, and experimenting.
Gone.
In ten minutes.
The brothers watched what troops survived by the skin of their teeth or by lady luck’s blessing. The warriors mentally conditioned to handle any situation were balling like newborns. Their strangled, mad cries echoed across the battlefield. Many of them screamed at the sky, driven insane by the horrors they just experienced, and unable to accept it.
One pony waked in front of them in a daze. He didn’t knowledge them. He walked past, dragging a pile of meat in a makeshift sled made from his cape.
“You’ll be fine… I’m getting your help… you’ll be fine…” He repeated that over and over again, tears falling down his face with abandon.
It was the face of a pony who was utterly broken.
Another Equinox stared at the sky; he wasn’t more than a hundred yards away. He turned to them, saluted, and overcharged his horn without releasing the magic.
Pop…
He fell over dead. His head blown off.
“Why…” Schatten uttered, his voice barely a whisper. “He survived… why did he…”
“He was weak, that is all.” Scath retorted in disgust. “Better off without him.”
Erebus said nothing. Watching the ghost of the pony mingle on the mortal plane before being wept up by the reapers. His ears twitched, a sympathy of organized movement taking place in the distance.
“Look there.”
Schatten looked east. The iron airship was obstructed by the smoke and fog that littered the battlefield. But he heard it too. Ponies were line up on the ground. Warriors in different colored armor formed ranks barring flags. He didn’t know what they meant, but Schatten theorized they represented their individual clans.
At the center, between a blue and red block, was a column of white-clad ponies. They bore the same symbol as the on the flagship. A coiling dragon wrapped around a katana, the head clan.
“How many are there?” Scath swirled around. Enemy soldiers were encircling the entire perimeter of the barrier, three-rows thick, spanning a hundred ponies across. “fifteen divisions, that’s…”
“4,500 soldiers,” Erebus answered. “Not as many as I feared, but more then we have now. They’re rested and fresh for the fight. While our forces are scattered and terror-stricken. We must rally them or what remains will be slaughtered without a fight.”
“Rally them how? They’re mentally crushed!” Schatten pointed to the pony that killed himself earlier. “Who knows how many are about to do the same as that one?”
“I have an idea.”
“What’s that Scath… Scath!
The fourth son of Sombra screamed his brother’s name, Scath ran full bore across the blackened battlefield. Whinnying at the top of his lungs, brandishing his sword wildly and then pointing it forward. The disheartened and broke soldiers he ran past looked on with dead eyes, remaining where they stood, but then one ran after the Second Prince. Then another, another, and another. Soon a crowd of ponies formed, forming a black arrowhead formation as they charged the colorful lines of their enemies.
“Soldiers of Sombra! Those prepared to kill should be expected to be killed! Waste no time clinging to life, but push forward and fight until there’s nothing left!” Scath bellowed, earning a hearty cheer from the soldiers. “For the Obsidian Empire! For our King!”
“””“YEAH!””””
Erebus closed his eyes and laughed, “Sometimes, bravado trumps actual strategy.”
“You can’t be serious, this is reckless, brother!”
“Yes, and that’s just what we need.” Erebus faced towards hole the Equestrians had dug, spying the face of Fierce Fury as he helped Sixes onto Octane’s back. Triple Thunder and Hazel Thunder stepped forward, puffing up their chests. “Let us not forget our own prey here, Schatten. If we kill them here, it will surely raise our morale.”
“Are you finally going to fight without foolish restrictions?” Schatten twirled his spear but found balancing hard with his missing leg. His weapon flew from his aura, now engulfed by Erebus’s.
“Let me borrow this.” His elder brother said, making a few practice swings. “Time for you to go home.”
“Wait, I can…” Schatten words were cut short, he disappeared, forcibly teleported from the battlefield.
The eldest son took a breath to center himself. (I won’t be far behind a little brother, but I need to kill a few of them.)
With a roar, Erebus charged, calling upon his spirits to boost his waning strength. A bright aura surrounded him, bringing him up to at least seventy percent of his power. He silently cursed his aunts' limited magic capacity but kept it to a minimum as he brandished Schatten’s spear.
He jabbed for Triple Thunder, the three-headed rinin backstepped and the left head firing blue lightning. Hazel galloped towards his rear, charging a thunderbolt. Erebus threw the spear at Triple and shot a magic blast at Hazel. Winging her before she could fire. He recalled the spear just in time for Triple’s second and third heads retaliation, the left hollowing from a nasty gash on its face, it’s left eye bleeding.
(I guess we’re all far from a hundred percent.) Spinning the spear like a drill, Erebus aimed for Triple’s center of mass and fired, but the three-headed rinin suddenly split into a three. A grey one and two light blue rinin. One of the blues held his eye, the other buzzed with electricity, it’s horn sparking wildly.
“You don’t hurt my bro!” Jockey snarled, shooting a scattershot of lightning. Without Shock to aid him, his control was horrible, the shotgun blast of thunderbolts flying like a throw from a drunken baseball pitcher. None landing anywhere near Erebus.
“Jockey!” Trifecta pushed the Thunder Brother to the ground, the spear gashing his left foreleg. The triplet tucked and rolled, dragging Jockey with him as the spear made a comeback. “Hazel!”
“Gungnir: Double Shot!”
From behind him, Erebus sensed the two powerful attacks coming at him. With no time to teleport, he spun his spear, adding his two shattered pieces of the Crystal Heart. The spear grew in size, becoming encased in black crystals. The first Gungnir bounced off the shaft, and the second he smacked with the tip. The attacks making two perfectly sized holes in the ground, each one three feet deep.
Keeping his spear close, Erebus fired magic buckshot at Hazel, who used lightning teleport to fly over to her comrades’ side. In brief pause, he noticed Sixes and the others were getting away.
“No,” He declared and teleported in front of the fleeing Equestrians. Prince Cadence fired a Gatling Barrage from her lances, but the shots were so weak and random he didn’t bother blocking and charged into their ranks. He knocked the princess aside, smashed Fury with the spear, and went for Octane, who was carrying Sixes. The half-blind rinin stared him down with blood-filled eyes, he coughed and wheezed, but no gold, lava, or fire would come from his mouth.
“You’re done!” Erebus raised the spear for the final strike. When pink fire filled his vision! He reared back, Octane rushed past him as three figures fell from the sky before him.
“Tri-head formation! Blossoming Breath!” Three voices cried out together. It was the Blossom sisters, Sakura, Momo, and Kaki, Trifecta’s nieces. Each of the pink rinin blasted Erebus with their fire, the flames growing stronger and hotter, turning white.
Steel flashed, Erebus with his coat ablaze blocked the swords that would have opened his neck. Kaki, the eldest sister, growled, pressing her blazing pink katana closer, burning through the spears protective coating.
“KASAI!” She bellowed, runes glowing on her blade, absorbing the flames and turning the edge a bright pink. Her katana cut further into the spear, and Erebus teleported away, the flames licking his body went out, and the burns began to rapidly heal. “Momo, Sakura!”
Momo nodded and pulled a round ball with a fuse from her saddlebag. “Peach bomb! Going out!”
Sakura sprayed fire onto her sword and swung, unleashing a blazing pink arc. “Cherry pedal slash!”
The two attacks hit and made a massive explosion that sent hundred of burning pedal shaped flames at Erebus, igniting his fur. The first son screamed, his entire body ablaze.
“You wretches!” He barked using magic extinguish the fire, the burns on his body healing fast, but not enough to spare the sisters from a very ghastly sight.
“Ew… that’s gross.”
“We were trying to burn him alive.”
“Gods, put some salt on him, and he might taste good.”
Kaki and Sakura looked at Momo, the youngest, “What? We have canine teeth! It would be weirder not to get hungry!”
The elder sisters looked at the youngest with contempt. “This why ponies think you’re weird, Momo.”
“Says the fish eaters!”
“We all eat fish!”
“Fish is gross! It’s so greasy!”
“What kind of fish are you eating?”
“Both of you shut up!” Kaki snapped, lightly biting both of her sisters on the ear. “Stay focused! Besides, rice and sushi are the best.”
“Enough of your foolish prattle!” Erebus came in swinging. The triplets scattered, breathing fire from all sides. A magic shield surrounded the first son, who glared through the whirling pink flames. “Kill them.”
At his order, three of the spirits that had been sustaining his power flew at the sisters and wrapped their ghostly limps around their necks. The effect was immediate, with the three sisters fighting against the invisible force strangling them.
“Necromancer!” Kaki spat thrashing around. Tears involuntary welled up in her eyes as she fought for breath.
“I’ll start with you.” Erebus sluggishly brought his spear to bear on the Nippon Rinin. The weapon shook, his aura in flux. In his ear, his mother whispered, (Your body cannot take anymore, you must retreat son!) “No, I can…blgh!” Blood poured from Erebus' mouth. The spear clanged to the ground, the magic holding it gone.
“RAGH!” Trifecta tackled Erebus, and so did Fury, both rinin laying down a rain of blows that the first son did not have the strength to block. “DON’T! FUCK! WITH! MY! NIECES!” Trifecta yelled with each strike.
The concerned uncle watched the pink triples turn blue around the neck. “Fuck!” He grabbed Erebus’s neck with his claws and SQUEEZED! “Let them go! Let them go, or you die!”
“Kill him, and they live!” Fury shouted, which caused Erebus to laugh despite his situation.
“Don’t… be… so… sure…” The first son wheezed out. Trifecta’s grip slackened, and Erebus took the chance to kick him away and rolled over Fury to jump to his feet. “Sorry, mother, but…”
Red Rum rolled her eyes, climbing off Erebus’s back to snatch Fury by the neck. Rosy, the last spirit, grabbed Trifecta.
While the five ghosts slowly strangled the five rinin. Erebus circled around for any more surprises. Much to his disappointment, Sixes had gotten away, along with the princess and the other two.
“Drain their life force, quick, its time to retreat.”
Erebus searched for Scath, but couldn’t find him in the massive mob of ponies engaged in battle. He did come calculations for their remaining forces. Open warfare was impossible now. The only course of action was to retreat to the castle and use the hostages as leverage. So long as the Equestrians weren’t willing to bombard the fortress, they could, in theory, kill the enemy leaders, heavy hitters, and technically win.
(No, that won’t work, it would be better to capture ponies like the Princess. If we kill them, who's to say the pony in command won’t just bombard them hostages or not. We need to stay in a position where they’re reluctant to use those monstrous cannons.)
While lost in his musings, a shadow flew over him. An enormous shadow. Erebus looked up to see the red rinin from before. One that had taken that bull pony away.
Ruby Blaze.
“Coming in hot! Ready to go, Princess!” Ruby slammed to the ground in her dragon form, towering over Erebus. From her mane poked the head of one Princess Luna.
Luna’s horn was alight with brilliant white magic, Ruby’s body pulsed, a sparkling ball of pure light flying from her to the Princess.
“Untainted soul, let thy light radiate through darkness and fill it with light! Pure Maiden’s Virtue!”
A wave of pure light shot from Luna’s horn, rolling and crashing like an ocean storm. When the magic wave hit Erebus, he felt a burning tingle run throughout his body. All his healed wounds bubbled black ooze, popping like boils, leaving behind unscarred new flesh. He felt reenergized.
He laughed genuinely, gazing up at the Princess. “What is this? Taking pity on me? What sense is there to heal your opponent?” His words were cut short by the screams; only he could hear. Erebus whipped around to see his mother and aunts’ spirits beginning to dissolve.
“No…NONONONONONOO! Mother!” He ran towards her, screaming. She merely sat on the ground, slowly fading before his eyes with a smile.
(You’re on your own now, I’m afraid. I love you, Erebus. Take care of your siblings.)
Then she was gone. They were all gone. For the first time in his life. Erebus was truly alone.
“Get him!” Fury and the others rose up, all baring their fangs. Ruby loomed behind him, with Luna in the midst of casting another spell.
Erebus roared, his horn ablaze with magic, they all thought he was going to attack, but in a fantastic display of levelheadedness, he teleported. Far, far away.
Scath felt first felt Schatten’s presence vanish and then Erebus’s. He knew they weren’t dead, merely retreating to the safety of the castle. He was alone now. The sole son on the battlefield. In their strategy meetings, it was greeted upon by all the siblings, minus Skaggi, who was too young to attend. That if they were overwhelmed, they would all retreat and regroup.
Naturally, that’s what he should be doing, but he couldn’t. He was too far away, too weak, and enjoying himself far too much.
The Nippon ponies were far too much fun! They all cared swords, in the mouths, their claws, their tails! It was outright astounding! Some attacked with one in the mouth and one wrapped in their tails. Some used their claws, mouths, and tails holding up to six swords! It was marvelous!
Some ponies that even looked like regular earth ponies had claws. He didn’t know what to call them besides rinin descended. The more he fought, the more he realized there were few if any regular ponies in this army!
“This is fun!” He laughed madly, blood streamed down his face, he whacked away incoming Nippon warriors with his sword. Scath racked up at least twenty kills from his count. He hadn’t bothered counting the equestrians. They weren’t worth counting. The Nipponese he did.
It was almost bizarre how each one challenged him one on one, their comrades making room for them to fight. The didn’t even appear mad when they were defeated, too focused on their own individual battles.
Having sung their praises, there was something Scath found disturbing about the Nippon ponies. Their trophy hunting. They collected the heads of every soldier they defeated, he found that disrespectful to his soldiers who fought beside him. The practice was affecting his unit’s morale. As those waiting for their turn to reach the front saw what lay in store upon their defeat.
Not they could retreat or even dessert. What soldiers remained on the planes had gathered for this final stand and were now completely surrounded. There was no escape, but to move forward.
“HEYA!” Scath shouted, his blade ripping through another opponent. His breathing labored, his sword dragging on the ground behind him. His legs slowed until he stood still. In any other battlefield, he would have been cut down, but no, despite being surrounded. The enemy gave him a full birth, and he understood why.
Across from him was a white male rinin pony. His posture, stance, and elegant, yet practical armor suggested he was of a higher breed. His eyes were red, and his hair silver. Two other ponies of similar dress and style flanked him. The one on the right with dead fish like blue eyes stepped forward, drawing a sword with a gold dragon coiled around the base of the blade, acting as the hilt.
The pony in the center held him back, though, and stepped forward. “I am Kiri Perfecta Shiroyama, heir to the throne of Nippon, son of King Kusanagi, godson of Celestia Solaris. I challenge you this day.”
Kiri tossed a bottle of glowing blue liquid to Scath’s feet. The second son of Sombra was in disbelief by his opponent’s actions, but took the bottle and drank its contents. A good majority of his wounds closed up, and he felt close to eighty percent again.
“That could have been poisoned, yet you drank it without flinching.”
Scath wiped with mouth while smiling, “Well, I was sure you’d rather cut off my head yourself. I am Scath, the Second Son of Sombra.”
Kiri nodded as the surrounding soldiers made room for them. The Nippon Prince rose to bipedal, eyes glowing red, he crouched and placed a claw on his katana hilt. White Lightning crackled around Kiri’s mouth, his breath slow, faint white electrified mist surrounded his body.
“When you are ready, Scath.”
Scath licked his lips, unease welling up inside him. (Is this what’s it’s like to face death head-on?)
Inching forward, Scath charged his sword with magic, creating a sinister green aura over the great sword. He crept another inch closer and then another, stopping just outside of what could be called a swordpony’s ‘zone.’ To move even one more inch would put him in range of his opponent’s sword. His own blade was twice as long, his zone twice that of Kiri’s, Scath didn’t attack. Not yet.
He filled his muscles with magic, loosening them, buffing them up, pushing his body to the highest peaks he could reach. Green mist radiated off his body mixing with Kiri’s icy silver aura. His preparations done, Scath took that last step forward.
His last step forward.
To the untrained eye, what had happened next seemed like a poorly edited piece of film. One moment to the two warriors were facing off, and the next, only one stood. Kiri now behind Scath, swords sheathed and standing quad pedal again.
Scath remained standing, but there was no life in his eyes, his sword sunk into the ground under its own weight. He appeared uninjured. Until looking closer at the second son’s neck, a clean-cut traveled through the entirety of the black stallion’s thick neck, a slight burn ran along the cut cauterizing the wound close and keeping the heat on the body.
The speed, skill, and technique to do such a thing were awe-inspiring even to the untrained. What had happened was while Scath had been buffing his body, Kiri had been doing the same. His sword was engraved with runes that would increase the blades sharpness, add plasma, and reduce its weight. His armor and accessories were all stamped with runes that boasted his agility, speed, and dexterity. The mist produced from his body increased his awareness and senses. Whatever entered would be instantly telegraphed to his brain as fast as an involuntary movement.
The moment Scath entered his range, Kiri drew his sword plasma covered blade and sprang forward in a practiced and focused single strike to the neck. His enchanted katana cut through Scath’s thick neck like butter, the heat of the blade reattached the head before it could even begin to fall. However, all the nerves, his windpipe, and all vital body functions were severed, and Scath died on his feet. It was a rare phenomenon, but a standing death occurred every now and then. In Nippon, it was a great honor.
“I’ll let you keep your head, taking it now would be a dishonor.” Kiri turned around and bowed to the pony. “Good match, let us meet again in another life and fight again.”
His bout with the enemy prince over Kiri reentered the fray, hoping and searching for another opponent to whet his appetite. His vigor spread across the army, and Obsidians fell like grass to the blades of Nippon.
--break
Forward operating base Bravo was a buzz of activity. The remaining Equestrian forces wept like children as they watched their allies crush the once mighty and seemingly endless Obsidian army. They cheered, clinging to one another, praising the miracle that happened before them.
It didn’t take long for their superiors to berate them and remain on guard, though. And the once lax troops were once again rigged and attentive. They escaped the absolute jaws of death, but it still lingered. And as the smell of scorched flesh and cooked organs reached their nostrils, their mood dampened once more. Some soon realized that the comrades that had been left to lie in the fields would never get a proper grave. Their entire existence reduced to a name and a rusty dog tag.
Below the wall in the center of the base were the officers resided, the mood retained its cheer as both Luna and Celestia embraced their now battle-hardened niece. Princess Cadence, who had kept her composure steadfast until now, broke down in her aunt’s embrace. Her sobs were deep and pained. She buried her head against Luna’s neck, blubbering out a heartfelt thank you.
Luna, who had just returned on Ruby Blaze, ran her hoof through Cadence’s hair, muttering soft coos to the young princess. “It’s ok. It’s ok. Everything is going to be ok.”
“But… Twilight!”
Luna’s horn glowed, and Cadence’s eyes grew heavy. “We’ll take care of it when you wake up, everything will be better.”
Cadence was laid beside her husband, Shining Armor, the white stallion was a nasty sight. Bruised head to toe, his eyes swollen shut, and worse. He was a mess three medics worked to keep him stable. He’d had a rough ride. Being captured, beaten, and then dragged through a warzone to help had not been good for his health. He would have scars, physical and mental, but for now, he needed rest.
Beside the Prince and Princess tent where two ponies being tended to by a single medic. They were stallions, Smokey Haze, and Goodnight. They were giving General Cobalt their report on the interior of Sombra’s castle. Once it looked like they were done, Luna approached after Cobalt left.
“How are you two doing? Well, I hope? Goodnight, it’s good to see you’re still alive. Hmm… Smokey Haze… I think I remember you when you were this tall.” Luna gestured his previous height with her wing at the height of a colt. Now he was only an inch shorter than her. “You’ve grown.”
“Thank you, Princess. It’s a pleasure to serve under you.”
“Same. I wish I had more time to reconnect before all this.”
Smokey Haze shook his head, seemingly shining, “Think nothing of it. You’re busy. If there is anything I can do to help, please only ask. Especially if some pony is bothering you. I’m really good at making ‘accidents’ happen.”
“Hahaha… thanks, I’ll… um… keep that in mind. Who trained you again?”
“Sixes.”
“Of course, that dry wit must have come from him.” Smokey cocked his head in confusion, so Luna decided now was a good time to switch to Goodnight. “Goody, Goodnight, how are you. You seem able.”
“I am, Princess, I am.” He bobbed his head, his eyes vacant voids. “I… um… well… I lost track of Sweet Dreams. Have you heard… any news?”
“Cadence reported they were captured together, but that’s all I know. Rest easy, we’ll find her.”
“Thank you, princess.” Goodnight glanced around, his gaze staying on a particular tent. “We appreciate you coming around, but I’m sure there are ponies that you’d rather be talking too.”
Luna smiled, patting the former guard on the shoulder. “As observant as ever, at least guarding made you that. I’ll get there, but I don’t want to waste this lull. Once Kira gets here, things will pick up again really quick.”
“I thought Lady Kira was dead,” Goody said, trying to recall his conversation from Nippon. He wasn’t going to admit to not paying attention, but Kira was talked about in past-tense, right?
Her smile brightened, “So did I. What another, wonderful surprise that any pony in the know could have told me at any point in time.”
Goodnight let out a soft cough, not daring to glance at the target of Luna’s pointed words.
Continuing her tour of the inner circle of the Equestrian Army, Luna visited everypony she could, critical or not. Of course, she made sure to get the latest reports from the officers, but with the entire Nippon Air Navy and army now on their side, she was as relaxed as one could be on a battlefield.
After checking on Cadence’s and Shining Armor’s condition again and being shoed out by the medic on staff. Luna spoke to Hazel Thunder and High Octane. It was more awkward then she wanted it to it be.
The two monster ponies were friendly and happy to see her and chatted about how they looked normal until hitting puberty and tried to describe their former appearance. Leading to her to fluff up her memories and nod her head. Feeling terrible about not remembering them.
Octane took a back seat in the conversation, letting the chattier Hazel Thunder ramble on about their training under Kira and how much fun it had been and how Kira had been such a kind and thoughtful teacher.
(You look like a yellow and crème version of Emerald Cutter, of course, she took a liking to you.) The image of the patroller, no the friend she killed, overlapped Hazel. A tight pain-filled Luna’s chest, suddenly she was so excited to see Kira anymore.
“We’ll catch up later, Hazel.” Forcing a smile, Luna made a beeline for Sixes' tent. At the entrance, Fierce Fury laid on the ground like a sphinx, apparently guarding the entrance.
“She’s in there.” He informed her. Not needing to elaborate who ‘she’ was. The steadily rising volume and viciousness of Sixes' voice was another excellent indicator.
Bracing herself, Luna entered the tent. Sixes and her sister practically at each other’s throats. She wondered what happened to set them off like this. It was uncomfortable. Especially since Sixes' eyes were completely covered in blood, making it look like they had been gouged out.
Neither one noticed her arrival.
“I told ya ta leave!” Sixes lay on top of a bedroll, stretching his neck as far he could to snap his jaws at Celestia.
“I’m just worried about you!” Celestia’s horn was alight with what was, no doubt, healing magic. She brought her head closer. “I’m just trying to help you!”
Sixes lashed out with his claw, making Celestia jump back with a soft cry. “I said to keep that fucking thing away from me!”
“Sixes, please, you can trust me, it’s only healing magic.”
The black rinin wasn’t listening, and Sixes' chest began to glow with fire. Luna stepped forward to intervene, but a third party beat her to it.
Doctor Blue Cross
The very haggard looking cream-colored pony with a blue cross mark stepped between Sixes and Celestia. Physically pushing the two away from each other. “Princess Celestia, please, I’ve asked you to leave twice! You know how Sixes gets. Sixes for the last time keep the fires to a minimum, your blood is already way too hot! That’s why you nearly boiled your eyes out of your sockets this time. I told you I can’t craft more than six items in a row in an hour. That gem in your stomach needs to cool.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Don’t act like do this because I like or want to.” Sixes' tone lost a bit of its bite. His nostrils flared, and he turned straight toward Luna, his feature growing much softer. “Luna.”
“Um… Hi.” The Moon Princess greeted, suddenly the center of attention. “I just came to check on you. You seem much livelier now.”
“Drugs will do that. Why don’t we take our leave, Princess Celestia?” The Doctor suggested, all but dragging a disheartened Celestia out of the tent.
“What was that about? I thought you two were on better terms?” Luna asked, but instead of a response, Sixes grabbed her, embracing her as well he as he could. His claws were all over the place, but she chalked it up to him being half-blind. “What brought this on?”
“Almost dying.”
“Oh, I suppose that will do,” Luna said quietly. For several minutes, probably only three, they just laid there. A soft rumble escaped from Sixes' chest, making it seem like he was asleep, but when Luna tried to get up, he pulled her closer. So, it was more like a purr?
“What were you and my sister fighting about?”
“It’s not important.”
“What if I think it is?”
Sixes' growl changed from a purr to irritated. “Celestia wanted to heal me, I didn’t want her magic near me, simple as that.”
“Simple as that? Why don’t you want her to use magic on you?”
“I don’t trust her intentions.”
Her response was a “Huh?” But feeling his agitation against her coat, Luna decided to drop the subject. Eventually, Sixes settled down again, laying his head on the ground and breathing out a long drown out-breath.
“I’m going to fall asleep soon.”
“Ok.”
“Are you worried about Kira?”
“Should I be?”
Sixes took a long time to answer. “I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t. I didn’t think we’d ever met again. I didn’t think Kira live this long. I guess that makes her the oldest Rinin, huh? Though, to be honest, I’m more impressed her old gem com still worked.”
As Sixes fell to Blue Cross’s drugs, his eyes closed, leaving Luna to fret by herself at the prospect of seeing the last original monster pony. She nuzzled against the slumbering rinin, trying to ease her troubled heart when the tent flap was thrown open.
Kiri stood in the entrance, tall and imposing, looking down at her with bright red eyes. “The Great Mother wants to see you. Come with me.” He turned around, looking over his shoulder at her. “Bring him too.”
Before Luna could respond, a squad of red and white-clad mares charged into the tent, grabbed her and Sixes, and placed them on a double-wide palanquin. The Lunar Princess was still reeling when she looked out the window to see her sister also being carried in a palanquin by four beefy stallions. Their destination Kira’s flagship, now docked beside their base. “Well,” Luna licked her lips. “Ready or not.”
Three Nippon Iron Airships approached the Equestrian base. The Flagship, the battleship Emerald Cutter, flanked by a smaller destroyer named Red Ronin and the carrier Akagi. The Akagi docked at the wall of the FOB, dropping a long wide ramp from the front of its hull that touched the ground. A procession of soldiers, medics, and support ponies flooded the base. Providing aid, picking up the wounded, and rotating out exhausted troops.
Meanwhile, the Red Ronin circled to the north side of the base, keeping watch for enemy movements. The Emerald Cutter positioned itself broadside with Sombra’s castle, every one of its guns trained on the looming black structure.
It held fire, for now.
On the port side of the Emerald Cutter stretched a single ramp that offered access to its deck. No Equestrians besides a select few were allowed to even come near this ramp. Any that dared tried would be stopped by the twelve imposing guards, and if they happen by some chance get by them, the shinobi in the shadows will kill them. Thankfully none even attempted this.
Traveling up this ramp were three double-wide palanquins, each with two passengers aboard. The passengers were; Princess Luna, Sixes, Princess Celestia, and Fierce Fury, and Princess Cadence and Shining Armor respectfully. Behind them were Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy, though they were forced to walk on their own hooves.
They scaled the steep slope arriving on the main deck of the Emerald Cutter. The journey didn’t end there. Leading the way Kiri led the convoy up the three flights of stairs to the very top of the ship where his father was waiting. The ponies carrying the palanquins allowed the passengers out, only for them to swarmed by the red and white-clad mares. They were the Miko, priestess of Kira.
“The great mother is waiting for you,” A Miko in a more elaborate dress with gold accents declared. She gestured to the door behind King Kusanagi, who opened it and stood aside, allowing them entry.
“She will see you now.” He said. The Miko escorted the group inside, the door slammed closed behind them. Putting them in pitch darkness.
Luna lit her horn, the light barely pushing back the blackness they found themselves in. “Kira?” She softly asked a small twinge of fear in her voice.
Two red orbs appeared ahead of them, then lines of jade light. Everypony found themselves engulfed in a powerful aura and levitated into the air.
“Kira!”
SPLASH!
Luna gasped for air, her head breaching the surface of the water she found herself in. The lights were on now. She squinted using her foreleg to block the blinding rays. It took a moment for her to realize she was using her broken foreleg to do so.
“A healing hot spring?”
Behind her, Sixes surfaced, hot steam billowing off his eyes, and the rest of his wounds were healing at a phenomenal rate. It wasn’t just him. Shining Armor flailed in the water more lively than before, while Cadence tried to get him to settle down. Fierce Fury’s body glowed, his magic rising quickly. Celestia’s eyes cleared and focused, glaring at the pony that had unceremoniously dunked them.
“You’re a bit old for pranks, aren’t you, Kira?”
Kira laughed, splashing water at the Sun Princess with her serpentine tail. “Nah, besides, I might as well be a filly when compared to you, right?”
Luna gazed up at Kira, the Elder Rinin possessed the air of one long-lived. And looked it too. Kira had aged and changed.
Before, a thousand years ago, Kira and Luna had been similar in height. Kira being taller only by the points of her horns. Now Kira probably stood equal or if not taller than Celestia. Bright shining silver scales covered more of the rinin’s coat, her horns longer and pointed with jade markings on them, resembling a Kirin’s horn. There cloud-shaped tuffs of jade fur on her back legs now. Crow’s feet and laugh lines made her look like a pony in her late forties to early sixties, but she was much older than that.
Kira entered the pool and wrapped Luna in a tight embrace. “I’m so happy you came back to yourself, Luna.”
Guilt filled Luna’s heart, she sniffed, embracing Kira tightly as she cried. The sin of her past deed bubbling to the fore. “Emerald… I… I’m… so sorry. I didn’t… I…”
“I know,” Kira said, patting Luna on the back. “I know.”
“But…” Luna’s voice distorted, becoming an unintelligent wail. “It’s my fault. I killed her!”
“I know.” Kira’s voice was filled with a variety of emotions. It was hard to discern, which was more prevalent. Anger? Pity? Sadness? It was hard to say, but love and joy were mixed in as well. “It’s in the past now. I’ve… managed… it’s time for you to do the same. When you’re ready, of course. I’m just happy to have you back, my friend.”
“Thank you, thank you…” Luna sobbed.
“Oh, I didn’t do anything.” Kira backed away and flicked Luna on the nose. “Come on, smile! You should be happy! I know I am. I’ll be honest I didn’t think Sixes' stone plan would work out. Glad to see you made too, Sixes, Fury.”
Kira swam over to the two rinin and ruffled their manes, dunking the two playfully in the water. “Where the hell do you get off being so high and mighty and treating us like foals, Kira!” Sixes barked, knocking away Kira’s obsessive claw that threatened to dunk him again.
“Oh, you’re so cute when you’re mad. Just like a little brother.”
“We’re the same age!” Fury snarled between Kira’s dunks, her claws expertly scrubbing their hair.
“Wrong. Sleeping a thousand years doesn’t count. As far as I’m concerned, you two are the same immature stallions from before. Technically speaking, I’m the oldest Rinin here.”
Sixes finally broke away from Kira’s playful dunking, snorting smoke from his nostrils, “And just how old are you now?”
“Five hundred and sixty, that’s how many years I spent living. The rest I hibernated. That last four hundred stretch, I did decide to use Gadget’s potion.” Kira suddenly turned to Luna. “I appreciated the visit, but you could have woken me up, you know?”
Luna blinked, shifting through her memories of Nippon. There had been a very detailed statue of Kira in the top of the castle. “That was you?”
Kira nodded. “Obviously, didn’t you get Trinity’s message?”
“Trinity’s message, I got Thrice’s message, but nothing from Trinity. At least his descendants didn’t mention anything.”
“Huh, well, I’ll have to investigate that later. For now, take a soak, I think in seven hours you should all be back in tiptop shape.”
“That’s not possible!” Celestia protested. “If these are like my healing springs, a pony needs to bath for a minimum of ten hours! For injuries like ours, twenty-four hours to even forty-eight hours would be required!”
Kira waved off Celestia’s outburst while climbing out of the spring. “Right, right. I don’t really understand it, so, Haibara, you explain it. I got some presents I’m dying to give you. I’ll be right back.”
Haibara, the current Queen of Nippon, and Kusanagi’s wife stepped forward from the line of Miko mares and bowed. “Of course, Great Mother. If our honored guest would please group up, I will explain.”
Everypony formed a line in the pool while Haibara procured a blackboard from somewhere and began her lecture. Another Miko, a rare Nippon unicorn, wrote on the board.
For the next hour, the group had to listen to her lecture on the history of the Oki Sakura Onsen. (The Greater Cherry Hotsprings.) Like all things, its originals began with who else, Starwind the Breadless AKA Gadget.
All through his study of the subject didn’t begin until his late nineties. After establishing several schools in Nippon after immigrating from Equestria. He, as if on a whim, opened one last school. The School of Magical Biology, Hydrology, and Botany. SBHB for short.
Naturally, being an Engineer, a mechanical thinger, and a metal tinker, the study of nature was far from Gadget’s specialty. He studied, learned, and experimented, creating a replica of Celestia’s healing springs in only five years. Like every forward-thinking pony, he wasn’t satisfied with that and sought to improve the spring. Make it more efficient, heal faster, with shorter recovery time.
He did not succeed.
Gadget, Starwind the Beardless, died at age one hundred, his last five years of study left to his students. Those students were from the Nobility of Nippon, families with wealth, time, and national loyalty, and now the inspiration to pursue this seemingly impossible project.
Five clans devoted their entire family lines for nearly a thousand years to this effort. For decades to hundreds of years, these families studied, experimented, and eventually through shared interest and the fact everypony thought they were crazy, merged to form The Mizugami clan.
In 789 ANM, seven centuries later, they succeeded, and the Oki Sakura Onsen was created.
“To summarize, the Oki Sakura Hotspring works differently from Celestia’s healing Spring. Runes are added to the bath to increase the effects of the water, as well as a particular mix of herbs, salts, and enchantments. To top it off, Mikos bless the water with Purity Magic, allowing the removal of harmful status aliments. This increases the healing effects reduces the time but the trade-off is that’s only for the first use. Our research as shone if the same ponies use it a second time. The effects are reduced by fifty percent. The third seventy-five and the fourth has no effect. We believe this is a similar effect to medicines losing their potency. We're still researching it, but I think that’s everything. Oh yeah, before I married into the royal family, I was Haibara Mizugami. I’m very proud to share my family’s life work with you all.” The Queen concluded with a short bow to the gathered ponies.
“Why wasn’t this mentioned on my last visit?” Celestia almost sounded offended.
Haibara tilted her head and smiled in a way that gave of some very negative emotions. “Oh, you mean during my son’s tenth birthday? Yes, I’m the kind of mother that wants to ruin my child’s special day by bringing up international military secrets with a foreign ruler whose also his Godmother. Maybe if you visited more than every fifteen years, you’d better informed.”
“I sent letters,” Celestia mumbled.
Haibara snorted, “Like we’d send state secrets via magic letter, you know those can be intercepted, right?” Celestia looked away, embarrassed, “I am aware, still…” “Alliances work both ways, Celestia, we thought it was strange when you didn’t send us a military report in like a hundred years! We had to send our own Shinobi to find out what was going on! Turns out, you just decided to give up on national defense and having a proper standing military.”
“Well…”
“Well, what?” Haibara snapped. “We spend a quarter of our GDP on funding our military, maintaining and updating our equipment. Meanwhile, your back in the dark ages!”
“We’ve done some modernization.”
“Only after Luna and Night Patrol reappeared! Don’t even call that modernization either! You don’t even know, do you!” “Know what?” Celestia rose out the water sparks flying between the two rulers.
“Hai-chan,” Kira’s voice cut through the tense atmosphere like a sword. The Queen of Nippon bowed to the Great Mother and retook her place in the line of Mikos. “Sorry about that, Tia, but her anger is justified. You’ve been a burdensome ally in recent centuries from my understanding.”
“Our nations have been at peace for hundreds of years!”
Kira rolled her eyes. “Uh-huh, New Applejack, did you know Equestria and Nippon have been allies for a thousand years?” Applejack shook her head.
“I see. Princess Cadence, surely you must have known, right?”
“Um… I think I did… maybe…” Cadence smiled awkwardly, before sighing, sinking up to her muzzle. “I may not have known when Aunt Luna when to Nippon.”
Kira laid on her belly at the edge of the pool, looking Celestia in the eyes. “Why did you stop visiting so often after I froze myself.”
Celestia looked away. “I thought you had died. It was too painful to visit and see all the children that looked like you. I thought I lost my last true friend.” Tears flowed down Celestia’s muzzle. “Why didn’t you tell me you were alive? That you had decided to petrify yourself?”
Kira exhaled, looking tired and twenty years older. “Because I didn’t even tell my own family. I only told one pony, Trinity. I tasked him to keep my secret and pass down the knowledge in his family alone. That plan went to hell because only my family ended up knowing the truth, but things worked out in the end. Minus several other problems, like the castle guards going haywire, somepony stealing my alicorn amulet, and a piece of my treasure.”
Luna shrunk under Kira’s reverberating glare, “I take responsibility for the amulet and the treasure, but the guards were not my fault. They attacked us.”
“Fair enough, but I expect that blue amulet to be returned to me, Celestia!” Kira looked sharply at the older princess, who looked away. “But that can be left for later. I have gifts for you two.”
Two mannequins were brought in from the door Kira had come through, each adorned in armor the likes of which none of the Equestrians had seen. They weren’t even sure it could be called armor. The helmets were more like circlets. The main body was made of a super-thin piece of metal that ran across the back of the wearer with bare bone hind and shoulder protectors and boots.
“This is the latest in Nippon magic armor, custom models, The XMA-77 or Daydreamer and the XMA-79, The Nightwish. The X stands for: prototype. Rather than covering the wearer in dense layers of armor, our engineers went the other way. By using a miniature gem core in each piece to generate a protective ‘film’ around the wearer and thrusters to increase attack speed, it follows the philosophy of dodging attacks instead of tanking attacks. We also have new weapons for you too.”
More Mikos entered the room, two groups of four, each carrying a clothed table. One group brought a set of axes, the head of the Axe modeled after the sun with blades shaped like rays protruding from the circular head. It could be better called a spear or morning star.
The other group carried a set of iron folding fans. One was unfurled to show off the inside which was inscribed with ruins on every fold, front and back.
“I present to you, The Neo Axes of Apollo and Full Moon Star Fans, please don’t break or throw these away. They are expensive.” Kira looked sternly at both Celestia and Luna. The two-sister smiled unknowingly, probably thinking she was joking. “I’m serious, the armor and weapons are worth this entire ship, $250,000,897 one hundred percent pure gold bits to be exact.”
Every pony in the hot springs felt their jaws fall to the bottom. “How!” Luna spoke for the group, disbelief in her voice as she tried to fathom such numbers. “How do you afford this stuff!”
“Did you think we were joking when we said we sent a quarter of our economy on military spending? By the way, expect a trade tax, Kusanagi informed me I can’t just keep giving you two expensive gifts for free. Now let’s go over the battle plan.”
The guards atop Sombra’s castle looked on to the smoldering remains that had once been their city. It was where they lived, where their families were, and it was destroyed. The number of refugees fleeing to the castle for safety was much lower than they predicted. Were ponies too scared to try and escape? Or were there so few left alive the hundred or more that showed up at the gate was all there was?
They didn’t know.
For the last eight hours, the guns have been silent, creating an eerie silence over the entire city. Rather than fight, all the subjects of Sombra, soldier, or civilian were rushing to the castle.
While the guards below checked the civilians fleeing with what remained of their lives. They saw movement. The Iron ship docked at the enemy base came to life, its cannons moving. They ducked behind the wall ramparts. The terrible roar of the guns shook the air, and they heard the impacts. Scratch that, they felt them! A brick came loose from the wall. Shockwaves blew like the winds of a tornado. Some guards getting caught up in it.
For one solid minute, they relived that terror that destroyed their city, and as suddenly as it started, it stopped. They peeked over the walls, wondering if they had died, but that was quickly disproven by their hearts beating like jackhammers.
“What was that about?” One guard asked the others, looking at the smoke and dust that hid the enemy base from view. The smoke covered a straight line right up to the gate. They, so consumed by fear, wondered what it meant.
The fog lingered, every Obisdain held their breath, and then they heard it.
Clickclockclickclock
The trot of ponies marching. From the smoke emerged a strange rinin with horns in regal armor, flanking her were their worse fears, Princess Celestia and Luna. And behind them an entourage of ponies.
The royal sisters stepped forward and, together in their loudest Canterlot Voices, said, “Sombra! Let’s finish this!”
“Erebus, you’re alive!” Zil jumped from the throne and ran to her eldest brother, hugging him tightly while hiding her tears in his coat. “We thought…”
“I’m fine,” He said quietly stroking her hair. “I’m fine. Where’s father?”
“He’s… he’s bedridden.” Zil looked away. “This latest episode is the worst yet, we have him resting under Gleam’s care.”
The eldest son nodded; his eyes closed. “I see.” When he opened them again, he stared at the throne and approached it, climbing onto the decorative seat of authority. All ponies present bowed to him; no words of protest spoken.
“What happened to you, Cien?” Erebus calmly evaluated his little sister's new look and power. Finding the power much more impressive.
“Oh, I just added a new accessory, nothing big.” She spoke coyly, but her gaze darted away, refusing to meet his. “About dad… I’m sorry…”
Erebus waved her off, “He’s not dead yet, but we all know it’s only a matter of time.” He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “Speaking of death… I’m sure you are all aware of our missing brother.”
They all looked at the missing spot in their order. Scath had yet to return. The more hopeful and naïve among them might believe that their brother was just taking his time or he’d been captured, but they all knew Scath. Getting caught was the last thing he would allow; he was too proud.
That left only one conclusion, he was dead.
None of them could refute it. The five children of Sombra present could all sense it deep in their souls. Zil sniffled, fighting back the tears that refused to obey. She angrily tried to rub the tears away, “I’m sorry… I know this isn’t the time, but I just can’t help it. When I think about him being gone… I think about when he was born, and dad said I had to take care of him because he was my baby brother… I just can’t…”
“I know,” Erebus said quietly. “I know it is the same for me, little sister. It’s ok for you to cry.”
Upon being given permission, Zil wailed throwing herself against Cien, the second daughter hugged her elder sister close as she too wept for their lost brother.
“We’ll make them pay. I promise we will.” Cien whispered into Zil’s ears. “Our enemies' deaths will not be easy ones.”
For nearly ten minutes, the halls of the throne room were filled with the cries of Zil, Cien’s coos, and the brothers’ stoic silence. Zil’s wails began to lessen, she lay limp on the ground resting against Cien. Tears continued to fall from her reddened eyes, but her despair gave way to anger. A burning rage beneath a calm face. “What are we to do?” Zil asked of her older brother. “How will we make them pay for this?” Erebus did not reply right away. His eyes burned with the same rage as Zil. A frenzy he as the leader must suppress. So silence hung in the air as the room waited for the eldest son’s declaration. Only to be broken by Ombre, before one could be made. The third son and fourth eldest among them stormed to the center of the red carpet and glared at his eldest brother.
“What happened out there! It was your and Father’s big plan to surround and eradicate the Equestrians? Was it not? How could this happen! We should be tasting victory, not be forced to swallow the bitterness of defeat or be greaving for our lost brother!”
Erebus’s hackles rose, he stood up, horn flaring wild with magic that made the weak shake to their knees. He marched downed the steps glaring up at his taller younger brother and made Ombre bow his head with his magic, so they were eye to eye.
“I don’t want to hear backtalk from the pony that was supposed to hold the frontlines. Instead, you get your leg cut off! And have spent the last several hours playing with those ragdolls you call wives! It was your failure that led to Scath and Schatten having to step in, wasting their strength far ahead of what we planned. We needed you, and you were lying in bed!”
“I took out several of their higher tier fighters.”
Erebus slapped him. “You took out the lower officers. That was all. Once their commanders stepped in, you were pushed back. Don’t you even dare use the excuse you were tired! If you want to be useful, go stand at the inner gate and hold back anypony that tries to enter because we all know they’re coming!”
“It’s been over six hours…”
“And I’m sure they’re well-rested, reorganized and brimming with morale. Meanwhile, we’re picking from the crumbs of our army, surrounded by iron Airships with the Nippon army at our front and back door.”
“Erebus,” Zil said steely, stepping between the first and third son. “We are all aware of our situation. This isn’t just a miscalculation; we were blinded sided. Father was blindsided. He never expected Celestia would actually call upon an allied nation for something like this. Nor could he expect that allied nation to be Nippon or this well-equipped. It almost makes you think Celestia marched in with an outdated army to throw us off.”
“I don’t know that doesn’t fit the profile dad gave us.” Said Cien creating a projection of all the information their dad drilled into them about the Sun Princess. “He stressed would Celestia rather bare a burden herself, nor would she sacrifice her ‘little’ ponies in a feint that would leave hundreds to thousands of them dead.”
“What about Luna? Historically according to father, she was always considered the more military-minded.” Erebus argued, which made Cien nod and project Luna’s information.
“It’s certainly in the realms of possibility, but based on the information from Twilight Sparkle and Princess Cadence, Luna probably doesn’t have the influence to enact such a plan. Her public image isn’t the best. But we’re avoiding the situation.”
“She’s correct,” Zil wiped away any stray tears, eyes sharp, she created a map of the kingdom. “Our forces are dismantled, we only have a few thousand in the castle, including the civilians taking refuge, in raw numbers terms, we’re done. It’s safe to say that once Twilight Sparkle and… whatever the other mares name is.”
“Daring,” Schatten offered.
“Whatever. Once those two are recused, it’s safe to say those guns that wiped out the city will have no reason not to do the same to the castle. As long as we have those two, we have a shield against those ships. And since no average soldiers are going to be able to beat us...”
“The Princess will have to come and fight us themselves, and any pony they believe is strong enough to defeat us, which from our experience is many more than predicted.” Schatten tapped on the map projection and zoomed into the castle. “We need to fortify key locations. I suggest we move our two shields to the playground. Erebus and Zil should be the ones to guard them. While the rest of us try to wear down or kill invading forces. Also, we should have Gleam and Tundra escape with Skaggi.”
The children of Sombra all looked at the map and pondered their brothers' plan. Schatten was respected for his calculated mind and wit, but Erebus shook his head.
“No, that won’t work. The plan its self is ok, but you're too considerate of father’s wishes. I suggest I say in the throne room. Hopefully, my presence will cause the royal sisters to split from the main force or even from themselves. Cien and Zil should guard the prisoners in the playground. Ombre and Schatten will hold back as many ponies as they can. Skaggi…”
“You can’t mean to use Skaggi! Father will never allow that!” Zil protested.
“We don’t have a choice. Besides, Father can’t complain if I send her to be with him, right?”
“But if…” Zil’s mouth closed tightly, understanding her brother’s plan, they all did. It was apparent why he would want Skaggi to be near their father in his current state. “You understand what you’re saying, right?”
“I am, if we bind ourselves to our father’s way of doing things, we might as well give up now. We will use the one card he refuses to use. The ace in the hole, Skaggi.”
“She’s a double-edged sword, you remember what happened last time?”
“I do, Schatten. This is why what troops we can spare will began evacuating the civilians while we hold the line. We’ll stay as long as we can, but know our objective is to escape and fight another day. Father said it best, as long as our ponies breathe, so does our country, and as long as one of us escapes, so does our family. Naturally, Zil, Cien, I want you two escape. If possible, I’ll send Skaggi to you if things don’t work out.”
The mood of the room lowered, the sisters trying to read between the lines of their brother’s words, but could only arrive at one conclusion.
“You aren’t going to flee? You’re the heir, Erebus.”
“So are you two, besides, as two beautiful maidens will be much easier for you two to find a host nation, then us brutes. Cien, if you decide to write about this, make us sound heroic or something nice. Anything to work in your favor.”
Cien viciously rubbed her eyes to hide her fresh tears, “But I have power now! I know I don’t usually stand up front, but I can’t just stand by!”
He smiled, ruffling her mane. “Just playing your role will be enough.”
“Then, have this!” From her saddlebag, Cien pulled the black Alicorn Amulet and presented it to Erebus. “Use it! I know these things are why Father is at death’s door, but look at me! If your willing to risk it, it does have its benefits.”
Erebus placed the artifact in his pocket dimension. Smiling sadly at his little sister, hugging her for what would likely be the last time. “I’ll save it for the right time.”
The siblings went silent. There was nothing more to say. The door to the throne room opened, and Cuarto, the leader of the outwall defenses, stood at attention in the doorway. His expression was grim.
“The enemy has approached the gates, my lords and ladies. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and a pony that resembles the white rinin lead the charge. Our numbers are quickly dwindling. The enemy force is almost entirely made up of Rinin.”
Erebus nodded, “Ombre, Schatten.”
“That is not all, sir,” Cuatro interrupted. “We have a report… the orange Rinin that severed Master Ombre’s leg is in the castle with a small team. One of the refugees saw them as they killed several guards.”
Ombre marched toward the Captian, “Take me to where they were last seen. I will deal with them!”
“Ombre!” Erebus shouted, but the third son was having none of it.
“I must do this! This… this is my fault. Because of the battle, I left unfinished.” Ombre looked back at Erebus with pleading eyes. “Please, let me fix my mistake.”
Erebus clicked his tongue, knowing what was the right course of action, yet… “Very well. You may go.”
Ombre bowed deeply, “Thank you, brother.”
The doors to the throne room slammed shut. Zil held her hooves over her mouth, agasp, staring at Erebus. “You know he…”
“I know,” He interrupted. “I know, but I can let him be selfish one last time. Schatten, I’m sorry you will have to fight alone.”
Schatten smiled. “Well, logic maybe have been thrown to the wayside, but I will do my best.” He bowed to Erebus, hugged, Zil, and then Cien. “I hope you live to finish your book, Elder Sister.”
Cien squeezed him hard, “Don’t say things like that, I need you to proofread it.”
“I’ll do it when I get back then.” He said, patting her on the back.
“You better,” Tears fell from Cien’s eyes, she refused to let go of her little brother, forcing him to pry her off with his magic. He gave her one last reassuring smile and vanished via teleport. Cien stared at the lingering blue sparks that disappeared into nothing. “Goodbye… little brother.”
“It’s time for you two to go. Once one-half of the civilians are evacuated, you are allowed to leave. Leave the prisoners behind. Hopefully, that will deter Celestia and Luna from persuing you upon your escape. For now, keep Twilight Sparkle and Daring out of the enemy’s grasp. They are our only defense against those cannons.”
Zil and Cien bowed to Erebus, “We understand. We will… fulfill our role. Good luck to you, brother.” Zil ran over and hugged Erebus with all her might, as did Cien.
Erebus returned the gesture holding both his sisters. “Goodbye.”
With that parting word, he sent the two of them to the playground, Twilight and Daring would be waiting for them there, as well as the civilians. There was a secret tunnel that went from under the castle to the frozen wastelands. He didn’t know how many he could save, but though they were few, they were his ponies.
Resigned to whatever fate awaited him, Erebus took the throne, letting his magic ooze out. Taunting any pony to come and face him.
“We are getting close, Mistress.”
“I told you not to call me that.” Evening ‘Eve’ Shimmer, currently in the body of Vani Lu, lightly hissed at the transformed Rainbow dash. The pegasus’s mare new pure white coat and electric rainbow hair and shining horn stood in stark contrast to the drab gray and black walls of the castle. She was an eyesore in comparison. A fact the rest of the party pointed out several times.
“Can you turn that fucking light bulb off!” Bixin scolded, wiping the blood off his claws. “This is the fifth group of guards that’s spotted us! Need I remind you, I’m the one doing all the grunt work here!”
It was true. Every encounter, Bixin was the one to take down enemies they ran across. They had a party of five, but their balance was terrible. VeeVee was the healer and thus was pushed to the back, Eve/Vani Lu claimed to be caster type, but her spells weren’t useful with so many allies around, Rainbow Dash or Rainbow White, as she referred to herself in her current state, had high physical elemental attacks, but Eve refused to let her kill, and finally Topaz. He could be helping, but VeeVee wanted him to rest, so his wounds had more time to properly heal. Much of his flesh was still new and tender and easy to rip.
Which left the burden of killing to Bixin. At least Rainbow made it easy by stunning them first.
“I could have her turn back to normal, but then we’d have to deal with her… unique personality.” Eve stressed, giving everypony present a second to imagine having to deal with the hotblooded blue pegasus.
“This is fine.”
“Honestly, an upgrade if you think about it tactically.”
“The entire castle would be on our asses in a second.”
Eve bobbed her head, “That’s what I thought. Come, let’s keep moving. White, which way now?”
Rainbow (White) slowly moved her head left to right, her horn pulsing all the while, she then looked up, before her horn pointing to the floor and holding it there. “Tracking target location, Rainbow Black has been moved to a new location. Given the depth, it is likely she is underground.”
“Can you find us a path?”
“Attempting link,” A bolt of white lightning shot from her energy horn and traveled ahead of the group. “Finding pathway… Finding pathway… Pathway found. Please follow me.”
As the group continued on, Bixin kept pace with Topaz, the two males of the group were positioned behind Rainbow as she navigated the halls. In a low voice, he said, “What are your thoughts on Eve? She was in your body, did you glean anything from her?”
“Nothing useful, only that she’s powerful.”
“Thanks for the compliment.” Eve appeared between the two with no sound or sense of presence, not even a flash of magic. She was simply there. “I know I’m not coming off as the most trustworthy pony, but could you tell me to my face, at least?”
“That’s fine with me,” VeeVee said, squeezing in beside Eve, forcing Topaz and Bixin to move away. “So, ‘Eve,’ why did you pick the name Evening Shimmer?”
“What is the importance of her false name? You seem rather familiar with it, VeeVee,” Topaz inquired, racking his brain for the name. “Is Evening Shimmer of historical importance?”
“Is one of the founding ponies of Canterlot Important?”
Her declaration made both rinin stallions freeze in their tracks, drop into defensive stances and bare their fangs at Eve, who stopped ahead of them but did not turn around.
“My, my, what’s put you two in such a buzz? Remember, I’m merely borrowing the name. I’m not Evening Shimmer herself.” Eve said in an even tone. “I don’t know what you're so upset about.”
VeeVee glided around Eve, looking coy as she stared into the other mare’s shining silver eyes. “I think they’re on guard because the founding ponies of Canterlot were Alicorns. Would that not put anypony in a state of unease? I mean, Alicorns are the apex of pony evolution, or so far as we know. Are you saying of your not one of the most powerful races in the world? Furthermore, historically, the Shimmer family has very close ties with Celestia. Several of them have even become her students over the centuries, and many others became famous mages and heroes in their own right.”
Eve’s eyes narrowed, “And just how would you know that?”
“I read it in a book,” VeeVee smirked.
“And I smell roses and dandelions.” She eyed the two rinin behind her, but when the female Rinin began to move, Eve’s gaze shifted back, a cold sweat running down her neck when VeeVee gently clasped her by the throat.
“You’re lucky you’re in that body. Otherwise, I’d show you why you don’t want a medical professional as a torturer.” The raspberry rinin’s face nearly touched hers, and then VeeVee let her go shrugging as if nothing happened. “But I could be wrong, maybe you chose that name out of a hat on the spot, or maybe you have some connection to it. Who knows. Who cares. It’s not like you’re Minerva, Tempest, or Gaia, right?”
Eve flinched away from VeeVee, her face contorted to a deep and confused frown, “Why bring up the Mother of Unicorns, the Mother of the Pegasi and the Mother of the Earth ponies?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” VeeVee said whimsically. “I just thought that if a super-powerful being was still alive from the time of the Great Divide, it would have to be one of the three that caused the destruction of the Alicorn race, right? I guess there are three more that could be, but I can’t quite remember their names, the Alicorns of the celestial plane… Oh, what were their names again? Well, I can’t recall right now. Sorry to disturb our fragile group dynamic, but I’m a curious one. My apologies.”
Topaz and Bixin stopped growling but have yet to relax, leaving the group frozen in the hall.
“Do you need assistance, Mistress?” Asked Rainbow White, nonplus about her master being surrounded by three rinin, her horn did shimmer with a waiting attack.
“I’m fine, White.” Eve turned to the males but kept an eye on VeeVee. “I know you can’t trust me. Especially since I’m talking through your friend’s body, but please believe me. I am not your enemy.” She turned back to VeeVee. “To extend an olive branch, I’ll confess that I am old, but nowhere near old enough to be the ponies you named.”
“Older then Celestia then?” VeeVee quizzed, getting a head shake. “Then younger than Luna?” This time Eve nodded. “I see, but older then Cadence?”
Eve covered her mouth, but failed to keep in her laugh, “By a few centuries, yes.”
“I see.” VeeVee nodded, “Then are you…”
“Get down!”
At that moment, Eve blinked them all out of existence, reappearing in the same spot seconds later after a ball and chain tore through the walls. The spiked metal ball and chain whirled around, breaking down, wall after wall in its path until what had been a narrow corridor was now a wide-open room. Three hallways over stood Ombre, his weapon returned to his side.
“Topaz Slicer, I have unfinished business with you.”
Topaz faced the big black stallion, distancing himself from the group, so Ombre’s focus remained on him. Blue flames waffled off his body, creating a blazing aura of plasma. “Seems so. You got an uneven set of legs, allow me to set that right.”
The Third son snorted, “How humorous.”
“We’ll see who's laughing later.” Topaz’s eyes darted from the Ombre to the group, blinking in a specific pattern to his comrades. Bixin nodded, understanding the code and began to usher the mares to the still intact entryway leading downstairs at the north end of the now wide-open space.
Ombre quickly spotted them. “Where those stairs lead, will do you no good, leave here. I’ll deal with you later, if not me, one of my siblings will.”
The group paid his words no heed and ran for the stairs disappearing from view.
“Let’s settle this, Rinin.”
Topaz crouched low. “Haste.”
The rinin disappeared from sight, Ombre gathered an incredible amount of chain and created a web in front of him. The chain went taut but slackened before he could snag Topaz in his net. The rinin appeared briefly in his vision, between bursts of speed. Ombre circled the chain of his mace around to act as a barrier, continually turning to keep his eye on Topaz.
“Is running all you can do?” He taunted. A fireball was his reply. Ombre enchanted his chain to block the attack, the flames exploded in every direction obscuring his vision. Topaz burst through the fire, claw blazing with blue plasma, Ombre back trotted wrapping the chain around the rinin’s wrist. “I got you!”
Rearing back Ombre slammed Topaz to the floor, the heavy ball coming next to crush his skull, but the crystal-like blade on Topaz’s joints produced foot long blades of plasma. The rinin rolled, cutting the chain to pieces and escaped.
Topaz appeared on the far south end of the wrecked floor, catching his breath as he circled Ombre from a distance. Engulfing his wings in an azure fire, Topaz focused, the plasma protruding from his joint blades lengthed to three feet. The orange rinin crouched and uttered the spell, “Hastaga!”
Spiraling like a vortex Topaz appeared as a whirling orange-blue tornado, ripping up the floor, flinging debris, and crossing the distance between him and Ombre in less than a second. The third Prince awkwardly deflected the rinin with his weapon. Topaz’s energized limbs cut through the chains like butter, and Ombre only survived by dropping to the floor. Gashes and slashes were left on his body as Topaz flew past.
The prince wasn’t done yet. He rolled to his three feet, sending his mace and chain after Topaz, who was still spinning. Ombre could hardly keep up before, but because of the wind whirling around the rinin, he could track him, but unlike before where Topaz flew in a straight line, the rinin could alter his flight path. Topaz slowed curving back toward him and exploded in a burst of speed again. Ombre recalled his weapon and activated the shattered piece of the crystal heart.
“Absolute Protection!” Seven turtle-shell-like shields appeared before him. Topaz shattered the first, the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, and the sixth with seemingly little effort, but on the seventh, the speed and power of his attack significantly weakened. The rinin continued to spin, his claws merely scratching the magic barrier before he dropped motionless to the floor.
Ombre jumped at the opening, stomping on Topaz with his foreleg and then kicked across the ground like a skipping stone. “Is that all you got? I heard tales of your friends, the Black Rinin can reproduce legendary weapons, the Red Rinin can regenerate! What can you do? Move really fast! How pathetic!”
Topaz didn’t reply too dizzy from being tossed around. Wobblily he stood, swaying on his feet, multiple Ombre’s appearing in his vision. “Dammit.” He tried to focus, to force his brain to get it together, but things didn't work that way.
“Somnium falsum!” A voice sang out, and Topaz’s world went black.
(Was that a spell?) He felt better, but he now stood in a black void, so this wasn’t an ally’s spell. Then he heard it. A deep high pitched cackle that filled the darkness. SHE appeared. The pony he hated more than any other, even the mad doctors.
Nightmare Moon.
“HAHAHA!” She laughed materializing form the darkness and tossed something to the ground. It was green, and it was a pony, it was Emerald Cutter, his sister, lying on the ground with a hole in her chest. “What a fool! Thinking she could defeat me! What a worthless brother you are for not saving her or having the courage to tell her the truth! What a pathetic pony you are Topaz Slicer!”
Hot wet tears fell from Topaz’s eyes, his gums ached with rage, he stared at the one he could never forgive. Heat filled his entire body, orange plasma so bright that it appeared white formed into seven-foot-long mana blades from on his body, four on his leg joints, one on his tail, and two from his ears. Seven mana blades total.
With all his suppressed rage, he roared, “SIEBEN SCHIENDER!”
Topaz Slicer flew at Nightmare Moon, right through her, and came out of the darkness back in the space he’d been fighting Ombre. He struggled to stand, the tender flesh that covered his wounds reopened, he fell to the ground in a bloody mess. He had put everything in that last attack, with little concern about what happened after. On the ground, he craned his neck and spotted the prince. Pieces of him, at least.
Ombre was a pile on the ground. There was no better way to describe it. His body had been hacked to pieces, appearing little more, ground beef. The only thing that served to even identify the Third Son of Sombra was his head, which lay twenty feet from the rest of his body, seemingly spared from being mince meated by decapitation.
“What…I thought…I got her…” To his right, he heard clapping; it was VeeVee. There was something in her claw, but when he blinked, it was gone.
“It’s alright. It’s over now.” She cooed. She said something else, but he couldn’t hear her words. His vision was blinded by her pink fire, and suddenly Topaz felt like he was floating in midair and then crashed onto something soft. A gaggle of startled screams came from all around him. “VeeVee?” He mumbled in a voice to low for anypony else to here. “Where am I?”
Doctor Blue Cross’s face appeared over him. “Where in the hell did you come from Topaz?”
“I don’t know…” He replied weakly. “VeeVee… did something…”
Blue Cross wasn’t listening, though, “Get me bandages and some fresh blood! He’s bleeding out fast! Hurry, hurry!”
In the underground coliseum, also known as the playground, a loud wet CRACK! Followed by a strangled pained scream filled the dry, dusty air. Cien, whip aloft in her magic snapped the handle of the offensive weapon, the long length of woven leather slapped the gashed hide of her victim. One Twilight Sparkle.
The purple unicorn let out a hoarse sob, struggling to stand upright on her hind legs if she didn’t the iron collar chaining her to the wall would choke her. Twilight’s bindings were cruel. The chain was deliberately set too high on purpose, forcing the young unicorn to stand on the tips of her hooves to allow only a hair’s breadth of slack and exposed her belly to her tormentor. The sand beneath her feet regularly gave away, making her loose footing and press the metal band against her throat, all the while Cien casually struck her with the whip. Twilight’s underbelly was awash with bloody lashes, she begged for mercy, but her cries were ignored entirely.
“You stupid, stupid girl. Did you think you could go unpunished for helping your friends escape!” Cien, let loose another CRACK! Striking Twilight across her barrel, just below her throat. “Did you think I would do nothing when you helped the ones who tried to kill my father? Did you! What fairytale do you think you're in?”
CRACK!
“Please… please… stop…I’ll… I’ll be good… I promise.”
Cien’s heckles rose reverberating with disgust. CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! She lashed out three more times with the whip, her strikes unrestrained, causing deep wounds on the purple unicorn.
“You don’t get to play the pathetic maiden after acting like a martyr! Have some principles, you stupid girl!”
“Cien, give her a break, or you’ll kill her,” Zil advised, casting healing on Twilight. The worst of the wounds closed, covered by thin new flesh. “Mind if I take a crack? I’m feeling… moody, and watching her bleed isn’t much fun.”
Cien offered her whip to her sister, “Be my guest.”
“Thanks, but I prefer to get a little more personal.” Zil rejected the whip and trotted up to Twilight. She smiled kindly, gently patting the purple unicorn’s face before slapping her. Blood flew from Twilight’s mouth when Zil’s metal boot connected. “How about this!” Zil dug into Twilight’s wounds with her boot, breaking the new skin and digging into her side with a wet squishing sound.
“AAAGGHHH! STOP! PLEASE STOP!”
“LEAVE HER ALONE YOU CRAZY BITCHES!” Not far away was Daring, chained the same way as Twilight, but has yet to even receive a single wound. She fought against her bonds but got nothing for it as she struggled to keep her airways open. “Stop picking on the filly and come face a real mare!”
The daughters of Sombra exchanged looks before laughing. “No, no, I think this is quite significant torture for you,” Cien said while wiping a tear. “That said, we should let her body rest. It’ll last longer that way. I know how about I show you something neat?”
Walking over to Twilight, Cien roughly grabbed Twilight’s chain with her magic and force the unicorn to face the pegasus, showing off all of the wounds the lavender mare endured so far. While doing so, Twilight’s footing gave way, and she struggled to make a sandhill to stand on. Cien paid her little mind, pretending not to notice.
“Now you see all my hoof work here, really should be put on display, one of my best works yet. Now you might find this interesting, I did, but look at her left shoulder here.” Cien pointed to the indicated spot. The fur on Twilight’s shoulder was black, as was half of her foreleg. The new color traveled down the side of her body, stopping short of swallowing her cutie mark in a pitch-black void. “What do you suppose caused this? What even is this? Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”
Daring gritted her teeth. “What did you make her do?”
Cien reared back dramatically, “Me? I assure you she did this to herself. Three idiots thought they could control an alicorn amulet and look at what happened to them.” She turned Daring’s head to the remains of Ombre’s escaped wives. They were three piles of black ash with some bones here and there. “See? Nothing but weaklings pretending to be something. Not even worth a footnote of a footnote. But look at little Twily here, beaten, scarred and marked by what I can only surmise is a curse of some sort. Yet still alive. As much as it pains me to admit it, she really is from our fabled Sparkle Clan. We might even be distant, make that very distant, relatives. Far removed cousins at best.”
“What’s that got to do with anything?” Daring snarled, managing to get some slack in her bonds.
Zil butted in with, “Would this not be proof that Celestia took a member of the Sparkle Clan during her invasion of Maredor so she could have their power on her side?”
“Princess… Celestia… would…never…” Twilight weakly protested, but her words were cut short when Zil kicked her sandhill from under hooves forcing the unicorn to build it back up again, less she hangs herself.
“Don’t interrupt me,” Zil added a back hoof slap for good measure, pulled Twilight up by her hair with her magic, and got right in the young mare’s face. “And what do you know about Celestia? Really what do you know? She was your teacher for all your life, a second mother, right? How long have you known her? Ten years? She’s thousands of years old, more legends have been written and forgotten about the Sun Princess then anypony could possibly remember. Even our father knows only five hundred or so years into her past and that information was pretty spotty to say the least. The point is the Celestia, you know, the kind, caring, teacher, and ruler, is only one of the many masks she wears. I bet she doesn’t even remember her true self and is merely playing the role of Princess because that’s what ponies expect of her or just does it out of a sense of boredom.”
“You… don’t… know her…” Twilight eeked out.
Zil squeezed the purple unicorns face between her hooves, staring deep into her violet eyes, “Do you know her any better? Would your teacher, your precious peace-loving princess, embark on this bloody campaign? Would she expect you to help her with the said campaign, but teach you nothing to aid in such a thing? Admit it. You were a pet project. A fancy to distract herself with if she truly expected something of you, why are you the weakest one here? Why aren’t you Equestria’s number one mage? Why aren’t you prepared to fight a war?”
“I…I…She… probably…” Twilight’s words were drowned out by her tears. Only desperate wailing escaped her mouth.
Cien whispered, “Nice job breaking her mentally, sister.”
Zil brushed off the compliment. “Oh, please, it’s almost too easy.”
As the two Princesses laughed and giggled like school girls Daring bared her teeth at the sobbing unicorn across from her. “Stop your blubbering!” She screamed, causing Twilight to look up at her. “Celestia loves you like her own. You’re the closest pony to her next to her sister, why the fuck would she want you here? You came here on your own, so don’t blame her for your choice! She let you make your own choices, so live them! I didn’t waste the first two years of my career babysitting you from the shadows!”
Twilight’s tears halted, her eyes filled with confusion, “What?”
“Just shut up!” Daring yelled. “Just shut up and listen! My only job was to make sure some noble or foreign leaders or whatever didn’t try to steal or manipulate you. I was to keep you away from the politics of Canterlot, why? Because even though you were her student, Celestia wanted you to have a childhood! Everything she did was for your benefit, but it was your choice to go down the path she laid. It’s your fault, not hers, if you choose to follow down that road. If you want answers, then you have to ask questions! As for the princess herself, she’s changed since the stories these fools were told, and she does wear masks, but not with you. You were the only other pony in years that got see even a small glimpse of the true Celestia, so don’t squander that trust, by believing these fucking whores!”
Twilight’s eyes widen, a faint light shining from them. “Who are you?”
Daring snorted, laughing despite everything, “I go by a lot of names, The Rogue Wonder, Daring Do, A.K Yearling, but the name my mother gave me is, Daring Raider. I’m adventurer, bookseller, and parttime agent for the Princess, but above all. I am her friend. So believe me when I say, we’re getting out here, the Princess will come for you, and when she does, you can talk to her about anything that’s bugging you or confusing you. Just don’t give up, because the sun will rise.”
Cien and Zil broke out into hysterical laughter, “What mashed up foolish speech. Do you really believe the swill coming from your own mouth?”
Daring shrugged, “Partly, but I figure it’s a gotta be getting close to about time.”
“Time for what?” Zil asked suspiciously.
“For my guardian angel to arrive… and…yep… she’s here!”
Before Cien and Zil’s very eyes Daring and Twilight vanished. They frantically looked around for the two mares but found nothing.
“Where did they… ugh!” Zil recoiled as somepony hit her in the face, but her attacker was nowhere to be seen!
“What magic is this?” Cien pulled her sister beside her and unleashed a wave of magic that blasted the entirety of the arena floor. Nothing happened. They waited tensely with growing fear when all at once their prisoners and three other ponies appeared from nothing. A copper rinin, Twilight, and Daring all puking blood.
“Gods, I hate this part!” Daring moaned.
“Rainbow? Is that you?” Twilight gasped surprised by her friend's new appearance.
Eve stepped protectively in front of the group, Rainbow, by her side. Sternly she looked at Daring and said, “Rainbow Series Black, Activation Code-Delta 7, Victor 8.”
Daring’s body went rigged, her eyes whited out as magic poured from her body, a black crackling horn of magic springing from her forehead. “Code acknowledged, Rainbow Black activated, analyzing the situation. The situation is unclear. Please give command.”
“Escape from your bonds and help your sister fight these two.” Eve pointed to Cien and Zil and then to Twilight. “Free her too.”
Daring blinked, “Command acknowledged, beginning combat prep. Marking friendlies, enemies designated. Power at seventy percent, sync at twenty-five, combat time limit, five minutes.”
Now Rainbow’s horn began to flare up, the white and black lightning mixing with one another. “Black’s signal received, Rainbow White entering Combat mode, sync rose to fifty-percent, power seventy-two percent, adjusting combat time duration, combined time, four minutes thirty seconds. Activating Genocide mode-Oscar 4, Kilo 9.”
“Rainbow Black, Code received. Begin.”
“Cien!”
“Oh, just wait and see, Zil!” Cien jeered. “This is getting exciting! These are some strange pony, yeah?”
Black burst into lightning, severed Twilight’s chain and met up with White, the two became a whirling tornado of thunder flying for Zil and Cien. The younger Dark Princess stepped forward, her ethereal violet hair ragging with an unseen breeze as her magic flared. Her curved purple horn shining bright, extending into a mana blade!
“Let’s do this!” Cien charged, her mana blade clashed against the lightning, sending arcs of white and black shooting in every direction. The Rainbow Sisters broke apart, rematerializing. When they did, Daring’s coat was completely black with a sparkling white mane.
“Rainbow Black, power at eighty percent, sync seventy five percent. Combat time, three minutes, forty seconds.” Both her and White’s magic flared to even higher levels. “Activating Double Thunder!”
“Activating Double Thunder!”
Lighting shot from both Rainbow Sister’s horn and merged into a ball of static that shot at Cien. “Enough of this.” Zil stepped in front of her sister, stabbed her rapier into the ground, and created a barrier. “Finish them already, we don’t have time for this.”
“Right, right.” Cien unfurled her whip and lashed out, multi magic tentacles slapped at the sisters. White and Black buzzed around the arena, blasting quick bolts of lightning rapidly, black and white bolts rained down on the Dark Princesses, but Zil’s shield held strong. Black smashed against the barrier, unleashing a massive burst of magic, her and White’s wings transformed into energy and they unleashed four arcing blades of thunder at the sisters.
“Power rising to ninety percent,” White reported, her voice straining. “Sync is at eighty percent, combat time one minute. Mission priority: kill targets. Searching for means to accomplish the mission. Conclusion: Self destruct. Please give code.”
Eve frowned, hanging her head and cursing under breath, “Denied deactivate. Code-Echo 6 Lima 0.”
White and Black spoke in unison. “Code received, Combat mode terminated. Rainbow White and Black, deactivating.” The twin pegasi returned to their standard colors and fell unconscious on the sandy ground. Eve used her magic to move them to Bixin.
“Take care of them for me? I’ll give you a head start.”
“What…” Before he knew it, Bixin and Pegasus sisters blinked out of existence to parts unknown.
“Was that you got?” Cien boasted, twirling her whip with her magic. “Let’s see how you bleed!”
Eve’s eyes shined, the silver rings around her iris burning brighter. “All things begin, and all things end, return to dust, Elapse!”
The length of Cien’s whip suddenly shortened, half of it disappearing without a trace, the cutoff unraveling into a mess of worn strips of leather.
“What the?”
“Get back!” Zil charged her rapier and thrust forward, firing a blast of magic. Eve raised her left claw in response, silver arcs of energy danced between her talons.
“Etagretinsid!” A beam of silver light hit the attack, causing it to vanish, the laser also hit Zil’s left foreleg.
“AGAGAGHHH!” The first princess screamed, Cien craned her head backward, gasping when she saw her sister's leg had vanished. Only a few specks of dust particles lingered where it once was, there was no blood, no wound, it was just gone!
Eve turned her attention to Cien, “You shouldn’t have that, Leats!” She snapped her claws. The Alicorn Amulet in Cien’s chest pulsed and pulled away, nearly tearing free from Cien’s barrel. The second dark princess screamed, and the gem resonated and unleashed a pulse of power that canceled Eve’s spell.
“Shit…” Cursed Eve as a tringle of blood spilled between her teeth. She wiped it away but began to sway, barely catching herself from falling to the ground.
Cien laughed, “Those must be some pretty taxing spells to wear you out already.”
“It’s Reverse chanting,” Zil panted, hobbling beside her sister. “It’s one of the oldest non-unicorn magics in existence. Merely stating a word or phrase backward activates it. The spell's effects vary greatly by the skill of the chanter.”
“Tuhs pu,” Eve said, Zil’s mouth closed tight like it was locked in a vice. The mysterious mare closed her eyes and chanted. “Show me the path forward, so I may not stray, move the stars and break the heaven’s will, Etaf Lliker.” Cross-like marking appeared on Eve’s irises. Her demure turned sour at what only her eyes could see. “Twenty four… far too many. Dammit…” Eve’s body suddenly trembled, gulping audibly and physically fighting against an uncontrollable urge. She lurched forward, gagging as she vomited a large amount of blood that stained the sands.
“I didn’t think… we were this incompatible…” She wheezed.
“My, my look at that?” Cien stood over Eve, hoof posed to crush her skull. “All that for nothing.” Before she could bring her foot down, Twilight appeared via teleport to stand protectively over Eve.
“I won’t… let you hurt her.” The young mare stumbled out, her entire body trembling as she tried to ignited a mana blade with her horn.
“Aww, that’s so cute and just what I expect from my heroine. I’m so happy you found spine again, Twilly.”
“Don’t call me that!” Twilight spat, jabbing with her mana blade, though it was more like a mana knife. “You don’t have the right to call me that!” Twilight’s voice rose, and so did her power, creating a full-sized blade.
Cien smirked, “Right.” And smacked Twilight across the face. “Next time, stab me if you're going to get in front of me. I know I’m a bit of hypocrite when I say you shouldn’t talk in a fight, but that’s because you’re so much weaker than me.”
“Cien…” Zil snapped sharply.
“Right, right. I’ll just mess up Twilly’s pretty face a bit more.” Cien stomped with her foot, but a raspberry-colored barrier stopped her. “What now?” Cien groaned.
Twilight rolled toward the stairway, a smile graced her lips. “Master… VeeVee.”
VeeVee stood at the base of the stairs, her bone wand in claw, her eyes dilated into narrow slits. Her deadly gaze fell on Cien and Zil. “That girl belongs to me… I mean, she is under my protection.”
“Do you think you can take us with your little toy there?” Cien gave her full attention to VeeVee, but Zil backed away. “Sister? What’s wrong?”
Zil gulped. “Somethings not right about her, Cien!”
VeeVee’s lips curled upward, “How perceptive.” Her wand flashed with a bright pinkish light when it dimmed, Twilight and Eve were both gone and similarly, colored barrier now trapped the Daughters of Sombra in their own playground.
“That was a simultaneous cast with no incantation, Cien! That’s beyond mastery! It’s… it’s… I don’t even know what to call it!”
“Don’t fear, it’s still two on… GAH!” Cien let out a short, pained gasp, the violet Alicorn Amulet flying free from her body and over to VeeVee. She panted hard, pressing her hoof against the wound. “How?”
VeeVee held the jewel between her thumb and index claw. Her mouth curled in a vicious smirk. “Well, well, this must be the work of Fate.” The Alicorn Amulet shined brilliantly, VeeVee’s body became engulfed in a profound purple aura, making her appear as a silhouette. All light disappeared from the arena, leaving behind darkness so thick that nothing could pierce it.
“Cien? Cien, where are you?” Zil brandished her rapier, looking frantically for her sister by the light of horn. At best, she could see an inch in front of her. “Cien!”
“Shhhhh,” The eldest daughter of stiffened. VeeVee’s face appeared in the corner of her vision. The rinin wrapped her foreleg around Zil’s neck and brushed against the Princess, her rough, sharp scales breaking skin easily. “Hush now, quiet now, time to lay your sleepy head..” VeeVee sang in motherly like tone. Zil let out a meek whimper as the light of her horn was extinguished. Shadowing both mares in complete darkness.
SNAP! POP! THUD!
“HOLD THE LINE!”
“ADVANCE! RIP OUT THEIR FUCKING THROATS!”
Outside the inner gate of the Sombra’s castle, a battle raged. A bloody, desperate battle that would decide the fate of the Obsidian Empire. A constant roar filled the air as what few remained of Sombra’s army were dug in deep, their defenses hardened to their fullest. They were the last line.
Thanks to the narrow passages and thick stone walls, the Obsidains could fire from around corners and their keeps with relative safety. Swapping shooters to keep steady barrage upon their enemy.
For the Equestrians, this final push was proving to be just as brutal as the Nippon soldiers were kept at bay by the constant barrage of magic blasts, their mastery of the sword of little use.
“Flamethrower those fucks!” Sixes spat leading a team of Essex and Shamrock through the skies. He and Essex breathed lava on the roof of the keep. The hot molten earth ate through the top of the keep and fell like rain inside. Ponies with their coats on fire, ran outside and were quickly slaughtered. Another team of Rinin swooped in and finished off the keep, rendering it useless. “Keep pushing! Make a path!”
“Yes, sir!”
At another tower, Ruby Blaze, in her dragon form, toppled the keep and engulfed another in flames. The keep on the southwest corner collapsed from the bottom, the top flying off to the outer side of the wall, High Octane came rolling from the base of the tower and broke through thick fortress wall to reek more havoc.
Down in the courtyard, Celestia, Luna, and Kira stood safely behind a magic shield, cast by Hazel Thunder, a hail of green magic bolts flying at them from the inner corridor, which was barred with a massive wort iron gate. Two rinin positioned on both sides of the gate spewed vast streams of fire down the narrow passage. Screamed echoed, and visages of a flaming pony appeared from the darkness, but the defenders held their ground.
“Well, this is getting us nowhere,” Kira stated flatly. She waved over one of her soldiers, whispered in his ear, and sent him off. She then stepped to the side. “I’d suggest you move too.”
The royal sisters followed suit, a Nippon tank rolled into the courtyard, it stuck it’s long barrel through the shield and fired! Sending a HE shell through the metal gate and down the corridor. An explosion followed, with bits of brick flying from the walls.
“Twice more, no need to be skimpy,” Jovily Kira waved her war fan, the crew of the tank fired two more times. Next, she twisted the fan in a pattern, a squad of Nippon samurai charged in with no hesitation. Rushing the enemy position and holding it as reinforcements tried til fill the gap. “Well?” Kira indicated with her head, walking to the inner gate. “Let’s go.”
Leading the way forward, Kira hummed softly to herself, drawing one of the katana’s holstered by her sash. The Great Mother of Nippon’s battle attire differed significantly from the Equestrian royal sisters. Instead of Nippon armor, Night Patrol armor, or any such variant. Kira wore a white battle kimono-like garb. The sleeves covered most of her forelegs, a jade sash wrapped around her waist, and silver yoke rest upon her neck, with eight different colored jewels with Nippon symbols inscribed on them.
The jade tint of Kira’s katana glowed in the dim light of the smoking tunnel, her bright red like shining like rubies. From the smoke an Obisdain charged at her, she swung her sword, making ‘vroom!’ sound as it cut through the air. The attacking pony fell into three pieces, his wounds seared shut. A trio of Nippon soldiers appeared before them.
“Our apologies Lady Kira, some managed to slip through. This is a great dishonor.”
“It happens.” Kira said dismissively, cracking her neck, “I must be getting old, I only managed to cut him three times in a second. How pathetic.” She laughed, sheathing her blade, while stepping over the smoking corpse, to stand in the crossway of the ruined corridor. Three paths laid before them, each one spattered with chunks of their former defenders. Kira tapped her chin before shrugging and stole Luna’s Gemcom. “Fury, could you be dear and come here. We need a guide. Also, Essex and Shamrock if you would join us. I’m sure Sixes can coordinate the outer attack, while we breach inner sanctum, right little brother?”
Sixes gruffly replied over the com, “Drop the little brother thing, but yeah, I’ll be fine. Let me know if you need back up.”
Kira smiled, “I appreciate it, but I have enough ponies worrying about me that I find it annoying.” Her gaze darted to all the Nippon ponies surrounding them. All of them avoided eye contact like children that had stolen a fresh-baked cookie from grandma’s baking pan. She found it adorable. “I appreciate it, though. Come on, everypony, clear a path for Grandma.”
“YEAH!” The Nippon rinin advanced with even more fervor than before.
“Your subjects are rather… fanatic.” Luna commented, which earned her a flick on the nose from Kira, who narrowed her eyes at the Moon Princess.
“Not subjects. Family. If you care to look closer.” Luna took another look at the Nippon Ponies surrounding them. Sure enough, all of them were wearing white and bore Kira symbol somewhere on their person. Course the only one she recognized was Kiri, who stood stoically ahead of them, ready to intercept any enemy attack.
Luna bowed her head to Nippon's ruler, “My apologies.” Kira beamed, patting Luna on the head like she was a child.
“Don’t beat yourself up over it. I’m sure one day, you’ll be surrounded by just as many kids.”
“What are you implying?” Luna sputtered, her entire face heating up.
Kira booped her on the nose. “I imply nothing that you aren’t thinking yourself, Luna.” Kira then whipped her head at the softly snickering Celestia. “As for you, maybe you could stand to loosen up some too. I’ve plenty of worthy males I could loan you for a night or two.”
Celestia turned from white to pink in second. The sun Princess fanned herself while looking away from the grinning Kira. “Well… I may be tempted to take you up on that offer in the later future. Were you always this much of teaser?”
“Well,” Chuckled Kira. “I did learn from the best. Perhaps the student surpassed the master?”
“Maybe she did.” Replied Celestia. “Where’s Fury and the others?”
“We’re right here, took a bit to get Blue Cross of my back. I also had to redraw the map with Trifecta and Smokey Haze. We ready to do this?” Fury asked, leading the way forward. Shamrock and Essex followed behind him, Kiri acting the vanguard.
Thanks to the efforts of the Nippon Shinobi and Kira’s clan, they met little resistance. Traveling through the front interior of the castle with relative ease, facing only minor pocket of enemy defenses. Along the way, Shinobi returned to provide more details to add to the map. Fury knew the throne room was located on the second floor in a grand hall. All routes leading to the upper level, except for one, had been demolished. They could blast through the walls, but that risked bringing the castle down atop of them if they weren’t careful.
“We’re being invited in,” Kira stated as they reached the end of the corridor they were traveling through. The exit opened up to what appeared to be a massive ballroom. The stairs to the next floor located just across the room.
Schatten, the fourth son, stood between them and the door with a small force of soldiers. The fourth Dark Prince twirled his spear and pointed it forward.
“You shall not pass.”
Kira sighed, “That’s all you came up with? Couldn’t you come up with something more original? Really.” She held up her claw, all Nippon Ponies clasped their swords, ready for an all-out fight. Usually, they preferred to fight one on one, the honorable way, but if the Great Mother wanted ponies dead. Honor took a back seat to duty.
“Allow me to handle him personally, I dealt with the last one.” Kiri boasted, stepping ahead of everypony else. “Two heads are better than one after all.”
“Hey, save some glory for us, cousin!” One of Kira’s clan members shouted.
Another, with a silver man and dead fish eyes, stepped up beside the Nippon Prince. “You had your fun, Kiri.”
“Shiroyasha… you don’t usually get this excited.”
“Yeah, but Auntie told me I can’t slack off with the Great Mother awake, so…”
“That’s enough right there! Aye, got business with that bloke!” Shamrock pushed his way to the ground of the back, Essex at his side. “Ya got the other one, I’m laying claim to this one! On my pride as a Clydesdale pony, I can’t be lettin’ a fight go unfinished!” The green rinin rose to two legs, smacking his crystal spike knuckles together. “Aren’t I right, love?”
“Sure, dear,” Drawled Essex. “Look, Kiri, is it? This will be much easier if you just go with the flow. Besides, if things get bad, you can jump in.”
“That would dishonor…”
“Yeah, yeah, honor this and that, I prefer my husband alive.” Essex stepped beside Shamrock. “Which is why you’ll be fighting both of us.”
Schatten grunted at the couple. “Fine with me. Attack!”
Both sides footsoldiers charged. The ballroom floor quickly became slick with blood and screams of the dying with Schatten and the Clydesdale couple clashing in the center.
“Seems these are the remainder of the enemy heavy troops,” Kira commented, observing the battle. Her clan members were having a little tougher time piercing the heavy plate and chainmail of Schatten’s soldiers. Even charging the blades with magic to increase cutting power had little effect as the Heavy Obisdain’s Knights used what low agility they had to avoid deeper life-ending slashes.
Narrowing her gaze, Kira’s vision dulled, the world becoming a mix of grays with red pulses thumping from every heartbeat, giving her a detailed x-ray of everypony in the room. She saw through the thick armor. The Obsidian's organs highlighted red in her vision.
“My Children, pierce behind the shoulder plate, either side is fine.” The Nippon soldiers followed her advice, slipping to their opponents' side and sliding their blades between the gap of their armor. The enhanced swords slid through the chainmail underneath and pieced their opponent’s hearts. Dozen of Heavy Knights fell in seconds. “There are gaps in their flanks, and the bellies aren’t well-armored. Also, there’s a gap on the back of the neck. A strike from a low angle will hit it just fine. The inner thighs are also lightly armored, too.”
With her guidance, the Nippon samurai and Shinobi quickly subdued the Heavy Knights, many of them lay dead or wounded on the ballroom floor. When more than half of them were dispatched, Kira returned her focus to the primary fight.
“I’ve been waiting to see those two in action.” She mused, admiring the Clydesdale ponies.
Shamrock and Essex circled around Schatten from either side, the Clydesdale ponies each taking turns to snap and claw at the Dark Prince. Schatten whirled, twirled, and lashed out with his spear to keep them at bay, only to have to twist back around to push back the other. Every time the green and black Rinin took a bite out of him. With only three legs, the Black stallion found his footing unstable, and the balance of his attacks sloppy.
“RAGH!” Schatten lashed out, whipping his spear at Essex, who effortlessly danced away from the attack, shooting a ball of lava at his feet. He fired a blast of magic at her, and Shamrock jumped on his back, pounding away with his spiked knuckles. The Prince bucked and roared, knocking the green rinin off, only to get a face full of flames. His eyes closed instinctively as he reared back and felt something hot pierce his throat. When Schatten opened his eyes, he found Essex, her claw covered in lava rock, before him.
She broke the black rock and stepped back, looking satisfied with her work. His spear clanged to the ground, Schatten’s head listed from side to side, his body growing cold.
“What… what is this?”
Essex inspected her talons, “I’m not as good as him, but I did learn a thing or two about runes. Did you know lava rock is considered to be cursed in some places?”
“Cursed…” Schatten looked down at the bits of lava rock still in his neck. Slowly they sank into his flesh, entering his bloodstream, what felt like sharp barbs flowed through his vessels, they bludged and then burst! Spraying blood everywhere, spilling down his barrel like a red waterfall. He slumped forward, his body twitching a few more times before going rigged. Shamrock stood over the Prince and stabbed him with his spiked knuckles for good measure.
“Messy as aways, love. Just like our bed after…”
“Oh, shut up!” Essex snapped. Nipping Shamrock on the ear. “You’ll be sleeping on the floor if you dare speak one more word!”
“…”
The sound of clapping echoed behind them, the lovers turned around to see Kira approaching them. The rest of the room silent as all enemy combatants were eliminated. “Very, nice, very nice.” The Nippon Queen congratulated. “Good teamwork, you two. I am very impressed.”
Shamrock rubbed the back of his neck, grinning stupidly. “Ah course, when you're as intimate with your partner as we…”
“Shut the fuck up, right now, our your balls will be bluer then Princess Luna’s coat.”
“That’s a… that’s a really profound blue love.” Shamrock chuckled nervously.
Kira clapped her claws together, bowing to Schatten’s corpse while offering a short prayer. “All humor aside, I admire this pony’s tenacity.” All present bowed their head to the dark prince, and then Kira cut his head off and passed to a cringing Essex. “Here, it’s yours to keep.”
Essex smiled awkwardly. “Thanks… I’ll… I’ll… I don’t know what to do with this.”
“We could put on the wall like the ancient Clydedale ponied did. I mean after we skin it and bleach the head. It would look great over our bed.”
“It’s not going over the bed!” Essex snapped, stuffing Schatten’s head in Shamrock’s saddlebag.
Kira, Celestia, and Luna resumed their march forward. Climbing the stairs, Schatten had defended with his life. The vanguard and Fury ran ahead of them, ready for any more ambushes. Yet as they navigated the halls, they met no more resistance.
“Do you sense that, sister?”
“I do, Luna,” Celestia confirmed.
“What is it?” Asked Kira, bringing the group to a halt.
“Somepony is letting their magic leak out, almost inviting us to come to them,” Celestia explained, narrowing her eyes. “It can only be the First Son, he’s challenging us.”
“Well, we shouldn’t keep him waiting then. Fury, which way?” The red rinin was looking down a hallway going west, a cold draft rolled across the floor, tiny patches of frozen hoofprints making a trail. “What is it, Fury?”
“Some mare I freed said the third and youngest Princess had ice powers. That hall behind me is where her rooms supposed to be, but she clearly went somewhere.” Fury cocked a brow, flashing a predatory grin. “And where would the little princess go in this situation?”
Kira cocked her head, “Well, if she’s as young as you imply, most likely her parent’s room.”
“Sombra,” the royal sisters said simultaneously.
“Exactly,” Kira affirmed with a nod. “Do you two want to go deal with him? I don’t mind having the younger stallion to myself.” Before the sisters could reply, Kira was already walking towards the throne room. “Feel free to catch up when you make up your minds, but honestly, this will be easier if I go in alone.”
Luna and Celestia looked at one another, nodded, and turned down the fridged hallway, Fury and several others going with them.
“Let’s put that old warhorse down, sister.” Luna declared darkly, her voice mixed with that of Nightmare.
“Yes, lets.” Celestia’s voice also had a sinister twinge to it, the white of Sun Princess’s eyes were burnt orange.
Erebus waited on the throne, his eyes closed in concentration. He could feel the presence of the two Princesses. Their magic like a blazing fire in his mind's eye. Once more, he had to keep his rage suppressed as the presence of first Ombre, and then Schatten was snuffed from existence. To add insult to injury, he knew it wasn’t the Princesses that killed his brothers.
No, in their weakened states, they wouldn’t need to bother.
“If only things had gone differently. If we had attacked first, maybe…” With the curse of hindsight, dozens of scenarios played through his head. He could clearly see the flaws in their strategy. “We should have attacked rather than defend. We should…” He inhaled and slowly exhaled to push away those thoughts, they were useless now.
The princesses' presences stopped, putting him on edge. (Why did they stop? Are they simply lost? No, I’m practically telling them where I am. So why?”
The Princesses began to move away, he stood from his throne, (Their heading towards father and Skaggi!)
He accounted for this, but he thought they’d send underlings after his father and sister. What cruel fate was working against him that the royal sisters would go straight for his bedridden father? Erebus jumped off the thrown, running down the red carpet while preparing to teleport.
(My plan can still work, but… no… I’ll grab Skaggi and give her Cien and Zil!) Just as Erebus finished calculating his spell, the doors of the throne room collapsed. Cut cleanly in half, the responsible pony standing in the opening.
“You seem to be in a rush, kid.”
The dust cleared, allowing Erebus to see Kira fully. The elder rinin drew her second sword, the jewels on her yoke glowed and flew free, orbiting her like planets around the sun. Each jewel shooting beams of magic into the Elder. Elegant and elaborate jade-colored marking appeared all over Kira’s body,
“Can you defeat this old nag, I wonder?” Kira challenged, her body growing in size, her six wings sunk into her body, while tuffs of clouds appeared beneath her feet, lifting her off the ground. “The Eight Virtues, that is the name of this artifact. I find it very useful.” She said, jade lighting dancing between her horns.
Erebus went on guard, pulling four black broadswords from his pocket dimension. His last resort weapons picked up from his room. “En garde!”
Kira flicked her head, sending Erebus flying against the wall. “Come on, sunny! Fight!” She egged on. Crossing her swords, she fired an X shaped blast at the Dark Princess and followed up with a barrage of flying slashes, and lightning breath.
Erebus came running out of his hole, one sword now white, embedded with the shard of Crystal's heart and using it as a shield. The other shard he used to enhance another sword and fired a beam of magic at the Elder rinin. One of the floating orbs flew in front of Kira, deflecting the attack.
“RAGH!” Growling Erebus used his other swords to attack, firing a hail of magic blasts, attacking from three different angles. It didn’t matter. Kira didn’t even move. Two of the virtue orbs activated and deflected the attack before they could come close to the rinin.
“Don’t get so angry, it makes you sloppy.” Kira spat lighting on her swords and fired a thunder slash at Erebus, he ducked, rolled and got back up all in one motion, but he left a piece of him behind. Kira laughed jovially as blood poured from Erebus’s missing ear. “That’s a first for me. Usually, I take a limb or the head with that one. Ah… I am rusty. Let me try again.”
Kira’s eye glowed, her vision became tones of gray with the rhythmic pulses of red-emitting from Erebus’s frantically beating heart. “LOCKED ON!” Charging her entire sword with lightning, Kira launched it at the Dark Prince in a careening arc, the sword a spinning blur.
Erebus took off running, firing both at Kira and incoming attack, but his attacks were intercepted by the orbs, and the flying katana maneuvered around his attacks, heading right towards him! He sent of his swords to catch it, but Kira’s blade shattered his to pieces! He crossed the two swords with the crystal shards and used them to block. The Katana wedged between the broadswords, the edge sinking halfway through the black blades. His magic trembled, the force of Kira’s attack pressing down on him.
(I got this! I can do this!) Erebus told himself, only to suddenly lose his footing and drop to the black marble floor like a bag of potatoes. He was at a loss, his body cold and unresponsive. Blood pooled beneath him, he craned his head downward and saw the hoof sized hole in his body. Rolling on his back, Erebus stared at the ceiling, the hilt of Kira’s other sword stuck in the wall in his line of sight.
One of his swords lay not far away, he reached for it with his magic, but Kira’s claw grabbed hold of his horn and twisted his head, throwing off his focus.
“Most unicorns never overcome this weakness. They don’t usually have to worry about somepony grabbing their horns like this. It’s always surprised me that this is all it takes to stun a mage. Unicorn horns are much more sensitive then ponies realize.” Kira continued to fiddle with Erebus’s horn, never giving him a second to focus while she pulled her Katana from the wall. “You should have kept running, standing still gave me a clear shot, though I missed your heart by this much. I can see it actually. Beating slower and slower.”
Erebus tried to speak, but instead of words, only blood came out. With the last of his magic, he opened his pocket dimension and summoned the Black Alicorn Amulet. The jewel was in his grasp, but his spell failed, and it clattered the ground, where Kira picked it up.
Kira inspected the amulet in her claw. “Hmm, I might have been in trouble if you used this. Why didn’t you?”
“BLUGH! COUGH! COUGH! URGH…” Was all that come from Erebus’s mouth.
“Hmm, I don’t speak dying pony, but I’ll take a guess and say it was pride? Or fear? Or maybe both?” Erebus only stared at her with fading eyes, she sheathed her swords, gently stroking his mane. “Well, it doesn’t matter. You were a good son, my enemy, but a good son. Rest now.”
Erebus tried to rise, barely lifting his head, under Kira’s gentle, compassionate strokes he was reminded of his mother in her softer moments. He remembered how she would do the same thing when putting him to bed to relax him. He exhaled, all the tension draining from his body, and that was it.
Erebus, First Son of Sombra, heir to the Obsidian Empire, breathed his last breath. In his final moments, he was comforted by his enemy and killer. He died with a gentle smile. Some would say this was more then he deserved. Yet only one would know.
Checking Erebus’s pulse one last time, Kira confirmed the Dark Princes was indeed dead. She placed the Black Alicorn Amulet in her saddlebag and closed Erebus’s eyes. Clasped her claws and said a soft prayer for the pony.
“To whatever gods are listening, accept this old nag’s apology for snuffing out another youth.” She didn’t know what horrors the young stallion inflicted upon others, but since her own hooves were covered with blood, she chose not to be his judge. “Now, to get back to…”
Kira’s entire body suddenly went cold, she hugged herself tightly, pulling at the helm of her Kimono as her breath billowed like a smokestack. Ice began to cover the entire room around her, Erebus’s body flash-froze in an instant. Not a single degree of heat coming from it.
“What… happened?” She asked through chattering teeth. Stiffly Kira grabbed the shards of the Crystal Heart, the castle shaking and crumbling around her. Cracks formed in the frozen walls, chunks of ice breaking free and shattering across the floor. From the hole outpoured lava, further confusing her, which only made her mood fouler. “What the hell is happening!” She shouted, running out of the collapsing throne rooms. Her thoughts on two particular ponies. “CELESTIA, LUNA WHAT DID YOU DO!”
“Daddy, are you doing to be ok?” Asked Skaggi, clinging to the side of her father’s bed, her bright yellow eyes wet with slowly dripping tears. She snorted loudly, fiercely rubbing her red and puffy eyes. Her efforts were wasted as fresh tears and snot drip down her face.
Laying on his back, Sombra breathed slowly, each breath long and wheezing, his face sunken more than before. He patted the space next to him, prompting Skaggi to climb onto the bed and cuddle next to him. Her icy cold skin made him shiver; usually, his youngest’s power would be too much for him, but in this case, he endured. Holding Skaggi with all his might, which was very little.
“Papa…” Sombra searched for words to say. Debating what he should even say. (The truth? A lie? Would either be better than the other?) “Papa doesn’t know.”
He felt Skaggi stiffen, huddling closer.
“Lady Skaggi, you're making your father cold.” Gleam said gently, approaching the bed to pull Skaggi away.
“Let her stay,” Sombra commanded sharply. “I’m feeling too hot anyway.”
Gleam checked the king’s temperature, grimacing, he was burning up! “You seem to have developed a fever, my lord.” A red glow from under Sombra’s sheets caught her attention. She narrowed her eyes and moved to pull the blankets back, but Sombra stopped her.
“Leave it be, Gleam.” The Dark King’s coat was sweating horribly, his fur gising. “It’s beyond hope.” He whispered.
The maid and lover bowed her head and stepped away from the King and Princess, standing beside Tundra and Skaggi’s new doll, Sweet Dreams, to observe from afar.
“What a fool.” The other maid said under her breath.
Gleam frowned deeply but chose to ignore her companion’s comment. Now was not the time to make a scene.
The King’s chambers grew silent, the soft snores of Skaggi the only profound sound. It remained this way for a long duration of time, giving those present a sense of peace.
Then the castle shook, dust falling from the ceiling. Sombra, who had fallen asleep, opened his eyes with a start, silent tears streaming down his face.
“Ombre…” he muttered in a pained croak. Skaggi stirred awake, looking a gasp at her father’s tears, for this was the first time she’s seen them. Sombra continued to speak, his voice low, “Not just him… Scath…”
The castle shook again, the rushing of hooves come from outside the door. The last of the guards left to support the front. Meaning the enemy was inside the castle. Sombra’s horn glowed faintly. He felt for his children, his tears growing steadier when he felt Schatten’s presence rush to the ballroom.
“Don’t do it, son, you’re smarter than that… don’t…” He choked on his words, coughing so violently he rose from his mattress.
“Daddy!”
“My lord!”
“Stop… Schatten… save him…” Sombra gasped out, but his voice was barely above a whisper, no pony could hear him. He closed his eyes in frustration, tears escaping like a broken dam. “Schatten.”
Schatten’s presence grew weaker and weaker and then faded to nothing. “No… my sons… what have you done?”
It hurt. Pain worse than any wound filled his heart. Anger drove him to rise up and he shouted to the heavens while weeping like a newborn. “You stupid fools! Why didn’t you run! Why… why…”
“Milord…” Gleam tried to approach the king but found she could not bring herself any closer.
Tundra had no such reservations. She marched right up to the King’s bed and slapped him! “Is this all it takes to break you? Pathetic!” She snarled.
Sombra touched the striked cheek, but his anger was replaced with a strange calm. “You’re right, Tundra.” He said softly, looking at the trembling Skaggi. Slowly and very painfully, Sombra rose out of bed, grunting loudly at the mere effort of trying to stand.
“Daddy?” Skaggi, confused and frightened, looked to her father for reassurance. His smile was far from it.
“This is my last order, take Skaggi and…” Sombra’s words froze in his throat. Eyes wide, he stared at the door and trembled at the presence on the other side. “Run…” He ordered, but his voice was too soft.
“Milord?”
“I said, run!” He shouted with everything he had, the door flying off its hinges.
What happened next played out in slow motion from the King’s perspective. Like everything was moving through honey. He saw the red Rinin, Fierce Fury, charging at him. The red dragon pony’s face twisted in a ferocious snarl as he burst into the room. A three more rinin followed in behind them and went for the captured thestral, and then THEY entered.
The Royal Sisters, Celestia, and Luna.
The sight of them made him sick. They haven’t aged since the last time he saw them, and they were stronger than ever before. He could see the taint of dark magic in their eyes. They didn’t say anything, no speech, no listing of his crimes, they laid their eyes on him and charged their horns.
(Who will get me first? The Rinin or the Sisters?) He wondered as all three of them closed in to end his life. Behind him, he heard screaming. It was stupid, but he looked back to see Gleam struggling with Skaggi to get away, while Tundra changed forward. Fierce Fury flew past Sombra, chopped down on Tundra’s neck, bringing her down like a lion. He thrashed his head around, ripping a massive chunk from the white/blue unicorn’s neck. Her yellow eyes were fixed on him though, a smirk on her lips, she appeared to be laughing.
Sombra didn’t turn back to the Princesses. No instead, with the last of his strength, he ran for Gleam and Skaggi. Two magic attacks hit him from behind, one lit his fur a flame, the other shot through his spine. He didn’t give up and continued to crawl while reaching out to his youngest child. Hoping to save her.
“Run, Skaggi, run…” Sombra fell to the floor beside Tundra, a shadow loomed over him, it was Fury, the red Rinin’s jaws wide open.
CRUNCH!
“DADDY!” Skaggi watched in absolute horror as the monster from her daddy’s bedtime stories, the red rinin, munched on her father’s neck in a bloody display of gore that was beyond her imagination. Trembling in Gleam’s embrace, she panned to her mother, Tundra, who laid dead on the floor like her daddy. Dying without ever acknowledging her.
“Mommy…”
Skaggi covered her ears, the room was filled with shouting, ponies the likes of which she’s only heard of stood over her father’s body. The Princesses. They looked as majestic and beautiful as her dad described, but she only saw monsters as they stood over daddy. Their sparking booted hooves caked with his blood. They were even kicking his body!
Then they looked at her. They were talking, but she couldn’t hear them, her fear so profound that everything, even Gleam’s shouts were nothing but ringing in her ears. Her little heart pounded against her ribcage, it was too much, all of it was too much!
She screamed!
Minutes earlier
“This is it,” Luna said softly, she and Celestia posted on either side of the door that leads to Sombra. The nodded silently to one another than to Fury. “Do it.”
The Red Rinin flame burst through the door, breaking it off its hinges and storming into the room. Kiri and two others went in after, and then they entered.
Everything happened to fast.
Kiri and his team retrieved Sweet Dreams, quickly exiting the room, Fury was jaws deep in some light blue, almost white, unicorn and Sombra was running towards a purple mare holding a little blue filly.
There was no time to think, only act. As one, the Princess fueled by their inner darkness and a thousand years of pent up emotions gunned Sombra down without a word. Celestia blasted him with fire, while Luna hit him with a focused blast in the spine. The Dark King fell, yelling something they couldn’t hear over the commotion of the crying filly.
Fury removed his teeth from the unicorn mare and sank his fangs into Sombra’s neck, finishing the kill.
“That seemed too easy, honestly,” Luna muttered; the room became filled with more of their soldiers. Celestia kicked Sombra’s corpse, to double-check, getting blood on her new boots.
“Why’d did he have to be so difficult.” Celestia lamented. “All this, for what in the end?”
While they processed that the Dark King was finally, truly dead, their attention was grabbed by the crying filly, shouting to Sombra’s dead body.
“DADDY!” She wailed, much to their shock.
Knowing they killed a father right in front of his child should have been traumatizing to the Princesses. At least that’s what ponies would think.
“I guess that makes this… the twentyish time.”
“Forty for me,” Luna said without pride.
“Forty? Really.”
“That two hundred year stretch where we separated back in the… well, it was a bloody time for me. So, what do we do with her?”
Celestia bowed her head, squeezing her eyes tight to push back the dark energy she had called on. Emotionally it made her feel worse about the killing, but yet she didn’t feel bad about it. (I’ll probably never will.)
As Celestia and Luna examined the filly and the mare holding her. Celestia was disturbed by how similar in appearance the maid was to Twilight or Twilight’s mother to be exact and other ponies she’s known through the years.
“I guess we have no choice…” Before the Sun Princess could finish, a powerful force of magic radiated at her feet. She and Luna looked down to see Sombra’s body being consumed by a bubbling red aura, the floor around him becoming lava. At the same time, Skaggi let out a banshee wail that literally froze them.
Not froze them like stunned them, but literary froze them, creating a layer of frost on their bodies. If not for Kira’s new armor and its auto-shield, they’d probably have frostbite. Speaking of frostbite, the entire room was caked in a thick layer of ice and snow. The temperature dropping by the second as Skaggi, surrounded by a literal ice storm, began to expand the vortex surrounding her. The castle swept up in a frigid tornado of ice and snow.
Together they teleported away, appearing on the outside balcony, Fury bursting through the window to join them. They thought being outside would be fine, but it was even colder!
“What is going on?” Luna shivered, the moisture of her breath turned into icicles before her eyes and dropped to the ground. All around them was a raging blizzard.
“The shield,” Celestia pointed to the darkened sky. “The shield around the city is gone! The winds of the frozen north are unrestrained!”
“Does that mean that filly controls it? How?”
The sisters didn’t get time to ponder. As suddenly as the ice, geysers of lava began erupting from the ground! One formed beneath them, accompanied by a roaring voice that boomed like thunder.
“SOLARIS! I WILL KILL YOU, YOU TRAITOR!”
From the lava emerged a being that shouldn’t be, in its barrel, pulsed the crimson Alicorn Amulet, its body dark red, almost black, with glowing orange cracks running throughout its coat. It was large, it was powerful, it was the Alicorn of Magma, Vulcan.
“Solaris!” Roared Vulcan, flinging lava from every geyser at the sisters. Frantically the two sisters dodged, their auto-shields activating far more then they liked as they were unable to avoid being hit.
“Sister! What’s going on!” Luna screamed both as fire and ice attacked her. Hail, shaped like spear tips, rained down on them, adding to their problems.
“I don’t know! I never put an Alicorn Amulet in a corpse before!”
During their bickering part of Sombra’s castle shattered and the eye of the storm containing Skaggi rose into the sky, the blizzard worsened a haunting whinny filled the air. The top of the tornado began to change shape, taking the form of a giant wendigo.
Luna had enough. “What the actual mother’s fucking teat! IS GOING ON!”
“Solaris!” Vulcan roared, a vast amount of lava that engulfed the castle flowed towards him. Creating a giant lava version of himself. The Lava replica flung its forelegs, shooting flaming rain everywhere. The entire area shifted between lava and ice by the minute by the two elemental titans.
The royal sisters produced their new weapons, calling upon their inner darkness to boost their powers. Celestia raised her ax to the sky, creating a miniature sun above the tip, while Luna’s body was enveloped by a cloak of darkness.
Celestia’s spell hit the wendigo, creating a massive burst of scorching steam, the wendigo wailed unleashing high-pitched scream of cold wind from its mouth.
Luna meanwhile created claws the size of a giant’s fist with her dark cloak, grabbing Vulcan’s molten avatar by the neck. The head of lava severed from the body, red lava spilling over her wicked claws, a new head forming beneath her grip.
“Ragh… Polarized Moons!” Charging her steel fans with opposing gravities, she sent them into molten Titan, the body of lava began to implode, being sucked into a black hole. Half of it shrunk by the time the spell’s duration ended. Luna recalled her fans, the Nippon crafted weapons glowing red hot.
“We can’t do this on our own, sister!” Luna shouted, the Lava Titan reforming almost instantly.
Celestia flew up beside her, a barrage of basketball-sized suns pelted the Ice Titan, panting for breath Celestia cringed as smoke rising from her horn. “I agree.”
A silver glint streaked zoomed by, “Oki Kiru!” A blade of Jade energy sliced through the Lava Titan, the top potion flying upward as typhoon force wind whirled around it. Kira raced by, running through the sky via the clouds beneath her feet. She drew her second katana and made an X with them. “Double Killing Strike!”
A jade X flew at the Lava Titan, splattering the molten beast everywhere. In the center of it, its puppeteer was revealed. Vulcan roared, the Lava bending to his will. Working quickly to reform the Titan.
“Let’s finish him now!” Kira ordered her and the sisters geared up an all-out attack, only for the Ice Titan to attack them.
“GIVE BACK DADDY!” The Blue Titan screamed, lashed out at the sisters. “Give back, daddy!”
The trio scattered, shooting smaller attacks to keep the Ice Titan at bay, but that gave the Lava Titan ample time to reform. The three rulers flew high, far away from the Titans, the red and blue monsters finally noticing each other.
“So, when did this become a Kaiju fight?” Kira asked the sisters, sounding exhausted. The claws holding her katana shook violently, covered in icicles. “At least that explains the ice and the lava.” The Queen of Nippon’s eyes narrowed as the two Titan’s moved away from each other. “Great, so much for fire and ice being natural enemies.”
Whatever remained of Sombra’s castle was divided by rivers of lava and peaks of frozen ice. The two elemental beings seemingly decided to stay away from each other.
“Where did these things even come from?” Kira directed her question at the two sisters. Who looked away with a cross of guilt and shame on their faces?
“The ice titan is Sombra’s youngest daughter, Skaggi, we killed Sombra right in front of her, while Fury… it was a three pony deal, I guess.” Luna explained karma had never whipped around this fast before. “As the for the Lava Titan… I don’t know. Do you truly not know Celestia?”
Celestia sighed, “It’s only a theory, but it’s possible when Sombra died, the Spirit of the Alicorn Amulet revived and took over his body. In this, cause, it’s the Alicorn of Magma, Vulcan.”
“And why is he screaming mother’s name and calling her a traitor?” Luna pressed.
“Because,” Celestia said resigned, “Mind you, I was very young, but Mother killed him. The short version is there was a war, and they were on opposite sides. You were barely born, Luna.”
Kira snorted, sending lighting through her body to try and warm up. “Sounds like an interesting talk for later, but we need to deal with these monsters now.”
Suddenly a bright shining light came from below, Sixes rocketed through the sky, carrying a shining gold spear in his claw. He reared back and roared, “SPEAR OF SOLARIS!”
The Spear hit the Ice Titan, moments later the entire Nippon Air Fleet fired every cannon from every ship, Rinin formed rank breathing fire, lightning, plasma, and ice, magic flack filled the sky, and gem blasters roared, everypony giving everything they had against the Titans.
Celestia’s magic grip tightened around the handle of her Ax. “We can’t leave this all to them, now can we?”
“Indeed, we cannot sister,” Luna smiled.
The Fire and Ice Titans came roaring out of the smoke, somehow powering through the all-out barrage.
“Let’s do this!”
“Concentrate on fighting to your strength!” Sixes roared, leading the charge around the Ice titan. Every Rinin that breathed some manner of fire behind him. They encircled the Capricorn looking monster, avoiding it’ freezing breath and the snow twister that was its tail. As one, they all spewed fire, lava, and everything in between, creating a literal tornado of flame around the Ice titan.
Ruby Blaze, her entire body aflame, tackled the Titan by the muzzle. The oversized Rinin appearing small by the Titan’s sheer size. She barely managed to wrangle her forelegs around the being before tossed aside.
“I can’t believe that little foal turned into that!” Fury growled as they made another pass.
The Ice Titan roared, unleashing a cold wave of icy wind that sent them all spiraling through the sky. Those that found their barring continued to attack, launching another barrage of fire breath, only this time the flames didn’t reach. The fire dwindled to nothing, not even producing steam.
“What happened?” Sixes clamped his jaw tight to stop his teeth from chattering. He didn’t think it was possible, but it was even colder now! Ice was beginning to form on his wings. He tapped his gemcom. “Everypony, fly over to the lava!”
Fleeing in mass, the chilled Rinin let out a heavy sigh as they entered the sky over the lava pools. The rising heat instantly reviving them. While the fire breathers warmed themselves, they watched their lightning and ice breathing kin rally against the Fire Titan.
They were fairing about the same.
“Don’t give in!” Hazel, upon a pile of floating amber, commanded. Shooting a Gungnir shot through the Lava Titan’s heart. The attack formed a massive hole, big enough for a pony to fly through before rapidly closing. The variety of other lightning breaths did the same, with the water breathers creating blasts of steam explosions on the creature’s surface.
“Hey, Cold Stone, how are you holding up?” Sixes approached the ice breather rinin, the rinin in question slick with sweat. Cold inhaled and tried to breathe ice, only to spit droplets of spit between his dry lips.
“Not, great.” The Ice rinin wheezed like he just smoked a whole pack of smokes. “I need water.”
Sixes patted him on the back, “Try and dry off and get back to the Emerald Cutter. Hopefully, you won’t freeze on the way back.”
Cold Stone nodded, gathering others who were in similar condition and fell back.
“We’re not causing any significant damage,” Essex stated the obvious, hoovering beside him. “A smarter choice might be us Lava breathers going and gutting the guy puppeteering that thing.”
“We don’t have Lava immunity,” He drawled.
“But, we do have resistance.” Essex reminded him. “We can do a quick slash and run through the body. We might get lucky.”
“I’d give us thirty seconds before we start to feel the heat and burn.” He spat five small pieces of gold in his palm, crafting five rings. “These should make it fifty.”
Essex took the magic accessory and slipped it on the claw next to her wedding ring. “Better than nothing, I guess.”
Passing the rings out to Ruby, Fury, and a Rinin named Effie. The four Lava breathers and Fury slipped on their new accessories and flew in a V formation at the Lava Titan. They broke through the outer crust, and into a thick orange world that made it seem like they were flying through orange juice. Except it was really, really, hot!
None of them could speak, but Essex pointed to the only other being inside the Lava monster. The group was surprised to see a Crimson Alicorn at the center, but that didn’t deter them. Readying their claws, they swam for the Alicorn, each one taking their chance to strike.
Vulcan paid them little mind, deflecting their attacks one after the other, knocking them all away. At that time, their rings shattered, and they all made a break for the outside. The Crimson Alicorn sent arms of Lava after them chasing after them as they exited the body.
“Spit half-cooked lava!” Sixes ordered, the Lava breathers coughed up black balls of hardened lava-rock to block the arms, finishing their escape.
Flying away, the five rinin watched as the Lava Titan lumbered through rivers of molten rock, bellowing, “SOLARIS!” About every minute, shooting fireballs from its body like catapult shots. The fireballs flew into the blizzard, spreading like a red blight across the frozen white land.
“Can we really not get these two to just kill each other?” Essex vexed as they regrouped with the larger unit. Over two hundred Equestrian and Nippon Rinin were assembled to fight the colossal monsters. Only they could withstand the heat and cold that would kill a pegasus, and the rivers of molten fire stopped any ground troops from advancing closer.
“Try softening them with the cannons again,” Sixes said to Kiri, who radioed for the ships to resume firing. The platoon of dragon ponies hung back and watched the artillery strikes assault the two monsters to little effect.
The Ice Titan, controlled by Skaggi, began constructing a thick wall of ice to block the artillery shells. Practically making a fortress of her own. Meanwhile, the rounds falling on Vulcan flew through the lava beasts’ body, some exploding after exiting and some shooting into the surrounding lake of lava exploding way off target. Either way, neither Titan seemed to mind barrage that had leveled the city just a few hours prior.
“Could we enchant a shell with ice to shoot at the Lava Titan and fire enhanced ones at Skaggi?”
Kiri shot down the idea, “Too risky, that would make the shells unstable. They’d probably explode before hitting the target or inside the barrels.”
“So, what do we do, I’m open to suggestions.”
Two epic explosions went off, they stopped bantering to watch two massive balls of energy, one black and one yellow. Each one pressed down on the two Titans, only to fizzle out.
Seconds later, Luna and Celestia appeared from a teleport, each of them looking more sinister than usual. Both of them seemingly on the verge of turning full dark. Luna hissed like a bat pony, sporting fangs, while Celestia also sported a pair of shiny new sharp teeth.
Sixes spat gold, crafted a set of looped chain and tossed them around the sisters’ necks like he was playing ring toss. Their nightmarish featured vanished, as did all their magic. The Princesses dropped like rocks, and the others swooped to catch them. The chains around their necks blackened, producing dark smoke, before disintegrating to nothing.
“Thank you, Sixes,” Celestia sighed deeply. “I was afraid we dabbled too far into the darkness this time.”
“Where’s Kira?” He asked, ignoring the Sun Princess’s gratitude.
A long silver beam of lightning cut through the lava, sending it splattering on the Ice Titan. Causing it to shriek and lash out at its elemental opposite. The silver streak continued to fly like it was running on air, barely a blink in the eye. Several more oversized slashes kicked up lava, spilling it on Skaggi. She roared and unleashed a blast of ice at Vulcan, which caused him to counterattack. Prompting a battle between the two.
Kira came to a stop in front of them, standing on six floating clouds, looking like a Kirin. “That should buy us some time.” She said with a heavy sigh, acting her age for the first time today. “Ugh, can you youngsters do something now? This old nag needs a nap after that. Kiri go kill one of those for grandma.”
The Nippon Prince’s eyes widened at the tall order. Still, he drew his swords without hesitation. A wild grin broke across his lips. “I’ll need a bigger pole to mount that head.”
Before he could fly off, Celestia restrained him with her magic. “Whoa, there godson, let's think this through. You need to remember that what we see are just oversized avatars. The ponies inside controlling them are the real target.”
“A surgical strike would be more effective then.” The Nippon Prince acknowledged, Celestia smiled and nodded, but her smile faded, as did any other when they watched the two giant elementals exchange blows. There wasn’t any way to go about defeating the monsters.
“Lightning seemed like it worked to make an opening.” Sixes said after some time had passed. “Maybe if we shoot enough of it, a strike team can get inside and kill…”
“Vulcan,” Celestia informed.
“Right, Vulcan.”
“Some wind magic might work too. We could make a tunnel by stirring the lava around.” Luna suggested. “Wind isn’t my first choice for magic, barely a third, but if it proves useful, I’ll bruise myself to use it.”
“Alright, alright, sounds like we got half a plan. Let’s try it out.” Shamrock egged on. “Let’s do this! I say we go for the Vulcan first!”
“He is the easier of the two to damage,” Luna commented as the two elemental opposites began to move away from each other again, seemingly calling another truce. “Skaggi disappeared into the storm! Let’s move out! Celestia, try and hold its attention!”
They all flew headlong into the fight. Princess Celestia teleported ahead, instantly gaining Vulcan’s attention. He flung everything he could at her, filling the sky with fire. The Auto shield of her armor activated, and Celestia activated the gem thrusters to try and stay ahead of the lava flak.
Lightning arced across the sky as every Lightning Rinin charged up for a combined breath attack, Triple Thunder and Hazel Thunder at the front. Ropes of electricity connected the fifty or more Rinin creating a bright blinding blue arc. Luckily Vulcan remained fixated on Celestia.
“Locked on!” Triple shouted.
Hazel reared back, directing the massive surge with her horn, “FIRE!”
Every Lightning Rinin let loose their breath attack, charged to the point that it looked like fifty laser beams firing at once. The energy beams sliced and diced the Lava Avatar, turning it into blobs of floating magma. In the center of it all was a startled Vulcan.
“Kiri!”
“At once!”
Kira and Kiri flashed forward in streaks of white and silver. Appearing to teleport across the battlefield and right up to Vulcan. Kira struck first, swinging both her swords, cutting of the Alicorn’s head and wings. Kiri aimed for the amulet; his lightning enhanced slash encountered resistance in the form of red barrier that sprang up around the gem. He continued to push, even as Vulcan began to reform, lava closing in around him.
“Kiri!” With little choice, Kira grabbed her stubborn Grandson before he could be consumed by the lava. The others shot lightning bolts to keep their path open, but it wasn’t enough, and the lava quickly formed around them. “Eight virtues!”
One of the orbs orbiting Kira shot ahead, a rope of energy traveled between it and the other spheres, and slingshot them out of danger.
“Allies of Solaris! You too shall fear my wrath!” Vulcan roared, reforming his Titan. This time multiple heads were formed, each one shooting rivers of lava from its mouth like a fire hydrant, while fireballs shot from the surface of its body.
“Get back!” Sixes and the other fired everything they had to counteract Vulcan’s attack. The flak was so thick that they had no choice to but fly higher and higher. They were pushed back to the point of entering the blizzard. “Shit.”
Spiting Lava Sixes created a makeshift lava rock shield to block the fireballs. Other Lava breathers followed his lead and made shields for the others. Unfortunately, that didn’t solve their problem as Vulcan redoubled his attacks.
Suddenly Luna’s voice boomed over the battlefield, thick with the undertones of Nightmare Moon, “Let darkness turn to night and night to darkness, blot out the light of the stars and cast the world in an endless, eternal void, Greater Noctis Stella!” A purple massive of energy the size of beach ball flew at Vulcan, absorbing everything in its wake. The ball grew inside, the surface bubble like boiling poison.
Vulcan’s three heads gave the attack its full attention pouring gallons of molten rock into the orb, making it swell in size and imploded before hitting the Fire Titan. The lake of Lava began to drain as Noctis Stella touched the ground, sucking up everything in its wake, a massive crater devoid of lava appeared before being filled again.
“DAMMIT!” Luna cursed to the heavens; her most significant attack once again negated. Celestia meanwhile could only seeth. Her most potent spells were all fire-based, making her more than useless in this battle.
Hope was fading, victory seemed as far as the stars. Retreating would let the two Titan roam free, not an ideal solution. It was hardly a solution at all, but it would buy them time. The idea bounced between the sisters, factoring everything that happened, the losses they suffered. Maybe now was the time to cut their losses.
“Everypony re….”
Giant crystal spikes erupted from the lava lake, the shimmering blue crystals bled red, absorbing the molten liquid. Vulcan’s Titan began shrinking by the second. Everypony paused to look at the newcomer soaring across the sky.
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.
The recovered fragments of the Crystal Heart orbited around the Alicorn of Love, sparkling with a brilliant blue light. As she zoomed by, the pieces held by Kira flew from her saddlebag and joined the pack. Celestia and Luna leaned forward with hope as the heart began to piece itself together into its original shape.
That hope was twisted to confusion when instead of reforming, the crystal heart shot into Cadence’s body and disappeared. Cadence’s body took on a drastic change, her dull multi-colored hair crystalized into a rainbow spectrum of blues, her body growing to nearly Luan’s size The most notable and perhaps the most critical difference was her power, it was almost five times higher than before.
Cadence had fully awakened as an Alicorn.
“Venus, Goddess of Love, calm thy lover’s wrath and soothe him with your whimsy, let his fires be snuffed by our desire and his mind at ease in our embrace! Venus’s Embrace!” Soft pink mist sprayed from Cadence’s horn. The little resistance Vulcan had been putting up was suddenly quelled, his titan melted away, leaving the Alicorn himself exposed with honey glazed eyes and… erect. A goofy pleased smile graced his lips as he embraced a pony that was not there. His soft lover’s coos too faint to be heard.
At this moment, the Princesses took their chance. Celestia flung her ax, while Luna hurled her iron fans, the three weapons converged, overcharged with magic, and hit Vulcan all at once. His body became a fine red mist, a mist that retook the form of Crimson Alicorn Amulet and chunks of Sombra’s corpse.
Both hit the ground, clattering against the black crusted surface, the lake of lava cooling at a phenomenal rate. Fury flew down to retrieve the amulet, letting the chunks of meat that was once Sombra roast on the ground.
With the surprise final boss defeated, everypony looked to the Princesses and then the looming Ice Titan that still remained. The blizzard grew worse as Skaggi continued to blindly rampage. The small heat zone created by Vulcan was quickly becoming overwhelmed.
“Once more!” Luna declared boldly flying toward the wall of snow and ice, but Celestia pulled her back, her expression darkened.
“No,” Celestia said quietly. “I… I’ll deal with this.”
Slowly the Sun Princess flew toward the storm, taking a deep, solemn breath for what she was about to do. Her hair ignited in flames, she pulled on the strength she’s spent the last thousand years cultivating and with no Elements of Harmony, no friends to worry about she let it her finite control slip away. Disappearing into the blizzard the next second.
To the onlookers, it looked like Celestia disappeared, swallowed by the storm, but seconds later, a vast dome of nothing appeared, a heat so intense that it made the lava seem cold by comparison brushed their faces. Some there that day would describe it as standing next to the sun.
Celestia flew through the storm unheeded, feeling free, for the lack of better word. Alone in the blizzard with no pony around, she could finally stretch her wings, in a sense. A chuckle escaped her when she noticed her wings were flame as well, even her hooves. It didn’t affect her. The flames were as part of her as her own skin. The heat radiating off her both felt like tension, leaving her muscles. Her precious sun reached out to her, begging for them to become one.
“Not yet,” She chuckled, but truthfully if she stayed in this form too long, they would. To put it more precise terms, she would become the sun in a sense, and possibly destroy a good chunk of the world. (Not all of it.) She mused. (That would arrogant to think I alone could destroy the world, but a quarter of it? Maybe all of Equestria? Well… I’m certainly not about to test that theory.)
Skaggi’s Ice Titan was before her now. It swiped at her, but the offending leg was vaporized by the super-heated air, causing an explosion. Celestia continued to approach Skaggi, the Ice Titan shrinking away, but she pressed on, slipping through the tornado that acted like the Titan’s tail.
(I thought it was a Wendigo, but looking at it again, it’s more like a siren.) Now inside Celestia found Skaggi floating in the eye of the storm, her eyes whited out with frozen tears running down her face. She flew up the small foal, her heat warming young filly’s cries so they could flow properly.
“I… want…. Daddy…” Skaggi said through chattering teeth.
“Poor girl, you can’t withstand your own power, can you?” Celestia embraced the crying foal, who may be out of instinct, clung to her. “There, there, everything will be alright now. I promise.”
Skaggi looked up her, her eyes red from crying, “Will you take me to Daddy? And Mommy?”
“Yes,” Celestia said softly, holding the child closer, Skaggi nuzzled against her fur with a deep sigh.
“What is this… feeling? I’ve never felt it before.” Skaggi’s voice became raspy, her body beginning to melt like a popsicle.
“It’s warmth.” Celestia croaked with tears streaming down her cheeks, holding Skaggi tighter. “Some say it’s what love feels like, and it’ll take you to your mommy and daddy, I promise.”
“Really… so… this…is… warmth… it feels nice…” Skaggi’s disappeared, her cold overpowered by the heat. There was nothing left, not even a spec of ash. Celestia floated in alone in the dissipating storm system, staring up at the rays that shined down on her, parting the black clouds above the empire.
Powerful emotions tugged on her heart, and she cried, wailing at the life she snuffed out.
When Celestia returned to the others, she was silent, landing on the Emerald Cutter with the sun shining triumphantly behind her. Unable to conjure up any sort of cheer, “It’s over, we won.” Her words were hallowed, and she kept her gaze downcast as everypony celebrated. Kira stopped her, pulled her aside, and shoved the Princess into her own quarters.
“Rest up. There’s still a lot to do.”
“Ok…” Was Celestia’s only response as the door closed, whatever may come next, one thing was for sure. The Crystal War was finally over. Sombra was defeated at last. At what cost, though? “Tomorrow. I’ll deal with it tomorrow. I’ve… no… we have earned that much.”
Celestia laid down her head on the pillow, utterly exhausted and drained of nearly everything physically, mentally, and emotionally. So much so that her sister had no trouble slipping into her dream world and gifting her the most beautiful dream in the last thousand years.
“Thank you, Luna…” Celestia mumbled, the Night Princess herself beside the bed to hear it.
“Anytime, sister, anytime,” Luna said while stroking Celestia’s hair, humming a soft lullaby.
The late afternoon sun beamed down on the remains of the Crystal Empire. Remains is the most accurate way to describe the place. There was nothing left, not a building standing anywhere. Even the arena was cut down a low wall with some broken stand seats around it.
That didn’t mean all able-bodied ponies weren’t busy. In fact, for a tiny minority of Equestrians, and most of the Nippon army were searching the city rubble for survivors. Efforts were being made to mine into the underground of the castle, now a black mass of hardened lava.
There were questions, postmortem, that needed to be answered. Questions like who died, where were their remains, and checking for surviving enemy combatants. Deciding their fate whether or not they chose to accept surrender and dealing with that. Standard clean up. However, there was one more important question that the rulers, particularly Celestia and Luna, wanted to be answered.
Where were the crystal ponies?
Right now, the Royal’s biggest fears were the there were none left, or they were imprisoned in the castle. Not a fun thought, but from Sweet Dreams and Cadence’s testimony, it was a strong possibility. For now, they could only search. Large scale efforts were being made to mine under the castle and hope the underground was lava free. The more pragmatic weren’t holding their breath.
Luckily since absorbing the Crystal Heart, Cadence managed to reform the protective dome over the city, allowing everypony to work in a very comfortable climate.
“We’re gonna have to talk about that too.” Sixes grumbled, checking off the list of other things he’d need to report for the upcoming meeting. Currently, he walking through base camp, collecting reports from the lower officers, and checking on the search efforts. He could this via gemcom without being on sight, but he preferred to this kind of thing personally. It was relaxing in a strange mundane way. Besides, Doctor BlueCross gave him strict orders to take it easy. Bedrest was preferred, but walking hadn’t be forbidden. Between the two, he preferred to walk.
A full day has passed since the official end of the war. Clean up would probably take three days to a week to wrap up. The injured were already being transported by train to Canterlot. Two Nippon Light Cruisers already left with the injured and dead to take them home. The rest of the Nippon fleet would stay until Kira decided to go, so they were stuck here.
While he collected reports, Sixes kept going over what points he wanted to bring up in the meeting with Kira and the other officers. He was definitely interested in how Kira managed her forces. Hoping to suggest some crossover training from Nippon. He would admit, reluctantly, that Nippon was a far superior force. Not just to the Equestrian Army, but Night Patrol. Even in its heyday when they thought they had the world by the horns with three wooden airships or the Nightmare.
“I do think they could stand to adept some long-range equipment.” He muttered under his breath, collecting an earth pony captain's report. Grunting a carry one, he wandered off, tapping his gemcom to find the next officer.
Checking the time, Sixes frowned, the meeting was probably pushed back since he hadn’t received any message to assemble, yet. The meeting couldn’t be held until all Rulers, high ranking officers, and VIPs were cleared medically fit.
Kira was practically a princess in a castle the way her family fretted over her. Forcing her to partake in several hours long ritual meant to restore vitality and promote healing or something like that. Some sort of Nippon dance magic, maybe? Whatever it was, Kira indulged in her clan's worries and let it proceed.
Celestia was still asleep last he heard, and Luna wasn’t much better as Kira had dragged her into the healing ritual. “Then there were all the injured officers like Topaz and Gloves and the VIPs…” Sixes trailed off, looking glum and sighing. “It’ll probably be evening before they’re ready. Maybe even tomorrow if we unlucky.” One of the VIP groups was Celestia’s student and her friends. He honestly didn’t see the point of having them there. Most of them were probably traumatized. As they should be. The rumor was the six were national heroines, with several impressive feats under their belts. Their coverage was somewhat subdued. He could only scoff, not out of malice, but he couldn’t help himself. “Defeat one super threat, and they give you parades, medals, and a stain glass windows. I’m not even sure they could be called weekend heroes.”
Moseying through the tents and soldiers, Sixes finally had the time to review his time in this new era. This wasn’t the first or the last time, the familiarity of war, battle, and blood was more reassuring than the peace that had apparently been in place before his return. War was familiar; it was his life.
Stepping outside of the encampment in the shadow of one of the warships, he stared across the blacken crystal plains. Tuffs of shining green grass were already sprouting thanks to Cadence’s magic. A wasted effort in his mind, but it did make the scene less depressing.
“That’s something we do need, should ask some of the mares to dance or something.” In his field of view, the worse job was being done. Corpse removal. Well, what was left to be considered a corpse, he guessed. The bombardment had left little intact, friend or foe. In most cases, there wasn't enough of the body to bury, friendly dog tags were collected. Both of them, one for the records and one for the family and everything else, was dropped in a large pit, which would then be filled with lava hardened, and a stone with the fallen names carved on it would be placed on top. A makeshift tomb for the fallen.
Currently, there were at five holes. Far away in another part of the field, there was a lava pit for the enemy being kept hot to dissolve the corpses. There would be no marker for them. Sombra’s children's bodies, the one they could find, were already tossed in to guard against necromancy. Except for the skulls, some of the Nippon ponies kept as trophies. There was hardly a trace of Sombra’s kingdom left.
Sitting back against the base’s earthen wall, Sixes padded his saddlebag, retrieving the cigars Admiral Gathers had given him. He smiled faintly, taking one for himself, cutting the ends with his talon, and lighting it with his breath. He inhaled deeply and exhaled, visibly relaxing for the first time since the end of the war.
“How many days was this war?” He couldn’t recall, it all blurred together. “I guess that depends on when it actually started.”
If accounting for the troop’s mobilization, the war was three days long, maybe four. The constant overcast sky made it feel like one long day. For him personally, it felt like only a few hours, even though it was probably two days.
“Hey! Ya got one for me, Brother?”
Sixes glanced sideways, biting down on his cigar at the sight of Shamrock's muzzle. “Don’t call me, brother.” He stated for what was probably the millionth time, but he passed a cigar to the Clydesdale Rinin. Shamrock settled down next to him, lighting his smoke with a green flame.
“Ah, the Admiral really came through! Though I prefer the pipe, this is fine. You, me and the misses should all go out for a pint and smoke sometime. Now, where is me, bonny lass? Probably putting her own bend together with Kira, eh?”
“Wouldn’t know.”
“Ah, come on now! I’d think you’d be interested in mare’s smoking pipe. Maybe Luna would take to it? Gives you an accuse to keep puffing cigars, right?”
Sixes scrunched his nose, imagining Luna with smoking, the image did not fit. But then he envisioned her in a kimono-like Kira with her hair done up, pipe a loft in her magic. “Huh, that strangely works.”
“Right? I remember this time Es and I went on vacation to Nippon after Kira’s wedding. She set us up really good, gave Essex this darling thing of dress, made her blush like mad, especially when I got her out of it!” Shamrock slapped his knee, laughing loudly while digging into his saddlebag and pulled out a bottle. “Ah, glad I had Highlander get this for me. I prefer ale or whiskey, but sake isn’t bad. Have some, since you got the smokes.”
Taking the bottle, Sixes stared at the mouth before knocked back a long glug and passed it back. “We’ll have to share. I gotta give out cigars to Fury, Tri, Topaz, and the others.”
“I’ll give ya a claw, but first let knock a few rounds back. Come on, brother!”
Sixes grimaced, but fought back the urge to rebuke Shamrock and smiled, “Yeah, alright, brother.”
“Ah, hah! Finally, I got ya to say it! Let’s drink to celebrate!”
“Whatever,” Sixes grumbled, yet he was smiling, staring up at the clear sky with shimmering orange eyes. “What’s Fury up to?”
Shamrock slapped him on the back, his cheeks already flush, “Old red? I saw him in Glove’s tent talking to some mares. Ya think he’s…” He made a gesture with his claws, to which Sixes slapped away.
“It’s none of our business.” Sixes chastised. “Besides, either way, I doubt he’s up for that.”
Shamrock stared at the bottle with a sad smile, “Yeah, I suppose it’s a little soon for him.” He took a drink and passed back. Time drifting away like clouds in the sky. When one particular cloud passed overhead, Sixes grinned.
“Well, I’ll be dammed.”
“You got time to talk?” Was the first thing he said when entering the tent. Much to her charging, it made Spitfire blush.
“Yeah, I guess, you ok here, Fleetfoot?” The Colonel asked her friend, who had glued herself to Vice Commander Glove’s bed, playing nurse for the Rinin. Spitfire didn’t know what happened between the two, or the story behind Glove’s crazy evil-looking red foreleg. Still, she supported her friend, for now. She wasn’t going to let Fleetfoot get down with Gloves if he was actually a demon. “So where to?”
Fury gestured for her to follow, leading her outside the tent and taking flight. They flew over the base, over the docked airships, and perched themselves atop of low hanging cloud. Things slowed down from there. Fury looked down across the wasteland, a strange smile on his lips, but when Spitfire leaned in, she noticed his eyes were glazed over, his mind clearly somewhere else. A relief for her, since she didn’t like the idea of anypony finding this sight enjoyable.
Deciding to let Fury go at his own pace, Spitfire looked across the field where many ponies littered the ground. The Wonderbolt grimaced at the sight of the body collectors picking through lumps of former ponies in search of a dog tag. The hardest part was watching the casual dropping of the remains in the pits. A few Pegasi were just deposited inside the hole, so she looked away when the rinin began to spiting lava atop the bodies.
“I used to look down from places like this with…” Fury frowned; his brow frowned deep against his temple. “My mare friend, Nightingale… I guess she was. She kind of just kissed me after the first crystal war, and I went along with it. I didn’t really know what to do, she had lost her wings in the war, and maybe more out of pity than love, I started dating her. Not that it stayed like that, I got to know her better, maybe overtime I did fall in love with her too. Maybe not enough in the end. Considering where our paths diverged.”
He went silent, staring ahead into the distance.
“So… am I, her descendant? Or yours then?”
Fury smiled, shaking his head, “You looked and acted so alike, I thought so, but no. We’re not related. That said, you got Rinin in you. One I know, his name was Overheat, he was like Kira, one of the monster ponies, a great warrior, and a fucking horndog.” He snorted, laughing. “Gods! The number of families he spawned from his herd. I’m sure you’ve noticed.”
“Well, Blaze and I do look similar… and there are a lot of us with yellow/orange hair that looks like fire… what did this guy look like again?”
“Tall, hair like fire, literally turned into a flaming skeleton.”
“The hell? What was he the base for Ghost Pony rider?”
Fury looked at her funny, “Ghost Pony Rider?”
She turned up her nose, “It’s a comic book! A popular at that! Everypony knows about it. I only saw pages from copies my friends were reading.”
“Uh-huh, sure.” Fury chuckled, ruffling her mane. Which she took offense too.
“Hey! We just established I’m not from your loins, so don’t treat me like a kid!”
“Sorry, but now I see you like a niece or rather a friend’s daughter, it’s kind of hard to get past, even if it’s been nearly ten generations.”
She fumed, but visibility relaxed, “So, besides being a great warrior and horndog, is there anything else you can tell me about this Overheat?”
“You interested?”
“Well yeah! I mean, if I got rinin blood in me, that means I should be able to go all sorts of crazy shit! Hell, with practice, maybe I can spit fire! I’ve already done it a few times alcohol.”
Fury fell on his back, looking straight at the sky. “Well, there was this one time…”
Spitfire fell back with him, listening to Fury’s tales while watching the clouds above move. Minutes and then hours seemed to pass with them just taking.
“Did he really do that?” she snorted when Fury finish the story of Overheat walking into the dining hall with an erection. With the Princesses present as the cherry on top.
“I swear.” Fury bellowed, genuinely happy, it made him stop short and place claw over his heart. His boastful smile waded to a small grin. “Gods… when was the last time I laughed like this?” He mused, watching the clouds change shape. Spitfire’s eyes were on him, he looked at her blazing orange eyes, but he didn’t see her, he saw somepony else. He saw Nightingale. His grin faded away to nothing.
Spitfire sighed loudly and looked back towards the clouds. “Somepony else on your mind?”
“Yeah… Nightingale, she… was my marefriend or lover. I never quite quantified what we really were. If I’m honest, she might have loved me more then I loved her, or rather, I didn’t know how to love her. I mean, we did all the things lovers do cuddle, had sex, or just simply spent time with each other. Our relationship started after the first Crystal War; she was in a tough spot. Lost her wings in the war. She kinda came on to me, and I, for better or worse, couldn’t reject her. Not that I regret it, but maybe I never gave her attention she really deserved or wanted.”
“Is she the one you see? When you look at me?”
“Yes, which is why I thought you were her descendent and possibly mine. It troubled me, why she didn’t want to come with us. To wait in stone. It bothered me a lot more then I would like to admit. It became clear to me when I started to do research, and now, I feel… betrayed.”
Spitfire sat up, quickly putting the pieces together. “She was pregnant, with your child, but didn’t tell you.”
“Yes.”
“Do you hate her for that?”
“No, I’m sure it wasn’t an easy choice. Starwind never said anything, or maybe he did, and I didn’t listen. There were probably some side effects to petrifying a newborn in the womb. Or maybe he didn’t know if it would do anything or not. Nightingale probably didn’t want to take the chance. I can understand that.” Fury sat up, a look of hurt and anger on his face. “What makes me mad is she didn’t give me a choice in the matter.”
“Would it have changed your mind, though? I mean, really?” Spitfire pressed, making Fury bristle at her words, which made it evident to her what his choice would have been. “So,” She began looking back out across the smoking plans. “Who’s your descendant? You must have found one, right?”
“Fleetfoot.”
Spitfire froze, whipping her head back so fast it popped. “Say that again?”
“Fleetfoot is Nightingale’s and my direct descendent. For whatever’s that worth. She’s better off not knowing.”
“That’s no up for you to decide, is it?” Spitfire got in his face. “You just said, you were mad that Nightingale didn’t give you a choice, well, your about to do the same to Fleetfoot! And before you say anything, yes, you’re ten generations removed, it doesn’t matter, but you two are still family, right? Hell, there would be no family without you!”
Fury smiled warily, reaching with his claw to ruffle Spitfire’s mane. “You might be too smart for me.” He laughed.
She grinned, “You know it.”
The two of them shared a laugh until it attracted the attention of Sixes and Shamrock, who joined them on the cloud. Fury accepted the victory cigar, to Spitfire’s chagrin, but the half-full jug of Sake put up her mood.
“Hail whatever Gods remain for fine cigars and rice wine, right?” Sixes bellowed with a faint tint of pink on his muzzle, clearly inhibited.
Fury nodded, watching Spitfire chug back the jug with a nostalgic smile. He took it from her, sipped, and then pressed it back to her lips.
“At least wipe your spit…” She didn’t get to finish, her lips too busy with his. When he broke off, he laughed heartily, pulling her close with his wing in a very familiar gesture, which made the pegasus mare turn from yellow to pink. “You even know what you're implying with this… these… all this…” She stammered off when she saw the look in his eyes. He was looking at her and only her. His tail curled around her belly, pulling her snug against her body.
“Do you know what this means for dragons?” He asked. Sixes and Shamrock were leaning forward, grinning like mad, poorly trying to rein themselves in. Shamrock was laughing a drunken laugh and making a gesture with his claws while saying something to Fury. Spitfire’s ears burned so intensely she couldn’t make out a word, or maybe it was the pounding of her heart.
“I can take a guess,” She gulped, letting her body relax with a little help from the alcohol. Settling closer to the red Rinin of her own volition.
The peaceful heartfelt moment didn’t last long as messenger flew up to them.
“Commanders! You need to see this!”
Elsewhere
In the officer medical tent, a crowd had gathered around Topaz Slicer, who was bandaged from head to tail, resting soundly on his belly. On the cot next to him, was Shining Armor, who was healed, but still weakened. He was assigned bed rest by the doctors. Filling out the crowd was Bulwark, also still bandaged up, Platinum snuggled against him, and finally Sweet Dreams and Goodnight.
The thestrial mare was on a cot, covered head to toe in heavy blankets even though it was probably seventy degrees in Cadence’s dome. Constant exposure to Skaggi’s magic left the thestral in a continuous shiver ever since her control bonds were removed. Now free, her body took its chance to show just how cold it was. Sweat Dreams nearly dying of frostbite one the spot.
A short dip in the spring got rid of the worse of it, but with the war over, it was decided she should recover as naturally as possible. Doctor Blue Cross lecturing on the ill effects of rapid healing and how it destroys the body's natural recovery process or something like that.
Goodnight had been only half-listening. Gluing himself to Sweet Dreams side, holding his fellow commando/thestral’s hoof through her treatment. Gradually Sweet Dream opened her eyes, smiling wistfully at him.
“Hi.”
“Hi,” He replied awkwardly, keeping his hooves in place. “How are you feeling?”
“Still cold, could you climb in with me? Please?” A heavy blush beset Goodnight’s cheeks, but he crawled under the covers, wrapping himself around Sweet Dreams and pulled the blanket over them. She let out a content sigh, snuggling closer to him.
“Ah… that’s better.” Sweets nuzzled against his neck, her body was cold enough to make him shiver, but that just made him wrap her tighter, trying to force his own warmth into her.
(Ah… I’m glad I didn’t say that out loud.) Goodnight cringed imagining certain things.
Goodnight and Sweet Dreams laid still neither of them feeling the touch of sleep, not because they weren’t tired. Far from it, both were exhausted, but the giggling gaze of their tentmate kept them up. Both bat ponies peeked around the room to see Platinum looking at them from between Bulwark tree trunk forelegs like a bird in the nest. The silver/pink unicorn rose from her roast with a silly grin and a coy eye.
“So… when is the wedding?”
“I’d give them two years,” Mumbled Bulwark, peeking through his eyelids. “What do you think, Topaz?”
“Does it really matter?” The orange rinin replied, keeping his eyelids closed. “On a different note, let Sweet Dreams finish the training regimen before knocking her up, then she can at least serve as an instructor for the next crop.”
Both Thestrals were pinker than Pinkie Pie, with Sweet Dreams a shade darker than that. “Ok, is anypony here actually asleep! Or were you all just waiting around to pick on us?”
“You could have gone to a different tent, mine is free.”
“But ours has a bigger bed! The transport staff was really generous about that, I just can’t sleep if I don’t feel the Bully’s weight on top of me.”
“I would just like to report I was sleeping.” The chatter died down, all eyes lasering on Shining Armor rising from his covers. “But I’ll just… ah… go, I guess.”
Before the white unicorn could get to his feet, Topaz ordered him to lay back down, the orange rinin emphasizing with an orange silted glare. “Sit down.”
“Yes, sir.” Gulped Shining at the terrifying officer, despite lying on his back.
“Private Shining Armor, I got a report a few hours ago from Princess Cadence. With notes from the VIPs about your performance during the operation, but I need a direct report from you, accounting for the time she was not with you.”
“Yes, sir.” Shining hung his head, telling the tale of how he and others stayed behind to detract the enemy and how he’s been captured.
“Fury and Trifecta also said you were tortured.”
“Yes, I was. Though it out of fun for the enemy, rather than information.”
Topaz closed his eyes and nodded, “I see, come here.” Shining complied standing by the officer’s side, expecting a scolding for losing his unit or for getting captured. He already knew what Commander Fury thought of him. What he didn’t expect was Topaz to pat him on the head.
“You did good, the best any pony could have asked of you.”
His breath caught, believing his ears were deceiving him. “What?”
“I said you did good, Shining Armor. It was rough, but you succeeded in your mission. All the VIPs, your wife included, made it back, that’s what is in important. I’m looking forward to your future exploits. You have potential. I’m sure the others will see that soon enough, keep up the good work. Your dismissed, why don’t you go somewhere more fun?”
“Commander Topaz… thank you! I’ll do my best!” Shining Armor stood tall, saluting the commander who waved him off.
“Whatever, go get out of here, there are better things you could be doing.”
“Like what, sir?”
Platinum let out an exulcerated sigh, “UGH! He’s saying go bust a nut in your wife or check on your more than likely mentally scarred sister or something!”
“Well, she’s half right,” Topaz laughed.
“About which one?”
The orange rinin just continued to smile, “Whichever one you want to do first. Now don’t make me tell you again, get out of here. I’m about to clunk out again. Better yet, besides the bat, why don’t you two leave. I know what you and Bulwark want to.”
“Aww, you so sweet, Commander. But Bully, and I already did it while you were all sleeping. Silence is a very beneficial spell.”
The four ponies collectively sniffed the air, grimacing at the very musky smell in the tent. “Second thought, Shining teleport us or get some ponies to move us out of here, and you're promoted.”
“Right away, Commander Topaz! I’ll be back post-haste.” He saluted, running out of the tent. Topaz craned his neck to glare at the unabashed Platinum.
“What? Sex is a great stress reliever. I know some mares that would love to…”
“One more word and I call Sixes.”
“That’s not fair! Besides, what would he do? He wouldn’t care.”
“Yeah, but you’d still be embarrassed.”
Platinum puffed her cheeks, appearing ready to blow her top only to putter out a hard, “Fuck.”
The Rinin Commander laughed, mentally saying checkmate as Platinum pouted until Shining returned with a small squad to carry them to a different tent. Topaz casually telling Platinum and Bulwark they can have all the fun they want in a thunderous, very condescending tone that irked her to no end.
“Yeah, well…um… ah... Fuck the moon, why can’t I come up with better comebacks?”
Now alone, the two lovers settled down. Platinum nuzzled close to her lover as possible without aggravating his injuries. Moving was difficult thanks to her prosthetics being MIA.
(I’ll make new ones. Better ones! Maybe I’ll put a Gatling cannon in one this time. Yeah, and perhaps I’ll go through the pegasus adaptor surgery like AppleJazz did. Speaking of Jazz, I wonder where she is. Must be in another tent. She must be feeling awful for getting taken out so early. It is rather embarrassing we had to call in the kids for this mission. Nothing against them, but adults shouldn’t have to rely on talented youths like them. We shouldn’t.)
Overcome with overflowing maternal emotions, Platinum felt the weight resting on her chest, remembering the initial outbreak of the battle. Feeling awful that Topaz had to call the Monster Squad in almost right at the start.
“Next time. Next time I won’t let those kids be put in danger.” She swore, settling down for another nap. New weapons design floated in her head. “Next time… bazookas… yeah… blow their head right off…”
“Excuse me? Is oh!”
The sound of muffled gasp caused Platinum to spring awake, rollover Bulwark’s forelegs, land on the floor, and grab the intruder with her magic. A panic eyed white unicorn stared at her, a familiar one at that.
“Allure? No, ah… name, name, what’s your name… Rarity! Yes, Rarity. Jazz told me about you. Oh, sorry.” Sheepishly Platinum let Rarity go allowing her to speak and breathe, though the marshmallow mare was staring behind her. “Oh, don’t mind him, that’s my husband, Bulwark Bulldrake, he’s a gentle as a… ah… well. He’s gentle with me, I guess. But you're fine. Ugh, sorry I am rambling, what did you need?”
The element of Generosity collected herself, clamping her mouth shut and avoided looking at either pony, less she says something narrow-mindedly offensive.
“I’m sorry, I was just looking for a place to… be alone.”
Platinum nodded sagely. “Ah, bathroom, right? I know how it can be, but what is a toilet but a hole in the ground, right?”
“WHAT? NO!” Blushed Rarity.
“Oh, my bad, Allure always said that when she needed to use the bathroom. Well, something like that. For a mining mare, she sure knew how to clean up.” Platinum looked wistfully at her friend's descendent. “She always gave me the best quality gems. They work wonderfully to power my mechanics. I don’t suppose you are still in the mining trade? You’re a seamstress, right?”
“By trade, but my special talent is finding gemstones, which I use in my designs.” Rarity said, sitting down. “Sorry to make you roll out of bed, do you need help getting up? That’s not insensitive, is it?”
Platinum waved her single leg. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about this. Once I get my spare legs from home, I’ll be walking around like any normal pony, just with metal legs.”
“I saw them, your legs I mean, after the invasion. They were… ugh rather clunky to put it nicely. Not very befitting for such a gorgeous mare like yourself.”
“Oh posh, I’m nothing special. Though for clarification, those legs were my combat prosthetics. I did make some walking around legs, ones without weapons, they’re much slenderer and sleeker, but still not very beautiful.”
“But if they were polished silver or white gold, with some engravings, I believe… actually, do you have paper? I could sketch it out for you.” Platinum pointed Rarity over to the saddlebags piled next to the bed. The seamstress retrieved the field pad and sketch pencil from inside. Hastily drawing a slender leg with leaves and vine pattern on it. “These would make you the talk of Canterlot! I bet noble ladies would be so envious they would chop off their own legs!”
“Well, I don’t need them to do that, but if I can doll myself up for Bully, then I’m happy.” Platinum gazed lovingly at the pony any average pony would describe as a monster. “He’s a lot bigger up close, ponies would probably call him ugly because he looks more alike bull than a pony.” She looked straight into Rarity’s eyes. “Many would say the same thing about a one-legged mare too.”
“That’s not…” Rarity stopped herself, reading Platinum’s eyes. “That’s not inaccurately, I guess… a shame that ponies would think like that.”
The legged mare smiled. “Yes, ponies fear things that are different. After I lost my legs, my family lost in the rubble, I was whisked away to different country cared for by the most bizarre ponies I’d ever seen in my young life. I was afraid, hurt, and alone. I knew I would never fit back in with normal society.” Platinum’s smile widened. “So, I said, fuck it, and embraced the bizarre, and suddenly everything was… normal. I even fell in love, got married. Something I thought would be impossible. During my recovery and even after I got my new legs, I couldn’t see myself as anything desirable. How could I? Then one day, I saw this big scary rinin, a fierce warrior that breathed fire and brought death sitting alone in the bed of flowers behind the castle. I remember my first thought, he looks sad.”
Platinum shook her head, Rarity leaned in closer engrossed by the story. “What next? What did you say to him?”
“Nothing, at first, but I began visiting that place more often. I knew Bulwark knew I was there, but we didn’t talk. Even if we met in the castle, we didn’t speak to each other. This dragged on and on, and ponies were beginning to talk. Then one day out of the blue, Sixes comes stomping down the hall, tugging that big lug by the ear stops in front of me and says: This big pile of mush has been asking me for weeks if he can take you on a date. Either go with him or break his heart. I don’t care.”
Rarity blinked, “Oh, that’s… romantic? I guess?”
“Moi Pere was always the direct sort, but he did bring us together in his own way. Anyway, after embarrassing us in front of everypony. Bulwark took me out to that flower bed, under the moonlight. It was amazing. They were night lilies, so they glowed blue at night, perfect scene. The light was reflecting off my metal legs and were both so awkward with each other. Finally, at about midnight, I asked: Do you really like me? I heckled him, stressing over and over again that I only had one leg and that I wouldn’t be able to a lot of things. Telling him sex would be very boring since I couldn’t equip my prosthetics in bed. The joints weren’t flexible enough, and the metal tears everything up. Do you know what he said?”
“What?” Gasped Rarity.
Platinum leaned close with a snicker, whispering, “Nothing, he told me how much he loved me without saying a word. Do you know how?”
Rarity reared back, her face red like a pepper. “Oh, I can imagine, so um… how did you fall in love that night? With him, I mean?”
“Well,” Platinum chuckled. “I did, but I also cursed him in the morning. I was sore like a small tree had been shoved…”
“Ok! I’m all for spicy details, but this seems like it should be…”
“And my coat was like covered, like sticky syrup matted to my fur…”
“Right, so…” Rarity clamped Platinum’s mouth closed, “Right! I get it, anything else? Not related to… that…?” Platinum giggled while covering her mouth. “I’m sorry, Miss Rarity, I’m told I speak too frankly at time. Long story short, we went on a date and then another, and before I knew it, it had been a few months. I realized I didn’t care what Bulwark looked like or what other thought of us. I loved him, and he loved me, and I wasn’t going to be shamed into thinking otherwise!” She declared, boldly shaking her leg in the air. “Now, you sure you don’t want what to hear about…”
“Put it in a novel and maybe.” Rarity said quickly. “I know you should have a dress! A dress to go with your new legs!”
“Oh, that’s so sweet of you! What do you have in mind?”
“Well, I was thinking…” Rarity began explaining the finer details of her design, causing Platinum to forget to ask why she was even here in the first place. Not that she cared. Being able to show off her mare side was a rare and every enjoyable past time. Not many ponies, let alone mares were comfortable around her to talk about dresses and the like.
“Do you do hair ornaments too, Rarity?”
In another tent, not far away from where Platinum and Rarity were engaging mare talk, sat four other mares. Popularly known as the Elements of the Harmony. Besides Rarity, Twilight Sparkle was missing from the group. In fact, none of them have seen the purple unicorn yet, only told her injuries were extensive and under the Nippon Miko’s care. They didn’t know if that was reassuring or not. Having to ask what a Miko was in the first place.
The short answer of the Great Mother Queen’s personal attendants and bodyguards wasn’t the best frame of reference for the Equestrians. When the Nippon messenger looked at a loss about how to better explain, one of Kira’s Clan, Shiroyasha, intervened. He didn’t do a much better job.
“So, the Miko, most of them are my cousins, not all, are the most beautiful and talented mares that devoted themselves to serving the Mother Queen. They know everything and anything between their members, so they’re like super doctors, I guess. Some of them are anyway. Your friend is in good hooves, or maybe she’s in such bad shape they need the Miko? Hmm, yeah, your friend might be dying now that I think about it.”
“OK! Lord Shiroyasha, let’s go. Anywhere else!” The Pink rinin in red armor stressed, pushing the dead-eyed Nippon pony away. “Sorry, sorry, don’t worry, I’m sure your friend isn’t doing that bad… I hope?”
Awkwardly they shut the tent flap and left, Rarity expressed her desire to be alone, going as well, putting them where they were now. Sitting in silence with a heavy air waiting for one of them break it. Bets were pretty much set on which pony that was.
“This sucks!” Cried Rainbow Dash. “They’re treating us like we're little fillies!”
“No pony is forcing your stay in the tent, Rainbow,” Applejack grumbled. “You can leave anytime, but I doubt they’ll let you see Twilight.”
“Why not? We’re like on first name bases with the Princesses! They have to let us in.”
“I very much doubt those Nippon ponies see us as anything special.”
“Then I’ll go find Princess Celestia or Luna, or maybe Cadence! I bet they all get to see Twilight! We deserve to see if our friend is ok, right?”
Applejack rubbed her foreleg, her green eyes looking far away. “Yeah… I don’t feel like seeing her right now…”
“WHAT?”
From the corner, a meek voice spoke up, “Um… I don’t either really… sorry.”
“You too, Fluttershy?” Rainbow whipped around to the last pony present. “Pinkie Pie?”
The Element of Laughter’s hair only had one puffy curl in it, her face dower and sober. “Yeah, I want to see Twilight, but… not right now.”
“What’s wrong with you three?” Rainbow grew flustered, her face turning red. “Are you abandoning her?”
“Dagnabit! It isn’t like that, Rainbow!” Applejack stormed up the pegasus getting right in her face. “Things are just… complicated right now. This whole Element of Harmony deal… its… oh, fuck it! I didn’t sign up for this! I gotta farm to run, a little sister to look after, and prepare a future for! If I wanted to be in the army, I would have joined the army! This!” She emphasized around the tent. “This isn’t what I want in my life! I mean. What was the point of us here? What did we do? We got in the way! I thought this was going to be like the other times, challenging sure, dangerous, sure, but this… this was apocalyptic! A mountain of black rock sits on top of what once a castle! I saw…”
Applejack held her hoof over her mouth.
“I saw what they were doing to the bodies. They’re throwing them into lava pits because there’s not enough space to bury them all, and that’s for our own! Everything else is being tossed into one pit like they’re trash! This is messed up!”
“If we had brought the elements…” Rainbow began, only to get cut off by Applejack.
“If those trinkets would have been any use, Celestia would have had them for us! She didn’t bring them! If they were useless, then what does that say about us!” Applejack snorted fiercely rubbing her snot and tears with her leg. “I’m going out for some air. Provided there’s any good air left in this forsaken place.”
“Fine! See if I care!” Rainbow yelled after the farm mare. “What about you… two…” Rainbow turned around to see the other two had left through the back of the tent, leaving her alone. “Fine! Be that way!” She huffed flying out of the entrance and into the sky, making a beeline for the airship she figured Twilight would be on, the Emerald Cutter.
The air space was mostly clear, too clear. Rainbow stopped to check her surroundings and found she was basically the only flyer above the base. Before she could even fathom why she was surrounded by Nippon rinin in blue armor. A pink mare, similar to the messenger from earlier, broke from the group to confront her.
“What are you doing?” Kaki demanded with no room for nonsense.
“I… uhh… was just taking a flight is all? What is that a crime?”
Kaki narrowed her eyes at Rainbow, and then widened when she pieced things together. “Ah, your one of the civilians, I guess you can be forgiven. Flying above the base is forbidden right now. The war may be declared over, but stray enemies could still linger in the area. You're lucky, no pony flew up and ripped out your throat. Though that does put me at odds with our security. Speaking of security, come with me.”
“Why?”
“Because if you don’t, I assume you’re an enemy in disguise and rip out your throat. Now stay in the circle and DO NOT try to fly off.”
With armed Nippon surrounding her from all sides, Rainbow much against her brash nature, complied. Flying in the middle of the escort squadron at their painfully slow pace. They were particularly as snail speed when they approached the Emerald Cutter. Another squad greeted them and were briefed on the situation and escorted them to the deck. There a robed earth pony, Rainbow would later find out was a Miko, threw some sort of dust of on her, chanted a bit, and then nodded.
The blue pegasus thought she would be home free. Rainbow as quickly proven wrong when Kaki pulled her into a room and began interrogating her. Asking her name, why she was flying, where did she plan to go.
“Rainbow Dash, future Wonderbolt, and I just wanted to go for a fly. I got into it with my friends and needed to let off some steam.”
Kaki nodded, writing every word down. “I can relate, but like I said, the war is over, but this is still a warzone with enemy combatants possibly in play. You are a civilian, untrained in the protocol, and how clean up operations go. My apologies to one of our allies… civilian heroes… but you’re not flying. Anywhere. Especially alone. You have two options, either go back to your tent or fly around with an escort.”
“That defeats the purpose of flying alone, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, but I’m not putting my neck out so you can run away from your problems.” Rainbow slumped on the table, sprawling her legs across the width. Kaki’s lips curled with displeasure, moving the pegasus’ offending leg off her report and was really about to curse her next words. “So, what’s the problem with your friends that you risked getting mauled out of the sky?”
“You keep bring that up like it was going to happen.”
“Oh, trust me, Miss Dash, it was, and you wouldn’t have seen it coming.” Kaki grinned.
Rainbow dash slammed her forelegs on the table, “Yeah, right! You guys think you’re so high and mighty! I’m one of the best flyers in Equestria! Not just a future Wonderbolt, but the best ever! Just wait and see!”
“You are aware the Wonderbolts are one of Celestia’s Elite Spec ops Task forces, right? They do more than raise money for their military branch via aerial shows. They infiltrate potential enemy nations, do off the book “Jobs,” even kill ponies if needed. They do way more than just flying. Are you even old enough to enlist?”
“This year I am,” Rainbow answered quietly, her forelegs crossed and her face flush. “I did try to apply three times for finding out there was a minimum age limit.”
Kaki’s lips curled into what could almost be a smile for her. “Amusing. Well, to help you get used to military life, why don’t your start by listening to EVERYTHING I say, no backtalk, no sass. Do that, and I’m sure you can pass basic.”
“I told you! I’m one of the best flyers in Equestria! Getting into the Wonderbolts will be a breeze!”
“Drop and give me fifty wing ups!”
“Huh, what?”
“And you failed,” Kaki said, getting out of her chair. “Being in the military means being part of a larger unit. Being told to do something, even if it doesn’t make sense at the time, or may put your life at risk. You have an ego problem, Miss Dash. I suggest you rethink your life goals.”
“Don’t think you can tell me what to do!”
Kaki merely looked at the Pegasus, “I wasn’t telling, I was suggesting. You might have more issues than I originally thought.”
“You calling me stupid now? Huh?”
“Well,” Kaki cocked her head and smirked, “You said it, not me.” The Nippon rinin stretched, letting out a long sigh. “Well, that was a good break, but I got another eight hours before I can take a dip in the hot springs. I guess I can escort you…”
“I want to see Twilight!” Rainbow interrupted, earning a very sharp glare from Kaki. “Please, I mean.”
“That’s better, but not by much. Let me check with Lady Uzikaze.” Kaki stepped outside, through the crack in the door Rainbow saw her call over a Miko. The two talked briefly, the Miko producing several scrolls and then left. A few minutes later, the same Miko and another one returned. Kaki nodded and opened the door. “You are surprisingly lucky, Miss Dash. Come with us.”
Flanked by Kaki and the first Miko, the three of them followed the Second Miko up the stairs towards the top of the ship to the level below Kira’s. Kaki stepped aside and bowed with the first Miko to the Second.
The Second Miko introduced, “I am Uzikaze. Lady Twilight Sparkle is under my supervision. I find it might be beneficial for you to visit her at this time. Please follow these guidelines: No getting her worked up, do not touch her, do not make her talk if she doesn’t want to, and keep your visit under ten minutes. Though I doubt Lady Sparkle will be able to stay awake that long, but please be aware. I will stand here for privacy; she is five doors down on the right.”
Kaki knocked Rainbow’s feet from under her, making her bow. “Show the proper respect, Miss Dash.”
“Thank you, Uzikaze…”
“Lady Uzikaze!” Kaki corrected.
“Lady Uzikaze,” Rainbow grumbled, only to smile when Uzikaze flicked Kaki on the temple.
“Ouch! What’s that for?” Kaki whined, sounding more like her sisters.
Uzikaze sighed, “How many times do you have to be told to ‘chill out’ as Queen Haibara says. You're getting married soon, you should listen to your future mother in law and Queen. Learn from your sisters…”
Rainbow Dash left the Nippon to chatter, as both Miko began berating Kaki’s behavior. The Equestrian feeling light as a feather at Kaki’s scolding by the priestess. “Ok, one, two, four, five!”
Opening the door, Rainbow barged into Twilight’s room, or so she thought. Standing in the room, dressed in a Kimono by a maid, was her, but with tan fur and a black spectrum mane. It actually reminded her of a particular book protagonist.
“Daring… Do? You’re real? What what’s going on?”
Daring exhaled deeply, the maid tightened the obi and bowed, silently leaving the awkward situation under the glances of the two pegasi before they looked at each other again.
“We need to talk.” Daring pulled Rainbow into the room and shut the door. “Let’s start with your childhood, shall we?”
In the Private Royal chambers. Kira laid sprawled on a giant red and gold-trimmed pillow, her kimono, and hair disheveled, while puffing on a pipe, making smoke rings in the air. Laying next to her in a similar state of dress and untidiness was Essex.
Her green Kimono with crystal flower patterns was coming off her shoulder, her hair braids frayed with the back length tied in a messy bun with wooden hair sticks. She to sported a Nippon pipe casually puffing alongside the Queen. Each of them grinning and laughing while exchanging stories.
Seated awkwardly between them in a midnight blue kimono with a moon pattern and nightingale flowers was Luna, a small table with a pipe and tray of tobacco presented before her. Stationed next to the princess was a heavily red robbed Miko with a fox mask with a burning incense stick, ready to light, if she decided to partake in smoking.
Luna waved away the fumes, frowning slightly. (Does it even matter? These two are like stoke stacks on a train!)
“So, let me tell you about my Great, Great, Great Grandson Kirigami, Essex. He was such a little cutie. I was in hibernation at the time, but he would scale the side of my hibernation castle and try to way me up by poking my sides. Sometimes I would awaken, my eyes barely slit, and I would just see this adorable silver colt. Oh, he was so precious. He started leaving me flowers, and I just couldn’t stand it anymore and came out of hibernation sixty years early to play with him. I had to eat three times my weight to properly stay awake, though. I got a little pudgy.”
Essex laughed hysterically, slapping Kira on the back while holding out a sake cup, which another fox mask Miko filled. “You, fat? I can’t see it! You look so great! I hope I age like you do, Kira!”
“Oh, stop,” She blushed, waving daintily with her claws, “You have so much more youth to look forward to.” Kira dumped her burned tobacco into an ashtray. The Miko beside Luna immediately, without asking, packed in another batch of tobacco and lit it. Kira took a puff like she never stopped. “Hmm, this is a good blend. What is it?”
“It’s Ah… let me think… that place south of Europona!” Essex guessed with flush cheeks. “Purkkshiha…hahah! I can’t say it.” She laughed, falling on her pillow. “Ah, this is so soft…”
“It’s an import, my lady, a Turkoman.” The Miko answered. “Shall I add it to the list?”
Kira nodded, taking a long drag from her pipe, “Yes, if you would.”
“Very well,” Replied the Miko, pulling a scroll with other listed Tobacco blends and writing down. “It is done. I shall ensure it is stocked milady.”
Kira reached over and pulled the Miko into her embrace, the Priestess mask fell to the floor, revealing her face, which looked remarkably like Kira’s, but with green eyes. “Luna! This is one of my granddaughters, in case you couldn’t tell. I don’t know why they insist on hiding their adorable faces, but eh, gotta let them do what they want.”
“Great Mother, I am merely a branch member, you don’t ughhhh!” The Miko’s words were cut off as Kira squeezed her tightly.
“Now, now, you’re all my family. Sheesh go to sleep for a century, and they make all these stupid rules. You were but a little tike the last time I was awake, how old are you? And what was your name again? My brains slowing down a bit these days.”
The Miko dropped to her belly the formal greeting pose with her head down, and her legs stretched forward. “I am Tanikaze Ki Shiroyama, age 103 awake. I spent most of the last centuries sleeping waiting for the chance to serve you after my training.”
Kira stroked her chin, “Hmm, a lot of Kaze's nowadays must have been a trend. Wait, I remember that year of the wind thing. Anyway, I’m going to call you Tani if that’s ok.”
“It is perfectly fine! Henceforth, I will present myself as Tani! Thank you for gifting me this new name, Great Mother Queen.”
“No, I was just… oh right, ‘divine naming’ completely forgot about that.” Kira let out a deep sigh, gulping down a whole cup of sake. With a half-cocked smirk, she said, “Take it from me, Luna, don’t let any pony talk you into becoming an official deity. Being a ‘god’ is tiresome. Especially when they keep making up new rules every century.”
Luna partook of a cup of sake, taking side glanced at Essex, who snoozed on the floor. Her pipe thankfully safety retrieved by one of the Miko. “I’ll keep that in mind if I ever decide to ascend to godhood.” The attending Miko refilled her cup, and she took a sip. “So… you and Essex seem close…”
Kira merely shrugged. “I suppose. I did train her.”
“Right, so you do notice she looks remarkably, no scratch that, exactly like Sixes minus being a mare of course, right? I'm not crazy here?”
The Nippon ruler set down her sake cup and chewed on the end of her pipe, giving the Moon Princess a cockeyed look. “I don’t know, do I and everypony else seem blind? Not to cause offense, old friend, but it is obvious.”
“So is she… Sixes… dau…” Luna hesitated, unable to say it aloud.
Kira was not so inclined, “You think she’s his daughter? HA! No wonder you were worried! No, no.” She shook her head. “Essex is Sixes’s sister, according to her, at least. I’m mean those of us from the cave have any memories from the factory.” Kira’s expression softened. “But this isn’t the first case… isn’t it? The doctors didn’t care if siblings of the same gender were in the group, but opposite genders were a big no, no, for their experiment. There have been several cases actually. Lots of heartbreak. A lot of the factory rinin that left were ones with siblings and lovers that didn’t remember them. Might as have been dead, right?”
“Did she try to tell him? Sixes I mean? Did Essex try to tell him they were siblings.”
Soberly Kira stared at the snoozing rinin, a sad smile marring her previously happy face. “No. Essex confessed to me years ago. Before the sealing, of course, that she tried when she came back to Equestria, but replace tried with, thought about it, and thought about with too afraid and you get the picture, right? Can’t blame her. Like I said, there were others, and it caused… friction.”
Slowly sipping her sake, Luna waited for a refill, stared at her reflection while contemplating her next words, thinking of Topaz and Emerald. He never told Emerald they were siblings, and very few others knew that fact. In fact, she didn’t know if he did to any pony else other than her. “I don’t want to call her cowardly, but what stopped her?”
Kira waved with her one of her extra right forelegs, alternating between her pipe and drink. “Who really knows, but if I were to guess, it was watching others try to rebuild their lost bonds with cave rinin. I watched it happen a few times. A factory rinin would confront their sibling or friend, start talking about the past and beg them to remember. The cave rinin would stare confused and say they don’t remember. Of course, that was never the end. Some were so desperate they hounded the cave pony, trying to make them remember, telling them stories of the past, acting familiar. It caused problems, those from the cave were frustrated and would finally shout: That’s pony is dead! Or something like that and well… their tolerance had waned if you catch my meaning.” Kira took a drag from her pipe, visibly relaxing as she exhaled. “That is the tame version, of course. There were fights, harsh words, some requested transfers to far off remote posts, and some just left. Dark times.”
Puckering her lips, Luna blew air between her teeth before finally levitating her untouched pipe, Tani lit the bowl, and she breathed in deeply and exhaled. “I can’t remember the last time I did this. Might have been fifteen hundred years? No, not quite the long. I think I did something similar with a Saddle Arabian King and his harem once.” She smiled, laughing at the memory. “Celestia was there too, and the King invited us to join him and his five wives for a night.”
“Did you?”
Luna merely chuckled. “Well, ah… well, you won’t find the answer in the history books.”
Essex suddenly sprang up! Looking frantically around as she patted the around her cushion blabbering in Clydesdale with tears building under her eyes. “Céard, cad, fabht? Seamróg? Cá bhfuil mo bhuachaill? Seamrog?!” Kira gently wrapped a foreleg around Essex and pulled her close, whispering soft motherly coos into her ear.
“Shhh… there, there, still have that dream?” Essex nuzzled against Kira like a child to a mother, the Miko adverted their eyes, less their jealous stares are known. Not that they weren’t.
“Yeah, I’m sorry. It’s childish, I know. It’s an old dream too, or rather a nightmare, I guess.”
“What me to take a look?” Luna offered warmly. “It is under my job description.” The Princess of the Night smiled warmly, offering an out a hoof, which Essex took.
“When you have time. If you don’t mind that is.” Essex retracted her claw, staring at it with a mute expression and then broke from Kira’s embrace, tidying up her Kimono and nodded to the two rulers. “I think I spoiled the mood, so I’m going to go… lie down or find Seamrog… I mean, Shamrock. Sorry, I’m not used to sake… I guess.”
The laugh lines on Kira’s face stretched, she stood to hug Essex and patted her on the back of the neck. “Come by and visit anytime. I’ll have a different brand of tobacco to try, feel free to bring Shamrock. I got some new grandkids to show off also. A proper introduction is in order.”
Essex hugged the former monster pony tightly, saluted Luna, and shuffled her way out of the room. Her movements were awkward, with the kimono sleeves dragging on the floor. Upon opening the door, the three mares were treated to a surprise, by Celestia standing in the hallway outside, dressed in a white Kimono with flames shaped like sunflowers printed on it. Perhaps most surprising was the Sun Princess’s hair. It was damp and tied in a sloppy bun/ponytail.
“What?” Celestia asked them, leaning her head back as Essex grabbed for her hair. “What?”
“Your hair…” Essex gasped, staring like a child seeing the latest toy and quite rudely, grabbed a rogue strand of hair between Celestia’s eyes. “It’s not floating! It’s so silky too!”
Inside the room, Luna and Kira tried to suppress their giggles, Kira cheating by using a fan, while Luna covered her mouth with her hoof. “Take no offense sister, she’s been drinking.”
Celestia’s nostrils wrinkled. “So, she has, the alcohol on her breath could burn the hairs from my nose.” Stepping aside, she let the rinin stumble out of the room. Miko flanking the door assisted Essex standing either side of her guiding her down the hallway.
With Essex taking care off, Celestia entered the room, the door closing on its own as Kira’s hidden guards took over for the Miko. It almost made her want to cry at the difference in security between their nations. That said, as she took the cushion Essex had once occupied, she could feel the eyes of the six other shinobi hiding in the ceiling on her.
(I guess I enjoy my privacy too much to let my ponies dot on me this much.)
The table that had been set out of Essex was quickly replaced with a new one containing a fresh bottle of Sake, a pipe, and rice cakes with various fruits stuck in the centers. Giving thanks to the Miko who brought it. Celestia took a rice cake and ate it vigorously, enjoying the taste of plum hungrily licking up the stray specs of rice caking her lips. Next, she indulged in the sake, all but chugging it down.
With a loud, “Ah…” she wiped her mouth, sitting relaxed and settling down on her belly.
“Feels good to take the mask off?” Kira chirped, slamming another bottle on Celestia’s tray.
“Yes!” Celestia exclaimed, years of age washing off her as she smiled brighter than the sun. Her expression was unrefined, completely informal as she sprawled across her cushion like a lout.
Across from the two, the casual, yet still upright, Luna looked nostalgically at her sister, her smile as broad as the night sky. “I haven’t seen this side of you in a while.”
Celestia paused mid drink, already working on her third bottle, popping the mouth of the bottle from her lips, and sighed her cheeks a drunken pink. “Kira… hick!... said when I… hick… visited… I had to… drop the Princess act…hick!... it’s really… relaxing.”
The Sun Princess began to nuzzle against her pillow, her eyes easily giving into sleep as she let out a long yawn. “I thought… I… was… rested… but… I forgot…sake… sleepy…sleep…Zzzzzz.”
Calling for a blanket, Luna laid it over sister patting Celestia’s damp hair. “How long has it been since I’ve seen this mop.” Tilting her head, Luna brought a tuff of Celestia’s mane closer. “I thought it would turn pink again if she was ever this tired.”
“One of the mysteries of the world, I guess,” Kira toasted.
“Yeah,” Luna replied after clinking cups, eying the ‘goddess of Nippon,’ “One of them, but you might be another.”
Kira closed her eyes, shrugging while smiling. “I guess. No matter what ponies call me, Queen, Goddess, I’m just me.” The white rinin’s smile turned vicious as did her eyes, burning a deep red with hunger. “I wouldn’t mind testing myself against you two. Some validation would be nice.”
The Moon Princess chuckled, adverting her eyes. “Well… as much as I would enjoy that myself, I’ve had enough intensity for a while. Maybe enough for five years or a hundred.”
They shared a laugh, both eager to fulfill the offered challenge when they were in better shape. For today both chose to let the hours slip by, making small talk and catching up. Which was hard to do as both had been sealed not that long ago.
Luna spoke of the new inventions and ideas she experienced since returning, telling Kira of her encounter with Applejack the eighth and the invasion of Canterlot and her dealings in Nippon and Germane. Kira, in return, spoke about her life after marriage and becoming Queen of Nippon and her struggle to fit into the new strange culture she married into. Speaking at length of the rebellion, she fought to keep her husband in power.
“After my marriage, several large clans rebelled against the ruling family before I even had my first child. They tried to assassinate me on my honeymoon too. You can guess my response.”
“I don’t suppose you offered a compensate claw and tried to win them over with words?” Luna cringed, knowing that was probably not the answer.
“I did try.” Kira lamented. “But they took my generosity for meekness and saw me as weak. So, I went with plan B. Care to guess?”
Luna shivered at the gleam in Kira’s eye. Remembering her old name of Killing Perfection. “No, imagine you did your name proudly.”
“Yes, I took the heads of the families, burned their castles, and seized their lands. I did leave the families alone. I declared they were not to be harmed or looked down on.” Kira smiled sadly. “For what it was worth, I guess. To keep my husband from having them perform hara-kiri, I banished them. I hear their descendants were part of an attack from another nation, but that was during one of my hibernations.”
“Well, looking around the room, things certainly changed. So how many kids did you end up having?”
Kira scratched her chin, “Hmm, that’s a good question. I think I stopped at a hundred years old? There were some breaks, but my husband and I really went at it, even into his later years. It was a hot m… no, I was a grandmother by then… well, my looks didn’t match my husband’s age. So that made him look very appealing to the populace. Lots of vitality and stuff like that. I didn’t really get it, but by age one fifty I gave up the crown officially to my first son, Shinichi, I think he was…ah… Tani?”
“130,” The Miko supplied.
“Huh, I thought I had him earlier than that, then again, the civil war did drag on for a while.”
Sharing a laugh, the two rulers clinked drinks again, Celestia roused awake by their joyful mood and joined in for another. Now all three of them were laughing with flush cheeks when a soft knock rapped against the bamboo door. The three settled down, Kira nodded, a Miko opened the door to reveal a shinobi.
“Report.”
The shinobi bowed to the floor,” My lady and honored guests, we have found them.”
All three rulers stood up, detoxifying tonics presented to them and drunk faster than liquor. The royal sisters were acutely excited.
“Take us to them! Fetch Cadence as well!” Celestia ordered as they rushed out of the door. All but galloping down the hallway.
Under the mountain of black lava rock, earth ponies and earth rinin worked tirelessly to dig through the cooling stone. The noxious fumes of methane overwhelmed the filters of the earth pony miners. Even the rinin struggled to breathe the fumes as they dug deeper and deeper below the newly formed mountain.
Hours had passed. Teams were rotated, and many laid sprawled outside the mine gasping for breath. Wondering aloud why they were risking their lives like this.
The officer in charge merely replied they were trying to save lives. An encouraging, if not a hallow, seeming statement for the rescue teams. Many figured they would be the ones need saving at this rate.
The following day. After nearly ten hours of digging. The recuse teams found an entire section of Sombra’s castle. The poisoned air was filtered out with powerful magic, and the tunnels reinforced. Their search began as they looked through the intact levels of the crumbling castle for anything alive.
At 20:50 (9:30 PM) hours, Team Cabbage breached a wall leading into a network of crystal catacombs. Not unlike the ones under Canterlot. And found the remaining crystal ponies.
The Crystal Ponies were dull, with little shine in their coats, and looked at them with fear. Word was sent to the Princesses. While medical teams were escorted down. The path to the surface labeled and secured in record time. Under two hours.
When Princess Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Queen Kira arrived, the first pony they saw was a skinny silver coat unicorn mare with a jade mane and eyes. The pony squinted at them, studied them, and then sunk to her belly in an utterly submissive pose.
“Are you our new Master?” She asked with the deadest eyes on a living pony.
“Please stand. We are here to free you.” Celestia put on her best smile and raised the pony’s head with her magic. “Please stand. No one here will hurt you. What’s your name?”
It had the opposite effect. The Crystal Pony curled into a tight ball, shivering and sobbing, struggling to break out of Celestia’s magic. “Shiny Irony.”
“Shiny? Are you related to Shiny Stone?”
Irony shielded her face. “I don’t know! I don’t know! Please! Please! Be merciful!” She tucked herself into a tighter ball. Gaps in her fur revealed the whip lashes on her skin.
“Sleep…” Luna said, gently brushing the pony’s mane. “Sleep.”
A white thread traveled from the Moon Princess’s horn, connecting her with Irony. She hummed a soft melody, moving into Irony’s dreams. Luna’s peaceful demur cracked, and she broke her connection to run behind a corner. The sound of her relieving her stomach, made the others cringe.
Luna returned, wiping her mouth. “Get these ponies out here. Gently. That said, don’t be afraid to put them to sleep. I’ll… do what I can for them.”
Much to their surprise, Cadence stepped towards the hole, where a gaggle of trembling Crystal mare stared at her crystalized body and floating mane with wonder.
“I am Mi Amore Cadenza,” An astonishing murmur broke out. “We are here to help you.” The ponies hiding in the shadows stepped onto the artificial light. Drawn to the shining form of Cadence. The majority of the crystal ponies were mares and fillies of various ages. The only males were colts and young stallions, withered from a lifetime of hard labor and lack of proper nutrition.
“They’re in better shape then I expected.” A random medic stated. “The females.”
“If they’re being used as an incubator, it’s only natural.” Doctor BlueCross sneered. “Being properly fed was probably their only luxury. That said, turning out foals over and over again has its own problems. Let’s get them out of here and start exams ASAP.”
The doctor stepped beside Cadence, causing the curious ponies to stop. BlueCross did a once over of herself and removed her helmet. Putting on her best smile because she was still in her blood-covered combat suit. Her red stained utensils sticking out of her pouches and pockets.
“Sorry, I know I don’t look very reassuring, but I’m a doctor. See.” She tapped the red cross on her uniform. “Those ponies behind me wearing this are too. We’re here to help you.”
“I can vouch for her. I will lead you to the surface.” Assured Cadence turning around and waving for the Crystal ponies to follow her. When she began walking, they slowly began to file out. Their eyes were wide, with a small spark of hope.
“Keep your pace slow, Princess.” Advised BlueCross. “We don’t know their condition, but it’s too risky to treat them down here one by one.”
I understand I will go slow.”
Celestia, Luna, Kira, and the others watched the Crystal Ponies procession march by, led by Cadence’s light. As they were freed from their cages, the crystal ponies were tallied. Their age and gender noted.
Most of the ponies were mares. Estimates were about seventy percent. Of that percent, a quarter of them was with child. Fifteen percent were children, ranging from newborns to teens of both genders. The remaining fifteen percent were males. All of them were thin and haggard, nearly starved to death. None of them appeared over the age of thirty.
“They’ve probably lived their entire lives down here,” Celestia muttered in num shock.
“If the numbers are accurate, they would be the second or possibly third generation to live under Sombra’s rule.” Luna theorized. “None of Symphony’s ponies are left.”
For the next several hours, all through the night, to midday, over three thousand captured Crystal Ponies were freed. Seeing the Sun through an unclouded sky for the first time in their lives.
The following day marked the third day since the end of the war. A message from Admiral Hunter McGather arrived mid-morning. It stated the Nightmare was operational once more and that he’d be bringing the ship north to help ferry the Equestrian soldier’s home.
A welcomed relief for King Kusanagi and Queen Haibara. With the news of the Admiral coming, they pushed for the post-war delegations to be held as soon as possible. After being pushed back twice and entering the third day since the hostiles were declared over and no enemy contact. They were eager to return home to their youngest daughter.
Kira was the real leader of Nippon, but she only recently awakened from her stone slumber. Thus, any political matters she wanted Kusanagi to deal with until she could be brought up to speed. At her insistence, whether all the ponies cleared of their injuries or not. Celestia and Luna caved to their friend's demands.
The delegations were held on the top deck of the Emerald Cutter. Kira sat on her throne to rule over the proceedings and act as the arbiter. Kusanagi represented Nippon, along with his wife, Haibara, their son Prince Kiri, and the High Miko Nagato. On the Equestrian side were Celestia and Luna, of course. Followed by Sixes, Fierce Fury, General Cobalt Blaze, and Cadence. Missing was Topaz Slicer, Gloves, AppleJazz, and Trifecta. The last one flat out refusing to attend. Stating it was beyond his position and that the Commanders should deal with this kind of stuff.
He would later get a very stern lecture from the attending two Commanders.
Lastly, Lucky Shamrock was there to represent his branch of Night Patrol. He stated at the outset he probably didn’t have much to say.
Despite Celestia wanting her there, Twilight Sparkle was unable to attend. Doctor BlueCross and the Miko Uzikaze held authority over the Princess concerning the welfare of their patient. With both BlueCross and Uzikaze against her, it was clear Twilight was not in a state of health required to attend a high-stress meeting. Subsequently, Twilight’s friends were told they need not participate, which none of them did.
(I understand they didn’t get involved in the processing’s the last two times either, but I am disappointed.) Celestia mused while Kira called the meeting to order.
“Alright, we all have better places to be, so let’s get this thing started. The first order of business, from the Nippon side. Compensation for organizing the second fleet with little warning nor done through official channels.”
“Compensation?” Celestia and Luna gawked. “We’re allies, are we not? We didn’t even call you!”
Kusanagi nodded, “True but in section 13, clause 5 of the Revised Alliance treaty of 810 ANM. You, Princess Celestia, agreed to the terms that: Whether called upon or not if we help you in any military endeavor at a greater expense of 500,000 bits. Equestria will compensate for the at-cost expense of organizing our forces. We did have to cancel a lot of holidays and pull in a lot of offduty sailors to man the ships.”
Celestia wore a wavering smile, while Luna tugged on her face. “Right, I guess we don’t have a choice since it’s in the treaty…”
“Also, the meter is still running on that as we speak.”
“What?”
“The current balance is $2,745,890 bits in counting.”
Again, both sisters shouted: “WHAT!”
“Sorry, but we have to keep our economy in mind. The shells, fuel, and labor, it all adds up. Luckily this is only at a cost. If we were charging Gross expense, you would really blow a gasket. This is actually an outstanding deal for you because if you had hired us outright, it would be times five more.”
Celestia took a long deep breath, and exhaled, visibility slouching. Her eyes glanced towards Kira pleading for leniency Thankfully, the Goddess of Nippon was merciful. Kind of. “The previously stated amount will be set. Equestria will not be billed henceforth. Payment details will be hammered out later.”
Now Luna sighed in relief, “Thank you, Kira.”
“If that is your will great mother,” Kusanagi bowed, dropping the matter. “We give the floor to The Royal sisters.”
Both sisters straightened up, flipping through their prepared notes. “Setting your payment as per our treaty dictates. I wish to inquire what you intend to do regarding the Crystal Empire and its remaining inhabitants?”
The entirety of the Nippon delegates, Kira included, blinked. Looking like deer in headlights. They murmured amongst themselves for a full minute before Kira called for order.
Clearing his throat, King Kusanagi addressed the Sun Princess, “What do you mean exactly, Celestia?”
“I’m asking if you’d be willing to invest in rebuilding the Empire until its citizens are back on their feet? In exchange, I’m sure they could allow you to build a base on the coast of their territory in exchange. Equestria will, of course, be offering aid.” Celestia looked on expectedly, while Luna frowned, carefully studying the stone faces of the Nippon Ponies and even their own subordinates. Everypony was focused on the King’s response, but he punted the question to Kira.
The goddess of Nippon gestured for her pipe. Seemingly unperturbed by the expectant gazes upon her. After a long puff, she exhaled a smoke ring, looking sour.
“No,” Kira stated flatly, earning a soft gasp from the Sun Princess. “Nippon will not aid in any reconstruction efforts because there is nothing to reconstruct. This place is a cold, winter wasteland, the only agricultural land must be maintained with magic, magic that only your niece can use. Do you intend to have Princess Cadenza take over these lands?”
Celestia glanced sideways, mumbling, “Well, it was one possibility.”
“I see,” Mumbled Kira. “My answer remains. I will not waste good coin on a sinkhole such as this, especially since the Crystal Pony population is on the verge of extinction.”
“What if you took the Empire as a colony?” Luna suggested to Kira. The Nippon leader wrinkled her nose at the idea.
“We don’t have vast wide-open lands like Equestria, but please don’t insult us by offering us a frozen rock of land Luna. I’ll take my home island over this place thank you very much.”
Luna’s ears drooped. “It was no insult, Kira.”
Kusanagi coughed to clear the air, “My apologies, my friends, but you're asking us to take on quite the population…”
“It’s five thousand ponies if we divided them between our nations is practically nothing! They just need homes for a few years so they can rebuild.” Celestia pointed out.
“I don’t disagree, but I see no point in rebuilding. We would be willing to adopt a few into a new clan under my banner, but I will only take a maximum of two hundred.” Was Kira’s offer as she blew out another smoke ring. “We don’t have the land to just give away to ponies that won’t be staying. There are also the Crystal Ponies' mental capabilities. I find them questionable. These ponies have spent their entire lives in a cage being treated worse than livestock. I question whether they have the will or drive to even form their own nation. Let alone even fit into a different society.”
Kusanagi intervened. “I stand beside the Great Mother’s reasoning. If we were absorbing their population into our own, it would be one thing, but build them up and then send them back here? Do they even want to be here? This place of horrible memories? Besides, Equestria is much closer and culturally similar. They would do better in your care. You do have much-underdeveloped land, Celestia.”
“I could section off some territory near the north border or somewhere of their choosing. Though I would assume they Crystal Ponies would prefer their traditional homeland.”
Kira slapped the ground with her tail. “Then let us ask them. Go get a vote from all adults, and a representative if they have one or can elect one. In the meantime, we’ll continue hammering out details.”
“At once, Great mother!” A Miko bowed, running off to full fill the task.
“Let’s set the politics aside and look into the military reports. General Cobalt Blaze, if you would take the floor.”
The blue unicorn stood up and moved the center with all eyes on him. A foot-high stack of papers floating in his magic. “As there is a plethora of information here, I will summarize the best I can for expediency. Starting with the Equestrian causality report. Of the three battalions of 1500 each, totaling 4500 soldiers. We have 2345 remaining, including injured. The remaining 2155 are presumed MIA or KIA. KIA being the most likely. Of 2345, over 1300 are injured, and an unknown of critically injured. Deaths post-battle have not been tallied yet; we’ll have those numbers later. That concludes the causality report.”
Celestia nodded grimly, “Thank you, Cobalt.”
“Moving on, after reviewing several reports from our officers, I feel the need to confirm somethings. Firstly, the total of Sombra’s offspring was seven, correct?”
Everypony that had dealt with the Siblings nodded, “To the best of our intel, that is correct.” Confirmed Fury speaking for the group. “What’s the problem?”
Cobalt merely continued, forgoing the question. “The sons are listed as Erebus, Scath, Ombre, and Schatten. The daughters Zil, Cien, and Skaggi?”
“Correct, it’s all in the report. What is the point?” Complained Sixes.
“I would merely like to confirm the kills. Lady Kira, you reported killing the eldest son, Erebus, correct?”
Kira nodded, looking satisfied, “He was a fun youth. I would have liked to fight him at his best, but yes, I did kill him.”
“Thank you, Prince Kiri, you killed the second son, Scath?”
“Yes, his head is being stuffed as we speak.”
“Ok… thank you. Next, Commander Topaz Slicer reported killing Ombre, but he is not here to confirm.”
“Topaz would not lie about something like that.” Defended Sixes, looking agitatedly at Cobalt now.
“I understand, I was not discrediting him, only stating his absence.” Cobalt said smoothly, not looking away from his notes. “Next, Schatten was killed by Master Chief Sergeant Lucky Shamrock and Senor Chief Sergeant Essex, correct?”
“Aye, the ol’ ball and chain, and I wasted him good!” Several hardened glares fell on the green rinin’s being. “Ah… correct, sir…”
“Thank you, and finally, Princess Celestia, you confirmed… the death of the youngest daughter, Skaggi?”
“Correct.” Monotoned Celestia. “Is there a point to this?”
“Only the fact I have no reports detailing the demise of Zil and Cien or of their bodies being found. The search is still on, they could be buried in the lava rock somewhere, but no pony has claimed them for kills either.”
All at once, the gathered officers and royals frowned, troubled by the news of the two of Sombra’s daughters still at large. Cobalt retook his seat, but the mood of the meeting was forever changed as delegations shifted to a discussion of how to track down the two Dark Princesses. Wherever they may be.
“Hey, wake up.” A voice coldly demanded. She groaned, her entire body aching, and chilled to the bone, the pony kicking her in the side was not helping either. “I said, wake up!”
Cien snapped awake the harsh tone and the hard-hit in the ribs. Rolling over in the snow, Cien looked up at her tormentor, who was silhouetted by the sun, making her hard to see. By her voice, it sounded like a mare.
“You too.” The mare’s tone was cold and harsh, her kicks brutal as the popping of bones filled the frigate air. Cien was happy to see her elder sister, Zil, alive. Though she sported a strange scar on her neck. “And you as well.”
The third pony was a surprise, it was her biological mother, Gleam Sparkle. The elder mare was awakened much more gently. Maybe due to her age? Cien didn’t understand what was going on, but she did understand Dom/sub dynamics. Right now, she was the bottom. The pony, whose face she couldn’t make out, was way above her. The pressure of her magic alone felt like a mountain was pressing down on her.
On wobbling legs, she rose beside her mother, observing their situation. All their finery and riches were removed, replaced by ragged, worn wool cloaks and what looked by three saddlebags of supplies for each of them.
“There is a town in the wastelands of Equestria, run by the Apple Family called Appaloosa. You will go there. You will stay there, and before the year is up to all the two of you.” The would-be Master pointed to Gleam and Cien. “You better be fat with child. The Apples are known for high fertility and have plenty of hardy males to spare. This task should be easy for you.”
The mare then pointed to Zil. “You will ensure they do this and keep their bloodlines alive. Fail, and death will seem like mercy. Besides those instructions, you are free to live normal, humble lives in the land of your enemy.”
“What if we refuse? What if we decide to run?” Cien asked, instantly she felt her neck tighten. She grasped for what she thought would be a control collar or something, but there was nothing!
“Cien, your neck!” Gasped Zil.
Gleam’s eyes narrowed, “A Slave seal?”
The mysterious mare chuckled, “Interesting, and here I thought the art would have been lost. Your BDSM outfits were a nice touch, but clunky when compared to good old slave tattoo engraved on the skin. Don’t worry, they only hurt if you disobey. Personally, this is a very lean punishment for everything you three did, right?”
“So what? You want us to live long, boring lives then?” Cien gasped.
The mare shook her head. “I could care less how you live. All that matters is the Sparkle bloodline continues. It’s good to have multiple sources. That said, this day forth, you three are Glimmers. Chose whatever names you want, but form this day until the end of time, you are of the Glimmer clan.”
“What do you want? Why do this? And who are you?” Demanded Cien.
The cold north wind blew, blowing the mare’s hood off.
“You? But…”
The mare pressed a claw to her lips, “Shush, now. You don’t need to worry about anything so over your head anymore. I had hoped not to resort to this, but better safe than sorry. Some… memory alternating is in order. I’ll start with you, Cien, no… how about Starlight Glimmer?”
--break
On the Emerald Cutter, the delegations were winding down as both sides made their reports and demands to the other party. With the day winding down, a lull set in as the participants grew tired from the long debates.
The only thing holding them back from declaring everything over and done was the matter of the Crystal Ponies. Gathering a vote from the recused populace took time. It was almost assumed they wouldn’t even have an actual representative to speak on their behalf. Yet, with the amount of work needed to take care of so many refugees, they needed to know what the Crystal Ponies wanted to do.
So, when the sun burned a bright pink in the background of the evening sky and a silver Crystal Unicorn mare was escorted into the meeting. Everypony was anxious to hear what she had to say.
“I’m called, Shiny Silverina, I’ve been selected to speak on my herds behave.” Her speech was slow, and she fumbled her words, clearly nervous about being the center of attention. “We voted…” Shiny Silverina looked around the chambers, cowed by the expectant looks of Celestia and Luna. “To abandon this place. You can have it if you let us live somewhere else. If that’s not asking too much, that is.”
Shiny flinched before any pony even spoke, clearly expecting to be reprimanded for her answer. When no pony rebuked or assaulted her, she sighed, relieved. She still remained curled as ball through.
Celestia blinked, “But this is your ancestor homeland. It’s yours to rights. Surely don’t just want to give it up?”
As if she found her spine, and maybe she did, because what Shiny Silver said next made her previous appearance seem like façade. It would only be known later, that Cadence, with her mastery of mental magic. Cast a spell that rid the mare of her fears, allowing her to speak her mind, boldly and a bit uncouthly.
“The fuck we’re staying in this hell hole!” Shiny Silverina’s face was surprised by the volume of her own voice but seemed envigored by it and continued. “What kind of cruel bitch are you to make us stay here? Huh? Do you even know what happened here? Do you! I’m glad this rotten place is burned to the ground, it deserves it!”
“But your ancestors…”
“Were bleedin’ fucking idiots! What morons build a city in the artic! Granddad always spouted about the glory and pride of the Crystal Empire, well ya know what? He was a daf fool! Romantic to the point of being stupid! I’m glad all the old cloggers are gone!” The mare turned to Cadence. “Also, we don’t want a bleeding monarch! We’ve had our fill of Kings and Queens, thank you! We’re done with them!”
Shiny Silverina panted, her body visibly shaking with adrenaline. She clearly had more to say but became tongue-tied as the spell afflicting her waned and her subdued nature resurfaced. And was clearly horrified by what she just said. To her, liberators no less!
“That’s… uh… what we want. We don’t want to live here anymore, and that’s it.” She finished with barely half of the former firebrand. Which left her standing awkwardly in the middle of the meeting before excusing herself.
“Well,” Kira said chipperly. “That settles that then. I guess you’ll have a new colony to look after Celestia, Luna. Now I believe that wraps up everything we can do here. Let’s have the ambassadors earn their pay, my children grow restless worrying about their baby filly at home.”
“Thank you for indulging our selfishness, great mother.” Bowed Kusanagi. “We will depart within the hour with the first half of the fleet. The second half will leave upon Admiral McGather’s arrival. It will be wonderful to have you home.”
Kira tilted her head, looking positivity mischievous. “Home, right. I guess I should have mentioned this earlier, but I’ll be taking a quick trip to Equestria first.” She announced much to the shock of the Nippon royal family. “If you don’t mind, I’ll be taking a ship too.”
Next, Kira eyed the royal sisters who were equally surprised as their Nippon counterparts. “I hope you don’t mind a little visit. I think we have much to talk about, privately.”
“That’s fine,” Celestia said neutrally. “There are matters we wish to discuss, as well.”
“Perfect. I’ll have sake ready for us.”
The next day, The Nightmare arrived. The large carrier ship dwarfed many of the Nippon ships, it’s loading ramp lowered, allowing all surviving Equestrian forces abroad with lots of room to spare. On the deck, the royals waved goodbye to the Nippon Fleet, all but one of their Airships steadily disappearing into the rising sun. The Emerald Cutter moored beside the Nightmare.
Once everypony was accounted for, Princess Cadence stepped towards the edge of the deck away from the others. Taking one last look at the abandoned Empire. Nothing was left. Not a building nor pony remained. Once she lowered the barrier, all that would remain of the Crystal Empire’s existence was the two colossal broken statues and the stone memorials of the fallen. Both of which would soon be buried by the unyielding snow.
Gathering herself, Cadence said goodbye to her biological parent's homeland. Feeling, well, nothing for it, which made her feel bad. Through Luna and Celestia told stories of them, King Treble and Queen Symphony would forever be strangers to her.
“King Treble, Queen Symphony, I’m sorry, but this place is better off forgotten.” Even now, she couldn’t call the King and Queen that gave their all for this Kingdom, her parents. She had parents already, who raised and loved her back in Equestria. “I’m truly sorry.”
With those last words, she let the barrier fall. Instantly the frozen north went to work freezing over the remains of the Empire. In less than an hour, nothing but a snowy field would remain. Cadence didn’t even wait to watch it, choosing to go inside the ship where it was warm.
(They were right, who would want to live here?)
Twilight Sparkle stared out the frosted window of her cabin in a daze. Her mind, body, and magic had been pushed beyond anything she’d experienced before. The events of this ‘adventure’ or whatever you wanted to call her had her thinking. Thinking about what she was doing with her life. Was she actually living or just following Celestia’s chosen path?
That was a stupid question. It was Celestia’s path, but one she’s been willingly following with the devotion of a fanatic. Yeah, she had some rebellious moments. Like during the Nightmare Moon incident. Looking back, she was embarrassed by her own pride and arrogance.
She was right about Nightmare Moon’s return, but the way she acted when the Princess told her to make some friends. It was really embarrassing. Acting like she knew better than a pony nearly three thousand years old.
The battle with Discord put on display more of her faults. Including her failure notice that something was amiss with her friends. Nearly leading to their downfall. Though it was the princess sending back her scrolls that righted things.
Then the Changling invasion. For Twilight, she would forever feel that was she failed the Princess. It was perhaps her pride or stubbornness that got in the away that day. No, not just her, everypony in that room heard Celestia command them to leave, to run away.
They disobeyed. In an ignorant display of mass naivety. Everypony thought they needed to protect the princess by being by her side. When in reality, they were in the way.
“And then there’s this time.” Twilight honestly didn’t know what to think of this one. It seemed so simple, yet nothing had gone according to plan. Her stomach tightened when she thought about how close her friends where to being captured or killed. She didn’t know what to say if they asked about her own capture. And as much as it hurt, she was glad they hadn’t visited.
Rubbing the blackened part of her fur, she wondered just what happened to her. “I am I cursed? What is this really?” She didn’t want to expose her friends to whatever this was. Not until she was sure it wouldn’t harm them.
A sudden knock startled her, causing her to panic, “Who is it?” But the voice that answered wasn’t one of her friends. No, the pony at the door was gruff and male.
“We need to talk.” The owner, Commander Sixes, didn’t wait for her to ask if it was ok to enter. He didn’t wait for pleasantries either marching straight to her bedside, examining her with shining orange eyes. “Well, you’re alive, I guess. Better than those before you.”
“Before… me?”
Sixes ignored her and sat down, looking tired. “What made you want to be Celestia’s student?”
Caught off guard by his sudden intrusion and out of the left-field question, Twilight summarized her early life best she could. “Well, there was this test with a dragon egg, and I managed to hatch it. After that, the Princess offered to take me under her wing. I still had to attend regular classes, but I was the only one that got one on one with the Princess! It made me so happy!”
Twilight’s genuine smile was like that of a young child. Heartwarming and precious. It was sad to see it fade with doubt and fear.
“I just wanted to be useful to her. What Equestrian wouldn’t? She’s Princess Celestia!”
Sixes nodded, having heard it all before, from the others. “So, after this, how do you feel about being Celestia’s student? Her chosen champion?”
“Champion?”
“That’s just what we called Celestia’s students. She never told us what her end goal was for them, so we assumed she was trying to manufacture a new hero or something. Whatever Celestia’s plans, the students that fell under our care…” Sixes stalled out, his face a plethora of pained emotions. When he regained control of himself, he looked at Twilight with the softest expression she’d ever seen him have. “Quit.”
“What?”
“Quit being Celestia’s student. Don’t end up like the others, crippled or worse, trying to reach the impossible heights Celestia set for them. Don’t be the next young talent thrown into her meat grinder for lofty unknown goals.”
“But it’s thanks to Celestia that I realized the magic of friendship and found my friends.”
Sixes snorted humorlessly, shaking his head. “The magic of friendship? Is that what she’s been chasing after? Ironic.” A dry, mocking laugh escaped from the black rinin. Next, he was rolling on the floor, the volume of his laughter growing and growing as small tears formed in his eyes. “HAHAHA! That’s so rich!”
Twilight puffed her cheek, her anger swelling. “What’s so funny! The Magic of Friendship is real! I’ve seen it and used it!”
“Sorry,” he waved carelessly, wiping the tears from his eye. “But don’t you find it funny? That the one who taught you about friendship, the most loved mare in all of Equestrian history, with centuries of relationships across the spectrum. Can’t use the magic of friendship? Instead, she had to use a proxy like you?”
His words caused Twilight to blink, the gears of her mind slowly turning. There plenty of holes in Sixes’ argument, but it did strike her as odd, that Celestia. The pony that taught her the value of friendship and the magic of it has not displayed it. The magic part, at least.
“The Princess has friends!” Twilight argued.
Sixes, still recovering from his belly laugh, flatly replied, “No, she doesn’t. She has subjects. Here, name one that isn’t Luna.”
“Are family and friendship really on the same level? Would you do things for a friend you’ve known for a month that you would normally only do for your brother or parents?”
“Well depends on the thing… I’m still studying friendship, so I can’t really answer that.”
“I don’t need an essay, Twilight. Just answer the question.”
“Look, I don’t know! Anyway, just because I can’t think of any, that doesn’t mean Princess Celestia doesn’t have any friends. I’m The Princess’s…” Twilight’s words petered out; her face twisted with complex emotions. “I’m her student, but we can be friends, right?”
Sixes tilted his head, “I don’t know, you tell me. Call her by her name, no titles.”
Twilight opened her mouth, but no words come from it.
“Can’t do it, can you? Do you consider her, your friend?”
The unicorn averted her eyes. “She’s my teacher and ruler, calling her by her name with no title feels disrespectful. But I do love and respect her. Platonically.” Twilight quickly added. “She was a second mother or an aunt growing up. There did always feel like there was this invisible wall I could never get passed. Like it was as close as I could get to the sun without being burned. Do you know what I mean?”
“Perfectly. You’re not as… dense as I thought you were.”
“Hey!”
“I didn’t say you were stupid, only naïve. You’re Celestia’s student, you’d have to be brilliant to be, but a pattern I noticed is all you all tended to be, what’s the word? Self-absorbed or no, single-minded, that seems right. Whatever Celestia’s goal was, you all galloped towards it, no questions asked. No concern for your own dreams or futures. Tell me, Twilight, before you became her student, what was your dream? What does your mark represent?”
Twilight stared at her mark on the verge of being consumed by the black fur that scarred her body. “My talent is magic.”
“Is that what they mean now?” Sixes asked curiously. Presenting his own mark, six intersecting red slashes. He pointed to each one. “These represent the six ponies I care about and my devotion to keep them safe. They are my friends and the ponies I love more than anything in this world. Heed my words when I say, I would do anything, anything! To protect them.”
Sixes' face reverted back to its usual intensity, the frown lines on his face resurfacing in an angry scowl. Realizing he was giving Twilight a death glare, he toned it down, but the smile she had wrangled out of him seemed like a distant dream.
“It’s funny, but despite my best efforts, some of them still got hurt.” He choked up, giving a thousand-yard stare. “Some of them died, and I was powerless to help them. Worst I had to hurt the one I loved most.”
“What are you trying to say? What do you want from me?”
Sixes stared at her, or rather the reflection he saw in Twilight’s eyes. “I don’t want you to end up like me. I know I don’t have any right to give you advice. I can see Celestia’s changed a bit since I last saw her, but she’s still Celestia I knew deep down. She loved them, you know. All of her students. Whatever age or gender they were, she treated them as one of her own. The same with my son, he was fond of them as well. Perhaps, to her credit, she didn’t baby them. But Twilight, I’m tired of watching young ponies like you die for her. That’s why I can never quit fighting, so ponies like you don’t have to fight. You should have never come.”
Twilight stared down at her bedsheets, her face obscure by her hair. “Well, you might be right about that. But!” She turned to face him. “I’m not quitting, at least not until I get answers from Princess Celestia myself. If she has a destiny planned for me, that’s fine, but… I will choose whether to follow it!”
“Hmph, glad to hear it. Oh, and Twilight, never be afraid to be direct with Celestia. She respects straightforwardness. Though maybe not from me.” He chuckled. “Good luck, and also Kira is holding a feast, so come by her room when your feeling better. Celestia will be there.”
“Thank you, Com… I mean Sixes.”
“Good girl.” He patted her on the head. Smiling genuinely. “Tell your brother, good job, too.”
“Ok… but can’t you?”
“I got an image to uphold.” Was his reply before shutting the door.
In the inner sanctum of the Emerald Cutter, Kira’s private quarters, which expanded the entire top level of the ship. Quite the luxury considering the Emerald Cutter was a battleship. Where every square foot was maximized for efficacy, Kira’s room blatantly tossed the concept overboard.
The Goddess Shrine, dubbed by the Nippon ponies, spanned 1000 square feet. The size of the single-story three-bedroom house. That was including the healing hot spring, a dining room, a bathroom, a master bedroom with a bath, and two guest suits. There was also a small kitchen, which was staffed.
Gathered in the dining room was: Kira herself, Celestia and Luna, Sixes, Fierce Fury, Cadence, Shining Armor, Daring, and perhaps the most intriguing, Twilight Sparkle and her friends. The dubbed mane six awkwardly assembled on the opposite end of Kira, sitting at the head of the table.
A small feast was spread out across the table. Much to the discomfort of the regular ponies, there was sushi and other variety of fish available for those that had canine teeth.
“Poor fishes…” Fluttershy mumbled as any louder protest was cowed by the predatory smiles the rinin wore, all but slobbering over the non-red meat.
Kira picked up a crawfish, cracking its shell open and slurping its insides in one go. “Well, dig in. I’m sure your all hungry.”
For the non-rinin of the group, it was the most blatant display of the draconic side of Rinin biology. Sixes and Fury ate entire mouthfuls of battered shrimp and sushi rolls. Kira was no better, well she kept her table manners. The bliss of consuming something once living showed clearly on her face.
“Pass the crab, Fury!”
“Try the squid with sake!”
“You two need to try the eel, you're missing out!”
“Pass it over then!”
The ever-watchful Miko sighed behind their masks. “The Great Mother, really… hangs loose… when in the presence of Lord Sixes and Lord Fury.”
Tani bobbed her head, “Just as the stories say, but it is enjoyable to see, no? Look how happy they are.”
“Indeed, this is a blessed day.” Nagato clapped her claws in prayer.
“Tani! Another batch if it’s no trouble! More sake too! We’re getting Tia, and Lu smashed!”
“At once, Great Mother!”
The feasting when on for the next hour. For the three reunited rinin, it was a spectacular time. The room was filled with joyous laughter, the hard-boiled scowls of Sixes and Fury were relaxed and without care.
From her, seat Luna shreds a tear that she quickly hid.
“Luna?”
“I’m sorry,” She mumbled, looking away from Celestia’s curious gaze. “It’s just… how long has it been since I’ve seen Sixes this happy? Or Fury? For me, it shouldn’t be that long, yet I’ve forgotten how they were before…”
Celestia rubbed her back, “It’s been a while for me too. He’s so high strung, they all are. I… well, it doesn’t matter now. I’m sure in time, we’ll get to see this side of them more often.”
“I hope so.”
“Alright!” Shouted a flushed Kira snapping her claws. “That’s it for the food! You can still order drinks, but now its time to do some semiserious talking.” She pointed at Cadence. “Starting with you, if you don’t mind! That thing you did at the end, how’d you know to do that?”
Cadence was like a deer in headlights, her brow contorted deep in thought. Everypony there thought she just didn’t understand the question. Kira had drunk a lot and was slurring really bad. Before, the statement could be repeated by the soberer.
Cadence scratched her head, “I don’t know… I remember somepony talking to me… but I can’t remember their face, voice, or even their name. Only that the Crystal Heart should respond to my call. Leaving out this,” Cadence gestured to her new appearance. “would happen. Silly question, but is there a way to turn back to normal, or am I stuck with floaty hair forever?”
“An ethereal mane is like an exhaust port for magic your body can no longer contain. I’m afraid turning it ‘off’ just builds up pressure. Like a dam, but one that causes magical discharge when it bursts.” Explained Luna.
“Oh.”
The room shared a laugh, but Sixes and Fury looked beside themselves. “So, are we just going to ignore some rando gave Princess Cadence helpful, yet suspicious advice about an artifact that you two don’t even know the workings of?” Fury asked the royal sisters, who, in a strange display of disinterest, shrugged. “Ok, this feels familiar, doesn’t it Sixes?”
The black Rinin fiercely scratched his head, “Yeah, it does, but funny enough, I can’t remember from where.”
“Same here,” Admitted Fury.
“Let’s not worry about that for now.” Celestia carelessly waved away the mysterious topic with her hoof. Leaning in to speak to Kira. “What I want to know is how you knew to save us? That was too perfect of timing.”
Kira stared with half-closed eyes at her sake cup, “I won’t call it perfect. We were actually supposed to arrive hours earlier, according to our informant, if they hadn’t tried to be so mysterious and cryptic and run away from me. I might not have to waste so much time capturing them. Isn’t that right, Sake?”
From one of the guest rooms, Princess Sake of Nippon was dragged into the room, bound in yards of white cloth with Nippon markings. The runaway Princess was placed right next to her ancestral grandmother, who grabbed Sake by the scuff of the neck.
“She has an interesting trick for disappearing unless you're holding on to her twenty for seven. Even though no magic was ever sensed. Poor thing was puking her guts out after the fourth time, and that’s when we managed to bring her to heel.”
“Great Mother Kira, please, I have my mission. Let me go!”
Kira’s eyes were cold as the frozen north. “No. You don’t get to play the mysterious heroine when you caused your family to worry for years. Now…” Kira leaned close, so her lips were right next to Sake’s ears. “Who are you working for?”
Sake gulped but said, “I can’t say.”
“Sake.”
“I can’t! I promised…” The Runaway Princess bit her lip.
“Promised who Sake?” Kira’s grip on her neck tightened. Not strong enough to choke her, but to let the young rinin know Grandma’s patience was growing thin.
“It’s me,” A new voice suddenly declared.
There, with no warning or sign of entrance, stood a cloaked figure with a longhorn. In seconds the hidden shinobi were on the intruder, tearing her cloak way and putting cold steel against her throat. Or so they thought. The Mare was now beside Twilight and then sitting beside Kira as if she had always been there.
“It’s been a while, everypony.” She greeted sipping sake from a cup that had not been there before.
Luna, Celestia, Kira, Sixes, and Fury all blinked at the new arrival. Daring stood up in shock. They all knew her, some better than others. Though her appearance had once again changed drastically. Once she had been a small unicorn filly, next to a full-grown mare, and now she had wings. She was the daughter of history's greatest inventor, one of the ponies lost in the Rainbow Factory.
“DUSK?”
Dusk made a popping noise with her mouth, her shining silver eyes showed her maturity, as well as the dark circles under her eyes. “Yep. That’s me. Alicorn of Time now, yay me, right?” Her voice was the apex of an overworked worn-out adult that just wanted to fall asleep where they sat.
Instead, like most adults, she took a very long drink of alcohol. Guzzling down her entire cup in one go and then a bottle. And another. And another. All under a minute.
Kira applauded the display. “I’m impressed, but I also have questions. I’m sure we all do. Staring with what happened to you?”
Dusk was drowning her sixth bottle, not looking anymore flush than before. Instead of answering, she peered down the ceramic jar wistfully. “I wish I could get drunk.”
“Dusk,” Luna stood up, approaching the tawny alicorn cautiously. “Dusk, what’s happened to you?”
Tears began to roll down Dusk’s face. She made no attempt to stop them, instead choosing to smile as if it wasn’t happening. “Can we talk about that a little later? I’m… the happiest I’ve been in a long time. Please? Please can I just enjoy this moment a little longer?”
Dusk’s plea was like that of a child’s, and it effectively swayed Luna’s and everypony else's heart.
“Of course,” Luna said, hugging Dusk tightly. “We can stay like this for as long as you want. It’s good to have you back, Dusk.” Dusk closed her eyes, “Thank you.”
Saying you were going to continue to party despite a long-lost friend showing up and then crying was one thing. To do it was another. That was what impressed Dusk the most. Even though they all had burning questions. Rightly deserved ones. Luna, Celestia, Kira, Sixes, and Fury all ignored her moment of weakness and proceeded to enjoy themselves.
Best of all, she was included in the fun. For Dusk, it was like it was back in the castle of her youth.
“I guess you’re old enough to drink now, huh Dusk?” Said Sixes offering her tenth bottle of sake. “How old you now?”
Dusk pleasantly smiled, laughing off the question with the patented ‘You don’t ask a lady her age.’ deflect. They passed it off with good humor, but she knew things couldn’t keep on like this. She just really, really didn’t want to end the fun.
“Lady Dusk?”
Sake, the loyal subordinate she recruited for this period and still tied up on the floor.
“Right, here you go.” With a flick of her horn, Sake was freed, upright, cleaned, and dressed. She did look queasy though like she had morning sickness.
“Thank you,” Squeaked Sake, holding her stomach, her voice strained as she ran off to the bathroom to relieve her stomach.
Which left Dusk to awkwardly say your welcome while having all eyes on her. She sighed. They tried, but this was too awkward. The party was over. It was time for her to work.
(I don’t have much time to spare either, but… this might be the last time I can indulge like this.)
“Right. I suppose thirty minutes is enough. Thanks for trying, everypony.” Dusk chugged down the remains of her bottle. Enjoying the mild burning in her throat. For a brief second, she could feel the effects of alcohol flood her system, and then disappear. The anti-tox artifact affixed to her yoke dispelled the toxins.
“Is that Abundantia’s broch?” Daring started off what was sure to intense interrogation, with a relatively irrelevant question. Though Dusk enjoyed the sparkle of joy in her goddaughter’s gaze. “I’ve been looking for that for years! And you have Hypno’s Jewel of Never Night, and…”
She chuckled at Daring’s stutter. There was little doubt she had searched every tomb and came up empty. Too bad all these artifacts were critical in her mission.
“Your mother, Tomb Raider, better known as Doctor Tombina Raider to the public, helped me acquire them. Many, many years ago. When you were still a baby sucking on her teat.” A healthy red blush adorned Dusk’s cheek. “Sometimes mine as well. That was rather embarrassing.”
Celestia “You knew Tombina? Since when?”
Of course, bringing up Tombina, Celestia's former agent, would raise the Princess’s interest. Luna and the others seemed content to piece things together. As if the order of questioning was already set decided. Dusk was merely content; she wasn’t being barraged in an ear-splitting shouting match of confusion. Counting her blessings, and she answered.
“It was… hmm, what was the date again? I can’t remember off the top of my head. It was the day I gave her Daring and lost Rainbow Dash, right after going through that portal in the factory.” At the sound of her name, Rainbow Dash jumped up from her seat, looking very offended.
“What are you talking about? I was born and raised in Cloudsdale! My dad has rainbow hair for Celestia’s sake!”
Dusk took the Pegasus’s righteous anger in stride. Feeling more grateful, she ended up with loving and caring parents. Even if by accident. It pained her to even think about destroying that reality, but that ship had already sailed.
“It’s called hair dye. I won’t criticize your parents for never telling you were adopted, but have you ever wondered why you don’t have any siblings? Beside Daring, of course, but that’s… well, we’ll get to that soon enough.”
Her question seemed to puzzle Rainbow Dash, the blue Pegasus frowned, deep in thought. “They said they had a hard time conceiving,” Dash admitted, looking embarrassed. “When I asked them if I could have a little brother or sister, that’s what they told me at least.”
“Right, let me check for you.” Closing her eyes, Dusk sure she gave them all a show flickering out of exitance for second and returned with Rainbow Dash’s parents’ medical files. “Ouch, your parents really struck out. Dad’s got low sperm count, possibly sterile from the notes here, and your mother has had several…”
She trailed off, letting the documents vanish from her possession. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have pried like that into personal affairs. It’s a bad habit I picked up over the years.”
“So, if I’m adopted, and Daring is my twin sister, who are our parents?”
Dusk closed her eyes, they flashed silver under her lids, and she smiled. “Ah, you two already talked. But not about what I expected. Were you truly not interested in the color swapped version of yourself, Daring? Only your strange transformation?”
“I was, but somethings take precedence. So, I’ll ask the more important question, what are we?” Daring gestured to herself and Dash. “We’re not normal. We… I don’t know, it’s all fuzzy, but from the reports, we were like pseudo alicorns or something. For the lack of a better term.”
“Well, I suppose now’s as good as time as any. Sixes, Fierce Fury, would like to break the news to them? About what you saw that day?”
The two rinin looked beside themselves. Sixes speaking first, “Are they really the two foals?”
“Who else could they be?” Dusk coyly replied.
“So, they’re like us. You two are experiments.”
“Yes,” Dusk confirmed softly. “One of the side projects, Model 70, Series 3, Subject 1, and 2. I guess to put simply, experiments 7031 and 7032. If I remember correctly, it was a series of experiments on ordinary pony evolution. I reviewed your development phase and learned your code commands. You two were far removed from the original rinin projects, such as Sixes. He’s Model 66 Series 6 Subject 6.”
“You know what the numbers mean?”
“Yes.” She rasped, clenching her teeth. “I know. The model number is what they were trying to create, the series was the specific formula of creatures used. In blocks of ten. The subject is pretty self-explanatory. Kira knew too, she found some notes after the Maredor War.”
All eyes turned to the Nippon Queen, who shrugged off the questioning stares with a simple, “It’s not like I was keeping it secret. We found some of Hoofenstien’s notes after the battle. Finding out our numbers were just serial numbers was… depressing. That said, the notes did contain some interesting personal information. Like what and who they used to create who us and the portions of every creature. That was depressing too. They were very detailed notes.”
“Do you have any pony relevant?” Fury asked her.
“If you mean any of us, yes, I do. Mine and yours. Of the three books, I found in ruins, only one was readable. Only barely. The others were half burned. The one was intact because it was in some water, so it’s a little damaged. Do you want to read it? It’s back home in my castle, but I’d be happy to loan it to you, Fury.”
“I could get it easily right now.” Dusk offered. “It will only take a second.”
“It’s fine,” Dismissed Fury. “There’s no point in trying to find a past that doesn’t matter. Let’s get back on topic. What happened to you, Dusk? How did you become an Alicorn?”
She was afraid that the question would be brought up sooner than later. It was unavoidable.
“So, what are you, the princess of?” Asked one of Twilight’s friends. Dusk had only been half paying attention to them, so she didn’t know which one asked. She was betting Rarity or Pinkie. No Pinkie was more likely.
“I’m not a princess of anything. I’m the Alicorn of Time, just as Celestia is the officially the Alicorn of Day, and Luna is the Alicorn of Night. Not every Alicorn is a princess. In the past, back before the time of Celestia and Luna, there was an Alicorn for just about everything. As expected of the race that was essentially the gods of the world. Until they started killing each other and wiped themselves out.”
The royal sisters, particularly Celestia, looked solemn. “Luna was barely a filly, probably only eight years old at the time.” She began. “Mother and Father awoke me one night and gave me Luna wrapped in a blanket. They told me to run. Symphony and others around my age and younger were escorted below the city. Deep in the crystal catacombs under Canterlot and sealed inside.”
The Sun Princess began to tear up. “I knew that was the last time I’d see my parents. I was right, of course. I knew there was a war between our kind. A war started by pettiness and greed. The Alicorn of Magic, Minerva, mother of Unicorns. Tempest Alicorn of the Sky, Mother of all Pegasi. Were embroiled in a war with the Alicorn of the Earth, Gaia, mother of all Earth ponies. They treated the earth ponies like slaves. Even though they were created first by Gaia. Displeased by the treatment of her children, Gaia fought them, their allies, and everypony else.”
“Why?” Asked Applejack. “Wouldn’t Gaia have allies?”
“Not at first. The creation of wingless and hornless ponies, many of my kind saw them as defective. After all, why create something so inferior? Ironically, despite their weaknesses, the Ancient Earth ponies were blessed with magic, unlike any other. It was magic they developed to fight beside their mother. The magic of alchemy. The same magic used to create to the rinin.”
“Interesting, but I think we’re missing the point here,” Spoke Kira, directing everyponies attention back onto Dusk, who was contently sipping anther bottle of Sake. “How did you become the Alicorn of Time, Dusk?”
Dusk set the bottle down, looked everypony in the eye, and said, “No idea.”
Kira was very unamused, “What?”
“I fell through that portal and appeared in a free-falling sky. At the time, I didn’t even realize I had wings. I lost Rainbow Dash flying through her parents’ yard, and then I crashed into Tomb Raider’s roof. I laid low there, trying to find my bearings.”
“Why didn’t you come to me for help? I was right there.” There was a hint of hurt in Celestia’s tone.
For her part, Dusk looked ashamed by what she said next. “When Tombina told me, she didn’t know who Luna was, but had her helmet, I was wary. I remind you this was before I understood my new powers, so when I started researching, I heard the story of Nightmare Moon and…”
“And?” Celestia pressed.”
“Well, one of Luna’s lessons was the victor writes the history. I thought you, Celestia had turned evil, stole Luna’s magic, and was ruling behind a mask of kindness.”
“WHAT!” That was Twilight.
Celestia brushed it off with a chuckle, though a humorless one. “Your imagination is impressive. Wait… roughly eighteen years ago… You tried to assassinate me!”
“You’re alive!”
“You filled my bathroom with fine dust when there was a lit candle inside! You blew up my private bathroom!”
“And I said, you’re alive!”
“You’re the reason I can’t have scented candles in the bathroom anymore!”
She sucked in a breath staring down Celestia. “I’m not apologizing.”
“Yes! You should! Wait… are you the one that…”
“NOPE!” Dusk answered quickly, averting her eyes.
“That was you wasn’t it!”
“No idea what you are talking about!”
“You baked that poisoned cake!”
“It was supposed to kill you not give you diarrhea-”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence!” Barked Celestia.
Clearing her throat, Dusk pushed past the awkward spat. “So after finally realizing Celestia wasn’t evil. I tried to figure out what to do next. Naturally, I wanted to go back to my original time and see my dad. I was crashing at Tombina’s. You were three at this time, Daring when something strange happened.”
“What happened, Dusk?” Gently pressed Luna.
“Well, I went to bed one night, and when I woke up, Tomb was screaming at me!” Dusk touched her heart, the memory fresh in her mind even to this day. “I didn’t know what she was saying because I was groggy. It took some effort to calm her down, but when I did, she told me I had been gone for two weeks! Imagine that?” She tried to play it off with a laugh, but it fell flat. “Right, so we scratched our heads about it, and we came up with a plan for Tombina to watch me sleep.”
It had actually taken a week of Tombina watching Dusk before they discovered what happened. On the seventh night, when the sand pony almost pulled Tomb Raider into his realm, she snapped awake! In the nick of time too, Dusk had flickered away, her horn activating on its own. Dusk was still asleep at the time.
“When I woke up, Tomb told me two months passed,” Dusk reported grimly. “I didn’t know what was going on. I was terrified of falling asleep. I stayed up for three days straight, practically dripping concentrated coffee through an I.V. We both knew I couldn’t go on like that.”
To find a solution, Tomb told Dusk to sleep and that when she came back, she’d have an answer. Once again, Dusk disappeared.
After delivering Daring to her mother’s, Tomb Raider would go on her first treasure hunt in months. Her target, Hypno’s Jewel of Never Night, its power was derived from its name. It allowed the user to stay awake twenty-four seven.
“I returned seven months later.” Dusk reminisced sadly. “Once I had Hypno’s jewel, I didn’t have to sleep, so I stopped disappearing. Of course, not being able to sleep, really, really, sucked! It stills sucks! That said, it gave me a lot of time to experiment with my new powers and understand them. After an oh, two years, I grasped I could control Time and Space. Well, control isn’t the right word. Adjust is more akin to what I do.”
“Please define adjust, Dusk.”
At Luna's question, Dusk found herself stumped on how to explain things in laymen’s terms. “I have limited control of time and space, but it comes with limits. Especially when I’m outside the astral realm. Because of my presence, I can cause distortions in the period I’m visiting if I’m not careful. I usually get around this by astral projecting from Cosmic Plane. Unfortunately, when I was still figuring out my powers in my younger days, I caused more than a few mishaps. Daring being one of them.”
“What do you mean?”
Dusk sighed, “How old are you, Daring?”
“I’m twenty-nine.” She answered flatly. “Is there a point…” Daring stopped short, staring at Rainbow Dash and then shot Dusk a sharp look. For her part, Dusk looked sheepish. “Rainbow Dash is barely eighteen, how can there be eleven years between us?”
“Hahaha… yeah, funny story. I accidentally sped up your growth when you were a baby. You know all your memories of your childhood that take place from three to eleven?”
“Yeah?”
“That all happened in a week.”
“What!”
“It was an accident! And it’s kind of worked out. Tombina was in her forties, pushing fifty when she adopted you. If you had grown up normally, she would have died before you were old enough to take care of yourself.” Dusk let out a loud groan at Daring angry glare. “I tried to change you back! But well, you didn’t seem to notice or care, and Tombina was happy not to change diapers anymore, so… yeah. Sorry.”
Daring sat back down, looking stunned, and who could blame her? “Why don’t I remember you?”
Dusk took a sip of sake. “I can use time and space magic; memory magic isn’t hard in comparison. Not that I wanted to run away from my godmother responsibilities, but after your mom died, I just kind of shut myself off. Even if you two weren’t related by blood, you were so similar, it was hard to look at you. I did promise to help you if you were ever in true danger. Thanks for nearly giving me a heart attack too!”
For her part, Daring did look embarrassed. “Well, I had to but my mom’s guardian angel theory to the test. I guess I did get reckless about it. Speaking of that, what’s with the making me sick whenever you do that teleport thing now? It never happened in the past!”
She seethed, giving her goddaughter a withering glare. “Listen, Daring, I’m not teleporting you, I’m removing you from existence and then sending you a few seconds into the future. The think about mundane unicorn teleportation as a grappling hook that pulls the caster to their intended target. Think of it less as hopping dimensions, but moving really, really fast.”
Twilight suddenly gasped, looking super excited! “That proves Hadlock’s theory!”
“Had-what now?” Inquired Applejack, speaking what the rest of the click was wondering.
“Oh, this is exciting! Hadlock was a famous magician who theorized if the teleport spell was truly teleporting, then there shouldn’t be any difference in the speed traveled. To prove this, he had ten mages of similar power teleport the same distance. He recorded the results and concluded that even though they all had the same level of magic, there was a difference in their time from moving from point A to point B. As several of the participants appeared earlier or later. He then had them run a sprint and found that the ones that ran faster also teleported faster. So rather than teleporting spell being a Teleport Spell, it’s actually a speed enhancement spell that makes it look like your teleporting!”
Twilight blinked at everyponies stares and Celestia’s proud and bemused smile. “At least that’s what he thought, there were some counter theories that were more popular at the time. His thesis was rejected by the Mage Association of the time. The reasons weren’t recorded.”
“That was because the Magic Record Society didn’t want to update the books. They would have been embarrassed if they couldn’t figure out the Teleportation spell was actually a speed enhancement spell.” Dusk shrugged disinterestedly, “That’s politics and invested interests for you.”
“Agreed, I remember that trial.” Celestia nodded. “Shame Hadlock was never vindicated for his findings. It seems he was right.”
“Let’s get back on track, so when I ‘teleport’ you or any pony for that matter, Daring, through time-space. It is not moving fast or anything like that. I’m sending you into the future. Think of a hard jump cut in a film. When a character suddenly moves from one place to another without in-between action. Accept you can’t breathe; your organs stop working, and your blood stops pumping throughout your body, and then suddenly, it all starts again! Your brain also thinks you just died and doesn’t know what’s going on. Once or twice is easy to recover after a month or more. Back to back uses in a day? I would start looking for organ donors within the next ten years. Don’t bother donating yours. They are FUBAR.”
“And you still did that to Topaz and me!”
Dusk took a long, long, long, calming sip from her sake cup. Leveling a dead-eyed glare at her goddaughter. “Weighed against your immediate demise, the consequences outplayed the risks. I told you not to push your luck in that temple. I’ll admit during the fight with Schatten, I was acting frantically. Unfortunately, my options are limited when I teleport a pony forward in time.”
“Care to give specifics?” Twilight asked with interest, though Luna and Celestia were equally invested in the answer.
“That’s a lot of math and quantum theory. Laymen’s version is I can only send you a few seconds in the possible future. If I had been in a calmer state of mind, I would have just brought you two to Limbo and kept you there. Dealing with the fallout of doing that later.”
“Nice to know you care so much,” Daring all but spat. “Why not just send us to the past?”
If Dusk took offense to the slight, she didn’t show it. She did scoff in a way that would put pompous Canterlot nobles to shame. “You can’t be that stupid. Going to the past, the fabric of reality isn’t a clock; you can just whine backward! Oh, but every century some stupid ponies try to go back in time! Gotta go stop some war, plague, or get rich! And other retarded reasons!”
“This seems like a touchy subject,” Fury said, pouring Dusk another cup.
“Thank you, Fury. And yes, it is. Ponies don’t understand the past can’t be changed. Sure, it is possible to go back in time and change the past, but it makes things unstable. Time does not like to bend. Depending on when they go, there’s a lot of personal timelines that the universe has to set straight.”
Dusk buried her head in her hooves. Her eyes landed right on Twilight. “Tell me Twilight, if history was changed, would you notice?”
“Probably not? Right?” She answered uncertainly.
“Correct, you wouldn’t know. Now answer me this, what happens to the pony that goes back in time to change the past? Not after they travel back in time, but before, their entire life up to a point. What happens?”
“I don’t know.”
“Believe it or not, that’s a good answer. It creates a paradox. If Pony A goes back in time to change the past, they risk changing their own future. If the future where they go back in time doesn’t exist anymore, they technically no longer exist. They become a Schrodinger’s cat. And it just messes up everything and creates a headache for me. So, I kill them before they go back in time.”
“What?”
“It’s part of my duties as the Alicorn of Time. My job to ensure the past remains the past. Before you say anything, I yes, I did try talking to them. It never works. A pony that’s given up on the living for the future is not rational. No matter their reasons, I can’t let them take the timeline behind the woodshed and bend it over for hard romping.”
“Don’t even say it,” Sixes said as Celestia looked at him across the room.
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Celestia said hotly.
“Oh, the fuck you weren’t! I hardly spent any time with her before she disappeared! You can’t blame me for this!”
“And yet, she sounds like every new recruit you ever trained.”
Dusk threw her hooves up in the air, “For Solaris’s sake! This is why your marriage didn’t last two years!”
Both Sixes and Celestia went tight-lipped instantly.
Luna stared blankly between her sister and Sixes. “Pardon?”
Dusk let out a long-exasperated sigh, “In 6 ANM, these two tried their hooves at marriage. It was kind of pushed by Crusader, in an innocent, but a destructive act of trying to create a happy family for himself. Celestia was guilty over your banishment, and Sixes was even more self-hating and irritated then he is now. It was a foundation as sturdy as sand, but to their credit, they did try for the first six months. And then really started hating each other.”
“I never hated him!”
“I kind of did. Probably the worse two years of my life. Having to pretend to be happy all the time in public. I had to show up for the fucking public events! I basically marry her on paper as a favor to our son, and all the sudden ponies are fitting me for a crown and asking about more offspring! I didn’t sign up for that!”
“You technically did!”
“Oh, don’t you start this again!”
“I’m not, I’m acting perfectly mature about it! I didn’t ask for a divorce and then freeze myself in stone!”
“That was the top ten one of my best decisions of that decade!”
Meanwhile, Luna looked like deer in headlights, mumbling, “Oh my gods, you two really were married. That’s why your fighting bothered me so much!”
To their credit, both Sixes and Celestia had the sense to look ashamed by their behavior. Which they were. Picking at old wounds wasn’t healthy. That said, their irritation about their dirty laundry being aired lasered in on Dusk, who was very unabashed about it.
The Alicorn of Time shrugged, “What? It had to be said at some point. You haven’t even told Sixes about his granddaughter yet.”
“I have what?”
“Stop pretending you can’t hear me,” Dusk grumbled.
Celestia cleared her throat, pulling on all her grace and authority, “That is a personal matter. One in which we’d like to discuss IN PRIVATE among family members. So, rather than continue to distract us, Dusk, what is it that brings you here. Is there some matter regarding a pony messing with the past that you need our help on?”
Dusk cocked an eyebrow at the Sun Princess, “Seriously, do you guys listen to me when I talk? OR do you just selectively edit what you hear? The past can’t be changed! It practically fixes itself. No, I came here today to give you all a warning. Just like with the Crystal Empire, another event like it is drawing near.”
“So, what, the apocalypse is happening?” Retorted Fury with disbelief.
She snorted, “No, no, the world will be fine. It’s just everypony I care about will be dead. As long as you avoid the worse possible future, it should be fine. That said, it was dangerously close with the Crystal Empire’s Return. Congrats on the bronze medal for the third worse outcome.”
That brought the room to an uncomfortable silence.
“See, well, I can’t touch the past, I can see/travel to any future, so long as the possibility of it existing is there. I’ve quite enjoyed meeting your descendants and befriending them. I do this by setting a waypoint in my personal timeline. Allowing me to travel from my present, Point A, to Future B through Z. Because the future is never set in stone, it doesn’t matter what I do there. So long as I have a present to go back to and resume. That said, if I forget to set my waypoint, I can no longer return the present. Complicated, I know, but that’s the basic outline.”
“Wait, wait, that was the third worse possible outcome?” Croaked Luna, her cup clattering to the table. “Dare I ask was the first and second were?”
“Um, let’s see, it’s easier just show you.” A sphere of light shot from Dusk’s horn. Inside the globe, what looked like a film began to play inside.
A scenic view of the destroyed Crystal Empire panned int eh view glass. The elemental titans of Skaggi and Vulcan rampaged over the hellscape with no Equestrian insight. The spot that they knew the base should be was a lake of lava.
From the sky came two black spheres that slammed into the titans. From the orbs of magic emerged, Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker. The two dark alicorns engaged in a battle of wills with the titans.
Dusk narrated as epic battle ragged, “In this future Nippon never arrives and the Equestrian army and Night Patrol is wiped out. In grief and desperation, Celestia and Luna give themselves to darkness. They will win the battle, but they will forever be in these dark forms. When they return to their thrones. For a short time, they manage to play the role of good princesses. Still, the corruption inside them festers, and in less then ten years, they’ve divided Equestria between themselves and started an all-out civil war between the Solar Empire and Lunar Domain. Soon the other world powers attack, and they join forces once more. Egged on by the foreign attack, the two dark queens amuse themselves by challenging each other to see who can conquer the world first. Billions of lives are lost in the conflict, which is only ended by a certain sleeping Queen, who manages to overcome the dark Queens thanks to them tiring themselves out fighting the rest of the world.”
The event described by Dusk played out before the everypony. Ending with Kira killing a battered Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker by cutting off their heads. Not all is well though, the scene lingered, focusing on the Future Kira, short of breath. She begins to cry, doing nothing to treat the wounds inflicted on her. The goddess of Nippon sways and falls over. The scene fades away, returning to black.
“Well, that was depressing. What was number two?” Kira asked with forced levity.
“Same thing, but you lived in the end.” Answered Dusk. “Now as much fun as it is to view possible and not so possible futures. There is a reason I’ve revealed myself to you all, and yes, it involves events yet to come.”
“So what future event do we need to look out for? A war? Return of an old foe?” Inquired Celestia. “What can we expect?”
“Well, that’s the tricky part. You remember how I told you guys you got the third worse timeline? Well, your all hugging the bloodier and more depressing lines, tight. At this point, the bloodless timelines have fallen to only a 20% chance of happening. I’m sorry to say, it’s not even one thing, the futures are so chaotic I can’t even tell how they happened. I can view the past and future, but if I don’t have the creature's name, it’s like looking for a book in a library without an index. The best advice I can give you try not to start any wars and all those sealed foes from the past? You better start offing them now.”
“I thought you said you can view the past as it truly happened, why is the future so different?” That was Daring.
Dusk growled frustratedly at the question, “Because the future includes every possible choice of every creature spread out to every variable. It’s why the future where Nightmare Moon and Nightmare Sixes rule Equestria still exists! There are so many variables to track down to get to the conclusion it’s impossible. FYI, don’t worry about that future. It’s has a less than 10% chance of happening.”
“How do you know that?” That was Rainbow Dash, sounding very skeptical.
“UGH! It’s part of my skill set! Ok! I can just tell how likely a future is to happen! That’s not the point! I’ve been nudging you towards the better future, with as little interference as possible, and know I’m pushing you. Because as it stands right now, a future where every pony in this room is alive in twenty years doesn’t happen! Here let me give you a glimpse!”
Activating the view glass once more, everypony leaned in close in awe. In the floating sphere was Twilight Sparkle.
A very haggard, battle-hardened Twilight Sparkle. The future Twilight wore an eye patch over her left eye, her hair cropped short, her left foreleg prosthetic. Numerous scars covered her body. Interestingly two long parallel scars traveled down her back.
Future Twilight fired a massive magical missile that would put even the most legendary mages to shame. She cartwheeled and dodged attacks from a mysterious foe that appeared all in shadow. Nothing could discern her foes identity, but they could identify it as an alicorn. The landscape was a mountain covered in ruins. The location was most likely Canterlot.
A voice shouted, “Stay back!” Another pony, this one a golden yellow unicorn, with red and yellow hair like fire pushed Twilight out of danger. The view shifted again, revealing the newcomer to be Alicorn as well.
While everyone was glued to the epic battle, Dusk glanced at Celestia, who covered her mouth with shock and was crying silently. Muttering, “She returned, and she… I can’t believe it.” No one else seemed to hear the Princess. That was fine.
Dusk closed the viewing orb, less she shows too much. “That is only one of the possible outcomes. Keep in mind that of the ponies here, Twilight is the only still alive. Fighting an unknown threat in a futile fight.”
Twilight gulped, yet she looked oddly excited. “That spell casting and power, it only took a second! Is that really me?”
“One possible version of you.” Dusk clarified. “That was future twenty-five of two hundred, so don’t get too attached. Keep in mind you have to put in the effort for that Twilight to exist.”
“Right!”
“Who was the other pony, the alicorn?” Luna asked, feeling a strange familiarity about golden Alicorn.
“Unfortunately, depending on your choices, she may or may not factor in. So, keep an open mind.” Dusk let out a sigh. “I hate repeating myself, but the future isn’t carved in stone, it’s like sand. Easily rewritten. Just know that for every choice you make, the possible futures narrow. My best advice, just live your lives as you have, but keep an eye out for strange coincidences.”
Dusk flickered.
“Ah, my time draws short. Sake, my loyal servant, and friend, I suggest you go patch things with your family.” She smiled kindly, ruffling the Runaway Princess’s mane. “I probably won’t be calling on you again in this lifetime.”
“Lady Dusk… please, I can still be useful in your mission!”
“No,” Dusk said gently. “No, you’ve done enough. I’ve left you with everything you’ll need. It’s time for you to go home, Sake.”
Luna looked pained as the Tawny Alicorn began to flicker more and more, “Dusk! Will… will we see you again?”
She smiled genuinely at Luna. “Maybe one day in a century or more. I should have conserved my strength, this was my last chance to warn you, but my hourglass has run out for now… goodbye, Luna, Celestia, Sixes, Fury, Kira. Thank you for everything. It was fun, just like the old days.”
As suddenly as she appeared, Dusk disappeared. Sake sobbing at her departure.
“She can’t come back again. She can only spend so much time outside Cosmic Plane, and she used it all up. Now she’s trapped there, all alone, forced to watch history play out until the hourglass is refilled. It takes a century in our time to recharge.”
“So, that’s what she meant,” Luna muttered gloomily but smiled none the less. “Well, for those of us that are long-lived, we’ll just have to survive this coming disaster and greet her in a hundred years.”
Kaiser Hades rolled in bed, flushed red, and covered in the sweat of his lover. He grinned goofily like a young stallion. His wife lay beside him equally, flushed and panting. Chrysalis was in pure bliss, her privates screaming from their rough and passionate lovemaking. Slowly she wrapped her remaining legs around her lover, using her stubs to squeeze him tighter.
When he said he still loved her, even with her deformity, she as the vain pony she was, did not honestly believe him. Also, when he dragged her to bed after her wounds healed, she thought their lovemaking would be awkward, and he would eat his own words.
Turns out, she was the one eating her words, among other things, an apology for doubting his integrity. She felt like a young hearted maiden enjoying her first love, instead of the dominatrix she loved to play. If she were asked if there was a difference in their lovemaking from before, Chrysalis would testify it was even better now. Hades gave her two hundred percent and more.
They may have gone like rabbits before, but now it was rabbits that would be mimicking them. The Kaiser never missed a chance to take her and was even ravaging her in public. Not when others were around, but Hades was undoubtedly bolder than before, indulging in the play, he would have touted as too out there for a stud in his position.
“I’m starting to feel like your wife.”
He nibbled on her ear, “Because you are.”
She couldn’t help it, she blushed, the former seductive Queen of the changelings blushing like a teenage pony. “Oh, you. You know there’s nothing to gain by marrying me. Not anymore. Politically at least. You’d be far better off ditching me and taking a young, more lucrative bride.”
“You’ve been looking at polls again? Those pompous reporters wouldn’t know true value if I stamped it on a gold mark and showed it to them. Besides, I give all to my nation, but who I share my bed is not a concern for the masses.” His flattery was defiantly rosier than before. Yet, a frown settled on his lips as he pulled away from her. “Why have you been so insistent on separating from me? Do you truly wish to leave?”
“Of course not,” Was her answer, it was loud and filled with despair about the prospect ever occurring. “But… well, I still can’t accept it, even after all this time. That new body you have cooking below for me… even if you didn’t have it, would you still want me?”
He turned it around on her with, “Do you want a new body? I’m perfectly content with you as you are, but…” Hades chuckled lightly. “I know you. You find your weakness distasteful.”
“Yes, but not as much as pink.”
“Very much so, I’ll try to do something about the color.”
“Please do, but before that.” She rolled over, tail raised. “I could go again if you’re ready, or do you need to recharge?”
He was on her before she could finish.
The next hour was them enjoying each other thoroughly. Chrysalis loved the attention, and the weight of Hade’s body pressed against her back as she used the headboard for balance. His eager lovemaking rocked their king-sized four-post bed. The creaking of the antique wood made no bones about what they were doing.
Anypony that dare disturb them better have a great reason, or they might not see the dawn of the next day.
At Chrysalis’s climatic moan, a knock came at the old oak double doors, she grinned as the Kaiser removed himself from her. Her grin of sexual satisfaction and the eager glee of seeing the trembling fool that was no doubt gulping outside.
“You better get that.” She pecked Hades on the lips, breaking the kiss before he could deepen it. Much to his chagrin. “Come on now. Your strong will and leadership are some of your best qualities. I might start to lose my high opinion of you if you neglect your nation just to fuck me over the headboard.”
“I suppose, hopefully, this shan’t take but a minute.” He peeked her cheek and climbed off the bed. He was still at full mast and made no move to clean or hide his Emperor’s sword, fully intending to show the pony outside just how much trouble they were in if this wasn’t important.
“I bet it’s Wiess again!” Chrysalis called from the bed. She donned her disguise as a unicorn version of herself. Smiling nostalgically at the phantom limbs, her magic created. Her public persona was still able-bodied, the number of creatures in the know of her injuries was her hive and a select number of the Kaiser’s most trusted subordinates.
She hopped off the bed, standing comfortably in her disguise. Thanking her lucky stars her race’s transformation magic wasn’t merely an illusion, but an actual transformation. That said, using her magic to maintain the mass of two extra legs was more taxing. Any weight more significant than herself required magic to substitute the difference. The more significant the difference, the more magic used. With her missing legs, she had less mass than before to work with. Even such a simple transformation was taxing to her.
Substantially this is why changelings didn’t run around as much more substantial, stronger creatures. Even though they theoretically could. The magic usage was too high, why turn into a dragon or ogre, if the transformation only lasted a few seconds? Leaving you exhausted afterward?
Taking care to saunter, making sure to maintain her magicked legs, Chrysalis closed the closet door to hide her prosthetics. She wore the clunky metal legs regularly, using her magic to disguise them instead of creating magic appendages. Hiding something was a lot easier than making it. And a lot less taxing on her magic. Wearing iron horseshoes helped cover up the sound of the metal limbs.
“Is it Wiess?” She chipperly asked. Hades opening the door fully once her embarrassment was hidden. Sure enough, the peach and blonde pony was at the door, looking nervous. “Oh, it is! I hope this is good, if not…” She trailed off, leaving the threat hanging.
“Yes, your Grace!” Wiess saluted stiffly. Presenting a thick stack of papers. “An intelligence report! The subject is the mobilization of the Nippon Second Aerial Fleet! Confirmed two days ago. Reports say the fleet has returned home now but is missing one ship. The flagship, Emerald Cutter.”
Chrysalis didn’t need to see the Kaiser's eyes to know they had just widened. “Did somepony manage to sink that flying behemoth?” He asked, keeping his tone neutral, though there were still twinges of excitement and worry.
If some country managed to sink the Nippon Second Fleet Flagship, the Nippon First, Third, and Fourth Fleet will soon descent upon them with a vengeance. A vengeance so fierce and devastating the world would sit back and watch the obliteration of said nation.
Nippon lived by a straightforward rule when it came to international policy, ‘Leave us alone, we leave you alone.’ They were the quiet kid in the corner that nobody talked too out of fear.
“We thought that too, so we tapped the spy network. Our Equestrian contacts report seeing the Emerald Cutter and the Nightmare docking in Canterlot two days later. Both ships are unscathed. There are reports of injured Equestrian soldiers. Further digging revealed Celestia and Luna started a hard campaign in the Frozen North.”
“Why on earth did they go there?” Chrysalis asked with foreign interest. “There’s no fertile land, no civilizations besides the Yaks, and they’re hardly worth the fuss. Did Celestia decide to melt the ice caps or something?”
“Apparently, King Sombra returned,” Hades mumbled out, looking over the finer points of the report.
The mention of the unicorn King’s name made Chrysalis frown her brow and tap her chin. “King Sombra? I think my mother mentioned him. We apparently had an alliance with him in the past. Ruined that Queen’s rule and brought the Changeling Kingdom to the brink of ruin from our losses.”
“He’s merely a footnote in history. I’m surprised, I thought Celestia was hiding a core of elite mages or something, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. It seems they barely recovered from the Canterlot attack before charging forward again. Why, after spending all that time retraining… Oh-ho, I see now. How diabolical of them.”
“Who’s diabolical?” She asked, trotting over to lean against Hades for support. “Celestia and Luna?”
He shook his head. “No, the Night Patrollers. From the earlier reports, they were retraining the EUP to the GEA, but they needed officers to fill the ranks since they have so many surplus soldiers, but no commanders. When you look at the invasion force, they undercut it by more than half the minimum of troops needed.”
“So what?”
“My dear, this means, somepony in Night Patrol, came up with a plan to turn X number of 4500 ponies into hardened veterans. I can assume that even if only half of the troops survived, they would consider the plan a success. Now they have about 2000 plus soldiers that have the experience and the mindset to be officers to lead the soldiers left behind. They forced the soft-hearted ponies to hardened in the fires of war, rather than take the time to train them.”
She was skeptical. “And Celestia and Luna would approve of this plan?”
“Oh, the pony that devised this little scheme is clever enough to pull the rug from under those two once or twice if they try. A cold and logical pony, yes, it would defiantly be him.”
“Him?”
“Don’t worry about it, darling. Now is this bit of intel juicy enough for Wiess to escape scot-free?”
The messenger squirmed under the Queen’s gleeful eyes. “Hmm, rather then punishment, a reward is in order.”
Wiess breathed a sigh of relief.
“Get on the bed.”
“What?”
Chrysalis nibbled on Wiess’s ear. “You’re going to perform before the Kaiser, on his bed with his Kaiserin, is there no greater honor? Wiess?”
The peachy pony was a deep shade of pink as she marched reluctantly into the private royal chambers. “No mien Kaiserin.” The door slammed and locked behind her.
“I knew you’d understand, also, put this on.” Chrysalis summoned a little piece from her wardrobe, licking her lips as Wiess squirmed.
“No! NO! That’s too embarrassing!”
Wiess pleads weren’t acknowledged.
Knowing your lover was a deviant was one thing, her being a dominatrix, yet a submissive when with you was also another thing. So, when his Kaiserin gets in the mood to put on a show for him, it was both parts enchanting and frustrating.
Enchanting because watching Chrysalis dominate Wiess was a turn on for any hot-blooded red male, Kaiser Hades included. Frustrating because he had to sit back and watch. Not because Chrysalis told him to. She’s made it a game to try and enchant him into a three or more way.
No, the fact of the matter was he made his vows, both the traditional public vows his subjects expected and the private vows he made that came from his core beliefs. Not looking at other mares the same as way as Chrysalis was one of those vows.
So, every time Chrysalis would drag in some young thing for a ‘reward’ or ‘punishment,’ he let her indulge in her domineering nature. Enduring the tantalizing display and her siren-like beckoning to join her. Only to politely decline and remain rooted to his chair. Watching her enjoy herself.
To any pony that dared call him a hypocrite for watching and enjoying this carnal display. He replied with, “Enjoy a sudden military draft to Congo.”
“Hades, you're looking so pent up, why don’t you come and join us?” Chrysalis teasingly offered Wiess to him, the peach mare in a fidgeting daze.
He held up a hoof, “I’ll pass. Time to let her go, my dear. She is one of my better military officers.”
“I’m grateful for the praise, mien Kaiser!” Wiess saluted while facing backward and Chrysalis nibbling on her ear. Sounding only extremely embarrassed as opposed to about to die embarrassment. The small dip in reaction seemed to sour Chrysalis’s playful mood.
After a casual slap on the rump, his Kaiserin ‘gently’ pushed the younger mare off the bed. Wiess quickly stood at attention, despite her condition of sweat and musk. “If that is all my lord and lady, I wish to shower.” She finished quietly.
The gleam quickly returned to Chrysalis’s eye. “No.” She stated flatly, putting on the air of the Kaiserin. “By my decree, you may not bathe until the morn!”
“Mien Kaiser?” Wiess looked for him to help, which was a mistake, and she knew that.
“Mien Kaiserin has spoken lieutenant Wiess. I expect any soldier in my army to follow her commands in all matters of great or minor importance.”
“Ja, I understand. I will… return to mien post.”
“Oh, Wiess,” Chrysalis called out, making the peach pony freeze. “Don’t forget your uniform, also you might want to take that off. It is mine.”
Wiess looked down, her blush uncontrollable as she realized she was still tangled up in the thin frilly silk get up Chrysalis had forced on her. Her uniform was tossed to her, wrinkled but not smelling of nightly activities at least.
“You can just leave that on the floor.”
After dispensing of the lingerie and donning her uniform. Wiess happily took her leave of the room. Mumbling about wanting a transfer to the Zebra Colonies.
A long stretch of silence followed her departure until it was finally broken by Chrysalis’s light but sinister laughter. Which he found charming. His changeling lover rolled under the covers, dropping her disguise for her own flesh.
“If she were ever to sue, she’d have a strong case against us, you know.” He pointed out with only minor seriousness. Hades hopped back into bed with his lover, cuddling with her, instead of engaging in any more sex. Not that he wouldn’t, and though Chrysalis would be loath to admit it, she enjoyed cuddling as much as a hard pound.
“Oh, she enjoys it. I know these things trust me.” She said, not even entertaining Wiess breaching their confidentiality while gently massaging his side her hoof. “She enjoys it far more than she ever lets on. Don’t be surprised for her to wind up a mistress one day.”
“From her own volition or your teasing and prodding.”
“Who can say?” She slyly dodged the answer they both knew was more likely.
“Has much as I love you and want you to be free, I do need my subordinates to be mentally sound.”
“I’m instilling loyalty in different forms.”
“I don’t see you trying that with the males.”
“If I did that, we both know what would happen to them. Honestly, you should use me for that more, a lot of political trouble makers would disappear. No pony would blame you.”
“Your… our children do a fine enough job of that. It’s better to let dissidents have a voice then to silence them. It makes them far easier to undermine when you can publicly make them out to be fools by beating their arguments.”
She laughed, “Yes, and so much easier when they fall on their own sword during a debate, yes?”
“Indeed,” He kissed her, a short, gentle kiss, before settling down for sleep. Chrysalis all but wrapped herself around him. Between the weight of the blanket and her warmth, the Kaiser quickly sub come to rest.
For about five seconds before somepony knocked on the door.
“What?” He growled, Chrysalis giggling into his barrel.
“Mien Kaiser! Please, it is urgent news!”
“Then speak it, you draft fool! It better be important!”
He expected the pony on the other side to rapidly apologize or something along those lines. But what was said had him sitting up and at the door in record time.
“Repeat that.” He said evenly, staring down the ragged messenger.
“I repeat, Mien Kaiser, El Cid of Hispania and D ’Arc of Prance have joined in union and declared war upon Germane! Their armies ravage our borders as we speak!”
You could have heard a pin drop. The Kaiser stood frozen, processing the information, and slowly his eyes shrunk, and his brows narrowed in righteous rage.
“Get me General Field Marshall Bismarck, Admiral Tirpitz, and General Hipper! Begin the organizing of troops and send every West Barracks to support the border guards!” He was moving, rampaging through the halls. Ponies were running wild, trying to get things done, but the order of structure required his approval. “Get the communications up! I want a message sent! Where is SHE?”
The room came to a screeching halt. One brave soul asked, “She, who Mien Kaiser?”
Climbing onto his throne, the Kaiser scowled, “Who do you think? Get a message to Colonel Titania Von Blut now! Where is she?”
“She’s in Zebra land, aiding the colonies, Mien Kaiser, what should I send?”
“Tell her the situation and pass along code, BLANK CHECK. That is all.”
Fear gripped the Central Military staff. The weight of such a simple two words was a heavy one. One braver one-star general, found the gull to speak back to him.
“Mien Kaiser, to give her such free reign, only the gods will know what she will do. I beg you to reconsider! We only barely resolved the suits against her from last time.”
He slammed his hoof on the arm of his chair, “El Cid and D ’arc get everything they deserve for pursuing this foolishness! They play at war! And now, with the lives of my subjects! I will show them a true war! I will let my rabid dog off its leash and carve into their flesh a lesson they will never forget!”
As the fading echo of his voice dissipated in the high ceiling of the Kaiser’s throne. Those gathered that day could only salute their leader and carry out their orders. Unknowingly paving the path for a very dark future.
Later, those that would write of this night and say, “It was the day when loved turned the earth asunder.”
Meanwhile, on the Zebra Continent, near the Congo border north of the Amazon disputed territories, a wildfire raged across the grassy plains, but it was no natural fire.
No, the fire was caused by a raging battle, or what could be legally called a conflict between two opposing sides. Even if it was clearly one-sided.
“Colonel Titania, the operation is going well! The Amazon Zebra tribe is being brought to heel!” A spunky peachy/brown mare with equally dull brown hair reported. The only thing not regular about her was the metal horn and wings she had, along with the Germane uniform with a patch reading 443rd Sky Mage Battalion.
“I’m aware of that, Captain Zeppelin, honestly, this can hardly be called a battle. It almost seems like the Kaiser is punishing me after what happened with Saddle Arabia.”
“Maybe the Kaiser thought you needed a vacation after such a tough assignment, ma’am. He is… rather soft on you.” Zeppelin hesitantly pointed out, flinching at her superior’s narrowed gaze.
Colonel Titania Von Blunt was a filly of smaller stature than the average mare. Lending many to assume she was a teenager or even younger. When in actuality, Titania was pushing twenty. Her wide silver/blue eyes and platinum mane resembled an artisan-crafted doll. Her coat was a pale peach, almost bleached. Like the rest of her unit, she was an earth pony outfitted with a false horn and wings. Or officially titled: The Heinkel Model 89 Magic Focuser and Flight Fighter, HM89-MFFF for short.
The raging fire and fleeing zebras reflected in Titania’s cold cobalt eyes. The horrors before her not moving her heart an inch towards sympathy.
The Colonel didn’t acknowledge her subordinate’s remark of the Kaiser’s soft spot for her. She liked to keep her relationship with him strictly professional. Wanting all praise to be from her merits and not the fact he was her step-father.
With no opposition to seriously face them, Titania scoffed at the fleeing Zebras of the Amazon tribe. “Honestly. What were these foolish savages thinking? Attacking our territory because they had five pegasus Zebras? Did they really think that would be enough? Five flying zebras and five hundred ground forces? What a joke! A waste of my time! Prepare for another barrage!”
“But ma’am! We’ve routed them!”
Titania’s grin was absolutely frightful. “We were issued new horns and wings. We’re just conducting a test run of the new Heinkel Model 89. Nothing wrong with that? Look at all those live-action test dummies, the perfect targets, right?”
Zeppelin nodded, her expression stern as the mechanical horn came to life, breaking apart with many moving cylinder pieces engraved with runs. Like a cylinder cipher, the rune rearranged themselves into a preset formula. The one, in this case, a high yield explosion spell.
“Companies aim!” Zeppelin shouted as all fifty members of their flight wing prepared to attack.
With a small smirk, Titania gave the order to fire. Fifty individual magic bombs hit the ground. Each explosion by its self could damage a small armored building plated with three-inch steel, times that by fifty, and you had an impressive fireball.
Or fireworks, depending on your preference. Titania preferred to think of them like fireworks. Loud and memorizing like the one at the annual Octoberfest. The memory of her first legal drink while loud, colorful explosions filled the night sky brought her one of the few joys in her life.
The thatched huts not caught by the wildfire were swept away to nothing.
“A perfect live-fire exercise. This new equipment is a cut above the old Ju-56.”
Being a nation made up of almost one hundred percent earth ponies. It was only natural to stand on the world stage, advancements were needed. Thus, the invention of the Sky Mage Corps. Earth ponies outfitted with surgically implanted horns and wings.
Naturally, they would never be masters of magic or flight due to the limits of their technology and natural biology, but in Titania’s view, that didn’t matter. They could fly for hours using gems without tiring, thus outlasting any pegasus, they could fire high yield spells in seconds, that a trained mage could take a minute to charge. Best of all, they were still improving the technology, and to this day, no other country had been able to replicate it. Most didn’t even know about it. Secret Weapons projects are great.
“These things are still itchy, though,” She complained aggressivity rubbing the spot where her horn touched her head.
“Let me take care of that for you, ma’am.” Zeppelin offered, much to Titania’s relief, her second in command had magic hooves as far as she was concerned. Massaging her scalp and back with just the right amount of pressure and care. “Ahh, Zeppelin, I might just have to make you my mistress. I couldn’t stand to lose you to any of those rubes behind us.”
“That would be a great honor, ma’am, but is that even allowed?”
“As soon as Fa… I’m mean the Kaiser and Kaiserin have a child, my claim to the throne is null and void. Not that I want it anyway. I prefer my hair to keep its color before my forties. Frankly, I wish they would hurry up. I grow tired of all the marriage interviews.”
“You didn’t answer my question, ma’am.”
Titania leaned in close to Zeppelin, “I’m the Kaiser’s stepdaughter. I can do as I please in such matters. Besides, well, you are perfect mare material, I remind you I a mare myself. Here’s an idea captain, why don’t we both form a herd with a stallion of good stock? That would make your parents happy, too, no?”
Behind them, the males were getting rowdy.
“There goes the Colonel, taking all the good mares.”
“Yeah, why not think of your trusted subordinates?”
“Does anyone else find it strange the commander only smiles when she’s teasing Captain Zeppelin?”
All eyes looked at the last stallion that spoke, no surprise, it was Bratwurst. “You’re not the sharpest horn, but we all knew that already.”
“That might be better than an overbearing brother, First lieutenant Weisser. You keep scaring off all of Wiess’s suiters. She’ll have to settle for one of us!” This prompted a hearty laugh from the group, save for Weisser, who was red hot mad.
“I’ll die before I let one of you near my little sister!”
“That’s enough!” Barked Titania, all the members of her unit clammed up and waited at attention of her next order. “Despite our enemies’ pitiful resistance, this is still technically a battlefield, let’s clean this up and go back to base.”
Watching her unit finish off the remaining Zebra warriors was as dull to watch as it was to do herself. Really all this low-level fighting was going to dull her edge. Something Titania fretted. She didn’t spend the last few years training her elite Sky Mages only for them to be wasted settling colonial disputes.
Which brought her to her current ire, the Zebras. More specifically, the Amazons. That wild tribe of females has been a thorn in not just Germane’s side, but every nation that planted their flag here. In one aspect, it was admirable how they managed to keep their territory and dominate over the other zebra tribes with their willingness to breed with any powerful thing.
“Unicorn Zebras, Pegasus Zebras, and other strange hybrids. It’s easy to understand how such an open-minded and forward-thinking tribe could gain the upper hoof against their neighbors. It’s also easy to see where their arrogance came from.”
Titania thought it was a tragedy that all the unique Zebra were wasted in a fruitless war. All those years of selective breeding, creating their own style of magic and flight patterns. All of that work swept away because the Amazon chieftess couldn’t comprehend the change in the world.
“In due time, they will see the light of true civilization.”
Spotting an injured Zebra warrior withering on its side, she landed beside her, watching it struggle with a strange fascination.
“If… the plane…walker…where here…all we hold dear…” Were the warrior's last words. She could forgive the lack of rhyming. Bleeding from the head didn’t result in better speech after all.
“Ma’am,” Zeppelin cautiously called out, watching the grassland warily. “It’s dangerous to be on the ground.”
“I’m aware. I just thought I’d make this a little more sporting. By the way, Captain, have you heard of the Plane Walker? Is that some sort of Zebra legend?”
Zeppelin nodded, “Yes, some local was telling me about it. Apparently, centuries ago, the Amazons captured a being that could walk on both the living and death planes. They bred with him, of course, and apparently, the bloodline continues to this day, but it’s scarce.”
“So, these fools are clinging to an ancient legend and using it as a scapegoat for their loss? Pathetic. I think I just lost some respect for them.”
“Actually,” Zeppelin continued, gaining her attention. “There’s another rumor that a Plane Walker was born in the last quarter-century, but she ran away. The reasons unclear, but from the stories, she was a rather free spirit and didn’t take to being bred at the earliest possible age.”
“I can sympathize with that. So does the mare of legend have a name?”
“I think it was Zell, no, Zelec, no, Zecord? Something like that. She was the Cheiftess’s daughter or something.”
“While I doubt the legend itself, it would be interesting to meet this particular Zebra. Who knows, maybe she would be happy to hear we wiped out her tribe.”
“I thought our orders were just to push them back?”
Titania grinned viciously. “And we will, all the way back to their original territory. The age for Empiric Tribes such as this is long over.”
“As you say, ma’am, wait… I’m receiving a transmission!”
“Oh? From base?”
“No, Ma’am, from the homeland! Prance and Hispania have attacked our borders! The Kaiser as issued all units abroad to rush to the defense of the fatherland in whatever way is feasible! He’s even… oh my, he’s specifically given our unit a BLANK CHECK order.”
Titania couldn’t keep the grin off her face. A BLANK CHECK order simply put said, do whatever you think is best, with no oversight, nitpicking, or backlash from the higher-ups. It was her favorite kind of order because it allowed her to do things the General Staff would be too slow or cowardly to do.
“In that case, Captain, we’re returning to base, we have a ship to catch.”
“Roger, all units fall in! We’re returning to base!” Zeppelin ordered over their coms. “Are we heading straight for the frontlines?”
“No, I think we’ll make a detour in Vivar.”
“Vivar? The Hispania capital? What are we going to do there? We can’t take the city by ourselves, Colonel!”
“Relax, Captain,” Titania said calmly. “We’re just going to knock on El Cid’s back door and say hello. It’s proper manners, after all.”
Zeppelin and the other of the 443rd Sky Mages gulped, their commander was leading them into another dangerous and impossible mission.
“Don’t worry,” She tried to assure them. “I’m sure El Cid sent most of their forces east, making the coast is particularly lightly guarded at this stage. If we can get there in a day or less, everything will fall into place.”
“Not all of us have divine blood like you, Commander.”
She snorted, “Divine Blood? What a joke. Keep that crap to yourself, Weisser. If anything, my blood is cursed.”
“But you’re a… never mind. My apologies, Colonel.”
“Good. Now push! We can rest later! Every second we wait, another one of our country ponies dies needlessly!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Zooming ahead at nearly five hundred miles per hour, the Germanians left the smoking planes int their wake.
On the ground, amidst the smoke and fire, a single Zebra stood. She was a strange Zebra. Her coat was a transparent black with white stripe patterns different from her own kind. The white pattern on her face resembled that of a skull.
Wordlessly this mysterious Zebra dashed THROUGH the flames disappearing into the night. Not a trace of her presence left behind, not even tracks in the dirt.
Shining Armor was in full sprint, dodging fireballs from his opponent, his movements slightly restricted by the new commando armor he adorned. The midnight blue gear offered many benefits, it was lighter, more robust, and easier to move in then his old guard suit. That said, it still added weight, and his current load made it hard to keep his balance while running.
Which was intentional.
Fixed to his right side was a bulky, heavy gem cannon. On his left was a saddlebag weighed down with ammo for said weapon. In his studies over the last two months in the commando course, such a gun was very unlikely to be used.
The weapon’s real function in this instance was to be pure dead weight. One more struggle for him to overcome to achieve the next rank. All he had to do was impress his instructor for this test.
Unfortunately, that instructor was Sixes.
He cursed his luck. Sweet Dreams, Goodnight, and he drew lots to decide who they’d be taking the Specialist test under, and he defiantly drew up short.
“Come on!” Sixes taunted, spewing a stream of lava at him.
Shining was relieved that Sixes was restricted from using his gold. One of several handicaps he was given for this test.
Focusing, Shining formed three smaller square shields and then combined them into one, thick square. With it, he battered the glops of molten rock away and tossed the shield like a Frisbee. In turn, Sixes spit lava on his claw, creating a sphere of black stone, and punched the incoming attack. The rock shattered, and so did the shield.
He wasn’t done. Shining created three more, arranging their shape into a three-sided pyramid. Ever since returning from the Crystal Empire Campaign, besides undergoing Commando training, he took extra lessons with former Captain of the Guard, Scarlet. The red unicorn was as much a master of shield magic as him, but much more experienced. And was happy to impart her wisdom.
One of those pearls of knowledge was the concept of three-dimensional shields. At first, the idea didn’t resonate with him. He’s made a dome, and some other shapes, squares, triangles, etc., but he didn’t understand the need to create cubes, cylinders, trigons, and pyramids. They took more magic and concertation to make and keep together.
At his remarks, Scarlet forced him to attend several engineering lectures. Refusing to teach him anymore until he ‘saw the light,’ end quote. He didn’t know if he saw it, but he did understand building structural integrity and which shapes added strength and stability and which did not.
Like the boggling idea that sometimes three legs were more stable than four. In certain contexts.
The benefits of a trigon shield were at first hard to grasp, but Shining understood now. With its three slanted sides, it required less power than a pyramid but with the same effect. The pointed tip of the three-sided triangle punched through the incoming attack, becoming an attack in of its self.
Arrow Head Shield, was the pending name for the spell. Any flat shield would cut through the flames too. A three-dimensional barrier scattered the attack, deflecting away and breaking it down into smaller, less harmless bits, away from him and Anypony under his protection.
It was new techniques like this that gave him the power to defend, counter, and double down! He fired a quick barrage of magic missiles for good measure.
Another restriction for the black rinin was he couldn’t fly above a certain height or leave a marked area.
To add some incentive for Shining to win this exercise, he had to ‘rescue’ Cadence from within Sixes’ territory. To add to the realism, Cadence was dressed in a typical fairy tale princess, pointed hat included, and placed in a doll’s castle.
Cadence was also shrunk in size to fit inside said castle. A robust barrier protected her. So, Sixes could act the role of the villain and fill his area with lava if he so chose too. Which he did. A fifty-foot radius of lava surrounded him, marking his territory of movement.
“Ten minutes!” Sixes snarled deftly avoiding the incoming attacks while reminding Shining that this was a timed exercise.
Instead of engaging in wasted banter, Shining buckled down, pushing magic into his exhausted legs to give them a boast. Another Commando trick he learned.
Projecting a mana blade from his horn, Shining detached the pauldron from his armor. That was another neat feature of Commando Armor and being a Commando. Custom Equipment. The shoulder armor clicked and expanded, combining to make a round shield with saw teeth. With a little spark of magic, the gem in the center of the equipment lit up, causing the saw teeth to spin.
Making a hard right, Shining charged Sixes, letting the gem cannon roar while brandishing his chosen weapons. The Black rinin filled his chest with air, his cheeks puffing comically, but the rapid-fire golf ball-sized fireballs were not. Bringing his shield ahead, Shining leaped into the air, the gem boosters on his back came to life and sent him rocketing at Sixes. The mini fireballs pelted his shield, but he endured, lava was beneath him, but he didn’t care. He split his shield slightly, letting his mana blade stick through the gap, he was as defended as he could be, and posed for the kill. He had this!
A bright gold light assaulted his vision! Sixes masterfully crafted a Spear of Solaris in his claws. It was rushed, it would be precarious and could most likely explode with needing to impact anything.
Shining didn’t back down, he couldn’t, he literally couldn’t. A small part of his brain told him if he turned off his boosters and adjusted his trajectory and then turn them back on, he could dodge. That thought was quickly dismissed. If this was a real battle, there was a good chance he’d die, either way, so he might as well follow through and take his opponent with him!
He was so close now! Sixes wouldn’t have time to pull back to launch the spear! He was going to win!
Only when Sixes finished, it wasn’t a Spear of Solaris, he had crafted anti-magic chains! He flung the chains in an arch, around his shield, and wrapped around one of Shining’s legs. The Rinin spun, tossing Shining out of the reach of the lava and landed beside him.
“We’re done.”
“I still have time!” Protested Shining, untangling himself from the chains.
Sixes shook his head, “No, we’re done. You passed.”
“What?” He was confused. Not just by Sixes’ words, but by the surreal grin, the black rinin wore. It almost looked like he was proud. For Shining Armor, who has been on the receiving end of borderline to over the line, verbal abuse from the rinin in question, it was unnerving. He was expecting this to be an elaborate trick, fall for it, and be called a fool.
Yet, Sixes stood there with his claw outstretched. When he didn’t take it, Sixes hauled him to his feet and patted him on the shoulder. “Good job. I guess I owe Topaz some money.” He laughed.
“I don’t understand how did I pass? I didn’t rescue Cadence.”
Sixes rolled his eyes. “She was a prop, no offense Princess, just some motivation. You didn’t have to save her. Your objective was to beat me or at least impress me. My movements and ability were restricted, but as you very well may have noticed, I activated my gold craft. Your attack would have landed if I hadn’t. Congratulations, Specialist Shining Armor.”
Shining Armor was unresponsive for several seconds, “Thank you, Commander Sixes!” He saluted the Rinin.
The Commander did something that sent shockwaves through Shining’s entire being. Sixes ruffled his mane, he hadn’t noticed he lost his helmet, but the wide happy grin on Sixes made him question if this all wasn’t some dream on his part.
“Take the rest of the day off. Let me know if you want to start training for the next rank or do some missions. I’ve got some things to do. I’ll see you later.”
Those were Sixes’ parting words. A new insignia, specifying Shining’s new rank, lay on the ground for him. Nervously he picked it up. (This has to be a dream! Sixes is way too happy!)
“Shining,” the gentle tones of his wife whispered into his ear. “This is real.” She assured him, biting his ear enough to hurt. “You did a good job.” Cadence hugged him.
The last two months since the Crystal War played through his mind. All the times he’d been knocked down, yelled at and told to quit while getting dirt kicked in his face and demeaned. The weeks of angry scowls from Sixes, the unrelenting hatred the rinin seemed to have for him. The joy he seemed to take in his misery. Especially on the rainy days, when he’d get his face pressed into the mud.
Even he wondered why he didn’t quit.
“Did I…” Shining croaked, fiercely rubbing his eyes. “Did I prove myself to them?”
The warm smile, the look of pride, he fought tooth and nail for, he finally had it. From Sixes of all ponies.
From across the sky, two excited voices called down to him. Two similarly dressed ponies, a male, and a female landed before him. Each wearing the same patch he just received.
“Hey, Captain… I mean Private… Specialist Shining Armor!” Sweet Dreams beamed, showing off her own insignia. “You passed too! That’s great! Fighting Commander Topaz was really, really tough!” She whined.
“The same can be said of Commander Fierce Fury,” Goodnight stated, looking worn-out. “I thought I got off easy until he told me I had to defeat him five times. His regeneration flame is something else.”
“I bet.” Shining chaffed, shaking his head. “I wonder how much they were holding back.”
“Considering we’re alive and without broken bones, a lot.” Goodnight chuckled uneasily. His face turned stoic. “That just makes me want to try harder.”
“Me too!” Cheered Sweet Dreams. “But maybe we could wait a few months before trying for the next rank? If you know what I mean?”
Shining nodded, “I agree.”
At some point, Cadence removed herself from him when the two bat ponies arrived and stood to the side as an outsider. With a lull in the conversation, she took the chance to join in.
“You know, we should all go out to celebrate. Shining was given leave for the rest of the day. We could go on a double date! Shining and I don’t have many friends that are couples.”
The bat ponies shared a blush, looking away from the other, but their tails were intertwined. Goodnight coughed, “Well, I’m not sure we’re… well… yes! That sounds like fun. We’ve been cooped up on the base, doing training almost every day. I would like to take Sweetie someplace nice to eat since we have time.”
Sweet Dream's response was to blush and lean against Goodnight. They all did their best to ignore the shivers that racked her body. The day was warm, and she had plenty of layers between her armor, bodysuit, and coat, yet she shivered like she was freezing.
She might never feel warm again. At least, if Goodnight wasn’t around. Anytime her shivers got the best of her, a few minutes in his warmth renewed her for a time. Almost like prescription medicine.
That said, Shining knew Sixes, and the others would only put up with that for so long. It wasn’t spoken allowed in public, but if Sweet Dreams couldn’t recover, she wouldn’t be cleared for missions. Her Commando training would be postponed, indefinably. That’s what Cadence told him from the annual weekly military status meetings.
There was some hope, though. Sweet Dreams could be recommended as an instructor with her new rank. She had the backing of Topaz and Fierce Fury, with some support from Sixes, who said it would be a waste just to drop her from the program.
The annual Weekly Military Status meeting or its official name, The Equestrian Military readiness Committee. Was one of Kira’s proposals. Requiring not just Celestia and Luna, but Cadence, Prince Blueblood, and any other pony of importance to attend a weekly meeting to hear how the development of the Equestrian military forces was doing among other things. His sister Twilight sat in a few times too, which bothered him in a way Shining couldn’t describe. He wasn’t jealous. No far from it. It made him uneasy was the best way to describe it. (I need to talk with Twilight. She seems distant lately.)
That would have been a bad joke before. Twilight’s and his familiar bond had been steadfast in their younger days, like most siblings. Their parents’ competitive star system aside, they got along. And like all siblings, when they grew up and left home, they lost touch. He could be honest and say he let his relationship with her fall to the wayside courting Cadence and being Captain of the Guard.
There were other reasons that he didn’t communicate around the time of his wedding, but he’d like to remember those as little as possible.
“Where do you want to go?” Cadence’s question broke him out of his brooding. “Do we want to go high class or Dive bar like in the old days?”
He broke out a broad smile, “Well, a high-class place would certainly be more appropriate, but to see you chugging mugs of cider again? I’d say dive bar. Will they let us into the Rusty Horseshoe? That’s more a flier joint.”
“I think we can pull rank if we need too,” Goodnight grinned. “Fliers may favorite it, but the Rusty Horseshoe is a military bar.” “Then let’s go! I need a shower, and the Princess needs a disguise!” Whooped Sweet Dreams, being very familiar with Cadence, hugging the taller mare by the neck.
Shining was still getting used to that. His suddenly taller wife and her floating hair. Sometimes it drifted over his face when they were in bed.
“I’m fine going incognito, but you better call me something other than Princess.” Cadence half-joked. Her disdain for ponies using her title as her name rearing up.
“Well, calling you Cadence would be a no, no, too obvious, so how about I call you Cady? Caydie? How about Candy?” “Caydie will do. We’ll leave you boys; us mares have to hit the spa. Make sure you both take a shower.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He and Goodnight saluted jokingly in unison. The girls flew off, leaving him and Goodnight to hang out until the appointed time. Which would be four or five hours from now.
This would become a common theme in years to come for the two couples. Right now, the stallions were stumped about what to do while sitting under a tree for shade. They sat in silence until Goodnight pulled a pack of cigarettes from one of his pouches.
“Since when did you smoke?” Shining asked.
“Take a guess,” Goody rasped, offering one to him. “How about you?”
“About the same time, I guess. Cadence isn’t very happy about it.” He lit both cigarettes with his horn. “What about Sweet Dreams?”
“Sometimes, she likes vodka more. Says it makes her feel warm inside. I know I should quit before I get too hooked on them, but…” Goodnight trailed off. His eyes staring far off into the distance.
Shining had the same look as they both let their cigarettes burn away. “Let’s try to quit before the end of the year. When my stash runs out.”
“How many you got?”
“Fifty cartons of twenty.”
“About the same.”
They both laughed, “That might make it two months.”
Goody laughed harder, “If we’re lucky.”
“Yeah,” Shining trailed off, settling down. “I wonder how they deal with it? The Night Patrollers? The memories…”
“Well,” Goody said, blowing out a ring of smoke. “I’ve yet to see a shortage of booze or cigs, so not much better, I guess.”
“Seems so.”
As he sucked in another tobacco laden breath, Shining evaluated the Night Patrollers for what felt like the millionth time. The sheer brutality of the Crystal War had brought some new perspectives on their behavior and perhaps motives behind specific actions.
“They’re still assholes.” He concluded with a grin, taking another cig for himself. “But they are good at what they do.” Beside him, Goodnight nodded, “Yeah.”
The silence built between them again, the ash from their cigarettes drifting off into the breeze. Time seemed to breeze by, it was a dull, peaceful day. They were perfectly fine with that. No more would the two complain about a quiet day. “Do you think…” Goodnight began, his expression sour. “The deal over in Europona… do you think we’ll have to go over there?”
A particular song played in Shining’s head, (Over there! Over there! Send the word over there!) It was a catchy little number, its purpose to charm you into going to war. He found it patriotic before, but now, he couldn’t help but think it had sinister undertones.
“If we do… I will go, so somepony else won’t. Such things… I want to make sure as few ponies as possible never have to go through that. What about you, Goody?”
“The same, but if I had the choice… I’d want Sweet Dreams to stay behind.”
Shining let out a massive cloud of smoke, giving the bat pony a coy look, “Well, there is one sure-fire way to do that. You know?”
Goodnight snuffed out his cigarette, his smile bittersweet. “Well, that’s certainly an idea. That season is coming around soon. That said, we’d better go shower off. The girls should be half done by now, they’ll be mad if we don’t cover up the smell of smoke.”
“Right, let’s go.”
Everfree Forest, Night Castle, New Forge Room: 2:34 PM
Platinum De Belle hummed amusingly to herself. On her face were a pair of welder’s goggles, on the steel bench a set of new gleaming silver legs. From her leather harness hanging from the ceiling, she inspected her work. The legs were slender, sleek, and featured little if any practical weaponry.
Usually, she’d put such a vanity project on hold, but her combat legs were still a work in progress. The new weapons systems she wanted to install were too much for her old leg model. The chassis wasn’t going to work at all. Not if she wanted to move at a reasonable speed.
“I guess installing heavy gem cannons, and ten rocket launchers was a bit much. Besides, doing things conventionally leads to expected results. Nothing wrong with going with what works, but progress must be made.”
With the combat prosthetics at a standstill. Platinum switched gears and started designing her new civilian legs, or glamor legs as Rarity nicked named them. She didn’t consider herself an artisan, but the three gleaming silver limbs certainly did look sexy.
“These might be a little too slender.” She remarked. “The silver plating is just for show, the tempered steel beneath is what’s important, so no worries about breaking them just walking around. Still, maybe I can fit a knife or small gem blaster inside one of the these.”
Being a unicorn, most other ponies would think her horn would be a good enough weapon. Platinum scoffed at the ignorance and the arrogance of her horned race. From her training, she knew how to take down mages without her horn. So, she understood how over-reliance on it could leave her vulnerable.
“If I put a knife in one leg and a gun in the other and use the third as ammo storage, that would be good enough if I’m just walking around town.” Happy with her decisions, she began removing the silver plating when a knock came from the entrance.
“Um, Miss De Belle? I was told you're ready for me?”
“Miss Rarity!” Platinum used her magic to turn her body to the white unicorn, beckoning her closer with her only limb. Rarity showed only a little hesitance before embracing her, a much better response than when they first started meeting. “How was your trip here? Any trouble?”
“Oh, no! None at all. I must say the road your companions built is simply remarkable! I was not accosted by even a leaf on my way here. Though I still find the idea of a road with actual traffic in the Everfree forest rather… out there. The bridge is a step above, I might add.”
“I don’t know why that rope bridge was left there, to be honest. It might have been one of Celestia’s pranks. We used to have a better bridge, but we destroyed it when undertaking the petrification.”
“Well, I’m sure it was a fine bridge, but let’s get on topic. Are these the lovely new legs you wish to engrave?”
Platinum moved to the adjacent side of the table, allowing Rarity a better look. “Yes, I just finished inspecting the joints and even tried them on for a trial run. They are very functional. The reduced weight makes it feel like I’m wearing feathers compared to before. So how do we want to do this? The silver plates are removable, so you can take just them home, or you can take the whole leg, it doesn’t matter to me.”
Rarity pulled a sketchbook from her saddlebag. “Before that, why don’t you put them on? I have some samples here, but seeing you wear them might inspire some new ideas, and I want your input as well.”
“Very well.” With her magic, Platinum attached her new legs and freed herself from the harness, landing with a ‘clang’ on the stone ground. At Rarity’s behest, she did some poses, even some risqué ones just to see the other unicorns’ reactions.
Rarity was indeed a stone-faced professional. Not embarrassed or a gasped by Platinum’s actions. “I was thinking about a traveling vine design with leaves and flowers. Roses might be most appropriate. By crushing green and red gems, I could infuse them into the grooves and have them glow at night if you want. Actually, red roses might not match your coat color. Blue would provide much better contrast.”
“Oh my, you are getting really elaborate, huh?”
“A mare’s beauty is her ultimate weapon. I’m sure your husband would appreciate the… upgrades?” Rarity faltered, confused with what terminology she should be using. “I’m sorry. I’ve only done a cursory look at the terms. I’m trying to treat this the same as fashion, but I’m finding it hard to think of it that way.”
“You could frame it more as body art. Like tattoos or something.”
Rarity hummed. “I suppose that’s one way to think about it. Back on the subject. The plant theme is the one I personally favor, there are some other things I thought may look nice, but what do you want, Platinum?”
Platinum covered her mouth, looking wistfully at the ceiling. “I would like to do something Bulwark would like, but… I would also like to do flames.”
“Flames? That’s umm… very Punk Rock?” Rarity said awkwardly.
“I know, but I wanted them to represent Sixes. Or maybe flames and a crescent moon? I would like to honor him and Luna in some way, but I think Sixes would tell me I should think of Bulwark more.”
Rarity did a quick pace in the room, looking very excited when inspiration struck her! “What if we make the flowers look like flames? A great compromise, right?”
It didn’t take a second for Platinum to decide. “That’s wonderful! When can you start, I can take these off for you right now!”
“Actually, if you could leave them on?” Rarity requested retrieving a special pencil from her bag for writing on metal. “If you don’t mind playing statue for me. I’ll sketch out the designs and then take them home to engrave. This way, I know everything will turn out fabulous! And Accurate.”
“No problem. I have nothing but time!” Platinum sang happily as Rarity began tracing the patterns onto the silver plates.
For thirty long minutes, the mares were silent. Rarity focused on work and Platinum, let Rarity focus. However, as this would take a while, Rarity started a conversation to relieve the boredom.
“The castle… looks nice. I’m surprised how fast you were able to rebuild it.”
“Modern building techniques suggested by Fancy Pants really helped things along. There’s still a lot to get done, but we have the basics. I have my forge here, the dining hall is done, so is the kitchen. The Airship dock and hanger will take a lot more work. The rooms will be last since we’re all saying on the Nightmare right now. I did set up a little cot for myself in the corner. That way I don’t have to go all the way back to town. How are things in Ponyville? I hope all of my companions are behaving.”
“Oh, they are just darlings.” Rarity swooned. “I dare say Ponyville stands to gain from an injection of spry stallions. Our herd populations tilt heavily towards fillies and mares. For some, it seemed like all the good stallions were taken, which might be why Applejack’s brother was nominated the most desirable stallion five years in a row. Nothing against Big Mac, but I have different tastes.”
Platinum cocked her head. “Different tastes? I don’t follow. Now you can call me out of touch, but what more does a healthy female need from a partner besides being loving and having a huge tool? By the way, how, BIG, is BIG in this case? Bulwark… puts about everypony to shame.”
Rarity fought to keep from overheating. In the past two months, the seamstress has gotten, accidentally, to see how BIG of a tool Platinum’s lover possessed.
“Maybe it’s a good thing you only have one leg, I’m not sure how you’d walk otherwise.” Rarity immediately froze upon realizing what she just said. “I’m sorry that was so insensitive of me!”
Her response flummoxed the white unicorn. “Don’t worry about it! I’m actually happy! I was getting so tired of you being so uptight about my condition. I can’t speak for everypony, I don’t mind talking about it or even making jokes along as their good ones. What I’m trying to say is, I’m glad you're getting comfortable around me. It means you’re a true friend in my book.”
“Oh, well… I’m very honored, but don’t expect me to make a habit of it.”
“That’s fine, but now another question, what did you think?”
“Think of what?”
“The size of Bulwark’s tool! You can be honest; you’ve been thinking about it. I’m not jealous, the opposite, in fact, though don’t expect me to let you ride, of course!” Platinum laughed.
Rarity laughed nervously, “Well, I haven’t not, thought about it, but I’d be too afraid too in real life, so I’m fine with keeping such things a fantasy. I do have one question, though.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, how do the…” Rarity turned a deep shade of pink that would make Pinkie jealous. “How do the… I don’t know how to describe them, is that a normal part of their anatomy? Ribbed… Oh, I can’t say it!”
“There, there, those are from the dragon part.” Platinum patted Rarity on the back, while the other unicorn was hiding her face. She leaned close and whispered. “Oh, and they’re divine!”
Platinum proceeded to outline just how ‘divine’ in a very detailed manner with pictures. -break
Canterlot Castle, Restricted Library, 3:00 PM
Princess Luna sat at one of the few tables available in the secret library. Happy about the even greater sense of peace and quiet, the hidden room offered also compared to the regular library. She’s heard jokes about how many libraries are under-appreciated and how they were just a waste of space.
She found that statement vexing for two reasons. One because it was ignorant to discard such wellsprings of knowledge. And two, the pony that said such things clearly never visited a library surrounded by several schools and academies.
The library wasn’t a bustling place, yet it could be hard to find a place to sit when students came to study, or researchers came to look up texts. It wasn’t noisy. In fact, she found the sight very heartwarming, seeing so many young ponies searching for knowledge.
No, the problem was her.
Her presence tended to cause a commotion with the students who, despite their best efforts, flocked around her, asking questions or just wanting to meet her.
Again, she loved the attention, but for their sakes and hers, she secluded herself here. Mainly because she didn’t want to carry books back and forth to her room or office. Teleporting would get rather old too.
Right now, she had five books from the public library. Mostly law books and copies of the Equestrian constitution, the first and latest additions so she could find the founding laws and what had been changed.
The other ten books were from the restricted section, all of them fragile and irreplaceable. When Luna saw the state they were in, where even a turning of the page threatened to turn them to dust, Luna sprang into action.
Hence her guests.
Teams of scholars paired with ponies behind typewriters quietly spoke the contents of the books, which were copied and documented right there and then. It was probably the fullest the restricted section had ever been in modern times. All the ponies present were sworn to secrecy and could only do their work with an observer.
Since this was her pet project, Luna did most of the observing. Thankfully the scholars were kind of night owls, so a lot of the work could be done during her preferred time of day. Most of the time.
“Princess Luna, sorry to disturb you,” The lead scholar, Honeysuckle, said approaching her. “We are on the verge of completing restoring the texts, less than two hundred volumes remain, but might I request we take an early break? The last month has been rather taxing.”
Luna looked up from her own study materials, noticing how bleary-eyed and exhausted the ponies were. “That is fine. In fact, why don’t you all take three days to rest? The main books I wanted to read are done, so there’s no need to push yourselves needlessly.”
“I thank you, Princess, but please know it is our honor to be able to read and be trusted with such rare texts.”
“I understand Honeysuckle, you are doing Equestria, and me a great service. Thank you for fulfilling my demanding request on such short notice and pushing yourselves this last month. As a reward, I’ll see about getting copies made of each book. Some things will have to be kept here, but historical books should be for all to read.”
“That would be most welcomed. We’ll take our leave for the day.”
“Be sure you all rest!” Luna told the departing ponies. She’d have to make sure to double-check their dreams and make them especially enjoyable.
Now alone, Luna set the law books aside and dived into the historical texts. They were the oldest historical records they had available. From her memory, some of them had been from her and Celestia’s library in the old castle. Others were obviously plundered from other nations and unknown locations. Some were purchased. The acquisition documents were in the library, detailing how they were acquired.
Most of them were from Daring and her mother. And some just had question marks, with the statement that they just appeared one day.
Luna readily suspected Dusk was behind the mysterious appearing books and the mysterious disappearing ones. One book in particular that had recently gone missing was Sixes’ Mission Book. Apparently, he left it to Crusader, who intern donated to the library. Probably not the best place for a book describing secret SPEC-OP missions, but all classified material had been blacked out. It had also been placed far in the back, unlabeled, stuck between some political books.
(There might be no better hiding place.) Luna mused with a soft chuckle.
She wasn’t concerned about that. The contents of that book held no answers to the questions she had. The law books had answered all the legal issues, and the history books would provide the rest. She started with the oldest text available.
The Books Title: The rule of Zeus, Third King of the Alicorns.
This was the earliest history of her kind available. The third generation of Alicorns since the apparent creation of the world, so the text said. The book actually detailed her own mother’s birth, written by her Grandfather, Apollo. There was also a note from Artemis, her Great Aunt, if she was reading the text correctly.
“The translations are a little murky here. I can’t tell if they were brother and sister or lovers, it seems like both.” Which made her shiver in disgust, not wanting to think about it too hard. “A few thousand years have passed, languages evolve, I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding. I hope.”
The time of the third Generations of Alicorns was peaceful, but not uneventful. From the number of affairs, it seemed like they were bored and causing drama just for fun.
Then came the fourth Generation. Her mothers and also the Three mothers of the pony races. Minerva, Tempest, and Gaia: Mothers of the Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies, respectively. She always knew this was true, but the Earth ponies were indeed the first non-alicorn pony race to exist. Created by Gaia herself from the earth and her own flesh.
“Whatever that means. I don’t know if that’s paraphrasing or literal.”
The time of the fourth-generation was rocky. Too many alicorns with too much power and time were looking for something to leave their boredom. These taking hundreds of years of their time apparently.
Then Gaia made the Earth ponies.
At first, none of the other Alicorns gave the wingless, hornless creatures the time of day, yet as the years went by and they looked upon Gaia’s happy face and her seemingly fulfilled life. They grew jealous. Particularly Minerva and Tempest, Gaia’s sisters.
“Didn’t know that part,” Luna mumbled, turning the page.
They created their own races. Minerva the Unicorns and then Tempest the Pegasus. Ponies of magic and flight, who they viewed as superior to their sister’s creations.
For a short time, the three races lived separate but peaceful lives. Then the fact arose that the unicorns and Pegasus couldn’t produce food in high enough numbers. They stripped the land of its fruits and vegetables but still fell to hunger. At this time, Gaia and her Earth Ponies had started agriculture, producing their own food. They offered to teach their cousins but were mocked and rebuked.
This was the first recorded instance of the slur, “Mud pony.”
Not long after, the unicorns and Pegasi would complain to their creators and mothers and would be told to take what they needed from the Earth Ponies.
Thus, the first record of theft was written. The earth ponies were engaged, and Gaia would use her powers to provide for her children, so they did not starve that winter.
Not long later, their food would be plundered, and again, Gaia provided for her children.
The next offense was deemed unforgivable. Several Earth Ponies were taken and enslaved, forced to grow food for the Unicorn and Pegasi. Gaia went to her sisters, asking for her children back.
Minerva and Tempest are recorded to have knocked their sister from Mount Canterlot, smearing, and mocking her creating such inferior creatures. Betrayed by her family, and her children enslaved Gaia wept. When her remaining children saw this, they were enraged.
In the dark of the night, they assaulted the Unicorn City, freeing their brethren, and leaving their tormentors for dead. They did the same to the Pegasi, burning the fields below their floating city, filling the sky with smoke.
Enraged the Alicorn of the Sky and Magic, demanded their sister give up those responsible. But their kind, gentle sister had been pushed too far. Gaia refused, and when the armies of Unicorns and Pegasi came, she destroyed them. Sparking the Great Alicorn War.
The war would wipe out almost all the alicorns, save for the few of the fifth Generation that escaped. Her and Celestia’s Generation. Any information after this point in time was scarce. Even her own memory was fuzzy because of her young age. Celestia has similar claims, only recalling bits and pieces of information passed onto them by their parents.
There are mentions of other Alicorns besides her Celestia and Symphony, but what became of them is unknown. (Maybe they are still in hiding to this day?)
The idea wasn’t too out there, but she and Celestia searched the entire world for the others of the Fifth Generation when they were old enough.
“Actually, why did we split up? From Celestia’s account, there should have been twenty or thirty others that were evacuated that day.”
The Young Alicorn of Water, Aqua, had definitely been one. She most likely spawned the Sea pony race. There was also the Kirin and hippogriff race, and possibly the Zebras. There were a few other offshoots of ponies that only appeared in certain parts of the world. Perhaps that is where their brethren had settled, and for one reason or another, they perished? She theorized, trying to put the pieces together.
“I find it strange that alicorns that established their own tribes and lands perished before Celestia, and I when we were traveling and exploring the dangers of the world. Then again, things were harsher back then. Constantly moving might have saved our lives. We had a castle, but we were hardly ever there.”
The Castle of the Two Sisters, was, from what Celestia told her, their parents' summer home. If she remembered that right. It was tough to keep facts straight with thousands of years of knowledge.
“Still, what brought demise to the others?” Luna pondered aloud. Then the answer clicked, and it was one that made her catch her breath. “They created their own races, just like Gaia did, and they were most likely drawn into conflict defending their children.”
Luna herself had done the same. She created the bat ponies, and that had caused tensions to rise. The difference is she never tried to form a country for them. They lived as nomads and dwelt in caves and dark forests. Places where ponies were likely to leave them alone.
“I’m not sure how to feel about that.” She mumbled, closing the book. Just in time, Celestia entered the room.
“Here you are again, Luna. You’re starting to remind me of Twilight.” Her sister’s tone was as lively as ever, but Luna has experienced enough to hear the undertones in Celestia’s voice.
“And how is Twilight? Did you finally have a heart to heart with her? About this grand plan you have for her?”
Celestia’s smile seized up, crumbling into a dark frown. “Not yet. I see the questions burning in her eyes, but she’s yet to ask them. I thought it better to wait until she’s ready. Her letters have been more… sporadic.” The Sun Princess miserably stated.
“She was here last week. For the committee meeting.” Luna pointed out.
“Yes, she’s taken an unusual interest in political and military affairs. A stark contrast to her disinterest of the past.”
Luna cocked her head, trying to filter out her sister’s gripes. “And you’re not happy about that? Did you not plan to push her towards ascension? You’ve mentioned you’ve found a method to do so, a thousand years ago, I might add. Is Twilight not the successor you’ve wanted for all this time?”
“I had hoped by not exposing her to… that side of things. She could find her own path, to do things differently from me. And… I would be lying if I said there wasn’t another, I hoped she would take the role but... not that Twilight wouldn’t be a good choice! She’ll grow into it, but I’ve begun… doubting myself.”
“You’re feeling guilty about pushing Twilight down this path?”
“And others,” Celestia quietly added. She shook her head, trying to bat away the troubling thoughts. “But that’s something for another day! What are you researching? Law and History?”
Luna nodded, stacking her books, so the titles were facing away from Celestia. “Yes, there is a matter I wanted to look into. An important one. I have Time Keeper doing some work for me as well if you don’t mind.”
“Time Keeper? Well, he is one of my most trusted aides, he will get the task done.” Celestia praised.
“I’m sure. When I have everything ready, I’ll show you the fruits of my labor. Dusk’s visit… it changed my view of things as well.”
“Indeed,” Celestia quietly agreed.
The two sisters looked at each other in silence for some time, before Luna looked away, gathering up her books and placing them back on the shelf. “So… you and Sixes got married while I was on the moon.”
One would think they would have addressed this sooner, but conveniently both sisters found themselves ‘busy,’ which was the truth, but not always.
“Yes, I suppose we were,” Celestia mumbled with her back turned, pretending to browse a section of books. “One of my shorter… engagements. It might have been my first divorce not caused by my partner dying.”
“Being widowed is not the same as getting divorced.” Luna pointed out. “So… did you two… um…”
“No,” Celestia answered firmly. “We didn’t share a bed if that’s what your asking. We weren’t very intimate. I think we only kissed at the wedding and a few awkward times after that. I probably knew how things were going to end when he started taking longer and longer missions. Funny, the old quote of time apart makes the heart grow fonder wasn’t quite true in our case. We were really only doing it for Crusader, which might have been the problem.”
“Good intentions pave the way to hell,” Luna quoted, taking a very long time to put her books back. Keeping her back turned to Celestia.
“Yes, I suppose they do,” Celestia sighed. “Have you and Sixes… talked about it?”
“A little.”
“And does it bother you? That he and I married? However, briefly?”
“I won’t say I’m not bothered, to me it doesn’t feel like all that long ago. My thousand years was long, yet short in its own way. I only have memories of battling Nightmare Moon, trying to regain control of my body, time blurred for me. Besides, Sixes and I barely started anything before… things got complicated. Things still are, but we’ll work through them.”
“I see. I’m glad for you two. Just don’t start a war when you get married like El Cid and D’arc.” If that was any more shoehorned, Luna didn’t know what was. “About the war in Prance.”
“No.”
“They are our allies, Luna, we can at least send aid.”
“NO!” She barked fuming. “We’ve already had the lawyers look over the alliance. If Germane had attacked Prance and Hispania, it would be different, but they started the war! They attacked Germane like it was one of their petty lover quarrels! I may not trust the Kaiser, but he has a right to defend his borders and his ponies.”
“But that attack on Vivor and El Cid…”
“It’s war. I would have ordered the same thing. Besides, we have to finish modernizing our forces. We can’t spend resources on other places. Especially allies that have so clearly stabbed us in the flanks!”
When the war had broken out, and the news finally reached Equestria. Kira was quick to call home to Nippon for more information. Days later, Prince Kiri and the Taisho arrived with one of Nippon master intelligent agents.
His findings were staggering.
Not only did Germane have an Iron Airfleet, but so did Prance, Hispania, and Britannia. They also had mechanized ground forces. With Germane being the most advanced.
It was galling to admit it, but Equestria was in a pickle. Currently, it only had one Airship, the Nightmare. And though it was painful to admit it, it was outclassed by the newer ships. It could hold it’s own, but it wasn’t the invincible fly machine it had once been.
“I guess I don’t have a choice,” Kira said solemnly during the meeting. “Kiri, get a write up the price of our ships in the mothball fleet. Celestia, Luna, I hope you still have deep pockets.”
Thus with some strongarming by Nippon, Equestria purchased the Nippon Aerial Sixth Fleet. Consisting of 1 battleship, 2 Heavy Cruisers, 1 light cruiser, and 5 destroyers. The number of gold bits required to pay for them would not be paid back for several decades. Possibly centuries.
The ships were outdated but could still be retrofitted to punch above their weight class, giving them a few more years of service life. That said, they were more of a stop-gap until the new fleet ordered by Admiral Hunter could be made. It was a several years-long order, that is now being pushed to the fore. Hopefully, they could have half of the ships constructed in two years.
Until then, the Air Sailors would be trained on the Nippon Ships, now the First Equestrian Air Fleet, with the Nightmare as the Flagship. They were not anywhere near ready in any compacity.
Luna finished putting her books away, checking the clock. “I have to go; I have a date to get ready for.” She shut down the irksome discussion, growing tired of it already. She had better things to think about tonight.
“A date?”
She smiled, “Yeah, with Sixes.”
An odd look passed over the Sun Princess, “That’s… great. I’m happy for you two… really. But what about… your royal duties? The other kind.”
“I’m figuring that out,” Luna assured Celestia. (Though you might not like my solution.) She kept those thoughts to herself. Weighing the options of her choices as best she could.
What she had in mind would flip Equestria on its head. She could not do this lightly. Yet that wasn’t stopping her either.
“I’ll see you later, Celestia,” Luna said on her way out. When out of earshot, she mumbled, “I’m sorry, sister, but your carefully laid plans will be ruined, and it will be my fault. This Era will end, and it will be by my actions.”
Luna had already made her choice, she knew deep in her heart, she had.
“Princess Luna! I have everything you’ve requested ready!” Time Keeper announced running up to her near her room.
“That’s good if you don’t mind hanging on to those for a bit longer. I have some matters to attend to before finalizing everything. Please keep this from my sister just a bit longer.”
Time Keeper bowed, “Well, it pains me to do so, it is my duty as your servant. Am I to assume Princess Cadenza will be left in the dark too?”
“Yes, I will address both of them in due time. Only a day or two is all I need.”
“Of course, I must say, this proposal is rather… well unorthodox, but it’s something I could only see coming from you. Forgive me if it doesn’t sound like a compliment.”
“I will take it as one.” Luna smiled. “Goodbye, Time Keeper.”
He froze, his heart aching, as he said the words, “Goodbye, Princess Luna.” A tear fell as the moon Princess departed, and he gasped, short of breath. His heart torn in two by his own actions. “I’m sorry, Princess Celestia, but I fulfilled my duty with more joy then I can express, yet I know how much my actions will soon hurt you. I’m sorry. So, so, sorry.”
He and the Moon Princess never clicked since her return, and they still don’t. When she gave him this task, he was ashamed to admit he was looking forward to carrying it out for his own personal petty reasons. Yet know, after everything was done, he stepped back with a cooler head and felt his heart sink.
“I think… I’ll resign after this.” He told the walls meandering back to his office.
-break
Canterlot, The Rusty Horse Shoe, 5:15 PM
“Wow, you really know how to dress down Princess… I mean, Caydie.” Goodnight fumbled over his words, surprised by how different the Princess of Love managed to portray herself. Her ethereal mane was wrapped in an oversized headband with a few strains of her actual hair sticking out. To hide her wings, she wore an aviator jacket with saddlebags. From a distance or drunken vision, she’d look like a very tall unicorn.
Naturally, Shining Armor made a few alterations. He wore a leather jacket with unit patches and a beret with a Commando Seal. Matching Goodnight.
Sweet Dreams was the only one to wear a dress, but it was a simple thing without any real flair or frills. The heavy winter coat did draw a few stares. Really his mare friend’s odd choice of jacket drew attention away from the royal couple. A welcomed if not unintentional outcome.
Not to say the regulars didn’t spot them right away. Princess Luna was known to visit from time to time herself, though she’s been scarce lately. The patrons and owners knew not to make a fuss when one of the royals came to hang out.
Shining and Cadence’s disguises weren’t even for the bar, it was for everypony else. Once they were all inside and seated. The first round poured and fried food ordered, the unnecessary accessories came off without a fuss. Safe for Sweet Dream’s heavy jacket.
“Ah, vodka warms me good,” the female bat pony whispered under her breath, unbuttoning her coat just a bit. It was eighty degrees in the bar.
To start out, the couples made little small talk. Each side feeling the other out. The guys kept their smoking bonding session on the down-low, though their mares could smell whiffs of it through the hefty amount of cologne.
At the same time, the girls talked and talked about their spa visit and the gossip they heard, and the guys nodded along, sipping their beers. Listening while looking like they weren’t listening at all.
Then a particular question was asked.
“So, Goodnight, Sweet Dreams, when are you two going to tie the knot?” Cadence asked while chewing on a piece of fried pickle, which made Sweet Dreams choke on her pickled cabbage.
Her response was a long, “Aaaahhhhh…” With her gaze aimed squarely at Goodnight.
The male bat pony coughed into his hoof, “Well, I don’t want to rush it. I was thinking of visiting the colony first and taking with Sweet Dream’s parents.”
“Oh, how traditional!” Swooned Cadence. “What if they say no?”
“If they know what goods for them, they won’t,” Sweet Dreams said darkly, baring her long fangs.
Goody patted her on the back, “I would like to avoid that old cliché, besides it’s not like your parents don’t know me or vise versa. I’m more worried about getting a shotgun wedding the moment we bring it up.”
“You’re probably right,” Sweet Dreams sagged on the table, picking at her fries. “So, when am I getting my engagement item? Do you have something picked out?”
Goodnight laughed nervously, “I’m waiting for my next salary check to clear.”
They all laughed.
“Now to bat at you two,” Sweet Dreams said with a grin. “When are you two going to start having kids?”
“Oh, they’ll come when they come.” Cadence waved off with a blush.
“Oh, you’re already trying?”
“A bit,” Shining grinned behind his glass. “We haven’t had much time to ourselves, so when we do, we kind of just go for it…” He trailed off, staring across the room. “No way.”
“What?” The other three inquired, following his gaze. Shining was fixated on the table in the opposite corner, where the shadows were so dark you could hardly tell it was there. Look close enough, and the outline of two ponies could be seen.
Luna and Sixes.
“No way, are they here on a date too?”
“Seems that way.”
“I’ve never seen Aunt Luna… smile and laugh like that before.”
“Commander Sixes… he… it’s weird to see him smile like that.”
Then the two kissed, and the four eavesdroppers turned away, feeling like children that caught their parents ‘doing something icky’.
“Let’s just leave them be,” Cadence suggested to the group. “They’re doing their thing, we’re doing ours.”
“Right.”
“Only proper.”
“You sure you don’t want to invite them over?”
Sixes and Luna chugged down a pint each, and exited their booth, sneaking out the back. “I don’t think they’d accept it either way,” Cadence said with a blush, her eyes glowing with magic. “Oh, oh my, that’s a new power.”
“What’s a new power?” Sweet Dreams asked curiously.
“Well, I can see… never mind… don’t worry about it. You’ll know the answer before midnight, dear,” Cadence huskily whispered in Shining’s ear. Leaving Sweet Dreams confused and Goodnight oddly anxious.
“Let’s order another round, Anypony want to try the buffalo carrots?” Goodnight hastily suggested.
“I do!” Sweet Dreams cheered. “Hey, do you want to come to my place tonight, Goody?”
He stiffly nodded as the next round of food and drinks arrived.
“This is fun, we’ll have to do this again.” Cadence suggested digging into the next round of beer and food. “You gotta try these Red Suns, they’re like sixty proof alcoholic cider with cherry and orange juice.
Sweet Dreams stole a sip from Cadence’s glass offer in her own Black Moon, Vodka, and Cola. “Not, bad, and we’re diffidently doing this again.”
The couples would drink long into the night, arriving home just past midnight, where they each partook of certain activities that those in love do.
For the time being, their lives would remain a peaceful bliss.
The starry night sky was filled with angelic laughter as Sixes and Luna bounce from cloud to cloud, rolling through each fluffy white puff in a tangled mess of limbs. Luna’s cheeks were flush red, joyous tears fell from her eyes as she laughed, drawing closer to the warmth radiating off Sixes.
“Ah… when was the last time I’ve felt so free?” She sighed, staring at the starry sky. The white stars grew brighter with her mood. A thick sweat soaked her body from flying, and her heart was beating a mile a minute from the exercise and other reasons.
Sixes sat up, looking pleased, entranced by the starlit land. His posture the most relaxed she saw in forever. An image of Sixes from the early days of Night Patrol overlapped him. How different he was from back then. Unscarred, his eyes wide with wonder and fascination at the world around him.
“I haven’t seen you smile like that in forever.” She mused, sitting up. “It’s like a lost treasure.”
“You’re a lost treasure,” Sixes mumbled, blushing.
She smiled leaning against him, taking in his warmth once more. “I have a feeling you would have petrified yourself, whether or not any pony else joined you or not. That’s very romantic in its own way.”
“Or just an obsession. It’s not something a sane pony would do.”
Luna nuzzled his neck, “Well, it’s not entirely sane, but not in a bad way. How are you sleeping? Are things… better now?”
“I’m sure you’ve taken a look for yourself.” Sixes replied softly, hiding his face from her.
Luna averted her eyes, “Not every night, but you do seem to be doing a lot better now. Strangely well, considering the war was only two months ago. The opposite for most ponies, really.”
“How are they holding up? The GEA soldiers?”
“About as well as they can be expected. Honestly, from what I’ve observed, many of the soldiers are either blocking it out or just haven’t processed it yet. I am concerned about the spike in drinking and smoking, thanks for introducing them to that.” Fumed Luna, not liking the fact the soldiers were going to such extremes. “Besides that, your change in attitude is putting them on edge.”
“Change? I’ve done nothing different.”
“They seem to think you're nicer to them.”
“I’m only giving them their dues. They fought hard and deserve the respect that comes with that. That’s all.”
“If you say so,” She sighed, wistfully looking toward the moon. “How soon until the castle is done?” Luna asked, changing the subject. “Canterlot is fine, but I’d rather be home if you know what I mean?”
“I do. It will be a few weeks to a month and a half, but we got the barebones done. So, it’s liveable but not comfortable. Once the resident rooms are done, ponies can decorate the rooms to their liking. You’ll have to talk to Hazel Thunder about decorating your room. If you don’t hurry, you’ll end up with a Nippon style room.”
Luna blinked, “Hazel is into interior designing? Since when?”
Sixes tapped his chin, deeply frowning his brow in thought, “Since she was twelve? I don’t know, Kira might. They’re a lot closer. I didn’t exactly keep tabs on every trainee.”
“Says the pony who keeps a scrapbook of every soldier he’s ever trained. Why do you have to pretend not to care? You love those kids like they were your own, Hazel, Ruby, Octane, Platinum, and so many others. Maybe you’re not their primary father figure or even their favorite, but you helped raise them. Can’t you be proud of that?”
He sighed, sounding exhausted. “I think you’ve been looking at more than just my dreams. That aside, I’m not a great role model. I was a shitty father to Crusader, no matter what excuse I use, I should have stepped up and supported him. At least a little bit. I just couldn’t look at him that way, no matter what I tried.”
“Is that why you married Celestia?”
“A part of it. That really was a big mistake. I should have known better.”
“What were you thinking at the time?”
Sixes sagged, “Do we really need to talk about this? This is so far in the past.”
“I want to know, you don’t have to tell me Everything all at once, but I want to know about the ten years I missed after my banishment. Not just about you and Celestia, but everypony. Unfortunately, there are no books or anything else I can use to find out.”
“Fine,” Sixes replied, his voice tight. “I don’t know exactly what I was thinking, but several ponies were giving me flak about being hung up on the past. I think this was five years after that night. Fury was one of them, Celestia and Crusader were others, saying I needed to let things go. To let you go. I guess in a moment of weakness, I thought they were right, and I thought if I could replace you with Celestia. We already had a kid, so I thought having a family would change things for the better.”
“And?” Encouraged Luna, knowing there was more to it.
“I was almost crowned fucking king of Equestria!” He snarled. “Our marriage wasn’t even public! I know it should have been obvious given her status, but once the nobles found out, they got so excited. They started bothering me about finally crowning a king. As if they had a problem with you and Celestia. It got things off to a rocky start between Celestia and me too. To get away from the nobles, I started taking faraway missions. I would be gone for weeks at a time, maybe even a month. I remember…” Sixes’ voice softened, his face twisted with regret and sadness.
“I got home this one time, and Crusader tried to introduce me to his first girlfriend. I think she was one of Celestia’s maids or mage students. I don’t think she’s the girl he married, but I remember he was so excited and she was nervous. I…” He swallowed hard. “I brushed past them. Didn’t say a word to either of them. I didn’t even answer his ‘welcome home.’ I wish I could just say I was tired, but I wasn’t happy to be back, I wasn’t glad to see him.”
“I’m guessing this was when the rift between you two started?”
“It was there before. That love poison coffee occurred somewhere in the middle of it all, but Celestia and I… we really just aren’t compatible. She looks at things from high in the sky, were reality blurs to create a pleasant picture. I was on the ground, in the mud and blood, smashing skulls and carrying my friends to their coffins.”
Luna interjected with, “Celestia is not ignorant. She’s been alive longer than even me, and has seen much blood and violence and still believes in the better side of pony nature. Scratch that, not just ponies. She believes every creature can learn the ways of harmony. That said, I think she likes to pretend things are better then they are. It’s a subject we’ve argued about for centuries now, but she still wants to carry the world’s problems herself, or if not herself, but a trusted proxy. She’s a big fan of chosen heroes. Not surprising when she’s known most of them. Maybe that’s from Starswirl’s teachings. He never did trust the ‘common’ pony to step up and face evil. He believed you had to be destined. Like the pillars.”
Sixes chuckled, “Now that was an odd group. What happened to them? They just disappeared one day.”
The mysterious disappearance of the Pillars, Starswirl’s band of oddball heroes, recruited from the four corners of the world. In a way, they were the predecessors to Twilight and her friends. Each strong in their own way, and heroes in their own right. However, unlike Twilight and her friends, the Pillars were a rougher lot. They were the top warriors, mages, and sages of their time.
“Whereas Twilight’s company is made up of baker, seamstress, farmer, stunt flyer and… whatever Fluttershy does.” Luna hung her head. She truly believed any pony could take up arms to defend themselves, but there was a proportional response. Ironic since her first recruit, Applejack, was a farmer. Of course, being a farmer is easier than in the past. There are nowhere near the number of monsters nowadays.
“What’s that? You were mumbling there at the end.”
“Sorry, I just thought the time of heroes really is over. I thought so back before my sealing, but now, in these modern times, the heroes are truly gone.”
Sixes looked at her with a complex expression, deep in thought. “Isn’t that a good thing? Those old heroes always showed up when things were dire, and there was little to no hope. Isn’t ita good thing? That an unknown champion doesn’t have to rise up to defeat some evil? I like to think it means we're doing our job.”
“Huh… I never thought of it like that. I suppose if our protectors are doing their jobs, then a hero doesn’t have to rise up. Still, there something romantic about a normal pony facing great peril and overcoming it.”
“It is romantic,” Sixes agreed. “But I doubt an upstart hero armed with a lost legendary weapon can fix today's problems. What’s your response to Prance? Are we going over there?”
“Not if I can help it,” She declared authoritatively. “Our alliance treaty stated we’d only help if Prance was attacked, not if they attacked and got slapped on the nose. D’arc has sent over five different legal advisors trying to find a loophole. Celestia wants to send aid such as food, and bandages, and I understand her reasons, but if we supply the Prance, then the war will drag on. It will be best if both nations fighting runs out of resources. It will bring the fighting to an end sooner if both sides are starved. Armies consume a lot of resources, you know, and ponies can only be asked to sacrifice so much.”
“I know,” Sixes grumbled, having experienced food shortages on the campaign more than once. The stark growl of hunger was hard to forget, as was the taste of spoiled carrots and dry grass. “But things will depend on Germane, they have a mandate after that surprise attack, but if they get too carried away kicking the Prench in the teeth, other nations might think they have to step in. Britannia is one of them. They always find a reason to intervene if things don’t work ninety percent in their favor.”
There was an unspoken agreement to not interfere in other nation's wars. Of course, some third parties couldn’t help themselves and attacked embattled countries to gain territory, but the way they did it could cause problems down the line. Not just the sour taste of a third-party butting into their affair would cause animosity towards said nations, but the leaders would see fit to mess with established trade to punish the intruders after the fact.
There were also other reasons not to let pony nations war with each other for too long or too grand of a scale. Other races would no doubt take the chance to knock a pony nation down if they thought they could, and no creature was more likely to do that then the Dragonlords.
Usually, Dragonlords were too busy fighting other Dragonlords to waste resources on conquering pony lands, but when presented with easy prey, some just couldn’t help themselves. It was also the chance for dragons wanting to gain power but were too weak to defeat their lord. They would go and take land for themselves, thus creating their own territory. Whether they kept, it was another thing.
Right now, the chance of that was low, but prolonged war was definitely a problem to worry over.
(I hope I’m making the right decision, Dusk.)
“Say Sixes,” Luna whispered. “What would you think about this…” Her voice dropped into a whisper.
“Heh, I guess it’s a good thing I arranged for this then.” Sixes rummaged through his saddlebag, producing a small box and presented it to Luna. “I couldn’t find anything that could compare to you, but I was assured this was the closest one could get.”
In the box was a silver bracelet affixed with a shining pure white pearl.
“Oh, Sixes… you stole that from Queen Nova, didn’t you?” If that wasn’t the Sea Ponies royal treasure, she wouldn’t be able to deny it.
“No… I stole… I received it from Kira, who stole it from a Dragonlord x number of years back. So she says.”
“Well, where ever you got it, it’s beautiful.” She took the bracelet with her magic and placed it on her right foreleg. “And my answer is yes, by the way.”
Ponyville, Next Day, 6:15 AM
Applejack Abigal Apple, the ninth, woke up like usual with her body pulsing with energy like the rising sun. After a quick breakfast of oat cereal, and a Honeycrisp Apple, she journeyed out into the north orchard. The baskets she laid out last night all set in the prime position to catch her harvest.
Only all the baskets were already filled to the brim with fresh-picked apples.
This made her pause and search for her older brother, Big Macintosh. He was the only other pony on the farm that could get out of bed before her. Applebloom slept in from staying up too late, and Granny Smith enjoyed the retired life. Though the elder Apple would be awake in fifteen minutes even if she didn’t have any chores. Unless going to the local café to take to other elder ponies was considered one.
Granny referred to it as enjoying her golden years. She’s earned the right to do so after raising her kids and then them. All while managing the farm.
“So, who did this?” She wondered aloud, hearing a grunt in the distance. “Big Mac? Is that you?” She called out but received no response. A tingle of energy flowed through Applejack, and she knew who it was.
Quietly she wandered into the next row of trees, finding her ‘cousin’ Applejazz or Jazz for short. Standing in the middle of a group of trees with her eyes closed. Looking very zen. Her body engulfed in a green aura that matched her eyes. With a stomp, a wave of magic surged from her body, gently rocking the trees and making apples fall like rain.
It was terrific to Applejack, but Jazz clicked her tongue, looking displeased.
“Not good enough, AJ was much better.” Stomping the ground again, Jazz unleashed a second more powerful wave that shook the trees even harder, knocking loose the straggling apples and overfilling the buckets. “Dammit.” She grunted, swiping the sweat accumulating on her brow. “Still not there.”
“It looks mightly impressive to me,” Applejack tentatively praised, sensing Jazz’s foul mood. “You showed me that trick months ago, and I can only shake one tree at a time, but you did… one, two…twelve! That’s amazing.”
“Applejack… my Applejack could harvest an entire acre of trees, with one stomp, and could selectively choose the ripe ones. I’m leagues away from that. Her magic control was like a finely tuned guitar. She didn’t have the largest reserves, but she was efficient with what she had.”
“And what age was she when she achieved this level of skill?” Applejack asked as Jazz tapped her lip, deep in thought.
“Her prime was probably her early thirties? I think it was after her second child was born.”
“And your eighteen? You’re pushing yourself too hard, aren’t you?”
Jazz sighed, looking disappointed. “The groundwork has already been laid ahead of me. I should be able to reach AJ’s level at twenty and then beyond by age thirty. That’s how progress is made. Stagnation is just a slow death. This farm is a good example of that.”
“I beg your pardon?” The farm mare staggered in her speech, trying to force down her anger. “We’re doing… ah… we’re doing okay. We get by.”
“Right,” Jazz shook her head. “ I know it’s not my place. I’m just a distant relative from the past, after all, but try to answer these questions. Who gets the full control of the farm when Granny Smith dies? If not one, then how will the shares be divided up? Will Applebloom get shares? What if you or Big Mac get married? Will you continue living here, or will one of you be forced to leave? If not, how will you divide the house? Will you build another house on the property? What will happen when Applebloom comes of age? Do you have answers to any of these questions?”
“I umm… we’ve discussed it in passing, but Granny’s got a few more years in her.” Applejack shook her head, growling. “Anyway, that’s our business! We’ll take care of it when we're ready! Why are you so… irritated? Is this because of the…” She couldn’t bring herself to say it. Flinching at the vivid memories that cropped back up. “If you're doing this to cope, that’s fine, but don’t go snapping at the family or me. This is what? The tenth time I’ve woken up to find you out here in the last two months? Maybe you need to see somepony.”
“I’m here because it’s too noisy at the new castle, construction, you know. It’s hard to focus. I thought I would be nice and give you a hoof since I can double it as training. I know if I can just surpass AJ the First, I could have taken one of those bastards out. She could have taken one of them.”
“Could she have?” Applejack gawked. “I mean, I don’t have a personal account, but Sombra’s children were no joke. Even the Princesses had trouble with them.”
“She could have killed Ombre easily. Okay, easily is oversimplifying it. AJ could have won by herself. Meanwhile, I could barely slow that bastard down even with Glove’s help. We should have been able to take him.”
Jazz’s expression soured even further, recalling how she’d been humiliated when Ombre ripped her prosthetic wings from her back. She’d already placed an order with Platinum for new ones, with whatever upgrades the crippled unicorn could think up. Platinum was doing some retrofitting on herself from what she heard.
(I wonder what she’ll cook up.) Jazz wondered, thinking of all the new weapons the unicorn could try to jam into her legs. For a moment she contemplated ‘enhancing’ one of her own legs, but decided against it. That would be insulting to Platinum.
“Hey, Jazz, earth to Jazz! You still here?” Applejack waved in front of her face.
She gently knocked Applejack’s offending hoof from view, “I’m fine, just thinking, and so should you. You need to be more serious about the farm. Farming isn’t just planting and harvesting, you know. It may sound weird, but you need to have a proper line of succession set up, or are you planning to farm until you can’t anymore and just give it to some random relative?”
“I know we gotta get a plan set up properly, but… it’s hard thinking like that. Like I’m cheering on Granny to die or trying to get one over my brother.”
Jazz placed a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder, “It’s tough, but that’s reality. Sorry about snapping earlier. Something has been bothering me, obviously.”
“I get it.” Applejack replied, removing Jazz’s hoof. “I’ve been having trouble of my own since… that adventure up north. Things… things are different. We all saw some horrible things, some more than others. I’m still having nightmares, and I can’t talk about it with Big Mac, Granny, and definitely not Applebloom. I’ve tried talking with my friends, but most of them want to bury their heads in the sand.”
“Yes, the reports did say your little group was going through some strife.”
“Reports? Are you yawl spying on us?”
“We prefer keeping tabs. Rarity and Pinkie are throwing themselves into their work, Fluttershy basically locked herself her own home, Rainbow Dash as been sending applications to the military five times a week and Twilight… well, she’s been acting strange, but in a good way depending on your point of view. Trouble is we lose track of her for extended periods. Do you know what she’s doing?”
Training is what she told me when last I saw her. She’s like a different pony now.” Applejack shuttered. “It’s like a part of her died.”
Jazz grimaced. “Yeah… from Daring and Trifecta’s reports… don’t expect her to be the same ever again. Honestly, I’d be more worried if she was acting normal. After what she was put through, no pony or rather very few can come out the other side and not be scarred forever. Anything else?”
“Are you asking me to snitch on my friend?”
“Snitch is the wrong word, she’s not in trouble, but she is currently being monitored for mental health. You all are, by the way. Think of it as… talking to a nurse so she can get the doctor. Is there any other change in Twilight’s behavior?”
“I think she’s meeting somepony. Not the romantic way, I think, but I’ve passed by her place a few times and heard muttering over her last ‘lesson’ and how excited she was to get the next one. I assumed it was something to do with Celestia. She is still the Princess’s student, right?”
“Yes…” Jazz drawled out uncertainly. “More importantly, Twilight has been attending the Military Committee meeting, but she and Celestia have not interacted with more than a few words. To my knowledge. The Vice commander rubbed her chin, circling around the orange mare in thought. “You think she’s taking some side lessons with somepony else? That’s interesting. I wonder if Celestia knows? Probably not.”
“Is there anything else? I got other things to do.” Grumbled, Applejack, irritated at the situation, but since she couldn’t help them, maybe it was better to leave things to Night Patrol. Not that it seemed she had a choice.
(I’m gonna lose more sleep now that I know I’m being watched.)
“There is one more thing,” Jazz said, breaking Applejack’s train of thought. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine.”
“No, I mean, how are YOU doing?”
“I SAID, I’m fine!”
“And I’m saying that’s bullshit. You just said you needed some pony to talk to. Well, I’m somepony and family, so I’m doubly qualified. Triple if you count my occupation.”
Applejack bit back whatever she was about to say, mauling over her words before speaking. “I’m done.”
“Done with what?”
“Adventuring, this saving Equestria, and elements of harmony thing. I’m done. I didn’t sign up for it. I bore with it because I thought it was my duty as an Equestrian and a friend, but I’m done. I’ve been leaving Mac huge piles of work, my little sister is running around Celestia knows where getting into trouble. Granny’s on her last leg. I’m done. I’m staying here, right where I belong. Next time adventure calls, I’m telling it to take a hike.”
“What if the Princess summons you?” Jazz countered.
“Well, she has you all. All of you seemed to want, maybe enjoy even throwing yourselves into that mess regularly. I DON’T!” Applejack was panting, she did a double-take, realizing she had been shouting in Jazz’s face. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean…”
Jazz silenced her by covering Applejack’s mouth, a gentle smile playing across her lips. “It’s okay.” Jazz cooed, embracing Applejack. “It’s okay. You don’t have to do anything like that again, because I’ll do it in your place. It’s my job, after all. You just live the best life you can.”
The damn broke, and Applejack began to cry, wailing into Jazz’s mane. Exhausting all the pent up emotions and fears, she been carrying since the war in the north. After five long minutes, Applejack quieted, laying exhaustedly against Jazz, while the red mare stroked her hair.
Jazz continued to whisper coos like her AJ did for her back in the day. She stared out at the vast expanse of trees. Her mind awed by the peaceful breeze traveling through the orchard.
(I’ll protect this place, no matter what.) Jazz vowed. “I’ll protect you and Applebloom and all the Apples. I won’t let them send you overseas to help those stupid Prench. I’ll go if I must, but I’ll be dammed if you do.”
Canterlot, Celestia’s Private Garden, 7:21 AM
It was rare for Celestia to have much time to herself in the morning. Typically she’d be swamped by yesterday's postponed meetings and appointments, but with the recent changes in delegations, her overburdened schedule finally lightened.
One of the newest changes was Cadence. Her young niece really stepped up after her marriage, filling in for her and Luna from time to time and taking an active role in ruling. After the War in the North, she went from part-time to full time for the lack of a better phrase.
Like before, there were royal officials that ponies were supposed to report to, and they’d report to her if needed. Her meeting ponies on one was more a luxury and personal preference when times were peaceful, but that peace was shattered, and she had no time for little things like before.
Hence Cadence’s new role. In Fancy Pants' words, she was the assistant general manager or something along those lines. Cadence took on the responsibilities of making day to day decisions that well maybe crucial to the pony presenting them, really didn’t need her or Luna’s attention.
It was another level of bureaucracy, but it actually worked, for now. Maybe once things settle down, they can return to the more personal meetings they’d held before, but right now, Celestia’s attention was needed elsewhere.
Which is why she found her suddenly available free time so perplexing. There was much work to do, but Time Keeper had scheduled more personal time for her than usual. He cited something about her mental well being, or the like, and told her to enjoy the garden, or something until nine o’clock. When she would be in a ‘scheduled’ five-hour meeting with the industrial committee, that would surely be much longer than five hours. They were hopeful it remained under eight.
Since it had been a while, Celestia decided it was an excellent morning to talk to Crusader. Sitting on the stone bench facing his statue, she poured herself a cup of tea and unwrapped a cupcake she stole from the kitchen. For the first ten minutes, she quietly sipped and nibbled on her treat, her entire body shaking with excitement until she couldn’t contain herself anymore.
“I finally did it.” She whispered with a smirk so vicious she could be mistaken for a villainess. “The elements are dysfunctional!”
In her private war with the spirits of the Elements of Harmony, she had found herself on the back foot, unable to truly battle against their cosmic might. However, recent events have revealed their limitations. The cursed they placed to restrict her power has all but been broken.
Her free reign of power in the War of the North was a good example. Now that could be because the Elements chose not to interfere, but the more likely reason was their vessels weren’t up to the task.
It pained her heart to distress her little ponies, it truly did. If it were any other time, she would be overjoyed by Twilight and her friends' willingness to step up and face the threats they did. She didn’t plan to break their spirits, choosing to let the dice fall where they may, but if the reports were to be believed and they were.
Most of Twilight’s friends have lost their taste for Adventuring.
Who was to say what effect this might bring in the future, but the elements were now rendered powerless without their chosen vessels in the right state of mind. Now it was only a matter of destroying them for good. The Magic of Friendship would persist, of course, there was no destroying that, nor did she want to.
It was the six alicorn spirits in the Elements that held her ire. The same six spirits thought it fair to trap Luna on the moon for a thousand years. They expected her to accept her little sister’s punishment, like it was a decree from the gods.
“Well, nowadays, most ponies consider me a god.” Celestia chuckled darkly, sipping her tea. “I know I’m nothing that grand, but I find it funny is all. Thanks to Tombina and Daring’s work, I know just how to bring justice to those obnoxious spirits that have long since outlasted their time.”
She was still in the middle of preparations, but soon the elements would go from magic stones with sentience to just magical rocks. Once that was done, she’d repair the rift in the hearts and minds of the bearers and if she couldn’t. Well, others would arise at some point, she was sure.
There was only so much she could do.
“When you live so long, it’s hard not to get… cynical. Especially when it comes to the lives of others. I give myself freely, every day, all day. I hope ponies can forgive me if I act selfishly sometimes.”
Celestia hid no bones about what she was doing. She was making her subjects, her precious little ponies suffer, for personal gain. Not even that, really. For a petty spat between her and some ancient spirits. The problem was she was so invested in it. She almost had no choice but to follow through.
“No, that’s just an excuse.” She reminded herself, looking up at Crusader's statue. She could see the disappointment in his features. “I guess even I can’t live up to myself sometimes. I wonder what you would say? Your father, Sixes, and I have spoken on respectable terms recently. Luna found out we married for a short time. She says she’s okay about it, but I doubt it. I should have known better myself, but I was so desperate to make you happy, to give you a proper family. I did things I knew were wrong, just like now.”
Celestia hunched her shoulders, bowing her head to the statue. “I met Dusk again. She’s an alicorn now. The Alicorn of time. She showed me a future. A future where Twilight was facing down an unknown enemy. SHE was there and an alicorn herself, your daughter, my granddaughter, Sunset Shimmer.”
She paused, her chest hurting. “I haven’t told Sixes about her yet, nor Luna. Twilight as well. I’m ashamed to admit, I mishandled my own granddaughter to such a degree that she ran away to another world. I’m sorry. You and Sunny Spark trusted me to look after her, and I failed. Seeing that future gave me hope, though. Hope that she would return, and I… want to leave the throne to her.”
The pain in her chest tightened. “I tried to find a replacement. Cadence is really stepping up, and Twilight has potential as well, but I’d be lying if I said wouldn’t prefer Sunset to take my place. I love Twilight and Cadence, I really do, but Sunset has my heart. Truly she does. She’s my last link to you, and I didn’t hold on tight enough, didn’t give her the attention she needed. I treated her like a student when I should have treated her as my granddaughter. I should have explained our relationship in full, instead of hiding it.”
Sunset Shimmer’s birth was bizarre. Her mother, Sunny Spark, had been petrified to stop the spread of deadly disease from killing her. She remained frozen for almost six hundred years before a cure was finally discovered. When she has woken up, Crusader had passed away, and it was found she was pregnant. She gave birth and held on until Sunset was three before passing away herself.
From that point on, Celestia ‘raised’ Sunset. Raised being very loose because she punted the responsibility to her maids. Never explaining Sunset’s actual circumstances. The first chance Celestia got, she placed Sunset in the dorms of magic school, labeling her as her personal student.
Looking back, it was little wonder Sunset went rogue. She was a smart pony. She placed the pieces together and come up with the most likely answer. Sunset thought she was Celestia’s daughter, born from a secret affair. Naturally, she got angry when Celestia deflected the accusation and didn’t divulge the actual situation.
Sunset’s fall to the darker path only continued from there. She looked into Starswirl’s mysterious mirror, and whatever it showed her only corrupted her more. Her jealousy and entitlement grew when Cadence arrived at the castle. She saw the pink Alicorn as a rival.
The final straw was when Celestia decided to finally put her hoof down about her behavior, but it was too late for that. Sunset already had her own ambitions and escaped into the mirror to avoid punishment.
“Not my best moment. Strange how often ponies misunderstand my intentions.” Celestia had meant to only gently explain things to Sunset, putting guards on the golden unicorn had been a mistake. Sunset perhaps misunderstood and knocked out the guards and made her escape. “I think the time is almost near, we’ll see if she’ll come home. I hope she does, though, that will throw a wrench into certain plans.”
Celestia was at a loss about what to do with Twilight. For years she has been gently pushing Twilight towards the path of ascension, hoping for the birth of a new Alicorn. She needed to set up successors now. Those that could help Luna in the future.
That might sound strange to most ponies. Afterall, Celestia’s been ruling for a thousand years, but that was the problem. She was over three thousand years old now. The pony equivalent to their late thirties. She was technically in the prime of her life. Or so, one would think. Truthfully, Celestia felt closer to sixty or older some days. Even a thousand years ago, she didn’t heal like she did before when she was under a thousand.
Proper diet, exercise, and good living helped restore her body to its peak after she got lazy, thinking she’d hit her zenith. She managed to push past her limits and reach her true peak, but Celestia could feel it now. She was on the downswing. Truly this time.
No matter what she did, tried, or whatever, she felt tired waking up. Her energy was less than before. Even the sun felt lackluster if she didn’t put enough focus on it to keep it bright and warm.
“I’m so tired.” She said aloud, yawning audibility.
Only here, in this place, could she drop all pretense and masks, her forced smile, and truly embrace what lay beneath it all. A tired old mare who desperately wanted to retire.
“Luna’s planning something. I hear murmurs, but so far, everypony is tight-lipped. I’m impressed, actually. Not that I’ve tried real hard to uncover what she’s planning. Luna will tell me when she’s ready, I’ll just have to act surprised, I guess.” Celestia smiled at Crusader’s statue, it features softer now. “Thanks for listening to me gripe again. I swear I would have gone mad, if not for these quiet moments to myself. Although, maybe I’ve already gone mad? I am talking to a statue as if it were my dead son, after all.”
Celestia laughed dryly, not really amused by her own humor, but seeing the irony in it.
“I’ll be back, next time I’ll try to invite Sixes, I’m sure he has a few things he’d like to say to you.”
Somewhere in the Everfree forest, 8:46 AM
“That’s it, Twilight keep at it!”
“RGH!”
“Come on! Do better!”
A sharp whimper filled the clearing. Twilight Sparkle mewing like a kitten well blood dripped from her nose. Her attacker merely examined the blood on the back of her claw, shaking the red liquid from the raspberry scales.
“You wanted to do this, learn how to take a hit already! A bloody nose is nothing compared to the whipping you endured!” VeeVee barked like a drill sergeant, egging Twilight to try again. The young unicorn screamed, charging with her horn forward, and her eyes closed. “STOP CLOSING YOUR EYES! LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME AND KILL ME!”
VeeVee grabbed Twilight by her horn and pressed the unicorns bloody muzzle into the dirt. “Where’s the girl that begged me to teach her CQC? HUH? Where is she? Because all I see is a future victim!”
“Shut… up…”
“Speak up! Put some emotion behind your words!”
“I SAID SHUT UP!” Twilight lashed out, almost scoring a hit on VeeVee. Almost. The raspberry rinin proceeded to brutally slam the unicorn into the dirt.
“You won’t protect your friends, let alone yourself, at this rate.” VeeVee droned circling around the whimpering Twilight. “We’re taking a break. Freshen up, and we’ll resume magic lessons. We’ll put CQC on hold when you have some semblance of coordination. I’ll build a training and diet regimen for you to follow. Maybe in six months, I’ll have something to work with.”
“That’s too long, I need to get stronger, now!”
VeeVee flicked Twilight on the forehead, HARD, her talon breaking skin. “You need patience! You’ve spent your childhood and teen years sitting on your ass reading books! Your not fat, but you're not in shape either. At least not in combat shape.”
“But we don’t know when the next threat will arise! I need to be ready!” Twilight protested, springing to her feet. “Please, Master VeeVee, I can continue.”
The rinin sighed, scratching her head, “Okay, first, there’s usually a lull between threats. Even if there are some villainess forces out there, they won’t act right away. Those types like to plot and plan to lay the groundwork rather than jumping in on the fly. Kind of stupid, really.”
VeeVee held up two claws blocking Twilight from replying, “Second, there are plenty of other ponies ready to defend Equestria at the moment. You just focus on being ready for the threat after the next. The path to true power is a long and difficult one, you can cheat and go the Nightmare route, but that’s short term gain with a shallow power ceiling.”
At Twilight’s confused look, VeeVee knew she had to be clearer. “Okay, you know those stories about villains using some ancient dark magic to gain a bunch of power suddenly or something like that?”
“Yeah, it happens all the time. A lot of the time actually, it’s a troupe in most literature nowadays. When you say Nightmare route, are you referring to Nightmare Moon?”
“Correct. Using Black magic grants huge amounts of power. If you were to let it take you. You could defiantly match the princesses easily in raw power. You’d just lack combat experience, skill, magical knowledge, all the while your brain is slowly being corrupted and turning you into a raving lunatic. Also, you’d have a huge weakness to Holy Magic.” Lectured VeeVee, mumbling. “I’m surprised how well those two have mastered dark magic, though, impressive.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing, Twilight, go take that break now.”
“Right, I’m gonna go get a drink from the river.”
VeeVee waved the unicorn off, and once Twilight was gone from view, the rinin couldn’t help but smile widely. “She’s coming along nicely. That said, I’m glad I have my back up plan in place. I better go check on it soon. I’ll have to balance Twilight’s social life more, it would be annoying if ponies become too worried about her.”
She patted the spot in her saddlebag where her magic wand lay, reassured by the severed unicorn horn’s weight. “Don’t want ponies to find out about you,” Mumbled VeeVee.
Whenever she taught Twilight in private, it put her on edge. The worry over being spotted was driving her to travel further and further from civilization. It was a two-hour commute today’s spot.
“Things would get… precarious if any pony found out, but we can’t keep on like this. I need a new approach.”
She risked a lot, even letting Twilight know about the wand. Sure she could probably trust Twilight’s word that she’d never tell any pony. If she was an idiot. Ponies have slipped out information over lesser things without thinking, so VeeVee took a few precautions with her student. Just a hint of mental tampering. Only a hint. Just enough that Twilight would never say a word about her wand willingly.
“I’ll have to get her to confront Celestia so they can sort things out. The last thing I need is a worried Celestia helicopter parenting Twilight.”
“Heli, what now?”
“Oh, Twilight!” VeeVee squeaked surprised. “I didn’t hear you come back. I just thought that it might be time for you to mend things would Celestia.”
“There’s nothing to mend! Everything's fine between her and me.” Twilight’s aggressive tone said otherwise, but VeeVee didn’t bring it up.
“Huh, we must have different views on that because it seems like your giving her the cold shoulder or if not outright avoiding her.”
Twilight hung her head, unable to face the truth. “I wouldn’t word it that way. I just don’t know what to say to her, after… what happened in the Empire. I saw so many things. What she did… that’s a side of her I never saw before.”
“The loving teacher is only one role she plays, defender of Equestria sounds romantic, but defending sometimes involves doing some nasty things. Right?” VeeVee found an angle of attack and fully intended to strike it. “This is the thing ways are. You’re young, you’ll learn it all soon enough.”
“Does it have to be that way, though? Was there something else we could have done? Did she have to…” Twilight gulped, unable to finish.
“Maybe we could have calmed Skaggi down and maybe contained her, but then what? We killed her father and siblings. We’d just have to kill her when she’s older and even more powerful, with who knows how many dead on our side. Celestia saved lives, Twilight.”
“But still…”
“Twilight, my best advice is to not worry about it, and if you can’t do that, go talk to Celestia. Actually, talk to her, and if you can’t do that, then send a letter. That’s my stance on the matter, and I will not address it further.” VeeVee declared firmly, hoping to push Twilight into acting.
“I understand, I’ll think about it.” Sulked Twilight, looking uncomfortable.
VeeVee patted her protegee on the head, offering reassurance and ice cream. “Everything will be fine, trust me, Twilight. You do trust me, right?”
The young unicorn nodded, “Of Course, VeeVee. You’ve taught me so much since I met you. Your one of my best teachers!”
“Better then, Celestia?” VeeVee inquired, earning a decisive expression from Twilight. “I kid, I kid, Twilight. Don’t be so serious. Celestia will always be number one in your book, I’m sure. I have no desire to usurp her.”
“Well,” Twilight drew out the word, looking very conflicted and very quietly said, “You might have already…”
VeeVee embraced her student, stroking her mane like a mother comforting a child. “That makes me very happy, Twilight, though I know it must be hard for you.” Twilight buried her muzzle into VeeVee’s mane, completely missing the vicious smirk of satisfaction the rinin wore.
A rustle from the trees made VeeVee break her embrace and conceal her naked smile. Her mask firmly in place, she greeted the trio of ponies that happened upon them. Or more likely tracked them down.
“Ha, so this is where you two were. A secret little training spot, how fun.” Kira said, observing the scorched trees and upturned earth. “Lots of interesting things going on, I see. Don’t you agree, Sake, Hazel?”
“Yes, indeed Lady Kira,” Hazel said earnestly. “Have you been helping Celestia’s student learn magic, VeeVee?”
“Why state the obvious when you can see for yourself, Hazel Thunder? I do have a magic degree from Canterlot University, its a thousand years old, but my degree still holds water. And how is the little runaway princess? Have you gone mute from being chained down finally?”
Sake shook her head, “I’ve nothing to say is all. My liberty is currently withheld from me thanks to these anti-magic chains. Which I’ve stated multiple times in the last two months are unnecessary, Great Mother.”
“And yet, you’ve tried to run away several times already. You might as well get used to them. They’re staying on until Kiri and Kaki arrive to take you home. Once you’ve properly explained yourself to your parents, you will be free to roam if you so choose to.” Was Kira’s reply to her plea. “Now Twilight, would you like to skirmish with Hazel? Practical training is important too. And a change of opponents does a lot of good.”
Twilight looked to VeeVee for guidance. “Go for it,” The raspberry rinin encouraged. “She’s not wrong. Besides, if you're looking for a combat teacher, Kira is literally the best. She trained Hazel there, High Octane, and Ruby Blaze and many others.”
“Yes, come on! I want to see what Celestia’s student of this era can do!” Hazel whinnied, rearing up with excitement.
“It’s Twilight, Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight bit out irritably.
“So you say,” Hazel grinned, lighting her horn with lightning. If you manage to get a hit on me, I’ll consider remembering your name, Celestia’s student!”
“RGAH!” With a high pitched scream, Twilight charged, horn blazing with magic, shooting missiles, and then igniting a mana blade.
VeeVee could only shake her head on the sidelines. “She’s baiting you! We covered this! Keep a cool head, Twilight! Great mothers, how is a bookworm so hotheaded?”
With the noise in her ears blocking out VeeVee’s coaching, Twilight charged right into Hazel’s reach and soon found herself sliding along the ground on her back. Her hair on end as cracks of electricity sparkled around her. Hazel standing over her victoriously.
“Care to go again?”
Twilight replied with a hearty battle cry, Hazel laughed delightedly, easily sidestepping the unicorn’s amateur attacks.
“She has potential,” Kira stated, settling down next to VeeVee. “A little molding and that girl will probably be the mage of the century, if not something more.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for,” VeeVee said as Twilight got thrown into a tree. “But she’s got a long way to go still.”
Kira laughed, “Indeed, but that’s okay. I’ll leave you be soon enough. I have to be back in Canterlot this evening. Apparently, Luna has a big announcement planned.”
“Oh? What’s the occasion?”
“Don’t know, but she said it will be for the future benefit of Equestria, so it must be important. I guess. It's not my concern.” Kira quickly changed the subject to something more aligned with her interests. “What weapon do you think would suit young Twilight, VeeVee?” Kira asked, watching Twilight like a sports recruiter. “Axe is out, she needs something simple, and easy to wield, maybe a quarterstaff?”
“I think you just answered your own question, Kira. I bet you already have a training regime in mind? You fine with poaching Celestia’s student from her?”
The Nippon Goddess grinned mischievously, “Well, recently I got quite the ego boost, and I’m not poaching, I’m rounding out young Twilight’s education.”
“Well, can’t argue with that, I guess. Speaking of rounding out educations, I think I could use some retraining myself. Being a medic doesn’t give me much chance to put my CQC skills to the test.” VeeVee looked at the elder Rinin with what could be described as puppy dog eyes. “Unless you have an age limit for students?”
“None at all.” Kira laughed, checking the time. “I better get going and see what Luna wants. You two want to come along?”
The two watched Twilight get tossed into yet another tree. “I think Twilight’s had enough for today,” VeeVee noted, seeking to save her student from Kira’s training.
For today at least.
“Hazel! Wrap it up! We’re leaving! Twilight, you're coming too!”
“Okay…” Twilight’s muffled voice affirmed. Falling face-first in the dirt.
hr] In the second tallest structure in Canterlot sat perhaps the four most powerful and influential ponies in two kingdoms. Princess Celestia, Princess Cadence, and Mother Queen Kira Perfecta Shiroyama of Nippon, all three called by Princess Luna to discuss an essential matter at her behest. Naturally, the three royals knew the princess of the night would not call them like this without reason. Though the setting did have them perplexed. They expected intense debate and challenging questions, so they showed up in full regalia.
Only to find Princess Luna in her evening gown.
The Night Princess offered them each a cushion spread out in a circle in the center of her room. A plate of confections, cupcakes, cookies, etc. laid out before them. All of it warm and freshly baked. A choice of tea, coffee caffeinated/decaf, milk, and juice were offered by the attendants.
When Kira asked if this was an official meeting and given no for an answer. The Mother Queen called for a bottle of her personal alcohol to be delivered. The Miko that produced the beverage set land speed records with her timely arrival. Arriving at the door with the desired drink in less than ten minutes. Having run all the way from the Emerald Cutter, parked on the outskirts of the city, still clad in her heavy layered robes. Her body was a waterfall of sweat, soaking her gown thoroughly.
After that little bit of comedy, they dug into the sweets, exchanging stories from earlier that day. While amid their light-hearted chat, the maids removed their regalia, leaving the three royals bare, safe for Kira, who kept her kimono. Celestia and Cadence where offered evening gowns, which they accepted. After asking if there was anything else they needed, the maids took their leave. The heavy door closed with a soft ‘thud.’
Seconds later, several layers of anti-listening, eavesdropping, and silencing barriers were cast over the room. Completely isolating the three from the outside world and the world from listening to them.
With a tap of her hoof, Luna called the meeting to order. “Thank you for coming on such short notice, Sister, Cadence, Kira. I know I’ve caused some inconvenience, so I’ll try to keep this brief. Hopefully, we’ll be done before midnight.”
Celestia’s lip twitched at the mention of midnight. Her smile was a gentle sisterly one, but that was merely a mask to hide her internal screaming. She had not planned to be up so late and knew the next morning would be hell.
The other two had different reactions.
“You’ve helped me so much, Auntie, whatever I can do to help return the favor, I will. Even if you asked me to stay up until dawn the day after next.” Was Cadence’s answer. Hyperbolic as it sounded, the fierce determination in the young princess’s eyes confirmed she was willing to make good on that promise.
Kira was less graceful in her wording, “I’m retired, I got Nothing better to do, so I’ll listen for however long you want. That’s what I would have said this morning, but I’ve found a new punching bag… I mean interesting protégé. So, if we can get the ball rolling, that would be appreciated.”
“I am in agreement.” Said Celestia, happy to have an ally in Kira. “I’ve no qualms hearing you out, but we all have schedules to keep. What did you want to talk about, Luna?”
“You’re right, I’ll try to be brief, but there is a list of things I think we need to discuss first before my announcement. Starting with some information sharing.” Luna’s eyes landed squarely on the Sun Princess. “Celestia, I think its time you finally explain yourself.”
This caused Kira and Cadence to look bewilderedly between the two sisters.
Celestia was seemingly ignoring the question as she sipped on her tea. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to be more specific.”
“Alright,” Luna relented, sucking in a deep breath. “I’ve done some digging and a little questioning of your long-time staff and their notes in the last two months, but I think the most important piece of information came from Daring. Why have you been gathering the Amulets, and how do they play into your plans. How many have you collected thus far, and what are they exactly? Also, what are you planning to do with Twilight Sparkle?”
“That’s a good point,” Kira added. “Also, I’ve never got the Blue Amulet back. Don’t think you can just keep it.” The Nippon Queen’s expression darkened radically. “Also, I’ve heard through the grapevine that Fierce Fury had the Green Alicorn amulet. Please explain that for me, Celestia?”
Under the focused and determined gaze of her sister and oldest living friend, Celestia, after an extended length of stalling via sipping tea. Sighed and decided now was as good as time as any.
“Originally,” Celestia began. “I intended to groom Twilight for ascension. At the time I discovered her, I had thought the Crystal Empire could be reclaimed. Thus I could send Cadence to rule her birthright and ease Twilight into the role of my replacement. I planned to retire after a few years if she managed to transcend to alicornhood via the method Starswirl theorized. My plan was for you and her to rule until you thought you were ready to step down.”
The sun princess sighed haggardly, letting her age show to the others. “But I don’t know anymore. Meddling with ponies’ destinies… with Twilight’s destiny… I might not have the stomach for it now. There’s a high chance of it actually happening. If that stupid mirror wasn’t so close to activation, I probably wouldn’t be wavering.”
“What mirror? What are you talking about?” Luna demanded, confused by Celestia's sobby explanation.
“I…” Celestia paused, but then shook her head. “I have a granddaughter, Sunset Shimmer, she’s Crusader’s only child and also Sixes’ granddaughter by extension. Her circumstances are a bit bizarre, but Sunset attended my school and was one grade above or below Cadence, I don’t remember. Anyway, we had a falling out, and she jumped into Starswirl’s transdimensional mirror, which activates every three years or so. It will be activating within the next year, I believe.”
“So that’s what happened to her!” Cadence blurted out, surprised. “Wow, I thought she got pregnant was sent to one of those…” She trailed off under Celestia’s narrowed stare. “I guess it isn’t my business. Sorry, I’ll just keep listening.”
“It’s fine, but now that it’s out in the open. Depending on whether or not Sunset comes home, I’d rather give the throne to her, providing she’s… matured these past three years.” Celestia explained, looking guilty. “I’m planning to step back and let Twilight decide things for herself, rather than push her towards anything. Do you have a problem with that? Luna?”
Luna tapped her cheek, “Hmm, do I have a problem with you not manipulating a pony’s free will? No, not really. The fact you have a granddaughter is interesting though, does Sixes know?”
“No, I didn’t even tell Sunset the truth, which led to the misunderstanding that could have been avoided.”
“I see…” (Well this makes things more complicated) Luna mused. “Moving on. Answer my questions regarding the alicorn amulets.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say, it’s pretty self-explanatory, they’re Alicorn Amulets.”
“I know that! Just who made them, and why did Sombra turn into that lava monster?”
Celestia took a long deep breath. “Luna, you’re not understanding. Alicorn Amulets, are ALICORN amulets.”
“I get that, but what does that mean! How did they get that name?”
“It means they’re the crystalized remains of our tribe, Luna!” Celestia shouted, frustrated at the back and forth. “At the climax of the Alicorn War. There was this huge flash and suddenly.” She began to heave. “All the adults turned into crystals, their bodies broke apart as they hit the ground, thousands of sparkling gems of all colors floated in the sky and then suddenly flew away like shooting stars. Mom’s gem… floated down to me, and that’s when I got my mark and gained control of the sun. The same thing happened to you when the Alicorn of Dreams died. Those gems aren’t some artifact made by some wizard; they are the crystalized soul of a formerly living breathing alicorn!”
The room went dead silent.
Luna and Cadence could only open and close their gaping mouths at the stunning truth. “Will that happen to us? When we die?” Luna quietly asked. “That didn’t happen to Symphony as far as I know… wait, did her magic go into the crystal heart? Is that why Cadence transformed when she used it? And what happened to Sombra? If the user of the amulet grows too weak to keep the power in control, does the Alicorn take over their body like Vulcan did?”
“I don’t know,” Celestia replied quietly.
“What does this mean for Sixes and the others that ate amulets? What will happen to them?”
“I don’t know!” Celestia was anguished. “I haven’t been experimenting with them, just locking them up. Besides being extremely dangerous, I didn’t like the idea of our kin being used as accessories! I didn’t know the original Alicorn’s could be revived like Vulcan was. Not that we have all the facts behind that, but that’s why I’ve had Daring and her mother plundering every tomb, tribe, and country that has one. A lot of artifacts are just objects powered by an amulet. Even the Elements of Harmony fall into that category.”
A clearing of a throat pulled the sisters’ attention to Kira, who was casually lighting her pipe. “I have a question concerning this subject.”
“Ask it then,” Celestia encouraged. “But I might not have an answer.”
“A hypothesis will do,” Kira drawled, tapping her pipe against the ashtray. “The question itself is straightforward, why are some ponies more compatible than others? Sixes ate the gold amulet, and after a brief rampage, he never had any real trouble with it. Meanwhile, Emerald Cutter fused perfectly, and Overheat was consumed by the power, and Fierce Fury was rejected by his. By the way, that wasn’t the same amulet Emerald ate, was it?” The Nippon Queen asked darkly.
“No, we didn’t dig up Emerald for the gem, it sleeps with her as far as I know,” Celestia answered. “The gem Fury had is the Lime Green Amulet; Emerald’s was the emerald green. It’s confusing, but there’s multiple of the same color of gems. Such as the Red, Crimson, and Scarlet. Sombra had the Crimson one, I think. I couldn’t tell you why some ponies are more compatible than others, other than maybe bloodline? Or perhaps color alignment? It’s a strange theory, but a pony’s color of magic might have something to do with it.”
“I have a question,” declared Cadence raising her hoof. Prompting the others to look at her amused by the childish action. They spared the youngest member of the group any flak, urging her to ask her question. “How many Amulets are there, and how many do you have in storage, Auntie?”
Celestia blew out a long-exacerbated breath, “Oh, let me think, including the gold inside Sixes, the two buried with Overheat and Emerald, the blue gem, and the Black and purple that Daring brought me, oh and the Lime Amulet I loaned to Fury. That’s six-plus… twelve? So, eighteen. I have eighteen alicorn amulets in my procession.”
“Out of how many?” Luna inquired before her sister could attempt to change subjects.
“Aah… well… taking the population of Canterlot at the time, and there was an alicorn for almost everything… a million on the low end and ten million on the high end of the total population? That said, I think only the Alicorns involved in the final battle actually turned into crystals so, there might only be a hundred thousand or less.” Celestia finished sheepishly, pretending not to see the irritating twitch in Luna’s eye.
“So…” Luna drawled out slowly. “In the last thousand years, you found eighteen out an estimated hundred thousand alicorn amulets? That is correct?”
“They are not easy to find!” Celestia protested! “It took years of research to track down even one! Then months to find the location and maybe it was still there! If it was, it’s surrounded by traps! Before you even say I should have put more ponies on the job, I let me just say I didn’t want the world to know the Alicorn Amulets were available in such a high volume. I didn’t want to kick off an arms race with countries trying to secure their raw magical power!”
Luna held up a hoof in surrender. “I understand. I’m not trying to criticize your actions. I probably couldn’t have done much better myself, but that said, even a small team of ponies would be better than one pony. Five to ten would be enough to increase success and keep the operation under wraps, but we can talk about this later. I have other issues to discuss.”
“Prance, I presume?”
Luna shook her head, “No, we’ve talked enough about that for the time being. Though my opinion still stands. What I want to discuss has to do with our visit from Dusk.” Luna turned to Kira. “Has Sake given up any more information?”
All eyes turned to Kira, who been keeping a hawk’s gaze on the rogue Nippon Princess. Under the three sets of intense curiosity, Kira showed little care, merely sipping on her drink. Taking her time to answer. After setting her cup down, she cleared her throat.
“Nothing really worth mentioning. Sake has spoken little of anything, besides her unwillingness to go home or see her brother. I’m a bit out of the loop on her family affair, what caused her runaway in the first place?” Kira pitched the conversation ball back to Celestia’s court. The sun princess sighing, feeling like she’d never get a chance to just sit and listen. The curse of being the most informed.
“It was… I forget how long ago really. The ages of the Nippon ponies vary greatly because of the rinin blood in the population.” Celestia scratched her head, trying to recall the details of Haibara’s tear-stained letter. “Oh yes, Kiri executed her fiancé.”
“I beg your pardon?” Luna gawked. Kiri came off as rather cold and strict, but to kill his future brother in law? That was something else. “I assume there’s some context behind this? It’s not like he killed this pony just because he didn’t like him, right?”
Celestia breathed through her teeth. “Well… there were some other reasons, but Kiri didn’t like him. He got a trial at least rather than cut down in the streets, which Kiri would have done given a chance.”
“What’s the story behind this tragic romance?” Cadence asked, fascinated by the similarity to some of her romance novels. She had to look at it from that view; otherwise, the queasy feeling in her stomach would overwhelm her.
For her part, Celestia looked haggard, her brow frowned deeply as she searched through her vast memory. It was almost comical when after a full minute of thinking, she blinked blankly at the group.
“I don’t know.” She admitted, sounding amazed by her own ignorance for once. “I couldn’t have forgotten, did I? No, I remember the letter, asking that if I saw Sake to try and calm her down and bring her home. The whole ordeal about Kiri killing her fiancé was barely a side note. Come to think of it, I don’t think there was ever an official reason behind Sake running away to the wider world. I actually don’t even know the stallion’s name or if he was from Nippon or not.”
“It matters not,” Kira said dismissively, almost sounding bored by the topic. “Whatever the reason she’s been on the run for ten years. I could understand maybe two years, but she has to face this issue sometime, which she will soon, but that’s my family’s business. There is no need to discuss it here.”
Has much as Luna would like to protest Kira’s statement, the white rinin was right, it wasn’t their business.
Leaving the topic of Sake’s tragic romance, she pressed forward to her main issue for the night. Or topics. They were all interconnected. So, while she steeled herself, she called the maids back in to restock the food and drink for her guests. In a regular meeting, such a maneuver would be virtually meaningless, here, in the presence of the ponies that knew her best. It said a lot.
It said she needed time to think and that what she was about to say was important and challenging to bring up. The maids’ slow pace played into this. Usually, they’d be in and out in less then a minute, maybe two if there was a particular order. However, they lagged in their work, dragging the brief interval to an awkward five minutes. They even tried to extend it further, almost pestering the three other royals with offers and asking them repeatedly if there was anything they could do. One maid was even getting risqué with her suggestions.
Luna decided she’s had enough time and signaled for them to leave. After the servants exited and the barriers reapplied, Luna took a deep breath and released it feeling as ready as she’ll ever be.
“I’m engaged, to Sixes.” She announced with little dramatics. This was not her first marriage for sure, but that didn’t mean her heart didn’t throb just a bit faster, or there wasn’t heat on her cheeks. “He ah… proposed to me the other night, he even had a ring prepared.”
Really talking about her personal life like this was embarrassing. Still, she’s been keeping the bubbling joy locked inside all day and desperately wanted to tell somepony without causing a scene or have the masses in an uproar over something that was frankly none of their business.
Naturally, the expected responses were made. Kira tossed her a toast saying it was about time. Cadence inhaled, all but squealing like a teenager and groping onto Luna, speaking a mile a minute with congratulations and pure girly excitement. Celestia appeared strangely indifferent. Looking closer, she almost seemed sad.
“I knew it! I’m so happy for you! When’s the wedding? Do you have bridesmaids picked out, a venue? Don’t worry, I have plenty of connections from my wedding you can use, not that you probably need them. I mean, who wouldn’t want to host a Princess’s wedding.” Cadence inhaled again, the obvious question that any pony who heard such news would want to be answered coming to the fore. “Does this mean you’ll be crowned Queen?”
That was it. The words Luna dreaded to hear, which is why she kept this announcement on the down-low. It was why she couldn’t wear her ring in public, not without a mountain of groundwork backed up by her two months of research. The rights of succession.
It was all laid out in the Equestrian Constitution and Founding Documents, initially written by the leaders of the three tribes, Princess Platinum Diamond, General Hurricane, and Chancellor Puddinghead, that formed Equestria thousands of years ago. It was through these three ponies that Celestia and Luna gained the right to rule.
To summarize the fifty pages of legal writing. Celestia and Luna became Princesses by being named Platinum Diamond’s successors. Thus, the royal bloodline became their bloodline. There were similar exchanges of power for the other tribes, but the Rights of Succession were adopted from the Unicorn’s method of Rule by Blood.
In hindsight, it was something the two sisters should have protested against, as it led to them swearing off marriage and mothering. Celestia found out the hard way with the Whiteblood scandal, in which her descendants were basically pimped out and exploited by both their families and nobles the world over. Leading to her to have to disown all her descendants to discredit any claims to the throne should a foreign power try to use them for political gain.
According to the Founding Documents, the power and right to rule were divided equally between the two sisters. Co-rulers, duel dictatorship, that was basically the results of this.
Of course, to keep their power in check, a council was formed that could veto the sisters if necessary with a majority vote. That first council was made of three ponies from each race, which somehow became the Rainbow Council, which had been all unicorns and only six members.
The meat of the Rights of Succession was this, should one of the sisters marry, and produce offspring, then that sister’s bloodline would be the pure royal bloodline, and once the child came of age, the sisters would retire. The founders didn’t expect the sisters to rule forever. However, they didn’t predict that neither would marry for centuries either.
Of course, since this system was from the Unicorn Royal Family, naturally, they expected the husband and future king to be of noble blood (Unicorn), and that is what would have been written into law. Had the other two tribes not put their hooves down in protest. At the risk of starting a civil war, the amendment to eliminate the need to marry nobility was passed and set it stone. Literally.
“It was tough to find that little snippet of the original documents.” Luna mused, explaining her findings from the restricted section of the library. “So, if I so choose, Sixes and I could be crowned King and Queen with no trouble, that is, if we had that intention.”
Cadence blinked, not quite understanding. She turned to Celestia, who had a torn look about her.
“So, this is your choice, then Luna?” Celestia asked tightly, clearly upset.
Luna, for her part, had enough sense not to appear too happy for her selfish actions. “Since our encounter or possibly even before, meeting Dusk again and hearing her warning. I’ve wondered if what we’re doing was the best course of action.” Luna looked squarely at Celestia, so her sister knew she was talking about them. Cadence was too green and Kira a third party when it came to how the two sisters ruled Equestria. “Actually, if I’m honest. I might have thought this from the beginning, since day one of our rules, if we were truly the right choice.”
She let that hang in the air, making the others, but most importantly, Celestia, absorb what she said. Luna wanted to be as transparent as possible.
“The first few decades were ok. We ruled as one, and then we began to be undermined by the Blood Nobles and other factions that formed in those early days. Even when Yellowblood and the others were removed, I continued to face abnormal criticism.”
“Luna, you can’t…”
Luna cut off her sister, “Let me finish Celestia. I’m not whining or bemoaning what happened. I am merely pointing out events that had transpired.” The Night Princess cleared her throat and resumed. “Not long later, I turned into Nightmare Moon and was banished for a thousand years. When I returned, I found that while things have most certainly changed, one thing did not. And that thing is what I think you and I know now. Equestria doesn’t need two rulers.”
Again, Luna let that sink in, thankfully no pony protested her statement, allowing her to continue after a quick breath and sip of water.
“I will lay out my case now. In the last thousand years, you, Celestia, have built a wonderful kingdom that knows perhaps the longest stretch of peace in all of pony history. You are loved, revered as a goddess by some, and perhaps more to others. You did it all without me. When I look back on my hoof in the ruling Equestria, it barely equals over fifty years. My mark in my own country’s history barely warrants a page, if even a paragraph. Equestria is not the land of the Royal Sisters, it is your land Celestia, built by you, organized around you, and supported by ponies that adore and wish to help you. After Dusk’s visit, it became so clear to me when I saw her, I have no place ruling beside you. Equestria has no need of me as a princess.”
This time Celestia could not hold her tongue. “That’s nonsense, Luna! I des… I mean, I only worked so hard because I wanted you to have a place to come back too! We were meant to rule together, remember? Starswirl said it best, we represent all the elements of harmony. We cover each other’s weakness.”
Luna lagged her head off to the side, disappointed by her sister’s passionate remarks. “I wish you wouldn’t use Starswirl’s nonsense. He only saw what he wanted to see in us. He never acknowledged that at our very core, we were sisters. We fought, argued, disagreed, and acted petty with each other. It took months of study for us to even gain a margin of proper etiquette. Your particular habit of eating cake by plunging headfirst into it really set him off.”
“Could you not mention that? That was a long time ago.” Celestia cleared her throat while ignoring the look Cadence was giving her. “In any case, I am planning on stepping down eventually. Meaning you’ll have to take over as lead ruler Luna. At least that was my plan.”
“Well, that’s certainly news to me,” Luna replied sharply. “Where you ever going ask for my thoughts on the matter or just drop it on me before going off to go zip lining? And before you even remark about my engagement, that happened within the last forty-eight hours. Everything else I spent two months researching and debating if it was the best course of action, but the more I debated, the more my resolved hardened.”
Celestia took a long shuttering breath, unfocused anger oozing off her in the form of heatwaves. “So, you've resolved to give up your crown? After everything? What will you do? Where will you live? Or will you and Sixes just go globetrotting?”
Luna turned up her nose at the jab. “You speak as if I’m leaving you out to hang and dry. Let me elaborate. Just as Dusk has shown, you don’t need a crown to do good. I am giving up my crown because it’s a hindrance to my true calling, the job that needs my time and focus. I will go from princess to the Alicorn of Night and Dreams, I will fulfill my duties as the guardian of dreams and defender of the night. As for my home… well, enjoy your net sum of our inheritance.”
The elder Royal Sister blinked as a folder baring her lawyer’s name, Shark Shackler, slammed down before her with a pile of other legal documents. Biting back her confusion, Celestia read the contents. Well, she was skimming. Shark was helpful enough to place abridged notes inside for her.
She couldn’t appreciate them because of the legal contents involved and irresponsible blunder on her part from four hundred years ago. During that time, she signed a power of attorney document with Shackler’s family, giving them control of most of her personal holdings. She had donated them all to the public, the bulk of which were land assets surrounding the Everfree forest and the forest itself. Overall, the land area in question totaled just less than one fourth the size of Equestria.
“By the rights of Attorney, given by Princess Celestia Solaris, I Shark Shackler, sell Celestia Solaris’s landholdings of 9,720,000,000 acres for $972 billion gold bits. As a commission fee, I Shark Shackler, Royal Equestrian Attorney, shall collect a fee of thirty percent.” Celestia chewed her lips, seemingly numb at the fact she just added fifteen percent of Luna’s side of their treasure horde to her’s. And more than a little upset that her own lawyer went around her back like this. “When I sighed that contract, I read it ten times, and yet I can’t remember giving the Shackler family this much power. Also, all that land was supposed to be open for public auction! What happened?”
“All that land was or was near the Everfree forest, no pony was going to buy it! They’ve been trying to sell it for four hundred years! They dropped the price to a hundred gold bits an acre! Do you know how cheap that is?”
“I haven’t kept up with land prices, but I’ll assume that’s below the norm. That’s all beside the point! Why would you go around my back to buy out my half of the inheritance! Do you not trust me, Luna? After everything! Well?” Celestia ran out of breath, panting slightly while receiving bewildered stares. It seems she’s lost her cool and actually shouted. Rather loudly. It was a good thing the room was soundproof. Or this would have been front-page news.
Not cowed nor intimidated by her sister, Luna stuck out her chest. “I did what I thought I needed to do. This is not a debate Celestia, I’m doing this. I will take the Everfree Forest as my own territory and rule it under my own banner. I will always be Equestria’s ally, but things need to change. If we all blindly follow down your path, then we’ll all end up in the same place.” Maybe it was her current level of frustration, but Celestia couldn’t comprehend her sister’s words. She must have made a funny face because Kira suddenly chuckled. “You should take a few breaths Celestia, your thinking a bit slow.” The white Rinin advised sliding over a cup of sake. “I think what Luna is trying to say is Dusk’s lecture on how the future is made is build on our choices. If we all follow a singular plan, then the chances of getting one particular future goes up. That said, we have no way to know if it’s good or bad. So rather than put all our eggs into one basket, Luna wants to make… diverging choices that lead to different possibilities. Is that correct?”
“Something like that,” Luna replied hesitantly. “Really, I just want to do what I think is best. Time will tell if I’m right or wrong, but I won’t let fear rule me, not anymore. I’m taking back my destiny. I will establish my own territory to nurture my own ideas.” Luna looked Celestia square in the eye. “It’ll be a fiefdom, I’ll admit outright, I’ll be little more than a city-state ruler or Baroness, but I want to see what I can do and finish what I started with Night Patrol. I won’t apologize for going behind your back to do this. I’ve always appreciated your wisdom and input, but I decide how I live my life, sister.”
Smiling sadly, Luna looked to Cadence. “I’ve decided to name you my successor, Cadence. There will be a conflict if Celestia chooses somepony else, but I believe you and Shining Armor would make wonderful rulers. I know you can do it.”
Cadence sprang up with surprise, her wings popped up with the sudden rush of blood. “Oh, um… I…” Cadence did a quick breathing exercise. “I’m honored, Aunt Luna, I will make you proud!”
“I know you will.” Smiled Luna. “And not to rush you, but until you have a child, Celestia can name a successor as well, which could cause some conflict. Civil war is unlikely, but…” The Princess of the Night coughed into her hoof, embarrassed. “You might have to form a herd at the very least.”
Cadence blushed, but that quickly turned to jealously when she thought of having to share her husband. On the other hoof if Twilight was named Celestia’s successor, she would be automatically adopted into the royal family as a branch member, so that would resolve any conflicts. The real problem would be if Celestia insisted on naming Sunset Shimmer as her heir. She vaguely remembered the girl from the magic school. It behooved her to admit it, but she was pretty, talented, and at the time, a much better mage.
She was also a bitch. Sunset's arrogant attitude ruffled many feathers during her time at school. Students and Teachers included.
(Ok, it’s been a few years, maybe she’s matured since disappearing, but… maybe Shining and I should step up in our child making attempts.)
Faking a smile, Cadence said, “Let’s leave that for later. Unless you have any other candidates Aunt Celestia?” The elder sister hung her head, sighing in defeat.
“No.” She answered, raising her head to stare down her sister. “I can’t tell if your maturing or just going through a second rebellious phase, but fine. If this is what you want.” Celestia looked longingly at the ceiling. “Things have already been shaken up. What’s annexing a quarter of the nation? But I am curious what your plan to do with the military, I was leaving that to you.”
“We’ll continue to work with the GEA and the Commando Unit. Think of Night Patrol as Private Military Contractors.” Luna smiled, feeling confident about her choice. She had to since Celestia was admitting defeat. A rare accomplishment that only happened a few dozen times. She was so happy that Luna twisted the dagger just a little more. “And is it really annexing if the place I’m taking over is basically uninhabited?”
Celestia regained a bit of a smile, shaking her head. “I suppose that’ll be up for debate for the historians. So, when are you announcing all of this to the public?”
“When the castle in the Everfree is done,” Answered Luna. “So, a few months to maybe even a year. I wasn’t just going to drop everything on you and leave. I want this to be a smooth transition. I’ll quietly step aside while allowing Cadence more of the public limelight, and before any pony realizes I’m gone, they won’t even miss me. Trust me, sister, I’ve put some thought into this.”
“So you say,” Celestia yawned audibly, her eyes threatening to fall closed at any minute. “I’ll assume we’ll talk more on this later, but is that all for tonight? Can I go to sleep?”
Luna nodded, “Yes. That is the gist of it.”
“Then goodnight,” Celestia said curtly, leaving the room without another word.
“Well I’m going to go too, this was exciting, you two are always so much fun!” Kira proclaimed, taking her sake bottle and exiting as well. Which left Luna and Cadence alone.
“Auntie…” Cadence hesitated. “Do you think this is really the best idea? Won’t this divide ponies?”
“It’s possible,” Luna admitted rising from her cushion. “I think the rewards will be a well worth risk. Equestria, as a country, has stagnated. My return has shaken the status quo, and so did the war in the north, but not enough. Whether right or wrong, we can’t rely on Celestia to carry us all anymore. Ponies need to step up and fight for themselves again.” Cadence stood silent as Luna made her way to bed, only speaking when the older princess laid down. “Are doing this… to force Celestia to retire? You're worried about her, aren’t you?”
Luna closed her eyes, “She’s my elder sister, I worry for her, just as she worries for me. She has been at this job for a long time, Cadence, grinding herself to the bone, sacrificing everything for this nation. It’s time for her to collect her dues.” She opened her eyes to look at Cadence. “Celestia’s old. It might not be this decade or even the next, but her age is going to catch up with her. Equestria needs to be able to stand on its own before then because I won’t let my sister sacrifice herself anymore.”
“Then why don’t you just take over? Wouldn’t that achieve the same thing?”
“Me taking the title of Queen would only be a stop-gap. Besides, it makes more sense for you, a while established figure already, to step up and rule. Rather then Celestia’s long lost sister.” Luna yawn indicated their conversation was over, but she did mumble out one more thought. “Maybe one day, we’ll be a republic instead of a diarchy.”
Cadence didn’t know if her Aunt was faking sleep or not, probably not given the loud snoring she remembered from their time on the Taisho, but she quietly left the room either way. In the hall, she felt a profound intrigue by Luna’s mumbles.
“A republic, huh… I might have to look into that.”
South of Macintosh hills, and north of the city of Irwind, near Arimaspi Territory, lay a town hidden from the rest of the Equestria. There was no road, no train, no way to get to this hidden settlement without the aid of wings or the bravery to tangle with an Arimaspi. Naturally, given these conditions, many would assume this town was nothing of note, that there was nothing there. Some would wonder why you would even build in such a dangerous and untamed land, rivaled only by the Everfree forest.
That was an easy question to answer.
In this place laid the Thestral City of Night Haven, the largest Bat Pony settlement in the entirety of Equestria.
Night Haven could very well be called a fortress city. Built deep in the rock formations in the center of the territory, the vast majority of homes were carved out in the many cave systems, both natural and pony made. Its population was over fifteen thousand, represented by a race breakdown of one hundred percent bat ponies. Besides the floating city of Cloudsdale, it was the only other city with a single tribe living in it.
Today, on this hot summer night, Night Haven was in full celebration. The cave walls and the limited number of outdoor streets and shops were decorated with moon lilies. Bright blue flowers that glowed in the dark. What was the occasion? A wedding. Usually, the residents wouldn’t put up such a grand display, preferring to keep things simple. Yet they made an exception this time. Not because of the bride and Groom, but because of a special guest.
Their Princess, Princess Luna Selene Solaris, was part of the bride’s wedding party.
“I hope I’m not overshadowing you on your big day,” Luna repeated for what must be the hundredth time. She was dressed as a bridesmaid, the design made by Platinum and Rarity, a long black dress with white roses and silver glitter. A beautiful dress to be sure, but nothing when compared to the masterpiece that was Sweet Dream’s gown.
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Sweet Dreams assured the Princess as Rarity fixed her hair, making sure not to disturb the elaborate decoration of her dress. The bride to be genuinely felt her gown was well above what she could pull off. It was a complex piece, with white in front around her neck that traveled below down her underbelly, slowly fading to grey and then black with lace, flowers, and glitter, it was supposed to be like the moon and night sky according to Rarity.
She honestly didn’t get it, but it was beautiful, and even though Sweet Dreams was wearing it, she failed to adequately describe it. Her words failing her every time she tried.
“I must say it was interesting to make a wedding dress that was more than just white,” Rarity said while fixing one of the stitched flowers. “You Thestrals certainly do things differently.”
“Well, we love the moon and the night, so of course we’d want to honor it best we could. Full black dresses were in style when my mom married according to her.” Sweet Dreams said while puckering her lips so Rarity could apply lipstick. “Thank you for helping out, Rarity. Sorry I couldn’t get you part of the wedding party.”
“Oh, it’s alright, I’m better served here. Still, I’m surprised by your choice of best mare.”
“You’re not the only one,” Said the best mare herself, adjusting her dress. “Can I get some help? Please?”
“I got you,” Platinum said, adjusting Spitfire’s straps for her. The unicorn wasn’t part of the wedding party; instead acted as Rarity’s assistant. She wore a light white dress that left a lot of leg exposed. The best it did was cover where metal and flesh met. Typically Platinum would probably steal the show for less than flattering reasons, but with Princess Luna, present ponies would overlook the metal legged mare over.
“I still can’t believe you picked me for the best mare,” Spitfire admitted while trying to hide the fact she was beyond touched.
Sweet Dreams looked sheepish in the mirror as Rarity did her eyeliner. “Well, my list of mare friends is… short. After I left home I kind of lost touch with all my old friends, that’s why I chose you guys because you know me, you are like sisters to me. Scary sisters, but sisters.”
Spitfire looked away, embarrassed. “I guess I can see that.”
The bridesmaids consisted of Spitfire as Best Mare, Princess Luna, Fleetfoot, Twilight Sparkle, and Essex. Essex had been a last-minute addition, and if Sweet Dreams was honest, they weren’t all that close, even though they’ve gone out for mare’s nights a few times together. The reason she was in the group was that her husband Shamrock was part of Goodnight’s party, and they apparently became excellent friends since the Second Crystal War. It probably had to do with them being in the same squad now.
That was ok. Twilight Sparkle was another compromise because Misty Fly couldn’t make it today, and her, Twilight, and Goodnight were all acquaintances. So it’s not like they didn’t know each other. Also, Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor really, really wanted Twilight to get away from her training for a while. The purple unicorn acted like a mare possessed and didn’t look the healthiest with those black raccoon circles around her eyes. It took a lot of makeup to hide that.
“You’re less nervous then I thought you’d be,” Luna observed.
Sweet Dreams laughed nervously, “Well, I can’t say I’m not. Maybe it just hasn’t hit me yet, you know?”
About a year ago or more, Goodnight and Sweet Dreams returned home after the Second Crystal War. They were only going to tell their parents they were dating. What they got was a very enthusiastic response from all parties. Which made them very nervous when they finished their week's stay and returned to Canterlot. Not long later, they were told a venue for their wedding was reserved, and preparations were already underway. Their parents gifting them their rings as well.
When they went to Cadence for help, hoping to slow things down, the Princess of Love set out to lecture their parents to let them love at their own pace. When Cadence returned, she hung her head with shame and embarrassment.
“Your parents, both of them, really, really want grand foals… so um… here’s the date for the wedding.” She gave them the invitation and left after another apology.
They didn’t ask what happened, because they genuinely didn’t want to know. That said, Cadence herself would be doing the ceremony, so at least Celestia got the day off. Somehow.
“You’ll be fine,” Luna assured Sweet Dreams. “If my experience is anything to go by, your wedding and marriage will be smooth sailing. I mean, it’s not like your two ponies from warring clans or something. And you’re the same race, which I don’t think is a problem anymore these days, but it used to be. I remember when the first unicorn and earth pony married, now that was a red wedding!” She laughed, trying to play off one of the bloodiest massacres in pony history, but it hadn’t been the first.
“Right,” Spitfire drawled, slowly moving to Sweet Dreams side. “What I think the princess is trying to say is everything will be fine, and I know no pony has brought this up, but this will definitely not be like the royal wedding.”
The tension in Sweet Dream's body at Spitfire’s words, “Thank you, Spitfire. Though the three warships floating outside aren’t as reassuring.”
Even though this was a lowkey wedding according to social status, all three Princesses were in attendance and a foreign leader as well. The three ships guarding Night Haven were from The Nippon first Fleet, tasked to safeguard not just Kira, but King Kusanagi, Queen Haibara, Prince Kiri, and Princess Miso. The entirety of the Nippon royal family was in attendance on this special day. Sake was here as well and was scheduled to be taken home after the wedding.
There have been some delays for her retrieval, and things just happened to work out today.
“Are you sure ponies won’t be mad you’re not Best Mare?” Sweet Dreams asked Luna again with rising anxiety. “I mean, your you and I’m just… me…”
Luna restrained herself from hugging Sweet Dreams, less she messes up the bride’s dress and makeup. “Listen to me, this is your day, I’m honored you even chose me to be a bridesmaid. I hope you’ll accept the offer to my wedding!”
“Oh… I mean, of course! Of course, I will!” Sweet Dreams blurted excitedly. “I don’t have to be named a Duchess or anything to do that, right?”
They shared a laugh, “No, no noble status required,” Luna assured her. Keeping silent on the fact very soon, they wouldn’t even need to call her Princess. Right now, all Luna wanted is for her friend to have a happy wedding.
Meanwhile, in the groom’s waiting room
“I’m really nervous,” Goodnight gulped, unable to relax. His entourage consisted of his closest mates. Which happened to be mostly comprised of his comrades and superior officers. The lone exception was his friend and best stud, Trey, a distant relative of the Thrice family. The one that told him the stories of Night Patrol. He was a few branches removed but still showed some rinin features, though they were very minor.
“Look, Goody, everything is going to be fine,” Trey assured his friend. “I know everything was a little rushed, but it’s not like you and Sweets only known each other for a year, you were childhood friends! You’ve been all but officially dating your entire lives. I mean, besides me, you don’t have any normal friends.”
“I have other friends,” Goodnight protested.
“Yeah, sure, then explain why besides me, every pony else here is a pony you’ve known less than a year. No offense.” He quickly added, looking the other males in the room.
“None taken, ye gotta point!” Shamrock crackled heartily, already halfway through a bottle of whiskey. “I’m tellin’ ya, ye got a wonderful bouncy bonny lass, Goody! Be proud! And be stout as the mighty stone when ye take her to bed! Why I remember my wedding night, tis was some of the best I’ve ever had! So much love and passion! Bit of advice when ye frick, frick like it’s your last and frick like ya want nothing but to light her oven, yeah know what I’m saying, son?”
Goodnight blinked, “No. No, I do not. Are you drunk?”
“Wah? I’m not the one given the speech, right?” Shamrock turned to the others for confirmation. “Right? I’m given no speeches, right? Shit, am I? Oh, I’m sorry, Goody! I got nothing for ya then!”
“Shh… sober up.” Sixes whispered, covering Shamrock's mouth and laying him on the couch to snore. The green rinin fast asleep. “He never stopped drinking, even after the bachelor party. Some rest and anti-toxin should fix him up before the ceremony.”
“Thank you, Commander Sixes, for taken care of Shamrock and for agreeing to be apart of this. All of you.” Goodnight bowed to the gathered ponies.
Goodnight’s party consisted of Trey, Sixes, Fury, Shamrock, and Gloves. He had asked Shining Armor too, but the unicorn wasn’t comfortable being paired up with a mare that wasn’t his wife. That was understandable, especially since Cadence would be the one marrying them. He and Sweet Dreams tried to pick ponies they knew were together or already dating just to keep the pairings simple. It was easier than they expected, really. The only genuine singles were Twilight and Trey. Hence why they were paired together. Twilight’s family and close friends were oddly excited about it, which made things awkward for the two ponies that met only a few weeks ago.
“So, with the marriage expert out, for now, do you guys have any advice?” Goodnight really just wanted something else to focus on besides himself and his flash terrors of something happening during the wedding. The one before had been Shining’s and Cadences, and he was still having PTSD flashbacks.
It was silly, but Goodnight and others feared there would be another invasion.
Unfortunately, while the ponies gathered were experts in combat and military tactics, Romeos they weren’t.
“Don’t marry a pony you have zero compatibility with,” Was Sixes’ two cents.
Fury’s was, “Can’t help you.”
Trey shrugged, “I don’t even have a marefriend, dude.”
And Gloves, “Honestly, I don’t know how I even got into my relationship.”
“That was my boat, too,” Fury added.
Goodnight closed his eyes and slowly exhaled. How was the drunk the most qualified to talk about marriage? Shamrock stirred, riveting the room with his drunken wisdom. Kind of. He was speaking in a very thick Clydesdale accent. Maple syrup thick.
“Do ya boi, yeh gonna change and she’ll get chang’ and ye both change and both fall in love again, again every year! Never stop being romantic! Always tell her how beautiful she is and remember even when ya at each other’s throats ya still love her! And when you got tiks, always remember to give her attention! Even if da kits cryin’!”
“Ah… thanks… I’ll remember that.” Goodnight looked to the other for a translation and only got shaking heads. They had no idea what Shamrock said. “Well…” The groom chugged the remainder of his beer. “I guess this is it.”
Fury nodded and shouted, “Form up!” At his command, every stallion in the room stood at attention and gathered in position around Goodnight. “Mr. Package is on the move, keep Miss Package out of Hall 3, repeat Hall 3, moving out.”
Spitfire’s voice crackled over the com, “Roger that, Miss Package is on route in Hall 7, we won’t cross paths. We’ll see you at the altar.”
“Copy that,” Fury took his claw off the receiver. “Alright, let’s go get you married!”
Goodnight could only sheepishly agree as he was escorted secret service style down the hall. It was strange for him, a pony whose job had been to protect VIPs, suddenly being protected like a VIP himself. It was kind of embarrassing.
“Hey, yeah, alright, Boi?” Shamrock asked, patting his shoulder as they rounded the corner.
“Good to hear, now don’t forget to breath when you see her, I’ll give you a pat on the back if ya do.” Shamrock offered graciously.
Goodnight didn’t quite understand until he was at the alter, and Sweet Dream was being escorted by her father with Trina as the flower girl. His breath caught in his throat, and he forgot to breathe for the entire time it took her to walk down the aisle. A hard smack on below his neck joisted his lungs into working again.
“Thank you,” He muttered as Sweet Dreams reached the top of the stairs to stand under the arch with him.
Cadence cleared her throat, beginning the ritual, “Thank you all for gathering this day to witness this union between Goodnight of the Rossignol clan and Sweet Dreams of the Pomme clan. I Mi Amore Cadenza, Princess, and Alicorn of Love, give this couple my approval and blessings on this day. The love these two ponies have was forged by time, tempered by shared hardship, and refined by their love. Though they will face much more going forward, it is without a doubt that while days will come where one or the other will fail, together they shall overcome as one unit. Goodnight!”
Goodnight stood at attention.
“Do you take Sweet Dreams as your lawful and only wife? To care and aid her in all endeavors, sickness, and heath, rich or poor? To protect and love her?”
“I do!”
“And Sweet Dreams, do you take Goodnight as your lawful and only husband? To care for him, aid him, and love him?”
“I do!”
“Then, by the power invested in me, by the power of Harmony and… other cosmic forces, I, Mi Amore Cadenza, present Mr. and Mrs. Goodnight. May Harmony’s blessing be upon you, and you be as fertile and prosperous as the Apples.”
Sweet Dreams broke out laughing, “I don’t want that many kids.”
“Ya need at least six or ya don’t qualify as a true Apple!” Jazz jeered light-heartedly, causing everypony to chuckle.
As the couple marched down the aisle, the wedding party filing out behind them. In the crowd, Trifecta, who sat next to Jazz, leaned over and asked, “Isn’t Pomme Prench for Apple?”
This caused her to look to Applejack, who turned to Granny Smith, who looked at AJ the Eighth, who looked at the fifty-odd Pomme and Apple family members taking up over half of the chapel. “Their cousins,” Eighth replied with a shrug.
Night Haven Banquet Hall 10:00 PM
After the wedding, there was the reception, filled to the brim with extra guests and food. While Goodnight and Sweet Dreams enjoyed their night, blushing as the crowd clanged their glasses for them to kiss. Their guests were getting to know each other and inquire how they knew the bride and Groom. One table, in particular, was fascinating as it brought to long-separated families together.
At table 33, Trifecta sat in the middle of his brother’s two families. On his left was Thrice the fourth, Little Thrice, and Trina, on his right, was Trinity’s descendants, Sakura, Momo, and Kaki. The three sisters wore elaborate Kimonos for the occasion, each one a different color. Sakura wore red with her hair down, Momo green with her hair in a loose side tail, and Kaki blue, her hair tied up with chopsticks like Kira.
This would be the first meeting between all three families in hundreds of years. The air thick with awkward silence as none of the adults knew how to open up conversations with the other. Luckily there were kids at the table, and they didn’t even notice it.
“Your hair is beautiful,” Trina said, breaking the ice. “All of your hair is, it looks so silky!”
“Aw, that’s so sweet!” Sakura gushed. “I’ll have you know; I was the one who shampooed all our hair. I had to work particularly hard to clean up Momo here, she’s a grease monkey, and her coat was just coated with black muck! I had to ask one of the mages to pressure wash her fur.”
“Ok, you don’t need to go into that much detail, Cherry!” Momo bit out embarrassed. She was never too particular about her appearance, but she didn’t like her sister, making her sound like a slob. “And I’ll have you know I bathe every day after work! The grime is just too thick sometimes.”
The Thrice family cocked their heads at the use of the Equestrian version of Sakura’s name, not knowing it was a dig at the pony in question. For Nippon, ponies saying the Equestrian version of their name was akin to verbally slapping them in the face. It was also a way to show you were cross with somepony.
“Well, PEACH! Maybe if you didn’t just lightly scrub in the water for five minutes, you’d get that tough grime out. Mom and Dad are worried about your upcoming marriage interviews.”
Momo raspberries her sister, “HA! They’re worried about me? That’s rich, coming from you! I know enough grease-stained stallions I know I can choose from if I ever feel the need. Dad had to throw a bonus on your dowry!”
“Kaki!” Sakura whined to the eldest pink triplet.
Kaki set down her drink with a heavy sigh, “You two are far too immature to even be thinking about marriage. Great Mother, how are you two the same age as me?”
Kaki’s retort raised the tension between the families. The Thrice’s uncertain how to interact with the siblings’ squabble, Trifecta burst out in laughter to the point he began to tear up.
“Ahaha! You three are definitely my brothers’ kids. It’s refreshing to see you all bicker like that. Reminds me of the old days.” Trifecta wiped away his tears, settling down, a broad happy grin on his face. “It’s nice having all three of us together again.”
Thrice the fourth smiled, nodding in agreement with his uncle. “Very true, Uncle Trifecta.” Thrice turned to the Nippon Triplets. “Besides you three and your parents, how many others are there in your family? I think we have over sixty in mine. Like you, we’ve had our fair share of twins and triplets. My father was part of a batch of triplets with my brother and I being twins, and our two sisters also being twins. My sister Troika in Filly is expected to have another set of triples before the end of the year.”
“Oi, that’s exciting!” Squealed Sakura.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Momo waved. “She’s having triplets, or she’s having another set of triplets? I’m confused.”
“I believe he said another, implying this is the second time, correct?” Kaki interjected calmly.
Thrice rubbed the back of his head, “Sorry, it’s a bit confusing, I know. What I meant to say this will be her third batch of triplets.”
“THIRD?” The Nippon Triplets screamed.
However, it was Kaki who appeared the palest by this news, “How does she… every time? What?”
Thrice just chuckled, not noticing their distress, “It’s strange I know, but I think it’s because we married a lot of mares that were twins too, it bumped up the chances I guess. How many do you have on your side of the family?”
“We have at least one set of three every generation,” Kaki answered, calming down. “That’s really impressive, though, and kind of scary, I couldn’t imagine having that many kids in such a short time. How old is your sister?”
“Hmm, she’s younger than me by six years, so thirty-five? I think each batch is five years apart or something like that?”
“She was twenty during her first batch of triplets?” Momo gasped, doing the math.
Thrice shrugged, “I guess. Quick question for you three, since we're talking about the family tree, do the male or females have a higher chance of having twins or triplets? This isn’t a science, but I think for us, females always yielded more than the males on average.”
“We’ll have to look back in the family tree for Kaki’s sake,” Momo said, “She is the one most likely to have kids the soonest. She’s getting married to Kiri this year, right?”
The eldest by one minute, blushed, “Yes, in the winter.”
“Because she’s cold-hearted.”
“Sakura!” Momo snapped.
“What? It’s true!”
Momo wrapped herself around her elder sister of two minutes, “Kaki is a kind-hearted, loving big sister, with the face of a sculpted angel!”
“Meaning she’s stone-faced, right? And we have the same face, too, you know?”
“Well, your face is pudgy! I bet it’s from eating all those sweets on guard duty!”
“There’s nothing to do for hours most days! We get like one or two ships in a day for an inspection! And at least my face isn’t grease-stained!”
“It’s my passion!”
“That tank cost you your entire life savings! And you blew it up in your first match!”
“I had insurance! I have enough money to buy a new tank or repair mine if I want.”
“Oh yeah? How about paying rent?”
“I was fine sleeping in my garage, but no! You dragged me off my well-worn couch to sleep on the floor at your place!”
Kaki, once again red from her sisters' embarrassing banter, cut in with the bone-chilling tone that made her the favorite of their parents. “Momo, that couch had lice in it and Sakura… maybe don’t put so many cookies in your lunch for now on? Your armor has been looking rather tight lately.”
Sakura began to sniffle, her face a comedic display of cartoonish waterfall tears. “I hate that you can say that so casually, but I also hate that your social grace is at about zero, and you have no malice when you say things like that. So, I can’t even get mad at you.”
Kaki scoffed, “You say I have zero social grace? I am or was Prince Kiri’s personal guard and retainer, I have plenty of social grace!”
“No, you stood beside him like a statue, never talking to any pony. You also had this really nasty glare whenever a mare would try to approach him. Bone-chilling stuff.” Sakura spouted with a firm nod from Momo. “And don’t try to tell me wrong. Every time I had palace duty and saw you two, you were like that. That is until you were alone with the Prince.” Her smirk widened by a vast margin, looking almost vicious. “So how long was that secret love affair going on?”
“None of your business!” Kaki growled with rosy cheeks.
“Ok, ok, that’s enough girls,” Trifecta said, the only one brave enough to get in between the sisters. Even though they barely knew him, his status as their Ancestral Uncle put him very high in the family hierarchy, which was made all the more hilarious by the fact he didn’t know there was one. That didn’t, however, protect him from what was to come.
“Uncle Tri?” Trina asked with her cute squeaky voice.
“Yes?”
“When are you getting married?”
That innocent question. Spoken with no ulterior motive or malice drew the attention of not just the Nippon sisters, but those seated near them. One of those ponies was Queen Haibara. Her hobby was that of a matchmaker, both official and unofficial, her role in getting Kiri and Kaki together was not minor. Having done a lot of behind the scenes, gathering support from the noble clans of Nippon’s so they would except the two’s union. Naturally, as a mother, she always wanted the best for her children.
Sometimes ensuring that involved threatens and blackmail.
“If you are willing to wait a few years, my youngest daughter will be coming of age in ten years. In full-blooded rinin’s time, that’s nothing really.”
Trifecta felt the steamed carrot and potatoes rise up in his stomach at the offer, his gaze fell on the filly looking confused by her mother’s words. He let the offer slide gently. “No, thanks, I… ah… no… just no…”
Haibara nodded, “Good, I had hoped you’d say that. Now I can present my real offers. Here are photos of the single of age mares in the Shiroyama clan. All of the good stock, of course. Also, just to clarify, of age is over twenty-five, with the extended life spans from the rinin blood, we’ve had to make some adjustments.”
“That’s… um…” Trifecta was overwhelmed as both sides of the family dogpiled him with their options.
“Oh, oh! This one is pretty!” Trina exclaimed excitedly, pointing to one of the pictures.
“Oh, I know her!” Sakura pointed to the picture of a tall white/silver mare with evident rinin genes and pink hair. “She was in my class, growing up! She’s so pretty! And really smart! I think she’s a professor at one of the colleges.”
“Isn’t that Washuwaka?” Momo added. “Oh, she’s designing the next-gen of tanks! You gotta at least date her! At least enough to let me meet her, please! Please, uncle Trifecta!”
“You two are shameful!” Kaki barked, pushing another photo to the fore. “Obviously, Lady Misa Ko Ryo is a better fit for Uncle.”
The picture of Misa Ko Ryo had her posing in a densely layered white kimono, her brown and teal hair in a high tail, and looking very stern. Her coat a light brown color.
“She’s kind of plain,” Sakura said snippety. A sudden dark aura fell over the table. The second oldest triplet turned to see her Queen looking outright demonic at her.
“Hey, hey! My cousin looks plain to you, huh?”
Sakura compared the picture of Misa and the Queen; they could have passed for sisters or mother and daughter. “Oh… oh… oh shit!” Sakura tried to run, but the Queen already had her in the crook of her foreleg. Though it appeared, she was merely hugging her around the neck, but it seemed harmless to the outside eye. And not that Sakura was struggling to breathe. They were going to be in-laws soon. Nothing wrong with some friendly affection, right?
“Let’s go have a little chat about appearances, shall we, dear?”
“Kaki, please help me!” Sakura begged her older sister, who merely took another sip of wine.
“This is a good vintage.”
“Kaki!”
Sakura’s fading pleads disappeared in the chatter while they ignored her plight.
“Daddy, can I learn how to use a sword?” Trina asked suddenly.
“Me too!” Little Thrice begged as well.
Thrice looked across the table to Kaki, who gave him a discreet claw up. “Ahh… let’s ask your mother first.”
“Aww…” The twins bemoaned, while the adults chuckled.
Table 64
While others were engaging in light-hearted banter and creating bonds, those at table sixty-four were experiencing a less cheery atmosphere. Seated across from each other was Celestia and Twilight, Kira and VeeVee adjacent to the Princess and her student. The tension between the two that were almost like mother and daughter was so thick it would take a hacksaw to cut it.
“Twilight, how nice of you to join us.” Celestia greeted after a long uncomfortable silence since Twilight sat down at the table. A whole three minutes if she was accurate. “You look like you need to talk about something serious. Naturally, I’m all ears, but is this truly the best time and place?”
The Princess’s tone came off a little condescending, which made Twilight’s lips curl slightly, much to Celestia’s surprise. Celestia adjusted her tone, striving for that motherly tone ponies were used to, but her own frustrations got in the way, and she couldn’t produce said voice. Much to her chagrin.
(How childish of me.) Hopefully, turning her anger at herself would give her some semblance of balance. (I guess this shows just how much I do care for her if I’m this upset. It feels like I have a daughter again.)
That little thought was enough for Celestia to right herself, and project the aura and authority ponies came to expect from her. The sudden change startled Twilight, cowing her slightly.
“I’ve put this off for some time already,” The unicorn began slowly. “I hope since we're both in public, we’ll keep a cool head.”
“Not a bad plan,” Celestia praised, keeping the fact she knew Twilight was more worried about herself making a scene. “Alright, speak your mind, I’m all ears.”
“I…” Twilight stalled, looking to VeeVee, but the raspberry rinin was a much harsher teacher then the sun princess. She angrily gestured for Twilight to get on with it and returned to eating her cake. “I have some questions. About you, the war, and about me, I guess.”
Celestia nodded, “Alright, ask away.”
“Are you…” Twilight bit her lip, uncertain how to phrase her words. “Are you wearing a mask? Is the Princess I know, fake?” She asked with great fear.
Celestia’s ears drooped at the question. “Oh, I see.” The Princess said sadly. “The answer to your question is difficult for me to answer. Yes, I wear a ‘mask’ as you put it, but it’s me constrained by social grace, and society, but still me. However, I don’t think that’s the answer you want. No, you want to know if I wore a mask when I was teaching you? Right?” Twilight nodded slowly, a lump rising in her throat. “No, that was one of the few times of my day I could be myself. Not many ponies have that privilege.”
“I know,” Twilight acknowledged. “I knew my studies were different from the other students, but why didn’t you teach me any battle magic? What did you want for me?”
Celestia closed her eyes, “Hmm… another tough one, but if I must answer. I had greater expectations for you than that of a mere mage. I still do. However, I’ve come to realize it is not my place to decide your destiny. Whatever path you choose, be it mine or your own or a completely different one. I will accept it.”
Twilight took a deep breath, “Ok, then why did you bring my family over from Maredor? Did you not want a strong mage bloodline in Equestria?”
The purple unicorn closed her eyes and waited for the answer, bracing herself for words she was too afraid to hear, but wanted to hear anyway. She waited. Seconds passed, and then a full minute, Twilight opened her eyes again, seeing Celestia looking absolutely confused.
“What are you talking about, Twilight?”
“You stole a member of the Sparkle Clan from Maredor when you invaded it! One of Sombra’s maids confirmed it! The Sparkle Clan were a well-known mage clan at the time, and you took one after the battle, correct?”
Celestia blinked, completely lost. “We took in refugees, many children among them, so it’s possible, but I wasn’t headhunting them.”
“Then how do you explain my family coming here? Was it really just happenchance? How could you overlook the fact a powerful magical bloodline just happened to come to Equestria after the war? There’s no way you couldn’t have known!”
“Twilight,” Celestia said evenly, teeth clenched hard. “I can plainly see what you accusing me of, but contrary to what you been told or believe, I did not steal a member of the Sparkle Clan from Maredor. If I must defend myself, I was too busy fighting the war and then dealing with the aftermath.”
“You could have easily told somepony to do it.”
“Twilight, I would appreciate some benefit of the doubt here. This was during a war. A fierce one I might add. Magically gifted or not, I did not have the time to think about snatching up magically gifted foals.”
“What if I thought there was a reasonable doubt?” Twilight pressed slightly, rising out her seat.
“Twilight, mind your manners,” VeeVee said, suddenly coming to Celestia’s defense. Stunning Twilight and gaining Celestia’s interest. “I know it’s hard to trust a pony like Celestia after your image of her shattered, but while the Princess may have secret agendas. I doubt they’re as malicious as you imagine. Good intentions gone aryne aside, Princess Celestia is not a villainess.”
Twilight hung her head, sitting back down. “Your right Master VeeVee, I’m just… confused right now. I know I shouldn’t trust Cien’s words, even if it was to torture me, I don’t believe she was lying. What you did to Skaggi… it’s shaken everything I believed you to be, Princess.”
“Yes, I suppose it would,” Celestia muttered sadly. “I wasn’t always the way I am now, but I’d rather not return to the way I was before if I can help it. The world and I were very different. You’ll never understand what things were like back then. How cruel and wild the land was before the dawn of Equestria. What I needed to do to survive and keep my sister safe. You will never understand, and I hope you never have to, but I will never apologize for it!”
There was a bite in the Princess’s words and fire in her eyes. Her voice was low and harder than steel. It was the voice of a pony who accepted her judgment and didn’t care what her accuser thought of her actions. For a moment, Celestia revealed the face of the Warrior goddess she was once called to her student, and like rain washes away dirt, it was gone.
“Is there anything else you want to ask?” Celestia said in a flowery tone that could almost be construed as a dare.
A deep sigh suddenly penetrated the atmosphere, it was Kira, shaking her head and looking very distraught. “To think ‘that’ would lead to this. Unbelievable, Karma must really exist.”
“Huh?” Both Celestia and Twilight said, looking at the white rinin with curiosity. “Kira, please explain what ‘that’ is concerning this conversation.”
The Great Mother Queen of Nippon coughed, taking a drink to clear her throat before beginning her tale. “So, a thousand years ago, during the Maredor invasion, I was partnered with Gadget, he was acting as an engineer, trying to keep the tanks running. We spotted some of Sombra Son’s elite guard breaking rank, and I chased them down and killed them. What I had not known at the time they were fleeing into their home. Which was half destroyed by this point, very sad. Anyway, inside in a cradle was a filly, probably less than a year old. A purple unicorn filly if you must know. Midnight Sparkle was written on the cradle.”
The pieces quickly fell together for both the Princess and her student.
“You took her,” Twilight accused.
Kira shook her head, “No Gadget took her, I just kept silent about it.”
“Midnight Sparkle… that was Gadget’s apprentice.” Celestia murmured, remembering the unicorn in question. She had been all but adopted officially by Gadget/Starwind. Her talent for magic was enough that Celestia offered her a scholarship for Magic School, but Midnight refused, pursuing engineering to following Starwind’s footprints. Even when Starwind left for Nippon Midnight followed him and didn’t return to Equestria for several years. Celestia lost track of her after that. “So, you two kidnapped her.”
“I prefer to think of it as atoning for killing her parents. I did grant her Nippon Citizenship and let her attend our schools for basically nothing. Didn’t cover living expenses though, that was on her. I was surprised when Starwind just up and left her on her own when she turned eighteen, but maybe he couldn’t bear the guilt, or maybe he had other reasons.”
“Starwind probably felt like he was dishonoring Dusk by raising Midnight. I assume. He seemed happy when they were together.” Celestia looked sharply at the Nippon Queen. “Still, it was wrong of you to take her like that. And keep it secret.”
“No, your just upset we kept it secret from you.”
“Am not!”
“It doesn’t matter now anyway, but if you really feel that upset about it.” The smile on Kira’s lips unsettled Celestia as the rinin leveled her gaze at Twilight. “How would you feel about marrying into my clan and coming to Nippon Twilight? I’ve got several available studs who’d take you at my word alone. Might I add, Nippon has a vast secondary education infrastructure. I think there are about eighty colleges. The Mizugami school of Magical Biology, Hydrology, and Botany would welcome you warmly.”
“Eighty schools…” Twilight murmured. Clearly on the verge of taking the offer. However, a swift kick under the table from VeeVee made her snap back to reality. Sort of. “That’s tempting, but would I have to stay in Nippon? Could I come home to visit my parents and friends?”
“You can visit them as much as you can afford to. Some might find it distasteful, I couldn’t care if you spent half the year in Nippon and the other half in Equestria. Just as an example. That said. You would be marrying into nobility, and that comes with social obligations. It varies from clan to clan to what social duties they adopt. Using the Mizugami as an example, you’d have to professor in rural Nippon every once in a while.”
“When did that policy start?” Celestia asked, interested, but Kira only blinked.
“Policy? There’s no state law saying they have to do it, it’s just something they do. Kiri also goes to the rural towns and farms and teaches the sword, offering ponies there a chance to become samurai if they want.” Kira explained with a heartily laugh. “Honestly, ponies will take care of themselves for the most part. I see my role as a ruler to ensure they can do so in peace.”
“We do something similar here in Equestria, though many prefer to run things by me first. Mostly for funding reasons.” Celestia mentioned, starting a pseudo-debate of public policy. “Some causes just need a little boost.”
“Bleh, if it’s important enough, the money will get there. There is no reason to force everypony to pay into a special interest project. In fact, I believe if you don’t, ponies are more willing to give. But we’re getting off-topic, Twilight, what’s your answer?”
“Ah…”
“Stop trying to scout my student, Kira!”
“Oh, hush! You pick her up when she’s five and get mad when I try at eighteen? She’s an adult! She can make her own choices.”
“Yes, but she needs all the facts first.”
“And I am giving her all the facts.”
“You’re just offering her a honey pot!”
The two rulers continued to bicker back and forth. Though their tones were hard, their expressions were soft. They were enjoying the verbal debate, with both being able to treat the other as an equal. It was very refreshing for both of them.
Meanwhile, Twilight found her self relatively forgotten by the sidelines. Though she still had questions, a weight has been lifted off her mind. Watching Celestia verbally spar about policy with Kira gave her yet another version of Celestia she’s never seen before. Dare say the Princess seemed happy. Chatting with little filter or pomp or flair. She came off as very casual.
“You ok?” VeeVee addressed her with concern. “Don’t mind them. They’re just decompressing from having ponies fond over them twenty-four seven.” The raspberry rinin stared at Twilight with worry. “Are you considering Kira’s offer?”
Twilight chewed her lip for a second before shaking her head. “No, it’s a little too early for me to think about romance like that or moving to another country.” She looked on fondly at Celestia. “Besides, I still have things to sort out here and more lessons to learn.”
VeeVee smiled at her, patting Twilight on the leg. “That’s good. Very good. Take your time to figure things out. I’ll be right here to help you.”
“Thanks, VeeVee, you’re a good friend.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Twilight.”
Wedding Party Table
The scene before Luna was a magical one. All the ponies gathered to celebrate Sweet Dreams, and Goodnight’s union really made her heart melt. Truthfully, she was kind of a sucker for things like this. The section of trashy romance novels on her bookshelf a testament to that.
What made her even happier wasn’t that fact she was among her thestral children or within a thestral city. No, it was seeing her night patrollers laughing, drinking, and interacting with ponies of this Era. Her own integration into this new Era was rough enough. Night Patrol seemed to fit in better than she did, but it was in a war role. One that piled on their stress and chance of death.
Luna wanted the Night Patrollers to move on and retire from their lives of death and blood. She just knew it wasn’t going to happen without preparation. The Commando unit brought her some hope. Showing there were ponies of this time that could and would step up. Cadence’s quick adaption to fighting reassured her Equestria had high-level defenders. Even Shining Armor showed potential.
Really it was scenes like this was made her anxious for her own wedding.
“Your legs shaking, you cold?” Sixes wrapped his claw around her foreleg, his body heat radiating like a furnace.
“The room is chillier than expected, even though it’s packed with ponies, but really I’m just excited. Being here, it makes me wish the castle was done.”
Sixes pattered her leg, “It should only be a few more months to a year. The interior work is taking longer than expected. In the meantime, we have plenty of forest to conquer.”
“Yes, your right. I hope we can clear enough space to have small towns and maybe even a small city like this one.”
“Your wish is my command, we’ll get it done.”
Building infrastructure in the Everfree Forest was a mountain of a task, but like every seemingly impossible challenge, it wasn’t as hard as it seemed once you started. The real problem would probably be not cutting down the whole forest once they brought it to heel.
It was still in the preproduction phase, but rumors from the engineering staff suggested there was a way to get the wily forest under control. Before building a cobblestone-road had been a task of its own. Now they were laying train tracks right up to the new castle from Ponyville.
Speaking of Ponyville, the small town entered what could best be described as an industrial revolution. Plots of land were bought up by Fancy Pants for cheap, factories, and other facilities were being built, as well as a housing development for the influx of workers. The single train track was now a hub that received cargo from no less than three of the major cities, with others coming in from mining country delivering raw materials. Those materials were then processed and shipped into the forest via armored railcar.
Currently, every delivery was accompanied by the sound of cannon fire and battle. As the train crew fought off the forest itself and the creatures that dwelled in it. The number of monsters suggested organized attacks.
“We might have kicked a hornet’s nest,” Luna remarked. “We may have to fight a war with the last of the monsters.”
“And it will be the last. Those savage beasts’ numbers were already in decline from our work in the past. If their smart, they’ll leave.” Sixes snorted, confident their campaign would be successful.
Luna had her doubts. “I don’t think you're giving them enough credit Sixes. Besides, we don’t want them scattering across the lands and starting their own war for land and food. If possible, I’d rather round them all up in one place and then wipe them out. If there is some creature organizing them, it makes things even more difficult. But what is their goal? And didn’t something like this happen recently… oh yes! That time in Tartarus!”
Slapping her hoof over her mouth Luna sheepishly smiled and waved to the wedding guests. In a soft voice, she said to Sixes, “Have a unit stationed near the entrance to Tartarus to back up Cerberus. I fear if we push the monsters of the Everfree too hard, they’ll storm Tartarus to free Tirek or someone even worse.”
Her greatest fear was Campe, the Jailer of Tartarus. It was only by the bounds of magic even older than Celestia and herself that Campe was bound to Tartarus. The legend goes Campe was an alicorn that broke a taboo law and was cursed with the body of a Centaur with a scorpion tail. She hadn’t volunteered for the job, and the years of fulfilling that duty made her insane. It was very likely if Campe ever escaped, she would probably want revenge.
In her studies from the last few months, Luna happened upon an old, old text, a poem really. Written by an unknown author with only a faded emblem to serve as a signature. If Luna were honest, it was the mark of infinity. Dusk’s mark. The poem read as such:
For her crime, she shall dine in the hall of flames
With the clank of bastard’s cages, she walks with a crone’s cane
Never to leave, never to die, yet never to live
Only upon the last day, when cells lay bare
Bound by duty no more, her freedom restored.
That was a modern translation of the poem. The rhyming was off because the scholars weren’t sure if they had the right interpretation. So long as the meaning was there, Luna was satisfied. She truly believed this was one of the works donated by Dusk. A warning of one of the worst futures. From what she could glean from the poem was if Tartarus was ever emptied, Campe would be freed from her punishment.
After all, if there were no prisoners, then there was no need for a jailer. The last break out had been dangerously close, letting the old crone out. She probably sat back and let it happen too. Only when they were present did Campe actually do her job.
“This might be inappropriate, but could you slip out and get a message to McGather right away? I would hate to leave this issue any longer.”
Sixes nodded, kissing her cheek before leaving. His pace restrained to not draw attention.
With her partner gone, Luna sat and smiled, waving to the ponies that passed by. Denied pictures while explaining it would be inappropriate without the bride or groom present. Which led her to her suddenly being asked to join in for photos of the couple.
“Sorry about this,” She apologized profusely. “This is your day.”
“We can’t hardly blame them,” Sweet Dreams giggled as the cameras flashed. “Besides, now ponies will actually believe we’re friends.”
Luna smiled, “I suppose.”
When Sixes returned, he wore a serious expression while giving her a solid nod, indicating her command was fulfilled. She relaxed glad the matter was being taken care of. It was nice to have ponies she could trust for issues like this. Not that she wouldn’t follow up to make sure everything was going smoothly, but right now, her priority was the wedding. If the world needed her attention afterward, it would have it. Right now, everything was fine.
Fighting a war on multiple fronts was exhausting, which is why Kaiser Hades was ever so grateful the Dons haven’t tried to attack from the east. Allowing him to focus on the North and Southwest war fronts. Both were collected under the title of the Western front, but when a said front is spread across two countries with very different terrain. The situations might as well be night and day.
Four Divisions, over 17,000 troops, were in a stalemate in the Argon Forest, or what was left of it.
The fifth Air Fleet provided support on the ground while battling with the Prance’s Seventh Air Taskforce. Over Seven ships from both sides have fallen to the ground, massive husks of metal rusting in the trees. That was only one part of hundreds of thousand miles of fighting. Both sides committing well over a million-plus troop to the cause.
To the south, on the Hispania border, five divisions, the ranger corps, and three Shock trooper platoons battled for control of the Alps. The mountain range was a natural fortress and a perfect position for Anti-Air defenses. The five fallen Germane Destroyers were a testament to that. Forcing him to fight a literal uphill battle with his ground forces. At least Roam joined in on his side, only for Friesia to join on the other. Putting his northern border at risk.
Whatever forces the Kaiser could muster without pulling from the east, was sent to deal with that. He had Titania go with her unit to hopefully crush the Friesians before they cut off their northern supply routes. He only hoped five thousand troops would be enough.
Right now, his Kaiserin was out among the public, raising morale and keeping his ponies in high spirits about their otherwise dire situation. She was a charmer. Daresay, she seemed to genuinely see the Germanians as her own subjects. Perhaps she just liked being adored. Whatever the reason, she was happy, and his ponies were zealous in protecting their home.
That left him to tend to the war by letting his Generals do their jobs. He did the bare minimum of interference but remained present to grant permission to their plans or hold them from making an international blunder. Such as when the idea of false flagging Britannia into the war was suggested.
Kaiser liked the idea, Britannia had a rocky history with Prance, but Germane wasn’t close by any regard to the island nation either. If the plot was discovered, it was easy to see the two old rivals joining forces against the third-party meddler.
The best news he’s received today was a newspaper from Equestria with an article detailing Princess Luna’s efforts to colonize the Everfree Forest. It took a bit of reading between the lines, but he deciphered what was really going on. It helped the pony being interviewed was HIM, that clever devil.
“So, Luna’s finally splitting off from Celestia,” He announced, earning confused and shocked expressions from the gathered officers. Kaiser waved them back to their duties, relishing this golden opportunity. “Good, this is perfect timing for us.”
It truly was. Spies in Prance informed him D’ Arc had her lawyers digging through every line of their treaty pact with Equestria to find some clause to drag Equestria into the conflict. Having reviewed the document in question, Hades knew there was no legal recourse. Prance invaded them! It was cut and dry, both Celestia and Luna were unlikely to break the legally binding contract.
Celestia would probably try to send civilian care packages by some means.
However, with the Royal Sisters splitting, he doubted Celestia would want to get involved in the war at this point. Less she risks destabilizing her own country in this critical time. Luna would be too busy building her own little nation to send aid of any kind.
It was indeed, perfect timing. If all goes well, the war should be wrapped up before Equestria can be pulled in.
“Kaiser, sir,” Some pony addressed him, bidding for his attention.
“What is it?” His tone was a bit too flippant, coughing into his leg, he tried again in a more dignified manner. “Has something happened?”
The pony, a young colt, probably barely of age, shook nervously, clearly uncertain if his new was essential enough to interrupt his ruler’s reading.
Kaiser Hades stepped down from his high throne, standing level with the lad. “Report now.” He says encouragingly as possible. The lad seemed to relax at the gentler tone. That was what being the leader was about—understanding and knowing when to be encouraging or to be harsh.
The youngster saluted rigidly, “My Lord! A particular package has arrived, as well as a pony, via Colonel Titania! In her report, there is mention of a smuggler ship she seized off the Northern coasts.”
“I see, what is the nationality of this pony?”
“Equestrian, sir. Cleft Hoofen, former professor of archeology from Canterlot University.”
The Kaiser tilted his head, “I see, why has she sent them here?” His step-daughter did not do things for no reason. There had to be something unique about this pony. “Bring me to this Cleft Hoofen.”
“At once! Please follow me, milord!”
Cleft was behind the palace in the secret landing pad, but that wasn’t what held the Kaiser’s attention. No, it was the towering mass of jaded rock the pony had all but glued himself too, refusing to be more than a few feet from it. The jagged black stone was shaped almost like a flower on the verge of budding, a glossy black sphere acting as the bud. Flashes of red and blue energy boiling beneath the surface, the entire structure radiated power.
“Ah, My Lord Kaiser, I’m so glad to meet you! I trust you can see the value of my life’s discovery. I’m glad I was able to flee Equestria before it too was stolen from me by that damnable Luna!”
He heard but did not acknowledge Cleft’s existence, too enthralled by the black crystal sphere.
“I believe this is some energy source, but I’ve yet to be able to study it properly. If we could harness this power…”
With a sharp motion of his hoof, Hades had Cleft silenced for good. In a daze, he approached the mass of rock, pressed his ear to the warm stone, and listened.
Bump bump… bump bump…
Like a slow, steady drum, he heard the rhythm of a heartbeat.
“My, my, just what did you become?” He grinned viciously, patting the stone lovingly. “Bring this to my lab! With all care! This could very well be our salvation!”
As the mass of dark rock was being transferred, none noticed the tiniest crack begin to form on the top of the mysterious object.
The Everfree forest, last frontier of Equestria, a wild and vast expanse of trees, swamps, and mountains filled to the gills with every sort of creature and monster on the continent. The very flora lived and breathed death, and would hunt any pony that dared to challenge it. It was the pinnacle of danger.
Yet, just as one’s will break another, so too does the forests. The time came to test its metal or bark against another, and much to its and the monster despair. The will of Luna Selene Solaris, Alicorn of Night and Dreams, was far more robust than the collective will of chaos spawned trees.
Once upon a time, merely building a cobblestone road in the Everfree seemed impossible, and had been done. Now no mere way divided the tree line but a mighty rail of steel and timber. A train chugged through the forest. Billowing black smoke and blaring its whistle to warn all in its path to give way. Those that didn’t were met with the sound of cannon fire.
“Here we go, boys!” Vice-Commander Jazz cackled atop the armored railcar. “Mount up and fire!”
From the dark tree line, a wave of monsters with numbers that rivaled a small army, charged. They snarled and growled, snapping their jaws menacingly. It was a pack of Chimera and Timber Wolves. Together they charged across the fifty yards of cleared trees, over barren earth, to the train tracks. The side of the train erupted with cannon fire rivaling that of a small battleship.
The RARATATATATATATA! Of rapid-fire, gem-cannons created a screen of flak alongside the huge BOOMS! Of the cannons.
The train sped away, leaving the pack of thirty dead, dying or wounded. The monsters hadn’t even made the conductor pull the brakes. So finely tune this death machine. Such an attack was barely worth notice and would be described as mundane.
Or barely an inconvenience.
That was how things were now. The last frontier, the most dangerous place in Equestria, the Everfree forest, was being brought to heel.
The Everfree Express, blew its whistle as it began to slow. For the passenger cars, filled with ponies from all over Equestria, the trip was hardly a hardship. Especially for those who have been on before. Rolling into the station, the train let off nearly a hundred ponies. Almost all of them were contract workers, the majority from lower-income regions in the major cities, drawn here by the high pay and opportunity to build a new home for their family.
It wasn’t every day a new city was built at such cheap land costs.
That’s right. A city or more accurately, a castle town was budding around the newly built New Moon Castle.
“Thank you for riding the Everfree Express!” Jazz boasted loudly, from atop the train. The mile-long line of cars slowly moved onto a bypass, where a large crane was waiting to unload the tons of steel, wood, and other materials the workers would need.
Jumping down from the car, Jazz grabbed one of the nearby Engineers. “Sector 5, 34, and 44 need new anti-magic spikes.” She informed the engineer, who nodded, stoically calling a team of rinin to him. She left them to their work, her shift over after five days of riding the rail from New Moon to Ponyville. “Sheesh, I’m beat.”
Part of the success of the Everfree rail line was the implementation of rune engraved spikes. The entire track was built with them, even the steel beams were engraved. This prevented the forest from overtaking the railway.
Even that hadn’t been enough at first. The trees beside the tracks attacked, and thus they were cut down, their stumps staked with anti-magic spikes. Now not to be caught unawares again, Night Patrol cut a swath of fifty feet on either side of the railway and staked the trees bordering the forest, creating a sort of anti-magic barrier.
The method was so successful that they made a loop. Instead of the train having to backup and or be pulled by a second engine on the back of the load, it just kept going forward back to the railyard in Ponyville.
There was a trainyard in Ponyville now, a big one. Along with some factories and new residential areas. The town really exploded and was now double to even triple the population. There was another clearing a few miles away from where another city was in the process of being founded. They were already constructing more track to connect to New Moon Castle.
Several other sights were justifying the planning of an entire train network to run throughout the forest. It was years in development, but they were already started.
“Good job, Jazz.” Luna praised, the Vice Commander stiffened and saluted formally since they were in public.
“Thank you, ma’am! I’m just doing my job.”
“I appreciate it either way,” Luna chuckled, smiling, leading the way through the budding castle down. A new sturdy steel bridge crossed the ravine with two more in the process of being built. Besides New Moon Castle, there were a few other buildings. A general store, grocery store, and a pub. The smallest inkling of a town was starting to bud, it was exciting. That said, for security reasons, the city had to be X distance from the castle. A small wall acted as a cutoff, with plans for the wall to be raised higher to use for actual defense.
“Home sweet home.” Jazz sighed, relief flooding her system upon entering the castle.
“Indeed,” Luna agreed.
Unlike the castle of the two sisters, which could have been considered small, New Moon castle dwarfed it by three stories with more square footage. With seven tiers above ground and three below.
This didn’t even include the network of tunnels leading to the underground annexes of bases, armories, shelters, and air docks.
Entering the main floor, Luna and Jazz waded through the main hall/throne room. It was filled with business ponies, investors, and interested residents seeking to move here. Other than a few waves, no pony even acknowledged the alicorn. All of the ponies that would usually be lined up out the door in Canterlot were broken up into smaller, much more manageable lines that were being managed by a trained professional.
Luna slowed her pace to get an earful on how things were going with her decentralized system.
“One of our agents just opened up, you're submitting a blueprint, right? Lot#87? Correct? Correct. Ok, go into the hall behind me, office two, Hardcase will meet with you, and we’ll get you approved by the end of the day.”
“This is the sales ticket for today's shipment? Good, thank you, we’ll have the bill paid ASAP. Thank you have a good day.”
“You're interested in moving here at the end of your contract? Ok, I’ll need you to fill out this forum. Please remember to list your spouse and offspring and any other relatives coming with you. Do you have a lot ready, or do you need to sign up for one? If you do, you need to talk to Miss Tart, she’ll help you out. Ok, thank you!”
Luna couldn’t help but smile. Ponies were still waiting in line, but they move quickly, with no more than five ponies in front of them. Having twenty secretaries with over a hundred agents in offices seemed to be enough for the current workload. If not, there were still some unused rooms available.
The majority of the first floor of the castle was public offices with a large kitchen and public bath, along with a few bedrooms for officials or travelers. Currently, the rooms were being used as a hotel for the workers.
Like before, there were two flights of stairs going east and west, with a set of thrones nestled between them on a raised platform, but there was little reason for her to be sitting there most days. The Agents were able to read and approve the vast majority of paperwork and petitions currently.
Traveling up the east stairs, Luna and Jazz looked over the railing to the crowd below. The clop of hooves drew their attention to a pony appearing from the secret staircase beside the main door. The pony paused briefly, spotting the two, bowed, resuming their search for their destination.
On the second floor, managers nestled in their own individual offices housed all the paperwork and documents for their department. When an Agent was unable to handle any particular request, the requester was sent upstairs. Currently, there were ten departments. The pony that appeared from the hidden stairs entered the permit office. So he was most likely planning to build a house or store.
“I wonder what’s that about,” Jazz said aloud.
“If it needs my attention, it will get to me.” Was Luna’s response, pressing on. Right now, there was a lot of empty space on the second floor. Located on the northern end was her office, along with the Commander’s offices, with many unoccupied rooms that could be used for anything depending on future needs. She didn’t bother going to her office now, having finished reviewing any crucial documents from yesterday. Her current work schedule was 7pm to 12pm. And it was just past noon now.
Time for her to sleep.
A yawn escaped her as she climbed the stairs to the third floor, the community area for the Patrollers. On this floor, there was a plethora of game rooms, a library, another kitchen, and a dining hall. There was also Platinum’s workshop and other faculties, such as a locker room and a community bath. Separate and Co-ed. It was basically the living room of the castle.
“Hey, they put in the arcade!” Jazz noted with glee.
Luna’s eye glanced at the room filled with new-age electronic entertainment. With flashy titles such as Pony Rumble 2, Super Princess Sisters, Yellow Mumch-Mumch, Pony Quest, and many others. A deep longing to try the mysterious, colorful noise boxes lay deep inside her, but she was worried how it would affect her image, so she refrained, for now.
Reaching the end of the east hall, the pair turned left and climbed the stairs entering the residential area of the castle—the fourth floor. Here rooms of equal size filled out the entire story. What they looked like inside was up to the pony who lived there.
Each one was outfitted with a small private bath to wash or fetch a drink, and there was enough room to fit two bunk beds if needed. Right now, the current number of Patrollers made that unnecessary. There were also more rooms on the bases and annexes with plenty of land for expansion. It’s not like Night Patrollers had to stay here either. They were free to go live wherever and commute to work, or even retire if they so choose.
Luna was particularly interested in how many would choose to live elsewhere once towns started to develop.
“Ma’am,” Smokey Haze greeted, passing through the hall. Vanished in a cloud of smoke into what Luna assumed was his room.
A rush of hooves soon followed, so Jazz and Luna stopped, Vani Lu skidding into view. “Smokey! Stop turning into smoke! You're making the carpet smell!”
There was also a common area in the center of the fourth floor with couches and pillows. Most ponies used it to read or talk if they didn’t want to be in the library or dining hall. Several newspapers from various cities were delivered to the coffee table there.
“Hi Lady Luna, sorry, but did you see where Smokey went?” Luna pointed to the room she’s seen the monster pony enter, causing Vani Lu to let out a shriek! “That’s my room! Don’t you dare make it smell like sulfur in there!”
Sidestepping, Luna allowed Vani Lu to rush to the defense of her room, choosing to let the two hash out the manner themselves.
“Smokey Haze is more immature then I would have guessed. He seems so serious.” Luna commented as she and Jazz continued onward. Well she did, Jazz broke off opening one of the rooms.
“Yeah, Smokey’s got some mischief in him, but…Aww.” A loud yawn escaped Jazz’s throat. “I’m gonna get my towel and bathe and then hit the sack. I’ll see you around, Lady Luna.”
“Same, have a good rest.” Luna waved goodbye and ascended to the next floor by herself. “I’m glad I got them to drop the Princess title, but Lady isn’t much better in its own way.” She mumbled while climbing the stairs. “I suppose it’s better than Duchess or Baroness. I’ll have to decide on my new title. Maybe I should just go with Queen? I will be married soon. Though Duke Sixes does have a nice ring to it.”
The fifth floor, in every sense of the word, was the royal suite. Level five was the smallest of the residential areas, with only three enormous suites that took up the majority of the square space. A modest open space that housed the stairs to the sixth floor was located in the middle of the story. From the stairs, the rooms on the left and right were VIP guest quarters.
The VIP rooms were spacious, with a ridiculous amount of luxuries, such as private baths, master bedrooms, two more bedrooms, and servant quarters. Over half the floor was taken up by just those two rooms.
Of course, Luna couldn’t speak much on the matter. Not when her room took up the remainder of the floor. Traveling around the stairs, Luna stood before the wide double doors that lead to her suite. When she left it to Kira and Hazel to design it, she stressed she didn’t want anything too over the top. Now she realized she should have made clear what over the top was.
Entering the room, Luna was once again awestruck by the beauty of her suite. Or rather her and Sixes’ suit. It was truly fit for a king and Queen. There was a large open common area with silk, SILK couches, chairs, and an elegantly carved coffee table made of mahogany.
To the right was a full kitchen for their use with a full-time on-call chef. On her left was a bookshelf filled with all her private and favorite books, with extra room to spare. The shelf ran the entire length of the wall and reached to the ceiling.
The west suite was the master bedroom, with a full King-sized bed and a hot water bath large enough to fit five ponies. There was also a smaller coffee table and chairs for just her and Sixes. On the east side were four more bedrooms of equal size with another full-size bathroom at the end of the hall. Those rooms were for their future children.
“A little early for that, I think, but how many kids are they expecting us to have?” Luna mused with a blush, warm excitement bubbled in her heart at the idea of having kids again. Someday. Right now, she wanted to make sure everything was running smoothly before that. “Five years isn’t too long of a wait, maybe three if things are going well.”
After the sisters had sworn off kids for the last millennia (Decades in Luna’s case), Luna was trying to keep her excitement contained. She secretly wanted to experience the joy of having little ones running around again.
Maybe it was foolish to rescind that decision, there were still politics that made her wary, but to live in fear of it was also silly. Life marches on after all.
Entering the kitchen, Luna retrieved a pitcher of sweet ice tea, adding a slice of lemon. This was a recent addition to her palet. AJ Eighth served the brew on her last visit, and both she and Sixes had a taste for it now. With an exasperated sigh, she sipped the beverage enjoying the chilled sweet taste. It was caffeinated, but she was so tired she doubted it would matter.
“It’s a little lonely in this big room.” She commented, setting the empty glass in the sink.
Sixes is away on a three-day mission, and wouldn’t be home until tonight if not later. Choosing not to let it get the better of her. Luna went to her bedroom, discarding her regalia on the floor, kicking the obsidian color garments beside her dresser, and entered the bath. It was nice having a hot tub ready all the time. She had objected to the idea at first but now found it worthwhile.
Soaking down to her neck, Luna levitated her current book (Legend of Epona) over and read while levitating brushes and other cleaning tools. In Canterlot, there would be maids, here, she did herself, because why not? In its own way, flexing her magical muscles like this helped keep her control sharp. The mental stress also helped her calm her mind by making her not think about work. Sixes was concerned she was just adding to her anxiety, and he may be right, but until she dropped a book in the water, she was going to continue.
“Oops!” Luna tightened her hold on the book, letting the other objects fall with a clatter on the marble floor. “Ok… that’s probably enough for today.”
Drying off with a towel, Luna pulled on the silk pajama’s Sixes had given her. It was a thin see-through thing, that was pretty much pointless as a garment, but it was soft and comfortable. He begrudging admitted asking Platinum for help picking it out. Which made her smile.
“He’s softening up, he’s like he was… no, he’s better than before. I hope that continues.” The hard-jaded edge that Sixes grew over their time apart was slowly being filed away. He smiled more now, she smiled more. She also indulged in more frivolous interests, like the nightgown. They were both slowly changing and adjusting. “I can’t wait for the wedding.”
Yes, she and Sixes have yet to officially marry, though, to them, they were already married. The ceremony was just a formality at this point.
The deadline for her announcement of her independent territory was not as set in stone as she wanted it to be. The castle was finished and livable, yes, but now two towns were springing up with a few more being scouted.
That was Sixes’s current mission, making another clearing for more cities. The lasts one was near AJ Eighth’s home place. A massive swath of the Apple Clan already put a down payment on the land rights for several locations. They were indeed Equestria’s Pioneers.
The submitted name for the pending town was Night Orchard. While waiting for the soft embrace of sleep, Luna hoped ponies didn’t think “Night” was required in the naming of everything within her territory.
“Hmm… it’s nice, but it feels awkward… (YAWN) I’ll have to catch up with today’s reports tonight, I’ll have to talk to Sixes if it’s ok if we wait until the Castle town is finished or partly finished. Having a lone castle in the woods…” Luna murmured the last of her sentence, her eyes closing and staying closed. The room-filling with her soft snores. “Sixes…” She mumbled as sleep finally took her.
“Thank you so much for stopping by, Mr. Sixes.” AJ Eighth said while limping towards her home. “It’s nice to have so much company.”
“Just Sixes is fine, and it’s no trouble. I’m sure Luna would be upset if I didn’t stop and say hello.”
“Oh, you’re too kind.”
“Not always,” He smiled, his fangs peeking out. “How are things? Monsters giving you trouble?”
Eighth popped her neck while slipping off her prosthetic leg in the mudroom. “Hmm, the Cinders have been quiet, too quiet. Haven’t bothered me in the slightest. Makes me think they’re planning something big.”
“I’ll buff up the patrols around the area. Since you’re the only resident out here, I’ll have a team on standby, if you don’t mind the company that is.”
“Oh shucks, that’s too kind. Don’t waste your time with this old nag. Though the thought is appreciated. I’ll be sure to make extra supper.”
“That’s really not… that’s very kind of you. Don’t be afraid to ask the off-duty ones to do some chores if you need to.” Sixes took the path of least resistance, knowing it was useless to refuse AJ Eighth’s kindness. “While I’m here, is there anything you think you might need? We’ll send it out with the Security team.”
“I got some unwedded Fillies and Stallions coming over to join in that new settlement. Think you could have some singles on your end be apart of that team? My family traditionally likes Earth Ponies, but we’ve broadened our outlook. If you count one Pegasus and one Unicorn diversifying.”
“You looking to add Rinin to the mix?”
Eighth shrugged, “Never said they had to be. Really our stallions are struggling more than the mares for mates. Enough fillies are running around but not that many that want to live in the boonies. And there are few if any Apple’s that will move to the city. That said, my… nephew? Braeburn said they had a small family of unicorns move in. All females. A mother and her daughters. Apparently, one of the daughters is fixin’ to marry into the family. They might be moving to the new settlement too. I guess the mother’s looking to remarry also. She’s a widow from what I understand, but still spry. Some of the ruder Stallions that need an ear to the stove call her Mrs. Mil… I’m not going to say it. I swear those boys sometimes.”
Sixes could only laugh, “Well, that’s youngsters. They’ll mature fast out here.”
Eighth bobbed her head, “I suppose. Speaking of youngsters, how’s that young couple doing? Goody and Sweets? It’s been half a year since they married, right?”
“Ten months,” Sixes corrected. “Seems like their getting settled. Their living in Canterlot right now.”
“Blah, horrible place to raise kids that place. Tell me their moving?”
“They might be in a few weeks or months here. Depends on how well the Everfree housing project goes. We need more than just the Apples to sign up for it.”
“Ask the Pears,” Eighth suggested. “They’re a rough and tumble sort. Just don’t tell Granny Smith, they got some bad history.”
“I’ll consider it.” He replied politely.
In truth, he’d rather not stir trouble if it involved the Apples, even if an AJ was the one to suggest it. Whatever reason she had for bringing it up, he would let the Apples sort it out. That said, if the Pears approached on their own accord, he saw no reason to turn them away either.
Approaching his chopper, Sixes dictated two of his subordinates to guard duty, while he returned to base to organize the real team. While sending a message to one of the Gem Lilies.
Gem Lily was slang for the mares monitoring the Gem Com network or GCN. There were stallions too, but the vast majority of the Lilies were mares looking for full-time light work with little risk of danger. Thanks to the advancement of relays and other technologies Sixes didn’t really understand, some of the lilies could work from home or locally depending on which region they resided in. A lily’s primary job was to receive and pass on long-distance communications and send them to the home base.
At his current location, the closest relay was Ponyville.
“Hello, hello, this is Mrs. Button, sorry Lily PV-96, how can I help you today?”
“This is Commander Sixes, send this message to home. Long term mission at Night Orchard Location, need volunteers. Four minimum, single ponies preferred. Be ready to leave by the time I arrive. Over.”
“Copy that Commander, I will pass that along. Anything else I can help you with today?”
Sixes checked the time, it was just past two, Luna was already asleep. “No, thank you.”
“Your welcome, please have a safe journey home. Goodbye!”
“She’s a sweetie, isn’t she?” The Pilot said over the coms as they flew over the forest. “She’s single right?”
“Why are you asking me like I know?” Was Sixes’ reply, ignoring the chatter in his ear, preferring to keep a hawk’s eye on the forest below. Even if it was a blur of green.
“Yeah, she’s sweet, but you ready to be a dad, Rockshard? She comes with a colt, ya know.” One of the others said.
Rockshard let out a long whistle. “If things go right, I’d think about it. I mean, I’m not in a position to be picky myself!” He laughed, flipping the visor of his helmet up to show a brief view of his scarred face. “I mean, I’d love any mare that could stand to look at this face!”
In one of the few instances of a Chopper being brought down in Night Patrol history, Rockshard, an earth Rinin, had been piloting. Surviving the crash, but not walking away unscathed. The fire burned half of his face, his left ear seared off, and his left leg was now a prosthetic. It was amazing he could be so cheery about it.
“So, Commander, how long until you and the Lady declare independence or whatever.” Rolle was a standard Rinin of copper coloring, one of the younger ones, and part of the last batch.
Rockshard had been two classes ahead of the others present. Due to the fact Sixes had been their primary instructor and they were young and inexperienced having been only a few missions, the members the last batch was much more casual with him then he liked.
“When we’re ready,” Was his unsatisfying answer to the rookies. Turns out, starting a country from scratch was really hard, needing time, investments, populace, infrastructure. All of that took time. Looking back, declaring independence with a single castle was kind of crazy. “I’m having a meeting on it when Topaz gets back.”
This prompted a laugh from Rolle and the others. “Since when do you go to those kinds of meetings, Boss?”
“First, it’s sir, not boss, I trained you better. Second, every operation needs planning. Now keep quiet, I’m gonna try and get some sleep.”
The Rookies could only roll their eyes, only Sixes could sleep on a chopper ride and maybe actually get some decent shut-eye.
Three hours later, Sixes’s chopper landed at 5 o’clock on the sixth-floor landing pad. The Sixth level of the castle acted as a landing bay for the fliers and aircraft, the hanger proper located in the airdocks.
The command center on the seventh floor helped coordinate missions, and the sizable gem receiver received transmissions day and night. All these tools, plus rotating shifts, allowed for quick emergency deployments at any time of day.
Sixes jumped out of the chopper, and briefly inspected the team going to Night Orchard. There were ten volunteers. He told them to be ready to leave once their transport was available. They were a little short on choppers. Rockshard would have to refuel and inspect his machine and then swap with another pilot before the team could leave.
A bit of miscalculation on his part, forgetting how stretched thin their choppers were.
Sixes contacted McGather, who said he would take care of it, while on the way to his and Luna’s suite. After stating he would be going radio silent for half an hour, Sixes shut off his com. Figuring that gave him just enough time to refresh himself with a shower.
Inside the room, Sixes felt a twinge of shame entering the pristine sanctuary with grime and muck. Which is why he insisted on the small secret passage right by the door. It was a little cubby in the wall with enough room for one, maybe two ponies to fit. Here he could dispense his armor and undersuit in private and not make the main room a mess. Placing his helmet on the peg built into the wall, he exited the cubby to the Master bathroom while fiercely scratching his scalp.
“Might have to replace the lining in my helmet. Gods, that’s an itch.” He grumbled.
Instead of indulging in a bath, he opted for a shower. Really, he only took a bath with Luna or for cards and booze nights. The guys were really into hot spring gambling. Kira introduced it to them. The main reason he preferred the shower was because of the black water flowing down the drain beneath his feet. Sure, the bathwater was filtered, but the sides and bottom could still be stained. This was just more convenient.
Once he was refreshed, Sixes exited the steam-filled room, to the bedroom, finding Luna snoozing under the blankets. He shivered, almost seeing his breath. “How cold does she have it in here? No wonder she’s using three heavy quilts.”
His wife was wrapped up in three blankets like a caterpillar waiting to be a butterfly. She looked amazingly toasty, mumbling soft words in her sleep, her cheeks a slight pink. Sixes leaned to hear what she was saying. “You want ten? That’s fine…” Luna giggled, and he felt a twinge of worry.
(We’re gonna have to talk about that later.)
Kissing Luna on the forehead, Sixes whispered goodbye in her ear and left as quietly as he entered.
Descending to the second-floor Sixes made a beeline for his office, yes, he had an office. All the Commanders and even the Vice Commanders did. Although his office was different, being slightly more significant than the others. Luna’s office is at the end of the hall. His was to the right of hers with a connecting door between them. It was more of a joint office, he guessed.
Waiting for him inside was a pile of paperwork a foot tall.
“Let’s see what we got today, promotion exams, Night Hunter training IX? Oh, Kira’s new training regimen. Hmm, she’s got quite the list of candidates. Does she think everypony needs retraining?” Sorting the papers into the proper piles, Sixes snorted when he found a sticky note from Kira. “A lot of my family and subjects want to join, please accommodate them. Mostly civilians? I guess we can’t have military personal transferring over. There are a few big names here too. A lot of her grandkids? No Great Grandkids, whatever. There’s what, fifty of them listed here?”
With a rumbling noise in his throat, Sixes scratched his head while pondering what to do.
Setting the note aside in the ‘discuss with Luna’ pile, Sixes picked through Topaz’s latest report. “Manehatten is green, Filly is yellow, and Canterlot red, huh? No surprise there.” A few other cities were listed, most of them labeled yellow or green.
Topaz’s current mission was getting a feel of the public opinion of the Everfree declaring independence. There was a massive campaign to endure themselves to the populace so they wouldn’t raise too big of a stink.
Green meant sixty percent or higher polled were open or indifferent to the idea, yellow, was more lukewarm, and uncertain, but not outright opposed. Red was opposed. Besides Canterlot, there were three other cities labeled red. And a lot more yellow then they would like.
“We’ll have to improve public opinion, hopefully when the towns are officially established, we can push for independence.” Sixes could feel the gears in his head starting to smoke trying to keep up with the behind the scenes politics. Had he known things were going to be this complex, he might have urged Luna to wait, but the balls rolling now. There was literally no stopping what they were doing. The best they could do was time their announcement right. “Well, technically, the castle isn’t done.”
There was still a lot of empty space, but the castle was livable, so it could be considered done. They were using that gray wording to extend their announcement time. Much to a smug Celestia, probably predicting they’d run into this kind of trouble.
She ‘generously’ extended their time to separate. While dropping not so subtle hints, they could always just declare themselves a colony.
It was annoying to know that without Equestria acting as a bulwark, they had no chance of even getting started. Which made it all the more important to present themselves as Equestria’s ally or sister nation.
“Maybe Luna rushed into this, not the first time she’s moved on an idea without groundwork. Night Patrol was the same way. Only this time, stumbling upon a cave of ponies isn’t going to solve our problems. Guess I better get a hold of the lawyers again.” His sigh was interrupted by a knock at the door. “Come in.”
Kira popped her head in the door, grinning like a sly fox as she entered. “Having fun?”
“Tons,” He grunted, offering Kira a seat. “How are things on your end?”
Striding across the room, Kira sat down elegantly and then immediately slumped. Letting her regal mask drop like a rock. “Oh, they’re fine, I guess. You get my note?” Sixes nodded. “Good, so we’ll have no shortage of recruits. There are a lot of Thestral volunteers too, no surprise there. There are actually too many ponies.”
“So, we need more instructors?” Sixes mumbled while filling out other paperwork. “We can move up the promotion exams, I guess. Trifecta is past due for a promotion anyways. Bixin and Smokey Haze too. They’re both capable.”
“What about Gloves and Jazz? They’re the youngest of the Vice Commanders, but they’ve more them proven themselves.” Kira argued with a sideward glance added. “Hazel, Octane, and Ruby would be good candidates for Vice Commanders.”
Sixes stopped writing, looking at Kira skeptically. “I think you're rather biased towards them. You were their teacher.”
“So were you, you act like I trained everypony by myself, but it was a group effort, don’t forget Fury and Topaz both played a role in their education. I may be a bit biased, but they won’t grow without experience. What about Shamrock, Essex, and Highlander, then? They’re all experienced, strong, already in leadership positions, the transition would be smooth by all metrics. That is unless you’re still holding a grudge about them leaving?”
“No,” He answered sharply, though she found it unconvincing. “Luna gave them a choice, and they chose to leave; it was understandable they would want to see the world after being trapped in the factory. Besides, they did come back when we needed help.”
“And yet you keep them at a distance. Is it just the leavers or Shamrock’s group?”
“I don’t know what you're inferring, they just work best where they are now.” Sixes insisted, yet not meeting Kira’s eyes. “If they want to take the exams, and they pass, I’ll say nothing about it. Happy?”
“I suppose I will have to be. While we’re on the subject of the exams, I’ve made several improvements over the years. Even you, Fury, and Topaz would be hard-pressed to pass.”
“Oh, really? Is that a challenge?”
Kira merely grinned, “Why don’t you try it yourself? We’ll use your score as the passing grade.”
“I’ll consider it.” He moved several stacks to the proper bins, his eyes darting between his work and Kira. Seemed she had more to say but was hesitating for some reason. Something else? He wondered, seizing on the apparent answer. “Do you want to talk about… HER again?”
“In time, I’m more interested in how you and Luna are planning to respond to the Germane-Prench war.” Kira clicked her tongue while shaking her head. “Even the name is inaccurate, but I suppose it would be a bother to list every country involved. The number is up to six now.”
“Six?” Sixes faltered, glancing at the map behind him. A broad red line traveled across the continent of Europa, with each country at war highlighted by a faction in different colors. The map showed four currently, Prench-Hispania, Germane-Austopona. “Who joined? And which side?”
Kira sighed, “This was information from my shinobi spying in the area, the countries themselves haven’t declared war publicly yet, but I’ve heard it will be Roam on the Germane-Austopona side, and Friesian on the Prench-Hispania side. Britannia is staying neutral for now.”
“What about Nippon? You still staying out of it?”
“Of course, but The Dons have been raising a fuss near our waters with the Cossacks. We might be dragged into a war ourselves, though an unrelated one. Funny how conflict spreads like that.”
“Yeah, our best bet is to not get involved until we’re ready. Hopefully, things will be over in three years.” Sixes nodded, having received several reports on both sides in the war. Going off those numbers, Topaz predicted the countries would have to stop or liquefy their economies to continue fighting. The two countries joining was a shot in the leg that would only extend the conflict. “We should try and persuade others from joining; otherwise, we could be looking at an end-times war.”
“Indeed,” Kira agreed, concerned, having witnessed several.
An End Times War was not the end of the world, but the ending of an era. Usually, they happened when a civilization reached is peak and implodes, prompting its weaker neighbors to dogpile and destroy it. Though it usually ends with everypony getting wiped out. From the ashes new kingdom and countries emerge, setting off a Beginning Times war, where they try to establish the pecking order for the newly minted era.
“Well, those are bound to happen anyway; you can only delay when,” Kira said sagely. “It’s almost a natural cycle in its own way. Regardless, we should do everything within our power to prevent it. It’s all bit troublesome, though.”
“What is? Preventing war? It’s always been that way.”
“No, I was thinking of Dusk and that vision she showed us. It’s been bothering me. All those futures, all leading down different paths. It’s frustrating knowing that even if you try with all your might to stop one disaster, another could easily rise in its place.” Kira’s expression darkened, clenching her teeth tightly. “I was most unhappy with my role in some of those futures. Killing my friends like that. I suppose I’m at least leaving up to my name.”
Killing the Nightmare Celestia and Luna is no easy feat. It was impressive that any single pony could defeat either one, let alone one by themselves. Even if it was only a possible future, Sixes wondered if Celestia and Luna worried that Kira might do them in.
Probably not, but Luna has been training more as of late.
“Do you think you could, as you are now?” Sixes inquired.
“I think I could take one and leave the other too injured to fight. Both are still so rusty. I’m honestly surprised Sombra’s children gave them so much trouble. They’ll need to get into shape.”
Usually, a statement like that would be condemned as arrogant, but Kira spoke so matter of the fact that it left little room for debate. If she had to, she could take down one of the Royal Sisters, pressed hard, she could do both. Sixes had no reason to doubt that.
“Enough about that, I find it depressing,” Kira griped, not enjoying the idea of even entertaining that future was possible. She would not let it. “Onto something else. I want to talk about…”
Sixes held up a claw, sighing deeply, he knew what was coming next. “Let me guess, her?”
“Of course! She is my student.”
He shook his head, “That’s fine, but why do you insist on bringing me into this? It’s your pet project. Besides, haven’t you already trained enough monsters?”
“Firstly, WE trained monsters. You, Fury, Topaz, and I. That said, I find Octane, Hazel, and Ruby still lacking, so I’ll be brushing up their training too. What I can’t figure out is why you’re letting Twilight slip through your claws.”
“Kira,” Sixes trailed off sounding exhausted, wondering how many times they’ve been over this in the past ten months. “What can I teach her that you can’t? I don’t… I don’t want to get involved.”
“Oh, come off it Sixes, you’ve known since Dusk’s visit, that vision of Twilight fighting, that was your training.”
“A little of it, yes, but there was just as much You, Fury, and Topaz in there. She moved like a Night Hunter, ok? Is that what you want from me?”
“What I want is for you to do your part. Like it or not, that Twilight is facing a dark future, a future I might add, where she is one of the last survivors. That means Celestia, Luna, you, me, all of us were defeated. She may very well be our Ace in the hole.”
“Maybe,” He hesitated. “There is the other, though. That yellow alicorn.”
Kira closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “Just consider it? Please?”
Truly not wanting to keep going in circles on this subject, Sixes put forth a solution. “If she gets the approval of Fury and Topaz, I’ll admit defeat. That said, she’ll have to get through basic first. Actually, no, since you think so highly of her, she has to pass the Vice Commander exam too.”
“Fine, I know she’ll rise to the challenge. I’ll make sure she’s Commander Level!”
“I’ll see it when I believe it!” He retorted.
The black and white rinin snarled in challenge at each other, both eager to make the other eat their words. The tension was suddenly broken when Sixes began scratching his head, very aggressively.
Kira stepped back, weirded out by Sixes bizarre shift. He was acting almost like a dog with fleas. Things didn’t get better when he began to dig into his scalp, specks of blood coating his claws.
“Ok… what the hells wrong with you?” Rising to bipedal, Kira made use of her four arms to grab Sixes’ forelegs and gently thrift through his mane like she was looking for lice.
“Don’t know, I’ve had this weird itch for a while now, it’s like somethings underneath my skull! Sometimes I have to rub my head against a tree! Gods! Let me get to it! It’s driving me nuts!”
“Oh, calm down,” Kira snapped lightly, using the thumb of her claw to move his hair. “Huh? What the…”
“What? What is it?”
“Well,” Kira murmured, trying to find the right words. “I’m no genealogist, but I think I know where Crusader got his antlers, and it wasn’t from his mother.”
Letting Sixes go, Kira stepped back as the stunned Rinin slowly felt the top of his head, eventually finding the two horn stubs growing out of his head.
Colonel Fleck of The Kaiser’s Imperial army looked out over the barren wasteland, simply dubbed, The No Lands, from atop the remains of the SMS CL Schlamm.
The airship had fallen to the ground taking all the crew with it when it crashed to earth. Though she may never fly again, it’s guns still served the crown. What had once been a tomb, was now a sturdy fortress in the middle of the No lands.
Fleck coughed; his lungs clogged from the damp air. He spat a glop of thick yellow mucus onto the hastily welded steel deck.
Wiping the spatter from his scuff, he bemoaned his unkempt facial hair. It was unbecoming for a soldier, let alone an officer of his majesty’s army, to present themselves in such an uncouth manner. Alas, razors were in short supply, and his knife was dull.
Checking the vast brown soggy ground, Fleck peered through his binoculars, eyeing where the last wave clashed. The multicolored bodies made it easy to see against the barren background.
He winced, seeing one of his brothers in arms tangled in a mess of barbwire, crows pecking his empty eye socket.
Rage flooded his system.
The nerve of the Prench to start this war and then whine when they get their flanks handed to them. It made him sick to his stomach. The pompous frog kissing leaches, he hoped they came to today! He wanted to slaughter them all!
“Come on, come on, Prenchie, come on!”
“Colonel Fleck!” His Adjutant shouted. “The scouts report a massive wave! The enemy is advancing!”
Movement caught Fleck’s attention. A string of barbwire wobbled as his two scouts scurried over the barricades. His hoof tapped restlessly, helplessly watching their slow slog through the mud and bodies.
“Do we have fliers?”
“No, sir! They’re engaged six thousand meters above to the north by five clicks.”
Fleck clicked his tongue, annoyed and frustrated. His scowl was cold and heartless. “LOAD GUNS!”
His Adjutant barely hesitated, repeating the command over the wireless. His unit wasn’t part of the navy or air navy, they were a Panzerkampf, a mix of infantry, artillery, and mechanized units. That said, while the metrics were different, the process was similar.
The artillery ponies quickly familiarized themselves with the ship’s batteries making them their own. They also added a number of their artillery guns to the hull and deck.
The rapid, click, click, click of cranks resounded throughout the ship, the gunners making their adjustments.
“Come on, come on, make it!” Fleck bit his lip, watching his two scouts hurry for the trenches that would assure their safety. He quickly panned to the hill, spotting the first flamboyant glint of the enemies’ stylish uniforms. He saw the light of a horn, followed by a flash.
“Krauts down!” His Adjutant shouted, narrating what he could not see. “Enemy five thousand meters out!”
Another horn flashed, followed by ten more, line fire. “Protzig is down, sir! They’re dead!”
Fleck snarled, heckles reverberating violently! “Hold!” He shouted as the enemy flooded over the hill, hundreds upon hundreds charging headlong to their deaths, while their primitive tanks chugged through the mud over the trenches and barbwire.
“Sir!”
“Hold!”
“Colonel, please!”
Fleck’s snarled turned into a full-blown grin of satisfaction. “Fire.”
The Adjutant yelled.
“FIRE!”
“FIRE!”
“FIRE!”
The entire side of the Schlamm erupted with cannon fire. 150mm cannons, 88mm artillery, and the Ratatata of the smaller 20mm guns spread out like a porcupine’s needles across the muddy plains.
“Keep an eye on the skies! Look out for Fliers!” his Adjutant advised the soldiers, but they already knew that. This was far from their first rodeo.
“Keep the communications jammed! Don’t let them report back!” Fleck barked. This was the third attempt by the enemy to overrun them.
Currently, their armored infantry was encircling the enemy to block their escape.
It was only a matter of time though, he knew, they would get smart and plan some new tactic. He wasn’t brilliant enough to foresee what it could be, but he would kill as many Prench and Hispanians as possible before they took him.
“For the Kaiser!” Fleck proclaimed proudly.
“For the Kaiser!” His soldiers replied, with fervor.
“They’re past the fifth line, sir!”
Even with the rain of shells, the enemy’s numbers allowed them to weather the storm of lead. They were too close to the ship to use the 150mm or the 88mm. Overwhelming the 20mm would just be a matter of time.
“300 meters, sir!”
“MASKS!”
“MASKS ON!” His Adjutant repeated.
A fixing the horrifying rubber mask to his muzzle, Fleck and those under him saw the world through a very narrow circular view. He slowed his breath to not overwhelm his filter, his hoof resting on a series of toggle switches.
“200 meters!”
He hit the first switch, activating a yellow light.
“150 meters!”
Fleck hit the second switch, this time a red light.
“100 meters!”
Fleck grinned, eager to feast on vengeance. He hit the last switch, turning it green. Sirens wailed throughout the derelict ship—greenish-yellow smog pouring from welded on ventilation shafts, rolling across the battlefield like a wave.
Mustard Gas.
Without the improved masks supplied by their forces, it was a slow assured death.
The results were instantaneous. Terrorized screamed rose from the cloud of death that melted the hair off the enemy’s skin, burning the exposed soft flesh beneath. It blinded them, filled their lungs with toxic fumes, causing severe coughing fits that resulted in vile and blood.
Fleck watched it all unfold, cold, uncaring for the pony lives withering before him. His only desire, his driving force, was he wished he could have gotten more.
“Kill them… we will kill these vile invaders! We’ll kill all of them!” His snarl reverberated through the entire unit. To protect their families, their country, they needed to pile the enemy corpses to the sky!
That was the idea of Operation Anvil.
Instead of taking enemy territory, they couldn’t keep or hold. They let the enemy smash themselves against their hardened defenses—spending materials and lives to their heart’s content. At the same time, Germane special forces were behind enemy lines sabotaging factories, rails, anything to clog the enemy war machine.
The Air and Sea navy blocked any and all shipments they could. Slowly but surely, they would cause Prance and Hispania to crumble under the weight of war.
Fleck was only one small part of this plan, but he would do his duty.
“Check for survivors once the cloud clears and ready for the next wave!” He ordered.
While his soldiers went to work, Fleck looked to the sky, black clouds from cannons shot from far above, exploded. If the enemy chanced it, they could send a functioning airship to take them out. To do that, they would need to get past the Germanian 3rd Air fleet.
“Stay strong, mein brothers. Stay strong.”
In the Skies over The Alps, one hundred kilometers from Hill 4859. Commander Vieh of the SMS Destroyer Z28 of the 3rd fleet detached force flew with their sister ships, Destroyers Z29 and Z31. They acted as the vanguard for a daring attack to solidify their position on the ground.
Their target was the Hispanian Airship Hidalgo, a battleship.
“We may be outgunned, but we have them outnumbered! Surround them and hit them from all sides!” Vieh ordered as they navigated through rain and thunder. Bolts of lightning arced through the clouds they sailed, coming dangerously close to hitting them and shorting out their instruments. “Get closer and below the bow of the ship! They can’t lower their main batteries that far!”
“Incoming, ma’am!”
Four shots from the Hidalgo’s quadruple 381mm cannons zoomed by, the G force flinging one of her sailors off the side of the ship.
Vieh righted herself as the ship rocked back and forth on its floatation cloud. The shots from their own 128mm cannon zoomed over the control tower of the enemy ship or went low. The battleships heavy armor nearly unscathed.
“We could have at least gotten a cruiser, even a light one,” Vieh grumbled, frustrated by the plight of their aerial navy forces. They had destroyers for days but lacked everything else.
Currently, Germane only had three battleships and four battlecruisers. The closest one, The Hades, was engaged with Prance’s Chateau, near the southern sea.
However, while they may be outgunned, but their leader wasn’t just throwing them to the wolves. Aboard every Destroyer was a new weapon, designed to bring even the mightiest battleship to heel. Providing you could get close enough to use it. There were some targeting issues.
“Ready Sky Torpedoes!” Vieh called. “Get within 15,000 meters (9 miles)! Are there any friendlies below us?”
“We’re currently over mountain 249, ma’am! No, friendlies!”
Vieh nodded, “Good. To all ships, fire when in range!”
The Z28 and her sisters flew in a single line formation, facing broadside to the Hidalgo. Every soul aboard the small Destroyers could only pray as they faced down eight 381mm barrels and six 150mm barrels.
From over twelve miles away, the 381mm fired, two shots from each turret.
“Evasive maneuvers!”
The nimble Destroyers zigzagged, inching closer and closer, the battleships first volley missing, but the second volley came immediately after.
“Brei!” Vieh screamed into the radio as the shells hit Z29.
The little ship blew up, it’s ammo hold hit. Burning bodies fell like rain, there was little chance for there to be survivors.
“Commander, we’re in range!”
“Fire Torpedoes!”
Mounted on the rear half of the ship, were four cylinders with 533mm magnetic sky torpedoes inside. The term missile was also accurate. Both Z28 and Z31 fired their salvos. Their respective captains biting their lips as the eight rockets zoomed through the sky.
One exploded prematurely, another veered off course to parts unknown, two collided with each other, that was half of what they fired. All their hope remained with the remaining four. One zoomed past the bow of the Hidalgo, leading too far, but the remaining three slammed right into the battleship.
The results were glorious.
The front of the ship exploded, blowing up the bow, the front turret also went up in flames, but the third and final rocket hit the control tower—the brain of the ship.
“Get closer! Aim for their guns and engines!” Vieh commanded, the ship lurching hard left at full speed. Their forward gun firing as fast as it could.
“Hit! Hit! Hit! We got them locked in ma’am!” Her first mate cheered.
A shell hit the second turret, damaging it—two of the four barrels stuck at the wrong angle, smoke billowing from the massive gun.
From the Z31, it fired it’s 127mm, plunging shells into the wooden deck, before sinking lower, going for the underbelly of the ship.
“Langen, be careful, they might have defenses down there.” She warned her only remaining ship.
A gruff, “I know.” Came over the radio. The Z31 positioned its self at an angle for bombarding the belly of the ship, firing for effect. The 127mm shell burrowed through the cloud underneath the battleship, seeming to have no effect. It made sense, airships underbellies were very vulnerable, to make up for that they were reinforced with extra armor.
“Damn, it’s too hard,” Langen growled, firing another five shells at the ship’s belly, hoping for a lucky shot.
Attacking from below seemed obvious, and it was a valid idea, but airship guns weren’t designed to shoot a straight ninety degrees straight up, and there was also the factor of gravity.
“Get back up here! We need to sink this thing fast before enemy reinforcements show up!” Vieh barked at Langen.
Really though, it was only a matter of time. Even if the Hidalgo were to escape, it would be months before it was functional again. In some ways, it was better to let it get away. All the time and resources Hispania would need to dump into the ship to keep it flying would be massive.
That is if they didn’t scrap it and use it for parts. Or try to combine it with some other half-destroyed ship or some ship they were developing.
“Circle around back, get a clean shot at those engines!” Vieh ordered coming to a decision. She would not give the enemy anything!
It took a while, the armor of the battleship was thick, but a well-aimed shot into the thrusters had the Hidalgo tilting earthwards. A plume of black smoke rising from the rear of the ship.
Ponies were parachuting off the side, hoping to escape the flames. Vieh held up a hoof for her forces to cease firing. They would violate the war treaty if they continued to attack. That said, since the rules for Airships were murky, there was no need to attempt to collect the surrendering soldiers.
“To all ships! We’re rejoining with the main fleet! Helms pony! Take us home!”
They were low on supplies, the battle exhausted all of their torpedoes and their shells. Another ship would have to be added to their task force, and repairs were needed.
“We’re not out of the woods yet, boys and girls, steady as she goes until we’re home!” Vieh chipperly announced over the intercom. In three hours, they would be back with the main fleet in the homeland. Hopefully, they could get some R and R before going back out.
The sky fleet was stretched thin, even a day’s rest would be enough at this point.
“Let this war end soon, please.” Vieh prayed though she doubted there were any cosmic beings left to pray to.
Somewhere in the Northern sea
U-boat-534, captained by Riss von Lute, a gruff stallion of the noble house of Lute, bastard son of a Lord Lute and a maid. He was given nothing from his father’s wealth to live off of and chose the hard life of a submariner.
For his service and graduating the War College, he was given his status of von by his own merit. His task in the Northern sea was to sink cargo ships of both the sea and air variety.
Sinking sea ships was quickly done by a torpedo, but taking out airships was a different matter, especially the iron ones. It was a task of great magnitude, requiring skill and precision.
“Captain, scouts have picked up a target, eight thousand meters above sea level.”
“Prepare to surface, ready the SAR-32s, ports one and five.” His orders were given out calmly and precisely. Their scout in the clouds giving them updates by the second.
“Target will be in range in one minute! Adjust trajectory lead time!” The missile operator bellowed as they surfaced.
“No targets on the sea surface, we’re clear to fire, in thirty seconds.” The sonar and radar technician reported. “Twenty-five, surfacing now!”
The hull of the U-boat emerged from the rocky waves; the long gray steel beast weathered the wrath of the ocean as four hatches opened. With an ear-shattering noise, four Surface to Air rockets were fired, shooting thousands of feet into the hair in seconds.
The crew of U-534 didn’t stick around, submerging once more and speeding off at full speed.
“O-3, report, did we hit?”
With bated breath, the crew waited for their scout’s report over the wireless. One minute passed, then two. Finally, on minute three, his announcement came.
“Target hit, and listing downward. Two of four hit, black smoke rising from cargo cruiser. Target disabled, repeat target disabled, they're going for an emergency landing.”
They didn’t celebrate, having hoped to score a kill, but Captain Lute was comforted by the fact the wounded ship would draw in others. With it in the water, it gave them something to hit later.
Riss wasn’t a glory hog either, he knew his single U-boat would not be enough to take out the repair ship and its escort.
“Call for a Wolfpack, we’re going hunting, send our location to U-65 and U-198, tell them to wait for my signal.”
“Roger that, they can make rendezvous in two hours.”
“Perfect, let us hope we can nab a big catch.” Riss proclaimed vigorously, eager for the chance to hunt more prey.
“Let’s rip out their throats, boys, and girls!” Colonel Titania Von Blunt rallied her elite unit against their Prench and Hispania counterparts.
The Holy Survivantes and Calaveras Inquisitors.
The term counterpart was a bit too generous in Titania’s opinion. Of course, she was biased in favor of her personally trained shock troopers.
The Survivantes and Calaveras were the elite of the enemy army. Prance and Hispania, respectively, each organization having roots in each country founding.
But were they the elite of the elite? The cream of the cream of the crop? No, they were merely elite soldiers, she and her unit where Elite Warriors. Born for battle, raised for action, and thirsty for a fight!
The stupid Calaveras, whose helmet was a full-face skull design, figured this out when Titania punched him in the face! Her booted hoof breaking his ornate helm, his jaw, and crushing his cheekbone into powder. In a hilarious slow-motion scene, Titania observed her victims’ eye floating past her in midair.
“Explosion spells!” She ordered.
With no further instructions, her detached company fired without hesitation, four powerful explosion erupted within the Calaveras unit, sending the heavily armed pegasus veering in every direction, in pieces.
“Vous Salauds!” The Survivantes screamed on the ground, shooting up a wall of multicolored magic missiles.
Time for mission details. The Calaveras were Hispania’s elite all-male pegasus force, their original equipment was a long lance, a round shield, and twin wing blades. Their heavy armor gave them mass and protection necessary to break fortified formations from a hundred years ago.
Now they were just slow out of date heroes of yesteryear.
The Survivantes were the opposite, a Prench all-female force of holy warrior maidens, trained in magic and raised to be fanatics. Their rabid fanaticism and flexible unit composition made them more dangerous than the Calaveras.
Their most significant drawback was their lack of a large flight unit. Only a few could fly, Paladins she thought they were called. Pegasus with magic items is all they were. Only one was an actual threat.
The Queen herself, D’Arcy, owned breastplate with magic wings attached to it, allowing the unicorn flight.
“What century does she think this is? A ruler fighting in pitched battle? How naïve.” Titania sneered at the Queen. Despising her for starting this fight and being reckless with the future of their nation.
If she were to fall in battle, then what? What would Prance-Hispania do with their final leader gone?
Titania shook her head, at least D’Arcy was making this as easy as it was with El Cid.
“Vile monster!” D’Arcy screamed, barreling down on Titania, ignoring all others. “For my beloved!”
Snorting, Titania took evasive actions, twisting and turning masterfully in the air, while D’Arcy gave chase. The Prench Queen’s movements not quite as refined.
(She probably only has me beat in magic.) Titania theorized while swooping and weaving between D’Arcy’s attacks.
Her metal horn popped and crackled as it clicked into place, Titania took a breath before firing an AP Magic Missile. The glowing gold blast blew through one, two, and then three ponies that tried to aid their leader.
“Tsk, a little more, and I could have gotten her too.”
“By my divine blood, I will slay you demon!” D’Arcy screamed, firing off four impressive blasts of magic the size of watermelons.
Titania weaved through them, engaging her wing blades, wishing she could be so wasteful with her magic. “Must be nice, being so blessed, life must be easy for you.” She grumbled, not particularly caring if the black and silver unicorn heard her or not.
“Still, though I think it more cursed, you’re not the only divine blood here.” Eyes glowing a goldish/orange, Titania felt a surge of magical heat spread throughout her body.
Gold fire danced on her horn and wings, her eyes ablaze with energy. Facing her down was D’Arcy’s blazing azure eyes, and wings, her horn a blade of plasma.
“DIE DEMON!”
“ROT IN HELL BITCH!”
The two Divine blooded clashed, their attack drawing the awe of all, the fighting stopped, just for a moment. Each side waiting to see who was the victor of the next level conflict.
“Colonel!” Zeppelin rushed into the sky, catching her small commander midair. Her Heinkel Model 89 was utterly destroyed beyond repair, overloaded by the clash.
Titania struggled to stay conscious, face a bloody mess, with one eye tightly closed. Keeping pressure on gash in her armor. “That bitch…” She mumbled, falling into the Zeppelin’s embrace.
With the Colonel unconscious, command fell to her. “We’re pulling out! Protect the Colonel at all costs!” Zeppelin snapped, taking off with her miniature commander tucked safety in her embrace.
Luckily, the enemy was unable to give chase, for D’Arcy was in no better shape. The black/silver unicorn howled to the cloud-covered sky; a long gash burned across her barrel. Half of her face covered with her blood.
“Next time, Demon! Next time!” She proclaimed. “NEXT TIME I’LL HAVE YOUR HEAD!”
When that next time would be was uncertain.
Germane Capital-the City square-Sometime later
“And that’s all the time I have today, children.” Kaiserin Chrissy declared to a crowd of adorable filly and colts who awed with disappointment as she closed makeshift book of newspaper articles, titled, ‘Tales of the Front, Our valent heroes’ triumphs.’
“But what about Colonel Blunt? Is she ok?” A filly asked.
“Yeah, did she make it back? Will she fight again?” A colt asked.
“Ok, ok, calm down, now.” Chrissy urged gently while smiling. “This is top secret, but if you promise to keep quiet, I’ll tell you what became of Colonel Titania.”
The children leaned in carefully.
“She’s recovering on a beach, impatiently waiting for her next chance to bring the vile D’Arcy to justice!” The children cheered! “But if you want her to recover faster, be sure to remember to tell your parents to buy bonds. As for you, little ones here’s some chocolate. Only Five copper bits, each one you buy, will pay for a soldier to enjoy out in the field!”
“Yay!” The children screamed with delight, quickly filling the lockbox next to the maid guarding the desired chocolates. Once the children dispersed for home, the ‘maid’ removed her headpiece, letting her glorious blonde hair fall down.
“You sure run a tight ship stepmother and can spin some tales. Just so you know, I’d prefer to still be on that beach.”
Chrissy waved off Titania’s comment, “Just mother is fine, Titania, don’t be so high strung. It’s all for the war effort, right?” She hummed pocketing the box of coppers and giving it to Titania. “Now don’t go and spend that on yourself, this is for your entire unit.” She tossed in a silver Bit with a wink. “But, of course, I have to throw in your allowance?”
Titania blushed, accepting the silver graciously, “Thank you, mother.”
“That’s my girl, now you get better soon. You are our ace in the hole.”
“Yes, mother, I know. I’ll use this cursed blood of mine to ensure your and father’s future.”
Chrissy wrapped a leg around her stepdaughter, “Oh, how sweet, but you should really stop thinking in such depressing terms. You’re going to be a big sister soon, you know?”
“Oh… I… congrats… I guess. Umm, what are you going to do about… you know?”
“Don’t sweat it, your father already has a solution in hoof,” Chrissy assured her as they took a turn towards the palace. Along the way, the Kaiserin procured a newspaper to read while they walked. “Hmm, what’s your opinion on this?”
Titania took the paper having to stop and read it without her Heinkel to levitate it. “Luna’s little project here? What does my opinion matter?”
Chrissy let out an annoyed hiss, “Stop it, your third in line to rule if your father or I was to suddenly die. Just give me a summary, no holding back now.”
“Sure, sure, you just have to make everything homework, huh?” Titania clicked her tongue at the news article. “Well normally I’d say it’s stupid to divide their country like this, but ironically war breaking out was probably the best thing for them and us. Equestria is dumping resources into the Everfree, keeping them from helping our enemies, and the war keeps any country from trying to attack with their armies tied up all over. I see they’re still trying to play Luna’s little kingdom off as a territory. Their media campaign is clever, slowly guiding their populace into accepting what will be a foreign nation without a fight.”
“Indeed, but what happens when things settle down? How does that affect us?” Chrissy pressed.
“I hope the war will be over before then, but I imagine if things are to drag on that long, Celestia will want to get involved whether she has to or not. I guess it depends if I can kill D’Arcy before then.”
This time Chrissy clucked her tongue, “With how easily you killed El Cid, I’m surprised this is taking so long.”
“That was a sneak attack at night mother, we killed him while he slept. I must admit I underestimated D’Arcy, she’s a very talented mage, fueled by rage, and out to kill me. She’s likely to get herself killed, but she’ll probably take me with her. I have a lot of magic, but I’m limited in how I can use it.”
“Yes, you managed to fry your Heinkel in your bout last month, but she’s still recovering too. Our engineers and your father are working around the clock on the next model. We probably won’t be able to mass-produce it, but I’m sure the next Horn and Wings will be a cut above even the Heinkel.”
Titania sighed, sitting on a bench to catch her breath, holding her side. “That stupid Prench unicorn got me in the ribs.” She complained, feeling the sore spot on her body. Her maid outfit covered the twenty-inch-long gash the Prench Queen gave her, along with a hundred stitches. “She carved halfway through my ribs, the doctors had to fill them with something or other to keep them together.”
The Kaiserin smiled softly, gently stroking her stepdaughter’s silky blond hair. “If I were able, I would go and kill that wrench myself.”
“I bet you could, you managed to take Celestia, right?”
“Only for a short while,” Chrissy pouted. “And I doubt I’ll be able to gather such a source of power again. It’s been rather humbling these last few… I suppose it’s been more than a year since then, maybe longer.”
Chrissy brought up her prosthetic leg, currently disguised as a real one. “I must say… I’ve grown used to them. I might actually miss them when my new body is done.”
“Yeah, about that? Are you still sure you want to do that? Soul jumping to a new body or whatever? What if something goes wrong?” Titania asked concerned, which Chrissy found sweet.
“Believe me, I’m not real excited about it either. The icky pink coloring earns no favors with me, but your father went through the trouble. Besides, it would be nice to have another ace in the hole? We put so much pressure on you.”
“I’m fine. Honestly, you two don’t need to worry about me.” Titania replied embarrassedly. “You’ve done so much, both Father and you. Father took me in after my mom died, and you were kind to me. You didn’t have to be.”
“Oh, look at you, acting so cute! I should take a picture to show Hades, it will surely help with his stress, not that I’m not taking care of that every night.”
“Yeah, I don’t need to hear that.”
“You’re twenty, don’t tell me you don’t have some piece of candy tucked away. Its Zeppelin isn’t it, you like her, right?”
“Well, she is fun to tease off duty… and on duty. I wouldn’t mind forming a herd with her or just keeping her to myself.”
“That’s my girl! Go get her, tame that plucky tight ass!”
“Ok, we’re getting out of the public eye before ponies realize you’re a lewd old mare.”
“I prefer experienced love maker,” Chrissy chided with a hotly upturned nose. “Now come on, let’s get home to lunch and then bed for you. Nice try with the maid outfit though, its funny more ponies don’t realize it’s you.”
“No pony pays attention to the maids, at least those that don’t have a maid fetish do,” Titania said, resuming the walk back home. She was supposed to stay in bed to recover with only light exercise, i.e., walking. And only so far.
She had snuck out and hiked nearly across the entire city to ease her restlessness, before running into Chrissy at the plaza, where she had to sit through story time with the Kaiserin.
“I’ll have to get stronger, if I can’t beat D’Arcy, then I’m no match against Celestia.”
Chrissy snorted, “You’ve got a card to play against Celestia, I say worry more about Luna.”
Titania’s mood soured further as she thought of the Sun Princess, her lips reverberating in an angry growl. “Yeah, I hope to give her if only a little bit of what she deserves.”
“Well, you just might get your chance one day,” Chrissy remarked listlessly, looking at the cloudy sky overhead. “I’d prefer if you didn’t have too.”
“What was that mother? You were speaking too softly.”
Five years. A lot can happen in that time. For Equestria, they saw the rise of their sister nation in the Everfree Forest. Ruled by the younger sister of the beloved Princess Celestia, the Duchy of Evernight modernized the once wild and untamed lands.
There Duchess Luna Selene Solaris ruled with her husband, Duke Sixes, at her side.
The two rulers toured Equestria, promoting the new nation, and offering those who wish to, to move there. Many of those on the lower rung of society took the chance to start a new life. Braving the new frontier and making their claim.
Currently, there were five cities with populations of ten thousand or higher, with many smaller towns and settlements scattered through the still heavy forested lands. Not to worry, though, a well-planned railway traveled throughout the entire nation. Making travel between every significant city and those built along the tracks, easy and convenient.
It was not unheard of for a pony to travel from Night Orchard, the furthest southern city, and reach the Capital New Moon in half a day’s ride.
New Moon Castle, and the surrounding town, was located where the castle of the Two Sisters once stood. From there, one could travel on the isolated railway to Lunar Academia. The counterpart to Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns. Except this school was not so narrow in its education. The school’s slogan was ‘To those who seek knowledge, start here.’ Ponies of all races were welcome to study and learn whatever subject they desired with a library considered to be on par with that of Alexandra.
It was Evernight’s current (only) college-level Academy. All lower education was managed by respective cities and settlements. Yes, despite the odds against them, Luna’s nation prospered.
Yet, from her balcony dressed in a thin silk nightgown, the Duchess gazed upon her beloved moon with a troubled expression. An empty glass of iced tea on the table beside her, the sweating glass kept the latest article from Europona from flying away in the crisp autumn air.
“WAR REACHES NEW LEVEL OF DISASTER! FIFTEEN MILLION DEAD AND RISING! TWELVE NATIONS AT WAR!”
The tragedy of the Europona conflict was swelling even beyond her imagination. It almost made her feel guilty by how good things were here versus there. Yet she remained determined not to get involved.
Not even when the letters began arriving.
Yes, letters. From children or those that lost loved ones, begging her for help.
It was a cruel trick by D’Arcy to hook them in. One she was losing against, but thankfully, she had Sixes to deal with them. Though that was just as painful sometimes.
He didn’t read the letters, he burned them. Out of sight, but Luna knew what he was doing.
Luna remembered the night Sixes came home to find her crying in the living room, surrounded by opened envelopes.
His anger was fierce as a wildfire, but his approach was methodical. He pointed out more than a few, maybe even half or more, were fake. Or documented. Pointing out one that was supposedly written by a young child, who knew a lot of military slang terms and was very articulate in his writing. For being seven.
Once more, she read the letters and discovered similar patterns. The same pony or ponies were writing the majority of the letters—no doubt professional propagandist.
However, there were some genuine real letters mixed in, too, real heart-breakers. Mother’s crying for their sons and husbands, little sisters begging for their brothers and boyfriends to be returned safely. Things like that.
Even so, Luna remained determined not to intervene and sent a warning to her sister of the false letters. This had started three years ago, and Luna was impressed Celestia managed to hold out this long before breaking rank.
“Here’s the Manehatten Post.” Sixes all but spat slapping the newspaper on the small table over the old one. The headline reading ‘Princess Celestia goes to broker peace!’ The caption below was of Celestia standing proudly upon her personal ship, the Le fleur, on her way to what was hopefully a Peace Conference between the fighting world leaders.
“So, she went?” Luna remarked, resigned. “Well, I wish her luck.”
“We should have stopped her. It would have made a stronger statement if you’d both gone together, but no, she rushes off on her own.”
Luna smiled broadly, “My, you’ve certainly grown into political strategy over the years.”
“No, I’m just going off Topaz’s frustrated remarks. He actually said something less mild-mannered. A maid reported he even tossed his coffee cup against the wall.”
“Oh my, he’ll need a vacation, I suppose.” Luna shifted her gaze from the moon to her husband. Her eyelids half-closed, her smile softer. “You need a horn filing again.” She giggled.
For his part, Sixes merely blew the stray strain of hair from his eyes. His mane had suddenly exploded in growth, giving him almost a lion’s mane appearance. The most significant and more irritating change was the two black antlers on his head.
Antlers, his son, Crusader, once had.
“I wish I could snap these off,” Sixes fumed, gripping a horn with his claw, but restrained himself. The horn would only grow back. And at an unnatural rate. He was coming around to the fact he was stuck with them. “Still, there not as bad as these stupid things.”
Sixes indicated the black crystallized spikes protruding from his joints. He was an odd combination of Topaz and Crusader, and he was taller than Luna now. His muscles really filled out too, not quite bulky, but much stockier than before.
“They are rather pokey,” Laughed Luna with little humor, remembering the night the spikes suddenly grew and jabbed her in the side. The bedsheets were also torn. “Hopefully this is the last of the changes. Any advice from Kira?”
“No, she just said there’s no telling what new features will appear. I don’t know if I should take solace in the fact that the others are evolving too or not.”
In the past five years, there had been a rash of evolutions as Kira coined, among the older Rinin. This resulted in new features, abilities, and looks. There was very little standardization, each Rinin seemingly having a personal transformation.
There was a massive uptick in rinin magic users with Sixes among them.
“You know,” Luna thought aloud while nuzzling up to Sixes. “There seems to be a lot more Kirin in you, Rinin than originally thought.”
“I could have gone without the hair extensions.” Grumbled Sixes laying his head top hers.
“I kind of like it,” She grinned, burrowing into Sixes’ silky mane. “It’s better than the spikes.”
“I suppose.” He signed as they gazed at the moon together. “So about Sunny.”
“She wants to stay in that other world?”
“Yeah,” Sixes sighed tiredly.
Some time ago, a small adventure involving Celestia’s and Sixes’ lost grandchild, Sunset Shimmer, happened. It was a whole ordeal dealing with the lost Nico Vega’s children and Sunset Shimmers' friends.
The other world was an interesting one, the creatures there strange and exciting. Luna herself had even visited, along with Celestia. Both her husband and sister made trips to check up on Sunset, who was in line for the Equestrian throne.
However, despite her sister's efforts, Sunset seemed determined to remain in the other world with her friends. Ironic that the Magic of friendship would thwart Celestia in such away.
“I think Celestia’s being too desperate. I offered for Sunny to vacation here, but she turned me down.”
“Well, we have her room ready if she changes her mind.” Was Luna's response.
By all legal definitions, Sunset was her step-granddaughter? Or something along those lines. She wasn’t disinterested in the young unicorn’s fate but instead didn’t expect anything from her. Sunset seemed to be relieved by this considering what her grandmother wanted for her.
“Sorry,” Said Sixes after a moment of silence.
“It’s fine,” Luna assured him. “You said you would look out for her, and you are.”
“We could go visit her if you want.” Suggested Sixes, knowing how much Luna liked spending time in the other world. A world of new and exciting things to discover and places to explore. It was also a beautiful vacation spot.
Luna rested her head against his shoulder, “Tempting, but things are too chaotic right now for me to leave. I’m more relieved Sunset isn’t here and safe in that other world. Maybe it sounds cruel, but I hope she stays there. I don’t want what that future Dusk showed us. She can remain happy with her friends.”
It had taken all of two seconds for everypony to realize the alicorn fighting beside Twilight in Dusk’s vision, was Sunset Shimmer. The lost granddaughter of Celestia has yet to receive her wings, though. Piling on her future expectations.
“Yeah,” he said softly. “Sunny’s better off in that world if that’s what waiting for her here.”
To lift the mood, Luna changed topics, “So how do you like your new Commander.”
“Oh, bug off.”
Luna smirked, “You’re just mad Kira proved you wrong.”
It took some time, years of training, and rising through the ranks, but Twilight Sparkle was finally a Night Commander. Candidate. There weren’t any open slots right now, but she was a Vice Commander.
There were several new commanders, six in total. The surge in recruits required the formation of three new units.
With Sixes as Commander in Chief of Night Patrol, the Commanders were Topaz Slicer, Fierce Fury, Trifecta, Lucky Shamrock, Essex, and Ruby Blaze.
The Vice Commanders were Gloves, Bulwark Bulldrake, AppleJazz, Goodnight, Smokey Haze, and Twilight Sparkle.
“We’ll see how she does. I would have preferred Bixin, but he decided to retire early.”
Luna shrugged; proud Twilight had done so well in Night Patrol. If only to hold it over, Celestia. “It was expected, Bixin is one of the older Rinin. It’s not surprising he retired after he married and had a foal or two. He wants to spend time with them. Besides, Twilight and Topaz seem to get along fine. They’re an excellent working duo.”
“Don’t go playing cupid now, sweetie.” Sixes teased. “Besides, I think she and Trifecta are a lot closer.”
“It doesn’t matter to me, and I’d never take Cadence’s job from her,” Luna said with mock offense. “Speaking of Cadence, did you hear? She’s pregnant!”
“That was fast. Then again, it’s been a few years since the wedding, there has been quite the baby boom lately.” Sixes silently counted off the number of kids with his claw, the total well over the number of digits available.
“Gloves and Fleetfoot, Goodnight and Sweet Dreams, Platinum and Bulwark,” Luna listed off. “I think Platinum is next in the betting pool, but Spitfire might beat her. Things are scorching between her and Fury right now. Oh, and Shamrock and Essex might finally be ready to have foals. I guess that means you’ll be an uncle.”
“Yeah.”
“You still uneasy about that? Shamrock didn’t mean… well, he was drunk when he blabbed.”
Sixes let out a long breath. “I always suspected it was kind of obvious, but I don’t know what to do now. I’m not the brother she knew, and I don’t remember her. I’m glad Essex isn’t pushing me to be a pony I’m not, but I don’t know how to act around her.”
“Well, there’s nothing wrong with just interacting and getting to know each other again. You can just be friends, can’t you? You’re already comrades.”
He sighed, “I suppose.”
Luna couldn’t help but sigh herself, hoping the issue would be put to rest. She patted Sixes’ neck, “Well, you can do better than my sister and I, at the very least.”
“It has been several months since you two last spoke to each other.”
This earned him a light jab in the ribs.
“We’re just busy! Besides the time apart is good for us, distance makes the heart grow fonder after all.” With a faint blush, Luna added. “Also, there’s less chance to get on each other’s nerves.”
Though there were still issues between her and Celestia, between both of them ruling over their respective nations, they really didn’t have time to but heads. For the first time in a long time, they were living apart from each other. Hopefully, as Cadence phases into the role of Queen of Equestria, the stable ground between her and Celestia would solidify.
“How soon before she has to retire?” Sixes inquired.
“I think by the time of Cadence and Shining’s first child. I think she has to at least step down to an advisor position. Really, I just want her to go enjoy life. I know she wants too, but the stupid war is prolonging things. I really hope she can talk them down.”
“Yeah…” A comfortable silence built up between them, but something began to nag Luna.
“Sixes…”
“Yeah?”
“You didn’t say… plan a covert mission without discussing it with me, did you?” She accused, only half-joking. “I’ve noticed I haven’t seen Topaz and select others today, or the past two days rather.”
“Not to the peace conference.”
“But, there is a mission?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
Sixes suddenly found the stars really interesting, especially when they rearranged themselves into a question mark. Followed by an exclamation point and a vaguely angry face of a pony.
“Now, that’s just an abuse of power.”
“SIXES!”
“You’ll get the report when they get back, don’t worry about it. It’s not like it’s an assassination. That was discussed, though,” Sixes added quietly. At Luna’s frown, he pacified with her with the bare bones of details. Tried. Tried to pacify. “It’s just some intel gathering. From several hostile nations.”
Luna narrowed her eyes, her face wrinkling with a disapproving frown. Firmly she pointed to the couch.
“Really?” Sixes replied with an almost childish protest.
“I’m not in the mood tonight.”
“You know I have to oversee our new airship, The Selene, maiden’s voyage tomorrow, I’ll be gone for a week.”
Luna’s eye shrunk, clearly weighing her options. “Ok. Come to bed, but you go to the couch the moment we’re done!”
Despite Luna’s firm tone, Sixes did not, in fact, sleep on the couch that night. For Luna had entangled herself around him, preventing him from leaving, not that he had even attempted too.
Unfortunately, neither would get a full night’s sleep when Essex knocked on their bedroom door, completely frazzled. And glowing?
“We have a problem!”
“So, you’re gonna be an Aunt soon?” Goodnight asked from outside her door in the hall. Twilight Sparkle, Vice Commander of the Sixth Unit, adjusted her reading glasses, raising her head from her desk.
“Yes, so it would seem. Cadence is hoping for a girl, Shining Armor, a boy. Neither truly care, love them all the same, and that stuff. How’s your son, Goodday?”
“He’s fine. We just got him weaned off Sweet Dream’s teats. Though Sweetie has been telling me they're still swollen.”
“She’s probably pregnant again already. Are you two trying to set a speed record or something?” Twilight inquired while reviewing the day's reports. A quick look at the clock had her reconsidering. “I suppose this is a good stopping point. I’m going to go up to the third floor to relax, you want to come?”
“Library or game room?”
“Library, of course.”
Goodnight shook his head, “You know you can come play cards with us or go and try to beat Luna’s high score in the arcade. Tonight might be your only chance with Sixes going away for a week. The lady of the night will strike up the high scores even higher with her lover away.”
Twilight held in a snort, “I still can’t believe that. I never see her in there.”
“Try after midnight, usually between three or four o’clock.”
“Yeah, right, but I might check it out just to prove you wrong.” Twilight flashed a warily smile. “I guess Smash Ponies is kind of fun, is there another tournament coming up?”
“Every first and fourth Friday of the month.”
“It’s the third,” Twilight clicked her tongue. “I suppose I could go play a few rounds.”
“That’s the spirit.” Goodnight grinned as they trotted down the hall. “So, what’s Trifecta and Topaz up to?”
“Classified.”
Was this a test? Twilight wondered, eying Goodnight suspiciously. They were the same rank; he should know just where Topaz and Trifecta were. If he didn’t know, then he knew better then to ask her. He should be asking Sixes if he really wanted to know.
Rather than waste time wondering, she went right for the throat, figuratively.
“Did Sixes put you up to this?”
“That obvious?” Twilight nodded. Prompting a chuckle from the thestral. “Sorry, he wanted to see if you knew when to keep quiet. Also, a message, expect more tests.”
“I’ve been a Vice Commander for two months!” Twilight bit out with steam rising from her horn.
Goodnight could only chuckle, “Yeah, and I’m on year two, and he still springs this shit on me. Do you know what he did for my test?”
“What?”
“He put a flashbang in one of my drawers. Open my top drawer and bang! Blind with ringing ears. I tried to get him back because Fierce Fury told me too, so I tried to do the same thing to him. You know what he did?”
“I’m not guessing, so just tell me.”
“He calls me to his office and then throws the entire drawer at me! Tells me to do better, and then he threw the flashbang at me.”
“That’s rough, but you should have put more thought into it. I mean, it’s obvious when you think about it. That is the first thing I’d expect.” She adjusted her glasses, pushing them up the bridge of her muzzle. “I swear the stress of this job is why I need glasses now.”
“I thought it was because you burned your eyes out reading in dim lights too much. Or is it from the time you dropped three flashbangs in a row in training?”
Twilight puffed her cheeks like a squirrel. “Shut up!”
With a shared laugh, the duo entered the arcade, a Pondo connected to a gem projector ready and waiting for them. Seems somepony forgot to turn off the game console, letting the Smash Ponies play on the wall.
“Technology sure advances fast,” Goodnight whistled, taking up a controller.
“Yeah, I’m amazed how fast Nippon developed their game systems after seeing our arcade machines.” Twilight absent-mindedly clicked through the character selection, a heavy sigh escaping her.
“Missing, Trifecta?” Goodnight teased.
“No.” She replied softly. “We’re not dating.”
“But you want to, right? Sweet Dreams seems to think so at least.”
“I don’t know,” Twilight answered honestly. “We met during a very high-stress situation and get along ok; I just don’t know if it’s love or friendship. Speaking of Friendship, I’ve been terrible at it. I hardly talk to my Ponyville friends anymore.”
Goodnight waited to answer as they started their match, once he took the first round, he replied. “Well, when you spend all your time here, it’s no surprise. But your making friends here, right? Different life choices lead down different paths. I mean, Sweetie is making friends with other young mothers, and I’m getting to know their husbands by proxy. Things never stay the same.”
As they started the next match, Twilight said, “That’s true, I guess. Still, I should go check on them. Rainbow Dash got rejected again, I saw.”
“I saw that report too. Miss Rainbow does well on the physical test but fails the written. Kind of a shame to let that talent go to waste, but there is only one standard. I’m sure the Equestrian Airforce will take her.”
“You make that sound like an insult,” Twilight grumbled. “And she only wants to join Night Patrol because Spitfire and other Wonderbolts joined. Fleetfoot retired, though.”
“No,” Goodnight countered. “She’s on leave because Gloves got her pregnant, she’s doing desk work right now.”
“Right, right, I should probably go to sleep if I’m making mistakes like that.” She yawned, laying down her controller. “I’ll see you around, Goody, say hi to Sweet Dreams and Goodday for me.”
Goodnight sighed as Twilight left the room, “You can tell them yourself.” Twilight was already gone. “I see why I was asked to check on her.” He turned off the game system, leaving for his room.
Sixes had given him that test for Twilight, but it was Trifecta that asked him to keep an eye on the unicorn. Seems without the triplet around Twilight reverted back to semi borderline antisocial workaholic.
“Then again, how many relationships does a pony need?” He asked the ether. “Really, besides a core group of ponies, how many friends does one need?”
Whatever, Trifecta was unable to be contacted at the moment. So, Goodnight guessed it was up to him to prevent Twilight from reverting back into a recluse.
As he opened the door to his suite, his long pointed ears flicked at the sound of rushing hooves. Craning his neck, Goodnight saw Essex running down the stairs with Luna and Sixes hot on her tail. He debated on following them or not when the castle began to shake!
“What the hell?” Not able to ignore that, he broke off into a sprint, with several others hot on his heels.
The entire castle was in a frenzy, ponies scrambled to battle positions. Only to stare agape at what they saw circling the sky.
The fiercest creature in the world, the dread to all, winged beasts of flaming death. A dragon. Not just any dragon. No by the sheer size and scale of the creature, as well as the aura of power surrounding it, it was a Dragonlord.
It landed with little ceremony or introduction, taking up the entire courtyard and stretching up to the fourth floor of the castle. It’s glittering green scales sparkled in the moonlight. In its claw was a shaved oak tree, with a giant emerald a fixed to the tip. A dragon scepter. The symbol of the lord’s power and status.
Luna, Sixes, and Essex, with several others, arrived outside, all gazing up at the massive Dragon. The sight of it would have sent an average pony into cardiac arrest, but for Luna, she merely tilted her head.
“You’re not as big as Torch, or rather not as bulky maybe? Who are you, by the way? Why have you come here?”
The Dragon’s slit pupil gazed at the alicorn and then swiftly switched to Essex, a broad toothy grin on its face. “Essex, it’s good to see you again.” The Dragon’s tone was deep and gentle as it slowly lowered its head to the group. It’s eyes narrowing at Sixes. “I see some resemblance between you two, is this the one you told me of?”
Essex nodded, “Yes, Lord Oberon, this is my brother, Sixes.” She then buddied up to Luna. “And this is my sister in law, Duchess Luna, formerly Princess Luna of Equestria. Sixes, Luna, this is the Dragonlord of the Emerald isle, Oberon of Clydesdale.”
Oberon bowed his head, politely, “I am aware of the Alicorn of the Night and Dreams. Though I am younger, I am still old. Where is Shamrock?” Oberon asked, looking around, bringing his head extremely close to the balcony. Making the tense ponies tenser, but they held their positions, so they didn’t aggro the Dragonlord.
“My husband is away right now, what can we do for you this night?” Essex asked the Dragon. Luna and Sixes allowing her to handle talks.
Oberon grumbled, smoke billowing from his mouth. “Hmm, I had wished to speak to both of you, but this shall do. I need your assistance back home.”
Essex smiled while cocking her head sideways, “I’m happy to help milord, but what use could I be? I am merely a pebble before you.”
The Dragonlord laughed, “A pebble is what I need. My size is a hindrance in this matter, and I need creatures I can trust. Will you return with me to Clydesdale?”
“Forgive me, but you’re awfully vague. Can you clarify more?” Essex beckoned. Trying to understand what her old friend wanted.
A subdued grumble escaped the Dragonlord, “I will try, but we must be swift, my time here must be limited. Less my counterpart becomes involved.”
His counterpart was Torch, the Dragonlord of the Equestrian Dragon’s located at mount Firehorn. He would no doubt sense the presence of another dragonlord, and as would others who might seek to take control of Clydesdale in Oberon’s absence.
“My daughter has gone missing. The last one to see her speaks of a cave or dungeon. One too small for me to enter, and also too sturdy to demolish. I have minions that could go inside, but I fear for my daughter if they find her in a weakened state. Please, my friend, will you help me?”
To the shock of all gathered, Oberon bowed his massive head to the rinin no more significant than his talon. Essex patted the humble lord’s claw, “Of course I’ll help.”
“I will as well,” Sixes offered suddenly. He grinned sheepishly to his wife. “Could you arrange for somepony else to inspect the Selene?”
Luna could only roll her eyes, and perhaps feel a bit jealous, she wanted to go on an adventure too. If it was any pony else besides Essex, she would have protested, but this was once again Sixes making an effort to mend relationships. Something she’s been encouraging him to do.
“I’ll see who I can find,” She replied, shaking her head, thinking this night couldn’t get any crazier, and then it did when a particular pony called out.
“I wish to go as well!” Was the words of one Twilight Sparkle.
Meanwhile in the Neutral Nation of Freiberger
A large circular table, in a vaulted ceiling room located in a cool dark blue brick building, was the location of the International peace conference. The Nation of Freiberger, a neutral power, surrounded by all sides in the war. Played host to the visiting nations.
The small mountainous nation kept to itself, assuring their neighbors that any attempt to invade or drag them into the war would be a costly move. Like Germane, Freiberger was a mostly earth pony nation. A nation where almost every citizen was part of the armed service and trained to fight.
It was daunting to imagine having to fight an entire population well part of a prolonged conflict.
Still, even if Freiberger was a fierce contender, they didn’t have the clout to drag the Kaiser and D’Arcy into a room together.
No, the combined political pressure from Nippon and Equestria was needed to make these talks happen. To ensure there would be no funny business, only select ponies were to sit in on the conference. All Magic was sealed, save for the moderator, Princess Celestia.
On one side, sat D’Arcy, with three anti-magic rings affixed to her horn, and four to her legs to ensure she couldn’t tap into earth magic. D’Arcy’s bodyguard was equally restrained. He was a burly bearded yet handsome stallion dressed in the colors of his Queen.
He was Prance’s greatest warrior beside the Queen herself. The Protector of D’Arcy, the Barbarian Duke, La Hire. With the position of her bodyguard, he was allowed to carry his sword, the Cursed Blade Sangsue, also known as the Vampire Blade.
It was said Sangsue devoured the blood of the slain, gifting its user an incredible boost of physical and magical power.
La Hire stood firmly next to D’Arcy, like an overprotective father, it was understandable he would be like that. D’Arcy has been his charge since she was young. He had a stern look that suggested he feared nothing in this room. It was a look of a pony ready to throw everything away for their loved one.
Across from the Prench duo sat Kaiser Hades, he was equally restricted, with anti-magic bracelets on his legs. With no horn or wings, that was all he needed. The heavy cloak he wore was searched for any hidden weapons, and none were found.
Despite the situation, he had an easy-going smile. One that suggested he held all the cards, and perhaps he did. By every logical metric, he was justified, while Prance was in the wrong. Having started the needless war without warning or provocation. Whatever semantics D’Arcy might deploy, it didn’t change the fact, she attacked first.
What Hades feared most was the ‘impartial’ moderator. He found it laughable that Princess Celestia could be considered a neutral entity in this case, but with her public denouncing of Prance’s actions, he felt he had a chance. So, he appeared as friendly and reasonable as possible. Putting on a good show for fair treatment.
Even so, the others were on edge. They were wary, but not at the Kaiser. No, they were focused on the pony beside him. Many expected his Kaiserin would accompany him, that was foolish, she was the number two pony of the country. He trusted her to safeguard the throne at home.
No, the pony beside him was his own daughter, Titania, the killer of El Cid and his best warrior. His daughter observed the others with cold icy silver-blue eyes, her platinum blonde hair tied tight against her scalp in case of a fight, while her pale coat complexion gave her the ghostly appearance of a wraith.
However, in the right light, it could be said his daughter had the purest white coat ever seen, besides one other.
Now maybe it was foolish to have El Cid’s killer here, but the Kaiser was confident his daughter’s presence would make D’Arcy unhinged. Thus making his case easier to plead if the other ruler was ranting like a lunatic.
With his list of demands at the ready, the Kaiser eyed the ones that were the most important as the Freiberger representative called things to order.
“Let us begin the negotiations.” The Freiberger chancellor gestured to the opposing sides and then Celestia with a graying teal hoof. “Moderator, if you would please list the demands of Queen D’Arcy.”
Celestia felt a twitch on her brow, her teeth clenched tight. This was not how this was supposed to go, by legal law, Germane is the grieved party. It was their right to speak first.
Perhaps seeing her reaction, Kaiser Hades carelessly gestured for her go ahead. “It’s fine, white moves first in chess, right? Let the HOLY maiden speak first.”
Ignoring the barb sewn into that statement, Celestia passed the list of demands to Cobalt. At her suggestion, she thought it best they all speak via proxy. Hoping if the dialogue was delivered by a third party, every pony could keep a cool head.
(I see that idea is already smoke in the wind.) Celestia grimaced. The Kaiser speaking was perhaps a jab at her or rather a statement to his willingness to speak for himself. If that was the answer, she could not say, but his daughter did tap his shoulder with a stern look.
He laughed silently, waving off her anger with a cheery and loving smile. (I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Kaiser so… exposed before.) Celestia mused, finding the new side of the Germanian leader somewhat charming.
Meanwhile, Cobalt listed off Prance’s demands, “The Holy Orthodoxy of Prance, under the Rule Queen Jo-La D’Arcy, with this demands the following reparations for ending hostilities. Firstly, they wish for all lands taken by Germane to be returned to their respective nations. Secondly, a sum of nine hundred million gold bits to be paid over twenty years with a three and a half percent interest rate. Lastly, for the murder of El Cid, King of Hispania, the handing over of Titania Von Blunt for trial. That is all.”
The room was eerie quiet, all eyes on the Germanians. That cheery smile the Kaiser sported was gone, replaced with a deep vibrating growl. His daughter, on the other hoof, seemed almost bored.
The Chancellor gestured again to Celestia, “Please read Germane’s demands.”
Celestia passed the sheet to Cobalt, who gulped when he saw the page. His gaze fluttered over the Kaiser and his daughter. The King of Germane raised a brow, clearly confused as to why he was stalling, while Titania was upright, her form proper, her grin vicious as a shark’s.
Cobalt leaned in, whispering, “Ma’am, we have a problem.”
(What is it?) She replied via telekinesis.
(I think there’s been a switch, this paper only has one demand and it’s rather ambitious.)
(Let me see.)
“Is there a problem, Princess Celestia?” The Chancellor asked, concerned by the delay.
Celestia smiled while shuffling through her papers, “It seems there’s been a mix-up, Germane’s demands are…”
“A counted for,” Titania interrupted. “What is written is all there is. I get why you might be confused, but I assure you there is no mistake.”
“Titania,” The Kaiser mumbled warily. His voice so soft Celestia had to enhance her earing with Magic. “What have you schemed?”
Instead of answering, Titania encouraged Cobalt to read the paper. With great reluctance, he did, fearing any further stalling would result in the meeting taking an even worse turn.
“Germane demands that rather than waste ponies’ lives over a personal grudge, Titania Von Blunt, requests that she and Queen D’Arcy end the war with a duel to the death. Winner takes all. Should Prance win, all conquered territories will be surrendered to Prance, should Germane win, Prance will concede to three non-negotiable demands. Said demands are forgiveness of debt, reparations for the family of veterans, and pardons for all accused war crimes.
“My Queen…” La Hire warned, physically covering D’Arcy’s mouth with his hoof, muffling her obvious answer. “We request a recuse. Such talks need time to process, no?”
The Chancellor nodded, “Yes, it is still early, we will retire for today. Please take the time to reflect. And we’ll rejoin in the morning with cooler heads.”
Thus, the first meeting disbanded with the neutral party on eggshells and the opposing factions as ready as ever to kill the other. The Chancellor offered a flummoxed smile, but could not hide the disappointment in his eyes. Clearly, he expected Celestia to pull of some great feat of negotiation, but his expectations were far too high.
On that note, Celestia was disappointed in herself as well. All that prepping, and she fumbled almost right away? That bothered her. She didn’t expect things to go smoothly the first day, but ending the meeting within the first hour was rough. Rocky mountain rough.
“I don’t remember that paper in the stack.” She commented once in her room with an anti eavesdropping barrier up. “You checked the document, right?”
Cobalt took the Princess’s doubt and confusion in stride. “I am not Time Keeper, but I checked three times, that paper wasn’t there. Furthermore, the original list of demands we were given is missing. I know I had them when we walked in. To cut to the chase, the obvious suspect is the Kaiser’s daughter. She was all too happy to encourage me. She must have switched them somehow.”
Celestia frowned at her own reflection in the window. The rain outside was a perfect match for her mood. “She’s an earth pony, with Anti-magic bracelets. She had no means to switch the papers.”
“That we know of,” he countered. “Germane’s technology is advanced. We already know they have fake wings and horns. What if, say, they developed a small horn, one that could only use a select number of spells but was hidden from view?”
She huffed, finding the idea less than theory and more of a conspiracy. “Alright, I’ll bite. Where would this horn be?”
“Inside her head.” Cobalt answered flatly. “The hole required is the size of a coin, there’s plenty of space to insert an inverted horn. It could be easily hidden by one’s fur or hair.”
“The anti-magic…”
“Was set for earth magic.”
“Magic is Magic, even if we give it different classifications, it doesn’t change the fact she is an earth pony and was wearing anti-magic bracelets. She couldn’t have done it!”
Cobalt righted himself, he knew the Princess was playing devil’s advocate. If they were going to accuse the Kaiser’s daughter of anything, they needed a strong foundation. Right now, they might as well be standing in sand.
Inspiration suddenly hit him like a cannon shot. “What if…” Cobalt licked his lips nervously, carefully picking his words. “What if Titania is more then just an earth pony? Both of us know plenty of ponies that are more than just ponies. Sure, she looks normal, but what does that matter?”
Celestia’s frown deepened. “You might be onto something, but there’s still no proof.”
“Well, we do have some information on Titania Von Blunt. Some of it rather eyebrow-raising.”
“From Kira, I assume?” Their intelligence network was basically Nippon’s Shinobi. She didn’t like spying, but she also didn’t like Kira cherry-picking what information they did or did not get. However, when Cobalt replied, “No.” Celestia turned around to see him levitating a weathered envelope with a date and the mark of infinity. “Dusk?”
“It appears so, there have been reports of sealed material suddenly appearing. Sometimes we get them in the mail, you need to check your P.O box more often.”
Besides the realization she had a P.O box, Celestia wondered if it was ok to open the sealed message. What changes would come of it? Would they be good or bad short term or long term? “We must face forward.” She told herself, ripping open the seal.
Inside were two things, an old photo, and a birth certificate.
The photo was in black and white. That didn’t matter, the mare’s coat was so blindly white, it was apparent that was her natural color. The same could be said for the child resting against her side, clearly enjoying her mother’s warmth. On the back read, ‘To my little fairy, please forgive your worthless mother.’
With a massive gulp, Celestia reads the name on the birth certificate.
Night Patrol Commander Trifecta had a nice ring to it. It was a badge of pride, the highest rank any pony in Night Patrol could reach. Yeah, there was Night Hunter and monster pony, but who did all those ponies submit too? A Commander.
For Night Patrol, being a Commander wasn’t just being in charge. It meant you had the strength and willpower to face down alicorn level threats and beyond. Yes, the rank didn’t guarantee you’d win but declared you near that level.
As he flew above the clouds of Germane with his team, Trifecta once again mentally reined himself in. It’s been a few years, and he still got giddy about his promotion. He didn’t just want to bask in the glory of the climb. He desired accolades. To prove he deserved it, even if no pony doubted him. The need to push himself even greater heights ongoing.
“Are we ready?” His voice only as loud as needed. He didn’t speak through a gemcom. Germane was advanced enough they feared interception.
Behind him, three shadows indicated they were, in fact, ready, by tapping their helmets.
The team consisted of him as Team Leader, Jazz as second in command, a rinin by the name of Rotter, and VeeVee as the Team Medic. A simple four pony squad.
The mission was to investigate the Kaiser’s palace. The main objective to find out Germane’s true military capability and uncover evidence for or against their past suspicious actions. The best place to start would be the underground base, where Bison was held captive by a supposed rogue element within the Kaiser’s court.
“We’re over the target,” Jazz signaled pointing down. As one, the four ponies free fell towards the ground. Using their wings to slow their fall, they slipped into the trees. Now on the ground, they quickly set out looking for the cave entrance to the catacombs.
Finding the rock formation easily, now came the hard part. Getting inside. “How does it look?” Trifecta asked Jazz as she sniffed around like a bloodhound, night vision goggles on.
“Signs point to little if any traffic. The wear on the stone is minimal. Given how long ago that incident was, it’s safe to say this place is abandoned. That’s only if they’re walking.”
It was confirmed by Fleetfoot that Germane had ponies with surgically added wings. Though it could seem like a waste of energy, the Germane’s could simply have flown out of the cave. Which is why Jazz was inspecting the walls. Pointing to fresh scratch marks.
“These could have been made today or yesterday at the latest.” She felt along the wall. “There’s plenty to suggest this is a regular route.”
“For a supposed abandoned rebel base,” Trifecta said aloud. “Interesting. We better take a closer look.”
All four of them blended perfectly into the shadows. With intel provided by Luna, they entered the secret entrance to the underground cavern and found the door behind the waterfall. So far, they've seen no other ponies.
Once inside the door, things changed.
“This place is very… clean,” VeeVee noted as they maneuvered around crates of supplies. New containers on top of that. With packing dates as early as yesterday. Currently, they were hiding in the same spot Luna had during her infiltration. An oversight for sure. Though it was a little tight with four ponies.
“It is a lot of space, is it really that strange the Kaiser wouldn’t want to use it?” Rotter said, his question reasonable. Yet it didn’t sit well with Trifecta.
“Let’s split up, see what we can find. A big group is easier to spot anyway.” He peeked through the space between the crates, watching the three branching paths. “I will go straight, Jazz, you go right, and VeeVee and Rotter will go left.”
“So, I get to babysit, then?”
Rotter looked hurt by VeeVee’s statement, but none of them could really bring themselves to rebuke her. Rotter was the youngest member of the team. He wasn’t unskilled, no rinin was. Though he was inexperienced compared to them. Having few missions under his belt.
“You’re the medic VeeVee, let Rotter do the fighting it comes to that, but try to prevent that.” Trifecta finally found the words to encourage the young rinin. Making Rotter perk up. Nothing got a young hot-blooded male fired up like protecting a lady. Even if said lady could probably wipe the floor with him.
VeeVee was classified as a medic, but she's undertaken enough combat training to be a worthwhile fighter or Combat Medic.
(That tabletop game sure makes terming things more manageable.) Trifecta repressed a chuckle. Shining Armor, a real hard-core player of the said Tabletop game, created stat cards for individual ponies with their stats, skills, etc. all summarized. It made for a quick and easy way to find compatible teams. Sixes begrudgingly adopted the idea at Topaz’s suggestion.
To quote the orange rinin, Rotter was assigned to the mission for power leveling. They had a lot of young members that needed real-world experience. Pairing the young blood with VeeVee would ensure he didn’t make an unwitting mistake, and somepony was nearby to heal him in the worst case.
Holding up his claw, Trifecta counted down his digits, each on equaling a minute. Flicking his ears rapidly, he strained to hear any traffic before dropping the last talon. Like shadows, he and his team slipped out from behind the crates. Crawling along with the ceiling to their respective hallways. In five hours, they’d meet back outside.
The North hall was the dungeon. That much Trifecta knew from Luna’s report. Before the mission, he and his team looked over every detail Luna wrote down from Bison's extraction. The triplet kept an eye out for the crystal Breezies that were supposed to be on the wall. Sure enough, the little devils were still there. Sound asleep. Their bodies glowing a soft blue neon, acting as lights and alarms.
With his moon phase armor model VI equipped, Trifecta was able to camouflage with his surroundings. Not become completely invisible, but close enough that in the dim light of the Crystal Breezies, he strolled around with impunity.
(Still a jail.)
His goal wasn’t to inspect the dungeons, but he was curious to see if there was any pony here he could get information out of. Not surprisingly, it was abandoned with no prisoners, not even a body or two.
That was fine. He was more interested in the stairs at the other end. Slowly and carefully, he followed them up to what should be a secret passage into the Kaiser’s palace. His journey was uneventful. Without a guard or sentry to be found.
At the exit, he pressed his ear to the secret door, hearing some chatter from some passing ponies. Probably maids? They spoke of nothing important, just hushed whispers and subdued giggles. Once they were out of earshot, he waited another minute. When no pony came in range of his ears, he opened the door, slipped into the hall, and shut it.
Now inside the finely decorated palace, Trifecta felt his armor was a bit too conspicuous. He bore no patches or insignia, which would make him stand out. Besides the fact, he was a rinin, but his armor covered most of that.
“Time for a little disguising.” Shuffling over to the nearest room. Trifecta entered and found himself in some sort of meeting room? It wasn’t a bedroom or anything like living quarters. It was just a room.
It did have two couches and a coffee table, and some decorations. Such as armor and banners.
Spotting a banner, Trifecta helped himself to it and draped it over his body like a cape. With some leather string from his equipment bag and a little fur trim, boom! He had a semi regal cape with the Germane emblem on it.
Removing his helmet, he replaced it with a more decorative one on the wall. For times like these, it was nice his personal helmet could be made to fit into his bag or hung on the shoulder. For now, he stowed in it his sack by removing a few pins, his helm folded into itself, coming to half it’s the original size.
After a few checks, Trifecta was satisfied with his appearance. He looked like a Germane Knight or possibly a lesser noble. He didn’t want to appear too high ranked, less he draws too much attention. Satisfied he could get past a glance or two, he prepared to leave, when the door to the room opened.
In the doorway stood a regally dressed peach blonde mare. A noble breed if Trifecta’s ever seen one. She was clearly uncomfortable. The noble maiden’s blush deepened as she entered the room, performing a stiff, but elegant curtesy.
“You’re here early. Were you that eager to meet me?” The Mare spoke in a soft, fetching tone, her movements the picture of beauty and clearly forced. This was not her natural element. “I’m Wiess of House Arco, you must be Lord Teutonic, my mother set up this meeting today. I hope it was not an inconvenience for you. I’m sure you have more important things then something so silly as an arranged marriage meeting.”
(Of all the fucking rooms to walk into!) Trifecta stood up straighter, going for a ‘Noble’ appearance. “Yes, I do, but I felt it reasonable to hear you out.”
Wiess tilted her head, her brow scrunched tight, “Pardon me, but why are you speaking in Avalon?”
It took all he had not to let his mouth hang open. (Gotta bullshit my way through this!) “Pardon me, the Prench were trying to fool us by using an encrypted transmission based in Avalon. Part of my job was to decipher encrypted messages. I’ve been listening for so long, I sip into it by mistake.”
“Oh my, I had not heard that. So, your part of intelligence? I thought you were part of the frontlines? At least according to your profile.”
“A cover story, though I do go to the front from time to time when circumstances demand. I’m sorry for misleading you.”
“Oh, I understand. I’m just surprised you’d tell me.”
Trifecta laughed, swiss cheese had fewer holes than his story. “Yes, well, I was assured you were properly vetted.”
A healthy blush adorned Wiess’s cheeks, “Oh my and just what dirt did you find on me?”
(Nothing! Because I don’t know who you are!) Trifecta internally screamed. “Nothing that warrants concern. But let’s drop this talk, I’m sure listening to military prattle must bore you.”
“Quite the opposite!” Wiess said way too excitedly. “I’m sure my mother and brother wrote some fluffy, dainty garbage about me, but I assure you, I am a military mare! How are the new Airships preforming? Or our tanks? I would love to hear practical data from somepony who's seen them in action!”
(Fuck…) Was all Trifecta could think of to say. He thought botching this chance encounter would get her to leave, yet she seemed to eat up his bullshit. (While I’m fucking around with this, the real lord whatever is getting closer. It’s risky, but…)
“This room is rather cramped, perhaps we should go for a walk? It’s been so long since I’ve visited the palace, I might have forgotten my way around the place. You know?”
“Oh yeah, it can be very treacherous. Allow me to guide you, you looking for somewhere private?” She asked coyly, fiddling with the hem of her skirt.
(Oh boy… I might just get jumped here.) Coughing, Trifecta fiddled with his stolen helm, revealing more of his mouth. “Before we go further, I must warn you I’ve acquired some… deforming features.”
Half smiling, Trifecta let his fangs show, “Some shrapnel hit my jaw and broke my teeth. The dentist thought it easier to file them down into fangs. I’ll understand if…”
“That’s so cool…” Wiess said with glazed eyes.
(What the actual fuck… I mean, every pony has different tastes, but come on! Does this chick like anything normal? She might climax if I said I lost my eye or something!)
Nervously Trifecta reset his helmet, “Thank you for… understanding. I just wanted to be open and honest.”
Wiess’s genuine smile was almost painful to look at. “Don’t worry about it. I think it makes you even more handsome! If I’m honest, I have kind of a thing for battle scars. They… turn me on. Is that weird? It is, isn’t it?”
“Only to the uncultured.” (Shut up! I had an out! Why did I blow… oh…) Trifecta immediately realized he was thinking more with the brain between his legs, then the one in his skull. A quick whiff of the air told him the room was saturated with pheromones. (Is she… in heat?)
Wiess, meanwhile positively glowing and flustered. Beckoned him to the hall. “Let’s get going on that tour, I know all the short cuts to my PRIVATE room.”
“How… great…” Trifecta replied, following Wiess out the door. With her, beside him, it was the perfect cover. That was going to be blown in ten minutes the moment things got started. There was no hiding his Rinin traits without his armor. There was also no hiding his armor was definitely not Germane made when his flimsy disguise was removed.
(Ok, calm down, and think. What tools do you have to work with? I could just kill her once we’re alone. Bite out her throat or something, but I really don’t want to. For obvious reasons, but mainly that’s just way to brutal. Her finding me attractive makes it kind of awkward too. I guess I gotta find a way to knock her out and abort the mission. Hopefully, I can do this gently.)
“Ok, we’re here,” Wiess announced, Trifecta coming out of his musing to realize he was already inside her room. The deadbolt to the door locked with an ominous click. The place pitch black. “It’s a pain to light all the gas lanterns, so I hope you don’t mind if we skip the lights.”
“I prefer the dark,” he replied before Wiess glomped on to him, knocking his helmet off. He didn’t know it was because she was so engrossed in smashing her lips against his or the darkness of the room, but she didn’t react to his full face.
Then she undid the straps of his armor.
AppleJazz ducked into the shadows, letting another patrol walk by. Her tunnel lead to what seemed like a barracks. Ponies in various states of dress from full armor to hardly anything strutted around.
Part of her found it interesting that there seemed to be a proper state of dress for everything. As if walking unclothed was banned or something. The night attire of some mares could hardly be called military standard. Some could have come out of Rarity’s shop with all the frills and lace.
The stallions weren’t quite so stylish, but sported blankets over their backs and flanks. Actually, they were probably capes or robes. A few times, she spotted what looked like a crest. (I bet this is a noble’s barracks. Everypony here certainly seems to fit the type.)
By type, she meant well-bred. Everypony here was in tip-top shape, beautiful, and walked with a posture of superiority. That said, from what she observed, they were not unkind to the maids that littered the place. In fact, they were very friendly to them. Maybe a little too familiar in some cases.
What really struck Jazz was the fact they were all earth ponies. Even if they were a potential enemy, she felt a companionship with them. Or something like that. It was said even an Earth Pony King was once a slave. They had all been slaves once. It was the dark little piece of pony history that was glazed over for the sake of harmony.
That didn’t change that Unicorns and Pegasi looked down at them and used them for slave labor at the point of a spear. In the past. But it could still come up in heated moments.
“Hey, what are you doing?” A voice suddenly called out. Instead of lashing out, Jazz saluted, going for a stiff, uptight rookie. “Are you new?”
“Yes, ma’am!” Jazz thundered with a touch of nervousness. (Thank Luna I took those acting lessons!)
“Take it easy,” The pony talking to her was female, a rather good looking one at that. She was donned in some silky, nearly see-through thing. “You’re still wearing your armor, I don’t see any insignia. Have you not been assigned a unit yet?”
“No, ma’am! I’m afraid I got lost, ma’am!”
The noble mare sighed with disgust, “Ugh, this is the third time one of you rookies waltzed in here without a unit mark! I swear those trainers! Getting sloppy…” her words became a muffled mess as she slipped into a very thick accent that Jazz couldn’t follow.
(I guess my Germane got a pass.) Jazz relaxed a bit but continued to put on the lost recruit act. Better or worse, she was stuck with it.
“Whatever,” The mare said, finishing her rant, her sharp blue eyes landing squarely on Jazz, her look expectant. “Well?”
“Ma’am?”
“Take off your armor.”
“I don’t have a change of uniform, ma’am. My rucksack is missing too, Ma’am.”
Ma’am sighed with her whole body, “Ok, firstly, I am Lady Rumtopf Stollen, Captain rank. From here on, you’re under me. Now go shower, I have some extra nightclothes you can borrow. I guess I need to find you a bed too. It’s a bit late for that. So, we’re bunking tonight. Now go, go!”
“Ok, Captain Stollen,” Jazz saluted stiffly. Awkwardly she made for the baths when Stollen called out to her. “Hey, kid, what’s your name?”
“Apfel…” Jazz slapped her hoof over her mouth. (I just about said my real name!) “Musik… Apfel Musik.”
“Apfel Musik (Apple Music)? Ja, that’s a strange one. What village did they drag you from?”
“Oh, just some farming village,” Jazz laughed, trying to play it off. “So, the showers are over there, Ja?”
“Ja, just follow the steam. Find me when you’re done, ya? Put your armor on the rack there.”
“Understood.” With a quick bow, Jazz hurried over to an unregistered rack. Taking great care to stack her armor in such a way that no pony would find out it didn’t match the others beside her.
Even with her situation less than ideal, Jazz took peeks of the Germane Suits, finding them remarkably similar in design. (At least my wings don’t stand out.) She mused but froze when she remembered the Germanians used prosthetic horns too. (Maybe they won’t notice.)
With great reluctance, Jazz removed her wings, her lifelines. Without the familiar weight on her back, she almost felt like she was missing a piece of her.
“Here, you can borrow my towel.” A filly undressing beside her offered a frighteningly pink towel. “I’m in Captain’s Stollen’s unit also. Glad to be working with you.”
Jazz took the towel, keeping up the meek recruit act. “Ah, well, I don’t know if I’m apart of Captain Stollen’s unit, yet.”
The generous filly snorted, “Well, assuming your papers got mixed up, it's as good as done now. The higher-ups can’t be bothered to fix some rookie’s unit transfer these days.”
“I suppose your right. Happy to be working with you, Miss…”
“I’m Kinn Sauerkraut, just Kinn is fine.”
“Apfel Musik.”
“Nice to meet you, Apfel! Come, we better get showered, it’s almost time for bed! Oh, it’s so nice to be in a real bed again!” Kinn moaned in an almost lustful manner. “Better enjoy it well you can, rookie, we’re deploying in three days.”
“Understood.” Jazz saluted, following Kinn into the showers. Reluctantly she admitted the facilities were rather lovely. Almost on par with at home. If not for the strange dress code and the fact she was effectively a spy. This place could practically feel comfortable.
Then came the nightwear.
“Is there a practical reason to wear these?” She asked, tugging on the silky frilly fabric, well stuffed in a bunkroom with twenty other mares. Her bunkmate, who was Kinn, merely shrugged.
“It’s old noble mare’s tradition from yesteryear, but it’s applied to all mares and fillies in the service of a noble rank officer. It’s comfortable, at least right?”
“I guess…” (I’d rather be unclothed.) “What if we’re attacked?”
Kinn snorted, “Obvious in the field, we won’t wear this stuff, but here, we’re expected to be presentable. You never know when a surprise inspection will come. A young lady, even a common one like yourself, is granted a certain degree of privacy.”
“Right, I’ll learn to appreciate it then.” Jazz laid down on the surprisingly soft bed, feigning sleep. (I’ll wait until everypony else is asleep and sneak out.) It pained her, but she might have to leave her armor behind. Her wings would, for sure, have to come with her. (I better get out before they realize I don’t have a hole for a horn, and they drill one for me.)
The thought almost made her gaff. She doubted they would fall for her acting long enough for that to happen.
(I wonder how the others are doing? Hopefully, they’re not stuck in bed, dressed up like a doll.) If there was one thing for sure on this mission, she was striking this from the report.
VeeVee gazed around the corner at the ironclad door guarded by two ponies. Beyond was sure to be some exciting mysteries. She kind of lamented having Rotter taking along now. She’d love to investigate without restraint. (Then again, he could be useful here too.)
“Would you be so kind as to raise a ruckus?” VeeVee asked sultrily, whispering low into Rotter’s ear. “Nothing too noisy, just something to draw the guard’s attention.”
For added effect, she pecked his cheek, making the young rinin blush and stutter. “Um sure, I’ll think of something.”
Rotter crawled on the ceiling to the adjacent hall. A loud crash soon echoed in the underground passageway, drawing the guards from the iron door toward it. The sound of a struggle soon followed; Rotter emerging victorious with only a few light bruises.
He seemed really happy about his actions.
“And what to do about the bodies?” VeeVee pointed out, dropping to the floor. With an annoyed grunt, she ripped one of the capes off the unconscious ponies and tossed it to Rotter. “Put that on and stand guard by the door. I’ll finish this up.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Rotter dejectedly saluted.
“I should have been clearer,” VeeVee mumbled to herself. She only wanted Rotter to draw the guard’s attention, not knock the bastards out! Rifling through her pack, she retrieved her bone wand and pondered what matter of magic to use. “Should I melt them? I think I remember that spell, but the smell, ugh, I remember it now. I would be better off eating them. This place would smell like rotten cheese forever. I guess some memory magic is what’s best.”
Pressing the tip of her wand to the guard’s skulls, VeeVee sorted through their memories, replacing today's watch with yesterdays. Satisfied with her work, she put away the rod and called Rotter over.
“Give him his cape back, and follow me.” She ordered, briskly approaching the sealed door. With a quick turn of a stolen key, she opened it and tossed the keys to the guards. “Hurry, they’ll be waking up soon.”
Now inside, VeeVee relocked the door, softly counting the seconds. Outside, the guards groaned, groggy from waking up. There was a porthole on the door, but she didn’t dare chance a look. The guards resumed their duty, none the wiser of what happened to them.
That did mean she and Rotter were trapped inside the room, though.
“What did you do to them?” Rotter pestered as she moved away from the door. “Nothing you need to know.” Was her reply investigating the room they risked their necks to get inside. Thankfully it was a fascinating one.
(This seems to be a lab or some sort.) VeeVee narrowed her eyes at the tanks filled with unknown liquids and the inscriptions on the floor. (Is that… alchemy? Interesting.)
“Be sure not to touch anything Rotter, you might just end up with something extra or missing.” She advised circling around the tubes and checking drawers. “Biomaterial, earthen metals, bones, blood. Definitely got a mad doctor here.” VeeVee opened a refrigerator, inside was a jar with Dragon heart written on it. Inside the container was, in fact, an organ of some sort. “Must have been a baby dragon given the size.”
“Um…” Rotter licked his lips, clearly uncomfortable. “This looks like…”
“I was thinking the same thing,” VeeVee pressed on, wanting to talk as little as possible. There was little point in talking anyway. It was rather obvious what this place reminded them of. How could it not? It was the same kind of place that had created them.
This lab was precisely the same as the Rainbow Factory.
Going further in, the two rinin wondered into a much more spacious area of the lab. In a separate room, they saw more tanks lined up. Only these had something inside them. Something unknown floating inside all of them, sporting a strange pink theme in their coloring in different stages of growth.
It was the one at the end that drew the eye, though.
“What the hell is this thing? A pink changeling?” VeeVee asked, expecting no answer.
The monstrosity inside was a nightmare to look at. It was part pony, part changeling, with other things probably mixed in. What really raised her heckles was the fact it looked like a lousy offshoot of an alicorn.
The body was pink and black with duel set insectoid and Pegasus wings, the horn long and crooked like a certain Queen’s with a mane and tail a mix of green, gold, and purple. Right now, it had the appearance of a teenager or young filly.
“What an abomination.”
“Isn’t it like us, though?” Rotter asked meekly. “Something created?”
“Oh, its created alright, but it’s just a shell. There’s no soul in that thing.”
“How can you tell?”
“I just can,” Was her answer. Any further elaboration was not given, the scowl on VeeVee’s face cowing Rotter into silence.
“So, what now?” Rotter asked while VeeVee glared at the thing in the tank. “Do we destroy it?”
Snapping out of her fury, VeeVee violently shook her head, as if she couldn’t believe what she just heard! “Of course not, you fool! I’m in no mood to fight our way out of here. That said, this well beyond the scope of our original mission.”
Checking the clock, VeeVee found they had little time to regroup with Trifecta and Jazz. In fact, there was no time! (How did we go fifteen minutes over?) Instead of scrambling to get out, the medic took a short breath and focused.
With her gemcom, she tapped out a short message in code. It was risky, but they had to take the chance. Otherwise, they’d be running around blind. “Let’s hide while we wait, maybe find some disguises or something.”
Returning to the central lab, the two rinin went over to the line of lockers on the southern wall. Inside was a mixture of lab PPE and personal clothing. Stowing their helms, VeeVee donned a lab coat, stealing a set of stockings and styling her mane in such a way to hide her ears.
“Put this on, you don’t look smart enough to be a doctor.” VeeVee tied a bandana around Rotter’s ears, adding a tunic and cape to hide his armor. She then adjusted her saddle harness and medical bag on the outside of the coat. “Ok, so we have one Germane medical Doctor and one roguish knight. How’s your germane?”
Rotter looked away, embarrassed. “Not great.”
“Then, your mute.”
“Really, how’s yours then?”
“I have a degree in it,” She retorted dryly, checking her com. There was a message on it. “Let’s see what’s going on with the others here… situation complicated… keep low profile… meet in east wing third floor? How the fuck do we get there?”
The sound of hooves made their ears twitch. VeeVee gave Rotter the signal to keep quiet and follow her lead. Putting on her best smile, VeeVee casually strolled toward the approaching ponies, and in a flowerily, upbeat tone shouted, “Hallo! Guten Abend! Ich bin neu und verloren, wo ist die Treppe?”
The gaggle of white-clad ponies tilted their heads at the pair, the leader of the group, an older pony with glasses squinted, leaning closer. VeeVee shuffled to draw attention to her medic patch. The Doctor then turned his attention to Rotter, speaking very fast and pointedly at the young rinin.
“This is a patient,” VeeVee answered quickly before any could realize the stupid look on Rotter’s face. The glazed expression was a clear sign he had no idea what was being asked of him. “He’s received damaged here.” She indicated her throat and made a cut off gesture.
To even further confused the young stallion, VeeVee and the Doctor proceeded to engage in a lengthy fast-paced conversation entirely in Germane. VeeVee spoke confidently, the elderly Doctor chuckling heartily as if he was conversing with an old friend or prized student.
Eventually, the others left them alone, leaving the Doctor their only obstacle. Rotter wondered how this was going to go when VeeVee suddenly shimmied up beside him. A faint, “Nod idiot.” Reached his ears, and he nodded like a puppy on command, while VeeVee acted in a rather suggestive manner.
The Doctor gave a heartier laugh and patted Rotter on the shoulder, “Genießen Sie Ihre Behandlung.” He then finally left them alone, but not before providing a map.
“Follow me,” VeeVee commanded in a low voice. When they left the underground, entering the palace proper, Rotter finally asked, “What was that about?”
“I told him; I was going to give you a private exam to make you feel better.” VeeVee’s grin led him to imagine all sorts of implications. “Only in your dreams.” She added with a wink. “Come on this way now!”
“Dreams, yeah.” He mumbled with a blush. Turning the corner, he followed VeeVee through a doorway leading to what looked like a linens closet or maybe even a servant’s quarters. Whatever it was, it was a small cramped space. “What are we doing exactly?”
VeeVee was in the middle of removing various plates of armor and tucking them in a hole in the wall she made. She looked back in annoyance, gesturing for him to remove his shoulder plates.
“We need to lighten up. Walking around in full armor will be too suspicious. Everything is unmarked, so even if somepony finds our stuff later, we won’t be identified.” VeeVee stuffed the bits of armor as far as she could behind the wall. Next, she set the broken piece in place, with a little mouse hole. “There now, even if the maids see it, they’ll be more concerned about mice.” She stacked a bundle of clothing on top of the hole and exited the room.
Moving down the hall, she led them to another closet and threw herself atop the stacked linins. From her throne of cotton, she beckoned Rotter inside. “Come on, shut the door.”
“What are we doing?” Rotter was confused, even more so when VeeVee pulled him down on top of her. “Miss VeeVee?”
“Shut up, we’re going to sleep. And not in that way. Though I won’t blame you if you get a little excited.” She whispered coyly, a low yawn escaping her lips. “If we’re found, we’re just a couple fooling around off duty, that’s all.”
Rotter could only blink as VeeVee seemingly fell asleep, her shallow breaths tickling his neck, while her forelegs remained wrapped around him. (How am I supposed to go to sleep like this?) He wondered, taking in VeeVee’s scent.
She smelled mainly of chemical and medicine, but there was a sweet undertone he couldn’t pinpoint. The scent helped him settle down, and he finally relaxed.
The whole mission was a shit show now. The two were out of contact with the rest of the team, missed the pickup time by several hours, and were dog tired. VeeVee was right. If they were going to get out of this, they would need sleep and a clear head.
Hopefully, the morning would be better.
(So, three hours,) Rotter mumbled, half asleep as his eyelids finally closed.
Morning came quickly. The Palace of the Kaiser was a buzz as the soldiers, of the noble variety, moved from their barracks to the main dining hall for breakfast. A feast of feasts was prepared for them. They were the elite of the elite and not just in the noble sense. Every pony present extremely skilled.
Commandos, Rangers, and Shock troopers, each skilled and dangerous in their own right. Because of their low number and strategic importance. They were used sparingly. Right now, the Ponies eating were on leave, or new units undergoing training. Both would eventually head out to battle soon enough, but for the time being, they were allowed to enjoy themselves.
And in this group was another smaller group of confused ponies who did not belong.
Trifecta stared at his team, which in turn stared back at him awkwardly. They were seated in a remote corner of the dining hall—each of them arriving under different circumstances. The air around them was thick with tension as the group literally ate inside of a hornet’s nest. Where a single wrong move leading to their demise.
“I hope this is all to your liking!” Wiess’s smile was bright and made Trifecta’s heartache with guilt as she set down a tray of fresh fruits and vegetables.
“Thank you very much, Wiess.” He replied, pecking her cheek, making the peach filly blush. Really it was to keep her from noticing his broken Germane. His vocabulary of the language was limited, and he used up most of what he knew last night, so he was keeping his tone simple. “I will see you later.”
“I look forward to it!” She nearly squealed, skipping lightly away like a maiden in love. Because she was one.
Once Wiess was out of earshot, and no pony else approached them, the four ponies began to speak in low tones. Jazz kicking things off.
“So… how was your night, Lord Teutonic.” Jazz’s lips twitched, nearly fumbling Trifecta’s cover name.
“It was fine. Did you enjoy your slumber party?” Trifecta lightly jabbed at Jazz’s scorn, pointing his hoof at her frilly nightgown. Germane was somewhat lacs about their dress code it seemed.
“Somethings happened…” Jazz admitted with a blush. She hadn’t intended to actually fall asleep, but she did, and when she woke up. Not only was she being hugged by two other fillies, but it was also breakfast time.
Somehow, she managed to avoid being found out, but nearly flubbed it when she spotted Trifecta of all ponies escorting a Germane beauty to breakfast.
“So, is this a 20 roll on luck or chiasma?” Jazz sarcastically asked. “I was half scared to death about being found out, and then I see you! What the hell happened?”
“How the hell did you end up in the female barracks and falling asleep!”
“At least I didn’t get roped in by a honey pot!”
“It was not my intention. Things just happened!”
“Yeah, and know you're engaged to marry!”
“Quiet, both of you,” VeeVee hissed. “At least you two got to sleep in beds. Rotter and I were in a fucking maid’s closet when the staff found us! Luckily, they were kind enough to point us to the dining hall, but we need to get to work on getting the hell out!”
With each of them taking a breath to calm down, they picked away at their breakfast, using the calories to come up with an escape plan.
They were in an officially non-hostile nation. If they’re caught, it will lead to at best being captured and ransomed back to Evernight or executed and Luna and Sixes joining the war. With Equestria probably. The first casualty would probably be the peace talks.
“We are in a troublesome position.” Trifecta surmised.
They missed their pick up, meaning a second team would be sent in a few days if there was no contact. In the meantime, the real lord Teutonic was about to show up soon or somepony that knew the real one would appear. Either one would be disastrous. “Not to mention a quick personal scan would expose the three of you, right quick.”
“That much is obvious, but you posing as a lord is even more dangerous.” VeeVee pointed out with annoyance. “On top of that, that girl took a liking to you. And you slept with her, right? She’ll make getting out of here difficult if she won’t leave us alone. Plus, Rotter can’t speak at all least he be found out.”
“All of us escaping will be impossible at this point. This place is too heavily guarded. If we act naturally, we can probably stay under the radar for a few days to maybe a week, but that won’t matter if Sixes and Luna come crashing in. We need to get a message out.” Jazz took a moment to respond to a shout from a filly from Stollen’s unit, smiling and waving, before returning to the conversation. “We could milk this a bit. And gather that intel we were sent to grab.”
“Waiting until we’re deployed with make things simpler, faking a death on the battlefield should be rather easy. I think we can manage to hold out for two or three days.” Trifecta received several nods. “That said, we gotta get Rotter out of here with a message. I think if I use my authority, I can forge a pass for him to leave the palace and pass through the checkpoints. All of us disappearing would be rather suspicious anyway. Especially when one of us befriended an entire fucking unit!”
“They’re all very friendly. I expected noble mares to be more stuck up. Besides, I wasn’t the one that stuck my… well, I don’t have one, but you know what I mean.” Jazz finished sourly. “What do we do when the real lord Teutonic shows up?”
“We’ll deal with that in due time. For now, we’ll gather what info we can since we're here, and make a break for home at the first chance. Right now, we need to get Rotter out of here so he can explain our situation to home. In the meantime, just play your parts.” Trifecta ordered, he about morphed his hoof into a claw to grab his toast, only to be smacked by VeeVee. “Right. Sorry.”
“I think since I don’t have a unit to hide in, acting as your assistant might be wise,” VeeVee suggested struggling to peel an orange to the point she too was about to pop out her claws.
“You guys are hopeless!” Jazz, exasperated, took the orange from the medic and peeled it with her mouth in seconds and tossing it back. “You’ve both gotten lazy using your claws all the time.”
Neither rinin had a retort and merely grumbled under their breath as they finished their breakfast. Once Trifecta set his plate aside, a maid quickly came by and cleaned it up, refilled his coffee, and bowed before proceeding forward. All in seconds.
Trifecta was admiring the work ethic when a polite voice addressed him.
“Lord Teutonic… I presume? Are you done with our rookie?” Kinn politely asked, standing a fair distance away. The Evernights assumed it was some noble custom here. VeeVee quietly informed Trifecta that a lesser ranked noble could not approach until invited.
Clearing his throat, he glanced at Jazz or Apfel, who gave a slight nod. He, in turn, nodded—jazz excusing herself from the table and leaving with Kinn.
“Was that the correct way to deal with that?” Trifecta asked VeeVee since she had a better understanding of Germane noble culture.
“It was… passible for now. Try to avoid ponies of higher rank.” The dining hall crowd was beginning to dwindle as ponies left for their duties. Meaning it was time for them to get going as well. “Let’s get Rotter some papers and look busy. Less, we draw attention to ourselves. Remember to walk behind Co… I mean Lord Teutonic, Rotter.”
The trio exited the dining hall, careful not to draw attention. This involved following VeeVee’s guidelines. Such as Rotter and VeeVee trailing behind Trifecta to show they were lower-ranked or subordinates. It took a bit of doing since Night Patrol had no structure like that.
Their current base of operations was the room across from Wiess’s. For the time, they ditched their Night Patrol Armor and hid them the best they could. VeeVee ‘borrowed’ a uniform from Wiess, wearing her medical coat and satchels over it.
Rotter was made to look like an actual Germane Knight, and Trifecta was dolled up to look like a noble while hiding his more draconic features. Precautions such as binding his wings and covering them with extra layers of clothing and covering his ears. The majority of the work was being done by an overly sizeable heavy cloak, which hid his tail.
“Alright, here’s a written form to leave the palace and the city itself. Do not draw attention to yourself. VeeVee travel partway with him. Once your out of the city limits, fly home as fast as you can.” Trifecta explained Rotter’s mission. “This is the location of our transport. Hopefully, they’re still in the area. If not, you’ll have to fly home under your own power.”
“Couldn’t he catch a ride on Celestia’s ship? She’s in Freiberger trying to end the war.”
Trifecta blinked as VeeVee held up a paper with yesterday's headline. “Impossible. There are three world leaders there, security will be tight. Your exit route will be here.” Trifecta pointed to the southern seas. Your best bet will be getting to the sea and hopping on a boat. A merchant vessel, if possible. I requested a shipping schedule. There’s a boat going to the Zebra lands. From there, you can pay your way to Equestria, ditching your disguise, of course, and making landfall at Night Port.”
Rotter blinked, visible confusion on his face. “That’s a three, two-day journey at best at express speeds.”
“Yes,” Trifecta confirmed. “Your mission is to report home and tell them what’s going on. By then, Jazz will be deployed with that Germane unit. We’ll come up with some bullshit to join her, fake our deaths, and make our way home or to Nippon. Worse comes to worst, we’ll hide out in Clydesdale and wait for pick up. Your mission Rotter is to make sure home doesn’t do anything rash.”
“We’re already far behind schedule, but regulation is we have seventy-two hours to report before a second team is dispatched. You have roughly sixty left, so let’s get going.” VeeVee hooked Rotter by the leg, nearly dragging him out the door. “I’ll cover the details again. That stupid look on your face is troubling.”
Now alone, Trifecta settled into his seat, sighing deeply. He hadn’t planned for this. No pony had! Like how he hadn’t intended to be a noble. It was too high of a rank for infiltration. It just happened. All that aside, he did something he really shouldn’t have.
“Gods, I feel guilty, but I’m not sure for what.” He slept with Wiess. It was another thing that had just kind of happened. She jumped him, and he gave in, quickly too. Trifecta wasn’t sure if it was the leading her on part or when he thought of Twilight.
Now he and Twilight were not dating. They flirted, and she seemed responsive. There was defiantly a connection between them since the Crystal Empire, but it remained small comfortable kindle.
(Maybe I’m leading them both on? Never thought I was such an ass. That said.)
Trifecta stared at the door, practically looking through it to Wiess’s. He’s only known her for a few hours, but if there was one thing about the mare, he knew. Besides the fact she was THIRSTY! It was she was not stupid. Dark or not, she had explored him thoroughly. And he, her, but there was no way she didn’t know what he was.
There were few reasons a patriot like Wiess would let this slide. Of all of them, one, in particular, made him feel guilty beyond belief.
Somepony knocked on the door. He granted them entry, already knowing who it was. Wiess shut the door wordlessly. She was out of uniform, wearing a frilly white dress with pink ascents, with makeup and her hair done up.
“Ready for our date?” She asked with red covered lips.
“Yeah,” He didn’t bother trying to put on an act as he took her by the foreleg. “Let’s go, it’s a nice day, a shame to waste it.”
“Indeed,” She answered softly. “I hope the peace talks go well today. I would rather enjoy having more peaceful days.”
“Me too.” He answered stiffly as Wiess pressed up beside him.
“I’m glad to hear that. Between my mother and my brother, I can never find a mate I like. One disapproves, and the other chases them off. So, I want to enjoy this… for as long as we can.” Wiess pressed even closer to him, Trifecta stiffened even more, before relaxing against her warmth. “Even if it's only for today… I want to be the filly you love.”
“Today and tomorrow,” Was his reply. Trifecta tried to say more but realized it would only be crueler. He snorted angrily at himself, thinking (If only things were different, what a cowardly reply.)
“I feel like I’m dreaming, honestly,” Wiess picked up the conversation again, though maybe she was just speaking aloud. “I don’t want to wake up if I am.” Her grip on him tightened. “If I asked you to stay, would you?”
“Would you leave with me if I asked you too?” Was his retort. Though it was barely a whisper when he said it.
Wiess looked at him, her gaze slowly lowering to the ground, “I guess, I’ll have to wake up from this dream, but not today or tomorrow. Maybe even not the day after that, but someday soon, I will.” She laughed, a soft, cute little laugh, but her face told a different story. “I could be brought up for treason charges, I’d shame not only myself but my family for generations. When I look in the mirror, I can only see an idiot.” Wiess sighed looked at him with a half-smile. “Love is a scary thing, isn’t it?”
“It is, it truly is.” He agreed. “It’s terrifying.”
She could betray him at any moment. He could kill her to keep his secret, only a tiny red thread held the tipping scales they found themselves on. A trust built on lust and refined with affection and delusions.
“What’s your real name?” Wiess asked after some time, they were now in the eastern gardens. “Actually, never mind. Forget, I asked.”
They traveled a bit more, passing a wall of blooming blue roses. Softly he muttered his name in her ear.
How fast can Dragons fly? Various studies estimated the average adult dragon could reach over fifty wing power (975mph). That was all well and good, but how fast could a dragon lord fly? The zenith of dragonkin?
Twilight estimated it was about seventy-five to a hundred wing power, equaling roughly 1,755 mph, or so she estimated. The young unicorn was fuzzy on the math as she was currently doing all she could to remain rooted to Dragonlord Oberon’s back!
“This is amazing! I can’t wait to present this to college!” The unicorn declared giddily. Earning a disapproving shake from Essex, followed by a forehead flick.
“Don’t spread my friend's secrets like that or treat him like a guinea pig. The world is not for your amusement.”
“But scientific study…”
“Ah said, pick a windae or yer leavin'! keep acting lik' a glaikit lassie 'n' ah will spank lik' a neuk whore at th' howf neuk!” Essex switched to a heavy Clydesdale, her words all gilt and bite. Leaving Twilight more confused than scared. What did scare the unicorn was the burning fire in Essex’s eyes. It was the same look her mother would give when she had seriously screwed up.
“Ok, ok, I understand… to a degree.” Twilight scooted over to Sixes asking for a translation.
The elder Rinin gave a half shrug, “Something about beating you like a whore with a beer bottle or something. Clydesdale is more organized gibberish then an actual language to me.”
Essex replied with, “Och, screw aff! tis a bonny word o' tongue, ye juist hae tae git intae it!”
“Yeah, like that. I only got half of that.” Then in a much clear, slower-paced Clydesdale Sixes said, “Calm doon, she's nae yer daughter or anythin'. Sae stoap acting lik' se is.”
“Ah, braw!” Essex waved dismissively before clearing her throat and began speaking proper. “Fine, fine. She’s still an annoying lass. Oops, still speakin’ a bit rough there. Ah, I’ll take a minute to get out of it.”
The next few minutes were Sixes and Twilight watching Essex clear her throat while muttering obscenities in Clydesdale. Finally, after a cough and a loge, she cleared her throat.
“Sorry, I always seem to get a frog in my throat when I swap dialects. Must be out of practice.” Essex said with a laugh. The lady rinin then took a deep breath, exhaling with a content sigh. “Ah, I can smell the isles.”
Oberon’s body moved beneath their feet as the dragonlord began to slow. “Indeed, my friend, we are here.” The dragonlord announced, descending towards the ground.
Instantly the three ponies were greeted by lush fields of green and moss-covered rocky gray peaks lightly covered in white mist. It was a beautiful sight—a stark contrast to the volcanic wasteland the Equestrian dragons inhabited.
“Wow, it’s hard to believe you’re the same species,” Twilight uttered aloud, producing a snort from Oberon. “We are wind and water dragons; it benefits us to have an environment suitable for our needs. Such as clean air and water.”
Twilight felt a blush come on as Essex glared holes into the side of her head. “Right, it was foolish of me to make assumptions.” Essex backed off, but Twilight still took a powerful jab in the ego curiosity of Oberon.
“Fear not little unicorn, the youth are usually ignorant of the world. I’ve come to expect it of short-lived creatures such as yourselves.”
“Thank you… I think? Speaking of age, how old are you?”
“Just under three thousand. I tend not to worry about it.” Oberon said, veering towards a particular mountain.
The mountain in question was smaller than the rest, with broken moss-covered statues and pillars that gave it a temple vibe. The entrance was a long staircase leading down to a square platform with an Alicorn's crumbling statue. Also, there was another dragon of similar size to Oberon. With another smaller slenderer dragon behind that one. Both with brilliant emerald scales.
“Brother Puck, my love Aerwyna, any news?” Oberon asked upon landing. His mate, the slender dragoness, affectionally embraced him. “I see. So, she’s still inside? What of the betas?”
“Oh, we’ve dealt with them.” Puck winked mischievously. “Little Sis and I have kept alternating watch. Catching a few little sneaks that tried to take advantage of the situation. Are these the ones you spoke of?” Puck leered at the three ponies atop his brother’s head. “Hmm, they don’t really match your description. Well, one does, I suppose.”
Oberon took the three ponies in his palm, presenting them to his brother and wife. “This is Essex, we made her and her husband members of our clan a thousand years ago. This is her brother, Sixes, and the other is a nosy unicorn.”
Puck looked at the three, his gaze focused on the rinin. “I would have thought you’d be bigger, but I suppose you look dragon enough to be called ‘Dragon Ponies.’”
“Oh, hush, you,” Aerwyna scolded her brother-in-law. “You act as if your own daughter is much bigger or even my Obara.”
“Aye, Aye, sister, I understand. Though Obara and Hippolyta have room to grow, they are only a few hundred or so years old.”
Essex excitedly bounced in Oberon’s palm. “How big did little Obara get? The last time I saw her, she was only this big.” Her claw rested at her knee.
The Dragon Queen smiled nostalgically, “Oh, has it really been that long? She was so cute. You were a lifesaver too, Essex. Thank you for watching my young one when I needed a nap.” Aerwyna extended one of her massive talons for Essex to hug.
“Think nothing of it!” Replied Essex patting Aerwyna’s talon. “I was happy to help. You and Oberon did so much for me, and Lucky, letting you take a five-year nap was the least I could do.”
“Is that why you didn’t come back to Equestria right away?” Sixes asked. Essex scratched her cheek well, looking away.
“That was part of it.” She admitted.
“And you come to my add again. Thank you, my friend. Please save my precious daughter.”
“Leave to me,” Essex pounded her barrel confidently. “I will do everything in my power and more to ensure Obara is brought back safely.”
“Thank you again, and though I dread to think of it, please don’t blame yourself should the worst come to pass. It has been several days, possibly a week since Obara entered that accursed place.”
“Do you think Obara is already…” Essex couldn’t complete the sentence. Not wanting to even entertain the possibility.
“I haven’t given up hope, I assure you,” Aerwyna stated dejectedly. “But I can’t help but fear the worst, hoping I’ll be proven wrong.”
Essex nodded, “I understand. Sixes?” She looked to her brother, who nodded confidently.
“Let’s move out.” Sixes barked, leading the way up the stairs in full mission mode. Which was reassuring to the dragons. Though Twilight being dragged by the rinin’s tail while prattling on about every sand scribble they passed was less so.
“Oh! That predates the founding of Equestria! Oh! And this. And that! And this!”
Sixes blocked out whatever babble Twilight was prattling on about. The unicorn was going off a mile minute, acting like a filly on Hearth’s warming.
(I guess it’s better than her being anti-social.) Sixes mused. Perhaps feeling a bit responsible for Twilight’s ‘maturing’ or regressing into a loner, as Celestia put it. He’s received many complaints from the Sun Princess, her friends, Cadence, her brother. Even Luna sometimes. (They ask me to train her and then complain about it, typical.)
“Hey, bookworm, translate the door.” He snapped upon reaching the entrance, bringing Twilight to attention.
“Right, right! It says… that’s ancient Clydesdale.” Twilight puttered out pathetically. “I’ve yet to study that one.”
A strangled groan came from Essex as she pushed past the unicorn. “You nothin but a tagalong! So, stay in the back, where ya belong, ‘k? And tis says ‘The Great one sleeps, here, fear all would-be trespassers. Something like that. Don’t worry about it.”
Passing through the ivory doors, the three ponies entered the darkened hall. Twilight and Sixes ignited their respective horns, casting a mix of pinkish-orange light. Twilight produced a small sphere of light, while an elaborate design lit up on Sixes’ horns.
“Magic is handy, isn’t it?” The young unicorn broke the silence, feeling like the third wheel on the sibling’s journey. “Say, Miss Essex.”
“It’s Mrs. Shamrock if you’re going to be formal,” Essex informed her dully, her eyes squinted in the low light. “Dammit. You know Sixes, and I have decent night vision, right? This light makes us blind to what’s up ahead and gives away our location. Don’t you know a night-vision spell? Or just have night goggles?”
“I’m sorry, and yes, there is probably a spell, but I don’t know it. We left is such a hurry, I didn’t have time to grab the proper gear.”
“Well, Oberon was a bit unreasonable,” Essex said under her breath. “Though I can understand being concerned for Obara. I hope she’s alright. She was barely a hatchling when I last saw her. I wonder if she’ll even remember me.”
“She must not have grown too much, considering she can fit in here.” Sixes pointed out, indicating the ceiling. It probably only nine, maybe even eleven feet high. Large for ponies, but barely passable for even the smaller dragons. With the hall only three ponies wide, it was no wonder most dragons could not enter the temple.
“She can’t be much bigger than Torch’s daughter then,” Twilight added, leaning closer to the depictions on the walls. Essex forced her in the center of the group to keep her from reading every passage. “Don’t get distracted.” She snapped.
The wall murals showed a tribe of green alicorns fighting a mysterious enemy, depicted as a blob of darkness with a faint purple aura. A few murals down, the form was replaced with something vaguely pony shaped, possibly another alicorn. After that, the tale ends, the depictions unreadable for several passages. Until the last mural at the end of the hall showed the green alicorns being laid to rest.
As the three stood before the half-opened door, their nostrils wrinkling from the smell of decay and stale air. It was evident that this temple, was in fact, a tomb.
“Smells like death,” Sixes muttered, leading the way inside.
Torches, alight with a green flame, burned on the pillars casting a line of caskets in emerald light. A few of the stone coffins were opened, their contents scattered across the ancient floor.
“Disrespectful,” Essex mewed, picking up a horned skull. “I hope Obara wasn’t the one to do this. Though it may be a false hope.” She mumbled, finding claw marks on the floor. “I guess I can’t blame a dragon for not caring about old pony graves.”
Sixes picked up another piece of the skeleton. Inspecting it closely. “Unless these bones aren’t what they seem.” He pointed to the fractures alone the femur he held. The cracks flesh. “It’s possible they attacked her. Some sort of necromancy trap? Or puppets? That sort of thing is common, right Twilight?”
The unicorn reluctantly agreed, “It’s possible. Though it would need a magical source. I’m not sensing anything, though. Miss Obara could have just wrecked them just because.”
“I highly doubt that not all dragons are meatheads, Twilight.”
“I know! But if there’s no magic…”
“Maybe the source is already gone?” Essex interjected hotly. “We don’t know what happened, nor does it really matter. We’re here to make sure Obara is ok. That said, she deserves a lecture if she did all this for no reason.” She finished quietly, setting the skull in a casket.
Sixes called the two mares over, “Got another door over here. Already unlocked too.”
The door leading to the next chamber sported a broken lock, a stairway leading further down to a room with even more coffins—an unmistakable trail of burning green torches leading the way.
“I guess she went this way.” Sixes took point once more, following the light of the torches. “This place is undoubtedly larger on the inside. They must have hallowed out a good chunk of the mountain.
“It’s certainly possible with magic, but why go through the trouble? And what we’re they fighting in the mural? It looked like pure darkness or maybe the pony of shadows or something.” Twilight babbled, casting her light onto the wall, finding more depictions. Her stomach churning at the description. “What is this?”
The two rinin stopped, studying the horrible images of ponies behind drawn and quartered. Another mural was of a mare with foal, with a horrid monster opening the mare’s stomach. The next picture was said monster being beaten and decapitated, yet the same monster appeared again in a different image—this time eating a pony in a gory fashion.
“What the hell is that? I’ve never seen anything like it.” Essex cocked her head, trying to remember every creature she’s studied, yet drew a blank on the beast. “Are they, ogres? No, it’s Something else. I think its name is written here, Campe. Campe’s crime!” She blurted aloud.
“The old hag of Tartarus? Is this her?” Sixes, having seen Campe once before, squinted at the picture. Take off the wrinkles, add some youth and well-kept hair. Yes, he could see the resemblance. “She didn’t age well.”
“Campe was cursed for a horrible crime. This is probably a record of what she did… but…” Twilight shuttered. “There was defiantly some censoring in the version I read. This is horrible.”
“Yeah, but I never understood these divine punishments.” Sixes voiced aloud, tilting his head at the pictures. “She did these horrible things, and they punished her, sure. But why make her immortal?”
“But, they didn’t!” Twilight argued. “It says she’s bound to serve as Tartarus’s jailkeeper for all eternity.”
“Sounds immortal to me, besides, she can get out uncertain conditions. Luna told me if the cells of hell ever empty, Campe is free of her duties. For what purpose is a jailer with no prisoners. She also is freed from her cursed form and will most likely revert to whatever she was before. Something like this, I assume.”
Sixes directed Twilight’s attention to the mural at the opposite end of the room. The first depiction in the line of horrid crimes showed a beautiful pinkish alicorn being worshiped. Below was a description in Clydesdale.
“Mother of Monsters, The Demon bringer Campe,” Essex translated. The next picture showed various creatures. At the center was a goat-like being. “Campe’s Spawn, the twelve terrors. This is Grogar, isn’t it? That legendary monster?”
Essex looked to Twilight for the answer, the young unicorn nodding, yes.
“This is the find of the century!” Twilight’s smile was dazzling. “We have to…”
“Find Obara,” Essex said flatly. “Try to leave here without her, and Oberon and Aerwyna will kill you. Even if we only bring back a body, it’ll be proof we didn’t abandon the mission, at least. Come on now. We’ve sidetracked enough.”
Essex forged head, crossing the room to the jarred door to the next room. Again, they were met with stairs that lead into a narrow hallway. Forcing the three to descend in a single file line.
“Can’t spread my wings in here.” Sixes noted with his wing’s half out. “This is a bad position.”
“I agree,” Nodded Essex, picking up the pace, a slight panic in her voice.
“Are you by chance…” Twilight began but was interrupted by Sixes, who shook his head. “Don’t bring it up, it’ll only make it worse.”
Essex was almost galloping down the stairs, her orange braids whooshing in the wind. The green flame of the torches zipped by as the three rapidly dived further and further into the depths of the tomb.
After what seemed like forever, they reached the bottom.
“Thank, Luna!” Essex heaved a sigh of relief to be wide open space. Spreading her wings wide for the sheer sense of freedom. Once she was calm, Essex took in their surroundings. “What is this place, though?”
This floor appeared to be the bottom of the temple. Glittering piles of gold, gems, and other treasures were piled everywhere. Buried in said piles were the bones of what might have been guards or marauders. The vast majority of the skeletons were crushed, the bones were broken into small fragments. However, there were a few outliers, where the cause of death was a clean single cut.
“What could have caused this, I wonder?” Sixes mumbled, picking up a pony’s remains and fitting them back together. The cut in the femur was so perfect he could match the ends easily. There was no sawing or anything of the like. “A magic blade or perhaps a spell?”
“Come look at this!” Essex called out to him, motioning him and Twilight to the what seemed to be the center of the room. A circle of pillars surrounded an even greater gold pile, half-buried in it was a massive skeleton of some creature. It’s jaws large enough to swallow a pony whole, its jaw elongated like an alligator’s. The creature’s spine coiled around the gold like a serpent. It was apparently very long. The line of vertebrae stretched deep into the darkness.
“A hundred, maybe two hundred feet in length,” Twilight intoned, examining the remains with fascination. “It continues even more. Maybe it’s even three hundred feet in length!” She buzzed excitedly.
“It’s an impressive predator, but why is it here? It can’t be a guardian, can it?” Essex asked, standing beside Sixes. Letting Twilight indulge in her archeological mischief. “What do you think, brother?” She asked awkwardly with a blush.
“It probably just moved in. Maybe it was intelligent enough to realize all this gold was good bait for treasure hunters. I’m sure it ate well for many years. That said, it’s weird for it to just die here. Unless it died from old age. I don’t see any wounds.”
None of the creature’s bones appeared to be damaged. Not that Sixes felt inclined to check them all.
“Maybe it nested here when it was young, and couldn’t get out when it grew to adult size. I do not see any holes or tunnels. Granted, I can’t even see the walls from here. This place really is massive.” Essex hummed, flying towards the ceiling for a better bird’s eye view. The green flame torches' flickering light created a neon green hue as far as she could see. In what she assumed was north, there was another light shining in the darkness. “There might be something at the end of its tail.”
“Then let’s go check it out. It worries me we haven’t run into Obara yet.”
“My thoughts exactly, she has to be near,” Essex replied, dropping down beside Sixes. “Unless we missed something? There was another route up above. We just followed those torches because we assumed Obara lit them.”
“Let’s get this room checked first and then worry after that.” Sixes replied, trying to be reassuring. He tried to say more, but his words failed him. Instead, he switched focus to Twilight as they passed her. Pulling the unicorn long by the collar of her cape.
“Wait! Wait! I’ve almost finished looking at it! This creature is amazing! Do you know what this is? This is so rare!” More then rare, it’s super rare!
“Oh, by the gods, what is it, lass!” Essex grumbled out.
“I think it’s a Levant!” Twilight squealed.
The unicorn’s words made the two rinin stop short. “A what?” They turned in unison, Sixes let go of Twilight’s cape, letting the unicorn right herself and project a magic board. Clearly about to put her magical creature degree to use.
“The clip notes version, please.” Essex implored the unicorn. Resulting in Twilight to appear crestfallen.
“Fine… but’s it’s fascinating!”
“I’m sure it is, we don’t have time.”
“I can explain the basics in under three hours?”
“Twilight!”
“Ok! Ok! Short version. Levants are believed to be ancient dragons or perhaps even Dragon predators. Their enormous size resulted in them needing enormous amounts of meat. It’s believed they would hunt by attacking from underground. Some believe Dragons developed wings to escape these creatures, which lead to the Levants to starve from a lack of adaption. That’s the college’s theory. When I asked Celestia and Luna, they said Levants were even before their time, so it really all speculative.”
“So, all of that is bullshit.”
“It’s based on archeological study!”
“Like I said, bullshit. Archeology is playing with bones and creating fantasies based on their imagination.”
“It’s the best we got to find out about extinct species!”
“You have a literal time travel spell!”
“That’s banned for obvious reasons!”
Sixes cut in between the two females. (And here I thought, I didn’t get along with Twilight.) “So, summarize, Levants are huge creatures that hunted dragons, and are now extinct, right?”
“In summary, yes, but answer me this, Sixes, how old do these bones appear to you? They’re awfully intact, right?” Twilight hinted, earning no favor from the siblings who were unreciprocated to her attempts to teach them. “Fine, look how well preserved they are! Sure, the remains are down here in a sealed ruin, but there’s little cracking or breakage in the bones. I think this creature died in the last century. I’d have to take a sample to be sure, but the species might still be alive! It could have offspring for all we know!”
Essex became very serious. “Slow down, Twilight, how long do you think these things can live for?”
The unicorn could only shrug, “About as long as dragons can? Hundreds of years, thousands of years might be nothing to it.”
“But they’re extinct.”
“We believe them to be, but there is a theory that Levants might have adapted a long hibernation cycle. If you look at this way, they could very well be sleeping in remote places like this temple. Kira can something similar, right?”
Sixes looked at his sister regretfully, “She does have a point. Dragons are known to sleep for a hundred years easily. Whose to say other creatures can’t? That said, we need to stay on task, Twilight. You got some kind of sonar or radar spell?”
The young mage nodded, “I know one. Its range is limited, but this chamber doesn’t look that big. Give me a second.” Twilight closed her eyes, searching her vast mind for the niche spell she looked up many moons ago. “Ok, do this and that and Quaerere!”
A flash of misty purple exploded from Twilight’s horn, spreading like a morning mist across the chamber. Eyes wide and ears twitching, the young unicorn felt her brain muscles flex as every bit of information of the surrounding area was force-fed into her head.
“Wow, this is very detailed, ugh I’m getting a headache,” Twilight complained, pressing a hoof against her skull, her left eye twitching violently. “Agh… something is alive … over that way.” She pointed straight ahead.
“Thanks, let go!” Essex shouted, running off.
“Wait, I!”
“Good job, Twilight.” Sixes patted her neck, massaging the base of her skull to ease her headache.
“Thanks, but there’s, ugh… this is worst than that week-long reading marathon I did!”
Ahead of Twilight and Sixes, Essex darted through the piles of treasure and bones, desperate to find the young dragoness. Her heart pounding with hope and fear. “OBARA!” Essex screamed into the darkness, her eyes shining. “It’s Auntie! Auntie Essex! Can you hear me!”
Catching a leg on some piece of treasure, Essex spread her wings and soared over the ground, darting her head side to side in search of Obara. “How big is this place? It’s like the fucking catacombs under Canterlot!”
Feeling a breeze on her neck, Essex turned towards the source, her eyes catching a faint light. Perhaps the same one she saw before. Immediately Essex veered towards it. Performing a speed boasting maneuver, a sharp crack filled the vast room as she propelled at neck-breaking speeds.
Without her goggles, her eyes began tearing up, blurring the light she saw. Closing them tightly to get the moisture out, Essex opened her eyes and saw a silhouette against the light. “OBARA!” Closing her wings, Essex hit the floor, digging her claws deep to slow her speed.
Instead of stopping, Essex rolled with the momentum, running into the green cast light. The wall of the chamber loomed before her, a grand bazaar burning with an eerie green light, before a splendid throne. At the base of small stairs sat a chest, and propped up beside said chest was a petite green dragon, adorned in armor.
As the Dragon’s helmet was removed, Essex didn’t need to second guess her eyes. This was Obara. Apparently sleeping soundly. The shallow rising of her chest was she needed to see to feel relieved.
“You’re gonna make my heart give out before your mothers, you little shite.” Essex drawled. Relieved to see the dragoness. “I see you haven’t grown much over the…” Her words died on her tongue when Essex felt something wet on her boot. Lifting the stained boot into the light, she was squeamish, dreading the familiar sticky texture and iron scent.
With the bazaar inadequate for light, Essex spat glops of red magma to better light the area. In the brighter orange hue, she got a better look at Obara’s pale complexion and her lack of a left arm.
“OBARA!” Essex rifled through her saddlebags, pulling bandages and glaze out with abandon. Hastily she wrapped a tourniquet around the young Dragon’s arm to apply pressure and stem the bleeding. Quickly followed by cleaning and dressing the wound. If that was all that was wrong with the dragoness, it was bad enough, but there were many more wounds to see to.
“Oh, come on, my little hatchling. Stay with me!” Obara began to moan, her eyes fluttering open. Weakly she caressed Essex’s cheek. “Auntie?” She meekly mewed with the strength of a newborn kitten.
“Aye, tis me, my little bonny. Just ye hold still, Auntie Es, is gonna fix, yer up!” Essex slipped into Clydesdale, unable to keep up her Avalonia, with her worry and focus on Obara. Once Obara’s arm was tended to, Essex began working on the other wounds. “This might sting a bit, but bear with me, lass.”
With an alcohol dowsed cloth and a needle and thread at the ready. Essex cleaned the most extensive wound, brushing off the bits of crusted blood. “I’ll get you stitched up, here right quick, don’t worry now.”
“Auntie…”
“Hush, child, time for that later.”
“Essex,” Sixes sharp voice cut through the air like a sword. Essex’s ears twitched, but her claws did not stop working. “What is it?” She sharply replied.
“There’s something else here!” Twilight blurted in a panic. “And it’s big!”
The entire room seemed to shake, a deep rumbling passed beneath them. Bricks popped out of the floor.
“Fuck grab her and go!” Sixes switched to bipedal, hosting Obara onto Essex’s back. “Go, go, go!” He spurred. Essex taking flight, Sixes grabbed Twilight by the waist and carried her. A massive scaley blur broke through the floor and slammed into the ceiling. The creature roared in anger, rearing it’s giant skull-like head back and bellowing at them—a bright green light shining from its mouth.
“Ah! It’s a young Levant!”
“Not the time, Twilight!” He growled as the Levant gave chase.
It was much smaller than its skeleton parent, but its body seemed equally endless as it kept stretching and stretching, its massive jaws snapping at them, quickly gaining on them!
“Essex! Flame boast!”
“Got it!”
Both rinin did a quick spin, fire exploding behind them, rocketing them forward. The Levant matched their speed quickly, opening its mouth wide for the kill.
“Break!” Ordered Sixes, he and Essex turned in opposite directions, the Levant slamming into the wall. Chunks of stone fell, burying the monster and revealing the staircase to the upper level. “Lava!”
Dropping their cargo on the demolished staircase, the Rinin siblings inhaled in sync, their chests ballooning with red hot magma pulsing beneath their skin. As one, they spewed hot molten rock on the rubble atop the Levant. Slabs of hardened lava rock quickly formed, welding the debris into one colossal cluster.
“That should slow him down,” Essex said confidently. Suddenly a far-off pillar exploded, then another and another, a blur tore up the floor like a cable being pulled out of the ground. “What’s that?”
“It’s tail.” Sixes answered, pulling his sister to the upper floor. Like a whip, the Levant’s tail cracked, ripping stone-free and launching debris everywhere.
“How big is this thing!” Essex screamed as she and Sixes flew to the upper floor. They didn’t get much of a reprieve as the floor cracked beneath them. The loud ear flinching sound of stone being ground had them folding their ears against their scalps.
The massive head of the Levant burst through the staircase. Bits of molten stone dribbling down the monster's body. It swayed side to side as if trying to decide which one it wanted to eat first.
“Auntie!” Obara came flying from the shadows. Her left arm glowing with an elaborate pattern of green energy. “Gearr!” With the shout of a word of power, a glowing emerald sword materialized in Obara’s claw.
She hacked at the creatures offending fangs with a great roar, seemingly trying to get inside the monster’s maul.
“Oh, of the love of luna!” Essex rushed into the air, snatching Obara, and hung from the ceiling with her claws. “Are you trying to die!”
“The Bloodstone!” Was Obara’s reply, pointing to the flashing green light in the Levant’s teeth. “I need it!”
“We can’t always have what we want, honey.” Essex retorted, putting Obara in a chokehold. The dragoness going limb in her embrace. “Twilight!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“I’m getting Obara out of here. You back up, Sixes!”
“Understood!”
Drawing her quarterstaff, Twilight gave it a twirl as it lit up with many runes. A specific series of runes light up, causing the magic around Twilight’s horn to swirl faster. “Focus, +20!”
Complicated magical formulas breezed through Twilight’s mind, four magic arrays appeared behind her, pieces of rubble were dragged into the circled, compressed, and then released.
“Railgun!”
Four blasts of super-condensed matter peppered the Levant; it hollowed and screamed, its flesh burning from the superheated stone. Twilight’s attack wasn’t over, though; she created another set of magic arrays on either side of the monster. Black spheres appearing in both, mini black voids, each trying to suck the Levant in. This attack should have torn the creature to ribbons. Yet the Levant seemed unperturbed by the incredible force of gravity pulling at its body.
“How can it withstand this much force! This is impossible!” Twilight stained scream revibrated through the air, her horn sparking like fireworks as her spell collapsed. With a pain-filled roar, Twilight ran blindly as the Levant bodyslammed the floor, nearly squishing her.
“Over here!” Twilight was pulled to safety by Sixes, who dosed her burning horn with water. “Did any of those college seminars tell you to kill this thing?”
“Starvation?”
“I doubt we have the time for that. Besides, this thing is a lot smarter then I gave it credit for.” Sixes commented as he hopped from pillar to pillar, avoiding the Levant’s headbutts.
“How so? It doesn’t seem that smart.” The Levant missed for the fifth time, smashing its head into the wall, which was pure mountain granite, the force of the blow was strong enough to collapse several pony-made structures. Yet the bone covered skull of the Levant seemed undamaged. “I mean, look at it.”
“It’s not stupid, it’s inexperienced. It’s never had to work this hard for its prey before, so it doesn’t know what works yet. Now pop quiz time, why was Obara still alive when we found her?”
“Was it waiting to see if others would come to find her? Or did that blazer keep Obara safe somehow? Even if it was waiting to see if others were coming for Obara, it didn’t need to stave off eating her.” Twilight’s mind was working hard, putting the pieces together. As they zoomed past the creature, she got a good look at its eyes. “I see.”
Waving her horn, Twilight created fire, as bright as she could make it. When Sixes clamped his feet to the wall, he held his position. The Levant was staring right at them, but it didn’t move. In fact, it looked to be in pain, blinking rapidly before squeezing its eyes tight.
“It’s adapted to near dark conditions, it can’t handle bright lights!” Twilight exclaimed. Sixes covered her mouth. The Levant looked towards them but shunned away from the light once more.
“It can still hear us,” Sixes whispered with a growl. “That said, this gives us options.”
“Like what?”
“Well, it probably won’t leave this place, so we could more than likely just leave it be. The problem is we’d just have to deal with it later or somepony or Dragon will. There’s no way it’s getting enough food down here. It’ll brave to the outside someday in the feature. When it does, it’ll have to adapt to seeing the sun or just hunt at night. The only problem with leaving it for later is that it’ll be a lot bigger and smarter. Who knows how many lives it could take.”
“Who says we have to take care of it? This is dragon territory after all.”
Sixes’ lips curled into a smirk. “Gotta love loopholes. Can you teleport out?”
“Probably, I got a good look at the entrance, so I should be able to get there, at least.”
“Alright, go give them a warning. I’ll lead it to the surface.”
“Roger that!” Twilight let the light die, vanishing in a shower of sparks. Leaving Sixes alone with the now unencumbered Levant.
He bared his teeth, his body pulsing with power as gold veins appeared along the surface of his skin. An intricate glowing pattern lit up his horns as molten gold spilled out between his teeth. Sixes rose to bipedal, already crafting weapons for his use. The Levant, seemingly sensing a threat, reacted warily, bobbing its head for an angle of attack.
Two bright golden spears materialized in Sixes’ claws. “Alright, ugly, come to me!”
“Obara!” Aerwyna screamed in a panic when she saw the state of her daughter. “Oh, my poor baby! What did this to you!” That concerted tone quickly switched to a much darker, enraged one, that promised retribution.
“I’m fine, mother,” Obara muttered, more embarrassed about her injury then upset. “Some stupid beast got the better of me is all. Sorry.”
The Dragon Queen’s expression softened once more, taking her daughter into her palm. “Oh, my little one. No amount of pride is worth risking you for.” The queen looked to Essex. “Thank you, my friend, for bringing back my daughter, mostly whole.”
Essex bowed, “I only wish I could do more. Well, I can’t, but I have some friends that could make a prosthetic for Obara. That will have to wait, though. The creature that took Obara’s arm is still at large. It’s called a Levant if that means anything to you.”
Oberon swaggered forward, his grip tight on his scepter. “I have heard the legends. Are you certain?”
Essex shook her head, “I wouldn’t know, but Twilight seemed sure about it. As much as she annoys me, she’s is smart.”
The mountain began to shake beneath their feet. Slabs of the temple crumble, tumbling down the steep into the misty abyss below. The signature flash of teleportation drew everyone's eyes, Twilight appearing at the top of the temple stairs.
“Everyone! Sixes is luring the Levant to the surface! Get ready!”
Streaks of golden light exploded from within the temple, completely demolishing the last of its structural stability. With an eep! Twilight teleported to the others as Sixes came flying out of the dust cloud, the Levant hot on his heels. A shining spear in his claws, arching back, the spear became a flash of light that smashed into the Levant, making it recoil but left little noticeable injury.
“Try this then!”
Spitting a glob of gold into his claw, Sixes levitated three spheres of equal size with his horns, molding them into three elaborately carved spears engraved with various runes.
“Spears of Solaris (Semi-Perfect.) Rifling!” The spears began to spin at a high RPM, Something he could never have done before his horns sprouted. He fired the harpoons rapidly with a snarl, each one a spiraling streak of light against the evening sky like shooting stars.
The spears' extra spin, combined with the ability to magically catapult them with ballista like force, gave the attacks a lot more firepower. Each blow had the levant recoiling, rearing back in pain as they drilled into its bone-like skin. Huge flashes of energy illuminated the darkening sky as the spears exploded into massive clouds of destruction.
From within the smoke, the Levant moaned, it’s head lumbering out of the black cloud sported three deep holes, yet no blood flowed from the wounds. Shaking its head, the Levant snapped blindly at Sixes, it’s eyes unable to handle the glare of the setting sun.
“We gotta take it out before nightfall! Hurry!” Bellowed Sixes crafting a very long length of chain. He snagged the hook on the monster nostril and crafted strength accessories to keep the monster from looking away from the sun. (I lost track of time! I didn’t think we were down there that long!) “Twilight! Essex! Anytime!”
“Right on it!” Essex appeared feral, her hair waving wildly as orange cracks spread across her body. Spitting lava, she formed a twisted set of lava rock nails on her claws. Sinister energy wafted from the crude creations. Flying at the Levant's exposed body, Essex raked her black talons across the creature's scales. Screaming, “Peele’s curse!” Leaving deep lacerations on the harden plates, and from those rifts, impossible amounts of lava spewed forth like a geyser.
“Don’t forget about me!” Twilight stepped forth, creating a single complex magical array. The array gathers loose debris, compressing and then firing them rapid-fire. Not much different than a rapid-fire Gem blaster. Each shot makes the monster bellow but leaves littles results.
After creating another stream of lava that was now pouring down the Levant and onto the mountain, Essex screamed. “Don’t you know any bigger spells!”
Twilight’s reply was, “I do, but I can only do them once a day! This more cost-effective!”
“It’s ineffective is what it is!” The female rinin retorted as a few of Twilight’s shots skimmed past her. “Watch, were you aiming!”
“Stay focused!” Sixes rebuked the two of them, tugging hard on his chain. The Levant followed his lead, opening its mouth wide. His muscles bulging with veins, Sixes spared a glance at the Dragonlord, who had yet to enter the fight for reasons unknown. His mate was protectively cradling Obara, with Puck standing defensively in front of the mother and child, yet none of them seemed eager to jump into the fray yet. “Maybe they need some more motivation.”
Crafting a second chain, Sixes whipped at the shining green light in the creature's mouth. Luckily, he hooked what he wanted and pulled glowing stone and something else from between the monster's massive teeth.
The stone and the other item landed before the dragons, making the lot of them recoil at the sight of Obara’s severed arm covered in slime, bones jutting out, and clearly unattachable. There was no telling what kind of bacteria was living on the thing now. The muscles already rotting.
Oberon’s grip on his mighty staff tightened, his eyes glowing a sinister dark green. Perhaps it was the Levant's legend that stalled him; maybe he didn’t believe this creature was the thing that hurt his child. Or that since the ponies had enraged the beast, it was their problem, not his.
Whatever his thoughts had been, no longer mattered. He rosed to his full height, still only a fraction of the creature, yet he did not care. Raising his staff, he let loose a loud and terrifying roar. A bright emerald pillar shooting into the sky.
“HEED THY CALL OF YOUR LORD! TO ME!” Oberon’s voice shook the air and sky, spreading across the land. The response was a chorus of roars. Dragons of every shade of blue and green and all in between took the sky. This was not like the Equestrian horde, made up of young teenagers and adults. These were all full-grown adults. Many of them were scared of previous battles, only making them look much more dangerous.
Twenty in all heeded the call.
“Dragons of Clydesdale! Attack!”
Oberon’s chest ballooned, glowing with green, from his mouth come not fire, but plasma. The combination of wind and lightning shattered the Levant’s scales, ripping them free from the flesh.
Sixes let go of his chain, “Essex, get out of there!” He barked, swooping down to drag his sister away as the other dragons took their shots. Each one unleashing similar attack as their lord, green heat beams blasted the young Levant, searing its body like a steak.
Smoking hot scales rained down, exposed roasted flesh smoked, and burned in the chilling air. Nightfall was close, and the Levant would soon have its vision. Even now, it peaked out to view its many enemies. If it had been older and more experienced, it would have realized it was in a dangerous position. It would have dove back underground to recover.
But it was young, it was confident, and it was hungry. It had burned much energy merely moving to the surface of its nest. It knew that even though a part of it was telling it to retreat, it knew it would never have a chance to feast like this again.
So the Levant roared, blue veins appearing along its serpent body, a bluish-white light gathering in its mouth. The Dragons surrounding it rained hot plasma on it, burning it, disintegrating its flesh, but even that wasn’t enough to be fatal. It let out a challenging roar, ready to unleash death upon its prey and feast! When the most enormous Dragon, the Dragonlord, came into his sight, its scepter raised high.
“Begone, foul beast!” Oberon thrust with his staff, unleashing a concentrated beam of magic that shot the blue building energy back down the monster's throat. Green began to overtake the blue, the monsters veins bursting into geysers of blood the ignited with the air.
The Levant let out one last definite cry before slumping forward to the ground. The life leaving its eyes.
Oberon raised his staff, declaring victory for his kind.
After the battle, Dragonlord Oberon declared a hearty feast of the slain creature. Its remains were to be given to all dragons within his realm. There were vast amounts of it to go around, but the ones to partake in the battle got first dibs on their choice of cuts.
In the canyon were the bulk of the Clydesdale dragons made their nests, a great fire ragged as more culinary gifted of the species salted and seasoned the meat over the great fires. The young dragons were charged with cutting smaller pieces to be sorted in the mountains' chilly depths for lather.
From atop Oberon’s nest, he and his guest partook in the feast as well. Though they did so privately, deep within the multi-chamber burrow.
“Twilight, you're rude.” Essex chides like a mother.
“I’m a pony.”
“Oh, don’t use that old excuse!”
“Meat is not part of my diet! I don’t have the teeth for it!” The unicorn emphasized by showing off her blunt teeth.
Essex shrugged off her protests and counter with, “Then use that morph whatever spell, turn into a rinin or even a dragon.” She said, well tearing into a huge (for her) piece of skewered Levant—the juice dripping down her chin. “Oh gods, this is delicious! Why can’t we have this at home?”
“Because it’s freaking me out!” Twilight shouted, watching with a churning stomach as once-living flesh as torn between the rinin’s canines.
“It’s regrettable,” Was Sixes’ input, indulging in the rare treat of meat. “Tastes even better after not eating it for a while.”
“I know, right? Maybe we can jerky some of it? Take it home, and just hide it or even better, we could invite everypony out here! You wouldn’t mind, would you, Oberon?”
“Of course not my friend. There is plenty to go around.” Oberon said softly. His gaze fixed on his daughter and what was missing. “Will your friend… Platinum, be able to give my daughter a new arm? Truly?”
“You have my word! Platinum as three legs of metal herself.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves now, but I’m fairly confident she can do it myself.” Sixes added. “She already has experience making mechanical claws, so I think it will be relatively simple for her. That is all for later. Let us get to the main topic. Namely, this.”
With a clatter, Sixes dropped the stone Obara had risked her life to get in the center of the group. It green and shined with a pulsing energy that he knew well. It was an Alicorn Amulet, though Obara insisted it was a bloodstone.
“That’s mine!” Obara declared, only to be shooshed by her mother.
“We already have the Green and Emerald Amulet, so what do we call this one?” He asked passively, not really looking for an answer, but “How about Mint?” came up, Essex, the one to suggest it. Though he was having a hard time telling if she was serious.
“Good enough, if you don’t mind, Lord Oberon, we’d like to take this with us. I also have a few questions for your daughter in regards to her abilities.” Sixes regarded Obara with keen interest, most notably, her tattoos. “Are you a rune user as well?”
In the well-lit cave, Obara was clearly defined for the first time since their meeting. She was similar in stature to Equestria’s Dragonlord Torch’s daughter Ember. Obara perhaps slightly taller and featuring a green color scheme. An intricate whirl pattern traveled the entire length of her arm, with designs on her legs as well, each one a rune.
“That’s Secare and Obstructionum? Correct?” Sixes inquired, earning a surprised and eager look from the dragoness.
“You know of them? Awesome! But I use the Clydesdale version, Gearr, and Bloc. Though I suppose all languages share some roots.” She smiled graciously when examining her missing arm. “I guess I overestimated the force of that things jaw. I saw it coming and tried to block it, and it swallowed everything, shield and all.”
“What are you two talking about?” Cried, Essex. She never got the hang of runes or the principles behind them. It was all over her head, really. Curses, though, those were her jam. They were simple and easy to use. There were adverse effects, but if you knew how to exploit loopholes, they weren’t a big deal.
“Well, by inscribing a word of power, one can…”
“The grade school version, Twilight. I didn’t exactly go to magic college or school for that matter.” Essex interrupted the incoming lecture.
“Oh, ok, umm…”
Sixes sighed, annoyed, “Just show them if you can.”
“Gladly,” Obara grinned, stretching out her right arm. “Gearr!” A transparent sword of green energy formed in her palm. “It’s only good for one hit, but you’d be surprised how many dragons fall for it.”
“So, it’s a spell that makes a magic sword? Is that all?” Essex muttered between bites of meat. “How are those stitches holding up?”
“They’re fine, Auntie, don’t worry so much,” Obara nonchalantly brushed off Essex’s worries about her thread and needle skills. Besides her arm, Obara sported many other injuries that required the most advanced healing spell Twilight knew; even then, it still took something physical to keep the Dragon together.
“For a non-unicorn and non-pony, that’s really impressive,” Twilight interjected about the runes. Her offered meal still untouched. “Most ponies can’t even manage that, even after Magic College.”
“I feel like she’s looking down on me, does anyone mind if I cut her head off?” Obara bared her teeth at the unicorn, her Gearr, still materialized. “You pompous ponies always seem to think the world revolves around you, that ticks me off! You know? If even ten percent of the dragon population was more intelligent or more ambitious, you’d find a cave and stay in it.”
“Well, maybe dragons aren’t as mighty as we believe!” Twilight barked back, horns flaring. Only to get a forehead flick from Essex.
“When did you get so high and mighty? You couldn’t scratch the Levant and your sitting across from the Dragon that killed it. Sorry, Oberon, she’s smart but dense.”
“HEY!”
Oberon merely chuckled, sipping wine from his skull cup. “Ponies have their strengths; if I were a more self-conscious dragon, I would kill you know before you became a true threat, young Twilight.”
Essex elbowed Twilight in the ribs, “Oh, look at that lassie! That’s high praise from Oberon, for sure!”
“Um… thanks… I guess.” Twilight levitated her wine, grimacing at her skull cup.
“Don’t worry; it’s not a pony,” Aerwyna assured her.
“Right…” She drowned her drink in one go. “Uh, this tastes… good. Did you make this?”
“It was a tribute from one of the pony villages. I much prefer their whiskey.” Oberon said, slugging down a barrel of the stuff in one go.
A chant of ‘Drink, Drink, Drink!’ filled the chamber. No creatures’ cup was ever empty. For those of lower tolerances, the effects were beginning to set in. Twilight was sloshed on the floor, Sixes was a bit flush, entertaining Obara with his knowledge of runes. Oberon, Puck, and Aerywna watched their guests with amusement, wondering how much longer they would last. The only one keeping pace with the dragons was Essex, who took a moment to reflect, staring at her visage in her drink.
“It’s like old times, isn’t.” She uttered softly, her heart yearning for Lucky Shamrock.
Unfortunately, the good times must come to an end.
“Aerwyna, Puck.”
“We understand.” The Dragon Queen and the lord’s brother moved to the front of the cave, guarding the entrance.
Oberon picked up the stone his daughter had risked her life for and held to the Emerald bloodstone in his scepter. The two gems resonating with each other.
“This Mint Amulet, as you call it, is remarkably similar to my bloodstone. With it, my daughter could forge another scepter. Thus doubling our power in an instant.” Oberon looked sadly at the stone. “I don’t understand how such a powerful item has gone unnoticed in my own territory nor how my daughter knew of it. As for you taking it, I will entrust it to you, Essex.”
“Me?” She gawked. “You’re not going to keep it for yourself? Give it to Aerwyna or just let Obara have it?”
“Father!”
“My daughter doesn’t understand the delicate balance of our world. Each region's Dragonlord has such a thing in their claws. Most use it to determine leadership and boost their power. As of now, we are all roughly equal. To upset that balance would ignite a war. Even with two amulets, I could not defeat the other four lords. Besides, there’s always a chance it could be used against me. I cannot condone having such a threat to my rule in reach of my rivals.”
Essex nodded, accepting the Mint Amulet while looking apologetically to Obara. “We deal with these things on the regular, so we’ll take care of it. But how did you know where to find it? Or was it just by chance?”
Obara puffed her cheeks and awkwardly tried to cross her arms with her stub, clearly upset by having her prize stolen from her,
“There are many ruins around here. Obara could have stumbled upon it by chance, but I feel it unlikely.” Oberon said pointedly, giving his daughter a light tap with his tail. “Don’t be so upset. You brought this upon yourself, and your Aunt has generously offered to replace your missing claw. Compensation is required.”
“Fine…” Obara said begrudgingly.
“Good, now did you chance upon the gem, or did some dragon tell you about its location?” Oberon pressed his daughter sternly. Obara stubbornly refusing to talk. The dragonlord raised his staff. “Do not force me to compel you.”
“I promised not to tell! But it wasn’t a dragon.”
Essex joined in on the interrogation. “Was it a pony then? Or perhaps a griffon?”
Obara struggled to keep her lips closed, refusing to meet either Essex or Oberon's eyes. The pressure mounting. “It wasn’t a griffon.”
“So, it’s a pony?”
“She was pony like I guess,” Obara admitted. “A half breed.”
That got the two rinin’s attention. “Define half-breed.”
Obara tilted her head, “I suppose she was more pony like. She was kind of like you, Auntie. Kind of pony, kind of Dragon. A half breed, I guess.”
“What was her name?” Essex demanded, grabbing Obara by the shoulders. “What’s her name?”
“Well, she was pale, like white, and wore Nippon clothes, I think her name was some kind of drink?”
“Sake.”
“Yeah, that was it! Sake was her name.”
“No,” Sixes said sharply, pointing ahead to the entrance. “Sake’s right over there.”
Everyone turned, following the point of Sixes’ claw. Sure enough, the rogue Princess of Nippon was standing in the archway behind Puck, who bewilderedly looked from the new arrival to the entrance. “I didn’t let her in.”
There were many questions on every creature’s mind, but Essex was the first to blurt out.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Sake, garbed in some sort of traveler’s grab, stood up straight. Perhaps to look essential or confident. Sixes didn’t know. What he did know is despite her look of confidence, there was fear in her eyes.
Was she afraid of him? Of them? Hard to say.
“Sake, why are you here?” He tried more gently.
The Rogue princess licked her lips nervously. “I need your help.” From her saddlebag, she pulled a scroll. Showing off the infinity symbol sealing it. The seal was unbroken. It was addressed to Sixes. “Take it. Please.”
Sixes took the scroll, breaking the wax seal. There was nothing written inside. Instead, there was a scrap of a newspaper. The date was not today nor tomorrow. It was three days from now—another of Dusk’s little hints.
“What does it say?” Twilight asked, leaning over Sixes’ shoulder. “No… that’s… impossible.”
The headline of the date yet to happen read: PRINCESS CELESTIA OF EQUESTRIA ASSASSINATED! THE WORLD DESCENDS INTO TOTAL WAR!
“How does this happen? How do we stop it?” Twilight asked in a panic. Sixes had to physically restrain her, or else she would have probably run off blindly. He slipped an anti-magic ring on her horn, just in case.
“Calm down for a second, Twilight.” Sixes barked, pinching her neck. She winced as he forced her to the ground. “Just take a breath and think clearly. Your better and smarter than this.”
After the seventh exhale, Twilight’s breathing had returned to a regular rhythm. “I’m ok.”
“Sure,” Was Sixes’ reply. “There’s no article. Only the headline.” And a tasteless picture. What did the press think would happen, posting a photo like this? The image below the headline was of Celestia on the ground, dead, from what seemed like a slash wound. Her white coat so stained with her blood he couldn’t make out the injury.
Sake shook her head. “I have nothing else to give you. Besides, too much information muddies the future. I’m not sure how likely this one is to occur, either. Only that it is significant. That is all I came here to do; I have other business to attend to.” A mirror-like accessory dangled from Sake’s neck. It was perhaps no bigger than a pocket mirror and had a rosary for a chain. When she spoke a particular word, a blue portal appeared, and she stepped through it, disappearing. As if she was never there.
“That pony certainly is a mystery,” Obara commented. “Disappearing like that all the time. She did the same thing last time.”
“She probably just went home is all.” He had found it weird how well-behaved Sake had been over the years. Seems she was still moonlighting as Dusk’s messenger. No real surprise there. Sixes saw no reason to make a fuss about it. Right now, at least. “Never mind her, we’re going to Freiberger.”
“Can we really get there in time?” Essex asked. “I’d like to take Obara back to Evernight and get Platinum to work on that prosthetic.”
“Priorities, Essex, that said, flying under our own power, we won’t make it in time. And it’s too far a distance to teleport. I’m sure we couldn’t just pop in anyway. The peace summit will have anti-magic measures in place.” Sixes looked up at the towering Dragonlord. “Could we trouble you for one last favor?”
“I cannot enter pony lands so brazenly. I would only cause panic. Equestria was the exception.” Oberon pointed out. Stroking his chin, looking at Obara. “However, I would be inclined to agree under certain conditions. Though the best I could do is take you across the channel to the borders of Prance.”
“I’m sure you still owe us a favor.” Sixes knew what the Dragonlord was implying, wanting none of it.
“Ah, but it was I who slew the Levant that you purposely lured out. I’m willing to overlook you endangering my subjects by making us fight that beast with little notice. It’s not that much trouble, surely.”
The two leaders eyed each other in a battle of wills. After a minute, Sixes relented with a “Fine. I guess we're already babysitting one tagalong.”
Fierce Fury returned to homebase utterly exhausted. He and his team departed the helicopter that brought them from Austopona. The mission a success. Ordering the pony with the stolen intel to go to Topaz’s office for analysis. The red rinin quickly made his way through the castle to the second floor to his office to write his report.
“We really fucked up this layout.” Fury grumbled, skipping the stairs at three steps at a time before going to the nearest window and gliding down to his office. Having a balcony was convenient for occasions like this.
With a warily look at the clock, Fury resigned himself to hours of desk work as he began writing his mission report. It sucked. Having to explain every little detail, only for some pony to blackout incriminating parts later.
Fury was midway through the infiltration when there was a knock at his door. Gruffly he beckoned the pony inside without looking up from his work. “What is it?”
“Something needs your attention at Night Port, Commander Fury.” A very pregnant Fleetfoot reported.
If he was angry, Fury didn’t show it. Perhaps out of consideration for the expecting mare, but more likely, he was resigned to his fate, or he would have been if he didn’t want to go to sleep. “Get Sixes then.”
“Supreme Commander Sixes isn’t here; he departed for Clydesdale with Commander Essex and Vice Commander Twilight Sparkle almost two days ago,” Fleetfoot reported with a cringe, meaning she probably had more bad news for him.
Don’t let it be said, Fury didn’t try.
“Luna?”
“She’s showing the Selene to Queen Cadence.”
“Topaz?”
“He’s yet to return from his mission in Prance.”
Resigned, Fury set down his quill. Seemed he was the highest-ranked pony present. For a moment, the red rinin thought about asking about Admiral McGather, only to quickly dismiss the thought. McGather was probably testing the new Airship; he was a navy pony after all. Even if the ship wasn’t on the sea.
“Alright, what’s going on?” He inquired, sliding out of his chair with a soft creak. Popping his neck, he followed Fleetfoot down the hall.
“There is a message about a pony being detained by customs claiming to be Rotter from Trifecta’s team, but he has no tags, nor is he in uniform. I’ve gathered his personal data and security questions. As well as a photo ID. The Express line is waiting for you.”
“I’ll be able to nap, at least.” Taking the express on the Night Rail meant all other trains were cleared off the route, and all stations cleared. At full speed, a locomotive could be anywhere in Evernight within the hour.
“I also had a security team aboard. Just in case. The customs agents have already performed the shapeshifter test but are keeping Rotter detained until his identity can be cleared.”
“This is such a pain.” Fury sighed tiredly. Being head honcho didn’t suit him. Everything was so complicated. He gets why they couldn’t just take ‘Rotter’ at his word. Not with shapeshifters out in the world. Cadence and Shining Armor having a particular reason to be wary of them. As well as everypony after the Changeling Invasion.
It was tiresome having all these security measures, but being lacks would only invite more trouble. “Gloves is in charge until I return, don’t burn the place down.”
“Of course, sir.” Fleetfoot beamed; he found that smile a little unnerving.
“Don’t.”
“What?”
“Don’t play sexy secretary in the offices.”
“Not even his?” Fleetfoot pouted.
“You have a room. Besides, you already got one in the oven.”
Fleetfoot puffed her cheeks indigently. “Yeah, well, maybe you should put your dough in Spitfire’s oven, already!”
Unamused, Fury got on the train, not responding to his descendant. Settling down in his seat, confused. "Why does she act more like Overheat then Spitfire? Something's weird here." His old friend had scattered his seed far, maybe one of them managed to be planted in Fleetfoot's family over the years. It wouldn't surprise him. "Then again Spitfire is no prude." He thought with a smile.
Reclining his seat, Fury closed his eyes for the train ride to Night Port. Hopefully, nothing significant came from this.
“Sir.”
Some pony was shaking him. He swatted them away, letting out a threatening growl.
“Commander.”
Now they were really shaking him. There was also a very annoying high-pitched squeal. Why did his sleep have to be interrupted by so much noise!
“Commander Fury! We’ve arrived at Night Port!”
Finally, Fury’s yellow eyes snapped open, giving the pony that woke him a piercing death glare. The pony, whose name escaped him. Stumbled into the seat opposite of him—a trembling mare stood in the alleyway to catch the poor sap.
Both were Night Patrollers, but they were from the pencil pusher side of things. They weren’t rinin, but regular ponies on the payroll. So, he didn’t know their names. Actually, he might not have even asked before going to sleep.
“I’m up.” He replied neutrally, trying to put the two at ease. It was still dark outside. Which only made him long for the peaceful respite of sleep. His hour nap barely repaid his sleep debt. “Let’s get this over with. Where’s Rotter at?”
“Customs should still have him at the harbor, sir.” Pencil pusher one answered. Fury didn’t feel the need to get overly familiar with them. Also, it would be amusing to see how long he could go without asking for their names. “Lead the way.”
“At once, sir.”
Stepping off the train and onto the platform was uneventful. With it being night, there were few trains or civilians around. So, he and the other two were able to enter the town with little fuss.
That said, it wasn’t like Night Port was quiet. No. Like most of Evernight, there was a thriving nightlife in town. The main street was brightly lit by both street lamps and the moon. The white light reflecting off the dark blue water was a beautiful and romantic scene. Many flocked to the beaches and shores for a night of romantic conquests and enjoyments.
There was even music. Nothing deafening. Just some minstrels plucking away at some soft low-key melody. Even if there was nightlife, one must be respectful of those on the day shift who wished for a goodnight’s sleep.
(I wonder how Luna deals with pony’s on night shift sleeping through the day?) Fury’s mind was still a bit groggy, so his brain was wandering to mostly useless things. Though the thought did interest him. (I’ll ask her sometime maybe.)
Satisfied to leave it at that. Fury swiveled his head, taking in the sights. A food stall caught his attention and forced his hunger to make itself known.
“Hold up.” He ordered his two pencil pushers. Jogging over to the nearest stall, he dropped a silver owl bit on the counter, ordering three deep-dish tomato-basil red pepper pizza slices—his personal favorite.
He waved the two ponies over with the three slices in tow and offered them each one before biting into his own. “Didn’t realize I was so hungry. Eat up. We’re not that far from the harbor, nothing wrong with a snack.” He waved off the two ponies' concerns before they could voice them.
“Good, right?” He said, smacking his lips and licking his claws clean. The two nodded nervously, half-finished with their slices. “Right.” Fury patiently waited for the two to finish before resuming on their quest.
(I guess some ponies can’t get used to Rinin that easily.)
Fury liked to think things haven’t changed much. That they were just reaching their peak once more. He fondly remembered the golden age of Night Patrol. Thousands of ponies of every stripe filled their ranks, all eager for the fight and loyal to the cause. Things should feel the same as then, but they didn’t. He couldn’t pin down what was different, though.
Is it the contract workers? The weekend patrollers? Weekend Patrollers referred to ponies that came in for training and did volunteer work and relief efforts but otherwise lived civilian lives. It was part of the college program.
He didn’t look down on these ponies or thought them unworthy. Not every pony had the stomach for full-fledged military work. That was just a fact. And the Weekenders were able to do tasks that didn’t need their attention.
After all, why send a spec-ops team to deal with a flood?
If Fury was to put into words, the bond between the branches wasn’t as strong as it had been before. He never had to work with the weekenders or vice versa. They came in, did their training, and went home while he stayed at the castle.
(What’s it like, having a home?)
He had a home. But it was one he shared with many others. What was it like to have a private residence on one’s own land? He’s always felt a longing for a humble home that AJ the first built with Rawhide. Not to say he wanted to be a farmer, but to have a place to call genuinely his own, away from everypony else. A nice quiet place he could sleep and be at ease.
When he imagined such a place, Spitfire's image in a bandana an apron come to mind. It made him laugh. Spitfire wasn’t really the housewife type, nor did he really care for her to be. What was important, he wanted her there with him.
“I guess I figured out my retirement plan.”
“What was that, sir?” The female Pencil Pusher asked, looking back at him.
“Nothing, nothing, just thinking aloud. We there yet?”
“Just arriving. This is the Customs detainment building.”
“Good, good, you two deal with the legal stuff. I’ll go interrogate Rotter. Confirm his identity and all that.”
“At once, sir. Here are the files you’ll need.”
“Thank you… ah… what’s your name?”
“Oh, how rude of me; I’m Private Pen Quill, and this is Pen Brush. We’re siblings under contract with Night Patrol. Interns if you will. We’re both hoping to get a recommendation for our law degrees.”
Fury nodded, “I see, I see. Remind me later, and I’ll write one. That is if you do a good job.”
The Pen siblings saluted, “We will make you proud, sir.”
He only smiled. Feeling warm inside for breaking the ice with the two.
The Night Port detainment center was a sizable building. Not the largest in town, but it was one of the first. It acted as the central government building for the city, the police station, record vault, permit office, and many other functions. The east wing contained most of the civilian utilities. So most never had to go beyond the iron-barred doors into the west wing of the building.
It was there where the remaining seventy-five percent of the building was in use. The hall immediately after the iron doors was the town jail and drunk tank. Ten cells total, with five on each side of the room, with a small corner spot for the guard on duty. For various reasons, prison and customs were considered the same thing.
With Night Port being a port town, one never truly knew if one was sneaking into the country or just a lost traveler. Those that were considered low-level threats were placed in the jail with the drunks, in separate cells. It was a polite way of telling the unfortunate trespasser things weren’t that serious.
Now even further in, passed magic locked steel-reinforced doors, that was the big leagues. It was were pirates, suspected spies, traffickers, and other shady creatures were placed. This wing was run by Night Patrol. Full-fledged members, not weekenders. Granted, the ponies here weren’t the A-team either. There was actually only one Rinin stationed at the facilities. The rest were regular ponies that had joined within the last five years.
There were lots of bat ponies in the ranks nowadays.
“Commander Fury,” The pony in charge greeted. He was a familiar face. “Bixin. I thought you retired.”
Bixin laughed, “Compared to before, this is retirement.”
Fury couldn’t help but chuckle himself. “I suppose that’s true. How’re the misses and the little one?”
“Oh, the misses and Dasher are fine. I think she’s just starting to forget what having a baby is like. She’s been dropping hints about wanting another. I would kind of prefer another year to catch up on sleep, but I suppose it’s a roll of the dice.”
“I suppose,” Fury mindlessly replied as Bixin led him towards the holding cell with Rotter. “I was kind of surprised when you suddenly retired. You got settled really fast too. Vani Lu took that pretty hard.”
Bixin smiled, but it was joyless. “Well, I could never see her like that. She’s so young, and I’m probably one of the oldest rinin. I got nothing on Kira, but I’m certain I’m older than you and Sixes. There was just too big of a gap.”
Bixin’s number had been 1055, while Vani Lu was 9835. Since figuring out the meaning behind the numbers, they were beginning to get a sense for ages. Kind of. Bixin had this old stud aura about him. While a pony like VeeVee with the number 0099 was considered much younger. It really came down to what ‘materials’ were used in their creation.
It did make Fury wonder if the triplets were actually older than him. Trifecta was 0301. While he was 1337, they all felt around the same age, so they just ignored it. They were only numbers, after all.
“So, where is he? Rotter. It is him, right?”
“As far as I can tell. But we wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we just believed, right?”
“I suppose not.” He replied as they moved to the more secluded part of the prison. On the way, in one of the isolated cells, was a hooded being. Their eyes shining brightly under their ragged cloak. It covered most of their body, but Fury could make out a striped leg that hung off the bunk in the cell. “You got Zebra’s in here?”
Bixin stopped to look at the inmate. “Ah, she’s a special case. We picked her up over three years ago. She’s been released several times, but she always ends up here when she’s hungry. Usually, she just gets into a bar fight, but this time we caught her breaking into the private records, so she’s got a longer sentence.”
“What’s her name?”
Bixin frowned, “Don’t know. There’s quite a language barrier. She speaks some sub-Zebra dialect. We’ve yet to find a translator.”
“She’s been here three years and still can’t speak any of our language?”
“I’m sure she can. She just chooses not to, I think. If I remember right, she filed for asylum; well, she tried to immigrate at first. Under the relative’s section, she wrote what we think says ‘Walker,’ but we haven’t been able to find this supposed Zebra, so she’s kind of been stuck in limbo. We’ll see how the asylum plea works out.” Bixin shook his head. “At this rate, it might have to go all the way to Luna.”
“I’m sure she’ll be happy to hear this has been going on for three years.” Fury sarcastically replied, knowing the Night Ruler would be very displeased by this mess. He could understand how this could happen, but still, at some point, you have to just take the hit and go Luna. Even if it’s embarrassing.
The question of the Zebra settled Fury motioned for Bixin to continue on. The room holding Rotter was a bit further in at the left turn and then a right. Unlocking the door, Bixin allowed Fury entry.
“Commander Fury!” Rotter sprang up for his chair, but Fury motioned for him to sit back down. The red Rinin’s expression was pure business as he laid the file with Rotter’s information on the table.
“What is your number.”
“10197.”
“Where was your first deployment?”
“Sandy Shores, SD-17-1, under LT Winzar.
“Who was the first mare you kissed?”
Rotter blushed, mumbling, “Shouldn’t have chosen that one.”
“Answer the question.”
“Aqua Frost, but it was only on the cheek, and she thought I was cute and that I was too young for her.”
“A little TMI, but yes, that is correct.” Fury slammed the file close. “Ok, what the hell happened?”
Rotter, relieved to finally have his identity cleared, proceeded to explain the circumstances in Germane. He got the rare chance to see Fury go from calm to annoyed, to very, very pissed off.
“Are you fucking kidding me!”
“No, sir, I am not. Though I really wish I were. But Commander Trifecta has a plan, so everything is cool, right?”
“Cool, huh. You were supposed to just find some documents and leave! Now we have three ponies masquerading as Germane military personal without groundwork or support. Somehow, Jazz got herself drafted into a Germane unit about to be deployed. Trifecta is pretending to be a noble and is apparently boning a Germane Noble mare. All while Celestia is acting as a peace broker. Honestly, VeeVee probably takes the gold for not fucking everything up!”
Fury ran his claw down his muzzle, seething through his teeth. He needed to take a step back and think. Rash action would only compound their problems, so what was the right thing to do? Despite his headache, Trifecta’s plan was viable. High risk, but achievable. There were a few issues, but one stuck out to him that Trifecta really should have noticed but apparently didn’t.
“Slipping out of the country during the aftermath of a battle is fine, a great idea, but there is one problem. There’s a ceasefire in place right now.” Fury pointed out, and by Rotter’s blank look, he wasn’t getting it. “Do you know what that means?”
“Ah…”
“It means that unless the peace talks go to shit and the war restarts, they can’t fake their deaths. If they cause an accident to fake their deaths, that could cause the peace talks to fail. If they're caught, the peace talks will also fail because Equestria and Evernight will be accused of foul play, which will drag us into the war. Do you see the problem here?”
The interrogation room door nearly flew off its hinges, Fury stomping his way through the corridor with Rotter nervously in tow. Bixin followed along out of habit. As Fury turned down the hallway, he came to the holding cells; his eyes shifted towards the Zebra, who seemed kind of restless. It should have been an afterthought, and he believed that.
Until the Zebra called out to him. “Wait, take me with you!” She spoke in broken Avalon. Her words awkward and thick with an accent. The Zebra hadn’t even tried to rhyme, which only further empathized her clumsiness with the language.
Fury barely gave her a thought when a chill went down his spine; pure instinct demanded he turn around, fangs bared. The Zebra was out of the cell, standing in the hall, with her hood down. Perhaps it was a gesture of goodwill to show her face, he wasn’t sure. What he did know is he’s seen that face before. And it wasn’t all Zebras look the same trope. He’s literary seen her before.
“Zecora?”
The Zebra’s eye sparkled to life, “I’m Shaka, but you know of my sister?”
Several questions needed answering, and they would-be, starting with the strange Zebra before him. “Come with me. We’ll talk on the way.”
On the train ride back to the castle, Fierce Fury heard Shaka out, the translation was a bit rough, and it clearly bothered her, stumbling over words almost every sentence. Yet he got the jest of what happened. Maybe.
“Ok, you're from the Amazon Tribe. You went to war with the Germane Colonies and got smacked into the dirt. You fled the battlefield to go and find your sister, so you can what? Rebuild your tribe?”
Shaka nodded soberly. “Yes, correct as you say.”
“And you escaped how?”
“I have the blood of the Plane Walker. One of our great powers, but better to show than tell, yes?” Shaka’s coat proceeds to invert colors, and she passed through her seat like a ghost. She seemed very proud. “My older sister was set to bare a brood, but she thought my mother’s will distasteful, so she fled home to be free, but alone.”
The long mystery of what happened to Shadow Specter, the ghost pony, finally came to light. Fury was unable to clearly process his thoughts on the matter. So many years have passed, it was too late to help his old friend. Yet he couldn’t help but feel angry.
(He gave himself up to get the Amazons to deliver that warning. I can’t imagine he would have a hard time escaping once he regained his strength.) Shaka had bestowed the tale of how the Amazons chef of the time captured the Plane Walker (Shadow Specter) and had him mate with as many mares as was available. Being an all mare tribe, there were plenty. Seems the ghost ability was genetic in sporadic cases.
According to Shaka, from all the bloodlines (34), the Amazons were lucky to get one Plane Walker every other generation. So, it was an extraordinary deal when Shaka and Zecora’s mother birthed two in one.
The Chieftess thought she could finally have her army of Plane Walkers, but she never birthed another, even after seven more tries. So, she set her sights on her oldest daughter, hoping Zecora could pop at least one out. Zecora didn’t take kindly to this and left her tribe. That was the abridged version, but that was all Fury needed.
While Fury pondered what to do with Shaka, the Zebra in question was grinning stupidly, clearly excited that she could proceed with her revenge after three years of getting nowhere. Or so she believed. She conveniently ignored his counter-arguments to her offer to help retrieve Trifecta’s team.
It was true. With Shaka and Zecora’s ghost abilities, sneaking the team out would almost be too easy. Shaka listened through Rotter's entire interrogation. She also has been looking at classified documents while using the Customs prison as her own personal hotel.
What really scared Fury was how much of this broken Equestrian was probably an act. She admitted to reading the documents, implying she could read. Also suggesting she knew more than she let on. There was no telling what she knew or could know if left unchecked.
The only leverage he had over her was he knew where Zecora was. The Zebra relocating after the Everfree suddenly got too crowded.
“So, my terms acceptable? I help fight the Germanians to get your ponies back, yes? You take me to my older sister, right?”
There was that suddenly very clear Equestrian again. The more Shaka talked, the less broken her speech became. It might be his imagination, but Fury wondered if she didn’t rhyme just to try and play up the supposed language barrier.
He had to play this close to the chest.
“Look, there is no doubt your powers would be useful, but we’re not looking to start a war, were looking to end one. Even if it would make things thousand times easier, I can’t trust you on this mission. Not when you so clearly have your own plans that could endanger my friends.”
“Ah, yes, makes sense, makes sense.” Shaka was much more reasonable than he expected. It made him wary about what she might try to do. “We have different objectives, no helping that. Then in exchange for helping me find my sister, I help you, is that ok?”
“Why do you want to find Zecora? She left your tribe, as I recall. She might even be happy about your mother’s fall. How can I be sure you’re not just trying to find her to kill her? After all, taking out an entire nation by yourself would be impossible, but taking out the sister that left you? That’s something you could do easily.”
Shaka placed her hoof over her heart. “In my youth, I once thought like that, but after having to live with my sister’s expectations, I understand why she fled. I disagree, but I understand.” She smiled sadly. “Besides, defeating Zecora in combat is unthinkable for me. She is my better in everything. Mother reminded me every day after all.”
(Well, that doesn’t take killing Zecora off the table.)
Zecora wasn’t part of Night Patrol, but she had registered as an Evernight citizen. In good conscience, Fierce Fury couldn’t just tell a stranger her location and hope things worked out. That said, if he were to think like Topaz for a minute, there was a way to use Shaka to his advantage.
“If you help us and the mission succeeds, I’ll tell you where Zecora is.” (And send a warning after we leave.) He’d have to be careful given Shaka could be spying on him at any time, but this might be worth the risk. Besides, it would be even more dangerous to let her out of his sight. “That said, you’re not allowed to kill any pony, Germanians included. This is simply a rescue mission.”
“I will refrain from all, but one. The Germanian Witch is mine. If I see her, I make no promises. She was the one to wipe out my tribe. I must avenge them!”
The Germanian Witch was the Kaiser’s daughter, Titania. They had a file on her, and he’s read it at least once. Fury doubted Shaka’s ability to kill her in a straight fight, but assassination was an excellent option for a creature that could walk through walls.
(I might have to kill Shaka after the mission is over.) It was dark, but she was too much of a liability. (I’ll just keep that idea tucked away. Hopefully, she won’t make me chose that option.)
“So why did you stay in Night Port for three years?” He changed the topic to something much lighter. Mostly to lower her guard, he was also curious why she didn’t just leave and look for Zecora herself. Granted, the Everfree forest was huge and was only a quarter of Equestria’s size.
“Oh, that’s easy, every time I tried to leave, I’d always catch a whiff of something yummy, so I’d get distracted. I did take the train to the other towns, but the Port still has the best food!”
(I cannot tell if this is an act or if she’s just a gluttonous ditz.)
Fury hoped Topaz was back by now. Dealing with these kinds of delicate situations was hard on him. Besides keeping Shaka in check, he had to organize a team and transport. Since he was the highest-ranked officer at the base, he’d have to plan and approve everything.
(What kind of timeline am I dealing with? Who to send? How do I make contact with Trifecta and the others?)
Hopefully, the three had their gemcoms on and active. There was a risk Germane could intercept transmissions, but communication was critical. Otherwise, it would be the blind leading the blind.
With all the details whirling through his mind Fury began to formulate a workable plan. Workable was the best he could hope for right now; time was against them, and the situation was a powder keg waiting to blow up in his face.
(I need to know the situation of the peace talks as well.)
As the train rolled into the Capital station, Fury wasted no time rushing out, his gemcom alive with chatter. “Platinum, Bulwark gear up! Recall Spitfire! Have Ruby Blaze and her team in the control tower ASAP! Send a message to CL:44-Clover, tell them to get over here stat!”
A resounding “Yes, sir!” reverberated in his ears. The castle lit up like a Heartwarming tree, the staff scrambling for a sortie.
“Light Cruiser 44-Clover on the way, ETA two hours!” The Captain of the Airship reported.
The Clover was one of the remodeled Nippon Airships, named after the famous mage Clover the Clever. The third ship of the Hero-class ships. Its firepower wasn’t overly impressive, but its engine was an experimental new model that was the fastest in the fleet while quirky.
Going by Airship was dangerous, but it was also a portable base. If things really went to shit, Fury wanted some firepower. That said, if they stayed in international airspace, everything should be fine. Yeah, they’ll make everypony nervous, but hopefully, they’ll be too scared to notice them making land while the ship kept everyponies attention.
Leaving Shaka with some escorts, Fury and Rotter ascended to the Command Center to explain his chosen ponies' mission. Between the new monster ponies and the other specialist, he was confident they could complete the task.
When Fury arrived, everypony saluted while he took center stage. As the junior Commander Ruby Blaze took up position behind him, he explained the mission's details. The crack staff already had maps marked and ready for presentation.
“What I’m about to say is classified and doesn’t leave this room. Rotter proceed.” Having the word straight from the horse’s mouth, Rotter explained Trifecta’s team's situation, his escape to home, and what Trifecta was planning to evac out of Germane. From here, Fury took over, laying out the blind spot in Trifecta’s plan and current situation of the peace conference, which he just heard himself.
From multiple news sources from several countries from on-the-scene reporters, the first day's peace conference did not go well. The second day was still underway. Given the time zone differences, it was midmorning in Freiberger or so. By the time they got there, day three and Trifecta’s team would be on their way to the northwest frontlines.
“With the ceasefire in place, faking their deaths as battlefield causalities is non-viable. If they go through with it, it will spark up the fight again. Our objectives are to extract our comrades and ensure that we don’t cause the fighting to resume. With the peace talks on shaky ground, our time is short, but we will not fire first. As for the extraction, we have a secret weapon that will ensure our success.”
It was at this time, Shaka was brought into the room. She smiled a bit too wide for his tastes but didn’t openly comment on it.
“The Monster Squad will be part of the extraction team, Platinum will be the acting engineer and medic, Bulwark will be back up. Save for these five, all of you finish the preparations. We’ll leave as soon as the Clover is restocked and ready. You five, come with me.”
Fury looked at Shaka, “You too.”
In one of the smaller briefing rooms, Fury brought the Extraction team up on Shaka, her powers, and her story. Obviously, she received dubious looks. He assumed everypony had thoughts similar to his own after hearing her story. Plus, she was an unknown rogue element; trusting her outright was impossible.
Ruby, bless her heart, and for thinking with a clear mind, asked the obvious question. “I know we can’t do this for legal reasons, but why don’t we leave Shaka here and take Zecora. No offense, but your kind of shady.”
Shaka merely shrugged at her statement. “I can’t say I would be any different if you showed up at my home. I understand, but you need my powers, and I volunteered for this mission. There is no need to get my sister involved, right?”
Fury narrowed his eyes at her, maybe he was reading this wrong, but perhaps her objective wasn’t Zecora. (If she tries to go after the Kaiser’s daughter, my claws will be tied, but we’ll see how this goes.)
“We can’t ask a civilian for help with this. By Luna’s own words, we are not to force ponies into danger they didn’t sign up for.”
“But we could still ask! If she goes of her own free will…”
“The answer is no, Ruby.” He declared firmly. “Now, this is the plan for the extraction…”
Going over every detail for the next hour, Fury ordered the team to gather their gear and be ready for the Clover’s arrival. In less than forty minutes, they’d be on a ship to the Britannia Channel.
“Operation LRTSF: Let’s Rescue those Stupid Fuckers is underway!”
Trifecta awoke in Lady Wiess’s bed for the third time since the start of his mission. It was a relatively easy thing to happen. Not that she was, maybe, he was just across the hall, and she wanted to wring him as much as possible before their inevitable departure. It did give VeeVee reign of his borrowed room, so he didn’t have to bunk with her, and it gave her a place to hide.
Jazz was all but glued to her unit now. They were undergoing their final prep before being deployed to reinforce the stagnated northern west front. The fact that the peace talks were going poorly only reinforced Germane’s need to fortify their positions. If things didn’t settle down, Germane would switch from a defensive war to an aggressive one.
Plans were in work to sabotage Prance rear line faculties and take out key officials. The Prench Queen very much on the list. So that little detail would have to be reported as soon as possible.
His brow frowned. Trifecta wondered how it was possible to sit in on that strategy meeting. He knew how. The answer was softly snoozing beside him. It truly worried him what could become of Wiess if any pony were to find out about them. Life in prison would be her best option, followed quickly by the much more horrifying public beheading.
They defiantly had unique ways of taking care of traitors in Germane. Though the beheading was from the fact she was a noble.
(Fifteen minutes of pure agonizing fading consciousness.) Just thinking about it made him shiver. (I’d prefer to get my skull caved in then my head cut off personally.)
“Whatcha thinking about?” The morning light radiated off Wiess’s groggy face, her eyes tightly closed while stretching like a cat underneath the sheets. He found the sight beautiful.
“Nothing much, just lamenting this bliss ending and how I wouldn’t want to be beheaded.”
Wiess blinked, her eyes snapping open wide. “Oh… ok.” The peach mare smiled sadly, looking down at her stained sheets. “I suppose this is our last morning together.”
“Yes.”
“Are you… sad to be departing?”
“Do you really have to ask?”
“I suppose not, yet I cannot convince you to stay.” Wiess clutched her blanket close with a slight frown. “Honestly, it makes me think I have no feminine charms.”
“Now, we both know that’s not true,” Trifecta said, nuzzling her neck. “You’ve got more than enough. Truthfully, I wish you’d come with me. My friends can be very… accommodating. No slight against the ponies here, but they seem… much stricter with their enforcements.”
Wiess couldn’t meet his eye, knowing his words were true. “Yes, if any pony here were to find out, I would be punished harshly. I know that. But in my heart, I feel I haven’t betrayed my country, but then I could no longer accept that if I were to go with you. I’m twisted, I know, but I will never regret these joyous three days. The days I was able to be myself with the pony I love.”
“So, you’ll just submit to your mother’s wishes then? And be some noble stallion’s trophy wife?”
Wiess snorted, “Honestly, I’d probably only be considered for a mistress position at this point. I guess I’d still be a trophy, if only a silver one. Unless I’m really unlucky, I could be bronze.”
“And if I said, I would come for you after the war, what would you say then?” Wiess's entire body went stiff, slowly she turned to him, her eyes as conflicted as the world.
“Well… I don’t know what my mother and brother would say about that…”
“I’m not asking your mother or brother; I’m asking you.” Trifecta declared with no hesitation and fire in his eyes.
Could she do it? Wiess wondered, could she really do it? There were many reasons to let this fairy tale end and think of it as a pleasant dream. She was a loyal Germanian, after all, and her country needed her. Yet, if the war ended and she was to retire from her position. Could she go galivanting off with Trifecta?
“If I wanted to be selfish, ignore my family’s position and my own, I would say yes, in a heartbeat.” She smiled warmly, thinking of the future she was sure wouldn’t happen. “That’s only an if, though.”
“Are you not allowed to be selfish from time to time?”
“I suppose so…” She muttered lamely, her cheeks hot as Trifecta caressed her body. “That’s not a yes, you know.”
Trifecta reared back, his smile intoxicating. “It’s not a no, either. When I come for you, I’ll ask again. Until then…” He finished his sentence with a kiss.
“Oh you,” She playfully smacked after they separated, her blush uncontrollable. “You don’t know what you do to me. This is almost torture.”
“If you’re into that sort of thing,” Trifecta whispered huskily in her ear.
Before she could respond, there was a strange sequence of knocks at the door. Indicating it was VeeVee, Trifecta’s teammate, and was currently pretending to be his attendant under his Lord Teutonic glamor.
From the other side of the door, VeeVee called, “My lady, are you presentable?”
That was code for ‘Is Trifecta in disguise?’
“No, I need just a few minutes to freshen up!” Quickly the two star-crossed lovers jumped out of bed. Wiess making a deliberate about of noise to cover up Trifecta’s presence. He put on the bare minimum of his disguise. He wrapped his wings and covered his ears, donning a cape to hide the rest.
“Understood, my lady, please beware a visitor is waiting patiently for you.”
Wiess let a silent ‘FUCK’ leave her lips as she hurried to get her uniform on. She wondered who it could be.
“It can’t be Weisser. He’s at the peace summit as security detail.” Wiess muttered darkly under her breath. Conflict arose in her heart. There was no way she could slip Trifecta past her brother, especially if he found out they were involved with each other. He was such a pain of an older brother, always chasing away any stallion she was remotely interested in because he found them ‘unworthy.’ As if he would know!
“Are you done, ma’am?”
“Just another minute!” There had to be somepony else there. VeeVee wouldn’t be rushing her if there wasn’t. Strange how well she clicked with a foreign agent. Just as Wiess finished buttoning her last button and Trifecta was about to make his escape to his room via the window, a commotion erupted outside.
“Wait, my lady, please. Lady Wiess is not ready!”
“Oh, we’re all mares. It’s fine!”
Wiess felt her blood freeze and forgot to breathe for several seconds. (No way… what’s she doing here! She shouldn’t be here! She’d never leave that mare’s side!)
The doors of her room burst open, nearly flying off the hinges as the bombastic brunette and peach mare forced her way inside. It was Germane’s second-deadliest ACE, better known as ‘Bloody Shovel’ Graffee Zeppelin.
“Wiess! There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you! Word around is you gotta colt friend!” Zeppelin’s gaze fell on Trifecta halfway out the window. “Oh, there he is! How nice!”
Before Wiess could run any interference, Zeppelin was across the room, mare handling Trifecta back into the room. Perhaps it was her overly excitable nature or because she didn’t seem to have her eyes open. That Zeppelin didn’t notice anything odd about the stallion she was groping.
“Hmm, good hard muscles, stern-looking face.” The Ace’s hoof drifted to a particular area. “Very nice here too. Ok, I approve!”
“Pardon?” Wiess asked indignantly, not keeping up with Zeppelin at all. “What are you approving of now? And why are you here? Shouldn’t you be with Lady Titania at the peace summit?”
“Oh, I would love to be by Lady Titania’s side!” Zeppelin replied, smiling; it was a very fake smile, barely, if at all, hiding her displeasure. “But that stupid Prench bitch thought it was too much for both Lady Titania and me to be there. Saying it was a clear sign of aggression! So, I and most of the unit had to come home after flying all the way there!”
“That means…” Wiess’s stomach was in knots.
“Weisser is here too. A heads up, he already knows about your friend here. He’s already running a background check.”
“But Lord Teutonic was on Weisser's and mother’s approved list! That’s the whole reason I met with him in the first place!”
Zeppelin laughed heartily, casually approaching Wiess, so they were only an inch apart. Softly in a severe tone, she said, “Honey, Lord Teutonic died a week ago from battle wounds before the ceasefire, so stop pretending.”
An artic chill ran down Wiess’s spine. The conflict in her heart flaring up. The debate of who her heart belonged to, Trifecta, or her country raged like a civil war, and she was prepared to do her duty when something dawned on her.
“So, you approve of Tri, does that mean…” She left the question open, hoping beyond hope, her gamble would pay off.
“His name is Tri? Kind of an odd name for a Germanian, but yes, I find him a fine stallion. I don’t know how you managed to find a pony with such taught muscles, but that is a catch I wouldn’t let go of, and neither should you, so I’ll deal Weisser if he gets out of hoof.”
Wiess, as well as VeeVee and Trifecta, let out a collective sigh of relief. Well, Trifecta’s persona as a noble was in tatters. It seemed Zeppelin thought he was still from Germane. However, that didn’t mean they were getting away unscathed as Wiess received a swift slap on the nose.
“What’d you do that for!”
“I know you’re having trouble finding a mate you like, and that your mother and brother agree on, but having your colt friend impersonate a noble was stupid. I thought you a bit more clever than that!” Zeppelin suddenly returned her attention to Trifecta. “You have any family of importance?”
“If you’re asking if I hold any noble titles then, I must say I do not. I am no pony of significance.”
Zeppelin hummed while pressing her hoof against her cheek, “Well, that’s too bad, but that does give me some leeway. Alright, as of today, your Tri Zeppelin!”
A collective, “What?” Followed by Zeppelin, embracing Tri had the room in a tizzy for several reasons. Zeppelin paid it little mind, lost in her own cloud nine scheming.
“You’re a bit too old to claim as my son, I’m not looking for a little brother, so I’ll adopt you as a cousin, maybe? Sounds good? Good. I’m glad we all agree.”
Wiess wanted to groan. She should have known Zeppelin would choose the easiest way for her to help while at the same time making a nightmare for every pony else. Being Germane’s second-highest ranked Ace, a noble, and Lady Titania’s personal assistant and best friend, Graffee Zeppelin was unofficially ranked fourth in both magic and political circles. She might as well be the Kaiser’s unofficial second stepdaughter.
Luckily Wiess wasn’t the only one who saw all the problems this would bring, and VeeVee stepped up to bat, so to speak.
“My lady, such an offer is very generous, but is it truly the best course of action? Maybe you should start with something less extreme. A personal recommendation might be more reasonable.”
Zeppelin childishly puffed her cheek, looking stumped. Impatiently she paced the floor, chewing her lips and making a protracted ‘hmm’ noise. It was a strange sight. Making the three watching question if this mare was indeed a mare and not a filly pretending to be one.
“How old is she supposed to be?” VeeVee asked Wiess softly. The amount of time Zeppelin was pacing was becoming concerning. Five minutes have already passed.
Wiess replied, “She’s in her thirties. Normally when she’s with Lady Titania, she’s super serious and composed. When she’s not, she reverts to something of a ditzy teenager. That’s what makes her so dangerous. Without Titania around, she’s kind of a loose cannon.”
“Maybe we should just slowly back away,” Trifecta suggested, already acting on his suggestion by backing out of the room. The other two joining him. They made it to the hall when…
“Eureka! Ok! I’ll do that!” Zeppelin bounced in place, cocking her head to the side when she saw the others. “Why are you over there?”
“No reason,” Wiess nervously answered. “So, what did you decide?”
“I’ll write a recommendation!” Zeppelin smiled and stood there, staring expectedly at them. Her gaze suddenly shifted to VeeVee. “Well?”
“Well…?” VeeVee was uncertain what to say, and then Wiess poked her in the side, giving her an irritated look. (Right, I’m a servant here.) Producing a strained smile VeeVee curtseyed to the noble pony. “What can I do for you, my lady?”
“Go to my mansion and fetch me parchment, pen, ink, and my seal. Wax will be required as well. I guess you don’t know where my mansion is… it’s the one right next to Lady Titania’s… oh, I have a seal in my office desk in my room here as well. That’s a much shorter trip. You do that, and I’ll go make us some coffee.”
VeeVee blinked, visibly confused, “Shouldn’t I make the coffee, and you go fetch the seal…” she trailed off as Zeppelin unleashed an unholy death glare that made them all freeze in terror. For an earth pony to have such a volume of magic was unheard of. Not even Applejack the first had such power!
Zeppelin got right in VeeVee’s face. “I make the coffee.”
Wiess got in between the two mares. “She’s new, so forgive her, but she does have a point. You’re not serving lady Titania, so do you really need to make it?” She asked timidly, genuine fear in her heart. Zeppelin could slap her through the wall. Said wall was ten feet of solid interlocked stone.
Thankfully her words seemed to have an effect—Zeppelin pouting like a schoolgirl whose crush wasn’t in sight. “I suppose that makes sense. Alright, I’ll go, I guess.”
Much like how she suddenly breezed in, Zeppelin wandered away dejected. Not having her commanding officer and friend in proximity was hard on the brunette. In a lot of ways, she was like a lost puppy: a vicious one that would rip you apart, but still, a puppy needing its master.
“So… she’s the second-ranked ACE?” Trifecta asked with a bit of disbelief. Wiess could only nod.
VeeVee chimed in with, “Is it any weirder than some of our heavy hitters? I mean, seriously? Also, does this mean I have to bring her coffee, or are we done here?”
“You two better get a move on. Zeppelin is a ditz, but my brother makes it his mission to get into my business. It would be better for all of us if you got going. That said, the Lord Teutonic bit is out the window. I’ll see about getting you some armor from my unit and some documents. Stay hidden until I can get them.”
“No wait,” VeeVee grabbed her by the shoulder, forcing her and Trifecta next to each other like a mother setting up her children for a picture. “I have a better idea.” She said, pushing the two down the hall. “Why don’t you two go for a ‘walk’ as a ‘date’? One that takes you out of the city, perhaps?”
“Are you suggesting…”
“Yes,” Interrupted VeeVee with a strained smile. “This is for the best. You two might as well make the best of what time you have left.”
“What about you?”
“I can take care of myself, ‘Tri.’ Trust me. I am much more capable than you think.”
“But, I already thought you capable.”
“Well, I’m simply more than you even think. Look, we’re getting into the weeds, just get the fuck out of here, please?”
Wiess waivered, but a reassuring touch from Trifecta cleared her mind. In the sense that she came to a decision. Right or wrong, she was on board.
“Alright, let’s go. It’ll be easier if I’m there to collaborate with your story. There’s a secret passage in the park that only certain ponies know about. We’ll use that to get out of the city.”
Wiess’s voice trailed off, her topics switching to something more lovely dovey to dissuade onlookers. It was the cringe kind of love talk that no pony wanted to deal with, so they were probably clear unless some official business came along.
Now alone, VeeVee wandered into the room she and Trifecta had been using during their stay in Germane. The door she left open closed by a mysterious force and one she had no hoof in. The deadbolt locked with a loud ‘clunk.’ Graffee Zeppelin in her HM89-MFFF materialized as she canceled her stealth spell, her horn clicking to a different spell combo. An attack one most likely.
“You’re not as stupid as you let on.”
Zeppelin beamed cheerfully, “To deceive one’s enemies, one must first deceive their friends as some pony once said.”
“So, they say, I can’t quite remember who said that.” VeeVee turned to face the mare known as the bloody shovel. To match her moniker, Zeppelin carried a rusty shovel with a polished edge. A good swing would smash her skull or gouge her throat. “So, why single me out?”
“I was honest when I said I would help those two, but that’s a personal business, and this is a duty.”
“You’re making me the fall pony, any crimes you dig up will be blamed on me, and with your rank and authority, you can spin whatever story you want. That’s actually kind of clever but shortsighted. Do you think you can get Trifecta to go along with it? He’s a loose end. Weiss will be found a traitor; eventually, it won’t be hard.”
Zeppelin drew her shovel with levitation. “I’ve already thought of that too. Unfortunately, the loving young couple will not return from their ‘date.’”
“Are you framing me for that too?” Zeppelin did not reply. “Why are you going so far for her? You know her actions would be considered treacherous, right? She’s in denial, but she’s a traitor.”
“I am aware…” the earth mare muttered, her gaze hardening. “Wiess is a loyal soldier and devoted her life to Germane. I can’t say if she wasn’t a pony I knew I would be doing this. I probably wouldn’t hesitate to kill her. I guess we can call this Wiess’s devotion getting cashed in for a get out of jail free card. I hope that stallion is worth it. She’s been tainted by love, she’ll never be the same pony as before, nor can I in good conscience allow her to stay in our ranks. This is the only way forward for her.”
“So, all her years of devotion get her exiled with her lover rather than killed. Honestly, that’s not a bad payoff. If she wasn’t going to a certain place, it would never work, though.”
“Yes,” Zeppelin laughed knowingly. “A certain country that defies conventional logic. The only place that would accept a pony such as her openly and honestly.”
“Yes, they truly are soft-hearted fools at times. Though I can’t say I dislike that about them. It’s been beneficial to me over the years.” VeeVee glanced out the window. “So how long are we going to keep chatting? You think they're far enough away by now?”
Zeppelin hummed while checking the clock, “A few more minutes if you don’t mind. Since you seem so willing to talk, I have a few questions for you.”
VeeVee laughed hotly, “Do you think I’ll spill my secrets so easily?”
Zeppelin snickered, “Of course not, I’m just curious…”
“About?”
“How do you hide that terrible smell from them?”
“Smell?” VeeVee replied softly, a cold sweat dripping down her body. “What smell are you talking about?”
“Come on now,” Zeppelin pressed. “That rotting corpse smell.”
The saddlebags VeeVee wore dropped to the floor as she rose to bipedal, a bone wand in each claw. “I swear SHE gave you the nose of hounds. Ironically, I’d run into one such as you, but given this country’s makeup, I shouldn’t be so surprised.”
Zeppelin’s rune horn chattered as the mechanism clicked to a new combination. The earth mare dropped into an aggressive crouch with her metal wings spread wide like razor blades. Her eyes shining with a cloudy orangish-yellow hue. The magic aura wafting off her could be mistaken for a high-level unicorn as her hair blew in an invisible wind.
“I knew it,” VeeVee snarled, clutching her wands tightly, a profound purple aura appearing around her body. “You’re one of HERS!”
“Enough of your chatter!”
“Same for you!”
In the park west of the Kaiser’s palace rested a park roughly twenty acres in size. It comprised of a lush number of trees and a small assortment of boulders that numbered five. Each boulder was about two stories tall and twenty feet across. They were placed to form a pseudo mountain that ponies of all ages could climb for pleasure.
Benches were placed in a strategic position so parents could fully view the rocks from any side to keep an eye on their little ones. It was a cheap and social place for city folks to escape from the city's gridded brick and mortar—a place of natural beauty to refresh oneself.
Fifty yards from this spot was a no maintenance path with a no entry sign. Dead trees formed a spooky entrance to the trail, abundant with dead leaves and other undergrowth made it more unwelcoming.
Naturally, even with the signs, teenagers made a well-worn path. Disregarding such warnings to go on a small adventure—most of the time at night. The empty beer bottles, cigarettes, and other particular discarded trash eluded to what activities took place here.
The teens never traveled far into the deeper woods. Only ever far enough to get to the small campsite that had formed over the years from generations past. The out of sight spot was an open secret to most teens and adults that passed down this secret.
However, they did not know that all of this had been planned many many years ago. The sign, the out of sight campsite, all of it was deliberately set up to allow such rule-breakers free reign to walk down the closed trail.
The secret was the hangout for horny teens wanting to have their first beer and stamp their V-cards was all a cover. It was all to hide the underground catacombs' actual secret entrance just two feet from what had been a teen keg party the night before.
“You seriously put the entrance right here?” Snorted Trifecta at the hidden underground entrance before him. It was nothing special, just a graffiti-covered rock, but if you had a certain kind of dog tag, that same rock that had such things as Call Lucy Lily for a good time and several dick drawings. Opened to the same underground cavern he entered three days ago.
“This has been here since I was a teen. Can you believe how surprised I was when I found out?”
“I’m surprised you guys got away with it for so long.”
“Well, this entrance is only recommended for mid-morning to mid-afternoon. Usually, the teens show up by nightfall and end up camping out until early morning. They’re usually gone by 2:00am.”
“Talk about literally hiding a tree in the forest,” Mused Trifecta. He had to admit he never would have thought the entrance to an underground network that leads to several bases, and the Kaiser’s palace would be right where a keg party had taken place. Several stained and discarded articles of clothing littered the ground. “That’s a lot of socks with bows.”
“It's the fashion right now; last year, it was stripes.”
“Same back home.” A sly grin spread across his lips. “Wouldn’t mind seeing you in a set. I’m sure I saw some in your dresser. Black with pink bows, right?”
A blush appeared on her cheeks as Wiess opened the secret door to the catacombs. “Those were a gift! It’s not like I’ve worn them or put them on to see how they look in the mirror. They are far too audacious for me.”
“So, you say,” He teased, bumping her on the hip. “I suppose you’ll just have to try them on so I can tell you how good you look.”
“Shut up,” Stuttered Wiess, unable to make eye contact. If her face was any hotter, steam would be rising from it. “But I wouldn’t be opposed to you ogling me.” She added quietly as the secret door shut behind them. The tunnel led further underground. Soft blue lights marked the worn rocky pathway of the cavern.
Sniffing the damp air, Trifecta’s ears flickered to the sound of running water. “Are we going toward the door hidden behind the waterfall?”
“If we want to be caught, yes. The caves are vast and connect from the forest to the underground base, the palace, and the city sewers. Where you entered is only one entrance of many. It’s a bit too high traffic, though. We’ll bypass the central chamber and take the less-traveled route that leads to an entrance much further out in the forest. It’s not often used because it’s so out of the way.”
“So, we could have left at any time?”
“Not exactly. Even if our inbound teams don’t use this route, there is still a patrol that comes through here at scheduled times. The schedule is always changing, with different teams being assigned all the time. Even I can’t guarantee we won’t bump into somepony, so let’s cut the chatter.”
“That you should have done before entering, sister.”
Weiss and Trifecta halted at the pony barring their path, a stout, taller, and beefier stallion version of Wiess. His slick back blond hair, well-kept muzzle, and noble appearance gave him a dignified and powerful aura. His crystal blue eyes settled on his sister and her lover, disappointment and hurt clear as a pond in their blue depths.
“Weisser, what are you doing here?” Wiess retreated reflexively behind Trifecta, her fear of her older brother cowing her to meekness.
For his part, Trifecta stepped forward, meeting the Germane Shock trooper head-on, towering over Weisser by an entire head. Forcing the earth pony to look up to make eye contact. To his credit, Weisser did not back down or seemed cowed in the slightest.
“So, you’re my sister’s latest boy toy.”
“That’s one word for it, I guess. You’re not that type of noble into pureblood lines, are you? That’s creepy bro, about makes me vomit, honestly. Is that why you’ve chased off every stallion before me?”
Weisser snarled, “Being concerned for my sister’s wellbeing and future is natural. I simply wanted her to have a stallion of worthy caliber. Her standards were subpar in my and mother’s mind. There was no ill intent or want to drive her to such extremes.” He closed his eyes, his entire body visibly shaking. “To think my good intentions would pave such a hellish road.”
Weiss peeked out behind Trifecta, “Weisser, what do you mean?”
The metal horn atop his head clicked, shooting a blinding blue light from the tip. Both Trifecta and Wiess found themselves pressed to the ground, unable to move. In a booming voice, Weisser said, “Discovered corpse of unknown germane operative and Officer Weiss, both killed by a spy of unknown origins. Moving to assist Officer Zeppelin in the apprehension of operative.”
His metal horn clicked in sequence; the recording function disabled. Weisser kept the two lovers restrained, pulling Weiss’s dog tags from around her neck before allowing the two to stand.
“What is the meaning of this brother?” Complained Wiess rubbing her neck where her dog tag chain had left an imprint.
“It is as I said,” Weisser whispered. “As of now, you’re dead. Never show your face here again, Weiss.”
“Wha… but… I…” Tears bubbled around her eyes. “You can’t… this can’t be…”
Weisser looked away, “It’s the only way. I’m only following orders.”
Trifecta freed his wings, wrapping one around the shocked Wiess and leading her past her brother. It became evident to him that Zeppelin had played the fool. What he couldn’t figure was why she was letting them getaway. With Wiess drawing the bulk of his concern, Trifecta was too distracted to realize what sort of danger his straggling teammate was in.
“Come on, let’s go.” He comforted his lover, his eyes trained on her brother, who showed no sign of taking any further action. “I’ll take care of her.” He suddenly promised the stoic sibling.
Weisser held back his tears, his heart tearing itself apart. (If only I’d let her choose, maybe… maybe it wouldn’t have come to this.) “You better.” Was the dishearten brother’s rebuke.
Zeppelin clearly laid out what his sister had done and what his superior officer planned to do. Had Lady Titania been here, he’d be watching his sister face the firing squad, the gallows, or spectating the Kaiser’s daughter beat her face in until she thought Wiess suffered enough. As it happened, Zeppelin was of a kinder heart, rewarding Weiss’s years of service with a single act of leniency.
As a Germane Shock trooper, one of the Kaiser’s most elite and trusted units, it enraged him to think somepony betrayed their leader. Yet, as a brother, he wanted to see his sister safe and happy. He’d prefer such a dream to take place in their home, where he could see her grow old with her husband and see his future nieces and nephews whenever he wanted. It was a dream he held in his heart and what he strived for.
He also wanted to fulfill his mother’s wishes of raising the family status, and thus he tried to do both and got neither.
His sister was a traitor, there was no way around that, but he could not deny his own fault in the events that made this outcome unfold. So, he took the out Zeppelin gave him. To preserve his sister’s honor, she had to ‘die.’ All her sins would be taken on by the pony left behind, and Wiess could be rewarded officially as an honorable soldier.
Weisser dared not to look back at the disappearing form of his sister, one because he would lose his resolve and two, he did not wish to show his tears to the stallion that had taken her from him. What he did do was impart what could be his very last words to his little sister.
“I hope you live free and happily.”
No matter what, he would not apologize to her. He did what he thought was right for her and the family at large. Though it was all for not, he believed at the very least, his heart had been in the right place.
Weiss silently cried, bowed her head to her brother, and clung to her lover, the last rock of her life, as it dawned on her what she had done and must now live with.
“Tell mom… I love her, ok?”
“I can do that.”
“Thank you, Weisser.”
Departing with those words, the two siblings would never see each other ever again. They would emerge from the tunnels forever separated. One carried by the wings of love to a new life of freedom, the other would appear to find horrible black smoke rising from the city he loved and a titanic battle over the skies of the Kaiser’s palace.
“By Gaia’s mane… what is this?”
His eyes had to be deceiving him. For in the sky flew two streaks, one raspberry, one orange, it was something out of a storybook fairytale from the age of the divine. As if two gods were dueling before mere mortals. The orange streak zoomed overhead, shaking the trees with its speed alone. But he recognized the pony.
“Vice-Commander Zeppelin,” Weisser took a moment to gather his thoughts, having only seen this level of power from only one other pony before. “So, you have blessed blood as well. But then… who is that?” He asked aloud as the violet streak chased after the Vice-Commander.
Graffee Zeppelin had what many would consider a blessed and lucky life. That is what strangers assumed, and they would be correct in their ignorant view. After all, she was a mare of noble birth, best friend of the Kaiser’s stepdaughter, loved almost like a second daughter by the Kaiser himself, and was talented and possessed a high military rank. For the cherry on top, she was a direct descendent of the Alicorn of Earth, Gaia. Which only make her more loved in earth pony centric nations.
For Zeppelin herself, she did consider herself lucky, but that was only after she came to Germane. Initially, she was from Prussia, a large nation east of Germane. She had been born into the ruling Don Family.
There she had grown in luxury as any noble would. Until the line of succession was brought into contention. Suddenly her part of the family, a reasonably distant relative, had a chance to take the throne and even though her parents hadn’t wanted it. Other family members didn’t believe them, and thus a purge had taken place, her parents fleeing to her mother’s family in Germane.
They lived decent, humble lives, wanting to keep a low profile, the purge souring their taste for the elite. When Zeppelin’s Aunt could no longer support them, and her mother and father all but killing themselves to make their daily needs. Graffee joined the military to ease her parent’s burdens.
In the Academy, she was roomed with Titania, and they became fast friends. She hadn’t even known she was the Kaiser’s daughter at the time, and they became as close as sisters. At some point in their training, Titania revealed her hidden power. For those not in the know, she was dubbed a Blessed Blood.
What was that? It was a pony descended from an Alicorn. In sporadic cases, they could activate a fraction of their ancestors’ power for a short period.
Titania always described it as a curse, though, and said Zeppelin’s blood was truly blessed. For a long time, Graffee didn’t understand her friend’s words until Titania showed her evidence that she, too, was an alicorn descendent.
Through much hard training and effort, she too managed to awaken the ancient blood inside her. The power of the Earth Alicorn Gaia. Mother of all Earth ponies. It was a power she used sparingly yet held supreme confidence in the fact there were only four others that she thought she needed to fear. Those being Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Titania. With Novo possibly being on that list. Of course, dragons were a different matter, but she was confident she could deal with any pony besides those five.
So colored her surprised when this random Rinin was giving her the fight of her life!
Her plan had been relatively straightforward. After letting Trifecta and Weiss escape, she would kill VeeVee and lay any and all crimes of the two on her corpse. The wands made of bone put her on edge, but she was confident of her power. She cast a simple but powerful spell that would have blown a hole through VeeVee.
What had actually happened was VeeVee blocked the attack with a shield spell and countered with her own explosion spell that blew up both Trifecta and Weiss’s room! Such an attack required a decent sum of magic, and Graffee believed that was perhaps all the Rinin could manage.
To her surprise once more, not only was VeeVee barely breathing hard, she was projecting a mighty and very menacing violet aura. The spells she fired were quick and weak, but at such a rate, Zeppelin found she didn’t have a second to concentrate for a counter-attack.
Thus, she took to the sky to gain distance, firing three magic bullets to wound or even just distract the rinin. When VeeVee flew out of the smoke, her visage made Zeppelin feel fear. The rinin’s eyes had whited out, a tell-tale sign of a pony using a tremendous amount of magical power, but that was not all. In fact, it was much worse; VeeVee’s raspberry mane had changed to an ethereal mixture of purples and pinks with white sparkles dotting it like stars in the sky.
The Rinin held a mana blade in each claw and gave chase at unnatural speeds.
“Who are you!” Zeppelin demanded as she clashed with VeeVee’s blades with her own mana blade. She coated her wing blades to try and gain the advantage and struggled even to do that.
VeeVee was fighting using a bipedal stance employed by dragons of smaller stature. Her blade work was of a similar style. More miniature Dragons tended to have higher intelligence and were more open to using tools to gain the upper claw to their larger brethren. It was a fighting style that quad pedals had a hard time countering.
Spinning left, Zeppelin slashed with her wing and then jabbed with her foreleg, clocking VeeVee in the torso. There was a crunch, implying something had broken. VeeVee was hardly phased and broke off to breathe fire on herself. The strange sparkling pink flame healed the rinin right up.
Zeppelin was cursing herself for taking the rinin lightly, while at the time, she hadn’t known she was a rinin, but still. She should have come fully equipped. Her lack of armor made her much more mobile, so she could evade better than usual, but she sorely missed her equipment, such as potions, grenades, and other useful and numerous tools.
As they continued to clash, VeeVee never replied to her banter, merely snarling like a savage beast focused on the hunt.
(Perhaps I can use that?)
Performing a feint, Zeppelin got VeeVee to overreach with her attack, giving her an opening. A rapid burst of magic bullets peppered the pink rinin, stunning her. Taking this chance, she committed to a fatal strike, using her booster wings to add to her momentum. Before she could connect, Zeppelin aerial rolled away from VeeVee, the rinin smirking.
“You have good instincts,” Praised VeeVee, her pupils returning, though her hair remained in its ethereal state. That said, her magic power did drop by a significant margin. “Had you gone through with that attack, this would have been over.”
She didn’t try to reveal it, but Zeppelin could make out a third bone wand in the crook of the rinin’s left elbow joint. It would have skewered her the moment she got in range.
“You’re a tricky one.” Listing in the air Zeppelin took in their surroundings. The initial fast pace of the fight discombobulated her sense of direction. Thankfully they had gone away from the capital. Besides the explosion at the Kaiser’s palace, the city was unscathed. Mostly. “One, two, three, four… shit. I’m going to have to pay for those, I bet.”
So unscathed was a bit of a stretch as there were four columns of black smoke rising from the city. Hopefully, no pony was killed or, at the very least, not crippled for life. Zeppelin retrieved the memo pad that she kept tucked in her uniform.
“Note to self, find an outstanding lawyer, cash in pending housing investments. Ask Titania for a loan, possibly.” Snapping the booklet close, Zeppelin put on a much more serious expression. “You’re quite something, you know? Very few ponies ever make me resort to this.”
VeeVee brushed aside the compliment by inspecting her talons. One was broken from an attempt she made for the Germane mare’s throat; Zeppelin’s magic enhanced hoof was no joke. “Yes, I can safely say your one of a kind as well, definitely one of hers. You realize, of course, that I can’t let you walk away from this, right? I’m very fond of my secrets.”
Zeppelin grinned, “Funny, I thought I’d take you alive to glean some intel, but I think you're too dangerous for that. It’s a shame, but you were going to die anyway. You’re burning much more energy than I am.”
The ethereal wind blowing VeeVee’s hair began to die down, strands of her mundane hair mixing in with the majestic sparkly mane. To add to her problems, purple crystalized veins started to appear across her body like cracks, along with a pungent smell of rotting meat.
“I really liked this one,” VeeVee lamented softly, bits of her claws breaking down into crystal. When she clenched it, it fell apart completely, leaving behind a stub. Placing a bone wand between her teeth, VeeVee held the other in her remaining claw, beckoning for Zeppelin to continue.
Flaring her magical aura, Zeppelin snarled as orange-gold magic swirled around her metal horn. The runes spinning rapidly, clicking as she prepared her spells.
“It’s over!” A scattershot of explosions lit up the sky. VeeVee fell through the smoke, shards of a failed shield dissipating around her. The rinin crashed to the earth, and Zeppelin gave chase, appearing on the forest floor via teleport, with another Bombardment Buckshot ready.
VeeVee stabbed one bone wand into the ground, the other still clutched between her teeth, while arcs of purple lightning danced between her talons.
“You can’t beat me!”
“Not alone,” The rinin admitted, shooting the lightning at the earthed bone wand. “Your master calls, so you must answer! Come here, slave!”
“Like I’d let you!”
Zeppelin unleashed her attack, a widespread of glowing orange spheres flying at the rinin. However, a figure appeared between VeeVee and the coming attack. A shadowy black figure that cut a swath through the barrage.
It was a pony, a black mare with long braided pink hair, adorned in pink light armor and dramatic fluttering pink scarf. A long-pointed horn revealed the species, and the slender silver rapier held loft by pink magic fluttered through the air.
“I resent being called a slave.” The mysterious pony retorted hotly to her supposed master. A smile of glee appeared on her face when she saw the state of her ‘master.’ “You look like something the cat dragged in.”
“Shut up,” VeeVee barked as more of her body crystalized and crumbled. “Perhaps I should have summoned your Aunt or perhaps your little sister? Is that what you want? If not, you’ll help willingly, Zil. You vowed to be my Cu, right? For the sake of your beloved family?”
The eldest daughter of the late King Sombra twirled her rune inscribed rapier, her expression solemn in its shining reflection. Her thoughts of her dotting Aunt Gleam and her pregnant sister and her little niece and the humble life they’ve enjoyed these past five years. “I am your dog, master.”
VeeVee stood up straighter, putting on airs. “Good, now, go bite.”
Zil took off like an arrow, sword meeting shovel as Princess and Ace clashed. Light on her feet, Zil kept her rapier moving, jabbing and spinning like a windmill, never allowing the long narrow blade to overstress. The thin tempered steel was no match for the rugged sharpened shovel. The oldest daughter of Sombra was amazed by how well of a weapon the tool was.
(It’s like a spear and club all in one!) She gritted as Zeppelin slapped away her thrust with the flat of the shovel, thrusting the sharpened end like a spear. That jagged gleaming tip made her nervous. It looked sharp enough to hack open her throat, but besides that, the rust caking the rest of the head was sure to give her tetanus. If not, something worse.
“That thing is a war crime!” Zil snarled, drawing her parrying dagger, a new addition to her arsenal. The shorter, sturdier blade was a great way to shield from enemy weapons without carrying a full shield. It could also be used to break enemy blades in some instances. This was not one of those.
“Only if toxins are manually applied does it count as a bioweapon! No pony is expected to keep their digging tool sanitized, right?”
“I don’t see you digging trenches or foxholes!” Zil argued, ducking under a sweeping strike, meeting Zeppelin’s hoof in the face. She stumbled back, throwing up a single layer magic barrier to impede her opponent. Three AP shots swiss cheesed her wall, one burrowing through her shoulder plate.
Charging her shovel, Zeppelin reared back, “It’s for digging your grave!” The tip of the shovel sliced through the flimsy barrier, catching Zil in the shoulder. Blood seeped from under the damaged armor plate.
Zil was a seasoned warrior and did not lose her focus. She spun her rapier-like a drill, sending it at Zeppelin, who blocked with her metal wing. The spinning blade shattered against the sturdier steel, but its sacrifice was not in vain.
The rivets on Zeppelin’s right-wing came loose from the magical shockwave, parts of the wing flying through the air like shrapnel. A piece of her own wing blade pierced her side.
“Scheisse!” Cursed the Earth mare, but instead of retreating, she pressed forward with her wing, aiming for Zil’s throat. The black mare’s parry dagger flew between the gap of her steel feathers and twisted, snapping the metal feathers.
“Just horns now! You fake!” Zil taunted, pulling her dagger back. She dodged a three-hit shovel combo, biting her lip as the shovel grazed her studded leather breastplate. Leather and iron flew, Zeppelin, pointing the shovel forward like a lance and charged.
With her parrying dagger, Zil managed to turn the thrust, getting body slammed instead of stabbed. Here is where the fight fell apart. Having minimal experience in unarmed combat, Zil found herself face first in the dirt.
Zeppelin, on the other leg, was used to brawling in the mud. She clocked Zil in the jaw, again and again. Leaving the daughter of Sombra with a swollen face. Pulling an anti-magic ring from a pouch, Zeppelin slipped it on Zil’s horn while putting her in a headlock.
“I give!” Zil shouted as Zeppelin tightened around her like an anaconda. They probably appeared to be nothing but a tangle of limbs; if one weren’t looking closely, this might look like a compromising position rather than a painful restraint. “I said, I give! Gods your good a this, do you practice with your colt friend?”
Zeppelin felt Zil’s entire body relax, which made her almost strangle the other mare, so she had lightened her grip a little bit. Only a little. She waited several moments to see if Zil was faking, but she remained totally relaxed and at her mercy. It wasn’t hard to figure out why.
“She’s gone.” VeeVee had escaped during the conflict, obviously. “Where’d she go?” Zeppelin demanded applying more pressure to Zil.
“You think I know? Fuck, I don’t even know where I am! She summoned me! With no warning, by the way, and when I was supposed to be watching my niece! So, fuck off! I did my job! If you want to catch her, let go of me and run after her! I won’t stop you!”
Perhaps against her better judgment Zeppelin let go of Zil, keeping a sharp eye on the black and pink unicorn as she rubbed her throat. “Thank you,” Zil coughed out, getting to her feet. “Gugh, that bitch always uses me for shit like this. Still, you got her good, brightens my day.”
Putting her shovel on her back, Zeppelin pondered what to do. With her wings destroyed, she wasn’t flying anywhere soon, and since VeeVee could still fly, tracking her was all but impossible. The rinin would be long gone by the time she got back to the palace to report what happened. That said, their fight had put the capital on high alert. There was a high chance of a patrol catching her. So she might as well get all she can from Zil.
“Your name is Zil, correct?”
Zil gave the earth pony a sideways glance. “I wish she wouldn’t have used my name, but yes, my name is Zil. I know what you want to ask, but just so you know, that bitch has a curse on me. I can’t answer certain questions, no matter how much you threaten me.” Zil removed her scarf to show the slave seal on her neck. “I very much dislike it, but I am her slave.”
“I take it this wasn’t a willing thing?”
“One wasn’t,” She answered. “The first seal she gave my entire family, the second one on my neck, I willingly submitted too. A very loose definition of willing but willing.”
“To protect your family?” Now that they weren’t at each other’s throats. Zeppelin could get a good look at the numerous battle scars on Zil’s body. There were many slashes and stab wounds and one large blast mark where her mark should be. “Did she give you those? Or are those from serving under her?”
Zil followed Zeppelin’s stare, “Some are from before, some after.”
“Alright, what is VeeVee’s objective?”
The dark Princess snorted, “The hell if I know. After she captured us, she forced us to move to a certain town, and that my Aunt and Sister had to settle down and start baring offspring. Besides the occasional summon, she leaves us alone. That’s all I can say.” Zil began to fade from view. “Looks like my time is up.”
“But the ring…”
“You blocked my magic, but I was brought here via summoning, and my master is canceling my summons. Read a fucking book you… well, you deserve some respect, I guess. Don’t bother looking for me, but if you managed to kill that bitch. I’ll owe you one, Earth Pony.”
“My name is Graffee Zeppelin.”
Zil smiled to herself, “Zil, Princess Zil, eldest daughter of King Sombra, or I was. Now, I’m just Zil.”
The dark Princess faded from view, the anti-magic ring falling to the ground with a soft ting! Zeppelin retrieved the item, musing that she’d need to study more magic. While also filing away today’s lesson, it was nice to know that Anti-magic rings aren’t a catch-all.
“Now,” Zeppelin looked to the sky at the billowing black smoke clouds. “Where’d she go?”
Looking west, Zeppelin assumed VeeVee made her escape that way, or maybe north or south. East would take her back to the capital, and she couldn’t imagine a reason for VeeVee to go there.
“Some things don’t go as planned, I guess, but this is a real mess, and I’m going to have to deal with it. Hopefully, I can pass this off as a lone wolf attack. Shit, this is going to suck so much!” Her tone was akin to a teenager being assigned homework over a long weekend.
At a steady trot, Zeppelin began her journey home on foot. She managed to fly thirty miles outside of the capital and would not return for several hours due to her injuries.
“Hopefully, the Kaiserin is all right.” She prayed, With the Kaiser and Titania away, if anything were to happen to the Kaiserin, claimed to be the heart of Germane, things would go from dicey to apocalyptic.
VeeVee, under the guise of an invisibility spell, landed in the newly renovated hole in the Kaiser’s palace. The fire was under control, with the smoke providing her even more cover. She cast teleportation and appeared in the underground lab with a final painful push, right before the floating hybrid that she reviled so much.
When her feet touched the ground, her back legs shattered, leaving her only one working claw and blackening wand that would soon be at its limit.
“Originally, I wanted to destroy you,” She rasped, pointing the wand at the soulless body. “But beggars can’t be choosers.”
With a bright violet flash, VeeVee’s body crumbled into a pile of raspberry-colored crystals, while the creature inside the vat tube opened it’s green/pink eyes. Bubbles floated to the top of its vat as its body moved and breathed for the first time.
With a flicker, the strange hybrid was standing outside its tank, dripping wet in a flash of light, it’s crooked pink horn smoking with magical energy.
“A better fit than I thought it would be.” The creature said, shaking its head. Sparkling violet magic showered over its body, causing it to vanish without a trace.
“This is the place. Let’s bunk up here for now.” Topaz slicer ordered his and Shamrock’s teams to land on top of the butte below. The butte was about nine hundred feet tall, it’s four naturally formed sides, and flat top made it resemble a huge block. Locally called Bärenhütte in Germanian. Bear lodge in Equestrian. It was the rally point for the Northeastern recon teams apart of operation: Sneaky bastards.
The top of the butte was completely barren naturally, but it’s not like they were planning to stay here long. That didn’t mean they were just going to stand out here in the open.
Armed with their thick talons, the rinin dug into the stone as if it were dirt. First, making a hole about five to six feet deep and then drilling forty-five degrees down. From there, several chambers were made to act as tents. The unearthed stone was reused to hide the entrance, using a tarp, dirt, and skill.
“Alright, everypony settle down for some rest until Trifecta’s team shows up!” Topaz ordered his wiry soldiers. He and Shamrock settled down in their own chamber. The orange commander looked over the copies of the stolen documents from Austopona, Prussia, and Don.
Across from him, Shamrock attentively sipped a flask. Holding little interest in the fruits of their labor.
“Don’t drink too much.” He warned the green rinin.
“Ah, I’m fine. Can barely get buzzed with this amount. It’s just something to help me relax, is all. This sneaky sneak stuff is too stressful. Makes me tense up something fierce.” Shamrock adjusted his position in the cramped space. They didn’t even have room to lay out their bedrolls. So the green rinin decided to use his as a pillow.
The hastily made cave fell into near silence, save for the soft noise of shuffling paper, soft snores, and the occasional yawn from the lookout. Hours passed uneventfully, yet the tension did not ease.
“They should be here by now, right?” Shamrock asked nearly five hours later.
Building their little fort might have been overkill, but that was because they expected Trifecta’s team to arrive three hours or so ago. The butte was closest to their location, a measly forty miles from the Capital of Germane. A two-hour gallop and only an hour’s flight.
“Actually, shouldn’t they have beat us here?” Shamrock added, voicing the worries Topaz thought upon their arrival but kept silent. While the orange commander browsed the documents, he kept an ear on his com, listening for any messages from the triplet.
Checking the time, Topaz double-checked the mission plan. “They have one more day. We’ll wait until their time frame expires before worrying.”
Grumbling Shamrock settled down once more. He understood why they couldn’t rush in. Without proper communication, they could blow Trifecta’s cover and bungle the whole mission.
“So, the other nations building anything interesting?” He asked Topaz, not really interested but wanting something to pass the time. Shamrock imagined he and the orange rinin didn’t have much in common. Ironic, since they had been in the Factory together. Those memories were better left where they lie, though.
Flipping another page, Topaz clicked his tongue. “It’s all about the same. Different specks, but everypony seems to have tanks and iron airships now. The tanks are still in the early stages, but that’s no reason to disregard them. I’d say 3 to 1 they could win against an AT-44. Choppers aren’t as wildly used. Mostly civilian models with some weapons duck taped to them. Airships is where they sunk their budgets, though.”
Topaz turned the blueprints over to give Shamrock a visual. The letters were in a different language, but the numbers were easy enough to understand.
“That’s a big fucker,” Shamrock whistled. “Hard to believe they figured out how to make the thing fly.”
“Yes, I think it’s more likely Germane is supplying their allies’ technology, but that’s not for certain until I see the Germane blueprints. Hopefully, Trifecta won’t be much longer.” Topaz stuffed the paper back into his pack and settled down against the rough stone. “Might as well try to sleep.”
Things remained quiet. No chatter came over the gemcoms, no pony discovered their hiding spot, but that didn’t bring the two teams any ease. In fact, they were growing restless, being crammed into such small spaces. The stench of relieving themselves was increasing. Further adding to this discomfort.
“Come on, come on,” Topaz mumbled, watching the time. There were only two hours left until the deadline. Plans for what to do next should a rescue be issued were already forming in his head.
He’d send Shamrock back with the blueprints and have them return to home base. With his team, he’d scope out the situation. Having briefed every team on their mission, he had the infiltration route for every team memorized.
The clock ticked away. One hour until the deadline, Topaz called the teams together to begin laying out the mission plan. When…
“St aan-a d-all-temms-standby!” Every ponies’ gemcom crackled—the message filled with noise and static. Quickly, Topaz removed the cover of the entrance. After a brief look around to ensure there were no onlookers. He emerged from the hole for the first time in a day. Belly pressed against the butte's rocky surface while holding his gemcom antenna as high as he could.
Another slightly less static filled message came through.
“All teams operating on Europona, standby! Change rally coordinates to…” Pulling his notepad out, Topaz scribbled down the new coordinates. Upon seeing they were off the northern coast, he had suspicions about what was going on, and he didn’t like it. “Shamrock, hold the fort. I’m flying up for a better signal.”
Without waiting for a reply, Topaz flew into the early morning sky. The sun barely peeking out over the horizon in the east. With little time, he landed on a small cloud, daftly attaching his signal booster.
“That sounded like Fury. I’ll try a private channel.” Clicking his way through his hub, Topaz selected Fury’s channel, raising the red rinin. Going by the signal strength, Fury was on a ship right now. The ship's commination antenna caught his signal and transferred it directly to Fury.
“Topaz?” Came Fury’s garbled voice. There was a bit of static, but that was a given considering the distance. They were lucky to be talking at all.
“Yeah, it’s me.” He confirmed. “I just received your transmission. I need to know what the hell is going on right now and make it snappy!”
Fury explained Trifecta’s team's situation, Rotter’s message, Trifecta’s doomed plan, and now Fury’s Hail Mary gamble. The whole thing made Topaz dig into his temple. It was a shit show. There was no way around it. Worse. He had no way to make it any better.
“What’s your current position, Fury?” There was some background chatter. Most likely, he was consulting the navigator. “Three or four hours until you reach the rally point?”
From what he could gather, the Clover would dock in international waters while Fury and his team moved to extract Jazz, tracking her through her gem com. The problem. Trifecta and VeeVee’s coms were still registered inside the capital.
“Oh, sweet fucking Luna, he can’t even follow his own stupid fucking plan!” Topaz retorted with venom. He rarely got this angry, but here he was, utterly defeated by the bullheadedness of his own comrades.
Taking a breath, the proclaimed sharpest mind of Night Patrol fell back on his cloud and used every fiber of brainpower to beat the odds.
“Alright, you handle Jazz’s extraction. I’ll send our captured documents ahead and have a team on standby to keep watch for Trifecta. Yes. Yes, I know it’s risky. I’ll use the command override to find him. This is the best I can do in this situation; don’t ask me to polish a turd here!”
The signal cut out completely. More than likely, the Clover entered a storm or fog the Northern Europona channel was famous for. Topaz put his equipment away with little choice and regrouped with his teams, bringing them up to speed.
“Alright, Commander Shamrock and I will collect Commander Topaz and VeeVee. The rest of you will go to these coordinates with the intel. Don’t worry about rushing there. Keep on the down-low. Fly through the forest during the day or in the clouds if available. Let’s move out!”
“You sure about it just being the two of us?” Shamrock asked as the others erased their presence.
“A larger team will only hinder us. You and I are the fastest here. Plus, once we regroup with Trifecta and VeeVee, we’ll be at four. Having more at that point will slow us down. We might miss the ship and have to fly to Clydesdale.” Topaz took out his master control module. With this tool, he could force Trifecta’s Gemcom to turn on and send out a location beacon. “We’ll have to be a little closer to the capital for it to work.”
The orange and green rinin took flight, their six team members flying north, while they went east, flying low above the treetops.
When the city came into view, the two commanders settled down in a tree canopy. Their Moon Phase armor instantly blended with the leaves and branches. Producing a pair of binoculars, the two observed the city, finding it peaceful.
And then the roof of the Kaiser’s palace exploded.
“What the hell!” Topaz covered Shamrock’s mouth, clamping it shut, while he bit back his own reaction. Frantically he watched two streaks of light flying through the sky. One a pinkish purple, and the other golden orange, they were moving too fast for him to make out any details.
Keeping still, Topaz watched as the two mysterious beings battled, blowing up several parts of the city before finally moving north. The bright streaks dimmed to two dots and then disappeared from view. He didn’t know if they were just too far away or if they dropped to the ground, but he wasn’t about to go chasing after them.
“Get ready to move,” Topaz tapped his gemcom, sending out the master commander signal. After a brief pause, Trifecta’s gemcom pinged on his HUD. VeeVee’s didn’t appear, though. That was worrying. He swallowed his worries, hoping VeeVee’s com was simply damaged, and she was with Trifecta. Jazz was already well out of his range. “Trifecta’s… not that far, strangely.”
The triplet was well outside the city, at the edge of his HUD’s mapping range. Only five, ten miles northeast of their current position. With Trifecta’s dot gradually moving further west.
“He’s going awfully slow.” Shamrock pointed out. “He’s not flying, that’s for sure.”
“Yeah, let’s go link up. The sooner we leave, the better. More importantly, I want to know what the hell is going on.”
The two Commanders took flight once more. Moving swiftly, weaving over the treetops, and keeping low. The chaos would buy them time, but once the authorities got their heads on straight, the country would be locked down tighter than Tartarus.
Which brought Topaz’s thoughts back to wondering why Trifecta was moving so slow. Yeah, keeping a low profile was important, but this was a little much. Speed and distance are what you wanted in this situation. Maybe he was leaving tracks to throw off pursuers, but that didn’t feel right.
“There he is!” Shamrock alerted him. Diving below the trees. Topaz hastily followed after him. When he touched the earth, Topaz was at a loss. There were two ponies. One of them was Trifecta, and the other was one he’s never seen before. A peach blonde earth mare. VeeVee nowhere in sight.
Vaguely, Topaz recalled something about Trifecta playing lover with a Germane noble from Fury’s rundown. It didn’t take him long to put the pieces together.
“Son of a bitch…” Topaz fiercely tapped his gemcom. “VeeVee, come in… VEEVEE!” His burning gaze fell on Trifecta, hot plasma building in his mouth. “You… fucking idiot. Where’s VeeVee?”
Most others would have gone meek at the usually reserved Topaz lashing out, but Trifecta did not back down through either audacity or solid steel backbone. “She promised she would be fine. I trust her to make it out.”
Topaz Slicer bit back a symphony of curses. He wasn’t usually so easy to rile up, but everything just kept piling on top of each other. Only three things stopped him from smacking Trifecta to the ground for his idiocy.
The first thing was the most logical, what little remained in him, their situation would not allow for such petty things. Two, blue lightning was arching around Trifecta, meaning he was prepared to turn into Triple Thunder over the mare. That was a fight Topaz knew he could not win at this time. And third and final, Shamrock was talking them both down.
Topaz knew he was not in the right state of mind when Shamrock was the calm, rational one.
“Oi, Oi, Oi! Lads! We gottis no time for this shite! So, here’s what we’re doin’. Tri and I will carry the mare, Topaz ye gonna be the rearguard. Noi let’s get goin’ ya?” Shamrock ordered with a heavy accent, keeping an eye over his shoulder. “Now I don’t know about ya two, but I gotta wife waiting for me, so I am not dying here, got it?”
With a plan in motion, Trifecta and Shamrock carried Wiess with the harness in Shamrock’s saddlebag. Topaz keeping an eye on the rear as they made their way northwest towards the coast.
While events were unfolding across the world, Luna, Duchess of Evernight, visited her niece and soon to be crowned Queen of Equestria, Cadence. As a show of solidary for their two nations once one, Evernight was displaying the Selene. The newest airship produced on the Equestrian continent. A joint venture of Equestrian and Evernight engineering, with some Nippon inspiration.
Luna, pleased by the symbol of her nation's might, strolled its upper deck, greeting various ponies of influence. Briefly, she chatted with Fancy Pants, a long-term financer of Equestrian military projects, and an early sponsor of Night Patrol after their return. He also held dual citizenship between the two sister nations. Having permanent estates in both nations’ capitals.
“I hope the Selene is to your liking Duchess Luna,” Fancy said proudly, his company Night and Dawn Heavy Engineering, laid the hull of the ship. For security and expediency, other companies supplied and built the armaments and engine components. But Fancy still held stock in a few of them. He was well versed in letting others take the reign of his ventures before moving to the next thing.
“Well, I’m sure Sixes is happy. This was more of his project, really.” She laughed awkwardly. New technology was impressive, but when it came to engineering specifications, hull distribution, and everything else that came with commissioning a battleship. She let more knowledgeable ponies take the lead. All those numbers gave her a headache. “Or I should say it’s Platinum’s project. She was the chief designer.”
Fancy nodded, “Yes, yes, a brilliant young lass that one. Shame, she couldn’t be here for the presentation. Now, this is a bit embarrassing for me to admit, but what is the classification of this ship again?”
Luna let out a low “Ahh,” Stalling as she racked her brain for the ship's technical classification. It wasn’t a pure battleship, but it was like the Nightmare, but improved.
“It’s a CVU-B,” Cadence interjected with a pleasant smile. “According to my husband, means Uber Battle Carrier or something of the like. Like the name suggests, it’s a ship that takes the Nightmare's versatility and times by ten. The four Gem Engines have been upgraded with two Duel Mega Gem propulsion systems, heavier armaments, and even more cargo space for troops and vehicles.”
As Cadence continued on about the ship's specs, Luna stepped away from the conversation with a little smirk. Hidden behind Cadence’s back was a sizeable notebook that no doubt contained every bit of knowledge she was spouting right now.
(Well, who said you need to know everything?) Luna mused, moving to a more secluded part of the ship. Even if this was a presentation of the vessel. It was still a military secret. So, a lot of the facilities were sealed off to guests. Any posted information, such as how fast it could go or how thick the armor was, was blemished. Naturally, the Selene was built under all current treaty restrictions.
Now alone, Luna took a moment to catch her breath, feeling tired. It’s been a long day and night. Upon her arrival, Luna took advantage of her position to have a nice long private meeting with her niece.
They discussed little of actual importance regarding state matters. Speaking much more casually as family. Their talk primarily revolved around potential baby names. Since Cadence was expecting. The mother to be was subdued in her excitement. The baby was still wasn’t due for some time. Cadence barely showing any visual signs of pregnancy yet.
For as excited as Cadence was in private, her worry far exceeded her joy. Suddenly her Aunts’ decision to stave off kids made much more sense to her now. There had been an awkward exchange as Luna cradled her crying niece. Assuring her everything was going to be okay.
That was last night, and the morning hadn’t been much better. Luna could see through Cadence’s brave face, the fake public smile, and her casual replies to the gossip ponies that wanted fluff articles on the incoming Queen’s new baby, then discuss the literal war raging across the sea.
Looking out over the railing of the Selene, Luna mindlessly played with one of her stars in the sky. Moving Nico Vega like a laser pen. Apparently, a lot of her stars had names now. One of Night Patrols' funding efforts was giving out deeds for constellations for a price. Allowing ponies to own a piece of the sky.
The star Nico Vega was purchased by Gadget/Starwind. The inventor buying it to honor the rinin that tried to save his daughter and disappeared with her. There was also a star called Dusk as well. She’d have to make sure to put it back later.
Luna couldn’t really describe her mood right now. But bummed might be close. Her husband was off on an adventure while she was here. It didn’t really feel fair. Not that she didn’t enjoy spending time with Cadence. That was certainly not the case. But their girl chat hadn’t been as light-hearted as she had hoped. In fact, it was heavy in a lot of ways. The young expecting mother was in the middle of a power exchange while a war was ragging, with other nations demanding action.
Of course, Cadence would be stressed.
It gave Luna some insight as to why Celestia was taking her time from officially retiring. Perhaps Celestia’s true intentions for the peace talks was to ease Cadence’s burdens. Though it was a long shot gambit at this point.
Luna found it ironic that while Shining Armor was to be King. Everypony went to the Queen, perhaps out of habit from having a matriarchal figure for over a thousand years.
“I wonder how ponies view Shining Armor. I would hope more favorably than Prince Blueblood.” Yes, Blueblood, the ‘nephew’ she forgot about. From her own perspective, Luna couldn’t really name a single thing she liked or hated about the Prince. She wasn’t even sure what he actually did, and probably the majority feel the same. “I guess I can give him more credit than that. He does go to charities, balls, and social functions. He’s just there, I guess, is the best way to put it.”
Putting Blueblood back in the furthest reaches of her mind. Luna wondered what sort of adventure Sixes and Essex were having.
“I’m awfully hung up on this.” She sourly admitted to the stars. “I wouldn’t have minded spending time with my sister in law. It’s been a while since I had one of those.”
Even though Sixes and Essex were slowly becoming siblings once more, the same could not be said about her and Essex. Her sister-in-law remained professionally distant, even after five years.
“There’s time.” She told herself. It was strange having friends that could live long lives again. If Kira was the apex of what a Rinin could achieve lifespan wise. A thousand years was not out of the question. That is if no pony got themselves killed.
“I’m always bringing down the mood with that kind of talk… and I’m talking to myself again. Gods, I get lonely so easily.” Luna leaned against the railing in a very undignified manner. “I suppose I should head back to the party.”
“Lady Luna!” A distressed voice called out. Earning her full attention. It was one of the ship hoofs of the Selene. The sailor gave a quick salute, then sallied up close to her, whispering in her ear like a lover. “There is a matter that needs your attention, my Lady. Please come to the communications room.”
She followed the young sailor with a silent nod to what she hoped wasn’t a pass at her. It was weird that things like that happened from time to time. Not that such a thing has happened since her return or after her marriage to Sixes. Before because ponies were still scared of her, and no pony was going to take a pass at Celestia’s sister in this modern age, and after her marriage, she couldn’t imagine any pony wanting to face Sixes.
They declassified a lot of his missions from his more… brutal days. Really, who wanted to chance being hung by their nuts via hook?
Thankfully this was a serious matter. As the communications room was packed with ponies doing their jobs. On the other side of the coin, it meant something happened, and it probably wasn’t news the peace talks were a success.
“What is the situation,” Luna demanded, stepping into the role of commander. She found this much more comfortable than the party. A pony brought her attention to a large transparent green world map, with dozens of yellow triangles positioned worldwide.
This map showed every Equestrian, Evernight, and Nippon ship through the power of magic and science. Another fantastic feature was every ship had this map, and should any ship find an enemy ship, it would be marked with a red triangle for as long as it was on the radar.
Luna, for her part, could not pick out any problems, but that was her ignorance. There were no red marks, signaling a battle had not broken out, but something had to be wrong. She wished somepony would come out and say it, but none were. As her eyes scanned the map, something caught her eye.
A single lone triangle on the northern edge of Europona. Dangerously close to international airspace and waters.
“What is that ship?” She asked, pointing right at it.
“CL-44: Clover the Clever. It suddenly broke off from its taskforce, resupplied at Base Prime, and began a course toward the Northern Europona Sea. It has maintained radio silence this entire time. We’ve tried contacting Headquarters but lack proper clearance.”
That was essentially coded for; a higher rank pony was blocking them. Nothing too unusual. Any Commander could conduct a mission at their behest without interjection from her. Besides, Sixes, McGather, and herself, no pony outranked a Commander.
(That might be a bit of an oversight.) Luna kept that to herself, but she could see the problem. One of their own ships was sitting off a hotspot while a peace conference was underway. This wasn’t something she could overlook without a second glance. That said, “When did the Clover being moving to its current position?”
“Roughly, a day or maybe a day and a half ago?” A pony answered meekly. “We inquired what was happening, when it was halfway across the sea, but were denied. We assumed some operation was underway but monitored the situation. A storm blocked the signal, and when it reappeared, the ship was traveling along the coast already.”
“Put me through to Headquarters,” Luna ordered evenly. Not very happy at the moment. “A private line if you would.” No matter the situation. You don’t yell at your officers in front of the soldiers. She was allowed access to an officer’s room to the side, with a gemcom line to Headquarters.
By some method, she didn’t know, whoever was in charge at the castle would know she was calling. What she didn’t expect was for Gloves to pick up.
“Lady Luna, good evening.”
“Am I talking to the pony in command right now, Vice Commander Gloves?” She asked flatly.
“Yes, I am acting Commander, right now.”
“Really? And where is Fury? He should have returned by now.”
“He’s on another mission. Something came up that needed his attention...” Gloves trailed off, clearly searching for the word to say. He considered just spouting the cover story, but this was Luna he was talking to. The bit stopped here, so to speak. “How can I be of service, ma’am?”
“I want the details, from beginning to end. What is going on? I’m on a secure line, in a locked room, and nothing is classified from my eyes and ears. This is an order, Vice Commander Gloves.
“This is the situation as I understand it.” Gloves began what has been by now, third hoof information. It was like watching a snowball roll down a mountain for Luna, growing more and more, until it was ridiculous in size to the point of being unbelievable.
“Okay… Let me get this straight. Trifecta flubbed his mission and has hooked up with a Germane mare, and somehow, his team became Germane military personal and is now attempting to slip away during the ceasefire. Fury realizing a critical flaw in Trifecta’s plan, went with a team and Zecora’s sister to retrieve them. Zecora’s sister, Shaka, and Zecora herself are ghost Zebras descended from Shadow Specter. And all of this is happening, right now, while I’m here, and Sixes is in Clydesdale, and Celestia is in Freiberger, do I have this straight, Gloves?”
“That is the sum of what is happening to my knowledge, yes.”
Luna took a very, very, very deep breath, and oh so slowly let it out through her nose. She was so angry and confused she wasn’t even sure what she should be mad about. Everything, everything about this entire situation was the right answer.
“Gloves… no pony… and I mean no pony. Does anything! Without running it by me first from now on! I’ll call you back.” Luna turned off the transmission, walked over to the bunk in the office, grabbed the pillow, and proceeded to scream into it for all she was worth! “AGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
Once her lungs and throat were burning, the ruler of the night gathered herself and started using her frayed brain cells for something more productive.
Like Trifecta, Fury, and Topaz, Luna tried and tried to think of some way, some miracle that brings the situation to a perfect conclusion. One that didn’t restart the war or drag her country into the conflict and got everypony home alive.
Being a pony over two thousand years old, with centuries of life, military, and political experience. She immediately concluded achieving all those goals was impossible. So, she looked inside herself and thought of what was most important and most achievable.
She couldn’t make the peace talks go any smoother. There was neither time nor were they going smoothly anyway if the news was to be believed. So, stopping the war wasn’t in the cards. Being dragged into the war wasn’t for sure going to happen, but it was very much a possibility, and she needed to accept it. So, what was left? What was the one goal she could achieve? That she cared most about?
Saving her ponies, of course.
With fire in her eyes, Luna returned to the commination room, her gaze directed at the global map. The positions of her fleets and their composition.
“Radio Operator!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Send orders to CA: Rockhoof and Whinnyapolis, have them join DD group 4 comprised of Cobbler, Cider, and Honey and form a Taskforce under BB Canterlot and CV Symphony. Taskforce 444: Operation Homecoming. All ships standby at stated coordinates and ensure the safe return of our comrades boarding the Clover. Engage any enemies labeled hostile by the Clover and escort our friends’ home!”
A loud collective, “Yes, ma’am!” Came over the speakers from each ship's Captains—the seven vessels making a beeline for Prance's northwest corner.
“Lady Luna, what shall we do?” Admiral McGather’s inquired, saddling up beside her. The two officers left the bustling room to speak privately.
“A good question. Is the Selene ready for operations?”
The Admiral gave a wish wash reply, “Eh, in a pinch. We’ve yet to undergo our six-month sea or air trial voyage. You know, test out the kinks, drill the crew for operations. Everypony here is trained and ready, but they haven’t had the time to mesh as a unit.”
“I see. A ship is only as good as the crew. We’ll cut the demonstration short. Tomorrow once the supplies are loaded, The Selene will embark on its training mission. I can’t promise you a full six months, but get the crew whipped into shape as soon as you can.”
“Aye, ma’am, it will be done! I’ll go make the arrangements. We might even be able to restock by morning.” The Admiral saluted and hurried off to fulfill her request. Leaving Luna to stoop and contemplate her next course of action.
She’s done all she could do without flying to Europona herself, and she was tempted too, but it wouldn’t do any good. There was little her presence would achieve other than antagonize the other nations. Not that her task force wouldn’t do that, but world leaders tended to overact when she or Celestia got involved in matters.
So, all Luna could do was wish for the success of her ponies’ mission and safety. That said, it was ideal to prepare for the worst. The first thing she needed to do was get back home and assume proper command. Warning Cadence of the coming danger was also on the list and…
“What…” Luna stumbled against the railing, reeling from a sudden bout of dizziness. While trying to regain her balance, Luna felt something rise in her throat. Feeling the vile urge that would wound her public dignity, she glided down to the lower railing, promptly disposing of her last meal down the misty abyss of Canterlot Mountain.
“Ugh… by the gods… what did I eat to deserve this?” Righting herself, Luna produced a handkerchief to clean up. “I’m not usually one for littering…” With no trash can in sight and unwilling to carry the defiled cloth, Luna reluctantly let it float off the side of the ship, towards the base of the mountain. “Dear Great Earth Mother Gaia… please don’t be cross with me, sorry.” Clapping her hoofs in prayer for the long-gone ancient Alicorn, Luna proceeded back towards the party to find Cadence.
Along the way, the sky rumbled. She paused and looked across the clear night sky. Spotting a rapidly forming storm system in the distance.
“I don’t remember any storms being scheduled for tonight. Not that I’ve kept up with the Canterlot weather plan. I suppose that is fairly far away.” The system was forming an entire region over. Well outside of Canterlot’s province borders. “Still, that’s a very unusual system.”
Luna was no weather expert, but lightning wasn’t usually colored red. She did recall there was something called a Sprite. Some weather phenomena involving high astrosphere electrical discharge. She paid the strange weather little mind, resuming her quest, but her own curiosity got the better of her, and Luna found herself gazing at the lightning once more.
“Why are they making it so big?” The black cloud was rising upwards as if trying to reach the sky. Red lightning flashed, and thunder shook the air. The storm growing in power. Much more than the pegasus of this era could produce. This made her frown. “Where is that?”
Flashing her horn, Luna projected a map of Equestria. Even if she didn’t consciously remember every town, this spell laid everything visually. Calculating the perceived distance from her to the storm, she made a line straight to it on the map.
“That’s… what’s happening?”
Now Luna couldn’t be a hundred percent confident with her rough and dirty math and the abundance of other matters that needed her attention, combined with stress. There was bound to be a mistake in her calculations. Yet, if she was right, the storm was brewing right over the gates of Tartarus.
That was a bad omen.
Hurrying to the upper decks. Luna spotted one of the crewmates and called him over. The unease in her stomach continued to build as cold sweat dripped down her body.
Suddenly she fell against the railing, the crewmate froze, taken by surprise, before running to her. “Lady Luna! Are you all right?” The pony’s shout carried, and soon more ponies were gathering. The combined chatter made Luna flinch, as her vision blurred and darkened. The last coherent thing she heard was the cries of “MEDIC! MEDIC!”
And then she blacked out.
“What’s wrong with her?” Cadence, still in her ball gown, asked the Doctor of the Selene. Laying on the bed before Cadence was her beloved Aunt, who was found passed out on one of the ship's lower decks. Only the chance passing of a maintenance pony allowed the alicorn to be swiftly brought to Selene’s infirmary.
The Doctor of the Selene, Cyan Cross, stood puzzled on the other side of the bed. Watching the monitoring equipment with a hawk’s eye gaze. “I’m sorry, Queen Cadenza, I haven’t the slightest idea. There is nothing wrong physically with the Duchess. At least nothing that should have made her collapse like she did. I can’t even make assumptions without knowing what she was experiencing before hoof.”
Cadence placed her hoof on Luna’s forehead; it was dreadfully hot. “She’s warm. Are you sure she doesn’t have a fever?”
“That’s not her body heat,” The Doctor asserted. “It’s her magic. That’s why I said nothing is physically wrong with her, but for some reason, her magic is warming her body.”
“Okay… but why?”
“Tests will have to be run. Unfortunately, I will not be able to do them here. I would prefer to transfer her back to Evernight, so Doctor Blue Cross can examine her, but I fear transporting her in her present condition. Placing her in the palace’s royal wing maybe a better alternative. As you are her only available relative, assuming Lord Sixes cannot be contacted.” Both Cadence and the Doctor looked to the pony standing guard, who shook his head. They couldn’t get a hold of Sixes. “And with her sister also unavailable, you are her closest next of kin, with legal authority.”
Cadence blinked, never expecting to be in this situation. “What do you recommend, Doctor Cyan? Can she not stay here?”
“She can, but I worry, the ship’s medical bay will not be equipped to deal with any unforeseen complications. We are set up to deal with first aid and minor surgeries, such as leg amputation and reconnecting blood vessels.”
“Okay… we’ll move Aunt Luna to the royal wing of the castle. I’ll contact Aunt Celestia’s personal physician to see if anything like this happened before to Celestia. Send for Blue Cross as well. She’s Luna’s primary physician. If any pony can help her, it’s her.”
“It will be done.” The Doctor bowed.
“Also,” Added Cadence, looking longingly at her Aunt. “Don’t let the citizens see her like this. Not a word to any pony that doesn’t need to know.”
“Of course, my Queen.”
To not be in the way, Cadence excused herself from the room. She should return to the party, it was rude to leave the guests out there without a proper host, but that seemed insignificant right now. Actually, it was. There were much more pressing matters. Fancy Pants would probably step up if asked.
“He will step up.” Calling over a sailor, Cadence gave him instructions to tell Fancy Pants that a matter has come up, so he must play host. “Don’t leave anything to chance, not anymore,” Cadence mumbled as she wandered off alone.
If there was one thing she didn’t want to be known for, it was not taking every precaution possible. That is what both her aunts taught her. As well as her own experience. The fact she knew, the future was like a Goblin’s and goelette’s campaign, where a bad dice roll could end everything. The Queen of Love would not let a single detail be her undoing.
Which is why she stood where Luna had collapsed. It was almost like a murder scene, with forensics ponies combing the place. Magically scanning the area for toxins and that like.
“Queen Cadence, it’s not safe here.” A pony in full hazmat gear warned her.
“I have a barrier,” She informed the pony. Off to the side, she spotted a pony huddled against the wall, clearly shaken up, “Is that him?”
“Yes,” The Hazmat Pony informed her.
“Thank you,” She walked over to the huddled pony, a young sailor, clearly shaken by the experience of seeing an all-powerful Alicorn collapsing. “Can we talk?” Cadence asserted gently. The pony looked at her with hollow eyes of guilt.
“Oh… my Queen… I’m… sorry…” He attempted to rise, bow and salute all at the same time, nearly falling over himself.
“That’s alright,” Cadence assured him, softly sitting him again. He put up little resistance. If any. “What’s your name?”
“Wind Breaker,” Wind Breaker was a pegasus, very stout, blue in color with a purple mane in a crew cut. If not for his fragile mental state, she would have thought a pony bigger then her husband sitting fetal on the floor humorous.
(Maybe he’s one of those gentle giants, which makes me wonder why he joined the military.)
“Wind Breaker, what happened when Luna collapsed?”
“The Princess… Duchess was calling me over. It was dark, so I couldn’t tell if she was in pain or not, but I saw her falter, and then she fell. I… there was nothing I could do, so I called for help. I was so… useless, maybe if I’d run, instead of walked, perhaps I could have…”
Cadence gently massaged the young recruit’s shoulder, “Now, now, she’s not dead. Sometimes the best thing to do is get help and then get out of the way. Now was there anything else, any lights, smells, noises that came off as strange?”
“Nothing comes to mind. I passed by earlier. The Duchess was looking out over the deck, far off into the distance.”
“Which way?”
Wind Breaker pointed southeast. At first, Cadence assumed it was Evernight Castle, but it was a few degrees off. With all the light pollution, it was hard to make out anything past a few miles.
“Turn off all the lights. I want this place exactly as it was before.” The lower deck darkened once more. Steadily Cadence’s vision adapted to the darkness, allowing her to make out the sky much better. The sky was mostly clear, safe for one black spot far away in the distance. It looked like a storm. “Leave nothing to chance…” Cadence mumbled, raising her head high, she barked, “I want a team to investigate that location, immediately!”
Maybe she was paranoid, perhaps it was nothing, perhaps she was wasting her time. She didn’t care. They can call her crazy, but she wasn’t going to let fate or whatever rule her life.
“I want a full report when you get back, even if you think it’s nothing! I want every detail!” Cadence barked like a general.
Grimsville, ten miles from Tartarus
“What’s going on?” The Captain of the unit asked while running out of his quarters. Everypony, his soldiers, and the townsfolk stood in the streets. Staring at the sky. Not receiving an answer, he to looked up and gasped at the raging storm above.
Red lightning began to rain down, yet ponies didn’t run. They couldn’t. A fear so great had taken them that the lightning seemed of little consequence. From the sky came creatures that had not defiled Equestrian skies since before the founding of the nation.
“Gargoyles.” As soon as the word left the Captain’s lips, five ponies were snatched into the sky, their screams trailing off into the night, followed by raining blood. “Everypony! To cover!” He ordered, but a thunderous stomp shook the earth, and all the houses collapsed.
From the forest, in the direction of the Gates of Tartarus, came a creature of immense size. A towering creature surpassed the trees, with two oxen like horns, teeth as thick as logs, and hide ghoulish gray like decaying skin. It’s tail, long as a basilisk, flung trees further than a cannon shot.
He knew the creature. Not from any personal knowledge, but because of the jail roster that every Captain of Grimsville had. The list of jailed monsters. The creature lumbering towards him was sentenced before the time of Celestia and Luna.
The Behemoth.
It had no other name, no specific species. It was believed to be the first earth titan ever created. Walking devastation was how the book summed up this creature.
“Cerberus… where’s Cerberus?” He called. A swarm of creatures he’s only ever seen in books engulfed the town, leaving nothing but red stains and gore. By some strange fate, he was spared for now. Perhaps he was supposed to witness the end of the world?
A triple growl brought some light to the Captain’s heart, but it was a dim one once he laid eyes on the three-headed dog.
Cerberus was in bad shape. The left head was blind, its eyes gouged out, the center was missing its tongue, his mouth a bloody mess, and the right was missing its ears. The snake tail hissed, warning of more enemies.
Hell’s guard dog spun, revealing further injuries, slash marks, stab wounds, and gashes. And if all that wasn’t bad enough, the poor hound was fighting on two legs. Somehow maintaining his balance.
Cerberus claws bit and killed like a savage beast, and had clearly killed dozens, if not hundreds of creatures that were escaping. But for all the beast’s power, for all its valor and loyalty, it was only one against countless enemies.
“Cerberus…” The Captain watched helplessly as monsters dogpiled the dog, going for the kill. “It’s not your time yet!”
With no thought of his own life, the Unicorn Captain, whose name would never be etched into the wall of heroes for his deeds. As there were none to see them. Charged with everything he could muster, and teleported the guard dog as far as he could manage, not even wasting magic to save himself.
Magic exhaustion instantly set in, and the Captain lay helpless on the ground, surrounded by starving monsters who now had to settle for a much smaller prize.
“For Equestria… you bastards.” Were his last words before he was set upon.
“Get settled Apfel, we’ll be here a while.” Kinn Sauerkraut guffawed as she threw her rucksack under the green folding bed. The gold and blonde noble filly swooshed her lovely braided mane about removing the bare minimum of her armor to lay down. “Sucks the action is on pause.”
“Is it really a bad thing?” Jazz (Alias Apfel Musik) replied, laying out her own bedding. Even in the field, their treatment was better than the average soldier, not just mares, but all the shock troopers. They were placed in decently sized tents far away from the trenches. The stench of blood and metal was still pungent but much more tolerable than when they toured the forward positions to get the lay of the land.
Not that there was much land to see. Not a shred of greenery remained. Just mucky brown and gray. Craters, sinkholes, and former bases were the only things beyond the main trench, that and certain death.
Even when on a ceasefire, ponies still covered their positions, shivering in the trenches' cold mud and murky water. Though a few days have passed, no pony made attempts to clean the unsanitary conditions. There was little point. They lacked the means and the will to even try. The fighting could resume without warning, so why bother?
“So, what’s our mission here?” Jazz asked, removing her shoulder pauldrons for a more comfortable rest.
Kinn tapped her chin, shimming out of the last of extra bulk, leaving her in her flight suit, boots, and breastplate. Her wings and horns still attached. On the front lines, they were meant to be battle-ready at all times.
“Originally, we were supposed to reinforce the lines by performing rear line sabotaging raids and eliminating high-level targets. That’s on hold with the ceasefire, but Captain Stollen mentioned training some of the regulars or maybe some recon. We can’t fly across the No lands, at least without looking like aggressors. So, we’ll probably fly over the space between our bases, checking for Prench soldiers. There’s a lot of open space that needs to be monitored. I know it’s probably not what you signed up for.”
“Oh, that’s fine,” Jazz replied cheerfully. “Please don’t think ill of me, but I’d rather return home alive.”
Kinn laughed, “nothing wrong with that. I know some of the boys are bragging about glory and honor, but there’s nothing wrong with just wanting to get through this. Things are a little different for those of lower rank. Unless you have ambitions to gain a noble title? Apfel Von Musik sounds kind of cool, ya know?”
Jazz waved her hoof, “Ah, no, no, that’s not my thing. I just want to get home to my family, you know?”
“Ja, Ja, so who do you have waiting at home for you? Or did you come chasing after yer colt or mare?”
“I don’t have a lot waiting for me, I guess. My parents are long since gone. I don’t have any siblings; I really only got my cousin’s children. Though they don’t need me as much as I tell myself they do. I guess… maybe there’s not that much of a rush. That’s what I get for focusing on work, I guess.”
“You don’t have to sound so down about it,” Kinn encouraged. “Your young, so am I. We have plenty of time to make things up.”
Something strange appeared in Jazz’s eye that Kinn couldn’t place. Suddenly she, who was supposed to be the senior, felt like she was looking at a hardened vet. When the red pony spoke, her words were heavy.
“I knew a lot of ponies that thought like that. I observed them since I was a little filly. I watched my seniors spout the same thing, only to never come back. I watched their lover’s grieve and move on in time. Watched my cousin take her chance at happiness, build her farm, and raise her kids, yet she still couldn’t escape danger. Only by mere chance did she and her family escape certain death. I watched my mentor drive himself to sheer madness, pushing himself to the brink of insanity. The stench of death clinging to him as if it were his lover. He finally found some happiness, but he could have had it sooner. So much sooner.”
Sadly, Jazz looked at Kinn, her expression solemn. “Time is limited. If there’s something you want to do or somepony you want to be with. I suggest you not hesitate. Time is fleeting and waits for no pony.”
Kinn was uncertain how to respond. Apfel’s words felt like a weight around her neck while floundering in the water. The red mare’s solemn expression and deep sadness made it clear this was no edgy contrivance but something real.
“I guess… I’ve just been trying not to think about it.” Kinn faltered, sitting on her bed, her ears flat against her head. “I have to. I can’t even look at the casualty reports anymore. Entire units are wiped out in days, most of my friends in other units are dead already. My original unit was reorganized under Captain Stollens. I and twenty other Shock troopers fought desperately to keep a hill that we would lose in a week. It wasn’t just us. Hundreds of others died pointlessly, fighting wave after wave of the enemy.”
Hooves shaking, Kinn’s cheery façade of the jolly big sister cracked before Jazz’s very eyes. Kinn fiercely wiped her tears. “I’m sorry… I’m the senior here… but maybe you’re not the rookie I thought you were. You seem more suited to this than me.”
Kinn nearly jumped when Jazz embraced her, rubbing her back in a gentle motherly way. “My cousin used to do this for me.” Jazz said quietly. “It always calmed me down when I was upset. I’m sorry… there’s enough misery here already. Your smile… is very warm and very welcomed, Kinn.”
“Oh, Apfel!”
Jazz continued to comfort the other mare—guilt pouring from her heart like a wound. (How could I let her get this close. This is going to be hard.)
After laying Kinn down on her bed, Jazz returned to her own and contemplated her situation. She was where she was supposed to be, alone, with the others who knows where.
To further add to her problems, after the unit’s mission briefing. The plan to fake their death’s in battle would be difficult to impossible during the ceasefire. Additionally, any sabotage or accident she employed to fake her death would result in the war kick-starting up again.
(I’m starting to see why I’m not a commander now. I mean, it's Trifecta’s plan, but I should have been able to see this.) It was always easier to critique than think up something yourself. She could understand Trifecta missing such a small detail when he was under pressure to come up with something, anything to get them home.
Their lack of intelligence and foresight aside, there had to be a way to get away. Deserting was the obvious answer. It’s not like she was from Germane anyway. Some hearts would be broken, Kinn’s in particular, but she would have to live with that. The biggest roadblock would be the entire base and the officers that would be looking for deserters.
Going in alone was her best bet. Sure, there were maybe some soldiers she could convince to join her. Mostly so she could use them as cover. But she might as well be killing them herself. Because that was the punishment for deserting.
Laying down and staring at the ceiling, Jazz thought hard. Should she leave now? Should she wait? The longer she stayed, the more ponies would recognize her and the more attached she’d become to them. Right now, the base was packed with fresh new faces. She could slip away. Yet, because there were so many fresh soldiers, she guessed the officers would be on high alert for deserters.
(I’ll wait until things settle down and for an opportunity to present itself. Maybe Trifecta and VeeVee can help me when they get here. Hopefully, they’re not too far behind.)
Settling down for a short rest, Jazz would be awoken by Captain Stollen with the news of the capital’s attack. Bringing the camp to high alert. In the briefing later, word of an Evernight Cruiser being sighted off the northern channel further worried the frontline officers as they waited for orders from central command.
Any plan to slip away was unfeasible as Jazz found herself on a near twenty-four-hour shift, waiting for the enemy attack or for a Germane offense.
It felt like the world was a powder keg, and somepony was smoking dangerously close to it.
In the wee hours of the coming dawn, she thought she saw something watching her. She stared and stared at the fence made from withered trees. When her eyes fell heavy, and she blinked, her world was suddenly black and white.
--break?
“Apfel? Where are you? Your shift is over! Apfel?” Kinn shouted to the vast empty wasteland, standing in the spot her bunkmate was supposed to have been keeping watch.
Inspecting the boot prints in the muck, Kinn saw they went nowhere. They were shallow, indicating Apfel had not kicked off to fly. It was as if she had merely vanished.
“Apfel! Apfel!” She screamed. When the stale winds of the no lands choked her voice, she hastily ran back to camp. “Captain Stollen! Captain Stollen!”
The camp, already tense from the news of the Capital attack, was in a tizzy as the rumor of one of the own disappearing spread. Dark murmurs were muttered as the soldiers looked across the barren wasteland.
Had their comrade deserted? Evidence pointed to no. Meaning there was only one possibility. She had been abducted, dragged across the No lands to the enemy trenches for interrogation—an act of aggression by their enemy, a clear violation of the ceasefire.
The officers looked out over their restless soldiers. They didn’t have the evidence nor the time to find it.
“Prepare for an attack,” Was the solemn order given by Stollen. “We will rescue our fellow pony!”
Country of Freiberger, Peace Summit, day 5
The atmosphere was tense in the Germane quarters. Kaiser Hades shook with visible anger at the emergency report that arrived early this morning. His country, no his own home, had been attacked. Details were few and far between, but the sum of the report from Zeppelin was Wiess, and an unknown officer had been killed by a terrorist.
Zeppelin’s description of the assailant was mixed. Maybe because there were two. The Mastermind and her lackey, who was summoned at the zenith of their battle. The Mastermind was described as a creature of immense power, possibly a Blessed Blood. The tidbit about her using bone wands caught Hade’s interest, as it confirmed the Mastermind was not a Unicorn, nor did Zeppelin call her a Pegasus, just something else.
Pacing the room, Hades thought about the vague description he was given. Given the mix reporting, the closest match that he could think of would be a thestral. The raspberry-colored coating was a bit off, given the species’ usual gray and blue tones. Yet, there was always genetic divergence in any group.
This second pony, the lackey or rather the slave, was a black and pink unicorn.
It was relatively petty, but the thought of a unicorn being enslaved made him laugh. It was almost ironic to him, really. In fact, if he were to be just a bit more immature, he would be willing to forgive the intruder just for that.
However, the second report from his dear Kaiserin made him discard that thought. As well as any forgiveness. The vessel that he had worked so hard to make for his beloved had disappeared without a trace. The underground lab, destroyed. All of Princess Cadence’s DNA was gone. As well as that mysterious rock he acquired from that Equestrian Archeologist.
Knowing he couldn’t look at this rationally, he gave the reports to his precious and stone-cold daughter Titania, whose only outwardly emotional change was the small trembling of her lip.
“What’s your opinion, Titania?”
“Professionally or personal?”
“Professionally first, if you would.”
Titania took a deep breath, “It concerns me that a spy was able to cut so deep into our most secure facility. What’s more concerning is their unknown affiliation. A gut response would have me pointing hooves at Prance or one of their allies, but I highly doubt they could keep a pony that could contend with Zeppelin under wraps for this long. We know all our rivals, and they are all accounted for. Even the ones not involved in the war. The possibility that this is an independent entity is middling.”
“And your personal unfiltered opinion?”
“It's Equestria," She spat with disdain.
"Oh?" Hades hummed while preparing a glass of water. "You suspect Celestia? But not Luna? Why?"
"Celestia is the one here. She's the one that got involved, correct? She could be using her presence here as a distraction, to look through our dirty laundry and use it against us in the talks."
Swirling his glass, Hades looked doubtfully at his daughter. "You give her too much credit. Had you suggested Luna, I would be more open, but Celestia… she's too naïve and optimistic to plan such a thing. If one of the sisters is behind this, I will place gold on Luna, but even this isn't her style. She is much too direct."
Titania chewed her lip, obviously battling against her personal bias to reach a logical conclusion. Just thinking of the detestable Sun Princess made her head spin, let alone think clearly. Grabbing a bottle of Apfelschnaps, she chugged a quarter of the 32-proof liquor with a very unrefined 'AH!"
"Fine," She said flatly. "Say the Princesses isn't involved, but that doesn't mean their subordinates aren't. Equestria and Evernight both have very independent command structures. In fact, Evernight in particular, if you consider that Luna's husband, Duke Sixes, is the military commander. He could have read the wind and launched an intel-gathering operation that went sour. The unidentified creature could be from his group."
Hades poured himself a glass of the schnaps, letting the alcohol burn his throat as he pondered the idea. "Hmm, that's much more believable, but I doubt Sixes was the one to come up with the idea, but it won't take much convincing to get him on board. There is only one little snag, this unicorn slave. Neither Celestia, Luna, or any of their ponies condone the idea of slavery."
Titania frowned, her cheeks reddened by alcohol and frustration. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. Given their background, they'd never be open to such a concept. That little detail puts a wrench in the whole theory. Is there something we're missing?"
She read through the reports again. Finding little enlightenment. On her third read through, Titania found something that caught her eye. "Zil was the Unicorn slave's name. Apparently, she's the oldest daughter of King Sombra, must be some sick in the head mare. King Sombra has been dead for centuries, and he had no daughters."
"Sombra, huh." Her father whispered quietly.
"Father?"
"I suppose you wouldn’t have known, but that little war Celestia and Luna had in the North was against King Sombra. They put out a report in the Equestria papers detailing the campaign. Sombra used some sort of dimensional magic to survive all these years and fathered several new children. The majority of which were killed in the war, but a few were unaccounted for and presumed dead."
"And this Zil was one of them?"
"Perhaps," he answered with a shrug. "I didn't pay much attention. Be impressed that I remembered such nonsense from five years ago."
"I suppose I shall, but there is a pony here now with answers. Though I'd rather not resort to it, we have little choice." Titania said, draining the last half of the liquor bottle.
"You're not planning on seeing her, are you? You need not put yourself in such a position. I'll go."
"No," Titania answered firmly. "I’ll go. Besides, I need to get something off my chest. On a side note, I can’t promise to not slap or spit in Celestia’s face, so… sorry in advance.”
Hades laid back on the sofa, wondering if he should try and stop his daughter. Maybe she needed this, and Celestia was the softhearted hippy type. “Just separate official and personal business, my dear.”
“Sure, I’ll try.”
Titania lapped the conference building for the fifth time. Despite her bold declaration of meeting Celestia, she felt sick to her stomach at the idea of meeting the mare she cursed for almost her entire existence.
What would she say, what should she say, and how can she convey her absolute hatred for the Alicorn, yet perform her duties? This was a weakness she struggled to overcome. Never before had her emotions been so hard to control.
Passing one of the many mirrors in the hallway, Titania looked at the metal horn she sported. The newest model: the Bismarck 380 Superior Armament Prototype, B-380-SAP for short.
“This thing is heavy.” She lamented, unpinning the horn from her skull and stowing it away. “It’s probably better not to meet Celestia armed. At least readily armed.”
Checking the clock, Titania felt the knots of her stomach worsen. In ten minutes, she was to meet Celestia in her room. Naturally, she couldn’t merely meet the Princess of Equestria on a whim. She first had to make a request, which had to be sent to her aid, which had to be run by Celestia herself.
Of course, there was the matter of scheduling. Celestia had to speak with many ponies at the conference, but the Princess fit her in. It was a several hour wait time. She’d passed many grumbling officials from various countries and of high standing that mumbled angrily about their meeting suddenly getting canceled to tomorrow.
“O’2200, let’s do this.”
Composed Titania made for Celestia’s room. General Cobalt Blaze greeted her outside the door. By his suspicious glare and fiddling, he clearly didn’t approve of this meeting. She was less offended and more galvanized by the General’s display. Her confidence rising as she waited for the General to announce her to the Princess.
At long last, the door between her and Celestia was opened, and Titania entered as if she owned the place. Head held high, her posture posed as if she were about to address her troops. However, instead of the salty sweat of stallions and Zeppelin’s coffee's fragrance, there was instead tea and cake, with a lavender smell.
Celestia herself, the pony she’s long hated, sat regally as she imagined, quietly sipping her tea with her eyes closed as if a surprise attack wasn’t even a possibility. That kind of irked her and made Titania want to teach the Princess a lesson.
That lesson would have to be a verbal one. Exhaling, Titania sat on the couch opposite of Celestia, displeased by the spread before her.
“I’m not a tea drinker,” The Kaiser’s daughter stated gruffly, deliberately deepening her voice. She hated how much smaller she was compared to other ponies. Being across from the Sun Princess only further emphasized her short stature. So, she was projecting to sound bigger than she was. Too bad, her voice was so high pitched.
Celestia’s half-opened her eyes, there was a faint flash of magic, and a bubbling pot of coffee appeared on the table with sugar and crème. “How do you like your coffee?”
“Black,” Titania answered flatly. Many assumed since she looked so young, she liked to sugar and crème her coffee to the point of turning it into diabetes-inducing shit. Keeping any further comments to herself, she allowed the Sun Princess to pour her cup before gingerly cradling the fine china with her hooves and taking a long, satisfying sip. “Not bad.”
“My sister is a coffee drinker as well. Much like you, she prefers it as it’s poured.” A small smile spread across the Princess’s lips. “I find that… interesting.”
“It’s not that uncommon,” Titania replied, gazing with half-closed eyes at the Princess and receiving the same back. Seems they were both analyzing the other. She set her cup down, sitting up straight. “I suppose it’s only proper to introduce myself, as this is our first private meeting. I am Prinzessin Titania von Blunt, Kaiser Hades’ stepdaughter. A pleasure to meet you.”
Celestia smiled as if delighted by something she found amusing. “How polite, I am Celestia Solaris, but I doubt I need to say more. You know who I am. In your letter of introduction, you said you had some questions for me?”
“Yes, it regards…” Titania trailed off as Celestia held up her hoof to stop. It was frustrating, but she had to play nice with the Princess right now.
“I’m fine answering whatever I can, but only if you permit me to ask a few questions of my own.”
Titania narrowed her eyes at the Princess, pursing her lips, “That… would not be unreasonable, I suppose. I shall launch the first volley as it were.”
“Proceed, I’m all ears.”
That soft, motherly tone and aura, it made Titania sick to her stomach. (I’ll keep this brief before I try to strangle her.)
“Just today, My Father and I received a report from home of an attack. The investigation is ongoing, but we have a pony of interest, A unicorn by the name of Zil, claiming to be the daughter of the late King Sombra.”
The Alicorn’s only outward reaction was a sharp tick of her brow, but Celestia suddenly appeared much more serious. “Oh? That is surprising. We had expected her dead by this point. If she was alive for all this time, I’m surprised she hasn’t come for revenge on us. Since it’s obvious, I will tell you I have no idea what her intentions are nor why she would attack Germane.”
“That’s fine. In fact, Zil wasn’t the one who carried out the attack, but the one who used summoning magic to summon her. We’ve no idea of who the Mastermind is, but they are described as a thestral with raspberry coloring, possessing an insane amount of magic. They are quoted as describing Zil as their slave or Cu if that helps.”
Celestia appeared troubled, muttering something about how powerful a pony would need to be to perform summoning magic, as well as force Zil to be their slave. “Titania… how much do you know about summoning and enslavement magic?”
“Not much.”
“Well, I know more than I care to admit. Enslavement magic has been around since forever. It was regretfully around when even I was a filly and well before. There are all types, some more powerful than others, but add in summoning magic and Cu. Well, it reminds me of a story I heard once.”
Titania felt the excitement swell in her chest. This was worth the trouble! Also, she loved history. “What story?”
“Well,” Celestia said, taking a sip of tea. “I don’t mean to be difficult, but I’d like to ask a question of my own first.”
Titania ground her teeth, “You do realize my home was attacked? Right?”
“Yes, but I am I not due to a question for one answered?”
“Fine, ask away.”
“Thank you, and pardon my ignorance, but how did you become the Kaiser’s stepdaughter? I was not aware he was married more than once. If at all before now?”
“THAT’S YOUR QUESTION?” Titania seethed. “That’s so… FINE!” She took a long breath. “Before my father was crowned Kaiser, he was smitten with my mother, a rather well-known prostitute in noble circles. It was more than just physical love. He genuinely did love her, so he tells me. But due to their difference in station, they could not marry. However, for a short time before he was crowned, he, as my grandfather would describe, played peasant. Marrying my mother until she died of her profession. When he ascended to the throne, he took me with him. Even though I wasn’t from his seed. That’s the abridged version. Can we get back to more current topics?”
The sun Princess seemed troubled, especially when the word ‘Prostitute’ entered the chat. The look of anguish on Celestia’s face was unearned in Titania’s mind. (Acting like she cares! That fucking bitch! It’s your fault mom was selling herself! You disowned her and all the Whitebloods! Never lifting a hoof to help for centuries!)
Biting her inner cheek, Titania kept herself in check. She can’t take this personally (Not yet), not when Celestia didn’t know they were related. “If you would pick up where you left off, you were saying something about a story?”
“Oh, right, right. I don’t know how it relates to current events, but my mother told me the Cu the hound story when I was young. It goes that an Alicorn of… I can’t remember what, but there was an Alicorn who owned a faithful hound named Cu. Cu was a mighty and terrible beast. One might say it was Cerberus’s ancestor. Now Cu would watch over the Alicorn while they slept, the bones of any intruders becoming its feast and further strengthening the monster.”
Titania leaned forward, enraptured by the tale.
“One night, a friend of the Alicorn came for an unexpected visit. However, Cu, acting as a loyal watchdog, pounced at the intruder as was its job, though it was mighty. The Alicorn was far mightier and killed the hound by crushing its skull. Cu’s master grieved for her murdered protector, and her friend, so filled with remorse, offered to take the beast’s place.”
The Kaiser’s daughter thought this was a bit of a roundabout way of answering but held back as the story unfurled more. Finding the tale interesting.
“To ensure her friend would never betray her, she took the blood of the slain hound and crafted a seal upon her friend. This seal, regarded as the first slave seal, instilled Cu’s loyalty to the beast’s murder. It’s said the Alicorn changed his name to the hound’s, serving as a protector for the rest of his life. The seal became known as the Curse of Cu. Any pony that willingly takes the curse upon themselves is bound to serve as their master’s protector until death. The curse’s only benefit is that it can call the cursed pony from anywhere with little magic.”
The story done, Titania mulled the tale over. Wondering what the point of the story had been. It almost seemed like Celestia was stalling or drawing out their time. But looking at the information the Princess presented, Titania realized there was a lot there.
“Let me get this straight, this is a tale that YOU, Princess Celestia, a pony over three thousand years old, was told this story by your mother. When you were a child? Correct?”
“That is correct,” Celestia replied readily. That teacher’s smirk really drove her crazy, but this confirmed Titania’s theory.
“And how common knowledge is this curse?”
“A Clydesdale pony would probably at least know some version of the tale, but I doubt they’d know about the curse or, even if they did, wouldn’t know how to apply it. I don’t even know what rune or runes it uses or the ritual and materials to activate it.”
This was cause for concern. Titania didn’t know why Celestia was beating around the bush about this. It was most likely her just playing teacher. But given the information, there was only one conclusion Titania could reach.
“The mastermind in question… would have to either be a hardcore historian or very, very old.”
“I suppose that would be the logical conclusion. There are few, but some creatures older than me still remain. Some I’m probably not even aware of.” Celestia added, taking a sip of tea, looking far off. “Can I ask you a frank question?”
“I’ve already found out what I need to know, but I’ll humor you. I’ll answer one more question.”
Celestia’s smile became sheepish. “I don’t know if I can narrow it down to one. It’s rather broad, but… you know… you’re my descendent, Titania Apolla Whiteblood?”
The sound of china shattering on the floor filled the room. Titania, as if struck, could only stare at the Princess. A flood of emotions overwhelming her. Though her usual logical voice was speaking, all she could hear was her pent-up anger shouting, (She knows! That bitch knows and has the gall to smile like that! To look at me as if I’m one of her own? When she abandoned my mother? And left my family to scavenge like dogs!)
“Titania… are you ok?” Celestia was unsure what to do, completely thrown off by the young mare’s reaction. And the malice radiating off her like a miasma. “Titania?”
Suddenly as it came, the malice disappeared, and Titania sported a wide, innocent-looking smile. What she said next was anything but innocent. “Tell me, Princess, what’s it like being a backstabbing two-faced lying whore?”
“I beg your pardon?”
Titania tilted her head, still smiling creepily. “I was just curious. I mean, you preach such lovely things such as the magic of Friendship and love and tolerance.”
“I do endorse the magic of Friendship, but I’m miss quoted on the love and tolerance line. That was said by a different pony or perhaps an intelligent wolf who may or may not be my accountant.”
“Enough! The point of the matter is you prefer the company of strangers rather than your own blood. You very publicly disowned all your descendants! That’s fine. I understand why you did that. In fact, I would have done it myself had I been in your position. That’s fine from a public position, but privately, you never raised a hoof either! Generations upon generations of your own blood suddenly had to deal with being completely abandoned by their living ancestor. All their reputation and honor stripped from them in a single night!”
“I didn’t want them to rely on me. I had to be Princess for everypony, not just my children’s, children’s, children's, and so on. It’s not like they needed me before I became Princess.”
“Maybe some didn’t! The rich ones!” Titania snapped. “What about the ones like my mother? Born poorer than dirt, with nothing but her looks and some brains going for her. When she was told she was of your blood, she scarped and saved to go see you. She didn’t expect anything from you. She just thought it would be nice to talk to you just once. To learn about her family and where she came from. Do you know what happened? She was turned away at the gate! She spent nearly everything and wasn’t even allowed to make a plea because of a decree from almost a thousand years ago! Then, some sicko said, hey, you look like the Princess! I’d sure like to roll around with you in the hay! So, began her glamourous life as a prostitute. It was great for the spineless pricks that wanted a chance at you, but it was really great for those who secretly hated you! A few extra bits to slap her to the ground? Sure! She needed the money! And one of those worthless bastards is my genetic donator!”
Celestia didn’t know how to react to the rant, nor the seething girl across from her. The story had cut deep. This was partly why she never followed up on her descendants. She knew not all of them could or would leave healthy, happy lives. Some might have even been criminals. Yet, whatever the reality, she chose to believe they were doing well.
To finally hear a heart wrenching personal tale was challenging, yet not as dreadful as Celestia expected.
(I’m genuinely cold-hearted, aren’t I?)
“I’m sorry to hear that. It was wrong that your mother was denied a chance to even make her case, but I stand by my choice.” Celestia remained stoic. “Think me cold-hearted, but your mother made her choices. I have no right to judge them, but that was her life, not mine or yours. Besides, she got her wish; you, Titania, you did not have to live with her hardships, correct?”
Tears threaten to fall from the white earth pony. It was a testament to her emotional control that she wasn’t bawling or attacking the Sun Princess. Though the muscle twitches in Titania’s legs suggested, she was close to pouncing.
In this game of poker, Celestia could only play her best cards.
“You’re a strong pony, Titania. I’m proud of you and your mother. I know I don’t have the right to say that either, but it’s true. This is why I need your help to bring this war to an end.”
“You need… my help?” Titania repeated, visibly confused. “A literal goddess is asking me for help? That’s laughable. You know I hate you, right? Or was I not clear?”
“I know. You can hate me all you want; it doesn’t bother me. But I doubt you hate your fellow Germanians nor reveal in their deaths.” Celestia closed her eyes, taking a steadying breath. “I’ve come to realize I cannot bring this conflict to a conclusion. A bloodless one, at least. The hatred D’Arcy holds for you is beyond rational. She’s lost her mind.”
“I can agree with that, but what are you aiming for?”
“If I support your proposal for a fight, will you do me one favor? Just one. Please spare D’Arcy. All I ask you is not to kill her.”
Titania frowned. “You act like I have an overwhelming edge over her. I have the means to take her, but not if I’m holding back.”
“What if… I could give you the means to overwhelm D’arcy handily? You’ve heard of the alicorn amulet’s, correct?” Titania nodded slowly, putting two and two together. “I have several… in my collection. I would be willing to loan one to you. Temporarily.”
“Oh? Really? Forgive me if I don’t really buy that sale.” Titania’s smile became vicious, a delicious idea coming to her. “You’re planning to retire soon, correct?”
“Yes…” Celestia replied hesitantly. “As soon as the war is resolved.”
“Alright… one year. After you retire and the war is settled, you will stay in Germane for one year. With your magic sealed and your wings bound. For one year, you will live as an earth pony and as my personal amusement. Don’t worry, I have nothing gross in mind, just a lot of petty revenge schemes. Actually, one year might be too short, let’s say five at the least. Hell of a deal to end the war, and what’s five years to one such as you?”
Celestia didn’t respond promptly, more so to give the appearance of dreading the proposed deal than any actual hesitation.
“I… can agree to those terms, so long as the alicorn amulet is returned. I shall not submit unless that condition is met. That said, if you chose to keep it, you could expect some retaliation… from me at least.”
Seeing the implied threat, Titania couldn’t help but give her customary vicious smile. “Don’t fret. Five years of humiliating you is worth giving up one of those gems. Really, I’m surprised you bent so easily. I’m kind of shocked, really.”
“It’s merely perspective. Shall we shake on it?” Celestia offered her hoof, Titania copying the motion, but before they could connect. Celestia suddenly knocked the Kaiser’s daughter aside! Nearly flinging her into the wall! Titania shook herself and rose, horn already to attack Celestia, but stayed when she saw the Alicorn’s leg bending the wrong way.
An equine like creature, coat black as night, and stripes bright as the moon was in the room, a cub between its teeth. It snarled, passing through Celestia’s broken leg to charge at her! Titania fired a magic bullet, the attack passing through the intruder.
“Was zum Teufel!” Titania cursed, throwing the furniture at the attacker, that too passed through, like it was a ghost. Yet when it attacked, the club they wielded was no apparition. Smashing the nightstand to pieces.
The ghost gave chase, Titania using whatever she could grab to bar its path, yet nothing slowed it down. Celestia, still withering in pain, shouted something at the intruder, yet it didn’t take any heed.
“Shadow! Is that you? Shadow Specter?”
Titania had no idea what strategy Celestia was deploying, but it wasn’t working. Her attacker gave no heed to her words.
“Vir, my clan!” The attacker screamed. “Wit Heks!”
“Zebra… oh, so you’re that fairy tale nonsense your kin were petering on about! Hell, of a lot of good that did them! Your only five years late to the battle!”
“Shut up, Murderer!”
“Savage!”
The two continued to clash, Titania fighting a defensive battle against the ghost Zebra. Had she had her wings equipped, she could at least have the ariel advantage. On the ground, the Zebra clearly had the advantage, much to her displeasure.
(She can’t stay intangible all the time! She can’t!) Titania thought fiercely. With her Bismarck 380, Titania had every spell Germane had on record at her disposal. It was an unfortunate stroke of luck they never factored in fighting ghosts.
At her wit's end, she fired a scattershot with delayed blasts, hoping to find some sort of lag in the phantom’s phasing. Every shot flew right through.
(This is cheating.) Titania thought sourly as her back hit the wall. The room was far too tiny for battling.
“Shaka has you!” The Zebra, Titania assumed was Shaka, declared pouncing with her club. A streak of yellow slammed into her from the side, blasting the Zebra through the wall.
From her position, Titania looked over to see Celestia with a smoking horn. The pony she hated most saving her life. (This sucks.)
“What spell did you use to do that?”
“Nothing special,” Celestia stated, snapping her broken leg together. The sound sent shivers down Titania’s spine, yet the Alicorn looked nonplus about the injury. As if it didn’t even bother her. The sun Princess moved her leg while casting some sort of healing magic on it. “Good enough.”
The door burst open. General Cobalt finally entering the scene. To his credit, he didn’t immediately accuse her of anything, despite the look of the room.
“So… I went for coffee like you asked me to… and I find this… did talks not go well?”
“We have an intruder. A Zebra with the ability to turn transparent. Like a ghost. Her target is Princess Titania. We’ll escort her to her father, just in case he’s being targeted as well. Inform security.”
“Right. And do I leave out the part about the ghost Zebra? That seems rather hard to swallow.”
“Hmm… I suppose it does now that you say it. Funny, it feels so ordinary to me. The consequences of knowing the original ghost pony, I guess.” Celestia looked to Titania, smiling at the marvel of engineering that was the Bismarck 380. “Come along. Securing your father and the other leaders is the top priority.”
“Yes, I suppose your right.” Titania wasn’t happy about being drawn into Celestia’s orbit. Her pose, tone of voice, and sheer charisma made the Alicorn easy to follow. Not even she could fight it one hundred percent. However, Titania merely rationed Celestia was her best chance to defeat her savage ghost opponent.
(I’m not following her. I’m using her… yeah. That’s what I’m doing.)
As they trotted at a reasonable pace. Titania couldn’t help but keep glancing at the Alicorn. “You didn’t answer my question. How did you hit her when she was transparent?”
“I just followed her breathing. When transparent, ghost ponies tend to hold their breaths. When they exhale, it’s usually a sign of them becoming corporeal. It was something I noticed when training with Shadow Specter back in the day. He was the original ghost pony. He said he may be ghost-like, but he still had lungs.”
“So, she needs to breathe? I guess that’s the difference between the living and dead.” Not that Shaka would be living much longer if Titania had her way, but she didn’t need to tell Celestia that. A little show of mercy would be the best way to keep the Sun Princess on her side. Providing she didn’t outright kill Shaka in their next encounter.
The two Princesses proceeded through the Summit halls. Everywhere the guards of every nation were on high alert, the rooms to their charges firmly secured. For the most part, the guards let them pass. So long as they didn’t try to approach their employers.
“Father’s room is up ahead.” Titania broke away, her eagerness to save her father overriding everything else. It didn’t help that she was the only Ace part of their security detail. Her unit was sent home to keep the peace talks peaceful when D’Arcy raised a fuss about them.
“Titania, wait!”
Celestia’s words went unheeded as the Germane Princess reached for the door handle. Shaka dropped down from the ceiling, posed to strike at Titania’s unprotected skull. The Germane earth mare sensed the incoming attack but couldn’t counter or dodge in time.
Thankfully she didn’t need to. A red blur tackled Shaka to the ground. After a brief struggle, the Zebra sunk into the floor with a bloody lip.
“Thank you…” Titania’s voice caught at the sight of her savior; she never would have expected to be saved by a rinin of all ponies.
“Fierce Fury? What are you doing here?” Was Celestia’s question. “What happened to you?”
The red rinin was battle-worn. Sporting a sunken eye, broken teeth, and other blunt force trauma. He spat a glop of blood on the floor in a show of toughness. Had he wanted to, he could heal his injuries but wasn’t for some reason.
“That scheming bitch,” He spat again, indicating Shaka.
Celestia did not like where this was going. Simultaneously, the building began to shake, and she was sure she heard what was hopefully not a dragon roar.
“What’s the situation?”
“Yes,” A voice inquired. Kaiser Hades stepped out of his room, observing the ponies gathered at his door with a keen eye. His focus lingering on Fury. “What is going on here?”
No pony was sure how to reply to the Kaiser. It was a loaded question with plenty of uncertain answers.
Titania situated herself protectively by her father, keeping an eye out for Shaka, while Fury did the same for Celestia. The red Rinin vigilant, looking in places most wouldn’t think to. Leaving the task of answering the Germane leader’s question to Celestia. Who gave it her best shot.
“This is basically what’s happening.” She detailed Shaka’s attack on his daughter and her exploitable weakness, but when it came to the Zebra’s motives. Titania had to fill in the gaps. After that, it was Fury’s turn to explain.
Which he refused to do.
“Because of something blank, we were reluctantly forced to ask Shaka for help with, blank. Mind you, we never trusted her, but after the success of blank, she ran off. I gave chase, leaving my team to deal with blank.”
“And what is ‘Blank’?” Titania inquired.
Fury replied with a not so gentle, “None of your fucking business.”
“You will not speak to my daughter in such a manner!” The Kaiser fumed but was restrained by Titania, who shook off the red rinin’s rudeness.
“Let’s drop the matter of ‘Blank’ for now. As it seems irrelevant to this conversation. What’s more important is how did you get in here? This building is heavily guarded.”
Fury licked his chops, “Well, despite being a natural 20 in stealth, Shaka is not subtle.”
“Meaning?”
“She killed every Germane guard on the way in, including some other random nationals. I’m not sure how she knew, but they were all your allies. Then again, that Zebra spent five years playing the fool while looking at our record vaults. She knows more than she lets on.” Fury fiddled with a loose tooth, ripping it free with a wince and tossing it aside. “That club hits like a brick, by the way.”
“Why aren’t you healing?” Celestia inquired, casting a minor healing spell on the red rinin. “Your injuries are minor, but they are debilitating.”
Fury raised his left foreleg, jabbed in between his shoulder joint was a menacing black spike. “I don’t know what this thing is, but it’s messing with my magic, and I haven’t had the time to pull it out. The damn thing is barbed too.”
He lightly pulled on the stake to illustrate his point, the barbs pulling at his flesh, threatening to tear it open in a bloody mess.
“Normally, you just push… oh, I see.” Titania trailed off, following the outline of the barbed spike. It was a lot longer than she initially thought. Trying to push it through would only result in stabbing Fury in the heart. As the tip had entered from the top of his rib cage. “Here.”
With her limited field first aid, Titania tied a string around the spike and then tied the other end to a piece of Fury’s armor, to hopefully stop it from going any further.
“Best I can do right now,” Titania said, wiping her brow. She retook her place by her father’s side, cursing herself when she turned to Celestia. “I don’t know what you two plan to do, but I’m getting my father out of here. Talks be damned. What are you going to do, Princess Celestia?”
“Fury, do you have any teammates with you?” Celestia asked the Rinin, who replied with a shake of the head. “I see. My options are limited. If I might suggest if you’re going to leave, why not take as many other leaders with you? Friend or foe. Perhaps this strife could lead to some bonding?”
Titania looked uncertainly to her father, who tapped his chin at the idea. “I will offer my protection and transportation to any willing to accept it. But I will not strong-arm them into taking it. Their fates are in their own hooves.”
“I can accept that. Fury, we will chase after Shaka. Since Titania is her target, we’ll escort them to their ship. After they depart, we’ll investigate the source of that roar.”
“As good a plan as any.” He replied, taking point. “Take up the rear Celestia, Miss Titania behind me, and then Sir Kaiser. Let’s go.”
“This is certainly a turn of events.” Kaiser Hades mumbled, only his daughter heard him, his statement-making her tilt her head. Wondering what he meant. Somehow, she thought he wasn’t talking about Shaka’s attack.
“See something you like? Your burning holes in my ass,” Fury snarled, giving the Kaiser the stink eye.
“I just find it ironic that you are giving me an escort and protecting me. Given… the Geological alliances and all. You can understand my shock, 1337.”
“What was that?” Fury whipped around, baring his fangs.
“1337, is that not the number on your armor?” The Kaiser pointed to the yellow numbers etched on Fury’s pauldron. “I know Celestia said your name, but I didn’t quite catch it in all the commotion. So, I was trying to save face.”
“It’s Commander Fierce Fury.”
“Noted, Commander Fury.”
Fury grumbled something to himself, pushing ahead of the group to scout the area. “This way to the docks?” He asked, not familiar with the building’s layout.
Titania ran up to him, peering down the hall. “This will take us through the central chamber. Our ship is on the other side. That was another security measure. They placed every nation’s ship opposite of their lodging to discourage surprise attacks.”
“Flawless logic,” Fury snorted. He could understand the idea. A nation wasn’t going to endanger their leader if their means for the escape were out of reach. That kind of thinking only worked if the leader was beloved and not on the way out. Regardless, it was a pain in the ass right now. “There should be Freiberger guards watching the central junction, right?”
Titania replied, “Of course. It wouldn’t be effective to catch any trying to flee if there weren’t.”
Fury’s ears twitched, “It’s strangely quiet down this way.” He noted, taking point. Setting the pace to a gallop. Along the way, they passed gruesome amounts of blood splatter. The hall caked with it. Coming to a stop before the exit, Fury inspected the disembodied troops. By their uniforms, they were Freiberger peacekeepers.
“Face half phased through a wall, one of Shadow’s favorites.” He whistled. It was a horrible way to die. Sometimes the body kept living for a few minutes, even if half of the brain was gone. “Definitely Shaka’s work, unless Zecora tagged along, but doubtful. The problem is the way these guys were killed.”
“You mean besides horribly?” Titania cringed while Celestia watched the rear, and the Kaiser watched the ceiling and floor.
“Look at the way their bodies are positioned. See?” Fury pointed to corpses lining the wall. “Given their position, they were facing this way, towards us. Shaka came here ahead of us.”
“Couldn’t this just be from earlier?”
“No, I stuck to her like glue. Besides, we entered from the Southeast section. This is a ways from there. Bodies are still warm, and the blood is still wet. She went through here less than five minutes ago.” Fury all but pressed his muzzle to the floor like a hound dog. “She wasn’t alone, either. Tracks in the blood indicate two other ponies. Wearing capes.”
Fury pointed out the nearly erased prints, the dragging capes intentionally or unintentionally hiding them. “Be on guard,” he warned. Slowly leading the way to the central chamber.
In the grand junction, which led to every part of the circular building, many bodies lay thrown about. They were of a variety of nationalities. Save for one. None of them were Prench. This could be expected as the only ponies alive were the Prench. Queen D’Arcy herself and her guard La Hire barred their path forward. With Shaka by their side.
“And what is the meaning of this, D’Arcy?” The Kaiser asked, addressing the other world leader in a calm manner. He didn’t venture far from his ad hoc guards. “Am I to take this display that talks have officially failed?”
D’Arcy adorned in battle gear, items she wasn’t supposed to have. Peered out with reddish eyes and a seething glare. “Your troops have attacked my line. And now my supposed ally stands by you, rather than me. No matter, I have found a kindred spirit in Miz Shaka here. I will end this war, here and now! Your daughter’s head as my trophy!”
The Kaiser’s lips curled back, “We’ll see about that, Titania, let her have it! All restrictions are removed!”
“Happy to hear that!” Horn clicking up a storm, pulsing with power, metal wings materialized on Titania’s implants. “Link-up successful, wings equipped successfully, equipment operating a 100%! Spell restrictions removed! Fairy 01, engaging enemies!”
“Fury!” Celestia pleaded.
“I know!” He barked, charging alongside the Germane Princess, while Celestia protected the Kaiser.
These were the kind of battles Fury hated. Unknown enemies and uncoordinated allies. This is how ponies get killed. “Which one you taking?”
“Queen Bitch herself!” Titania replied with a cackling laugh that was just opposed to her previous calm demur. The earth pony’s eyes had changed to a goldish color and expelled power like it was nothing.
As La Hire moved in front of Queen D’Arcy, Fury muttered, “Good luck with that,” and broke off to go after Shaka. However, the big Prench pony brandished his sword and jumped to the Zebra’s defense.
Fury, not expecting this, improvised by going to bipedal and igniting two fire swords. Burning flame met cold steel. Fury’s weapons exploded on contact with La Hire’s longsword. He barreled through the explosion, socking the Prench stallion in the jaw. Dancing on his hind claws, Fury delivered a one-two punch to the bigger pony. Finishing with a sweeping right hook!
La Hire stumbled but did not fall, forcing himself to stay upright by sheer will. Bringing his sword to bear, a sinister red aura covering the blade.
Igniting another fire blade, Fury noticed blood traveling across the floor from nearly every hallway. The blood congealed around La Hire, crawling up his body and hardening. Forming a horrific red-dyed armor, with rusted spikes seemingly everywhere.
That wasn’t all.
Excess blood molded and crystalized into menacing spikes, like some kind of torture tool.
With a shout of, “Artellerie!” The blood spikes flew at Fury. Swiftly the rinin dodged the first volley, taking a moment to measure the strength of the attack. A three-foot crater in the marble floor was proof enough of its lethality.
(It’s weaker than Hazel’s Gungnir.) It was nice to have something to compare it to. If he had to more specific, Fury would equate La Hire’s attack to a small cannon.
“Still not something I want to get hit with,” Forming two spheres of fire, Fury flew closer to La Hire, crushing the orange orbs in his claws. An explosion in the form of two intersecting X’s ravaged the chamber.
La Hire came skidding out from the smoke, his sword glowing a demonic red, hardened blood made the weapon a twisted version of itself, with bards and saw teeth running along the blade. The Prench knight bared his teeth like a predator.
Fury responded in kind, showing off his own, sharper teeth. Like he was about to devour the other pony for a meal. Rising his fire sword, Fury swung downwards, launching a blazing trail of fire at the Prench stallion. La Hire responded with an earth style attack creating stone spikes from the ground.
When both attacks failed to reach their intended target, the two charged once more. La Hire firing blood spikes while Fury nimbly dodged, flames covering his entire body.
“You’re not worth this! But you’re in my way! Supernova!” Fury burst into tiny flaming spheres encapsulated by an even more giant sphere that La Hire found himself in the middle of. Before the Prench pony could figure out what was happening, he was engulfed in fire, boiling from the inside out.
Celestia looked on for Fury’s patent revival when the debris cleared, yet, even after several minutes. The scattered ashes didn’t regroup. It was then she noticed the barb that had been inside Fury by Shaka. The spike was driven deep into the marble floor, with some strange ruins glowing on it.
Faintly she could make out Fury’s ashes, whirling around the spike, trying to reform his body. Every time it tried, the runes would create a mysterious wind that would scatter the ashes again, preventing Fury from reviving.
Chewing her lip, Celestia focused on keeping the Kaiser safe while Titania held her own against D’Arcy and Shaka. Though she was worried about her descendant, she was very impressed by her combat skills.
The Kaiser, usually so composed, was cheering like a sports fan for his favorite player. “Get them, Tina!”
Was there anything more heartwarming than a parent’s pride in their child?
Titania vaguely took note of Fury’s defeat of D’Arcy’s bodyguard. Given Celestia’s lack of concern, she chose to not make a fuss about it either. As much as she loathed the Alicorn, even she knew that Celestia wouldn’t be so nonplus about the death of one of her soldiers.
In fact, she vaguely recalled the Sun Princess mentioning a healing ability the red rinin possessed. She did remember reading the file they had on record for Fierce Fury. He was rather tough to kill from the reports. And believed to be Semi-immortal.
(He must be temporarily disposed of then. At least he took out La Hire. It’s scary how easily he did it too.)
La Hire was or had been legendary. He was the Queen’s bodyguard. Being powerful was a prerequisite. There were plenty of times he managed to fend off Zeppelin and several others of her unit by himself. It almost made Titania laugh at how easily he was brought down in the end.
What made his defeat all the juicier was while their side was still stalwart. The death of her father figure and long-time companion popped another screw loose in D’Arcy’s already deranged head. It might have even been the last one.
“You murderous little bitch!” The Queen screamed, letting out a powerful wailing scream infused with magic. The sound was enough to make Titania’s ears bleed while she dodged the Prench mare’s haphazard magic bullet barrage.
Each shot was powerful and could probably blow right through her, but random and unfocused. Titania held little fear of being hit. Compared to their previous matches, D’Arcy was fighting at subpar levels at best. She had been a bit of a berserker before, but she was full berserk now. Foaming at the mouth, sobbing, and screaming while unleashing everything she had in an uncoordinated attack.
It was a blessing compared to an actual thinking opponent.
“Wit Hek!” Screamed Shaka, who wasn’t faring much better than her newly minted partner. The Zebra was falling from the ceiling, gaining a few seconds of air to fight. With her wings equip, Titania enjoyed a comfortable advantage over the Zebra.
In an aerial match, maneuverability was a massive plus over just freefalling. Even if Titania couldn’t hurt Shaka whenever she tried to attack from above. It wasn’t hard to fly out of the Zebra’s range of attack, wait for her to hit the floor, and then count the seconds until the next one.
It was excellent that the central chamber was so tall. Shaka had to climb three stories to get to the ceiling, and it was wearing her out. It probably wouldn’t be long until the Zebra wouldn’t have the energy to activate her phase ability.
Dodging another of D’Arcy’s barrages. Titania couldn’t help but adore how easy this battle was, compared to what she expected. Shaka and D’Arcy had no teamwork what’s so ever. And given both of their states of minds, it was unlikely they could begin to coordinate in any capacity.
All her advantages aside, she was fighting in her mind two wild animals. And that made both of her opponents very dangerous. There was no telling what craziness they would employ with no rationale.
(The question is, which one is the weaker link?)
Shaka was challenging to fight because of her ability. A battle of attrition would be the most likely path to victory. D’Arcy was more dangerous for the fact she was her equal and knew how she fought.
(Shaka will probably flee if I kill D’Arcy first. It’ll be a pain to deal with her later, but if that’s how it goes, beggars can’t be choosers.)
“Hey! Sun ass!” Celestia looked her way, her brow cocked at the insulting nickname. “Do you have one of you know what’s ready?”
“They’re not something I can just carry around!”
(So much for that, then. It was worth a try.) “Alright! Well, sorry, but I can’t uphold our deal then! This bitch is mine!”
Power surged from Titania’s body, her mane taking the appearance of golden fire, while her eyes turned a burning gold. The temperature of the room suddenly spiked. All the moisture was instantly evaporated, any items made of cloth or easily flammable materials spontaneously combusted!
“You two might want to get out of here!” She warned her father and Celestia. “Try teleporting or something!”
“The building is designed to prevent teleporting magic!” Her father reminded her. This was a peace summit building. They couldn’t block all magic in the entire building. Hence the battle taking place right now. But there were certain spells Freiberger wouldn’t allow no matter what. Teleportation at the top of the list.
(Yet they’ll let me become a miniature sun, such wonky standards.) Titania mused, fully powered up to her Blessed form. It disgusted her, relying on Celestia’s inherited power, but it was convenient. Now, if only Celestia would wipe that prideful smile off her face!
“Don’t look so proud, dammit!” She snarled, blasting towards D’Arcy. Even enraged, D’Arcy was only at three quarters… strength… why was she retreating? “Get back here bitch!”
Shaka ran interference while D’Arcy fled to the entrance of the hall that led towards her ship. To greet her was a gaggle of ponies from both Hispania and Prance. Most notably, members of the Holy Survivantes and Calaveras Inquisitors. Elite units.
Three Survivantes carried D’Arcy’s mystic armor, which would allow her to fly, as well as her sword and shield. Legendary magic weapons of Prance, the Sword of Saint Catharine, and Martha’s Buckler. Both items were made of silver and engraved with glowing blue runes filled with ancient power.
It was just another thing that pissed Titania off, “You lying bitch! I leave my gear at home! Send away my unit, and you have all your shit here! I guess peace was never on the table then?”
D’Arcy made no objections. Of the two of them, the Queen of Prance was considered the honorable one, bound by the knight’s chivalry. While Titania followed the international rules of engagement and Laws of War.
They were mares of two different minds and eras.
“Fine then! Get ready for total WAR!” Two of the inquisitors flew at her. In her blind rage, Titania incinerated the two elites with but a glance. Three of the Survivantes fired flak to keep her away while D’Arcy donned her armor. Given the risk posed, she charged through, creating a supercharged, heated mana blade that cleaved them in seconds.
They barely bought a second with their lives, yet another second might as well be a minute in a fight. D’Arcy’s armor-bearers frantically fiddled with the straps, the pressure rising on them to complete their task. Yet no more Prench or Hispania knights rose to stop her, which saved Titania’s life as she broke off her attack, taking a hard right in the nick of time. Shaka phased through the floor with a look of frustration.
“Dammit!” Having lost all of her momentum, Titania had no choice but to break off her attack completely. To make matters worse, Shaka changed her tactics. Now popping out of the floor like a gopher or a shark to attack. This had Celestia hoisting her father off the ground for safety.
Stioongg pint
“You can’t teleport, fine! Fly him out!” She barked at the Princess.
“I will not leave you behind!” Her father retorted. He could be so softhearted.
“You have to get home! To lead our ponies and take care of mom and the baby! Your family!”
“You are my family too!” The Kaiser shouted with tears in his eyes. “You may not be mine, but you are my daughter!”
She smiled and said, “I know.” Then looked to a conflicted Celestia. “If you only do one thing for me, I’ll ask for nothing else! Save my father, please, Grandmother!”
Referring to Celestia in any familial way made Titania want to vomit. But in this instance, she was willing to sink to any level. Not just for her country, but because she genuinely wanted her father to live so her half-sibling could have the wonderful father she had growing up.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Celestia vowed, taking off down one of the many hallways. It wasn’t a direct route, but she could get to the air docks in due time. A few of the ponies that came to help D’Arcy broke away to chase them. Leveling the playing field, a bit in her favor.
“Now it’s, one on… two five, six? Better than twelve, I guess.” Titania said confidently, though that was mostly a façade. Her magic was already beginning to wane, and the heat bothered her too. Her Blessed form only lasted a few minutes. Seconds depending on how much power she used.
(Should I just incinerate the entire hall?) An attack such as that would probably kill all the normal ponies, but she was sure D’Arcy and Shaka would survive. Which would still leave her outnumbered and in a weakened state.
As the Hispania and Prench Elites encircled her in the air and ground, she quickly realized what their plan was.
(They going to knock me to the ground so Shaka can grab me. No, that’s too simple. I should be wary of the walls and maybe the ceiling.) It was hard to keep track of the Zebra. She could be lying in wait anywhere. Making her all the more dangerous. It was like fighting in a tournament ring. Only if she goes out of bounds, she dies. (Should I fly down the hallways? They can’t block them all? But there could be more waiting for me or traps. My best bet is to stay here.)
“Bring it, you losers! Zero times anything is still zero!”
“Your arrogance will be your undoing, Devil!” Titania cut him down the loudmouth down first. He was one of the Hispania ponies. His skull-shaped helm hid his face, so she couldn’t even see his dying expression. She hoped it was something stupid.
“Jamon!” One of his allies cried out, Titania let out a demonic cackle!
“That was Blazing Sky Jamon! That stupid bastard had forty kills! What a joke! I’ll show you what separates an Ace from an Ace of Aces!” Smiling like a manic Titania shredded through the remaining Hispania pegasus in record time. Blowing a hole through one and bisecting the other with her wing blades.
As they fell in a bloody mess, she saw their insignias, Paella, named Ace, with 14 kills, and Albondigas, named with 49 kills. Albondigas was Zeppelin’s Hispania counterpart.
Titania continued to cackle madly, more so to up her imitation factor and scar the remaining Prench pawns. When in reality, she was close to running on fumes.
“Hell yeah! That’s the difference of 63 kills to 49, you bastards! Oops, I guess I need to make that 66! How do you like that your holiness? Another bunch of fools you led to their deaths!”
“By the Alicorns of Light and Hope! I will end you, Devil!” D’Arcy finally entered the fray, flying via her mystic armor. A pair of translucent blue wings propelling her forward. Her three unicorn flunkies provided support from the ground, shooting magical flak to impede Titania’s movements.
Neither mare were natural flyers, Titania being an earth pony, and D’Arcy being a unicorn. Both their means of flying were unnatural. One flying by the force of will and ingenuity and the other relying on ancient relics. Which was stronger who was to say. It would be down to the skill of the user in the end.
Titania dash dodged and feinted to the max. The flak cover from the three unicorns below was proving to be more than a minor annoyance. D’Arcy seemed fixed on running her through with her sword. That was one benefit when the Prench Queen equipped the flying armor. She had to choose to either levitate her sword and shield or fire her horn. To do the latter would require to her sheath her melee weapons.
The flying armor took too much power and mental strain to allow for any more than a stunning shot. It was a testament to D’Arcy’s strength that she could wield both sword and shield while flying.
“Die!” D’Arcy screamed, slashing with her sword. A blue arc flew from the weapon, prompting Titania to take a turn too soon. Folding her wings, she spun through magical flak, receiving minor burns.
“I forgot that sword could do that.” The sword of Saint Catharine could store energy and fire energy blasts. Since the runes filled over time naturally, D’Arcy could, by Titania calculations, fire a moderately lethal slash attack every minute. She could always shoot in less time, but its power could be compared to a papercut. “What did the bucker do… shit, we don’t fight that often.”
The number of times she and D’Arcy actually fought on the field of battle was less than what the newspaper claimed. It was defiantly less than six, and only one or two of those battles her or D’Arcy have their full armament.
Legendary artifacts were precious resources and couldn’t be brought out for every little skirmish. They needed to be maintained and recharged like any other magic weapon. Their age only added to limited use. Titania was sure the Sword of Catharine would not fare well in an actual sword fight.
(If I remember right, that thing is from the early iron age… what a useless tidbit to be thinking about right now.)
Titania leveled out, making sure to keep her distance from the walls. In almost no time, she lapped the circular chamber and was on top of D’Arcy again. Clicking through her preset spells, she selected AP (Armor Piercing), firing a dense golden blast at the Queen.
As predicted, D’Arcy raised Martha’s Buckler, the AP spell hit the small round shield with enough force to send D’Arcy spiraling but failed to punch through. While dodging more flak. Titania observed the Bucker. The surface was a rough, scaly texture.
(Dragon scales, more than likely.)
Instead of going after D’Arcy, Titania set her sights on the three unicorns below. If possible, she wanted to kill all three at once, but even one less would be a boon. So long as these three were here, she’d never get a follow-up attack on D’Arcy.
“Better pray to your gods! Cause you’re going to meet them!” Titania landed in the middle of the three unicorns, spinning to slash them with her wing blades. Her attack faltered; her footing compromised. She looked down to see Shaka’s leg coming out of the floor wrapped around one of hers. “Fuck you!”
Risking to herself, Titania fired a HE (High Explosive) spell at the ground. It blew a crater in the floor, knocked the three Survivantes aside, and got Shaka off her. That said, she inflicted a lot of damage to herself.
She had all her limbs, but her sight was very fuzz and cut in half. Her right eye swollen shut and hopefully still there. On top of that, her right-wing wasn’t responding correctly. She managed to fly, but the metal limb felt loose like it would fall apart any second. High-speed maneuvers were out of the question if she wanted to stay in the air.
“Crème Brulee, Pain Au, Piperade!”
Those must have been the names of the three. Not that Titania cared, though she did wonder if their deaths would finally push D’Arcy beyond cognitive thought. A blind charge would be helpful.
Unfortunately, D’Arcy was perhaps becoming desensitized to the death of her comrades. Her movements became much sharper and faster. It was only thanks to precise timing did Titania narrowly avoid the Prench Queen’s sword. Keeping her actions tight and smooth to not aggravate her damaged wing to total malfunction.
“When will your blood lust be satisfied!” D’Arcy used a speed enhancement spell to get in close, managing to grapple with the Germane warrior as they both hit the marble floor. Her sword skidding away as Titania clubbed her with her hoof.
“Says the fucking bitch that started all this! How much blood needs to be spilled before it’s enough for you!” SMACK! “You didn’t take war seriously, and it bit you in the ass!” Crunch! “This isn’t the fucking age of knights and castles; it’s the industrial age!”
Titania reared back, delivering a decisive blow to the Queen while continuing her rant. “We have bombs the world has never seen before! Flying metal ships! Weapons that kill hundreds of thousands in record time! War is a machine! Not a noble past time! Your fucking ignorance and selfishness did this!”
Titania knocked D’Arcy to the ground with one final swing, blood pooling around the Queen’s head. Yet she still breathed.
Standing over her long-time enemy, Titania had the chance to end it all. No one could claim either throne of Prance or Hispania. None that could keep the countries united. All she had to do was stop the Prench mare from taking another breath. It wouldn’t be hard. D’Arcy was already choking on her own blood.
Without a thought to honor or morality, Titania pressed her hoof to the Queen’s neck.
“Shaka has you!”
(Shit!) Titania internally screamed as she was suddenly airborne, tumbling across the hard marble floor. Tunnel vision had gotten the better of her. She had forgotten about the Zebra!
“You’re a sneaky bitch, you know that?” Titania spat as Shaka loomed over her with a club. “You used D’Arcy as bait, just for this?”
“Shaka agreed to the Queen’s proposal but did not promise to be loyal. I finish what she started, so Miss D’Arcy will not be broken-hearted! She’ll see her lover, and I’ll seize your head!”
Titania growled defiantly, but that was all she could manage. Her magic long since depleted, her equipment was inoperable. Her horn was damaged in the crash. That was the problem with prototypes; they’re too fragile!
“For my clan!” Titania didn’t flinch when Shaka readied her club for the final strike, which was why she was able to see what happened next.
A chain, one of gold, with a hook dug into Shaka’s shoulder. The Zebra let out a scream as she was reeled in like a fish, shouting in her native tongue.
“Why? Why can’t I walk between planes?” Shaka screamed as another chain latched onto her.
From the shadows came a black antlered figure. Titania knew who it was merely by the personal file they had on him.
Duke Sixes of Evernight. His photo did him little justice. He was big, tall as the Princess, with a hundred times more bulk and malice. Rising to bipedal, he tugged the chains binding the Zebra, dragging Shaka across the ground. He then picked her up by the neck, his expression sad.
“I’m sorry, Shadow Spector.” With his mighty talons, he ripped into Shaka’s throat, nearly beheading her. “You there,” He addressed her. “Where’s Celestia?”
Titania didn’t respond right away, too put-on edge by the display of power and the three others that joined the Duke. Celestia’s former pupil, and Vice-Commander of Night Patrol, Twilight Sparkle, was easy enough to recognize. The other black rinin looked eerily similar to Sixes, but she didn’t remember seeing or reading a file on her. Lastly, there was a dragon with them. A small one, with green coloring, so she was most likely from Clydesdale. She was also missing an arm.
“I’d like to think I can trust you since you’re her brother-in-law, but you got quite the crowd with you, Lord Sixes.”
“Never mind my party’s composition. I’d say you’re the more suspicious one, Titania Von Blunt, Kaiser Hades stepdaughter.”
“So, you know me? I feel honored.”
Sixes eyed the scene warily. “I know of you. By the looks of things, your reputation is well earned.” He sauntered over to D’Arcy, the Prench Queen still alive somehow. “Twilight, Essex tend to her.” Sixes ordered dismissively, much more interesting in Titania than the Queen. “Now, where is my sister in law?”
He was close enough now that if Titania had the energy or will, she could strike at him. Just once before she was torn to shreds, she bet. “Come look at this one too, when you’re done with her. Essex, apply first aid until Twilight is freed up.” Sixes proceeded to pat her on the head. “Your banged up, but better off than everypony else in here. Besides late arrivals.” He joked, standing up.
“I’ll have you know. I may be small, but I’m in my twenties. Don’t treat me like a kid.” Sixes smiled in what she found to be an infuriating way, as his female look-alike tended to her eye. “So, did you and Luna have a kid or something already?”
“I’m his sister,” Essex answered while placing a patch over her eye.
“I’ll add that to the file. Celestia is escorting my father to our ship. I stayed behind to hold these bastards off, but I overdid it. Your friend Fury was here too, but that thing over there is stopping him from reviving or something.”
Sixes followed her hoof to the barbed stake and promptly destroyed the relic. In seconds Fierce Fury rematerialized better than before. Not retraining a single scratch. Though he was armorless now.
“Took you long enough… what the hell are you doing here, Sixes?” Fury asked while picking up this gear.
“I could ask you the same. You’re supposed to be at home by now, after…” Sixes glanced over at Titania, Fury did too. He knew who the girl was. “You know what.”
“I do, there was a snag… to say the least. Do you have a communicator?” Sixes padded down his saddlebag, finding a Gem com for Fury to use. “Thanks.”
Fury wondered to a quiet corner to make a call. Earning suspicious glances from all, but mostly Titania.
“What’s that about?” She asked Sixes when he walked back over to her.
“Don’t know,” He answered honestly. “Which way is your ship? I must find Celestia ASAP.”
“Down this hall, though she said she would be coming…” Titania trailed off as the pony herself entered the chamber, with her father in tow. General Cobalt and a gaggle of other nations’ representatives also entered. The room tense as the world leaders tried to make sense of the situation. Titania’s only relief was her father had guards with him, and… “Zeppelin? When did you get here?”
“Ma’am! Are you alright?” The peach pony admonished, Essex quickly got out of the way. “How’s your eye? Can you still see out of it?”
“Not at the moment,” Titania brushed off her subordinate’s concerns. “I’m in one piece, mostly. What’s happening? Why are you here?” Zeppelin could only stare. Her eyes were wide with visible unease. “Zeppelin, what’s wrong?”
Titania looked to her father, and Celestia, both leaders, looked away. She looked to Sixes, so was grimed faced, as Fury whispered in his ear.
“What the hell is going on?”
Her father was the one to break the secret. “Before this incident occurred before we even received Zeppelin’s report. A Germane unit attacked the Prench lines under the pretense of recusing a captured comrade. In their vigor, they broke through the frontlines to the rear and then were surrounded. To save them, ten Germane battalions and three air fleet taskforces committed to the rescue.”
Celestia then picked up the report. “In response, the Prench and Hispania armies committed to an overwhelming counter charge. With twelve battalions and a combined air fleet of twenty ships. The battle was as fiercer than any before. With both nations’ leaders occupied, and both sides Generals unwilling to back down, both sides suffered horrendous casualties.”
“Define horrendous.” Titania beckoned, everypony kept a tight lip, so she turned to Zeppelin. The one pony who never sugar coat bad news. “Define horrendous, Zeppelin.”
“Ninety percent.”
“Ninety percent…” Titania repeated, calculating the numbers. It was beyond anything she could imagine as she looked at the twisted, broken face of D’Arcy. “Did you hear that, D’Arcy? Ninety percent, both sides. Are you happy now?”
The Prench Queen couldn’t speak, but the light seemed to leave her blood-filled eyes as tears dripped down her face. Titania hoped they stung.
“Are we done?” Titania barked, “Do you surrender?”
D’Arcy nodded. Even such a small gesture looked painful. (Good.) Titania thought. (She deserves it.) “What’s the situation on the ground?”
“I can answer that,” Fury offered. Detaching his gemcom from his helmet, he projected an image of the Prance coastline. “After completing a mission, my cruiser, Clover the Clever, set course for home, while I chased after Shaka the Zebra, for those just arriving. Shaka was a vengeful Amazon Zebra looking to assassinate Princess Titania. From their report, while attempting to sneak along the channel, encountered a Prench patrol. Without verifying our nationality, the Prench ships fired upon the Clover.”
A short recording from the ship showed this scene. Radio chatter was played, with the Evernight ponies asking for the Prench disengage. The Prench, thinking it was Germane trick after the war resumed, pressed their attack.
“Because of this, Taskforce 444 sprang into action. Attacking the Prench rear. This resulted in the Prench HQ and communications being bombarded and destroyed. Thus, the Prench forces splintered and fell apart because of a lack of communication and a broken chain of command. Resulting in the Prench field army being nearly wiped out.”
The representatives muttered, shocked by the news. Only one was so bold to inquire the obvious. “Are you telling me, Evernight ended the war by accident?” Titania nearly screamed at the outrageous facts she was presented. “Are you kidding me?”
“It wasn’t our intent, but yes, we had a claw in ending the war. It was one of the worse endings, but an end at the very least.” Fury replied gravely. Honestly, this didn’t feel like much of a victory for any pony involved. How could it? The whole thing was a bloody mess. It might be the fact everypony was literally beaten and exhausted, but a ‘let’s just end this’ mentality took hold.
“We plan to make a broadcast to every major city on Europona to declare the end of hostilities, with a peace treaty signing to come.” The Kaiser said, looking at the pathetic form of D’Arcy. “Hopefully, the Queen will be presentable by then or at least officially transfer power to her successor. Either way, I’m glad you did not kill her, my daughter.”
“Um, excuse me?” Essex called for everyponies attention as she and Twilight tended to D’Arcy. “If you want to keep her from dying, we need to get her to a proper medical facility.”
“Right, right, as a sign of good faith. I will have Queen D’Arcy tended to by Germane’s best medical professionals. Until such time her country can reclaim her. Please take her to the medical wing.” Hades directed his guards. “If a few of your neutral observes would like to join her. For insurance and peace of mind?” He strongly suggested to the Freiberger representatives.
It was insurance for him. He didn’t want any pony to say anything unsavory about his taking of D’Arcy in her weakened state. The best defense for that was the Friebringers.
With the removal of the injured Prench Queen, the ponies reorganized themselves, dividing into three groups. One was the Germanians, The Kaiser at the front with Titania supported by Zeppelin, and their soldiers at rest behind them. Across from them were Equestria and Evernight. Sixes and Celestia side by side, with General Cobalt at Celestia’s right.
Sixes had Fury at his side, while Essex and Obara took to the rear with Twilight off on her own. The third group was the other world leaders and allies. They all made one big group but organized themselves with Prance’s partners closer to Celestia’s side and his Allies leaning towards him, but not outright standing beside him.
It could be inferred that the nations dragged into the war were stepping back. Perhaps hoping everything would just wrap itself up. Hades couldn’t blame them for that mentality. Whatever losses they incurred, continuing the war would only extend the recovery period.
“Since we’re all gathered, let’s formally put an end to hostiles. As stated, a peace treaty will need to be drafted and agreed upon. What’s important is that we get the word out, to all forces, that war is over. I will converse with Princess Celestia on the finer details of Prances reparations. Why don’t the rest of you go and spread the word?”
The other representatives followed his suggestions like orders and filed out of the room. Perhaps with peace in their hooves, they didn’t want to do anything that could cause things to derail. Or maybe they were still processing everything. Which was fine, because he was too.
With a keen eye, the Kaiser observed those across from him with interest. Things certainly have taken a turn. “The peace talks can be dealt with later. We’ll all have to make reports on what happened here for the press, but I think there is one matter that needs to be addressed first. Why are you here, Duke Sixes? And why do you have a dragon with you?”
“Well…” Sixes chuckled. “How long do you got?”
The black rinin proceeded to give an abridged report of his adventure in Clydesdale. Omitting specific details such as Obara being a Dragonlord’s daughter and discovering yet another alicorn amulet. He also left out the battle with the Levant to get to the heart of the matter.
“We received another message from Dusk.” Sixes announced, not clarifying who Dusk was. Merely mentioning her name was dangerous, but everypony in the know knew to keep quiet about the Alicorn of Time. “She dropped some intel on a possible assassination plot against you, Celestia. But it seems she was a bit off this time…”
There was a sudden flash of magic, a magic bullet, fired from a horn. Everypony in the room stood shell shocked to see pinkish smoke rising from Celestia’s barrel, her gold regalia blown to pieces. The Princess herself couldn’t believe what happened as she looked at her attacker.
“Twilight…” She sputtered blood flying from her mouth. “Why?”
Before any pony could react or call for the Unicorn to be detained, another shot rang out, this one winging the Kaiser. This time Cobalt was the attacker!
“What the hell!” Sixes lunched at the general, but a shot from Twilight made him break off. “Grab, Celestia!” He barked to Essex and Obara, spewing fire. Fury at his side, providing support.
“Father!” Titania cried as she tried to help her father stand, but she could barely move in her weakened state.
Sixes took it upon himself to grab the Germanians, hoisting them onto his shoulders. All the while, Twilight, and Cobalt fired magic blasts seemingly at random. As more ponies came to check out the commotion, they were fired upon.
Some of them, at least.
While they ran for the Germane ship, Sixes looked back as the two unicorns massacred everypony with shining violet eyes. More unicorns joined them without regard for nationality—all of them with the same violet eyes and chanting the same perturbing thing.
“For our mother, Queen of Magic, for the true ruler of us all!”
Faintly Sixes heard the Kaiser mutter, “No, it can’t be her. She can’t be back!”
Letting the matter lie, Sixes focused on getting out of alive. Hoping things weren’t as bad as he imagined. Yet as more and more unicorns showed up to bar their way, he dreaded what could be happening elsewhere.
Equestria 2 hours before Shaka’s Assassination attempt
There was a rumbling in the air. Queen Cadence of Equestria could feel something was amiss but lacked the extra senses to discern what. Impatiently she paced the floor of the room that housed her bedridden aunt.
Doctor Blue Cross had yet to arrive, and the soldiers she sent to investigate the weather anomaly have not reported back.
The waiting was proving to be the most challenging part of the job. Cadence could empathize with Celestia waiting for Twilight to come back from a job well done now. Or, more likely, worry and imagine everything that could have gone wrong.
(Thinking positively is a lot harder with this job.) Cadence lamented. Her brain could not help but think of any and all things that could have gone wrong. (What if the investigation team was killed? What if Blue Cross’s train derailed?)
Things like that plagued her worse than allergies. Try as she might, Cadence couldn’t calm her mind. Yes, she was doing her breathing techniques, but that really only helped so much.
“I’d wish you’d wake up. That sounds selfish, but I’m not ready to do this without your council.” Cadence lamented to Luna’s still form. In a moment of childishness, she shook her aunt like a needy child wanting its mother to wake up from a nap. “Please. I know your not well, but please wake up.”
Luna did not.
Knowing she was only driving herself mad. Cadence left the room to busy herself. Her first thought was to go do some paperwork. The never-ending battle of her life, but as she passed her private room. A strange urge overtook her, and the Queen entered her private bed chambers, entering the secret room that housed her battle armor.
It was the same armor Sombra had crafted, based on her mother Symphony’s armor. Besides some recoloring and Night Patrol upgrades, it was still the same armor the dark King commissioned. Even her weapons were the same.
The twin Gatling lances rested on the wall. As sinister-looking as the day, she acquired them. Not even a new paint job could hide that. There were the spears Kira and Nippon had given her as a belated wedding present. Two Nippon style spears better for slashing than stabbing. Cadence forgets the official name, but they looked like katanas on poles to her.
Another weapon was the crude crystal spear she had fashioned. It was more a display piece, but it was the first weapon she killed with. A part of her thought it was twisted to keep it, but she couldn’t imagine throwing it away.
Finally, there were her most recent lances, the ones she hasn’t gotten a chance to use in real battle yet. It had been a gift from Essex of all ponies when her pregnancy had been announced.
Her words behind her reason were, “I guess we’re family in some sense, so, here.” That was what the rinin had said when presenting the spear, Gae Bulg, to her.
It was a wicked barbed weapon with a sinister aura. In her research of the spear, it had once belonged an alicorn from Clydesdale. The spear gained its infamy by being made from the bones of sea dragons and countless battles.
Many of the stories she found of its original wielder were heart-wrenchingly tragic and made her not want to use the dreaded weapon.
It was used by a father to kill his own son—one of many tragic tales of the weapon. The fact the original user died tied to a stone by his own guts was another disturbing reason she barely, if ever, took the spear off the wall.
“Does Essex secretly what me to die? No, we’ve barely had… any interaction. I don’t even think we’ve had an actual conversation. Maybe she just didn’t know.” That was hard to believe. Essex was basically a Clydesdale historian compared to Cadence. So, the Queen chose to think the rinin got the spear because it was legendary and thought it was an appropriate gift because of that status.
All those negatives aside, the unease building inside her gut made taking the spear almost tempting. Cadence dreaded to think what looming threat could force her to take up such an arm. Her runaway imagination wasn’t helping.
“Better just check to be sure.” Tapping the purple jewel on her golden yoke. Cadence was enveloped in a shining light. The armor on the stand shined and appeared on her body, adjusting automatically to her form. Cadence did a few movements to ensure everything was still appropriately adjusted. “This Tele-Equip is almost cheating.”
Usually, it would take three ponies to adorn her armor. Putting it on via levitation was doable but troublesome when you had to adjust every strap yourself. Tele-Equips’ only real benefit was it put your armor on already fitted and adjusted. The only problem is if you got fatter since you set the straps, things could get tight.
“Glad to see I haven’t expanded that much,” Cadence said happily, unequipping the armor. Her weapons were already synced, so she only had to choose which one she wanted. So long as she wasn’t out of range, she could don her gear at any time.
The minor side quest finished, Cadence felt some relief that her weapons and armor were ready if needed.
Back in the hall, the Queen chose to go to her office rather than Luna’s room. Diligently she began reading through document after document when a knock came at her door only thirty minutes later.
“Come in,” She droned, still focused on her work.
“Captain Specker, reporting ma’am!”
Cadence discarded the civil paperwork to give Specker her full attention. Much to her relief, he appeared unharmed. In fact, there was hardly a scuff on his armor.
“How is the status of Grimsville, Captain? Everything alright?” The Captain gulped, looking uneasy. “Is something the matter? Is that strange weather anomaly a concern?”
“Well, ma’am. The anomaly dispersed before we could reach it. Since the town was nearby, we thought to ask the local garrison what they saw, but…” The Captain turned ill; Cadence gave him a minute to steady himself. “I’m sorry, the town is gone.”
“Define gone.”
“It was, by the looks of it, trampled by a massive creature. Every building was pulverized into the Earth. Not a pony to be found. There were no remains, but we found what seemed to be blood on the ground, with many, many tracks. Though scared, we pressed towards the gates of Tartarus… we found… two massive dog legs along the way. With bites taken from them. When we arrived at the gate, we found Cerberus missing and Tartarus… empty.”
Cadence’s blood turned to pure ice. Her entire body involuntary shaking with goosebumps. “Tartarus… empty?”
“Yes, ma’am, we searched the deepest levels. All the cells were empty. There was no sign of the jailer, either.”
Rising out of her chair, Cadence wandered aimlessly around her office, her brain trying to process the information and what it could mean. And what she should do. A sudden headache struck her. Like she just tried to chug an icy.
“GODS! What is this? This pressure?” The pain was sharp, like a knife in her brain. Sharply she looked at the Pegasus Speck, who seemed unfazed.
“Ma’am?” He tilted his head, confused.
“Go to communications, Call Aunt Celestia, get a hold of her no matter what! And while you’re at it, send word to Queen Kira, tell her we may need her soon. For what I don’t know, but something is wrong!”
“Ma’am, are you ok?”
“I said go!” Cadence barked, Specker, scurrying out of the room. Still holding her head. Cadence called her armor and Gatling spears. The pressure in her head worsened, but she could feel something, a powerful magical presence. “Clear your head and imagine the location… find them.”
Blocking out the pain, Cadence cast teleport and disappeared.
Canterlot Catacombs: Celestia’s secret vault.
Daring Do, Celestia’s secret agent, and Rogue Wonder deposited her most recently discovered treasure into the anti-magic sealed vault.
Her latest find was the Rose Alicorn Amulet.
“Here we go, right next to Black and Purple you go.” She narrated placing the gem in line with the others. Briefly, she took stock of Celestia’s collection of Amulets. Between her mother Tomb Raider, and herself, they managed to find twelve Alicorn Amulets for the Princess over the years.
There was another whose location she knew off, the Green amulet buried with Emerald Cutter in the Night Patrol Graveyard, but that was sealed inside the Patroller’s coffin. Trying to retrieve that was not worth angering the Night Patrollers.
Unbeknown to her, another Green amulet was found by Sixes in Clydesdale.
Spinning around, Daring could only sigh at the high ceiling with shelves reaching all the way up the twenty-foot roof. Each row contained several stands with a specific color label.
“How can there be hundreds if not thousands of these things and still be so hard to find?” Daring lamented.
The ones hidden in temples were easier to find. Those were the ones that hadn’t been stolen. To find the ones found by other ponies, Celestia gave her a great fortune to use for the black market and information finding. Any Amulets in private collections that refused to sell soon disappeared thanks to a particular group of well-known thieves. That may or may not appear in her books.
“Sometimes I feel dirty.”
Double lives were tough. Actually, forget double, Daring was living a triple life. She was a registered Wonderbolt, author, and treasure seeker. “I even hold rank in the Equestrian military. There are so many webs, I don’t know what I officially do.”
Her actual job has been, do as the Princess requests. And with Celestia on the verge of retiring, Daring started to think maybe she should do the same.
The adventurer was pushing thirty now and had a lost little sister she had yet to reconnect with on a meaningful level. There were some weird adventures, like the time Rainbow Dash came to one of her Daring Do conventions. That was awkward.
It was all getting too much to juggle. Plus, Daring was starting to feel the strain of her adventures. That pony that was weirdly critical of her problem-solving skills in the books brought up a good point. She was getting rusty or complacent. Or several dangerous blows to the head really reduced her cognitive ability.
The editors removed the gorier parts of her adventures. Like the time she nearly lost her leg to a rusty arrow tip or when a native bashed her upside the head and fractured her skull.
“And this is supposed to be my prime, but I’m nothing but aches and pains. Forty is going to be a bitch if I don’t get in shape again.” Daring grumbled while walking to the exit. She’d have to lock up first, but the adventurer was looking forward to a long weekend when she stopped short. Her entire body felt cold, and it was suddenly hard to breathe. The air was frigid as the frozen north.
“What cute little pegasus,” A voice said from the entrance of the vault. A tall shadowy figure posed in the doorway. Their tone sent shivers down Daring’s spine. “A little on the older side for me, but, after the dry spell, I went through…” The being stepped into the light. It was an alicorn. And one Daring didn’t know!
“Who… who are you?” Daring demanded.
The Alicorn was a pinkish color, not Cadence pink. A softer, fluffier white pink that wisped in the air with a phantom effect. Her eyes were a deep purple, with star-shaped pupils. Now Daring was just guessing, but she was taller than Celestia. Her head was about the level with the end of Celestia’s horn. So really tall.
All in all, she looked like cotton candy, but when she showed off her mark. Well, Daring felt a terror like never before.
Her mark was an Iron maiden. Not some cool rock band, but an actual iron maiden. The torture device. Blood was depicted flowing from the eyes in detail. Daring didn’t think it was possible to show such a level of detail on a mark. It was more like a painting.
The Alicorn continued to mutter to herself, slowly stalking around Daring like a predator. “My name, hmm, I’ve been called so many things. I guess I should just pick one. I despise my last name so much but telling you my birth name is almost meaningless. I know, I’ll go with my most famous one. Surely, you’ve heard of the Alicorn Carmilla? Alicorn of barbs and thorns, right?”
“Sweet fucking Celestia, your Campe!”
‘CRACK!’
Daring found herself floored. A stinging raw pain ran down her body. She looked up, Carmilla standing over her with a disapproving look and a magic whip.
“Now, now, dear, I went to the trouble of introducing myself. It’s not nice to refer to me with that hideous name. But that’s a pegasus for you, boorish to a fault.”
“How is this possible? You should be guarding Tartarus…” Daring struggled to rise, but her body was going numb.
Carmilla clicked her tongue, “Aw, that old job, well I was freed from my curse by a dear old friend. Now onto more important things, your muscles are so taught… but your blood… yes, your blood. It still has that youthful energy. It’s almost like you’re a virgin.”
“I don’t get around much thanks to my job, but I’m not a virgin.”
“I know, but compared to other mares of this era, you’re very unsullied. I think I’ll draw a bath.” Carmilla grinned sinisterly.
Daring’s eyes widened to absolute horror! “You can’t! This was why you were cursed in the first place!”
“Oh, I know, but who’s going to stop me?” Carmilla asked cutely, forging a bath with earth magic. “Now to wring you out.”
Daring screamed as her body began to twist. The crime that got Carmilla banished to Tartarus and forced to be its jailer was horribly simple. She tortured and mutilated young fillies and bathed in their blood. The accounts of her deeds were so horrible and gut-wrenching she was all but erased from history. Some acts were never even written down, so disgusting they were, the scribes could not bring themselves to put them to paper.
“Your blood will do wonders for my coat!”
As Daring felt her legs begin to crack and snap through her flesh, a barrage of magic bullets peppered Carmilla, freeing her from certain death. Her savior was Cadence decked out in full battle gear, blasting away with her Gatling lances. The Queen looked her way and shouted something. Daring felt her fear leave her, and though her body hurt, she got back up.
“You ok?” Cadence was now beside her. Still firing. “You were under a fear curse!”
“Curse…” Daring frowned, fishing her key ring of magical tokens out. A number of them were supposed to stop things like this. All of them were shattered, having done their job and still failed. “No wonder I was such a pansy.”
It irked her to be forced to just lay down and take Carmilla’s abuse like that. The more concerning thing was even with seven anti-curse artifacts, she was still affected to the point of being immobile. What sort of wreck she would be without her trinkets was something Daring could not nor want to fathom.
That said…
“Cadence…”
“I know,” The Queen lamented, stopping her attack. The barrels of her lance glowing a bright red. The dust cleared, and Carmilla stood unharmed. In fact, she seemed happy.
“Oh my, one of my kind. Whose kid, are you?” Carmilla held up her hoof, even though they made no move to interrupt her. “Your name is based on music, so that would make you either Orchestra or Opera’s descendent. Can you sing for me? I’m sure I can narrow this down.”
“My mother was Symphony,” Cadence answered flatly. “Or so I am told. I’ve never met her.”
Carmilla’s brow frowned, “Symphony… Orchestra’s little girl? She was… seven last I saw her.” The deranged Alicorn began to salivate. “Oh… I remember her so well. I wish I could have seen her in her prime… how lovely she must have been. I would have loved to take a dip when she was in her prime.”
“After fraying her flesh and branding her, I bet,” Daring sneered. “You’re a fucking monster!”
“And you’re a pegasus, Tempest’s stupid attempt of Gaia’s even stupider idea. Ponies that aren’t alicorns? What nonsense! But you know what’s even more nonsensical? Destroying our own race over it! Earth ponies, Pegasi, Unicorns! They were all just inferior copies of us alicorns, the supreme beings of the world! We were gods! Even the Dragonlords were but ants before us! Those fools threw that all away for worthless MUD PONIES!”
“Times are different! The age of Alicorns is over! So why escape now? What’s the point?” Cadence asked the seething Alicorn, who was quick to regain her composer, her smile faker then an apple pretending to be an orange. “Well, why are you here?”
Carmilla sighed, sporting a bemused expression. “Do you think I could have escaped by myself? Trust me, I tried. Fairly recently too, but thousands of years had worn away my sanity. I was functioning on pure will rather than thought. Bound by my duties, I tried to exploit the bounds of my curse. But I was thwarted by your dear aunts.” She smiled, seemingly remembering something funny. “And then I was visited by an old friend.”
Cadence and Daring back stepped as Carmilla began to stalk around predatorily. The ancient Alicorn prattling on about her ‘friend’.
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw her! She didn’t look anything like she did in the past, but I knew who she was by her soul. That boundless, beautiful soul, overflowing with power and authority. Our kind was referred to as gods, but SHE! She was a god among gods. One of the original three!” Carmilla seemed to be experiencing real joy as she stared at her captive audience. “You should know who I’m talking about, Cadenza. Surely Celestia taught you about such an important historical figure?”
Cadence chewed her lip at a loss. “You’re referring to one of the three mothers, right? The ones that created the three original races?”
“DING, DING! You get an A! HAHA! I thought all three of them died in the war, but she’s alive! Minerva, the mother of the Unicorns and Magic, is alive!” Carmilla began to laugh historically. “She flew down like an angel! Freeing me from my hell! Of course, I’d agree to return the favor!”
Carmilla’s laughter became more insane, the Alicorn finding something funny, but Cadence and Daring weren’t in on the joke. However, what they were aware of, was growing power, building around Carmilla. She seemed to be gaining strength by the second, and neither pony could figure out why.
“I don’t like this,” Daring stated, her entire body shivering. “Every sense I have is telling me to run.”
“Same here,” Cadence replied, bringing her weapons to bear, but she didn’t attack. There had to be more they could extract from the deranged Alicorn while she was gloating. “What’s Minerva’s plan? What does she hope to achieve?”
Carmilla stopped laughing, cocking her head creepily sideways, her eyes wide with shock and contempt. “That’s should be obvious. She seeks to revive our race and restore the proper order of the world. Only this time, there won’t be any rebellious fools. All she needs is… oh, there it is!”
Cadence and Daring followed Carmilla’s gaze to the purple Alicorn Amulet. Carmilla wasted no time lunging for it, and Cadence unleashed a Gatling barrage of magic bullets while screaming, “Daring, turn into Rainbow Black, now!”
Growling at the command, Daring did as told, muttering the activation code, she felt the tremendous power within her unleash. Daring fired magical attacks otherwise impossible for her to cast with a crackling black horn of lightning.
It was better than last time when she became Dusk’s puppet. After five years of intense training, she could activate the mysterious power willingly and act with her own free will. The downside was the power was barely controllable and didn’t feel natural to her. Maybe because it was dark magic.
Also, without a doubt, it would catch her attention—that of her foolish little twin sister. With a growl, Daring was determined to finish the fight before Rainbow Dash could appear. Carmilla may be powerful, but she thought with Queen Cadence’s help, they had a chance.
They blindsided Carmilla, preventing her from obtaining the purple amulet, but she snatched the black amulet in the struggle. And just by the color alone, Daring felt that was even worse.
“Oh… so that’s where you were…” Carmilla drawled, slipping the black amulet into her saddlebag. Patting the item affectionally. “Don’t worry, you’ll be out soon. Priorities, you know.”
“Don’t think it’ll be that easy!”
“Daring wait!” Screamed Cadence, but the Pegasus wouldn’t listen. A frustrated growl escaped the Queen as the command codes for Rainbow Black eluded her. She could only watch in silent horror as Daring raging assault was halted by a simple jab to the neck.
The strike barely had any force behind it. Carmilla seemingly love-tapping the Pegasus. Yet Daring was withering on the ground, gasping for air, her pupils dilated. A small trickle of blood dripped out from under her hoof, yet it was the purple veins rapidly spreading across the Pegasus’s coat that had Cadence concerned.
“What’d you…” Cadence didn’t have the chance to finish. Carmilla was done talking, the other Alicorn appearing in front of the Queen. A sharp pain appeared in Cadence’s breast as she retreated. Much to her horror, there was a deep dent in her Peytral.
“Hmm, tougher than it looks… alright then.” Carmilla rushed again, her right foreleg cocked back like a scorpion’s tail. Each strike of the hoof was as powerful as the first. Cadence soon found it hard to breathe as the dented metal restricted her airways.
Sacrificing one of her lances, Cadence hurriedly unbuckled the Peytral, the dented breastplate bouncing uselessly to the ground, while she unloaded with her remaining lance. That, too, was taken from her when Carmilla smashed her discarded weapon into its twin.
Unarmed and pressured by her enemy, Cadence summoned her Nippon polearms, creating a swirling wind of slashes to keep Carmilla at bay.
Carmilla merely continued to strike with that one hoof. Deflecting the finely crafted blades with ease.
Upon closer inspection, Cadence found Carmilla was wearing a very discreet horseshoe that extended over her hoof’s toe. On said toe was a small, stout spike. That was more than likely poisoned.
“I see your trick!” Cadence filled her two polearms with magic, giving them a deadlier edge, confident they could cut through the horseshoe.
Her blades were stopped cold. In fact, the knives were quickly corroded, the edges turning into a fine rusted cloud.
“What…”
“Let me show you how to fight,” In a flash of movement, Cadence’s shoulder exploded in pain. Her pauldron crashed into the wall of the vault while purple veins quickly spread across her body. She twitched, feeling like an ogre was crushing her shoulder. “Don’t worry,” Carmilla assured her. “It’s not poison, merely a small curse.”
“Small?” Cadence said with a pained wince. Carmilla chuckled.
“Well… small for me, I guess.” The deranged Alicorn looked at the Queen and then to Daring, struggling to stand and fight once more. Black Lightning pouring from the Pegasus’s horn like a faucet. “Oh, pipe down.”
Daring was struck three more times. Once on the forehead, and both forelegs. The Pegasus collapsed to the ground, her legs turning purple while blood began to pour down her head like a freshly dehorned bovine.
With her opposition on the count down, Carmilla flew up to collect her objective unhindered. Taking the purple alicorn amulet for herself. By why stop there?
“Celestia certainly made this easily,” She gushed, dropping amulet after amulet into her bag. While occupied with her looting, Carmilla failed to notice the presence of a third party, but she certainly felt it when a double flying kick connected to her face.
Rainbow Dash, as Rainbow White, was on the scene. “What’d you do to my sister and the Queen!”
Much like Daring, Rainbow Dash developed her mysterious powers. The ordinarily blue Pegasus hoped it would be enough to join her dream team, the Wonderbolts, or Night Patrol, but that has yet to materialize. So, she’s been acting as a freelance hero for hire. Taking any chance to test her abilities.
One ability was to appear near Daring if they were both transformed.
Though she had spirit and determination, Dash was equally outclassed. Even her surprise, mock one kick hadn’t even budged Carmilla from her position.
“Bunch of annoying brats!” Grasping Rainbow with her magic, Carmilla whirled the Pegasus around like a lasso before brutally smashing her into the bedrock floor. “Why bother showing up if you can’t do anything!” Carmilla huffed.
“It wasn’t for nothing!” Cadence barked, levitating her last spear, Gae Bulg. The barbed spear eating her magic like mad, gaining a sinister pink/red aura. “Now, fly!”
Carmilla knowing the weapon well teleported away, but that wasn’t enough. The twisted cursed spear proceeded to drill through the bedrock, giving chase even after its master collapsed from magic exhaustion.
“No, no, no! It can’t be! This can’t be how it ends! DAMN YOU CU!” Carmilla screamed as she bolted across the sky to her savior, to Minerva. “She can save me. She has to save me!”
It wasn’t well known in modern times, but Gae Bulg was a sure kill weapon. That would chase its target to the ends of the Earth, even if its master died. It would not stop until it’s pierced its enemy’s heart in vengeance.
“Great mother! My Queen! I fulfilled your request! Please help…” Carmilla didn’t get to finish as the red spear skewered her. Her body dropping at an indifferent Minerva’s feet. “Please… I’m… still useful…”
Carmilla pleaded to the strange pink and black being with a crooked horn and feathered and insectoid wings. The being, the god reborn, merely shushed her. Forcing her eyes closed.
“It’s time to sleep, child. Sleep.” Minerva said gently as Carmilla’s body crystallized and shattered. The shards of her body compressed, forming a blood-red jewel with a pink swirl pattern. “So… this was the color of your soul.”
Levitating the twelve Alicorn amulets from the discarded saddlebag, Minerva took the purple one, smiling at it like an old friend. This was her, her other half. The half of her soul she separated from all those years ago to keep on living.
“It’s been so long that I’ve almost forgotten about you, no, I did. I forgot myself. But no longer. Time to give my children a firm spanking for disregarding their mother.”
Absorbing the Amulet, Minerva’s body pulsed with power that shot into the sky. “To all my children! To all of my blood and magic! Obey your mother’s words and crush all that make a mockery of existence! Wipe out the treacherous Children of Tempest and the pathetic worshipers of Gaia!”
Streaks of purple rained throughout the sky like fireworks. Minerva watched the sparkling mist of energy envelop the land. One by one, she could feel the link between her and her children reestablish. Such an amount of information would typically kill a pony.
For her, dedicating a mere ten percent of her focus was enough to efficiently control every Unicorn.
The mother of Unicorns frowned, “I guess every Unicorn is a bit too liberal. Still, two-thirds of the unicorn population isn’t a bad start. I even managed to sway Twilight with that spell. Oh, and she’s… oh… OH! How juicy! She shot Celestia?”
It didn’t feel as satisfying as she thought it would be. “I suppose being surprised attack by your trusted student isn’t very sporting. Hmm, now she’s firing at Sixes. I’ll order her back and have her use the Unicorns at the peace summit to take out the ponies left behind.”
It wasn’t because of her VeeVee persona she was letting Sixes go. No, it was nothing like that. After all, when she had been Vi Violetblood, Night Patrol had all but killed her. Still, she did live them for over a decade. Ate with them, healed them, dare say they were…
“Tsk, such plebian feelings from a false persona. They will fade in time.” The Alicorn goddess sneered. Levitating the amulets from Carmilla’s bag. Minerva wondered who she should revive first when a thought occurred to her. “You know,” She drawled, looking towards Evernight castle. “I’m sure Luna would be thrilled to see YOU again, Emerald.”
With a smirk of devilish delight, Minerva took flight towards Evernight, playfully skipping among the clouds. Another devious thought coming to her.
“I suppose I should be fair and revive Overheat too. Now, where did he end up? I’ll put some of my children on that. Also sending some to detain Cadence and the other two in the vault. It wouldn’t do for Cadence to miscarry when I’m trying to revive our race.”
Humming a soft lullaby, Minerva smiled at her vision for the future. Whether her children wanted it or not, she would give them a mother’s love. And they would give her the world.
Acting Night Patrol Commander Gloves felt a disturbing presence, and he wasn’t the only one. They all could feel it. A blatant, flamboyant, flaunting of magical power that even the densest dumbass could sense. It caused the very air to tingle with energy, and it was getting closer.
“What the report on the unicorns?” He asked his wife and secretary, Fleetfoot.
“We’ve restrained over half of our unicorn staff. The other half that didn’t go berserk out and attack are suffering from extreme migraines as if their own magic is trying to roast their horns. The only cure has been to place anti-magic rings on them.”
“I see. What of the towns?”
“Reports are varying, but the same thing is happening all over the country. Local forces can deal with it, but we have no leads to what’s causing this.”
The night had been quiet for the most part. Word came back that Taskforce 444 successfully regrouped with the Clover, and everypony was on their way home. Things were starting to settle down as the tension left everypony, but then, out of nowhere.
The unicorns attacked!
It was a surprise, but when the attackers were surrounded by highly trained ponies, they were contained before any fatalities happened. That said, many were injured. And as word came in, the event of no pony being killed was less and less likely.
If all that wasn’t enough to deal with, sensors picked up a magical signature flying right towards them. It was so off the scales, they had nothing to compare it to. Not even the royal sisters’ numbers were comparable. It was like comparing a lake to the ocean.
Even with all that power, whatever was coming took its time. And Gloves did not mind at all; it gave him time to prepare, don his armor, and kiss his wife one last time.
He didn’t know if it was bad luck that most if not all the heavy hitters were away right now, but as acting Commander, it was his duty to face this threat. Even if he had little chance against it. That was why he made sure others were watching through the recording device on his helmet. That way, they could report what he would most likely be unable to.
With one last kiss goodbye and a long embrace, Gloves flew off the balcony with every rinin in the castle. Everypony else, like his wife, was to hide in the underground bunkers.
“Get ready!” He barked, filling his gauntlets with power.
They could see the source of the magic now. It was coming, and now turning… and… “Where the hell is it going?” Gloves asked as they watched the supposed threat veer off towards the cemetery.
Veering towards the UFO, Gloves licked his chops nervously. Wondering if this was the best course of action. Maybe it was just passing by? They could be poking the bear here.
“Hold back, and observe. Let’s see what’s going on.” He ordered his wing as they landed on the ground. Deliberately they landed at the entrance of the graveyard. Slowly the rinin advanced, hopping along with the tombstones. The source of the magic was like a beacon in the fog, leading them right to it.
Peering around the hulking grave of P-Rex, Gloves looked across the way to see the being clearly for the first time. At first, he thought to classify it as an alicorn. Yet, its insectoid wings and crooked horn threw him off. Its coat was a dark pinkish color, almost raspberry. Its hair was ethereal, floating weightlessly in the air, the color a deep blackish purple with burning white sparkles like exploding suns.
Steam was billowing off its body like smoke from a train. Gloves swore he could hear the creature’s flesh popping like bacon on a skillet if he listened close enough.
“What is that thing?” He uttered softly, observing as it stood before Emerald Cutter’s grave. Its head was bowed, almost like it was paying respects to the fallen monster pony.
What the creature did next made every last Rinin’s blood run cold and then boil. The Alicorn-like being used its magic to pull Emerald’s coffin from the ground. The metal vault was ripped open with no regard, and the last bed of the legendary Green rinin was thoroughly desecrated as the lid was opened for the first time in over a thousand years.
“My, your very well-preserved old friend.” The creature set the coffin on the ground, pressing its hoof to Emerald’s chest. As Gloves and the others began to move, Minerva leaned down and whispered.
“Wake up, Viride Secure.”
A vivid emerald light shined from the coffin, Emerald’s corpse pulsing with power and life. Her long blade-like horn emerged from the opening, followed by the rest of her. Shining like a crystal pony, with beautiful wings of crystal feathers.
“Emerald!” One of the other rinin muttered, his charge coming to a halt. Gloves pressed forward; he didn’t know Emerald very well, vaguely remembering her form. Those memories suddenly became sharper, more transparent, and he recalled a green pony with a heart-warming smile greeting him after being freed from the factory.
His own charge faltered as the memories he suppressed after her death reemerged. “Emerald Cutter… Miss Emmy… is that… really you?” He asked, choking up.
Her gaze was sharp as a hawk, her eyes filled with confusion. Like a newborn, Emerald inspected her surroundings, beginning with herself, studying her hoof with interest only to be startled when it morphed into a claw.
“What…” Her voice was coarse as sand, and it pained her to speak. Minerva wrapped a wing around her.
“Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything, Viride.” The Mother of Unicorns looked at the gaggle of awestruck rinin with pity. “Stay in good health… Gloves.” She said before teleporting away.
Flummoxed, Gloves could only sit and gap at the empty grave. Continuing to stare at it for a long time.
“Well, I guess there are some benefits to not being diverse.” Sixes commented aboard the Germane flagship, Otto. Staffed entirely by earth ponies. He and the rest of his companions found themselves at the mercy of their prospected enemy, turned ally, the Germanians.
Life was full of twists, to think Fury just got done helping Trifecta smuggle a turncoat out of the country after they illegally infiltrated to steal classified military secrets. Yes, life was indeed strange like that. Also, he was not putting any of that on any scrap of paper.
The current situation was as follows after escaping the Peace Summit. Celestia and D’Arcy were in critical condition. The Prench Queen beaten within an inch of her life by Titania, and Celestia getting pot-shot by Twilight, for reasons no pony understood.
Master and student had drifted apart over the years to the point, even Luna was raising concerns about it. But Sixes doubted Twilight was ready to just outright attack Celestia. Then there was Cobalt’s behavior and the other unicorns, all of them acting as if they were in a trance.
The black rinin found this mystery the third priority, however. Below staying alive, and above that, getting home to his wife, Luna.
One major problem with that, he was heading in the opposite direction.
Naturally, the Germanians would want to return home first, and this being their ship and it was their doctors tending to his sister-in-law. Sixes couldn’t abandon Celestia to the winds of fate. He would, but then Luna would be mad at him.
So here he was on the bridge, beside Titania, who was acting captain of the vessel. Her father resigning himself to his quarters. Titania’s number two, Zeppelin, stood staunchly beside her commander in what he assumed was the naval uniform. He only hesitated to call it that because there was a lot of black and leather.
Tossing the useless observation aside, Sixes addressed the elephant in the room. It’s only been six hours; they might as well talk about it.
“Your father knows something.” He stated aloud.
Titania’s expression didn’t change for a solid minute, but he could tell she was picking her words carefully. However, she seemed to give up, as she sighed and said, “My father always knows more than he lets on. He possesses knowledge vaster than the entire Germanian national library, or so he always told me as a child.”
“I want to talk to him privately.”
“No.”
“I’ll compromise. You can sit in, but don’t interrupt.”
Titania gave him a sideways glance from her chair. “You have a lot of brass to make any demands.”
“And I didn’t have to carry both you and your father out of that hell. Think of this as returning that debt.”
“I’m sure we could have gotten out of there just fine. Don’t forget, Zeppelin, covered our retreat.”
“So did Fury.”
Titania opened her mouth for another retort, but Zeppelin surprisingly cut her off, “Ma’am, perhaps you’re getting into the weeds as they say? While I have faith Lord Kaiser will speak when he is ready, time may not allow for it later. Strike while the iron is hot as it were.”
“Fine,” Titania said curtly, sliding out of her seat. “But I will interfere if I perceive any threats.”
Sixes could only eye the bandaged mare. One of her forelegs was set in a cast and held in a sling. Yet, he could tell she meant what she said, even if the outcome was obvious.
“If it will bring you comfort, Miss Zeppelin can sit in as well.”
Titania turned up her nose. “I will inform LT Zeppelin afterward with a formal report. Until then, I need a capable pony at the helm. Why don’t you assist her, Commander Fury? Build some comradery or whatever. Somehow, I think we’ll be together longer than any of us plan to.”
Fury looked to him for confirmation, and Sixes nodded, telling his long-time comrade to stay. While he followed Titania down to her father’s quarters.
The odd pair found the Kaiser casually sipping on a glass of Grog. Glass was liberal; it was a pint. So typical Germanian. The three empty Jägermeister’s were something else.
“Father… are you ok? We knocked for… along time.” The Kaiser’s disheveled appearance and swaying were rough for Titania to see. Her father was a social drinker. He never drank in private. Yet, here he was far over his limit already. Titania’s concern was so great, she dropped her tough act. “Daddy?”
Kaiser Hades smiled loopily at his daughter, embracing her when she was in reach, or she caught him falling out of his chair. Depends on your point of view. Affectionally he rubbed her back as if she had just come into his room after a bad dream.
“My girl… my Wunderbar girl… such a strong girl… with so much to live for…” Much to the awkwardness of both Titania and Sixes, the Kaiser. The great leader of Germane began to weep. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I thought she was gone… if I had known she could come back… I would have done things differently, so differently. So much time wasted on petty pursuits when such a threat was around… forgive me…Great Mother Gaia.”
The Kaiser began to rant very fast in a language neither could understand.
“Do you know what he’s saying?” Sixes inquired, unable to even guess the dialect.
Titania frowned, straining her ears, “It’s a very, very old version of Germanian. It was used back before Germane unified and was the Gothic tribe lands. It’s a dead language. HE should not even be able to speak it!” She stressed.
Perhaps it was being married to the second oldest pony on the planet or merely being around long-lived beings, but something occurred to Sixes. The rinin got upfront with the Kaiser, with narrowed eyes
“Who are you?”
“Tertio Magnam Terra Mater Filium,” The Kaiser replied, earning confused stares from his daughter and Sixes. So, he spoke a more modern tongue, “I am Dritter Enkel der Erde Mutter.”
Sixes looked to Titania, “What’s he saying?”
“He said he’s the third grandson of the Earth mother. Whatever that means. Look, he’s drunk. He’s just spouting nonsense.”
“Or maybe the truth,” Sixes countered. “Is your father a heavy drinker?”
“No,” She replied curtly. “Father has a set limit. He even has a lackey whose only job is to knock drinks out of his hoof if he even tries to go over it.”
“Sounds like a pony with secrets that can’t hold his liquor.”
“Well, yeah, he’s the Kaiser of Germane!”
Sixes ignored Titania’s retort, looking the intoxicated pony in the eyes again. “How old are you? Really?”
The Kaiser burped and swayed, seemingly thinking hard. “3… 4,595 years old?”
Sixes whistled, “Really? You’re older than Celestia herself? Ok, say I buy that. Have I ever met you under a different name?”
“Hoofenstien… I was Doctor Hoofenstien… I made you, 6666…”
You could have heard a pin drop after the Kaiser’s chair stopped clattering as Sixes grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the wall!
“That’s a fucking funny joke! Too bad I’m not laughing!” Sixes snarled, tightening his claw around the pony’s throat. “If that’s true, how are you still alive! We killed you at the battle of Maredor!”
Titania screamed, “Stop it! Let him go!” But her words were left unheeded. And with the soundproofing of the room, no pony was coming to help, so the weakened Kaiser’s daughter could only awkwardly hit Sixes’ scaly hide with her foreleg. Her attacks doing more harm to herself than him.
“I was researching immortality… it may not have been the kind I wanted, but I did succeed in a crude form.”
“And that is?”
“Well, there isn’t a scientific word for it, but if I am to label the process… Forced Reincarnation? It’s a fascinating thing. Every time I die, my soul merely inhabits a new vessel. To be specific, I jump to a fetus still in the womb, and thus I am reborn again. The troubling part is having to live a new life from birth to death. With every jump, I gain new personality traits from upbringing, and my memories get further and further buried.”
“And how in the hell did you discover this power?” Sixes asked, setting the Kaiser down.
The Kaiser chuckled, returning to his chair, “There was no discovery. I was merely born with this power; I am the Third Grandson of the Earth Mother. I’m merely a half step away from divinity compared to ponies nowadays. My research was to replicate true immortality, as I have technically died more times than I can remember.”
“Wait, wait!” Titania barked, rubbing her temple. “Are you saying, your Gaia’s, the Great Mother Gaia, Mother of all Earth ponies? You’re saying you’re her biological grandson?”
“At this point, I share little DNA with Grandmother, but in spirit, yes.” The old stallion looked solemnly into his glass of Grog. “At this point, I don’t even remember my own name. My memories degrade by the day, it seems. Even events from a thousand years ago, when I was the pony Hoofenstien, are blurry. Only when I liquor myself up does the past become lucid for a time.”
Setting his pint aside, the Kaiser looked straight into Sixes’ eyes. “I predicted you’d come sooner than later, so I drank myself silly, so I could spill the truth. I’m beginning to sober up now, so I must say what I must before my foolish pride and resentment get in the way.”
Inhaling deeply, Hades said, “I need your help, Sixes. I have no right to ask, but tis not the life of this old fool, I wish you to save, but that of my daughter, Titania and my beloved. Please, save them from that purple bitch! Minerva, the Mother of Unicorns!”
Sixes’ response was a thousand eye stare. He knew of who the Kaiser was talking about but didn’t know them per se. It was saying this is the King of X. But not knowing anything else about them. Instead of trying to understand, Sixes chose to cut to the chase.
“Alright, what’s her goal? Was she behind the unicorn’s attack? I suppose that should be obvious, but how can she do that? What spell or magic is she using to control them?”
The Kaiser just laughed, “A mind control spell? Is that what you think this is? It’s nothing that mundane. No, in fact, that would be overkill. She’s the Mother of unicorns! Their creator! They were born from her! She doesn’t need magic or spells to get them to do what she wants! All she has to do is ask or rather order it! It’s her authority or her right as their Mother and what child would refuse their Mother?”
“Father, what are the limits of this authority? How far does her influence spread?”
He shrugged, “Every unicorn in the world? It’s easier to stop thinking of Minerva, similar to Celestia and Luna. She’s something greater. Those two sisters are demi-gods. Minerva is a god.” He stressed.
“But she was killed once before, how?”
“Ask Solaris if we could.” The Kaiser spat. “All I know is she did something at the last battle. It caused all the alicorns to crystalize and scatter across the planet. I see that look; you know what I’m talking about.”
Sixes nodded, “In the War of the North, we had an encounter with a revived Alicorn, Vulcan. He took over the dead body of King Sombra, but we managed to take him down… barely.”
“So, placing a gem inside of a corpse is the key? No, that can’t be right. If that were the case, then Emerald Cutter and Overheat would have revived. There must be another factor…” The Kaiser mumbled before jumping out of his seat. “The presence of another Alicorn! We must hurry home! I’m sure she’ll be after that!”
“After wha…” The entire ship shook. Zeppelin screamed over the intercom for Titania to get back to the bridge.
The trio wasted no time as alarms blare. The germane soldiers looked nervous as they ready to deploy. Arriving at the command post, the three join Zeppelin, Fury, and Obara at staring out the window. The sky was hazy purplish red, but that wasn’t the concerning part. No, what was is the hundreds of monsters outside.
“By Gaia’s teats! What has she done!”
“Sixes…”
“I can see it, Fury,” he replied solemnly. “All those bastards are from Tartarus.”
Sixes didn’t need to know the entire roster to realize all the boss monsters were free. Already leading hordes of their underlings across the lands. The radio pony set his headset off to the side, letting the screams of ponies on the ground and sky play in the silent cabin.
Unicorns were attacking every pony they came across, fighting alongside the monsters. Countries were in disarray and chaos. The deployed armies were caught by surprise and were fighting back, but there was no organized response.
“The 27th fleet as engaged a horde of Gargoyles! Taskforce 12 is dealing with Thunderbirds, and DD group 9 is defending Rosburg from Rocs. Multiple ground units are engaged with a horde comprised of Manticores, other report Ghoul ponies appearing from the No lands. A scout is reporting Ogres and Cyclops marching in an organized formation. Prench forces are rallying around our units to fight against the monsters and…”
“That’s enough… we get it.” The Kaiser said solemnly, looking to Sixes. “I’ll ask again, will you help me?”
Sixes hung his head, “You ask as if I have a choice.”
With a groggy groan, Duchess Luna Selene Solaris Evernight awoke in what she knew to be Celestia’s bed. Her movements sluggish, her body screaming for coffee and water. One to feed her not addiction, and two because she was seriously thirsty. Yet, when she looked around, she found herself alone.
Which was unusual. Especially after fainting. There’s usually be a nurse or one of her family members sitting patiently by the bedside. Yet this time, there was no pony.
“Well, I do keep telling them to stop being so overprotective.” Luna slowly climbed out of bed, her legs barely supporting her weight. Why was she so weak? Furthermore, the air had a strange taste to it. “The sun should be out by now. Why is it so dark?”
Stepping onto the balcony, Luna was greeted with a purple/red sky. The likes of which she’s never seen before. The sun was barely visible in the sky. There was hardly an outline of it, let alone any warmth or light. There was another problem.
“Why are you out, my moon?” She asked the celestial body, willing it to set, but it did not move or respond to her will. After clearing the sleep from her eyes, Luna was appalled to see her usually pure white moon was a sinister blood red.
A Blood Moon.
Luna slowly stepped back inside, shaken to her core. A red moon was a bad omen, an evil omen. It was a sign of great disaster and that the control of her beloved celestial symbol was gone. With it a vast swath of her powers.
“Cadence! Cadence, are you here?” Luna screamed, stumbling into the hall. The usually bright castle was dark, the halls cold and lifeless. “Anypony?” She pleaded with a crack in her voice.
Noticing the signs of the Fear Curse, Luna cast the counterspell, the irrational emotions leaving her. To an extent. She was actually afraid, but not enough to become a whimpering child.
“Whose there?” She demanded. “I’m beyond such minor hexes!”
“I suppose I should have expected this much from you.”
Ready for a fight, Luna dripped into a battle stance as the sound of clattering hooves drew closer. Her ears twitching at the pair of approaching footsteps. One had an odd rhythm to it.
‘Clop, clop, clop… clop, clop, clop…’
The odd rhythm built upon Luna’s unease, but when that gleaning sword-like horn emerged from the shadows. Luna’s heart sunk, and she indeed became a scared little filly.
“Emerald… Cutter?” Luna couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Her beloved friend, alive once more. The large pulsing scar on Emmy’s barrel only reinforced it was her.
“Aren’t you happy to see her again?” The other pony asked, amused. So focused on her revived friend, Luna barely noticed the pinkish pony. At first, she thought it was an alicorn, but the crooked horn and insectoid wings had her thinking it was some mutant changeling.
“I… I won’t be fooled! Emerald Cutter is dead! And you! I don’t know what you are, but I do not respond well to foolish tricks!”
“You’re not making this very fun, Luna, but I urge you to settle down. Stress can be so bad while pregnant.”
“Pregnant?” Stuttered the Duchess, holding her stomach.
“Is it really so surprising? Here let me, ease that tension.” A peaceful feeling overcame the Lunar Alicorn, her body becoming as limp as pudding. Practically becoming a puddle of goo on the floor.
“Now, let’s get you to bed, my dear. You are carrying the future of our race, after all.”
Luna could barely put up a struggle as she was wrapped in her blankets like a child being put to bed. Try as she might, the more she fought, the more tired she became. The effects only strengthened as the mysterious mare stroked her hair while humming.
Vaguely Luna registered the sight of her natural blue hair falling into her vision but lacked the awareness to be concerned.
“Who are you…” Luna looked to the Emerald look-alike, who had yet to speak. “Both of you.”
“Just think of me as your Mother or perhaps an aunt, if you so prefer. And that over there is Viride Secure. We will be attending to you. Keeping you and your child safe.”
“Save from what?” Luna found it hard to put her thoughts together and was feeling terribly weaker by the second. Between the fluttering of her eyes, Viride’s mane took on ethereal characteristics.
“You need not worry about that or anything. By the time you become a mother again, everything will be fine. So just go to sleep, my sleeping beauty, go to sleep.”
“I’m not… I won’t… Sixes…” With that last utter, Luna fell into a deep slumber.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand your plan, Minerva. Also, must I keep this vessel?” Viride complained as they left Luna’s room. “That little one is weak now, but once she gives birth, her strength will return. The power I stole from her will vanish.”
“That won’t be in eleven to twelve months, relax. So long as you put on Emerald Cutter’s persona when with Luna, she will be too mentally weak to oppose my plans, plus her natural instincts will not allow her to endanger her child. Even after the birth. Besides, it’s not like there is another available vessel around anyway. You’ll just have to cope.”
Viride frowned at being stuck in this strange body. She set it aside to readdress her main concerns. “I still don’t understand why you’re taking the risk of keeping those two alive! They are more likely to fight you than join you!”
“Oh hush, they just need some time to be convinced. Besides, I’m not some savage monster that would kill pregnant mothers. Our race is in such decline right now that it would be a waste to dispose of them.”
Viride transformed her hoof into a claw repeatedly, still fascinated by the trait. “I’ll admit this body isn’t so bad, better than yours at least. How long will you be like that?” Viride asked the Mother of magic as her flesh continued to hiss and steam.
“Not long at this rate, the compatibility is atrociously low,” Minerva stated disappointedly. “I much preferred my last body. In fact, I wish I had your body Viride. It’s evolved into something… more than a mere Alicorn.”
“That’s funny coming from a purist like you. What caused this change?”
“Claws or rather thumbs are so handy, besides that. I realized that perfection is a fallacy. Alicorns maybe the pinnacle of pony kind, but there are new peaks. In the past, only the dragons and a select few could challenge us, so it stands to reason that if we take the dragons’ power for ourselves, what will be left to stand in our way?”
“If you say so, I can certainly bear with this vessel for now, but why let all those creatures free and let Carmilla out?”
Minerva laughed lightly, “I’m taking a page from my sister’s book, separating the wheat from the shaft and all those earthly sayings she spouted. Before, I let tradition and pedigree ruin our tribe and our cause. This time, only the worthy, regardless of linage, will be allowed into my fold.”
“And what of the Pegasi and the Earth ponies? Or the thestrals and Kirin? All the other sub-ponies? Will they be welcomed?” Viride stared narrowly at her former Queen and friend. “Or those Rinin? The Pony Dragons.”
“Except for the Pegasi, all that prove their worthiness will be welcomed.”
“Oh? You’re holding quite the grudge,” Viride laughed. “Not that I can blame you. Tempest did betray us at the eleventh hour. I’m surprised you’d let Gaia’s children off the hook, though.”
“You will come to see in time as I have that Gaia got it right the first time, and it was us who were blind,” Minerva said, confusing Viride.
“Huh, I’m still not convinced, but if you say so. Now…” Viride floated the Amulets in their possession out of her saddlebag. “Who shall I awaken first?” She flaunted the black one playfully in Minerva’s face. “Perhaps your lover?”
Minerva quickly snatched the gem from Viride’s aura. “Leave Romulus Rex to me. I will awaken him in due time. He’ll just get in the way at this stage. As for who to awaken next, I have a special task for you, Viride. In Germane, there is another one like you, an Amulet already inside a vessel. I believe it Ifrit or Helios. The vessel’s name was Overheat, and he was sealed inside of orb of slag with Luna’s doppelganger Lumi.”
“You go into such detail. Are you sure these mortals haven’t corrupted you?”
“I can’t help but spout what I know, now can I? While Overheat is the primary objective, feel free to awaken any of the others if a proper vessel is located.”
“Of, course my Queen.”
Viride leaped through the nearest window with a quick bow, blasting off like a green shooting star across the red sky.
“The Alicorn of Wind and Squalls indeed,” Minerva commented as Viride was already gone from sight. “Now, what to do about Cadence and the other two? Actually, that odd trio is the least of my concerns.
Looking to the east, Minerva could almost feel the presence of the pony she feared the most in this new era. The Goddess of Nippon herself, the most powerful Rinin on the planet, Kira Perfecta Shiroyama.
As her current vessel continued to pop and steam, the flesh degrading faster by the minute. Minerva knew in her state victory was far from ensured. In fact, it was impossible. Good thing she had the foresight to prepare backups.
“Twilight is a bit out of reach, even commanding her back here, it will still be days, and I don’t think I have that. I guess I’ll have to go with plan B. Time to visit Appaloosa.”
In the faraway land of Nippon, in the heights of the royal castle. The living goddess of Nippon was leisurely at rest in her room. Curled around her granddaughter Miso like a dragon around a pile of gold. This was not special treatment for her youngest descendent. Any of her children were free to cuddle with her. They were just too uptight too.
That’s why Kira loved the untainted spirit of Miso. The young filly’s mind wasn’t poisoned by the traditions and foolish ideals of her adult relatives. She loved her children, she truly did, but Kira grew tired of their worship and longed to simply have a family once more.
“Oh, little one, never lose this childishness.” Kira purred while combing Miso’s hair. She invested a lot of time making sure the little one would rebel against the family’s cultist ideal of her. It was most likely a losing battle. All ponies mature as they grow. Inevitable as the sun rose, Miso would outgrow cuddles and playing with dolls, but for now. Kira would enjoy the child’s whimsy.
Tying the snoozing Miso’s hair into a loose ponytail, Kira felt a restlessness overtake her. Forcing her to leave the confront and warmth of her pillow and look out to the sky. The ominous purple red color was certainly new, and the wind carried with it a scent of danger.
Much to her pride, the guardians of Nippon were organizing, and without a decree from her. It was the right call to force… convince… Kusanagi to continue to rule as if she wasn’t here.
Yes, she enjoyed the luxuries of servants and every necessity she could think that was all provided by the Miko. But Kira made sure not to take anything that came from taxes. Her wealth was enough to never have to worry about anything, really. She did not need her ponies to subsidize her way of life.
“They don’t need me anymore; they just don’t want to admit it.” Maybe just like her family and subjects, Kira wasn’t truly ready to separate herself permanently from them. “I’m finally alive in the same era as Luna and Celestia…” Kira looked to Miso, a thought crossing her mind. “Perhaps, I will not need a long slumber anymore.”
How far could she really stretch her life span anyway? It was well past the time for her to step down as the ‘Goddess of Nippon,’ and though she never liked being referred to as such, she understood how important it was for her nation to have a symbol to unify around.
“I need a true successor…” Plans began to meld in her mind. Kira turned sharply to the right, greeted by the arrival of Hazel Thunder. The honey-colored rinin was dressed in a delicate white kimono with blue accents, her hair affixed in a loose bun with needles.
“Lady Kira, I have a report.”
Kira frowned, “This was supposed to be a vacation for you, Hazel.” She stated dowery. “Let my children take care of matters unless it is truly a concern.”
Hazel’s ears flopped against her head, “Oh…”
“Are you disappointed in me?”
“NO! Never, I just…” Hazel trailed off, mumbling her private thoughts softly to the air. The Goddess of Nippon wished the young monster pony would be bolder with her. Speak her mind and all that.
“I’m sure it’s disappointing…” Kira continued ignoring Hazel’s abandoned statement. “You wait to reunite with me, and I am not the pony you admired all those years ago.”
“You will always be an admiral pony to me, Lady Kira!” Hazel stated definitively. “It’s strange, dealing with this more mellow version of you, but I will always respect your teachings, even to this day and after. I know you only took a shine to me because of my resemblance to Emerald Cutter. So, I want to live up to your expectations.”
Kira smiled sadly, staring at the red sky. “I can’t deny it. In the beginning, that was the reason. I am not above such things, but you are your own pony. You and Emmy are so different I have to laugh for even thinking you two were similar. Don’t take that the wrong way.”
“Of course.” Silence filled the room, with Miso’s soft snores the only audible noise. “So… about that report… message, sorry I misspoke.”
“A message, huh? I suppose it would be rude not to hear it out then. Who’s it from?”
“Queen Cadence, it’s brief, but in summary. She believes Equestria will need your assistance soon, and judging by the red sky, it came sooner than predicted.”
At that moment, Kusanagi entered the room. “Great Mother, our spies are reporting… a massive attack by unicorns from all our shinobi around the world. They are attacking every other race while hordes of monsters ravage the lands.”
“What of our Unicorns?”
Kusanagi looked from his scroll to Kira, and then Hazel, and back to his scroll as if it would provide the answer he needed. “I… um… do we have unicorns?”
As serious and stone-faced as a mountain, Kira replied, “I think we do… maybe… like five of them? Hazel, are you considered a unicorn? Do you have the urge to attack Kusanagi or me?”
Nippon was a land of Earth pony and Rinin, with almost every family having some form of Rinin blood in them nowadays. Now that Kira was thinking about it, she wasn’t sure they had any unicorns or pegasi in significant numbers. Isolationism for the win?
Hazel inspected herself, “Nope. I do not.”
“Alright, since that’s settled. Gather our forces and ready the fleets!” At her order, the entire military-industrial complex of Nippon was mobilized. Every soldier was envigored to battle alongside their goddess once more, and many regular citizens volunteered for whatever position was needed. It was the first time in pony history, where an entire nation dedicated it’s self-one hundred percent to war.
The big question that loomed in Kira’s thoughts was who their enemy was? Dusk’s prophecies played like a reel in her mind. Making her dread, she’d have to put down one of her friends.
A feeling of absolute fear engulfed her as Kira donned her armor and tied her hair up. In the reflection of her katana’s, she wondered whose blood would stain her blade.
“Don’t be a pony, I love,” She muttered softly, sheathing the sword. With her weapons strapped to her side, Kira strode out to meet Hazel, Kiri, Kaki, and the Sakura sisters. Together they boarded the Flag Ship Emerald Cutter and set sail for Equestria.
Communications were down, so they’d have to travel there physically or until they got a radio response.
Kira’s worry continued to grow as she thought of Cadence’s message. It had been sent via magic fire, not long before the sky turned red.
“Hurry to our friends! Samurai of Nippon! For the Sake of our friends!”
Kaiserin Chrissy, actually Queen Chrysalis, Queen of the changelings, looked over her adoptive kingdom of Germane. The artistic city was a massive upgrade from her old home in the wastelands, where her children could blend into the population with little trouble. They were even officially welcomed by the Kaiser himself.
Yes, life has changed for the changelings. No longer were they a horde of scavengers. They were part of something greater. Now they were the secret defenders of Germane. How could they not be loyal to their adoptive home? When it filled their bellies with delicious love, which they returned.
Chrysalis, no, she decided, she was Chrissy. A new life deserved a new name. Though it had only been for a show before, she’s been using her cover name so long her real name no longer felt like her real name.
“Pharynx, what is the latest news?” She asked her oldest spawn that emerged out of the shadows as stealthily as a Nippon Shinobi.
“Our spies report chaos, my Queen. Seems the unicorns have joined forces with the monsters against everypony else.”
“I see, and how are the nations responding?” Chrissy inquired with perhaps a touch of genuine concern.
“Those that were not at war are fairing better. Accounting for the number of unicorns in each country, of course. Pegasi seem to be suffering the worse for reasons we don’t understand. It’s almost like they’re being targeted. While earth and other subspecies of ponies are, not unscathed, but not treated as aggressively.” Pharynx articulated skimming through pages of reports. “There is something else of note.”
“And that is?”
“While monsters are attacking in mass, the bulk of them are attacking Dragon lands.”
Chrissy looked to the sky, “So that’s why I haven’t seen any. I would have thought certain Dragonlords would have taken this chance to act, but they are on the defensive, huh? Interesting. It’s almost like this isn’t a random attack.”
“It’s far from a thorough plan, but all signs point to some sort of organization in the unicorn and monster forces. Who or what is the leader is still a mystery. That said, we can only assume we’ll be attacked soon. Our forces are already engaged at what was the frontlines. Our main opponent as of now is Ghoul Ponies.”
Ghoul Ponies, the undead, meaning there was a necromancer involved. It was dark, sinister magic that even made the Changeling Queen shiver. The thought of dealing with rotted flesh-hungry corpses was revolting.
“Have clerics bless the city’s fountains to make Holy water. That’s the most effective against those disgusting creatures.” Chrissy ordered. “Also, gather your brothers and sisters. We’ll be venturing out to aid our troops currently stranded on the Prench border. Any word of Hades yet?”
“The last word has he safely escaped the Peace conference with Titania, thanks to Lady Zeppelin’s obsessive loyalty to your stepdaughter.”
“Yes, we’ll have to cancel that court marshal for running off without authorization.”
Zeppelin running off to save Titania was a massive blow to their home defenses, but what was royal authority for, if not for times like these? Besides, they always planned to save Hades and Titania. Zeppelin just did it without a plan.
“My Queen,” Another changeling announced themselves dropping from the ceiling.
“Speak, Ocellus.”
“A unit in the northwest reports sighting a… well an Alicorn of unknown identity.”
Chrissy turned away from the scenic city to give her spawn her full attention. “Please clarify.”
“It is not, Celestia, Luna, or Cadence. The Alicorn appears to be green in color.”
A new alicorn? That couldn’t be anything other than bad news. Frankly, Chrissy had her fill with Alicorns when Luna hacked off her legs. Or maybe that was Celestia? The details were fuzzy, but she knew one or both sisters had a hoof in her untimely amputation.
“Observe them, but do not engage. Gather our mightiest warriors. I’ll prepare myself for battle just in case.”
“NO!” The collective rebuke of her children was deafening. Chrysalis counted, three, ten? Of her offspring crawling out of their hiding spots. How many were guarding her at a time? The amount of love for her produced a warm, pleasant feeling deep inside of her. (Is this parental love? Huh, I don’t feel hungry either… strange.)
“My Queen,” Pharynx spoke for the group. “Allow us to handle this. You are nearly due.”
“Right, about that… I suppose there’s little point hiding it from you all.” Chrissy pulled the heavy skirt of her dress away to reveal her flat underbelly with a terrible scar. “There were some complications. The child is fine but hanging on by a thread at a secret medical facility. “Hades and I are waiting for the child’s condition to improve before making a public announcement. We haven’t even named them yet, as their life hangs by a thread.”
“But still…”
“Enough, I’m going, but you are more than welcome to accompany me. Individually we changelings don’t pose much of a threat, but together, as a swarm, we are nigh-invincible!”
A resounding, “Yeah!” answered her short yet passioned speech, the warmth growing inside Chrysalis’s body grew hotter.
“Let’s go defend our home! My children!”
Viride Secure, Alicorn of Wind and Squalls, glared at the map Minerva sent her as an afterthought. Turns out her esteemed Queen forgot to mention she moved the vessel during her escape from Germane.
The container laid somewhere between some low mountains, trees, and valleys northwest of the Germane Capital. Four x’s marked the possible locations. With a P.S. reading, “It’s a ball of pulsing magical energy. You should be able to sense it.”
As if that was the easiest thing in the world. Still, even from high in the sky, Viride could feel a powerful presence below. Or it was just the collective life energy of the forest.
“What’s the best way to do this? It is just a big piece of slag, so it should be immune to fire, right? It’s not my specialty, but if I just stir some clouds here and then ZAP! Instant forest fire!”
Viride lit the forest ablaze with a single lightning bolt, using her control of wind to give the little spark the boost it needed to erupt into a massive firestorm that quickly ate through the leaves and other vegetation.
“Ifrit would be proud,” She beamed as the fire grew and grew beyond her control. Gleefully feeding the flames her wind. “Turn it all to ash because it’s trash, trash, trash! La, la, la!”
While watching the unnatural disaster, Viride felt a change in the wind. Something was approaching. It sounded like flies.
“Ah, I forget how infested these forests can be. Did I burn the manure pile you were all buzzing around?” Viride asked the approaching Changelings. Their shock at being spotted was amusing, as they were over a mile away. They were probably surprised to hear her voice, a simple trick of the wind. There was another trick she loved to do to pitiful fools.
In a low voice, Viride whispered, “Mors,” Into the breeze.
That single word was enough to make half of the approaching swarm fall from the sky. It was a simple little-death curse that barely worked a tenth of the time. It only went to show how weak these insects were.
“Charge! Before it’s too late!” Their leader shouted in a panic. The swarm became a hotpot of dangerous flying beasts. Viride wondered if these creatures knew true transformation magic or if it was all fluff. Out of curiosity, she let them get close, raising a claw to halt one of the incoming attacks.
She stopped it effortlessly enough. They might as well be attacking a mountain, but Viride was surprised that there was actual weight behind the attack.
“Where did you get all that mass?” She wondered aloud, tossing the Bugbear changeling aside. Next came Griffons, Rocs, and Harpies. None were the genuine article, but the strength behind the attacks was true. Surprising considering how thin their limbs were.
While deflecting them all with minimum ease, Viride was impressed to see some dragons rearing back. She had been curious if they could replicate natural abilities, and by the three streams of flames, it turns out Changelings could. Yes, she knew what she was fighting. They just didn’t deserve to be named until now.
“How serious, I suppose, I should up my game as well.” Inhaling deeply, Viride let out a loud, resounding, “Mors Magnam Funebris!” This upgraded form of Mors had a much higher success rate. Ninety percent, to be exact.
The reaping winds cut through the swarm surrounding her, and all but one reverted back to their original form and fell to the ground. The one that did clutch their chest still in the guise of a dragon.
“What…” it tried to ask her, gasping for air. “What did you do?”
Viride flew up close, whispering, “This,” Into its ear, and like a puppet with cut strings, the last survivor too fell to the ground dead.
“Too easy, honestly, why don’t they save me the trouble and just kill themselves if they have such weak wills.” She supposed she couldn’t blame the peons. Though it did make her wonder if the peons would ever figure out her ‘death curse’ was her simply shooting air into their hearts.
There were death curses, and she did know them and use them, but really their failure rate isn’t worth the magic. Simple wind manipulation? Nearly zero for her.
“Now, where was I? Right, the Vessel. I feel like I should sense something with that much magic by now… yep! There it is!”
Flying down into the blackened forest, Viride found the pulsing orange-blue rock as Minerva described. Placed in a small craven or maybe a crevice? Whatever, she wasn’t the Alicorn of Mountains. It wasn’t her job to know this stuff.
Approaching the magically charged stone, Viride was cautious. It was certainly lively. Too lively. Upon closer inspection, she found deep cracks all over the surface of the sphere, like an egg about to hatch. Perhaps Minerva was wrong. This wasn’t a vessel but something else.
“Well, come on! Don’t keep me waiting now!” She encouraged whatever was inside. The colors brightened, and there was a low snarl from within the rocky prison. A winged silhouette appeared as the surface of the slag became more transparent, like a crystal.
Viride was genuinely enthralled, eager to see what would come out of this stone egg, but her amusement was interrupted by a significant magic signal.
“Well, you must be the queen of the bugs,” Viride said, turning to face Queen Chrysalis, clad in full battle gear.
The Changeling Queen adorned in black and green armor was outfitted with the best Germane had to offer, her two prosthetic legs configured for combat. Making them much bulkier and more dangerous. Her crooked trident was replaced with something of more fame.
“For the love of… did somepony just put all these legendary weapons in a discount bin somewhere? First Cu’s spear, and now THAT wretched thing!” It wasn’t unreasonable for Viride to so angry at the sight of the weapon the bug Queen wielded. It was the very same one that spelled her doom last time. “Solaris’s fucking spear, Altair Sol!”
Chrysalis said nothing in reply, merely pointing the shining gold spear at Viride. With only a micro of magic channeled into the weapon, a sun the size of a golf ball formed. “Perish! Green Witch! The murderer of my children!”
“Don’t think that’s all it’s takes to defeat me, you pleb!” Viciously Viride manipulated the winds around her into a frenzy, wrapping around the mini Sun and dragging it into the sky. High above in the atmosphere, an explosion shook the air, clearing a massive hole in the clouds. “You don’t have the faintest clue how to use that, do you?”
Chrysalis grit her teeth, unwilling to retort because anything she said would be a lie. She hadn’t the time to acoelomate to the legendary spear Hades spent five fortunes to find. The spear was practically its own living thing, and it was not fond of her.
Despite that, even with her complete incompatibility with the spear, it was still a powerful weapon on her side. Even if she could only use the: Mini Flare Spell.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s more than enough to defeat you!” Chrysalis barked with bravado, charging at the Green Alicorn. Viride used her horn to parry, jabbing and swiping with her claws as the Queen fluttered away. “You don’t seem to be very well coordinated yourself. Those attacks were clumsy!” Chrysalis critiqued engaging in melee again.
“That’s true,” Viride retorted, dodging the Queen’s strikes, half-heartedly counterattacking, choosing to keep her distance for now. “I’m not used to this body, yet, but…” Viride suddenly caught the spear by the shaft, standing bipedal and with two more forelegs emerging from her body. “I’m getting used to it.”
Remembering the fighting style of a dragon from long ago, Viride struck the Queen hard with a left claw, then her right, and mixed in her extra limbs, creating a hail of blows. Seems her body remembered how to fight from its previous owner via muscle memory. It was a weird feeling, almost like the vessel’s soul still lingered. That was impossible. Viride was sure she was the only occupant.
“What else can I do?” Viride wondered as Chrysalis broke away with a bloody nose. The Alicorn pointed one of her claws at the ground and, by some strange force and summoned a ton of emerald gems. “I might have to update my title,” She grinned, sending the rocks flying like arrows.
Chrysalis escaped with a few nicks on her armor. The razor-sharp gems cutting clean through her plate mail, but it was nothing serious. Firing a Mini Flare, she rose into the sky, letting loose some rapid-fire blasts to pin the green Alicorn down.
To counter, Viride created a twister and mixed in some thunder clouds to create a plasma storm. The two attacks met with the Plasma storm absorbing the Mini Flare. The resulting explosion only fueled the storm attack, causing it to grow in size as it barreled towards the bug Queen.
“Look out!” Chrysalis was blitzed from the side, spiraling out of the way to safety. In a brief flash, she saw the child that saved her be eviscerated.
“NO!” She screamed, her heart aching for her lost spawn.
“Protect the Queen! Protect mother!” Pharynx commanded, descending with a large swarm of his siblings upon the Alicorn. Each of them chose their favorite, most powerful imitation. Forcing the Alicorn to contend with Bugbears, Ursa, Hydras, and many more creatures.
“You!” SLASH! “LITTLE!” CRUSH! “FREAKS!”
Viride snared, slobber spilling from her jaws as she put real effort into fighting. Like a beast, she slashed, bit, and gnawed through the swarm. She tore the throat of one, jabbed her spiked knee into another, and whipped a third in the face with her tail. Her body pulsed with power as the wind raged around her, becoming invisible blades of death.
“Ventis Immolantes!” The wind compressed around the Alicorn expanded in a deadly whirlwind, creating a fine red mist in its wake. All twenty Changelings that engaged the Alicorn were erased entirely. Not a trace of their existence remained. What was left was a panting, snarling, Viride. Whose sole focus was on their precious Queen, “YOU! Insignificant bug!”
Chrysalis paid her no mind, too shell shocked by the horrible death of her spawn, no her children. The pounding of her heart was so deafening that she couldn’t even hear Viride’s scornful words. Like a drum was pounding in her ears.
“Pharynx,” She uttered, unable to process that her oldest, most beloved son was gone and in such a gruesome way. “Ocellus…” The young daughter with such promise, who could have become a Queen in the future. “My children…” Chrysalis touched her cheek, finding tears. “My beloved, children… YOU KILLED THEM!”
Power came from deep within her, not of burning hatred, but of warmth and compassion. It had always been there, beneath the surface. It was love. Not the stolen love her kind feasted on, but the love she had, the love her children had. Love she wished she could have shared with them but would never be able to now.
Viride stuttered in her rant when a pinkish vortex swirled around the Changeling Queen. Suddenly the black insect pony was a much brighter cream color, with bright teal green hair, transparent purple wings, and curved blade-like horn.
The Queen’s magic was also much more substantial. It was beyond noticeable; it was a threat!
“What the hell!”
Chrysalis reared back, Altair Sol resonating perfectly with her. The legendary spear shining with the radiance of five suns! With eyes burning bright gold like a pony possessed, Chrysalis said something that made Viride shutter.
“Galactic Incineration!” Not one, not two, but ten miniature suns the size of train cars formed, each raining down beams of flaming death.
It took all Viride had, magic, physical prowess, instinct, and luck to weave through the onslaught. It wasn’t merely about teleporting away. She knew from past experience that wouldn’t be enough. The attack would follow her until the suns were extinguished or she died.
Last time she died.
This time she dodged, countered, and grit her teeth through the storm. Sparing no expense in regards to her magic supply. She threw up defense barriers that could have stopped a meteor that lasted only a second in the face of this attack. And every second was another investment towards living.
(That bitch! How does she know this attack! It’s Solaris’s… the damn spear! It’s using her as a medium!) It wasn’t crazy to believe a piece of Solaris’s soul, the Alicorn of Stars and Light, was inside her spear. She certainly wielded it long enough for it. Such was the case with any weapon that gained a will of its own.
“ALMOST THERE!” Viride broke through the bombardment, escaping the rain of flaming death as the suns fizzled out of existence. The Bug Queen was still in that new form but was clearly exhausted, the spear sapping all of her strength. It made Viride give a boastful, “Ha ah!” In victory.
“Don’t think the same trick works twice, Solaris!” She raved, absolutely exasperated. Viride hadn’t felt this great since her last mate, and that was a long time ago.
Trembling from surviving, Viride prepared to finish off the Queen, only for her own magic to fizz out and her limbs to lock. Seems she used up all her magic as well.
“Dammit!” She seethed as the bug Queen crashing to earth. Viride ground her teeth, trying to think of a way to fight when a loud “CRACK” noise caught her attention. She looked over to the slag, unharmed, and saw a blue leg with orange claws sticking out of the shell.
The slag sphere crumbled, revealing a blue pony with six legs, bright red wings, an orange mane and tail, and miss-matched eyes of teal and orange. Minerva had said the vessel would likely be male, but by the slenderness of the pony’s body, she was guessing it was female. Interesting.
The newly freed Alirin? Viride didn’t know what to classify it as. It had a horn, wings like any alicorn would, but it had several rinin features, claws, fangs, sporadic scales, and a serpent-like tail. Putting the Hybrids appearance aside, its magic was something else.
If Viride was humble, this newborn, the size of an adult… no more like a teenager. Was as powerful as her. (Time to make an excellent first impression.)
“Hello there… little one! Why don’t you tell Auntie Viride your name?”
“Name…” The Blue Alirin rasped, its voice soft and meek. It seemed surprised by its own words. “My name… Permaflame, Perma for short. Are you… am I… we… kin?”
“Yes, yes, dear, we’re as close to kin as we can be!” Viride said jovially, dashing over to Perma to embrace the Alirin. “You’re a real lifesaver. I was about to be done in by that horrid creature over there.” The Alicorn of Wind directed Perma’s gaze to the gasping Changeling Queen. “See? That’s a bad monster! She tried to kill me!”
“Bad… monster…” A fire lit in the young Alirin. That wasn’t a metaphor. Fire literally spewed from her eyes. A bright azure flame that released snow dust instead of smoke. Blue cracks appeared along her barrel as it’s expanded, Perma rearing back to attack.
Chrysalis managed to raise off the ground when she heard the echo of Perma’s attack. The wall of blue firing came right at her. Though exhausted, she hobbled away as best she could. It was for not as the flames engulfed her, but they were strange. They didn’t burn. In fact, they were cold!
“What…” Her teeth chattered restlessly, frost covering her body. Solaris’s spear clattered to the ashen ground as she floundered around, eventually falling to the ground. She was so cold. Chrysalis curled her body for warmth, but she only grew weaker.
“That’s great, Perma!” Viride praised ruffling the Alirin’s mane. The new being relished the touch like a puppy, cooing and leaning in for more affection.
As much as she hated to admit it. Minerva was right about this whole Alirin thing. Her vessel was just a modified body, but this newborn. This hybrid. Was something else. Still, it was strange the coloration and the gender was wrong. This was supposed to be Ifrit, right?
Giving Perma a closer inspection, she found a pulsing, orange core in her barrel where her heart was likely to be. It looked like a dragon’s core, but she could tell it was where the Orange Alicorn Amulet was located. Or that’s what she thought it was.
There was no presence, no soul, just pure power. Whatever events unfolded in that rocky shell, it merged the two ponies inside into one and incorporated the Alicorn Amulet too. This was beyond a new vessel; this was a new Ascension!
Following the frozen flames that formed in the wake of Perma’s breath attack, Viride was inspired to say, “Permaflame, the Alicorn… Alirin of Frozen Flames. Yes, that is what you are, my dear new kin!”
“Kin!” Perma yipped excitedly like a kid.
“Yes… mental age, aside, you are frighteningly powerful.” Viride nervously stated. If it was this easy to gain this little one’s trust, she made the right move. Had any pony else gotten to Perma first, she’d be dead! “Now, let’s go finish off that bad monster.”
“Bad monster!”
Approaching at their leisure Viride was salivating at what she could do to the Bug Queen for revenge. Her fantasies were interrupted when Perma pushed her aside, saving her from an attack from above.
“Oh, what now!” She decried at the new arrivals. And there were a lot of them! One of those Iron Airships floated in the sky above her, its fighters pouring out.
It was the Otto.
“Save Kaiserin Chrissy! At least I think that’s her!” Zeppelin rallied her unit with the Equestrians alongside them. A total of twenty-five ponies and one dragon, Obara, dived in to save the Queen.
“We’ll take those two!” Sixes volunteered Fury, Essex, and Obara with a few of Zeppelin’s auxiliary units. He barked at them to support him as he and the others touched down between the two Alirin and Queen. Zeppelin quickly extracted the Queen via gurney, promising to be back as soon as possible.
An uncomfortable feeling passed through the Evernight ponies as they got a better look at Viride’s face. It was one Sixes, and Fury knew all too well.
“Emerald Cutter…” Fury trailed off, not believing his eyes.
“Just her face,” Viride stated, too tired to try and put on an act. “I’m just a renter, but I wouldn’t mind purchasing if you catch my meaning.” Saddling up beside Perma, Viride sized up her new opponents. In her present state, if she were alone, that would be it. Good thing she wasn’t. “Let Auntie catch her breath, Perma.”
“Yes!” The child-minded Alirin cheered, letting loose another freezing flame attack. This seemed like the perfect time to glean some intel. Viride reckoned, sitting back to observe.
“Hit her hard!” Sixes ordered, unleashing lava. The air cracked as heat and ice collided. His lava was utterly outclassed, instantly becoming a slag of black rock while the blue flames exploded every which way, creating a fascinating ice sculpture that looked like an explosion cloud.
Fury and Obara paired up to do a double Flame breath, creating a mixture of orange and green. Perma dashed through the flames, completely unharmed. The Alirin fired blue fireballs that froze on impact. One caught Fury, turning his left foreleg into a block of ice. When he hit the ground, it shattered, leaving him with a stub.
“Don’t get hit by that,” He warned all non-regenerating creatures.
With a howl, Essex created her cursed nails, diving in for close combat. Her fierce assault caught Perma unprepared. The less than fifteen minutes year old, quickly backpedaled, uncertain how to deal with the attacks.
“Come on!” Essex, try as she might, couldn’t hit Perma. The Alirin’s speed was something else, or maybe it was something else? She stopped short, letting Perma getaway. The little shit had been creating copies made out of ice crystals!
“Essex!” Sixes yelled at her, giving her enough warning to fly up to avoid Perma’s flaming ice. Obara flew in with some wind breath as cover, surprisingly effective as the blue flames solidified into ice.
The four regrouped overhead, a bit confused why Perma wasn’t going airborne. When the Alirin, upon analyzing their wing rhythms, began to beat her wings. Awkwardly gaining lift with her legs flailing wildly.
“Auntie!” Perma cried, not knowing how to fly in the slightest.
“Right, right, I caught my breath. You go somewhere I can see you.” Viride patted Perma on the head for her effort, but this required an experienced pony. “Alright, Rinin? Was it? And we have a dragon here, a runt, but still legally a dragon. Perfect. Please show me what this new modern age is made of.”
“Who the hell are you,” Was not the first thing Viride expected in their banter, but she felt obliged to answer. “How rude of me. The Filly in a mare’s body is Permaflame, and I’m Viride Secure, Alicorn of Wind, Squalls, and Emeralds. The last one is a new addition. I was told you lot managed to take down Vulcan…barely.” She tacked on with an amused smirk.
“And you’re tougher?” Essex replied cattily, her accent ticking up. “Ya don’t look much more than a twig! Vulcan was all spit, piss, and vinegar! And a fucking mountain!”
“And smart as one, but I digress, it’s easier to show you I’m in a different league. You lot don’t even make the playoffs. Or so Atalanta would say, I hope I can find her gem.” She whispered that last one as she made sure her saddlebag was secured.
Sixes and the others were put on guard as two small vortexes formed around Viride. The Green Alirin stuffed storm clouds inside the swirling tornadoes, creating plasma. Following that, she summoned an ungodly number of emeralds from the ground.
“Do you know what a Railgun is? No? Let me teach you the basic principles!” Viride loaded a gem into each vortex, each vanished into the spiraling electrical whirlwind, or it seemed. Sixes and the others heard the explosion well after it happened.
The Kaiser’s flagship, the Otto, a 50-ton aerial battleship with twelve-inch-thick armoring, just suffered an impact greater than any of its rivals could deliver. The two gems, no bigger than a pony’s hoof, ripped through the armor, through the interior walls, and out the other side.
Unluckily, one of those gems cut through the ammo supply. The ensuing explosion nearly broke the ship in half as it freefell to the ground.
Sixes and the other didn’t have time to gawk at the exploding fireball behind them. Viride’s attack was still going and showing no signs of slowing down as the mock six projectiles ripped through the air.
Perhaps their only good fortune was Viride wasn’t taking the time to aim, choosing to blanket the sky with flak instead. Still, it wasn’t like any of them could see the attacks coming beyond the distortions in the air. Pure luck and guessing their flight path were their only saving grace.
“Look out!” Fury shoved Essex and Obara aside, taking three gems center mass. Providing a gruesome example of their fates, as the red rinin was all but eviscerated. Barely a feather or scale remained.
“It’s Fury! Keep on!” Sixes barked, snapping the other two out of their stupor. Turning gold, Sixes hurriedly crafted the Aegis, a legendary shield that Viride recognized instantly. Obara and Essex took refuge behind the massive gold shield. Using it to gain ground against the Green Alirin.
“Don’t think that knockoff will save you!” Viride spat, focusing her attack.
Cracks began to appear in the mighty shield, its resilience much lower than the original. The edges started to give way, chunks of gold breaking off, the emerald gems punching through.
Viride licked her lips, eager for the moment the three tried to escape. She had every path in her sights. They’d be swiss cheese no matter which way they tried to run!
“Auntie! Look out!”
“Huh?” Viride was engrossed in the battle and could barely comprehend what Perma was trying to warn her about before it was too late. A powerful presence caught her attention. She looked left, spotting Zeppelin, flying in hard in full Blessed mode. She looked to her right, finding Titania in a similar state. “Fuck.”
Viride canceled her Railgun Vortex, backpedaling in the nick of time to avoid a two-for-one press. She didn’t get much of a chance to breathe easy as both earth ponies chased after her but were intercepted by Perma, who, in a frightening display of power, created a mountain of ice to defend Viride.
The green Alirin just caught her breath when she felt a tingle in her spine. Grabbing Perma, she flew into the sky just as a golden streak blew through the ice wall. Viride got a clear look at Sixes’ gold form, quickly recognizing the dwindling soul inside the rinin.
“Midas…” Viride was taken back that one of her kind could be subdued like that. A mere mortal overcoming the power of an alicorn and using it for themselves? Surely Minerva knew about this? If it could be done, the risk of her sealed brethren being used against them was high.
“Got you!” Essex came out of nowhere slashed at Viride and Perma but instead ripped open the Viride’s saddlebag, causing Alicorn Amulets to rain from the sky. Viride grabbed what she could, but three slipped away.
The Rose, Cyan and Lapis Amulets.
“No, Shala, Theia, Shiva!” Viride placed her claw over the hole to prevent losing anymore. She dived to retrieve the three, but the Lapis veered off wildly, and the Rose and Cyan… were snapped up into Essex’s mouth. Viride decided to cut her losses with a growl, and with a flash of her horn, she teleported Perma and herself away.
“Essex spit them out!” Sixes shouted. Eating one Alicorn Amulet was dangerous enough, but two would be pure suicide. Thankfully his sister did just that and dropped the two Amulets on the ground. “Fury!”
As if on command, Fury materialized with the Lapis Amulet. The three couldn’t help but marvel at the bounty before them. Essex and Fury couldn’t help but eye their respective favorite Amulet. The Lapis caught the red Rinin’s eye, while the Cyan held Essex’s attention.
“Now is not the time,” Sixes pocketed the three gesturing towards the disaster of the Otto. Perhaps more importantly, the presence of Titania and Zeppelin. It was unclear if the two saw the relinquishing of the amulets, but it would not do to make a scene with their uncertain ally while the Capital guard entered the scene.
“What do we do?” Essex asked in a subdued tone.
“Collect Obara, and then we’ll check on Celestia. Hopefully, we can start heading home soon, or at best, take her to Nippon to recover.”
Agreeing to the plan, the three Evernight’s went to collect their ruler’s sister.
Retrieving Celestia from the wreckage was much easier than predicted. The Germane crew was efficient at damage control. Having safely (Relatively) landed the Otto and put out the fires. The Kaiser and other VIPs were evacuated until it was deemed safe. It was rendered somewhat mute as the capital defense fleet arrived.
They were only small frigates and destroyers but enough to act as a rescue team. A medical ship landed, accepting the wounded Celestia and Kaiserin Chrissy. In a strange twist of fate, the two royals that once tried to kill each other shared the same room.
The Kaiser saw his lover off, sporting a gash on the head bandaged by a passing medic, which he ushered off to tend to others. As much as he wanted to be by his Kaiserin’s side. Hades knew he had other places to be.
With the support of his daughter, he ventured across what had been a national forest to Sixes’ little group, which was making its way towards him. The two not allies, but not enemies, kept several paces away as military and medical staff scurried around them.
“Well, this is quite the mess,” Hades said with a joyless smile. “Perhaps we could go somewhere more private?” He pointed his hoof at the medical ship that carried their respective leverage.
With little reason to refuse, the three rinin and the dragon accepted the Kaiser’s offer. Changing locations to inside the ship. It was rather apparent the Kaiser merely wished to be as close to his lover as possible.
Really there was little to be said between the two groups. This meeting was more a formality to their shared objective of defeating Minerva.
“So,” Hades began, knowing there was no time to prattle anymore. “That’s a taste of what we face. That was Viride Secure, one of Minerva’s allies from yesteryear. To think she’s awakened such a powerful ally so soon. It’s as if luck is on her side or, perhaps, Fate herself. Perma is troublesome, but she’s merely raw power with no experience. Leave her too long, and that will quickly change.”
“Do you think we don’t know that?” Fury scoffed. “I don’t know your opinions of us, but we are a might more intelligent than you give us credit for.”
“Believe me, Fierce Fury, I know not to underestimate you. You’ve evolved beyond my imagination. On the other hoof, I would appreciate it if you didn’t disregard my many lifetimes of experience and first account knowledge. I doubt any record even remains of Viride and those like her. Which is why, before you all go off on your suicide mission, I recommend you sit put and give me time.”
“Time for what?” Sixes asked warily.
Hades raised his hoof dramatically, “Firstly, for you to recover, secondly Celestia’s recovery. Germane technology and my alchemy will have her back on her feet in no time. Finally…” The Kaiser appeached the three speaking softly. “Give you time to properly absorb those little gifts Viride carelessly dropped. Three days is all I ask. Wait three days, and I will provide you my fastest ship and my most capable warriors.”
It was a deal almost too good to refuse, yet Sixes was wary. “Give me a moment.” He excused himself from the room and snuck into Celestia’s ward. He tiptoed past the resting Kaiserin to stand by his sister-in-law’s side.
“Should you be using magic in your state?” He asked the Sun Princess, who’d been listening via telepathy. Sixes himself acting as the medium. It made things easier as he didn’t have to explain things to the Princess. She already knew.
“Probably not…” Celestia wheezed. Her barrel wrapped tightly in bandages, the smell of burnt flesh lingering on her. “I already know what you’re thinking.”
“Then I shouldn’t need to say it.”
Celestia smiled, her eyes still closed. “It’s nice to know you care so much, compared to before, you’d sooner help roadkill than me. It’s refreshing.” The Sun princess let out a slow, uneasy breath. “If you’ll wait for me, I wish, no need to fight. Whatever the Kaiser’s proposal, be it a miracle or a curse, I wish to undergo his treatment.”
“He’ll probably use alchemy to rebuild your body and fill in that gaping hole. He might even make other… adjustments.”
“That’s fine,” Celestia replied, determined. “The reward is worth the risk. You know better than any pony what rushing in unprepared results in.”
“Three days,” Sixes sighed. “That’s all. If you’re not ready by then, we’re leaving you behind.”
“That’s agreeable,” Celestia said as the rinin took his leave. The Sun Princess could only let out a tired sigh and a stare longingly at the ceiling. All but biting off her own tongue.
“You seemed troubled… Sun bitch…” Chrysalis spat weakly from her bed. “Your filled with such… worry… worry for a loved one. Now, who could that be? I wonder? It’s a shortlist for you, isn’t it? There is truly only one pony in the whole world who you love this much, right?”
Celestia’s expression soured. Beyond her own faint connection to her Sun, she could barely feel the presence of the moon, of Luna. Her sister was in trouble. And there was nothing to be done about it presently.
“It must be so hard to lie like that, or maybe it’s second nature to you now?”
“I told no lies,” Celestia replied, looking away from the brighter colored Changeling. “I only failed to inform Sixes. Though it’s faint, I know Luna is ok, weakened, but alive. She doesn’t seem to be in fear for her life as of yet. If things change, then so will my response.”
“And pray tell, what would you do half the world away?” Chrysalis asked with genuine interest.
“I would ensure her husband got to her, no matter the costs. She deserves that much from me in the very least.” Celestia said firmly, looking straight at the Queen with fearless eyes.
Chrysalis could only whistle and stare at the ceiling, “My, how scary love is. Yet, I understand it better now. I would do the same, or I believe I would if it were Hades or Titania.”
Celestia smiled at the transformed Changeling. “Perhaps, you and I…”
“If you say we could be friends or anything related to that Magic of Friendship dribble, I’ll stab you with your mother’s spear.”
“Well, this is fine too.” Celestia chuckled. On the inside, though, she prayed to whatever gods were left that her sister was safe. (Dusk… if you’re watching, please show us the way forward.)
She doubted the Alicorn of Time would or could answer. The Sun Princess could only hope the choices and events unfolding lead to a future worth fighting for.
“Three days… I just need a little more time… wait for me, Luna, Twilight.” Celestia mumbled as she let sleep take her once more.
Viride Secure listed lazily around some random peak, it was random by modern knowledge, but it was special to her. Near and dear to her heart, her home. Having long given up trying to find any ruins, she landed on the ledge near the peak. Her charge, Permaflame, Perma for short, was out like a light. The poor thing exhausted from using magic for the first time.
The Alirin of Wind, Squalls, and Emeralds found herself exhausted as well, famished to boot.
Snapping her claws, Viride summoned emeralds and bit into them. Now eating a gemstone should have come with some hesitation, yet she had none. Was it just her new body? Or something else? Either way, emeralds tasted like… green apple candy. Sour with a hint of sweetness.
“I was expecting a saltier flavor, honestly.” What else was she supposed to expect from something buried underground? “Here, have some too, kid.” Viride tossed a few over to Perma, who ate them without complaint.
Mindlessly munching on gemstones, Viride enjoyed the breeze coming off the sea down below. She didn’t know what this placed was called now. She didn’t know what country claimed her Mountain as part of its map. It didn’t matter. This was her home.
“Those little shits… acting so high and mighty! I’m a god compared to them! They’re… they’re…” She angrily munched on another gem. After eating five more, Viride felt her anger recede slightly. Mournfully she pulled out the remaining Alicorn Amulets, her friends.
She had eleven, and now seven, since Minerva kept Rex with her. Levitating the seven amulets, she tried to awaken the slumbering souls inside. “Help me find a vessel or any of the others.” With the wind whirling around her, Viride let the silent voices of her fellow Alicorns travel across the land.
Three of the gems shined, indicating they found a vessel.
“My, my, Fate must be at work,” Viride smirked, breaking an emerald in half. “See you in Canterlot!”
With a snap, she sent the three sailings across the sky on the winds. These three amulets flew across the land, far away from their origin, to their anticipated vessels like shooting stars.
One flew southwest towards the deserts of Saddle Arabia to the high mountains towering over the desert. This amulet was a deep Royal blue, the surface of the crystal ablaze with ghostly flame. The second amulet was yellow, Banana yellow as strange as it might sound. Flew to the far east, to the mountains of Nippon. The final and third amulet, a deep sinister purple wine color, veered towards Clydesdale.
Saddle Arabia, The Mountain of the Old Stallion, Home of the Bicorns
A lone Bicorn stood atop a ledge, clad in a black robe with a bleached bone mask over its face. The wind blew up his cloak, revealing his taught muscles. This was no ordinary pony. He had no actual name. Instead, he bore the title, The Nineteenth Old stallion of the Mountain.
Since that was a mouthful, he merely introduced himself as Nineteenth Hassan, Cursed Hoof, was another name he wore. He was the guardian of Saddle Arabia, unofficially. It was a thankless duty passed down in the Bicorn Clan. Even though they are regarded as wicked, evil ponies. Unfit to even step foot in the ‘civilized’ kingdoms.
These words were meaningless; Hassan had no need for civil pleasantries and no time for ignorant fools. Which is why he watched the destruction playing out in the valley below like a foul play. Their ‘neighbors’ the Saddle Arabian Dragons, ruled by Dragonlord Azazel, were under an unprecedented attack.
Monsters and unicorns were united in an all-out assault against the dragons. The old dragon is as old as the first Hassan, Alicorn of Justice, Terror and Death, and the Bicorns’ Father. Ancient texts were hard to read, ok? Even if the titles were conflicting, that’s what his forefathers left for him.
That was enough about the past. Hassan needed to be in the present.
It was an all-out war, and Hassan didn’t see any reason to get involved at this moment. Or more accurately, he knew better than to get involved. As much as he would have liked it, he could not face Azazel and win. His death would be a pointless one. His fabled strength was not before the ancient dragon.
With a heavy sigh, Hassan turned away from the conflict with little conflict in his decision. He was the guardian of Saddle Arabia, but so long as the monsters were invading the Dragon lands and the dragons stayed there, he was not neglecting his duty.
“The words of a coward who strays from his duties.” Hassan froze at those words. His heart frozen with a terror he could not shake. “Still, if this is the only vessel I have, I have no choice. Even a coward like you carries my blood. Fear not, Nineteenth Hassan. I will wipe the tarnish from your name. Rejoice as you will truly become the Old Stallion of the Mountain.”
Nineteen felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck, the presence of another slipping into his mind. He struggled against the mental attack, but his opponent was something else, something beyond convention.
He strangled one final laugh, “I suppose… the legend was true… of what happens when we stray from the path. I never… thought it would be possible.”
First-Hassan felt the soul of his descendant fade away. It was a shame to snuff out the young stallion’s soul, but it was his duty. “A coward he was, but he did not wane in his training.” Hassan admired his vessel’s physique. He could work with this. “A few minor changes are needed.”
The curved horns on the side of his head lengthened considerably, curving upwards. His already massive body grew even more muscular while wings sprouted from his back. Hassan was as he was his last day alive. His power the same as well.
That wasn’t enough. Hassan wanted something new, something like Viride had.
Hassan looked across the ridge to the raging battle in the Dragon lands. His old foe Azazel fighting courageously. The gold and white serpent dragon spitting fire and lightning upon his enemies.
Materializing his sword, a great broadsword, Hassan looked eagerly at his old foe with shining azure eyes. “Let us finish that inconclusive duel.” Soaring forward, Hassan wondered what powers the core of a Dragonlord would grant him. “Look upon me and know death! Azazel!”
Nippon, Mount Rashomon, home of the Oni-Ponies.
The Oni-ponies were considered the Bicorns of Nippon. The twin curved horns protruding from their foreheads isolated them from regular unicorns and didn’t endear themselves to the Earth pony-centric Nippon. Even with the rapid acceptance of Rinin ponies, they found little favor as centuries of slander worked against them.
Their only compensation was that Nippon’s Goddess gave them their own fief to live away from the general populace. It was an acceptable compromise, but it didn’t improve their standing either. They were still feared as the Demon Ponies of Mount Rashomon.
Mount Rashomon, the resting place of the former Dragonlord of Nippon, didn’t help their reputation. Building their city on the bones of the fallen dragon coiled around the Mountain seemed like a good idea at the time. What better building material was there? Dragon bones were sturdy as they came.
At the peak of the Mountain, the skull of the former tyrant rested on the mount. The skeleton grin of the dragon visible for miles on a clear day. Inside the head rested the shrine of Ibaraki, their mother. Alicorn of Wickedness, retribution, and Self-indulgence.
The Miko, a young filly with yellowish banana-toned fur, a long blonde mane, and two red curved horns, burned incents at the altar while chanting. The shrine housed the three relics of their tribe: Ibaraki’s iron rod, banner, and flowing golden robes.
In the middle of her chant, Miko felt a strange sensation hit her. Like she’d been stabbed. Her bright, innocent blue eyes widened as she felt around for evidence of the wound but could feel nothing, nor did any bloodstain her hoof. Yet, she grew weak and soon slummed forward.
When she arose, her eyes were burning gold, with slits. The ceremonial robes she wore were torn asunder as fiery golden wings sprouted from her back. The Miko was now Ibaraki.
“How nice,” Ibaraki said, stretching her new body. “Everything is right here… except for my sword. Shame, the rod will be fine.” Levitating her belongings over, Ibaraki was excited to get into the fray as soon as possible, only to frown when her attire fell loosely around her. Nearly swallowing her in the fabric.
“This body… is much smaller than my original one.” She noted sourly. Was this filly even a teenager? “No matter, I will be making some improvements soon enough.”
Stepping out in the mouth of the slain dragonlord, Ibaraki was confident she could grow a few inches with the provided material. Setting her hoof on the surface of the worn bone, she got to work.
“Let’s see. I think alchemy works like this, right?” The Alicorn wondered as the remains of the dragon lord began to deteriorate. Her children were making a fuss, but that was no matter. She needed some extra materials anyway. “Oh Shuten, my dear sister, I’ll wake you soon enough.”
The last Alicorn amulet, the sinister purple one, flew towards Clydesdale. It weaved through the raging battle waged by Dragonlord Oberon and his clan. The mighty lord just smashed a siren back into a marsh, turning the mossy green water red as he ripped out its throat.
Its destination was a lone hut out in the marshes that bordered the dragon’s territory. Inside this hut was the most appropriate vessel for this amulet.
The occupant was a witch.
Oberon noticed the flash of purple light while he took a moment to catch his breath from battle. He held no quarry with the pony witch, thus ignored her for all these years. Yet, now he could no longer feel her usual black magic.
Now he sensed something far worse.
The door to the hut slammed open, and the witch or something that looked like her exited. Her coat was a deep purple, nearly black, her horn longer than before, and a pair of inky black raven wings were at her side. The feathered appendages were so large that they dragged on the ground like a ballroom gown.
Oberon had seen this kind of creature before. He knew an alicorn when he saw one. Rising to his full height, he glared down at the beast, who looked back with star-shaped purple pupils and an ethereal black mane. The squawking of crows filled the sky as the blackbirds landed on the bare trees.
For most, this would be merely disturbing, but in Clydesdale, Ravens were the symbol of death. He’s heard the tale of one creature said to be the bringer of doom, as told to him by his grandfather.
“Are you the Morrigan?” He asked warily. The Alicorn’s starry pupils shined with a foreboding light as she cocked her head like a bird, smiling sweetly. Oberon settled down for a fight, the Alicorn’s silence unnerving the mighty dragonlord. “Well, must we do this?”
“It’s already done,” Morrigan stated matter of fact. “You just don’t realize it.”
Oberon charged, snarling mad as every fiber of his being screamed at him to slay the creature before him. He splashed through the swamps, creating a hundred miles an hour gusts with his wings, spewing lightning from his mouth, and reaching with his massive claws to crush the awakened Alicorn.
Morrigan didn’t do anything to evade. Instead, she approached the raging dragon as if it were a yipping puppy. Her body breaking apart into a murder of crows. In this form, she swarmed Oberon, pecking and nipping at his scaly hide.
He roared and flailed, swatting at the crows like they were mosquitoes, yet for every crow killed, an inky black substance stained his body. Seeping into his flesh and causing decay. His movements slowed, his arms and wings rotting off as he slank into the marsh.
Morrigan materialized atop his back, no worse for wear. It was as if she hadn’t just fought one of the most powerful creatures on the planet.
“I suppose,” She bemoaned, tugging at Oberon’s heart. “If everypony else is doing it.”
With a swift and sure tug, she ripped the Dragonlord’s heart free, biting into the still-beating organ. As the blood dripped down her chin, she smiled with bits of heart in her herbivore teeth that slowly began to sharpen to meat rendering fangs.
“Now, I better go say hi, to ‘Big’ Sis. I’m sure she’s missed me terribly.”
Former-Dragonlord Torch let out a trumpeting roar as he crushed the last of the interlopers. Subduing the marauding horde of lesser creatures was a simple task. He may have stepped down as Dragonlord, but that did not make him any less powerful. In fact, the only thing he lost by giving up the Blood Scepter to his daughter was the ability to call the other dragons to him by force.
Really it was much easier to fight by himself. No puny young dragons to worry about crushing. Torch was free to rage like in the old days, back when he and the other Dragonlords had all been near hatchlings themselves.
Yes, the old gang, Oberon, Azazel, Yamato, and the rest. Couldn’t forget all the dragonesses that became their mates later on.
Torch truly missed the times when they were all simple dragons. Before, they all became lords and could possibly be what the ponies called friends.
As much fun as he was having, Torch was concerned as he flicked away the corpses into a nearby lava pool. A force of this size would have put even the toughest of the youth against the wall. His daughter was no exception.
It was not the obligation of a former ruler but a loving father that he set out to end the threat before word could even reach Ember. And yet, as he basked in the blood of his enemies, he felt uneasy, like something was still lurking in the shadows.
Being a relatively straightforward being, he demanded it to reveal itself or be burned in a sea of fire. Much to his amusement, a tiny single being stepped out. A lavender unicorn, no. It was something else.
“Another Alicorn, huh?” Torch bellowed to the pony no larger than his smallest talon. “Pray do tell, what Princess are you?”
“I’m not your run of the mill Alicorn,” it replied. “Now that I have a suitable vessel, I, how do they say, want to break it in. I’m the Alicorn of Magic, Mother of Unicorns, Minerva.”
Minerva, now with the body of Gleam Sparkle, flaunted the power her previous bodies could never hope to contain, less they turn to ash. She thought about taking Cien, but it was better to allow the mother to raise her baby. Make sure her future vessels get proper nutrition and all.
The Grandmother was so earnest about laying down her own life that it would have been entirely heartless to not accept her willing offering. And it’s not like Gleam was so old her body wasn’t suitable. In fact, Gleam was just the right age. Minerva felt like she was in her prime once more!
“I still miss some things from my VeeVee vessel, though,” Minerva said candidly, not really speaking to Torch, who scrunched his brow in confusion. “This body could use some upgrades. I need materials, though.”
“Oh? You seek to harvest me? Don’t think I will fall so easily.”
“I know you won’t, but that’s what makes you so worth it! Zil, Twilight!” At the behest of their master, the two unicorns flanked the Dragonlord from both sides. “Let’s put that friendship magic to the test!”
Torch roared in defiance at the three ponies. Getting blasted from both sides and head-on. Magic bullets penetrated through Torch’s thick hide, and out the other side, one of his mighty horns broke, falling to the ground, along with his left eye. Which was destroyed in the barrage.
Minerva laughed as the former Dragonlord continued on despite the damage. Even if he died, his body would still continue moving via inertia. It would be simple to dodge the moving Mountain of flesh either way, but she took it as a personal challenge.
“Our ages are over! It’s time for something new! Something beyond Dragon or Alicorn!” Activating the alchemy circle she set up prior, Minerva watched as Torch’s body disintegrated into nothing, followed by hers.
As her consciousness faded, Minerva wondered if Gaia’s grandchild would be surprised that she knew his little alchemy magic. He shouldn’t be. She was the Alicorn of magic. Even if she didn’t invent it, she knew how to use it. It was merely a matter of knowing it existed.
When the lights of the circle died down, Minerva stood reborn for the third time in a week. She was no longer an Alicorn nor an Alirin. She was an Alirin Lord; it was the beginning of a new age, her second coming. Or tenth, but who was counting?
Minerva didn’t have long to relish her victory. Having sensed the others of her kind awakening. Seems Viride found some proper vessels. But who was coming back? Of those available, there were a few troublesome ones. This is why she held onto Romulus Rex; she could do without her lover for the time being. Mainly because of him cheating on her with her sister. Not Tempest or Gaia. No, her twin sister, Morrigan.
The horny prick.
The world shuttered as three tremendous beings came back to the world of the living. It wasn’t something normal ponies could sense, but for Minerva, she might as well be standing right there witnessing the event personally.
“Hassan, it’s nice to have a dependable and non-cheating stallion like that around. Ibaraki, she’s a bit immature but easily enough to control. Eh… fucking dammit! Morrigan?”
How did she manage to miss her own twin’s amulet? To be fair, it’s not like Minerva knew what color every Alicorn was. There were plenty of repeats. How many red, green or blue amulets have been found already? Still, she could always kind of tell who it was. So Morrigan must have hidden her presence. “She probably knew I wouldn’t want to wake her up right away.”
“Indeed, I did, dear sister.” Minerva wheeled around to face her twin, who was also sporting some draconic features now. The power radiating from her was clearly that of a Dragonlord. The mother of unicorns wasn’t sure what was more impressive. Her sister’s transformation or the fact Morrigan teleported from Clydesdale without even being winded.
“Morrigan… how nice to see you.”
“Oh, little Minerva…”
“We’re the same age!”
“The fact you bring up that trivial detail only proves your immaturity.”
Minerva bit back her retort as the others arrived. She did a quick headcount and thought she maybe should have prioritized awakening some stallions. It was five to one female to males right now. That was future Minerva’s problem. Right now, she needed to establish the pecking order and fast!
In a show of strength, she teleported everypony, Twilight and Zil included, back to Canterlot. Positioning herself on the throne as a blatant display of dominance. Even if it took half of her magic to do so. This is why she kept Zil and Twilight nearby, in case the other Alirin’s decided to get rowdy.
“Let us begin with some introductions, Viride. Who is that with you? I thought you’d bring back Ifrit?” Or Ifrit in Overheat’s body, Minerva thought, confused by the mysterious orange/blue filly before her.
Viride snapped to attention, “Oh, right, this is Permaflame! Perma for short. She was what was inside of that rock, egg thing you told me about. Confused the hell out of me too, but she’s powerful if a little… soft-headed? What’s a polite way of saying…” She trailed off, pointing to Perma playing with the end of the banner, laughing and giggling like a baby playing with a ring of keys.
“Unique,” Was Minerva’s bone for her friend. “Anything else to report?”
“Right!” Viride snapped to, looking grave. “Some bug bitch had Solaris’s spear!”
That was the worst and perhaps the best news Minerva could have gotten. The worse because Solaris’s spear was a powerful weapon that could turn the tide against them, say if one of her daughters wields it? However, the mere mention of the spear quelled any brewing rebellion from the others. Mainly a specific twin of hers.
Hassan seemed more eager for the challenge, while Ibaraki… was also playing with the banner with Perma. Was that a side effect of her vessel, or was she just not remembering how the Mother of Oni-ponies was before? It has been a few thousand years. Being generous, there was no way of knowing how much of their soul or memories were stored in the amulets. Or what state of mind they’ll be in.
Minerva was grateful that they all weren’t like Vulcan, who had gone mad in ten seconds after awakening. And now they all were infused with the power of a Dragonlord, minus Viride and Perma, but still, four Alirin Lords wasn’t bad. Though it would have been better if they had one more or one less. Even numbers generally didn’t lead to good results.
As of this moment, her only true rival for power was Morrigan.
“Dear sister,” Her twin drawled, producing an orb for them all to view. “I have a prediction. Fate is weaving her web once more, and as you see, it spells doom for us once again.”
Morrigan’s clairvoyance was on another level compared to Celestia’s. Right now, she was showing Kira, the white rinin unbelievably standing victorious over them. With Minerva herself the last one standing in a ruined Canterlot.
“A worthy opponent, it seems,” Hassan spoke excitedly. Clearly impressed. “Lady Morrigan, how accurate is this vision? I would hate to get my hopes up, only to be disappointed.”
“Who can say what the future will hold? The path of Fate and Time split infinitely into many paths. The only thing I can say for certain is that this pony here, this white death, will bring ruin to Canterlot. After that? Who knows? She will be here in two days and one night’s time.” Morrigan looked up at her. “How might we prepare for this threat, dear sister?”
It was apparent what she was doing. Minerva could see her sister’s scheme a mile away. That didn’t mean she had to walk right into it.
“We will prepare. Canterlot is our home. Tis only right we defend it. This is what we shall do…” She began to layout their countermeasures. All the while, Morrigan smirked into her crystal ball. Minerva didn’t trust her sister as far as she could throw her, and she could probably throw her halfway around the world.
As long as Romulus Rex remained a crystal, her rule was secure. There was also the matter of the two expecting mothers upstairs. Was there any way Minerva could get Luna to be of help quicker? She was the Mother of Magic, so she had to know something, or maybe she should focus on Twilight?
Whatever the cause, Minerva wasn’t about to be taken by surprise. Not by Celestia, Kira, or her own sister.
Kira Perfecta Shiroyama proclaimed goddess of Nippon, the Great Mother, and the world’s deadliest grandma. Gazed at the sprawling coastline from her throne aboard the Emerald Cutter.
Before her red gaze was the vast lands of Equestria. Home to the sister nations of Canterlot and Evernight. The countries of her two most beloved friends, Luna and Celestia. In her claws was the hastily sent message from Queen Cadence, Celestia’s and Luna’s niece by strange family ties.
It was weird that the pink Queen was neither rulers’ child, thus not either’s niece, but at this point, what did it matter?
Queen Cadence sent a message asking for aid, or more specifically, to be alert for some unknown danger. Unfortunately, immediately after reading the news, the sky turned red/purple, all gemcom communications became static and magical means of long-form communication were nulled.
There were also worldwide monster horde attacks with the unicorns aiding them—standard end of the world stuff.
In response to Cadence’s request, Kira took Nippon’s first fleet with a sizable force to investigate this disturbance personally. Unfortunately, during the three-day journey, her fleet experienced many monster attacks.
From the sky came hordes of harpies, strange winged creatures with the face of a pony, wings in place of their forelegs, and the lower body of various birds of prey. They were also all mares. The species was indeed a mystery.
Their marauding attacking pestered them for a day and a half. The flying beasts having the gull to attack her ships only a few miles from her own coastline. Anti-flyer, AF, gem blasters reduced their numbers until they were far enough out to sea. The harpies had no choice but to break off their raid. They would have fallen into the ocean to their deaths with no place to land had they continued. So, they weren’t completely mindless.
Naturally, being aboard flying airships, Kira, like many would assume the threat of sea monsters, was null and void. That was on a typical day, of course. But, unfortunately, the days have been anything but ordinary since the sky turned red.
Sea Serpents, the dragons of the water, could apparently float in the sky as well as the water. The serpents shooting out of the water like arrows, their blue scales shining in the permeant evening/dawn.
The bottom defenses of most if not all Airships were weak. Mostly because putting stuff down there made landing harder. So, Kiri and some of her other clan members eagerly took to the defense and wiped out the monsters.
This pattern continued for the rest of their journey over the ocean. Deep-sea creatures, such as Krakens, Nessie’s, and various others that should know better to attack so far outside of their domain, still tried. As if driven by some psychotic force.
Whatever the case, they were a minor annoyance in the grand scheme.
As the fleet made their approach to Canterlot, Kira suddenly ordered them to turn towards Evernight. Now she wasn’t playing favorites… ok, she was. But she wasn’t just playing favorites. They had no intel on what was going on in Equestria. And if it so happened that Canterlot was conquered (Again), she’d instead establish a base in Evernight if possible.
She hoped Celestia didn’t think too ill of her, but she doubted that Evernight, even if attacked, could be wholly occupied.
Thus, at her word, the fleet turned to Evernight. The remnants of the Everfree forest came into view as the city of Night Port appeared on the horizon. Stationing the fleet within bombarding range, Kira took a spyglass to observe the city.
It was quiet.
Far too quiet, if you asked her. She ordered for the deployment of a significant number of her soldiers. Over five hundred, of the two thousand she brought along. Among them would be herself, Kiri, Kaki, her sisters, Hazel Thunder, and High Octane. They would all approach the shore on the Destroyer: Yuki.
The small ship would act as their fortress as they examined the city properly.
“Something happened here,” Stated Hazel as they walked from the docks to the town square. Many of the buildings sustained damage with clear signs of a fire breaking out, and nearly half of the main street was blackened timber.
Kira silently took in the sight of a discarded child’s plushie. The plushie was that off a Night Patroller. With little regard for how it looked, she picked the stuffed toy off the ground and stuffed it into her bag. She was sure the child was missing it, and she’d give it back if she could.
“Look for survivors.” The order almost didn’t need to be said, but it made her feel better. As if speaking it aloud would assure they would find something.
“Lady Kira,” Hazel spoke softly as they wandered through the city’s streets. “Don’t you find it strange there are no bodies? Of any kind?”
“I don’t remember saying it wasn’t,” Was her subdued reply. But, of course, it was strange! How could it not be? The crows don’t work that fast.
Leaving the task of searching the rubble to the younger ponies. Kira approached the edge of the city limits, looking down the long rail line the looped around the entire forest. Wondering where the train was.
She didn’t expect it to still be operational but wondered if it was stuck in some other town or if it managed to cart the civilians off to safety.
“Great Mother! We’ve found something!” There was a commotion now. One of the units found something in the rubble. Like little kids fighting for their mother’s attention, they begged her over. Kiri called for them to hush as she examined the remains, dragged from a burned-out building.
“An Alicorn?” Kira uttered aloud, fiddling with the charred black bones of the body. The body wasn’t completely burned up. Most of the outer layer of flesh was merely charred black. The feathers and flesh of the wings were burned clean off, leaving only blackened bone behind. The body also had a half-burned skull with a unicorn horn. By the bulk, it was most likely a stallion.
The number of known living male alicorns was zero.
So, Kira wasn’t betting on this being Celestia’s secret brother or boyfriend. It was puzzling, though.
Charging her eyes with magic, Kira’s world turned to shades of gray. The pulse of her own heartbeat appeared as a pulsing blue wave over the gray tone environment. With her X-ray vision, she could see the bright red light of everyponies organs. She could also see their weak spots and injuries. And she could also see the dead Alicorn Stallion’s insides.
Now she was no doctor, but Kira’s carved up enough bodies to know what was what. And this thing wasn’t an alicorn, at least not a true one. Her only comparison was to Vulcan, from the end of the Crystal war, but it was all she had.
The main tip-off was the bone structure. This Stallion’s bones were far too thin for an alicorn. Also, there was something weird about the way the wings were attached. It might have just been because the body was so damaged, but the placement of the wings wasn’t entirely correct.
They didn’t seem natural, more like they were shoved into the body and glued on. But that was only speculation.
What wasn’t was the pony’s armor. It was clearly Equestrian, but the emblem, which should have been the sun, was an eight-point star.
What was the reason behind this? Was there a coup? The idea was hard to imagine. Celestia’s ponies loved her to the point of being cultish. Not that Kira was in a place to talk. Still, this could be a case of brainwashing and some sort of alchemy. Kira experienced both, but that didn’t narrow down her list of enemies. Mostly because she didn’t know who to put on the list that wasn’t already dead.
“Let’s move onto the forest. We’ll follow the tracks to the castle. Kiri, have the units disembark and set up a base camp here.”
It would be faster to fly the airships over the forest, but that would leave the vast majority of her units trapped on their ships. If one were to be taken down, it wouldn’t just be the crews that suffered. Thousands of lives could be lost in a blink if she wasn’t careful, and with the situation, unknown, careful was all she could be.
“Kiri,” Kira called for her grandson while watching the Nippon forces deploy. The stalwart young Stallion was right at attention, waiting for her command. “Pick a reliable pony to oversee the establishment of a base here. I want to advance with a light unit within the hour. Only ponies capable of flight are allowed. Keep the number to less than fifty, please.”
Everypony was bound to volunteer, but Kira needed a mobile unit. So flying was essential.
“Hazel, Octane, as you two are not of my army, you are free to act as you please.” She told the young monster ponies. They would have followed along anyway, so she might as well invite them.
“We will company you, ma’am! We want to see HQ for ourselves anyway.” Hazel sounded off while saluting.
In one hour, Kira found herself a reliable mobile unit comprised almost entirely of Nippon Rinin. By the white coloring, many were of her clan too, which was expected. Her family was rather talented. There were even some Miko, who removed their heavy robes and stood in line with the warriors. They could fight if needed, but they were primarily supporting roles, medics, and such.
The Sakura sisters were all a part of the unit as well. Kaki, Sakura, and Momo stood at the front. Momo weighed down with some sort of heavy gear. Kiri was, of course, part of the unit, second in command; in fact, and Hazel and High Octane were along for the ride, so fifty-two total ponies. Fifty-three, including herself.
Raising her claw, Kira gave the order to move out, “Samurai of Nippon! Advance!”
They traveled fast. Even with a group of fifty-three, Kira was happy about their time. Following the train tracks gave them a clear path to follow, and it would let them take stock of the other towns on the way to Night Haven. Evernight’s capital.
From Night Port, her group passed into Night Hallow. It was the third-largest city in Evernight, acting as an overflow for Night Haven. A suburb, basically. Many ponies would live in Hallow and take the train to Haven for their work.
Unfortunately, Night Hallow was in even worse shape than Night Port. Night Port at least still looked like a town. Ruined, but you could still tell something was there.
Night Hallow was barely some brick walls and timber. It was completely burned to the ground. The charred remains of the city were a devastating sight to see with almost nothing left, and unlike with Night Port, they found plenty of bodies.
Kira found something that made her blood chill. A blackened gold gauntlet in the center of town. Glove’s Gauntlet.
“Gloves…” There was evidence of Glove’s signature attack all over. The cobblestone road was plowed with foot-deep trenches from Glove’s attack. The bigger holes were probably made after he lost his gauntlet.
“Lady Kira,” Hazel said, trotting up. “We’ve confirmed there are more of those… Lesser Alicorns and many Night Patrollers.” The Monster Pony trailed off; it was understandable why. These were her friends. “Umm… sorry, I’m losing my train of thought…ah….”
“It must have been a hell of a battle,” Kira interrupted. “They were clearly outnumbered. That was always a chronic problem with Night Patrol, never enough talent to meet demand. Still, look at them all. It must have been a hundred to ten. I’m sure Luna and Sixes would be proud. There are even monsters in the mix.”
Kira didn’t look to see if her words were a comfort to Hazel. It might be cold of her, but she was used to this. Not by choice, mind you, but she couldn’t let her old wiry heart break before the others. She was the leader.
“Why don’t you hang onto this. I’m sure Gloves will want this back when we find him.” She said, passing the charred gauntlet to Hazel.
“You really think he’s alive?”
“Unless he was completely vaporized, I fail to see his shrimpy frame anywhere.” Of course, the joke was in poor taste, but it was the only way to stay sane.
Leaving the horror of Night Hallow behind, Kira and the others pushed on to Night Haven. Once again, they were flying along the train tracks, quickly approaching the city proper. The castle rising over the forest in the distance.
(Almost there…)
“Lady Kira!” Kiri suddenly shouted and then pushed her! Kiri pushed her! That was outrageous for him to do without reason, and his reason was a magical slash that just about took her head!
(I didn’t sense it at all.)
Rolling with the tackle, Kira drew her swords after freeing herself from Kiri’s embrace. She didn’t wait for pleasantries with the enemy. Instead, letting lose a wind-infused slash that cut a new path through the forest. There were screams and a lot of blood, but they might as well be background noise to that impish cackle.
“Fun! Fun! Fun! You look so fun! Baba!” A short, filly giggled gleefully. At this distance, Kira could only make out the twin red horns growing from her head and the club and spear in her… claws?
(An Oni-Rinin? Does such a thing exist?) Unfortunately, Kira didn’t get time to debate the strange pony hybrid. The little yellow devil was on her! (She’s so fast!)
Kanabo met Katana in a legendary clash that shook the leaves of the trees. Kira felt her foreleg go numb from just blocking the attack!
“Little shit!” Eyes glowing red, she looked at the world in gray and red as the devilish Oni-Rinin dashed about, Kira following the red pulsations of her heartbeat. “Is she… flying?”
Blazing fiery wings sprung from the banana-colored filly’s back as she flew at record-breaking speeds. Kira unfurled her six wings in response and gave chase, but a mob of living Lesser Alicorns barred her path!
“Protect, Lady Ibaraki!” They chanted.
In response, her soldiers shouted, “Protect lady Kira!”
A melee ensued between the two factions.
“Hazel, Octane, with me!” Kira barked at the younger monster ponies, cutting through the horde of mobs like a protagonist in one of those new-fangled video games her grandkids were gushing about. Ok, she played them too, but so did Luna.
“Hazel, clear a path!”
“Roger! I’ve been waiting for this!” With a grin and yellow thunder, Hazel summoned a spearhead-shaped gem from her saddlebag. Giving it some charge and then a spin! “Gungnir!”
Like a shot from a cannon, Hazel blew a hole through the enemy ranks, and the trio passed through after Ibaraki, who was clearly and deliberately leading them away from the fight. She wanted them all to herself. Kira’s theory was proven true when they found Ibaraki waiting by a large boulder. With that same devilish grin on her face.
“Hehehe, fun, fun! You’re so much fun for an Obaba! But I guess I’m older than you? You just look it better! HEHEHE!” Ibaraki found her own joke funnier than it was. What wasn’t funny was how she stood bipedal, wielding her Kanabo in her right claw and her Banner Spear in the other. Written in Nippon on the banner was “Mother of Oni.”
Kira rose to bipedal, feeling much more comfortable fighting this way, after her adventures in Sunset Shimmer’s world.
“I suppose I need to explain….”
“Shut the fuck up,” Cut in Kira, pointing her sword at Ibaraki. “I don’t need to know your motives or your story. You’ve hurt my friends, my comrades. That is all I need to know.”
Ibaraki merely shrugged, “You’re much too hot-blooded, Baba. All that stress can’t be good for you, like that little colt with the weird red claw. He was so stressed out, but he was fun to fight! He was all Vroom! Boom! AHHH! Yah know?”
“Gloves?”
“I guess that was his name,” Ibaraki replied, tapping her chin. “He wasn’t that much fun, so I didn’t bother remembering his name.”
Kira moved to strike, but High Octane rocketed in front of her, blocking the incoming attack from the Oni-Rinin’s club!
“Oh! You look fun!” Ibaraki gushed. “And you look cute too! Little Rock pony!”
“Grr,” Octane didn’t bother with words, instead used the vents on his body to propel himself forward. Or he tried too. Ibaraki dug into the ground with her hind claws and… didn’t move.
“Lady Kira!” Hazel shouted, getting in front of the white rinin. “Please don’t waste your strength on this little wretch! Leave her to us!”
Kira was about to retort but held back. Instead, sheathed her swords. They were right. This Ibaraki was a lousy opponent for her. There was no doubt she could waste the little grinning devil, but that would be it. She’d use up all her strength on this banana Oni. It would be wiser to save her power for the true mastermind.
Something about Ibaraki irritated Kira, which is why she impulsively dismissed the enemy’s chance to give away their plans. As villains seem to do. But know she deprived herself of that information, for what?
Then there was the fact she was having trouble sensing Ibaraki’s attacks. And struggling to keep up. In her base form. That felt like a necessary cavoite. She could win, but the effort wasn’t worth the trouble. Not right now.
“I’ll leave it to you two then.”
Hazel’s gaze darted from Ibaraki to Kira’s disappearing back. Cautiously she moved in the path of Kira’s departure in case the yellow Oni-Pony gave chase. However, this seemed to be unnecessary as Ibaraki was giving Hazel an almost lecherous grin.
Perhaps it wasn’t that nefarious. Instead, it was like a child eyeing a new piece of candy at the store. The brazen desire to have the shiny new object was as innocent as it was selfish.
“Hmm, the Oba was fun. Definitely more fun than you two, but I doubt she’d take me seriously, right? I can’t blame her; my appearance is certainly unnerving for a pony like her. If only I gained more height from my ascension, but sadly I didn’t. Not even after absorbing half of my children and the bones of that dragonlord. Still, can you two bring yourselves to hurt this precious little face?”
Ibaraki made funny faces with her cheeks, indeed the act of a child amused by its own humor, yet the shift in the Alirin’s tone was unnerving. The childish voice was gone, replace with a deeper, more mature voice. Like a teenager in puberty, it was still raspy, but it’s lost all trace of the cutesy aspect. That Hazel suspected was a charade.
“You’re more intelligent than you let on,” The Monster Pony stated. High Octane nodded sightly as the two of them approached the Alirin from either side. “What’s your game?”
“Oh? You’re actually interested? Well, too bad! I don’t really have any grand goals like the others. I wasn’t even really paying attention when Minerva and Morrigan were bickering. I just want to wake up my little sister and have fun. Self-indulge in my own pleasures spread a little wickedness and put down some divine retribution.”
Octane snorted, “So, you’re just a mad pony.”
“Not as mad as some others, but I was often accused of being a bit of a berserker, ruining my clan because I dotted on my little sister and ignored my duties was my mother’s greatest fear, and it did happen. Not that I care. Forcing me to do something I don’t want is stupid, right? So why would I care if I’m forced to do it? I’d rather brush Shuten’s mane and spoiler her.”
Ibaraki closed her eyes, her toothy smirk widening. “Now, are we going to talk or fight? Come on, I know you’re positioning for a pincer attack. Just do it already!”
Perhaps foolishly, the two Monster ponies charged as intended from both sides. Yellow lightning sparked from Hazel’s horn while High Octane erupted, blowing flames from his back and forelegs like rocket thrusters.
“Hah! Still too slow and too weak!” Ibaraki mocked Octane, halting his attack once more. Even with the extra speed, he could barely budge her. The force of his attack being stopped created gusts that rustled the leaves on the trees and broke the sound barrier.
He broke away while Hazel tried to slash with her mana horn, Ibaraki parring with her spear banner, dancing nimbly away on her hindlegs.
“You two can do this, right?” Ibaraki taunted, standing on one leg. “Come on, walk like monkeys! It’s much more fun!” She declared, spinning her banner with her claws.
With a grunt, High Octane rose to bipedal, making an imposing figure. Then, breaking into a sprint, he charged once more, charging up his right arm with max force! Fire exploded across his rocky skin, not that he could feel it.
Octane was about to connect when another hulking figure appeared behind Ibaraki, a beast of a pony, wielding a giant hammer.
Bulwark Bulldrake. Platinum De Belle’s husband.
He was in rough shape.
The thick armor he usually wore was a broken mess, his bulky frame exposed for all the world to see. One of the curved bull horns that gave him his name was broken, his face covered in blood. He let out a loud bellowing bovine-like roar as he brought his hammer down.
Ibaraki raised her Kanabo and blocked the hammer strike that could have dented the hull of a battleship, cold. Then, with her spear, Ibaraki thrust at him, and Octane found himself flying away from the Alirin. Hazel screaming.
“Gungnir!”
Barely reached his ears when a flash of golden light engulfed the small clearing. And a counter roar of, “Sogen-Bi!”
The last thing Octane saw was a giant red claw reaching out to grab him and the words, “I haven’t had enough fun yet.” Whispered into his mind.
--break
Kira made for the castle with thoughts of doubt plaguing her along the way. Should she have left Ibaraki to Hazel and Octane? Hard to say. It would be dishonorable to them to turn back, yet did she really care about such things? She’d rather have them alive.
On the other hoof, she couldn’t let her old soft heart dictate her actions.
“Lady Kira!” Kiri and the Sakura sisters flew up beside her. “We’re here to escort you?”
“What of the others? You didn’t leave them to fend for themselves to protect me, did you?”
“Gintoki is in command. Besides, they will fight better knowing you have us with you.” Kiri said, which made sense to her. She certainly felt more at ease with her grandchildren in view. It was easier to protect them that way.
“Alright, the castle is in sight, be ready.”
The five rinin dived towards Evernight Castle; it was a heart-breaking sight to see its dismal state. Again, Kira was reminded of the Griffon War. Walls were caved in, towers blown to bits, and bodies littered the ground.
Once more, more of the enemy lay on the floor than Night Patrollers, but there were still many ponies she knew slain on the floor.
Wordlessly Kira glided towards the roof landing. Her plan was to search the castle. There were secret spots survivors could be holed up in. However unlikely it was. By the smell alone, more than a day’s past since the battle took place. Kira didn’t lament their arrival time. They got here as fast as they could. There was no getting around it, so thinking about it wouldn’t help.
“Somepony fancied themselves swordpony,” Kiri stated, inspecting one of the bodies laid against a chopper. The pony dressed as a pilot was nearly split in two, a horrible gash dividing his body from his shoulder to his groin. Unfortunately, the helicopter wasn’t much better. It was broken much like its operator, like a pie with a missing piece.
The pilot wasn’t the only one with such a wound. A good number of ponies featured the same thing—single fatal injuries from a bladed weapon, and a big one at that.
“Should we start searching the castle?” Kaki asked, apprehensive about approaching the darkened stairwell. There was no telling what manner of creature could be lurking in the shadows.
“No need,” Kira assured her, activating her killer’s eyes. After that, the world became shades of gray and white, the red pulsing of everyponies heartbeat acting as a radar. Kira looked through the entire castle, all the way down to the deepest level.
She saw nothing. No pulses of a hiding pony. Just silence. To be sure, she let her own heart beat faster, creating red sonar waves in her vision. This was a technique that took years to develop. Much like a sub-sonar, her heartbeat would resonate and reveal any heartbeats.
From experience, she found out there were certain things her essential sonar vision couldn’t detect. Something like a pony deliberately breathing so slow, their heart barely beats.
The one three floors down was a great example.
She saw the red silhouette in the world of gray, and then a flash of blue came at her!
“Everypony, move!” Kira barked as the roof split open. Instantly her swords were in her claws, but rather than facing the newly created ravine, Kira spun around. Just in time to block the massive glowing great sword. Wielded by a pony that could only be described as death itself.
Its face was that of a bleached skull. Blazing azure flames billowed from its blackened eye sockets. Two curved horns pointed at her while the pony’s cape blew in the wind, with draconic wings spread wide.
“A bicorn?” Kira blurted out, surprised to see such a creature here. “Or maybe not…” She added while backstepping. The Bicorn, much like the Oni-pony before, was bipedal, making it another type of Rinin that she’s never seen before. The Bicorn grabbed the hilt of its sword, wielding the weapon with its claws rather than magic.
Kira blocked with one blade and thrust with the other. The Bicorn expertly sidestepped, slashed, and thrust, and then backed off when she spat lightning at him. Kiri flanked to keep up the pressure, using his white mist to perform a Great Slash.
Yet unlike when he cut down Sombra’s Son, Scath, the Nippon Prince was uncertain of the results. He inspected his sword, finding the finely crafted blade chipped.
The Bicorn, now well out of sword range, let out a joyful laugh as the Sakura sisters surrounded him. “What a marvelous display! Truly a pony worthy of being my prey. And not just one, but two! Morrigan undersold you, my friends.” The Bicorn make a sweeping gesture that Kira recognized as a traditional Saddle Arabian greeting. “I am Hassan I Sabbah, the First. I am also known as the old Stallion of the mountain. Father of the Bicorns, Alirin of Justice, Terror and Death and Slayer of Dragonlord Azazel.”
“Alirin?” Kira remembered the other one, Ibaraki, saying the same thing. “So, you’re an Alicorn Rinin?”
“Something to that effect, though Alirin Lord is my full classification, that gets too wordy. I’ve been seeking an opponent to test my new might since my victory and absorption of my old enemy, Azazel.”
“So, you’re like me, but you used a dragonlord as your alchemy materials? That’s interesting.” Kira’s grip tightened on her hilts. Combining the two most powerful creatures on the planet, how was that fair? “So, are you the leader of…whatever this is?”
Hassan shook his head, “I’m merely a servant, humbly fulfilling my mission. Though I led once, I prefer to be in the field rather than behind it. If you wish to meet the masterminds, those two bickering sisters, they are in Canterlot. You will have to face me first.”
“Lady Kira, leave this to us,” Kiri stated, drawing his other sword. This was feeling familiar. “Kaki!”
“Got it!” The eldest Sakura sister replied, unsheathing her own sword. Sakura and Momo also drew their weapons. Sakura drew a katana, and Momo had a wrench and a grenade.
“What?” Momo asked defensively at her sisters’ stares. “I forgot my sword! Ok? Besides, I’m not in the dojo every day like you two! I’m a mechanic!”
“I’m beginning to question my own logic in bringing you,” Kaki sighed. All three sisters were a part of the military, and it did make sense to bring Momo to deal with equipment repairs, but bringing her as a field engineer might have been ill-advised.
Kira, meanwhile, while not liking the leaving idea any more than last time. Trusted Kiri and the others to deal with Hassan. However, flying to Canterlot by herself wasn’t feasible. “Momo, come here. I’ll need your assistance.”
“Of course, Lady Kira!” Momo nearly bounced over to her, and surprisingly Hassan was ok with this little bit of banter. Was he plotting something or just chivalrous? Either way, Kira kept her eye on him. “How can I be of service?”
“Flying to Canterlot would tax me too greatly. I require you to find and operate a vehicle to bring me there.”
“On it! Follow me!”
Kiri stayed on guard as Kira took Momo from the battlefield, perhaps sparing the weakest Sakura sister/his sister-in-law from a grizzly fate.
“I’m surprised you’re letting this just happen,” Kiri said to Hassan. The skull-faced pony seemed unperturbed by the shift in opponents.
“I was excited about that old mare, but you, a young stallion, have just as much potential. I will whet my appetite with you before continuing on to my main course.” Hassan readied his sword, as did Kiri and the sisters. “Do not think three on one is to your advantage, young… Kiri, was it?”
“Kiri Perfecta Shiroyama.”
“How polite, but enough pleasantries, if you were smart, you would have sent all three of those pink fillies with your dear Lady Kira. For you see…” Hassan suddenly disappeared in a fog of black smoke. Kiri, in turn, vanished via a white mist, the two materializing in front of Sakura and Kaki, both sisters, skilled swordponies in their own right, were taken entirely by surprise. “They are mere burdens in this battle.”
“Why you!”
“Kaki, stay back!” Kiri deflected Hassan’s lightning-fast strikes, barely managing to block the blow that would have severed his beloved’s head from her body.
Hassan, noticing this, chuckled, “I see the look of a stallion with something to lose. Good, very good, let’s up the ante.” The Bicorn’s horns flashed, creating two black chokers of smoke around the two mares. “Assassination Hex: Hanging Pony. For every breath they draw, my noose will tighten and tightened until they either choke or lose their heads. Most don’t last ten minutes.”
Rather than lose his cool, Kiri unleashed a tremendous amount of white mist from his mouth, creating a thick electrocharged fog over the castle’s roof. Every enhancement rune on his body activated, white lightning sparking off his body like a thunderstorm.
“Impressive, but…” Hassan didn’t get to finish. He backstepped, barely dodging Kiri’s instant strike, but that wasn’t enough. Bolts of white lightning pursued in the wake of the attack, forcing Hassan to turn into black smoke. An average pony might be worried, but he was positively exulted! So happy the young Stallion was meeting his expectations. “Now, this will be fun! I think I can be a little serious now.”
Materializing, Hassan brought his blazing azure sword down when something blindsided him. It was a massive plume of burning hot smoke. He scoffed, back clawing the offending cloud away.
“You’re still here? You’re not a very good sport. Or perhaps you have a death wish?”
Kiri and the Sakura sisters looked surprised by the new arrival; Smokey Haze, the Squad B Monster Pony, was worse for wear. His face a bloody mess, and perhaps most shocking of all, was his missing left foreleg.
“Hgh… grr… don’t count us out just yet!” Smokey growled. “Night Patrol isn’t for pushovers!”
From over the walls edge, the forest, and sky, battered and wounded Night Patrollers emerged.
“You fools have more vigor than I anticipated,” Hassan praised, brandishing his sword to the crowd. “To think so many of you survived after my intervention. Your defense during the siege was truly admirable, but a true warrior knows when they are defeated. You only march to your deaths.”
Smokey spat, “Send a thousand, ten thousand, or a hundred thousand of those stitched of freaks or a hundred more of yourself. THIS IS OUR HOME! And we will protect it! Lord Kiri! Are you with us?”
“As if you need to ask!” Kiri enchanted his sword with white lightning. Sakura and Kaki spat pink fire upon their own blades. Every Rinin’s chest ballooned, every pony with a gem blaster took aim, those without produced grenades or the rubble at their feet.
“Let em’ have it!”
Fire, smoke, lightning, explosions, and everything else the brave ponies of Night Patrol had to throw, was thrown. Hassan let out a deep chuckle of pure bliss as he faced the oncoming onslaught.
“Look upon me and know death!”
The castle was barely out of view, the highest peaks scarcely visible over the treetops when they exploded! Secondary explosions followed from the forest, catching fire, filling the dreary sky with thick black smoke.
From her position atop a LAT-35 or whatever Momo called it, it was all babel to her. Kira watched the fiery scene as a full-scale battle erupted with the whinnying roars of the rinin echoing through the trees.
Kira wondered once more if moving on was the right move. By the battle signs, a fierce fight, not an outright war, was breaking out. The fleet was bound to notice the chaos and could send reinforcements, which gave her some relief.
The feeling of staying and fighting lingered, as did the fatigue she’s already accumulated. Kira rubbed her aching leg muscles, strained from merely blocking Hassan’s strike. This wasn’t even a case of her not taking him seriously. It was just her being old.
The expectation of her defeating the mysterious big bad only added to her anxiety; everypony believed she could do it. Dusk’s prophecies only added to the hype and the world-crushing pressure on her back.
Why did so many expect so much from her? She wasn’t some infallible being. She was only her. Why couldn’t they see her for the tired old mare she really was? All Kira wanted to do was play with her grandkids, drink some sake, and maybe spar here and there.
(Why do I doubt myself now? Is it because of their raw strength? Have I found my match?) Kira knew she hit her ceiling long ago. Nevertheless, she kept in shape, sharpened her skills, and dabbled in some new ones out of fun.
That didn’t change the fact her body grew weaker. She felt more so now than ever before. She was propped up, lorded, and praised as being so powerful. And she tried to live up to that image, but she was still mortal.
Even if she was called a goddess.
Taking a deep calming breath, Kira lazily watched the passing of Ponyville, the town seemingly empty. She wondered what became of the ponies were. Those delightfully silly ponies. Like Applejack the Nineth and her family. Allure’s descendants? Twilight’s other friends? When she looked towards the Apple’s farm, it seemed untouched, as if the destruction surrounding it was repelled by a strange barrier.
It was probably just happenchance. Perhaps the farm was left undamaged because it was a valuable resource? Their enemies still needed food. Towns could be rebuilt; the farmland was much more fragile.
“At least they’re not salting the earth,” Kira mumbled as Ponyville disappeared in the distance. Her transport certainly was fast. And surprisingly smooth, even for riding on the back. The tank was so stable she took the chance to inspect her swords and repair any nicks. The mundane action proved to be very calming.
“We’re here, Lady Kira,” Momo announced, bringing the tank to a stop. Canterlot lay not far, barely a ten-minute flight. “Should I get closer?”
“No, this is fine; you can go look for survivors or go join your sisters. Though the battle might be over by now. If you want to do the smart thing, you’ll return to Night Port, but that’s only my suggestion.” Kira asserted, gliding off the tank.
“But then you’ll be alone….”
“It’s better this way,” Kira chuckled, resigned to the winds of fate. “I’ve gained too much in my long life. I’ve gained so much love and cherished ponies, my family, and all of Nippon. I’ve become scared of losing it, me whose name means killer has become afraid of being killed.”
“Lady… Kira?” Momo cocked her head confused. “What… I don’t understand….”
Kira merely patted the Sakura triplet on the head, “That’s fine, child. You will, one day. Now run along. This place will not be safe for you.”
Momo, hesitantly, yet obediently started the tank once more and left. To where Kira didn’t know, to her sisters, to safety, to find others needing saving? Any of them were good options to the elder rinin.
Exhaling deeply, Kira looked upon the purple haze covering Canterlot. It was a vile evil-looking fog. Perhaps it symbolled her doom? Yet, unlike on the way here, she wasn’t scared anymore. The worry of losing her loved ones was missed placed. It wasn’t she who would be losing them. It would be they who would be losing her.
“It was going to happen one day. I’m going to die. I knew that.” So, if that was the case, then the only thing to do, was to ensure her loved ones had a future. Even if she wasn’t there to see it.
Kira suddenly felt much lighter. Happy even. This would be her gift to them.
“I’m not planning to die, but if it happens, let it be for a better future. Right, Dusk?” Prepared, Kira summoned the Artifact Eight Virtues, tapped her trump card, the Azure Amulet, and spread her wings. “I’m Killing Perfection, my talent is killing! So let me do what I am meant to do!”
In a white streak of blinding speed, Kira flew for Canterlot and breached the city’s purple fog.
Minerva stiffened upon her throne, a chill running up her body; it was an involuntary action that even she. The Mother of Unicorns and Alicorn of Magic couldn’t suppress.
“She’s here,” Minerva announced to the only other occupant of the throne room. Her dreaded sister, Morrigan, looked too happy about the arrival of Kira Perfecta for Minerva. However, Morrigan, gleefully staring into her crystal ball, did little to alleviate her twin sister’s distrust. Not that the raven like Alirin seemed to care, perhaps too caught up in her machinations to even put up a front.
“Yes, yes, right on schedule. Now, if only Viride would stop playing with that little worm.”
“His name is Gloves,” Minerva rebuked with venom. “She, no, all of you are forbidden from killing him or any of the others I’ve listed.”
Morrigan eyed her sister disgustedly, “You sure like tying our hooves, dear sister. But, may I remind you, these… rinin are resisting us most fiercely. Not that Ibaraki and Hassan seem to mind. Those two meat brains probably love the idea of such strong opponents being around. I only see rebels to my… your cause.”
“What a slippery tongue you have there, Morrigan, but I dare you to tell Hassan he’s a meathead to his face.”
“Another time, but even if I did, I’m sure he’d be a gentle colt about it. Ah, she’s here.”
No later than Morrigan spoke those words, Kira, in all her glory, stood before them. Bursting through the throne doors. She looked at Minerva upon the throne and Morrigan lurking in the shadows. The white Rinin’s eyes darted upwards. Perhaps she found Luna and Cadence? Minerva could believe it.
“Kira,” Minerva said cordially, stepping down from the throne. “How nice to see you, old friend. I’m sure your….”
“VeeVee, I’m somewhat surprised.”
Minerva paused, taken aback by Kira’s quick deduction of her identity. But, of course, they interacted in the past. She’d been a medic; she’s treated everyponies wounds at least once. Still, Minerva didn’t believe her, and Kira had been close enough for her to outright guess her identity. Especially when she’s in a completely different body.
“How’d you know?” Minerva inquired playfully. It was a vain hope, but perhaps she could get Kira to see her sides of things. Granted, after what she did to Evernight, she kept her bids low.
“The rhythm of your heart is the same. Every pony’s heart beats at a different tempo. One’s emotional state can change the pace, but it’s always the same beat.”
Minerva, upon hearing this, was eternally grateful that Kira never met her when she was Vi Violetblood. Then, her soul jumping scheme would have been found out.
“You’ve always been different, you know that? I know you have the label of Monster Pony, but even among them, you are different, Kira. I’ve always wondered what sets you apart.”
“I do not worry about trivial things like that.”
“But you did find Hoofenstien’s lab notes in Maredor. I know there was some stuff about Fury in there, but what about you?”
Kira shrugged, “Nothing interesting. It doesn’t change anything about me.”
(So, she does know.) Kira had a thousand years to peer over those notes. Of all the Rinin, she probably knew herself the best. Kira had her own diagram, what the doctors wanted to achieve in creating her, and what she could achieve by learning her blueprints.
“You may not find it interesting, but I do. So tell me, what did the doctors put together to make you? What manner of creature did they blend to make the greatest Rinin alive?”
Kira turned her blade, so it was facing flat at Minerva, “Something ridiculous.”
White lightning flashed across the throne room, prompting Minerva to dodge and call upon her weapons of choice. A rune engraved staff and a gladius. Far in the back, Morrigan held her own wand, a wicked-looking thing made of burned wood and fixed with the skull of a crow monster with rubies in the eye sockets. Her sister chanted out a string of support magic, Minerva feeling lighter and more focused as she rushed Kira.
It was a battle against two legends, and Minerva was confident in her skills and power, yet when she blocked Kira’s first bone-rattling strike and then her second. The Alirin’s confidence was cast into doubt. As a result, the Alirin of Magic found herself struggling and then losing when Kira used her extra limbs to punch and rake her barrel.
“You…”
Minerva didn’t have the chance to banter. Instead, Kira pressed her attack, sending bolts of lightning with every swing of her Katana. The electricity traveled through the steel Gladius making Minerva’s foreleg go numb. Next came a lightning breath, but a shield courtesy of Morrigan blocked the attack.
This gave Minerva a chance to breathe.
She only got a single breath, though. Kira slammed her swords back into their sheaths, coiling her body into a dynamic stance, and then took a single step forward, and then there was a blur of movement.
“Great Slash,” Were the words Minerva heard after a geyser of blood sprouted from her shoulder. Behind her, Morrigan was making a fuss as the same attack also wounded her somehow. As she watched the shattered remains of her sister’s shield hurl through the air. Minerva felt something land on her head, prompting her to look up.
The ceiling was split in half.
And it wasn’t just the ceiling. The very ground beneath Minerva’s feet gave way. Forcing the Alirins to take to the air.
“What the hell is happening?” Her usually soft-spoken sister cried as they regrouped. Kira remained rooted as rubble began to fall from the ceiling. Her jade-tinted blades smoking. Raising her sword once more, Kira charged it with lightning and let loose another slash.
This time the Alirins were able to see it. The wide arc of lightning that grew by the second, and it was coming right for them!
“Dive!”
Morrigan followed her instructions, just in time for the horizontal plane of the castle to be severed. The support pillars in the throne room all began to crumble, causing the building to shake violently.
“Luna and Cadence are still in here, you lunatic!”
“I’m aware,” Kira replied with her eyes glowing. She knew exactly where the two Alicorns were. “They are safe, but you’re not.” Coiling her body again, Kira drew both swords this time, “Greater Slash! Canyon Cleaver!”
Kira became a spinning ball of blades and death, flying at the Alirin like a pinball. Morrigan threw up shield after shield to stop her advance, and each was cleaved through like it wasn’t even there. Minerva did a quick chant firing a concentrated beam of magic from her staff. Even this did little if anything to slow Kira.
“Fuck! Zil, come to me!” Calling on her hound, Minerva breathed a sigh of relief when Zil, forcibly summoned. Managed to block Kira’s attack with her rapiers. The Daughter of Sombra was about as happy as expected.
“Holy fucking Celestia! What’s this horseshit!” Zil cursed in the manner of her in-laws. She had just made it back home only to be called again! Even worse, she was face to face with the one who killed her brother, Erebus! Instead of flames of revenge, she only felt the chill of fear. “You fucking bitch! You were going to sacrifice me, weren’t you!”
Zil’s ire wasn’t at her brother’s killer, but her own ‘master’ who clearly threw her to the wolves this time and didn’t even have the decently to deny it.
“That’s our bargain, my little Cu.”
Zil could only growl in reply and then eeped! When Kira suddenly switched up her attack, bear-hugging the Dark Princess and then suplex her into the floor.
From the dust, Kira emerged, her artifact, the Eight Virtues floating around her. When Morrigan tried to blindside her with a spell, one of the eight floating orbs blocked the attack. When Hassan appeared behind her, an orb stopped him too. Blocking his swing.
“I knew you’d be fun, Obaba!” Ibaraki cackled. The banana-colored Alirin was sporting some singed and ruffled clothing but didn’t look any worse for wear. Hassan, too appeared to be in good health, despite having faced Kiri of all ponies.
“What happened to them?” Kira asked in a low voice, glaring hard at the late arrivals.
“I beat them to bloody pulps!”
“They faced their ends honorably.”
Kira clenched her eyes tight, pain filling her chest, her old heart aching. Thinking of all those youngsters, her grandchildren, her students.
White steam billowed from her scales as she rose to bipedal—lightning arcing off her body as she began to shine. Two of the Virtues laid themselves beneath her feet, creating clouds for her to walk on. Another two she grasped in her extra forelegs. Finally, the Azure amulet began to shine, her silver man taking on an ethereal appearance.
With unsurpassed rage, Kira glared at the ponies surrounding her and said, “I’m going to eviscerate you.”
Before the Alirin’s could blink, Ibaraki went from smiling cockily to bisected! Her body scattered across the crumbling floor in a display of gore that made the hardiest warriors sick in the stomach. Hassan faired a little better, blocking Kira’s first pass on instinct alone, but lost a foreleg on the second, a wing on the third, and then was grabbed by the neck, and his face ground against the wall in a very Sixes like move.
Tossing the broken Bicorn horn aside, Kira set her sights on the sisters once more. However, after a few steps, pain spread through her body. Kira extracted Ibaraki’s Spear Banner with a hiss, glaring at the half-regenerated pile of flesh. Hassan was in a similar state.
“Don’t think killing us will be so easy! We’re gods compared to you!” Ibaraki spat as muscle tissue and skin formed over her skull.
The way they healed was very similar to Fierce Fury. Bits of flame traveled over their broken bodies, leaving new skin in its wake.
Kira merely grinned, “I guess I finally have a worthy opponent then. But, of course, you’re not my first immortals either.” Then, pulling her hair sticks free, Kira threw the silver sticks into Ibaraki’s regenerating throat and let loose a flying thunder slash at Hassan to keep him down.
Next, she intercepted Minerva by cutting off her forelegs and then threw her Watashe into Morrigan’s heart. Another route of pain exploded in her side, finding Zil’s parrying knife. With intense glowing eyes, she stared down the ex-princess.
“Do you want to die?”
Zil patted her chest as if Kira was grasping her very heart. “No… Ma’am…” She croaked out. Then, one of the Eight Virtues glowed, blasting Zil with its magical light.
“Then leave!” Kira roared, completely ignoring the ex-princess, who stood shell shocked as the curse binding her was suddenly shattered. Then, Zil teleported to Kira’s side, picking up her rapier, retrieving her parrying knife, and standing at the Nippon Goddess’s side. “I told you to leave. You’ll die here, stupid child.”
“I have my own principles!” Zil yelled, though her legs were shaking. Her gaze on Minerva and her rapidly healing legs and the face that once belonged to her aunt. Someday it would be her sister’s turn. “I have ponies I wish to protect!”
“Don’t pretend to be so high and mighty, Zil! You’re Nothing! Nothing! A worthless little worm! What good do you think you can achieve here!” Minerva raved, glaring hard at the unicorn.
Zil’s lips trembled, but her weapons remained at ready. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Kira laid a wing on her back. “Do your best, child of Sombra.” The eldest daughter of King Sombra nodded respectfully at her brother’s killer.
“I’ll take the brat!” Zil declared, leaping for Ibaraki. She tackled the barely regenerated Alirin and teleported her who knows where. Leaving Kira with at least one less opponent for the moment.
“You know there’s no hope of the brat winning, right? You know that, Kira. Zil can’t beat her.” Minerva stated as a matter of fact. However, the white rinin didn’t rebuke her, knowing it was true. “It doesn’t have to be this way, Kira.”
“VeeVee,” Kira whispered coldly. “Stop pleading for your life.”
“Pleading… if this is about Hassan killing….”
“I know what happens on the battlefield. I always fear for my family whenever they join me. I’ve grown to expect it, but…” Kira trailed off, a single tear falling. “I will never forgive their killers, even if it was honorable or not! NO PONY! BE THEY, GOD OR DEVIL! KILLS MY FAMILY AND ESCAPES MY WRATH!”
Minerva felt genuine fear for the first time since she lay dying in the rubble of Rainbow Factory. Kira’s power continued to grow. The clouds at her feet roared with thunder and flashed with lightning. A strange wind surrounded the Rinin. Wind so dense that it shrugged off Morrigan’s spells and repelled Hassan’s strikes.
It was like a Tempest.
Minerva began to laugh madly, “That’s it! So that’s what he did! I can’t believe I didn’t notice sooner! That bloody bastard! I thought Rainbow Dash and Daring were suspicious, but they were just afterthoughts, weren’t they! You! Hoofenstien made you from Tempest’s remains! You’re practically her reincarnation!”
Instead of retorting, Kira let loose a gale so powerful it blew over the throne room walls. Then, in a streak of light, Kira reclaimed her Watashi, splitting Morrigan’s head in two and then the rest of her and then fired lightning to try and destroy the Alirin for good. But Minerva interrupted, leaving enough of her sister to put back together.
Hassan, wholly healed, bit into her back. So, Kira stabbed him in the eye and fired a lightning bolt from her sword, blowing off his head. Then stabbed Minerva in the throat!
“You can’t win! I read Fierce Fury’s file! So we’ll just keep healing and healing, and so long as Luna and Cadence are here, you’re limited to these small attacks!” Minerva rasped through the wound in her neck.
Kira beheaded her to see if that would work, but her sword stopped halfway, stuck in the purple Alirin’s neck bones. Clicking her tongue, Kira ripped her sword free, frowning at the chipped and worn state of her precious sword. She’s never had to use them this heavily before, so the edge was dulling.
Kira pulled back her sword to strike but found her grip lax. Kira blinked, half of her vision suddenly going black as her right front foreleg suddenly drifted farther away.
(What…) Kira craned her neck to see Morrigan breathing black fire and her severed smoking stub. Her severed foreleg was tossed aside and destroyed and her Katana shattered by an angry Minerva. Before Kira could wrap her head around what happened, Hassan cut off her left middle leg. Then, in a rage, she jabbed her claws into his eye sockets and slit his throat with her other sword.
(This isn’t working.) Kira hissed, cauterizing her left leg. She’s killed everypony here three times over. But, unfortunately, she wasn’t doing enough damage. If they were similar to Fierce Fury, regenerating only worked so long as they had magic to burn, and they were burning through magic like a forest fire.
There were some differences from Fury, though, Kira noted. Fury turned to ash before he regenerated. Minerva and the regeneration of the others were much more graphic and slower. They didn’t just burst into ashes. Instead, their bodies were like magnets pulling themselves back together.
She was causing massive amounts of damage and trauma that would have Fury playing possum. The Alirin’s mana reserves must be much more extensive than Kira could even fathom. Perhaps it was merely a matter of not causing enough damage? Like, say obliterating them entirely?
That was an option if Luna and Cadence weren’t above her. But, of course, given her injuries, performing those techniques wasn’t going to be easy. Exhaustion and blood loss didn’t help either.
Realizing the futileness of continuing, Kira changed objectives, but’s she’d need some time. So, gathering the wind in her palms, she created dense spheres of white plasma.
“Recover from this!” With incredible speed, Kira delivered her first two attacks to Hassan and Morrigan. She then performed a Greater Slash on Minerva, turning all three Alirin’s to mincemeat. In seconds the diced flesh was already pulling itself back together.
Kira took her blade and cut a hole into the ceiling, gunning for Luna and Cadence’s room as fast as she could. But, when she got there, she froze at the scene before her.
“What are you doing here?” She asked the pony who had not been there a second before.
The pony turned towards her, a small mirror attached to a chain swinging from her claws. A bright blue vortex behind her. “I’m here to help.”
Minerva shook herself like a dog, her brain still rebooting from being put back together for the twentieth time. This power was incredible! It was the power she’s craved since she lost it in the Alicorn Wars. She’s always been envious of Fury’s ability, and now she had it for herself! Or at least some variant of it.
Maybe she shouldn’t have skimped on the Phoniex eggs, but who just has a thousand eggs on hoof? Let alone four thousand? Don’t call her cheap for only gathering four hundred! She might not have followed Hoofenstien’s notes strictly, but there was a huge coffee stain on the page! She got what she wanted!
And yet, this lesser Hyperengeration was not without its limits.
She stared at her shaking claw, felt the wheezing in her lungs. By most metrics, they might as well be immortal, but that was far from the truth. Their bodies couldn’t perfectly rebuild every time, and that was in severe cases. Kira was obliterating them several times in a single minute!
Also, she didn’t know for sure, but Fierce Fury probably didn’t have phantom pains.
The others were fairing even worse than her. Hassan lost more than half of his impressive muscle mass. Morrigan was laughing insanely on the ground. Already more unstable than before. But that was just on the surface. They could be suffering like she was.
One of her lungs hadn’t grown back this time. Her nervous system was also wired backward. When she wanted to move her right, her left moved, and vice versa.
“Viride… get back here….” She whispered, sending a psychic message to the green Alirin. “We can’t let Kira… get Luna and Cadence out of here. If they’re… ‘wheeze’… gone… she has no reason to hold back anymore….”
In great pain, the trio followed Kira’s trail through the ceiling. Ibaraki, in much better health, rejoined the group with a satisfied grin. No doubt she toyed with Zil until the very end.
“What’d you do to her?” Minerva asked curiously.
Ibaraki’s grin widened to insane proportions, “I ate her.”
Mentally jotting down that Ibaraki was going back into crystal later, Minerva led the way to Luna and Cadence’s chambers. Unfortunately, putting them both in the same room backfired. She should have separated them, so Kira couldn’t snatch them both up at once!
“Come on! She can’t teleport. She’ll be weighted down now!”
They emerged at the top of the castle. Kira struck like an assassin, striking each of them with a glowing white blade. Yet, the attack wasn’t painful. It barely left a mark! Meanwhile, Kira was panting up a storm, the attack seemingly draining her.
“Where are they? Where are Luna and Cadence? What did you do with them?”
Kira smiled, “I did nothing. They were gone when I entered their room. Strange things like that happen in this world. Speaking of worlds… you know of that other one, the one little Sunny is in, right? Or maybe you don’t? You were never involved with that stuff. I like it there, it’s so peaceful. It’s inhabited by strange hairless monkeys, but their form isn’t all that bad.”
The four-ancient reborn Alicorns were clearly confused. “What’s your point?”
“Well, I learned a lot there.” Kira continued slowly dragging her sword through the air. A strange space anomaly took place; a white crack formed in the wake of Kira’s blade. “They understand their world so much more than we do. I took an interest in their sciences and applied it here. For example, do you know what happens when you split atoms? Don’t worry, I’ll show you.”
The white crack suddenly expanded as if breaking apart reality itself, traveling in all cardinal directions, and the sky and deep into the earth. The damage stretched far across the land, almost halfway to Ponyville.
“Eternal Scar…” Kira’s blade shattered, dozens, hundreds, thousands of brilliant bright spheres of light began expanding all at once. Minerva barely felt the heat before realizing she was burning, her body becoming ash before her very eyes. The last thing she saw was Kira’s peaceful smile before the white rinin’s body vanished.
When Minerva awoke, she found herself covered in ash, her body once again reformed. But something wasn’t right. She was still in pain.
“Heal…” She cast a spell to suppress the pain, only for it to grow more intense. Blood exploded from her body. Even as the wound closed, another opened up. She gasped for air, but each breath made her lungs burn.
Behind her, Minerva could hear the screams of the others. The Alirin of magic rolled over, looking up at the ash-filled sky. She blinked, not believing what she was seeing.
The crystal catacombs, Old Canterlot. Was above her. Minerva flew into the sky in a shell-shocked state, coming out of the catacombs, and finding… Nothing. The entire mountain was gone! More than that! The land was scarred beyond repair as if a planet-sized claw scooped out a piece of the continent of Equestria.
The trench ran as deep as the catacombs in every direction. Kira had blown up a mountain! No, she slashed a new canyon into existence!
Minerva couldn’t believe her eyes; Kira was indeed a legend fit for the hall of the alicorns of old.
While lost in her amazement, something hit the ground. Debris? That wasn’t surprising. Parts of Mount Canterlot were sure to be coming back down soon. They should probably think about getting out of here… that was an Alicorn Amulet. Minerva realized with horror.
Another thunk!
There was another.
THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!
Alicorn Amulets were raining down from the sky! And worse! They were glowing. The shining gems began flying in every direction with tail streaks of every color. Some planted themselves in corpses, others fled further, where ever they went, they were looking for one thing.
A vessel.
“No! NO! NO! Why are there so many? Why?” Minerva quickly answered her own question. Canterlot had been the sight of the last battle with Solaris. So, of course, the vast majority of Amulets would be here! They were probably hidden in the crystals in the catacombs. Sealing them away. Thanks to Kira’s last attack, they all absorbed enough energy to activate.
The Alicorn war was about to restart.
Corpses from the ruins of Canterlot began to rise. The bodies were so mangled from the explosion that they were unrecognizable, with mostly skeletons remaining. Yet, the gems happily seated themselves into the rib’s cages of the ghouls, new flesh growing as the Alicorn was brought back from crystal.
The first to form was a gray Alicorn, she knew as Hermes, Alicorn of Speed. He wasn’t well. His bright eyes were whited out, and his neck was off, most likely broken. Moreover, he was drooling a lot.
He was a Zombie.
“AGHAH!” Hermes, along with many others, rushed her, Hassan, and Ibaraki. It was hard to tell, but every Alicorn attacking had been on Gaia’s side of the war. Some showed more intelligence, but most were shadows of themselves.
And then, “Queen Minerva!” A big red Alicorn crashed in front of her, tossing her attackers away. It was Mars! “Let’s finish this war!” He laughed heartily, joining into the fray. Mars apparently didn’t find his opponents’ or allies’ behavior strange.
For her part, Minera could only weep internally. This isn’t what she had wanted. Reliving this hell was the last thing she ever wanted to see again. Her own tribe killing each other again.
“Kira… why…” She didn’t get to despair long, for another familiar voice roared over the raging battle. Its source was the bright orange streak that came from Ponyville. She could only guess who the vessel was and which Alicorn just returned.
“MINERVA!”
The Alirin of Magic grit her teeth, “Gaia.” She spat at the Mother of Earth Ponies; her vessel was that of Applejack the Ninth. “You’ll regret choosing that one.”
And so, the battle that was put on pause nearly three thousand years ago resumed.
“Luna… Princess Luna? Um… Grandma Luna?” A timid voice called out for her; it was one she recognized readily.
“Sunset… Shimmer…” Luna said softly, her eyes fluttering open. The first thing she noticed was the knotty oak ceiling and the strange shape of her body. The room was vaguely familiar. It was one she’s been in before during her visits. She was in Mac and Adagio Apple’s house.
It always took some adjusting, but she had a feel for this form at least. Carefully she pulled her arm from under the blanket and wiggled the wormy appendages.
Fingers. She had fingers. This was indeed the world on the other side of the mirror.
“How… How did I get here? Why am I in this world, Sunny?” She asked her adoptive granddaughter/grandniece. Luna tried to get up but was quickly held down by Sunset.
“That might not be a good idea… you’ve just… well how to explain this… you pulled a sleeping beauty.”
“I did what?” She had no idea what otherworld fairy tale Sunset was going on about, but she did feel immense pain in her lower half. Patting down her smooth stomach, Luna was suddenly reminded that she had been pregnant the last time she was awake. And her human teats felt… heavier. They did seem more prominent.
A sharp cry suddenly broke her musing. Adagio Apple, this world’s Big Mac’s wife, came in rocking a bundle of blankets, containing a child Luna knew couldn’t be the otherworldly couples.
The child had a midnight blue skin tone, very much like her, and just a truffle of orange hair, like Sixes. Its form was that of this world, a human, but she could recognize her own offspring in any dimension.
“There, there, little guy! See mommy’s finally awake, so you can stop trying to SUCK me!” Adagio abashedly thrust the child into Luna’s unprepared embrace. The Royal sister scrambling to properly hold the child, sighing when she successfully mimicked Adagio. She then stared, uncertain what to do while her child grabbed at the gown she was robed in.
This caused Adagio to huff, “Oh, for Pete’s sake! Whip them out already! He’s hungry!” The siren-mother proceeded to half disrobe her, allowing the newborn to suckle. “God, didn’t you have kids... like a thousand times already?”
Luna closed her eyes as her child took his fill. “I understood my own anatomy then. But, I am unfamiliar with the human way of child feeding. Also, it’s strange for my udders to be… so high up. How’d you get used to this?”
Adagio hooked her thumbs into her jeans, “I’m on kid number four honey, I have to be used to this. Also, can you give this little guy a name? Otherwise, he’ll be stuck with Boy.”
“I suppose… wait, how long have I been asleep?”
Adagio and Sunset looked beside themselves. “Since you gave birth or since you got here? Cause there are two different answers.”
“Both,” Luna demanded.
“Alright, this is going to take some math. Ponies usually take eleven to twelve months; humans take about nine… so six… seven months? The days kind of blended together. Also, we better get a bag of gold or something, because we paid for your hospital stay! Mac probably won’t insist, but you don’t have insurance. Well, the you here does, but that would have made things really complicated. It also might be fraud… anyway. Give Boy a name because we’ve been calling him like nine different things for the last two months.”
“I’ve been asleep for two months!”
“Nine in total, but yes, you’ve been asleep for two months even after giving birth. We really thought you were going to wake up too. You screamed enough to wake the dead.” Adagio twirled her finger in the air. “Anyway, name, now, we’ll get to the other stuff after. But I need to get Nyx off my fucking ass about Boy’s name.”
“Templar,” Luna answered while helping Templar move to her other teat. “His name is Templar.”
Sunset clapped her hands in joy, “That’s really similar to my dad’s name, Crusader. Hi, little uncle Templar!” She cooed, prompting a laugh from the baby.
Luna smiled softly at her child, “Yes… Sixes and I decided on the name, if we had a girl, we would have named her Templara, Lara for short.” The room fell silent, safe for Templar’s suckling. “Now… how did I get here? Where is Cadence? Is she here as well?”
“Cadence is fine,” Adagio answered readily. “She woke before you did. Her baby is fine too. She named her Mi Amore Nonet if you’re curious. It’s a girl if I wasn’t clear. So we have Cadence at your counterpart’s home. Of course, Feri wasn’t happy, but when is he ever these days. Cadence wasn’t happy when we dyed her hair in her sleep either, but what can you do? As for how you got here… Sunset?”
“Well,” Sunset ran her fingers through her red and gold hair. “Those two will have to explain that part.”
In the doorway of the room stood two vaguely familiar faces. Had Luna not seen Kira’s human form, it would have been harder to guess who the younger white girl was, but the family resemblance was easy. It was Saki. In this world, she just looked like a more youthful, shorter Kira. Same pale skin and silver hair.
Beside her was someone she’s known for a long time but rarely got a chance to see. The woman was older, tawny-skinned, with black hair and black eyes. She wore a tan Patrollers jacket with the infinity symbol on the shoulder.
It was Dusk.
“I thought you were locked in the Cosmic Realm for a hundred years? How are you here?”
Dusk laughed, “About that… I am currently still there, I mean, but I’m also here. Look, you can’t be the Alicorn of Time if you don’t know how to bend the rules. And the rules say nothing about vacationing in alternate dimensions. So I can’t go to Equestria, but I can still interact in this world. That said, what age was I when we last spoke?”
Luna rubbed her temple, “I don’t know, that was five years ago for me. I don’t even think you even said exactly. Just you were younger than Celestia, but maybe a little younger than me. So what does it matter?”
The Time Alicorn stroke her chin, seemingly pondering something, muttering, “So it’s that timeline.” Under her breath before giving a peppy smile. “I guess it doesn’t, right? Anyway, my past? Or maybe another me arranged this backup plan if any of the top ten worst futures were on the verge of happening. That Dusk instructed Saki to… um… gods, I get so confused with all this information. Saki, just explain what’s happening, please?”
Saki bowed respectfully, kneeling on the floor before Luna’s bed in an eastern style. “Lady Dusk gifted a hand mirror that functions similarly to Starswirl’s Portal Mirror, only much more compact and with a few extra features. That said, it is limited to only this world in specific periods. It also changes the time ratio between the two worlds. As for Equestria, this is what I know….”
The Runaway Princess detailed her arrival in Canterlot and of the fierce battle Kira was engaged in. Detailing Minerva’s rise, and the resurrections of the multiple alicorns, and their ascendency to Alirin via their defeats of the Dragonlords.
Mournfully, Saki stated that it was very likely, Kira perished in the battle.
“Ah, I know which timeline you’re talking about now,” Dusk nodded, all knowingly because she was. However, her cheerful smile soon faded when she looked upon Luna and her babe. “Yes, I know what will happen, so Luna, if you had the chance to save Sixes from dying, would you…
“Yes!”
“Wait, wait,” Dusk said quickly. “You can save Sixes, but Templar will have to stay here. You can’t bring a child to a warzone, you know?”
The new mother smiled sadly at her suckling child, “I suppose your right there. But, still, it’s should be a simple matter. Can you watch Templar for a bit, Adagio? I’ll ask my counterpart if it’s not. Or Sunset, you’re of age now. So you can care for him for a short while, right?”
Suddenly the room became tense as everyone looked away.
“What? What is it?” Luna demanded.
Saki answered reluctantly. “The hand mirror I used to bring us here changes the ratio for time passed between our worlds. Originally hundreds of years passed, then decades, years, and finally, a day for day. But now, for every hour passed in Equestria, a month passes here. Lady Dusk had to make this change. Otherwise, it would have been too late. So, once you go back and the portal closes, there’s no telling how much time will pass by the time you come back to get Templar.”
“Surely there’s something you can do, right Dusk?” Luna inquired hopefully.
The Alicorn of Time smiled sadly, patting Luna’s hand. “I’m sorry. I’ve bent things as much as I can, but time is… inflexible. It doesn’t like to be altered. This was the best I can do. As long as you leave something here to connect the two worlds, you can return, but I can’t promise how much time passes. I’m not all-powerful, in Equestria or here. Even less so here. Once you go, a day, a month, a year, or decades could pass when you reconnect the worlds. You have to choose, save Sixes and save Equestria or raise Templar yourself in peace here.”
“Saki brought this up. Mac and I are willing to adopt him until you can come back.” Adagio offered with a half-smile. “We have four already. So what’s a fifth, right?”
“Yeah,” Luna said softly, staring at her adorable newborn. “Can I… have some time to myself?”
The others said it was no problem and filed out the room, leaving Luna alone with Templar. With watery eyes, she held the child close to her chest.
“I love you so much. I want you to know that I love you… and I’m sorry.”
The Clover and its escort fleet steamed across the hostile red sky. The Night Patrol Airships have seen better days since escaping the chaos of Europona.
They left the Prench Fleet in tatters, blown countless monsters out of the sky and sea. All in a herculean effort to get home as fast as possible. The Mana Gems in their engines were cracking. Every dial was redlining! It didn’t matter! They’d run the ships to the ground and fly if they had to.
Beyond merely keeping their ships afloat, the crew endured wave after wave of monster attacks—the barrels of the cannons discoloring as they fended off the tenth wave of the day.
On the deck Commander Trifecta and Topaz, both sporting beard stubbles, watched the long necks of the Nesses rise out of the sea. The Sea dragons screamed and fired beams of blue lightning and boiling seawater at the convoy.
Meanwhile, their triple-barreled 152mm cannons replied thunderously.
“FIRE!”
The Cannons roared, shaking the battered Cruiser, yet she held firm while her attackers exploded into red mist. Topaz wiped his brow, his eyes bloodshot from little rest. He wasn’t the only one. Everypony aboard was pushed past the brink.
“More harpies!”
Nothing more needed to be said. The nerve shot and psychotic gunners unleashed a screen of Anti-flyer fire gleefully, putting all his frustrations into his work. One guzzled his coffee while he fired, having not moved from his position for a day and a half, with little chance of being relieved.
One harpy managed to actually touch the deck. It lost both its wings, but it was here. Topaz and Trifecta didn’t even bother turning around for it. A loud thud followed by the sound of bones breaking broadcast the harpy’s demise.
“I always wondered what made Sixes go bloodthirsty, and now we have a whole ship of mad ponies.”
Topaz was in agreement. Sixes went insane for a time after Luna’s banishment. It was an open secret. He hadn’t been all there for some time. Constantly fighting for weeks and months on end, with minimal R and R between missions for nearly ten years. The orange rinin wondered how long an average pony would last in such outrageous conditions.
Turns out three days at best.
He was regarded as the most intelligent pony in Night Patrol. Topaz prided himself on that and strived to live up to that expectation. He didn’t want to make excuses, but he hadn’t been his most stable when organizing the return trip.
Between dealing with Trifecta’s mishaps, then the Shaka incident, followed by Fury running off, the fucking Prench! He was tired and stressed himself, but Topaz thought he accounted for everything possible when asked to plan a rotation schedule for the return trip.
He was wrong.
He couldn’t have predicted the constant monster attacks from air and sea, the com channels getting scrambled, so they had to comminate ship to ship via flags. No pony could sleep, even the ones off duty. The noise of the cannons and fighting was too much to ignore.
When the on-duty crew was overwhelmed, the off-duty team rose to help, and that was the last time any pony slept.
“Harpies can fly fifty miles at best, right?” Trifecta asked him dully, the triplet dog dead tired.
“Twenty-five to thirty from land at best. We’re close.” Topaz answered with a bit of hope in his voice. That was a mistake.
For the moment land appeared on the horizon, a bright blinding white light scraped across the sky. Followed by what was probably supersonic shock waves and so many mushroom clouds.
“Luna’s fucking teats, what was that?” Trifecta so helpfully asked in place of everypony still awe shocked by the phenomenon. He was, of course, looking to him, the smart one, for an answer.
His response was, “Fuck if I fucking know.” Topaz already knew he needed sleep, but he needed a week’s worth if he was cursing like this.
And if Topaz thought shit hadn’t hit the fan already, then he didn’t know what shit was because what appeared to be a rainbow of meteors streaked across the sky. Some of them plummeting into the ocean.
He looked over the railing, spotting a huge glowing light quickly rising to the surface. A giant sea pony emerged from the depths. Reminding everypony of the lava pony they faced in the Frozen North, Vulcan.
It was another deranged Alicorn.
This time there were three of them.
Topaz quickly came up with a plan of action. “All ships open fire! Keep moving to land! Anypony that can fly, get ready to take off! Break for shore! GO, GO, GO!”
He’d leave the ships to deal with the giants and take the land units to shore to find out what the hell was going on!
“This doesn’t seem well thought out!” Trifecta voiced his worries? Concerns? They didn’t matter. Topaz was the senior officer.
“Let the Navy ponies handle the Naval battle. We’re going to cut straight through the forest, through Night Academy, and go straight for Haven! Everypony ready?”
“Ready, sir!” Ruby nervously called out. She was in charge of Squad four.
“Let’s do it!” Trifecta howled with vigor, leading Squad 3.
“Aye!” Shamrock roared hardily, leading Squad 2.
With Topaz at the helm with the first squad, the four Night Commanders traveled with a wing of twenty-five ponies each. The vast majority of the rinin flying this night were the originals. They were the elite. One hundred and four strong.
Ahead of them, the lights of falling alicorn amulets illuminated the sky and soon the forest floor. More of the ancient creatures spontaneously returned to life.
To the Rinins’ benefit, the alicorns happen to be too busy killing each other to bother with them. Most of them, at least. A small group of five from either faction formed and approached.
“Whatever manner of creature you be, identify your allegiance!” A fancy talking Goldish Alicorn Stallion demanded. “Be you with Gaia or Minerva?”
Topaz snorted hot plasma from his nostrils. “Cut through them! For Luna!”
“For Luna!”
Ruby burst into flames, her body growing to nearly the size of an adult dragon. Then, with her massive claw, she swiped the offending Alicorns aside, shooting concentrated fire like a laser from her mouth.
A flash of orange cut through the sky as Topaz sliced his way through the Alicorns while Shamrock slammed his spiked knuckles into any stragglers. Covering them was Trifecta, now fused as Triple Thunder with Shock and Jockey.
The tri-headed pony spewed raging arcs of lightning and fire across the starry red sky.
The commanders were showing their stuff, but their units weren’t about to be shown up. So four Squads of battle-hardened Rinin filled the gap made by the four commanders. Taking lives by talon, fang, and fire.
To the newly awakened Alicorns, the band of Rinin seemed to be a horde of demons escaped from Tartarus. Yes, they were the pinnacle of Pony kind, but even these ancient creatures once revered as gods; fell like any other mortal without their fabled weapons and armor.
And so, many who had awakened to the new dawn were unceremoniously and brutally shoved back into the cold black void.
“Don’t linger! Cut through! Get to the Academy and then the castle! Let’s go! Go! GO!” Where this fire was coming from, Topaz didn’t know. This wasn’t his usual style of leadership. He was acting a bit like Fury at the moment, but that’s because this was what was needed.
Topaz didn’t need a complicated plan, just unabashed violence!
So, like bats out of hell, the rinin broke through the Alicorn lines. The ancient ponies giving them a wide breadth as over fifteen of their number were slain in the breakthrough.
In modern times, losing fifteen ponies was nullable. Most countries depending on the type of unit would call that a good day.
For the Alicorns, it was no short of a massacre.
When the Rinin disappeared from view, the fierceness of the Alicorn’s fighting softened between the two factions. Perhaps they were unnerved and were reconsidering what they were doing.
“What uncouth savages.” The de facto leader of the Gaia supporters said snidely at the Rinin’s disappearing forms.
“Yes, what uncivilized times we seem to be living in, now.” Minerva’s supporter agreed, appalled by the brutality. “What do you say, we, for the sake of not wiping ourselves out? Have a good old proxy battle? One Champion each.”
“Agreed!”
And so, in the swamps of the Everfree Forest, the two warring Alicorn factions would elect two champions to fight to the death while the others watched. Like civilized ponies.
“Does any pony else find it strange they’re not following us?” Ruby asked, reverting back to normal. Craning her neck to try and spot any pursuers. There were none, strange. She expected an angry mob.
Not to say they were out of the woods yet. Both literally and figuratively. The Alicorns were rising like the undead. Some of them even flew like it. One white-eyed Alicorn just flew past them and into a swamp. So, they were probably dead again.
“Night Academy is insight. We should check it out, Topaz.” Trifecta suggested as two balls of lightning floated on his wings. “We need more info.”
At the risk of losing time, Topaz agreed, hoping they’d find any pony who could tell them what happened. They descended to the campus. The buildings were untouched. Spotless really.
Since Night Academy was the nation’s only college and hosted students from Evernight, Equestria, and beyond, it was heavily guarded. It was practically a military base in of itself. Powerful magic barriers encased the school. Identification was needed to pass through.
Naturally, all Night Patrol members were registered, so getting through wasn’t a hassle for them.
“The barrier still intact,” Topaz said as they landed.
They were in the heart of the campus. It was nice to see everything not destroyed. Yet, Topaz was uneasy. Something didn’t smell right, to put it simply. The big question on everyponies mind was where all the students were? The teachers? Hell, where were the guards?
“Trifecta, you know this place pretty well, right?”
The triplet nodded, “Yeah. I’ve had to track down Twilight a few times here.”
“Alright, you stay and investigate. Be sure to check thoroughly, don’t forget to check the basement. I’ll leave you a team as a backup. The rest of your squad will divide up and continue with us. Try to catch up ASAP.”
Trifecta saluted the orange commander as the rest of the group took to the sky once more. Shock and Jockey retook their pony forms, heads cocked to the side in confusion.
“Why we getting left behind, bro?”
“Yeah, bro? We want more actions!”
“This won’t take long. There’s only one place we need to check,” Trifecta informed his team while leading the way into the main building.
The Night Academy campus was five castles. He described the buildings as castles because that’s about what they were. They were huge! The main building was the largest, holding the cafeteria, library, and lecture halls.
On the south side were the colts and filly dorms, separated, of course, with the research labs and giant telescope on the north side. Trifecta still thought the telescope was just Luna’s own personal thing. But apparently, students did use it.
Opening the main entrance, Trifecta made a beeline for the descending stairs. What Topaz wanted him to check was the emergency shelters deep under the school. There was enough space for the school and a good chunk of the entire country’s population. Enough for the mares and children at least. Stallions were expected to fight.
How did they evacuate the town ponies? By tunnels? Some secret underground rail system? No, just some magic teleporters in every town. Once again, only those registered could use the rune circle, so attackers couldn’t follow the civilians.
‘splash’
Trifecta froze, feeling something cold and slimy on his foot. Clicking on his helm light, he found blood on his claws. He shined the light down the dim corridor of the basement, finding more blood pools on the stairs.
“Let’s hurry!” He said tensely.
He and the others quickly descended to the bottom floor, gliding down the stairs as fast as they could.
At the bottom, they entered the basement. This wasn’t the shelter. It was merely a front and also a storage room. Mostly food stores and other odds and ends. The things schools need, extra chairs, desks, and tons of paper.
“This way,” The blood trail continued, going to the one place Trifecta desperately hoped it wouldn’t but did. A part of the wall protruded inwards—the secret entrance to the shelters.
Forming up on either side, Trifecta and the thunder brothers on the right, and the others on the left, the triplet gave the signal to breach. Flinging the door open and piling into the small room. Inside, propped up against the other secret door, was Goodnight.
The Bat pony was pointing a hoof blaster at them, with a grenade dangling between his fangs, ready to pull. He was a mess and looked like hell. Covered in blood from head to toe, his left hindleg missing below the knee, he’d put up a hell of a fight.
“Tri…” Goodnight rasped.
“Goody! Put the grenade down!” And he did, or it fell from his grasp, perhaps so shocked to see friendlies, he forgot about the bomb in his mouth. Luckily, Trifecta was on the ball and grabbed the grenade before it could hit the floor. The pin thankfully still intact, but you can never be too careful. “There you go, you okay, buddy?”
It took a bit for Goody to calm down. But, unfortunately, Trifecta wasn’t a field medic, and neither was Shock and Jockey. Thankfully, one of the other Rinin, Serben, was a trained medic and swiftly went about stabilizing Goodnight.
While he waited, Trifecta peeked into the other secret room. It was the same cement gray as the rest of the basement. It was very utilitarian, but it was shelter. Luxury wasn’t in mind when it was built. Safety was. The walls of this place were designed to withstand a barrage of a battleship. The fact it was several levels underground only served to strengthen its defenses.
The next room was larger by far, with many passageways leading deeper into the earth where the shelters were located. When this place was built, it was supposed to be like a minotaur’s labyrinth. Safe for allies, hazardous to intruders.
Taking stock of the room, Trifecta found it clean. Seems the fighting hadn’t reached here, so that was a comfort.
“Hello!” He shouted down one of the tunnels. “I’m Night Patroller 301, Commander Trifecta! Is any pony down here?”
His voice echoed down the tunnels, sounding a lot louder than he expected. Perhaps he jumped the gun, exposing his location, but he had to know if ponies were alive down here.
Eventually, a slow uneasy trot came from one of the halls. Trifecta squinted into the darkness, his night vision hindered by the lights in the room.
“Is that really you, Commander Trifecta?” Sweet Dreams, Goodnight’s wife, asked, emerging from the darkness with her foal in tow. Behind her, two more mares appeared, Fleetfoot, Glove’s wife, still very much pregnant, and Spitfire. Fury’s marefriend? Lover? He wasn’t sure.
“Who else would it be? It’s not like my brothers are still around.” He joked, trying to lighten the mood, but it did little. “Right, what’s the situation? What happened to Goodnight?”
He directed the mare’s attention to the bat pony, who was now in this room. The secret door sealed behind the team as they continued to work on him. Goody must be worse off than he initially thought. The poor guy was unconscious and barely breathing.
Sweet Dreams made a move to go to him but held back, not wanting to crowd him. Sweet dreams settled for sitting silently to the side, letting the medic do his work.
“Do you have…” Fleetfoot gulped, “Any word of Gloves?”
“Haven’t seen him yet,” Trifecta said, shaking his head.
“Oh, okay…” Fleetfoot, perhaps to comfort herself or Sweet Dreams, sat down next to the bat mare. But, in their present condition, it was about all they could do. Which left Spitfire to explain things.
“So, here’s what happened, Commander….”
Spitfire recounted a haunting tale, only it wasn’t a horror story but reality. She had been at Evernight Castle three or maybe it was four days ago. It was hard to keep track of time underground. The sky turning red coordinated with the rest of the world going to shit, so it was no surprise it happened here.
First came the monsters. Scores of them. Hordes of sixty or more charged like waves across the land. They hit everywhere. Every town, and even Castle Evernight itself, the smaller cities evacuated and abandoned. The refugees were placed at the Academy while Night Patrol and the militia fought off the waves of monsters
That was only the first day.
The second day was even harsher, with more monsters coming, but now it was no longer a surprise. Night Patrol launched a massive counter-attack, reclaiming Night Haven, Night Hallow, and Night Port. With this foothold, they were set to reclaim the rest of the country and go aid, Canterlot, and the rest of Equestria, but then another ambush on the third day had them on the back foot.
Weird Alicorn-like creatures filled the sky. Spitfire described them as Alicorn-like because they were really just Unicorns with wings. At first, they mistook them as reinforcements from Canterlot, given they were wearing Celestia’s armor.
Only when they saw the eight-pointed star on their chest and magic bullets rained down on them did they know they were the enemy.
The lesser Alicorns used the most straightforward and brutal tactic they could perform with their sheer numbers.
They swarmed like locus, overrunning every position. Then, using only magic bullet and mana blade, engaged the more skilled Night Patrol at close and long-range. Those providing support didn’t worry about friendly fire. Instead, shooting through their own allies, if it meant taking down a patroller.
It was the kind of fighting. Pony kind hadn’t seen since ancient days before Celestia and Luna.
Nevertheless, Night Patrol, with grit and determination, pushed the Lesser Alicorns back. In the shadow of this small victory, four mysterious beings appeared. They were like Alicorns, yet they were also similar to rinin.
The four declared themselves Alirin, there was an inky black one, a blackish Bicorn one, a banana Oni, and a green one that Spitfire reported had many of the older rinin in shock. These four plus more Lesser Alicorn reinforcements forced Night Patrol into a retreat.
Ponies like Gloves, Smokey Haze, and Bulwark stayed behind to cover their retreat. Along with other brave souls. Spitfire hadn’t wanted to, but Gloves convinced her to retreat, so the refugees had somepony to rally around. Goody, and the other stallions volunteered to guard the outside. Carefully waiting for enemy movements.
“Was it one of those… Alirins that did that to Goody?” Trifecta could barely contain his anger, but he was the highest rank here, so he had to have some decorum.
Spitfire looked away, “No… it was Twilight Sparkle.”
Trifecta had been expecting an awkward reunion with his possible romantic partner. Since he promised to look after Wiess, Trifecta dreaded what he’d say to the bookworm he shared some chemistry with. All that was tossed aside as he looked at his comrade lying on the floor.
“She did… fucking… what?”
“All the unicorns went insane. There were no exceptions. Even Scarlet wasn’t immune, so it’s no surprise whatever happened affected Twilight too. I left to relieve one of the others when she arrived and just started… killing them. Goody covered my retreat, so I could warn the others. I’m not sure why she didn’t come down here.” Spitfire looked downward, clearly ashamed of herself. “I thought he was dead; I should have checked on him.”
Trifecta patted Spitfire on the head, still staring at the bat pony. “You did your best. Keep on guarding everypony hiding down here. I’ll go deal with Twilight.” He stalked towards the door, the thunder brothers turning into orbs and flying at his side.
Spitfire called out to him, “What are you going to do to her?”
Those words made him pause, and it earned him looks from everypony here. “You five stay here and sure up the defenses. Make sure Goody pulls through.” That was all he said.
Trifecta didn’t know what he was going to do. He’d probably just do it when he found her. “I assume she’s in the library.” He asked almost jokingly, but he had guessed right.
“Where else would she fucking be?” Spitfire bitterly confirmed.
There were gem monitors everywhere on the campus, and they could all be viewed from the underground. It must have been frustrating, following Twilight’s every move and not being able to do a thing about it.
Trifecta closed both secret doors behind him. He wasn’t sure it mattered. Twilight was a Vice Commander; she should know about the bunker. Scratch that, she had to know about it. She had the power to kill everypony down here, yet she didn’t? Why?
Was it her resisting whatever was influencing her? He could almost buy that, but somehow that didn’t seem right. If she could do that to Goody, then hurting mere strangers was well within the cards. No, it had to be something else.
Whatever that something else was didn’t matter, Trifecta thought, flying up the building. The main campus building was massive. Built in a spiral shape with classrooms on the first three floors and the library taking up the remaining four. He quickly flew up to the very top. The glass ceiling showing off the ugly red/purple sky. When it was intended to show off the starry sky.
Shock and Jockey as electoral orbs at his side, Trifecta opened the door to the library’s top floor. It was a sparsely filled room with a limited number of rare books within. Its real purpose was to give students a relaxed place to read. He would know since it was all Twilight could gush about after it was built.
And he found her once more. Sitting in the glass doorway to the outside patio, levitating a book in front of her. Twilight gave little external reaction to his presence. Which would be expected if she wasn’t mind-controlled. So easily lost in the pages, Twilight tended to block out everything.
Still, he felt the need to prod, so he spoke to her like usual, “What are you reading today?”
Twilight sighed softly, replacing her bookmark and closing the book with a ‘thump.’ It was a big heavy old book. Well beyond his comprehension.
“Myths and Legends of Equestria, A comprehensive guide to the Alicorns of Lore, Author unknown. Most scholars thought this book irrelevant given the only two Alicorns alive were Celestia and Luna. I wonder what they think now that the gods of old are returning.”
Trifecta snorted, “Gods? Is that what they are to you? We killed fifteen of them on the way here! What does that make us, then?”
“I suppose devils, but fear not, for Minerva, Mother of Unicorns and Magic, has enough room in her heart for all of you.” Twilight sent the book back to the shelf, turning to face him with conflicting emotions. Her eyes were glazed over, her voice monotone, but her fear was evident.
“Twilight…” Trifecta looked at the filly with pity. “If there’s a chance you can break whatever is controlling you, do it now. This will be my only mercy as your friend.”
“Will you kill me? Do you think you can?” Twilight began gathering magic around her horn. “I’m ordered to spare some and slay others. But I’m allowed to defend myself. So I will kill you if I must.”
“Is that why you spared, Goodnight?”
“He was no longer a threat. I backed off so he wouldn’t hurt himself.”
There was once a time, Trifecta thought maybe he and Twilight could be something more. They kind of were. Somewhere beyond friends, but not lovers. He cared for her was the simple answer.
“Twilight back down, and seal your magic, do that, and we can end this here with no bloodshed.”
“I cannot.”
Trifecta lunged, baring fang and claw as Shock and Jockey twirled around him. He knew how powerful the unicorn was. He wasn’t going to hold back. He became Triple Thunder, becoming bulkier and gaining two extra heads made of blue lightning.
Twilight vanished via teleport. Jockey’s head swiveled left, finding her right away and shooting a beam of lightning at her. She disappeared again, this time outside. He followed suit by breaking through the glass ceiling.
While Twilight employed a spell to gain wings of magic to stay aloft.
He recalled the spell she showed him before, the ones that made butterfly wings. These were not that. The wings were longer, still, vaguely insect-like. A fairy came to mind as Twilight zipped through the sky. Unleashing a barrage of magic bullets on him.
Twisting and turning, he dodged the onslaught unleashing a triple breath attack that filled the sky with fire and lightning.
His right head, Shock, swiveled to fire a follow-up attack as Twilight glided along, still laying down suppressive fire. Unfortunately, one of the spells hit him in the shoulder, causing intense burning. Thankfully it was a weak attack. If it had been a piercing magic bullet, it would have shot through his entire body. Heart and lungs included.
Pumping his wings, Triple Thunder coiled his body and spun, using flame burst, to accelerate even faster. Then, rocketed towards Twilight, who, in a panic, made the mistake of making a shield rather than dodge.
Now Twilight was no slouch when it came to shields or any magic, really. Her brother was a shield specialist. She was good but was only considered the fourth-best shield caster. Below, Shining, Scarlet, and Cobalt.
Triple thunder raked through the hasty barrier with lightning-enhanced claws, catching hold of Twilight’s floundering leg. Blood filled the air. Even he paused by the amount spilling out. Twilight’s right foreleg was hanging on by scraps!
“Shit…” He cursed softly.
That moment of pause was a mistake. Twilight, mana blade charged, swung her head like a sword, and burrowed deep into his shoulder. The blue lightning head on his left sputtered and faded away. Then, an unpleasant shift happened in his body as one of the thunder brothers fell towards the ground.
“Jockey!” Shock’s scream was so loud in his head, Trifecta couldn’t process a thought. So, he couldn’t stop the living twin from sinking his teeth into Twilight’s neck for vengeance.
The whole scene felt surreal to him as he caught Twilight’s fidgeting, convulsing body. But he’s seen it enough times to know what it meant.
Twilight was dying.
Grabbing Twilight with his uninjured leg. Trifecta performed a controlled crash landing. Shock separated the moment they touched dirt, running to his slain brother. Leaving him to hold Twilight close with tears swelling in his eyes.
“I’m… sorry… I… didn’t….” She was crying too, her body growing cold.
“Just… shut up…” Trifecta pressed his face against her hair. “You’ll be fine. We’re going to get you help, so just… hang on.”
A small shadow fell over Trifecta. It was Shock, shell shocked. It was apparent why he was like this. “Bro… she killed bro….”
“Shock… don’t….”
“She killed…” He stepped closer, his horn sparking wildly.
“SHOCK!” Trifecta could only shield his eyes as the sound of electricity buzzing filled his ears. The bright light of lightning too harsh to look at. The smell of smoldering flesh reached his nose, and he feared the worse.
When Trifecta’s vision returned, Shock was gone, so was Jockey’s body, and Twilight’s wounds were cauterized. A nasty scar in the shape of her veins was on her neck, and her leg was smoldering. She was by no means healed, but he would take it.
“Thanks, bro,” Trifecta muttered to the wind, hefting Twilight into the nook of his arm as he stood bipedal. “Hey! Somepony, get out here!” He screamed, running towards the main building.
Topaz and the others reached Evernight castle, finding it in a state of disaster. Bringing back memories of the Griffon War like a bad dream. He landed on the roof, finding bodies, bodies, and more bodies.
He wasn’t known for being the most emotionally available pony, yet even Topaz felt a tear in his eye when he saw Smokey Haze on the ground.
Ruby could be forgiven for her outburst as she ran to her fellow monster pony, cradling his head while wailing.
It was a scene so heartbreaking he and the others couldn’t stand to watch. They’d all gone through this before—some more than others.
“Hey, kid, you can’t do this now.” Were Shamrock’s words. They were gentle, which was something from one of the most callus ponies in Night Patrol. “Come on, up you go. It’s not proper to fiddle with the dead like that.”
Shamrock took Ruby aside, letting Topaz regain order over the group of smoldering Rinin. “Look for survivors. Let’s find out what happened here.”
As a final peace to Smokey Haze, Topaz closed the young stallion’s eyes and positioned his body in a more respectable pose. Just so he wasn’t sprawled out like roadkill. As he brushed the young rinin’s mane, he was reminded of the days he spent training Smokey and the others.
In a brief moment of solace and respect, he patted the Monster Pony’s neck one last time, “You did good, kid, rest well.”
“Find any pony?” Topaz barked out to the others after twenty minutes. Wanting there to be someone, anyone, still alive here.
His com popped in and out with static and some hoarse words. “Repeat that. Okay, I’ll be down in a minute.” Topaz looked to Shamrock, still comforting Ruby. “We got survivors on the first floor. Let’s go.”
Shamrock and Ruby followed him down the hole in the roof, through the broken, blood-stained floors, to the castle’s ground floor. Along the way, Topaz analyzed the damage.
It must have been a hell of a fight, he concluded. A sword battle of some sorts took place. A lot of the bodies were hacked up, but there were even more slash marks everywhere. Two sets to be precise.
There were shallower cuts in line with a Nippon sword. Duel wielded. And then there were the massive claymore-like gashes. He presumed the latter to be made from the enemy’s weapon.
On the first floor, in one of the minister offices, stood the Rinin that found the survivors. Their intel was a bit off, as they had to burrow into the floor down into the basement. But there were ponies alive down here, two, in fact.
Kiri, Kira’s grandson, and maybe his wife, Kaki? Topaz couldn’t tell the Sakura sisters apart, and one of them was lying dead on the floor. The third missing or not present.
Shooing all but the medic away, Topaz took stock of Kira’s spawn. It wasn’t good. A bloody bandage covered Kiri’s eyes, with a large cauterized scar running from his shoulder to his thigh.
“You’re alive,” Topaz stated.
“I’m alive,” Kiri replied, pawing around with his claw. Kaki grabbed it but otherwise remained silent. “How’s Sakura? Is she alright?”
The way ‘Kaki’s’ ears twitched caught Topaz’s attention. “Sakura… didn’t make it…” Kiri gripped his wife’s claw harder, but if he could hear the hesitation in her words, he didn’t show it.
“I see. Sakura saved our lives then.”
“Yes, she did… can I… I mean, I’m sure Commander Topaz wants to hear what happened. So I’ll get out of the medics’ way and make a report.”
In a very awkward fashion, ‘Kaki’ broke away from Kiri and all but pushed Topaz out the door. It wasn’t hard to figure out why, but Topaz played along until they were far enough away to speak.
“Why are you lying to him, Sakura?” The shock and way she froze when he called her out said it all. Kaki was dead, not Sakura. It didn’t take a detective, yet Kiri couldn’t tell the difference.
Then again, he was just recently blinded. So it would take a while for his other senses to adapt. And Kaki and Sakura were triplets, so it’s not a stretch they might have switched places while growing up.
Trifecta and his brothers certainly loved to play that game.
“Kind of obvious, huh?” Sakura sighed, wiping her tears away. They just kept coming, yet she carried herself well. “Can you not say anything? Kaki… she had so much more going for her. She SAVED me, even though I’m not the one with a husband. As her sister, I have to take her place.”
“How long are you going to pretend? Just asking. There are more important things afoot, but I just don’t see this going well.”
“Until Kiri realizes it himself. If he doesn’t want me, I will stop, but please. For his and my sister’s sake, just accept Sakura was the one that died today. I know I’m not putting on the best performance right now, but I can play Kaki pretty well. I bet only Momo can actually tell.”
Topaz sighed, “Fine. Do what you will. Now tell me what happened, who is the enemy, and whatever else you know.”
Sakura now acting as Kaki. Told him of Kira coming to help at the behest of Cadence. How they have a fleet in Night Port, and how they were ambushed by two Alirins. Ibaraki and Hassan.
Hazel Thunder and High Octane stayed in the forest to fight Ibaraki, while Kiri, Kaki, and Sakura fought Hassan in the castle. She didn’t know the results of the Ibaraki fight but stated it was unlikely Hazel and Octane won.
Apparently, Kiri managed to kill Hassan over twelve times. Yet, the Alirin Bicorn wouldn’t stay down. Regenerating similarly to Fierce Fury.
“That’s going to be a problem,” Topaz said aloud when a pony called for his attention. Something was going on out front. Racing to the castle’s main gate, Topaz was greeted by the sight of an all-out battle breaking out across the red sky.
An all-encompassing light show of magic played in the sky above, with Alicorns falling like rain.
One crashed into the statue in the front plaza, disoriented by the blow. Topaz gave the order to put it down. Burning the unknown pony in a pillar of fire.
“Kaki, take Kiri back to Night Port and report back to your fleet. Have them keep a beachhead, but send for more reinforcements. Make sure Kiri gets back to Nippon. He’s the prince; after all, we can’t risk the future of the country. I’ll send a detachment with you.”
“What will you do?” Kaki (Sakura) inquired, watching the same war-torn sky and seeing only death and chaos. “What can you do?”
Topaz smiled, “Oh, I can do a lot with this. In fact, this situation is perfect.”
His plan was simple. After sending Kaki off with Kiri, Topaz regrouped his forces into a massive wedge formation. Aiming his 90 rinin at the heart of the enemy.
The objective was Canterlot. Where the fiercest fighting was. The city wasn’t obscured from view by some sort of thick fog or haze. Neither the less, he planned to secure both Princess Cadence and Luna and make a hasty withdraw. Once he regrouped with the Nippon Fleet, he’d figure out the rest. But retreating to Nippon was the most likely choice in the end.
“Make ready!” Every pony raised their wings at his command. “Let’s fly! Take out only those that get in our way, don’t stray into pointless battles! We fly to save our Duchess!”
With a resounding ‘hurrah!’ Topaz once more led his wing into the thick of battle. They flew straight and fast like an arrow. Nimbly weaving through the alicorns. Their numbers were impressive for their race, but really there were only a few hundred Alicorns. So, their battles were very spread out.
However, when they passed Ponyville, the alicorns grew thicker, avoiding battle became less of a possibility and more of a certainty. That was expected. What Topaz didn’t expect was the massive newly dug canyon just outside of Ponyville.
He didn’t know what to think of it at first until the fog cleared, and they were all slack-jawed. Mount Canterlot was gone!
“Topaz!” Shamrock shouted with concern.
“I know! I see it! There’s no turning back out! We commit to the attack!” But, unfortunately, it was already too late. Some of the Alicorns spotted them and were repositioning themselves. He activated his plasma blades, making the crystals on his joints glow an azure blue. “Don’t waver!”
They smashed into the fractured Alicorn lines. Diving deep into the fray. It was near suicide. No, it was suicide. Topaz knew that.
But what choice did he have? Canterlot was gone! He could only assume Cadence, Luna, and everypony else was as well. So instead of regrouping with Sixes, he thought it best to take out as many of the enemy as possible.
“Get out of my way!” He barked, cutting a blue alicorn in twain. Hot blood splattered across his face; Topaz quickly followed up by biting out another’s neck. He was so engrossed that he was blindsided!
“Commander Topaz!” Ruby’s high-pitched scream pierced his ears. He struggled to see past the greenish-black silhouette that held him. The red Rinin was coming in hot, growing in size to reach him, until she too was caught by surprise by a blue and orangish blur.
Knowing he was on his own, Topaz charged up his plasma blades and, with a bit of wiggle room, managed to break his attacker’s hold just in time. He spread his wings wide to break, skidding across the ruined earth to finally get a good glance at his opponent.
What he saw made him freeze.
“Emerald…” He stuttered, stunned to see his sister’s form up and moving again. Blinking hard, he tried to shake off what must be a trick. Yet what he saw persisted. It was his sister. “Emerald, is that you?”
Topaz took a step forward, his sister smiling sweetly at him, reaching out her claw. He mimicked the gesture but pulled back when a flash of red energy whizzed by. Startled, Topaz looked in the direction of the blast, spotting a heavily wounded Gloves.
With the last of his strength, Gloves shouted, “Commander… she’s… an impostor.” Gloves collapsed. His body still.
Emerald’s sweet smile turned to a frown, “Jeez, this is what I get for not killing him? What’s the point of having this face if I can’t use it to my advantage? So, were you another friend of this one? Emerald, her name was, I think? I couldn’t ask for a better body, really.”
“Her body…” Topaz muttered darkly, his eyes snapping wide open. “You dare defile my sister’s body!”
“Oh, she’s your….” Viride didn’t get a chance to finish. Once more using all her wit and skill to dodge the orange blur that was Topaz. But, even that proved not to be enough, as evidence by the gash on her leg. “Haste, huh. I can match that.”
Harnessing the wind in her wings, Viride cast the Swift Gale spell. A sub-group of the Speed enhancement category. Like Haste, it gave her a boost in speed. Not as great as the Haste series, which shot its user forward like an arrow.
No Swift Gale gave her better dodging agility. The perfect counter for the straightforward Haste. Or so she hoped. It was really the only speed spell she knew.
Topaz skidded to a stop, working fast to change his trajectory for his next attack. Blue steam was rising from his scales as his plasma blades burned even brighter. “Hastega!” With ground tearing speed, Topaz closed the distance between him and Viride.
The Green Alirin sidestepped using bursts of wind to quickly spin sideways, but Topaz was a master of his craft. With precise movements of his tail and wings, he altered his trajectory. He couldn’t make sharp ninety-degree turns, but moving a few degrees wasn’t anything complicated. Thus, allowing him to continuously pursue Viride.
“Damn you!” Viride cursed, shooting off magic blasts and air shots. She was constantly on the move, unable to properly form a game-changing attack. Every dodge was within a hairsbreadth, and Topaz kept extending the reach of his plasma blades, every swing cutting closer.
Sliding to a halt, Viride whipped around to block Topaz’s strike, losing two talons for the effort. Then, with her stubby claw, she bashed him in the face. Stunning the orange Rinin. She took the opening and jumped on him, grappling with him on the ground.
Tussling on the ground was equally painful for both ponies, as their crystal spikes stabbed each other as they rolled. Topaz managed to punch Viride in the heart twice, getting some breathing room to run his elbow spike deep below her left shoulder. Blue fire shot out Viride’s back when he activated his plasma.
“ARGH!” Viride screamed, the intense burning overloading her brain. “Dammit! Somepony, help me!”
Her plea was answered by two Alicorn stallions she remembered had been on her side back in the war. Abu and Damu, both alicorns of vegetation. Not really top-tier warriors. Or warriors at all. They did make a fine distraction. Tackling Topaz off her to give her some breathing room.
Viride barely managed to create a small vortex by the time Topaz handily defeated the two alicorns. Dicing them up with his many glowing blades.
He continued to shine even brighter, blue mana blades projecting from his crystal spikes like swords. This was a finishing attack. Viride hastily loaded her Vortex cannon, the electrified tornadoes ready to launch.
“Sieben…” Topaz’s entire form began to vibrate. Viride couldn’t make out the next word over the boom of the sound barrier-breaking. She fired her Vortex Rail Cannon almost blindly, shooting out a scattershot of hypercharged projectiles.
It would come down to luck, and Viride feared hers was out.
Even as she dodged, she knew it was pointless. Topaz was going so fast she completely lost track of him. An overwhelming amount of pain overloaded her brain as she collapsed to the ground.
She didn’t want to look but couldn’t stop herself. It was worse than she imagined. Her left legs were cut off above the knee, her wing was gone as well, even bits of her tail. Searing the wounds closed, Viride scrambled to resist to the end. Wanting to meet her slayer head on to the last.
The orange Rinin stood proud, yet, he did not escape unscathed. His movements were clunky like he was barely holding himself together. Some of her shots had hit. Blowing hoof-sized holes into the orange rinin’s body. He was definitely missing a lung, his right foreleg was attached by only a strip of flesh, and the webbing of his wings fluttered like tattered sails.
Even with all that, he tried to hobble towards her.
“Get away from me, you bastard!” Viride screamed hysterically. Self-preservation overriding her momentary bravery. She did not want to die again! Who would? “Stay back! You bloodthirsty beast! You savage! Do you love to kill so much? Have you no honor?”
Topaz stood over her, wobbly but still standing. “Honor…” He wheezed through the hole in his chest. “Is for fools…” Something wet hit Viride’s face. She thought it was blood at first but found it was salty tears. The orange rinin was crying.
“I wish… I would have told you… you were my sister when I was freed from Rainbow Factory… But I was too scared. You didn’t remember me… I saw how it ended with the others… I didn’t want that… I just wanted… to… be… near… you….”
He collapsed to the ground in a heap. Viride reached out, pressing her talons to his jugular.
“I guess… he couldn’t do it….” Viride’s entire body relaxed, relief flooding her whole system. “I’m just going to shut my eyes… for a bit….”
On a strange impulse, she crawled over to Topaz’s body, hugging him around the neck. “What am I doing… I feel… sorry for him….”
Viride thought she’d sleep for just a bit. That was okay, right? It was the one thing she hasn’t gotten to do since coming back to life.
Perhaps she would be able to dream this time.
In the sky, Ruby Blaze struggled against Permaflame. But, unfortunately, the red monster pony found herself outmatched by the Alirin. Even transformed Ruby’s increased size hardly filled the gap between them. In fact, it made it larger.
When transformed into her complete dragon form, Ruby was ruffly the same size as a miniature adult dragon. This granted her greater strength, greater reach, extended breath range, and higher durability.
It also came with some downsides: lower agility, larger target area, reduced depth perception, and sense of scale.
Currently, Ruby thrashed about, limbs failing to swat the buzzing bug that was Perma. She tried to grab the Alirin in her grasp, missing her like a fly. Inhaling, Ruby’s chest budged comically before spewing a beam of fire. The sky lit up bright orange, followed by a burst of steam as chunks of ice rained down.
“I take you down!” Perma shouted in her childish tone. However, her skills were anything but. Ruby found it increasingly hard to counter the flaming ice user. Every breath left artistic flame-shaped ice sculptures in its wake. Even worse, if the breath happened to hit a cloud, it would remain in the air. Creating hazardous obstacles.
More than two Alicorns fighting nearby them fell prey to this trap. Or they were tossed into them.
The ice in the clouds also affected the weather, the strange mixture, creating bone-chilling snow.
Steam rose from her body, indicating Ruby was having trouble staying warm. Reluctantly she returned to her original size. Instantly feeling warmer. Yet, now she must fight without her unique ability.
Daring the frozen flames, Ruby could only trust in her training to overtake the monster before her. Diving through the cold mist, she tackled Perma, instantly taking damage as merely touching the frozen pony, causing frost creeping across her coat and scales.
That would not be enough to shake her though, gritting her teeth, Ruby engulfed her body in flames, transforming once more. Then, with Perma in claw, she arced back like a pitcher and flung the Alirin with all her might!
Perma spun like she was launched from the Dizzy-Tron, only there would be no recovery from this toss. So Ruby laid on the heat by shooting flames at her. Hoping that would be enough to at least disable the Alirin.
All those hopes were dashed instantly.
Ice exploded in every direction, a literal mountain forming in near seconds, its peak rising towards Ruby at alerting speeds. On top stood a flaming blue skeleton. To which Ruby could only laugh humorlessly.
“Not even Overheat’s kids could do that. Why can you?” She didn’t get an answer. Instead, Ruby found herself slapped to earth, half of her body covered in frost. Slowly she shrank to her original size in the newly made crater. Bitter and disappointed in herself. “I knew I wasn’t Commander material… not yet. Maybe never…”
It was her opinion that Twilight Sparkle deserved the title of Night Commander over her. She suspected Sixes’ distaste for the unicorn was the only reason she was promoted over Twilight. He assured her that wasn’t the case, but deep down, her doubts were never quelled.
“Don’t be given’ up now!” Came Shamrock’s scrappy tone. He appeared like an angel, decking Perma in the face while holding an alicorn by the throat. “Night Commanders, don’t have the right nor the will to give up! So, stand back up, Ruby! And if you can’t, then I order you too!”
Shamrock tossed the defeated Alicorn aside, another tackling him. Ruby watched as they grappled in the dirt.
Wiping the dirt and tears from her face, Ruby melted the ice from her body, standing to face Perma once more.
“Sir, yes, sir!” She yipped, raising her dukes.
Ruby realized she was overthinking things. Night Commander’s weren’t chosen for petty reasons; Sixes would never tolerate such thinking from any pony, let alone himself. So even if she doubted her own ability, she had a duty to her title. “I’m Night Commander Ruby Blaze! Come and get me!”
Ruby covered her entire body in flames but didn’t transform. Instead, she focused all that excess power and compressed it. Her muscles bulged slightly, but even that compressed, making her body denser and denser until she became even more slender.
Steam wafted off her from the heat, it felt like her blood was boiling beneath her skin, but Ruby never felt lighter. When Perma got in range, she moved faster and hit harder than ever before. Clocking the blazing skeleton right in the skull!
“OVERHEAT!”
She let loose a barrage of blows. Proud of the name for her new technique. It fitted that it be named after the original red Monster Pony. She laid into Perma, each punch producing a sonic boom.
Perma let out pained cries after each hit, sobbing tears of blue fire. “STOP IT! THAT HURTS!”
Ruby, in perhaps a moment of cruelty, did not heed these cries. How could she? How could she restrain this pony? In what meaningful way could she ensure Perma wouldn’t just take advantage of her mercy? She couldn’t. So that’s why she laid on the hurt harder. Ruby’s only mercy was killing Perma as quickly as possible.
“You don’t have the right to be this pathetic after you tried to kill me! This is the battlefield!” Then, rearing back for some extra leverage, Ruby hit Perma with a bone-cracking blow. The crack in the skeleton pony’s skull was oddly satisfying.
Perma dropped to the ground, turning back to normal, and it was here Ruby hesitated.
It was only for a moment.
She couldn’t bring herself to attack an unconscious pony, and she even wondered if an Anti-magic ring would be effective when a shot from nowhere blasted through her body.
Ruby fell on the ground beside her enemy, pressing her claw against the bleeding hole in her body. Idly she looked around for one that shot her, but no pony came to finish the job. So, she laid there, staring up at the whizzing magic bolts crossing overhead. And concluded in a dry and perhaps unironic way, she had been shot by a stray spell.
“It’s more impressive it took this long, actually….” She mumbled, cauterizing the wound close. Ruby’s limbs fell limp to her side. The fight was taken out of her. It was likely the results of using OVERHEAT. She had magic exhaustion.
Hearing dirt shifting behind her, Ruby craned her neck to see Perma stand back up. The blue Alirin looked at her with a burning hatred. Which was understandable. Ruby didn’t try to beg for her life. This was what was expected.
Perma raised her leg, perhaps to crush Ruby’s head, and then froze.
Ruby watched bewildered as Perma fell to her side, a huge gaping hold in her chest. It had hit her square in the heart, giving Ruby a clear view through the Alirin, which about made her puke. She quickly looked away from the gorefest and caught the faint traces of yellow lightning in the corner of her eye.
“Hazel…”
“Topaz! Ruby! Any pony!” Shamrock screamed into his gemcom while frantically fighting off a fifth bloody Alicorn! “You fuckers are like locus! You’re nothing but a plague!”
Shamrock wasn’t the flashiest Night Commander. He had little to his name beside the spikes on his knuckles. What he lacked in overwhelming firepower, regeneration, and lightning-fast speed, was pure fucking tenacity. Also, being a tough SOB helped. You did not gain the respect of a dragonlord by being soft!
Legendary Alicorns that were revered as gods? Who cares? What did that matter? He could punch a dragon so hard its knees buckled! So, what was a fancy Alicorn skull? Was it thicker than a dragon? Denser?
According to his kill count, they were neither. He might as well be boxing clay.
“Come out, ye black and tans! Let me show you how we rumble in Clydesdale!” With spittle flying from his mouth, Shamrock smashed in another skull. Then grabbed the dazed Alicorn by the head and shot green fire down its broken jaw.
“Enough of you potters and gardeners! Let a real warrior take the field!” A big red Alicorn declared. “Trembled before the Alicorn of War, MARS!”
Shamrock met the red Alicorn head-on, jabbing his talons into Mar’s chest like a lance. The Alicorn’s own momentum ran him through the entire length of the Rinin’s arm. Snapping ribs and tearing organs Shamrock dislodged himself from Mars, letting the Alicorn fall to the ground.
He took a moment to catch his breath and noticed something fly from the dead Alicorn. And it wasn’t just Mars. Now that his tunnel vision cleared, Shamrock saw many things flying in one direction.
They were orbs of all different colors and shades. All of them flew towards the giant hole that had been Mount Canterlot.
If he didn’t know better, and Shamrock really didn’t, but he could guess. They looked like souls.
“What in the hell….” It was beyond his pay grade, so he ignored the souls in favor of searching for his comrades.
Right off the bat, he found very few. Of the nearly hundred Rinin they started with, he counted maybe twenty? If even that.
A sudden familiar cry caught his attention. Shamrock looked towards the gaping maul and saw an orange flash, surrounded by four others of varying colors. Then there was the truffle of blonde hair.
“Applejack? The fuck?” Rather than ponder, Shamrock bolted to the aid of the farmer. He didn’t notice her new appendages in his rush, but that changed when he landed at her side.
Applejack sported a pair of wings, a horn, and ethereal blonde hair, Alicorn stuff. She was fighting off two raspberry ponies, a yellow one and a black one. All of them were Rinin like with Alicorn traits.
Alirins.
“Applejack!” he shouted, slamming his spiked fist into the banana-colored pony. It felt like he was punching a mountain! She barely budged!
“Another fun one!” Ibaraki cheered, swinging with her club and Spear banner.
Shamrock was quick to dodge knocking the offending weapons back with his fist alone, yet now he found his attack underpowered.
Feeling a presence behind him, Shamrock spun nimbly, avoiding the black Alirin’s great sword.
“Hassan, that one’s mine!” Ibaraki whined, interfering with Hassan’s follow-up strike.
“Foolish child!”
Shamrock spat fire, creating a wall between him and the two Alirins, and skidded to Applejack’s side. “Hey, Applejack Ninth! We have to get out of here!”
“The fight is not done yet!” Applejack barked in a two-tone voice like two ponies were speaking at once. Then, smashed her hooves into the ground, summoning up a godly amount of earth spikes. Spikes wasn’t even the right word. She was making mountains!
“Gaia!” The one of the purple Alirin screamed while barreling in from above. Wand and Gladius aloft in magic.
“Minerva!” Applejack, or rather Gaia, created a war hammer from ore in the earth. It made Bulwark’s hammer look small because it was about the size of Bulwark himself.
Hammer and Gladius struck, and physics was pushed aside because that small sword should not have stopped that mass of steel. Magic had to have its limits, right? The resulting shock wave sent him flying, making Shamrock feel like a mortal stuck between two goddesses.
Only the god on his side was losing. As so helpfully named by Minerva, Gaia was pushed back, not by much, but she was still losing ground.
“You never had this much strength before! Did you finally pull a plow or something, you dainty mage!” Gaia sounded strangely happy while exchanging barbs with the Alirin.
“I’m not a mud roller like you! But I do respect your principles slightly more, only slightly. I’ve deemed your children worthy. It’s only the Pegasus that must die, so just get out of my way!”
“Sweet talk coming from the pony that condoned the enslavement of my children!”
“Well, I no longer do! I just want the traitors dead! And now I got this mess!” The mess being to the all-out war going on around them.
“Traitors, huh? Then why is Morrigan still alive?”
Minerva grimaced, “Not my choice, but do you expect me to kill my own sister?”
“She’s my sister too, and she’s a backstabbing bitch! She slept with your husband, remember!”
“Which is why Rex isn’t here. He’s as bad as Zeus!”
The two godly ponies continued to bicker, making Shamrock stare in wonder at how petty they were. However, there was no time to comment on this as Hassan and Ibaraki broke through his flaming barricade, making him take the two on. Luckily, he received some help.
“Ares! Hep!” Gaia cheered at the arrival of her allies, suddenly lightning fell upon them all as Zeus, Odin, and Jupiter joined the fray. The three were of Tempest’s faction.
The three Alicorns of Lightning, Sky, and Rain stood between both factions, each side uncertain of where they would place their allegiance with Tempest absent. Tempest had been on Minerva’s side until, in a strange change of heart, switched to Gaia’s side before Solaris wiped them all out.
Ibaraki and Hassan flanked Minerva, who was joined by two more, Mercury and Venus. Morrigan was absent.
The remaining Rinin regrouped around Shamrock as all sides of the conflict seemly took a moment to regroup, causing a lull in the battle.
Besides the screams of the dying, all was quiet. So quiet that all parties present could hear a far-off noise in the distance. Only those of modern times would recognize it.
It was the hum of Airships.
An earth-shaking call to arms filled the air. Shamrock turned toward Evernight, spying an entire Nippon fleet, combined with the Taskforce they’d left at sea. All ships were positioning for a broadside bombardment, with the army gathering for an attack.
Yet, there was something else. A higher-pitched squeal that even Shamrock didn’t recognize. It was coming from far up above, where a jet stream trailed across the red sky. Some object or craft was flying at speeds beyond what ponies could reach.
From that black speck came seven dots that quickly grew in size the closer they got. They all braked hard, kicking up dust and ash.
“Sorry, we’re late, brother,” said a familiar gruff voice.
The dust settled to reveal seven ponies, Sixes, Fierce Fury, Essex, Titania, Zeppelin, Kaiser Hades, and Princess Celestia herself.
All seven were decked out in platinum armor, inscribed with runes, and looking like heroes from a fairy tale. It was the item Celestia carried that held everyponies attention, though. First, of course, she had her l Axe of Apollo. The golden ax glittered with radiance, but it was the spear Celestia now carried that made every pony over a thousand subconsciously gulp.
It was the legendary weapon that ended all their lives thousands of years ago, the Spear of Solaris.
Celestia, her hair a blazing fiery gold, pointed the spear at the ancient ponies before her, “I’ve come to finish my mother’s work. I am Celestia Solaris! Alicorn of the Sun and Ruler of Equestria! Expect no mercy or quarter for your transgression against my ponies! Your time of twilight hath come!”
“This is not a ship! It’s a death trap!” Celestia screamed from within the high-velocity Aircraft the Kaiser flew them in. He promised to give them access to his fastest ship. She supposed he kept his word.
Only the ship in question was a box with rockets bolted to it. When Celestia asked if he planned to find space ponies, the Kaiser merely shrugged and said it was possible.
After healing and equipping themselves with every artifact, the Kaiser had available, the team of seven. Including herself, Sixes, Fierce Fury, Essex, Titania, Zeppelin, and the Kaiser boarded the strange ship, much to Celestia’s worry.
Obara returned home, called by the power of the Dragonlord.
Thus, with their team assembled, they rocketed off towards Equestria.
“It’s not going to explode, is it?” She asked worriedly as the stars suddenly got a lot closer.
“No, no,” The Kaiser assured her, but after a moment, he continued with, “Well, the last two prototypes did, but I’m sure this one will be fine. I’m flying it, after all. Well, flying is relative. We’re more like a loosed arrow. Hopefully, we’re going in the right direction.”
Celestia dared to peek out the window and saw the ocean whiz by. “How fast are we going?”
“25,000 mph.” The Kaiser causally answered, as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“What?! How will we stop?”
The Kaiser laughed, “Stop? Well… hum… huh... that’s a good question. Hopefully, we’ll run out of fuel at just the right point to where we start to slow down, and we can jump out.”
“Dad,” Titania said, concerned, “How long until we bail?”
“Right, um… now.”
“What? It’s only been fifteen minutes!”
The Kaiser didn’t bother to answer. Instead, he shouted, “Teleport us outside now, or we’ll be on the other side of the world!”
Celestia’s horn flashed, and all of them were now free-falling outside. Good thing they all wore their goggles. That said, they were falling incredibly fast.
“Where’s Canterlot! There’s only a huge ass… canyon… oh…” Fury trailed off, recognizing other landmarks and was able to piece everything together.
They all did.
Canterlot was gone! The entire mountain, and then some were wiped off the map! From the sky, a massive ashen scar appeared in the middle of the green terrain.
“I’m sensing… a lot of magic over there.” Celestia pointed, leading the way down to where her castle had once stood. On the way, they passed Alicorns amid battle. It was a gory sight as they slaughtered each other, but what caught Celestia’s attention was what looked like their souls being sucked towards the pit that once was the Crystal caverns.
An entire herd of ponies gathered in the ash-covered plains. Among them was Shamrock and other rinin, standing side by side with ponies that Celestia thought long dead. Memories came flooding back from her childhood, and she remembered each pony they passed.
She held fond memories of some and not so fond of others, but there was no doubt any of them would be happy to see her—the Daughter of Solaris.
“Mother, give me strength.” Entering her Flare mode, Celestia felt her power rise with the burning heat of her body as wisps of golden fire hair entered her vision. But, thanks to the armor given by the Kaiser, her flames wouldn’t affect her allies.
Landing dramatically, Celestia held every ponies’ attention.
“I’ve come to finish my mother’s work. I am Celestia Solaris! Alicorn of the Sun and Ruler of Equestria! Expect no mercy or quarter for your transgression against my ponies! Let twilight fall upon you gods of old!”
Minerva nearly gagged at the child’s declaration, “You? A mere welp when compared to the cosmic force that was Solaris? You’ve barely stopped drinking from her teat, young Celestia!”
The fact somepony was calling her young was… bizarre for Celestia. Yet gratifying strangely. It was kind of nice not being the oldest thing alive anymore.
Celestia took up her mother’s spear, pointing at the mother of magic’s throat. “Feel free to test this…welp… yourself, you old nag!”
Minerva’s smile was unnerving. It was the smile of one far too gone in her own madness. “I will, Hassan, Ibaraki! I rescind my do not kill order. If they will do nothing but get in our way, then so be it! Let them die standing if they so choose!”
Spear and ax loft, Celestia charged the ancient Queen of Equestria, kick-starting the war once more.
“Let’s do this, Lucky!” Essex enthusiastically leaped at Ibaraki while her husband, still worn out from fighting, kept up the best he could.
“Sweet Luna’s teats lass, I only got so many rounds in me!” He complained, but nothing would prevent him from making sure his sweetheart came out alive.
While they engaged Ibaraki, Sixes and Fury went after Hassan, Shamrock knew that would probably be the more brutal fight.
“Where are the other lasses with ya?”
He recognized the two Aces of Germane. How could he not? After memorizing their profiles for his retrieval mission, it was a great boon to have Titania and Zeppelin fighting alongside them, yet he couldn’t spy them. Nor the Kaiser.
“Don’t worry about them!”
“Alright!”
His wife had a point, now was not the time to be looking at other mares. Besides, there were enough enemies around for everypony to sink their teeth into.
Such as the annoying little mini pony they were facing. What made Ibaraki so annoying, besides her childish taunts and demeanor, was the fact she looked like a foal or a teenager at the very least. Making it hard to really want to go hard on her.
That was not what made her so dangerous.
No, that small stature combined with that ungodly fortitude and strength made her a small and nearly unbreakable target. Even hitting her at full force did little. In a twisted way, Shamrock suspected his own attacks were hurting him more.
“You got any tricks, love!” He asked, clutching his bloody claw. Blood poured from the spikes on his knuckles. His appendages were more than likely broken. It took some guts and insane pain tolerance. But Shamrock was able to bash his fingers into a usable fist, tying his talons together with a scrap of cloth.
“I do,” Essex’s hair turned silver, bright shining veins spread along her body in a way Shamrock seen happen to Sixes.
“Sweet Luna, where do you find these fucking things?”
Chest ballooning Essex spewed molten silver at Ibaraki. The yellow Alirin was quick to dodge the glop of metal, but that wasn’t enough. The silver molded into chains that entangled around the Alirin.
“Lucky! Catch!” Essex threw the other end of the chain to her husband, who immediately went to work spinning like a top and smashing the Alirin into the ground!
Spitting more silver, Essex went to work on crafting her favorite weapon, metal talons. The hot metal produced a stinging sensation as it molded to her will, becoming nine-inch metal nails on her claws. Carved into the shining blades were curse runes.
Diving, Essex brandished her weapons, carving deep into Ibaraki’s flesh as the Alirin struggled to untangle herself from the chains.
“What is this thing!” Ibaraki screamed, struggling to shake the chain off, but every time she tried, it would wrap itself around her once more like a snake constricting its prey.
Spitting gold fire, Ibaraki spun, tossing Essex from her back and whipped her Spear Banner around with her magic to sock Shamrock on the left side of his face. Cutting it open. Blood gushed out of the shallow cut, the green rinin roared and charged with a bloody eye to deliver a one-two combo to Ibaraki.
The attack did little but to annoy the Alirin, but it was all he had. Shamrock reared back, putting his entire body into the punch and managing to cock Ibaraki’s head sideways. She glared with her yellow cat-like eyes, and suddenly Shamrock found himself flung far away. Ibaraki’s spear chasing him.
He rolled, dived, and dodged for all he was worth, with no way to counterattack as Ibaraki controlled the weapon remotely.
Essex charged in with her silver talons but was blocked by Ibaraki’s Kanabo, the silver claws sparking against the spiked iron club. They were all fighting upright, Essex being taller, used her greater height and weight to her advantage, or so she tried.
Being much shorter, Ibaraki used the taller Essex’s height against her by crouching and sending the Rinin toppling over her back. The short pony flung her Kanabo at Essex, controlling it remotely to keep the female rinin at bay.
With both of her opponents held at bay by her weapons. Each one controlled by one of her two horns. Ibaraki calmly examined the chains constricting her, grabbed a length of it, and then broke the weak link with a tremendous amount of strength.
“Serpent’s Revenge, clever.” Ibaraki wasn’t much for Curses or Hexes, finding them distasteful and too complicated. That didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate Essex’s craft. Using a curse to bring a chain alive was rather clever. “I believe this was primarily used in tombs to kill grave robbers. Traditionally ropes were used.”
“Thanks for the history lesson!” Essex grunted, spitting lava onto the Kanabo, trying to fuse the weapon to the ground. “My brother went on and on about that when he was teaching me! He also taught me this!”
Essex spat a considerable amount of silver on the ground, creating ten more chains, but with bear traps at one end that chattered like hungry beasts.
“Go!”
The Chain Snappers, as she called them, were like fake familiars. Or maybe automata? She didn’t really understand the principle or background behind the terms but understood how to do it. And that was enough.
From Sixes’ crash course, he told her silver was more durable than gold and was used in many or if not more magical weapons than gold. The downside was it didn’t produce as much raw power but made up for durability and versatility.
She argued that making massive explosions was better until he explained how she could make these wicked little things like this with her curses. Which was preceded by a lecture on ancient Tomb traps and torture tools.
Fun sibling bonding time.
The Snappers were designed to bite a pony’s leg and pull them apart or restrain them for even more heinous devices.
“Your a sick little pony,” Ibaraki said with what almost sounded like praise as she swatted the Snappers away, but they kept coming, unable to feel pain. Hungerly pursuing her like a starved beast, except they wouldn’t get any nutrition, as they had no stomachs to fill.
One Snapper bit onto Ibaraki’s left foreleg, sinking deep into her flesh and hitting bone. The other end of the Snapper was fixed with a long spike. Stretching its chain body taut, it buried the stake deep into the ground.
“Oh, I know your tricks!” Ibaraki said, running towards the spike to make slack in the chain. When another Snapper bit into her tail of all things. The pain was enough to make her dizzy as she looked down at her new draconic appendage. Resenting it for being made of flesh, rather than hair, like her old one. “I guess these bodies do have some downsides.”
“Hey, love!” Shamrock was back and ready to go, but Essex signaled him to stay back as she created another five Snappers. The effort brought Essex to her knees, struggling to coordinate the fifteen metal creatures.
The strain didn’t come from magic. Being made of silver, each Snapper produced its own by absorbing magic from the ground. No, it was the mental strain. The Snappers moved independently and could function on autopilot or premade orders, making them stupid and predictable.
By taking manual control, Essex could, by her will, control the Snappers as if they were her own body. Biting Ibaraki’s tail was such an action. From there, she let the Snappers programming take over and bury its tail into the earth to restrain the Alirin.
That left her with thirteen Snappers to control, and it wasn’t easy.
“Essex… you’re bleeding….” Shamrock said, horrified as blood seeped from his wife’s eyes and nose.
“Just… keep me… safe… I’ll finish this soon….” She struggled to speak, using all available brainpower to control the Snappers. “Get her…”
“You think this is enough to stop me!”
Ibaraki was raging like an Oni, smacking the Snappers wither Kanabo and using her spear to pin down as many as she could. The chattering bear traps chewed at her spear, ebbing away at the wooden shaft. She bashed another with her Kanabo, getting bit in the shoulder by another. Her right foreleg was pulled out of the socket by the force of the chain going taut.
Worse of all, the bear traps continued to chew at her, not enough to let her go, but enough that their teeth sank deeper and deeper. The one on her left claw ate halfway through the bone and stopped, keeping her hooked like a fish.
Rather than suffer, Ibaraki chose to bite off her own claw instead of being chained. With her horns burning brightly with magic, she commanded recalled her weapons, wielding them with precise control as she swatted the Snappers aside, her target, Essex.
“Come on! Come on! Let’s have more fun!” She cackled.
Essex, unable to move, willed two snappers to bite Ibaraki’s rear legs, the jaws snapping down so hard they nearly severed them completely. The Alirin flew upwards to keep the chains from grounding themselves and burned her feet with fire to seal the wounds. The Snappers melted to her flesh, but their curses were removed.
“How!” Essex demanded. “Only White or Holy magic can….and you need to be… Oh….”
Ibaraki smirked, “Yes, only pure maidens can use it. I happen to be one. I was never one for stallions, all I need is my precious Shuten, and I am content. Now…” Ibaraki’s chest expanded as the divine fire raged within her. “Let’s keep the fun going!”
Golden divine flames hit the ground and spread like wildfire. Only instead of harming the land further, it left green grass in its wake. When the fire hit the Snapper, they twisted as if in agony, their bear trap teeth chattering frantically as they were remade into actual living snakes that slithered away into the grass.
This display of power made the Rinin couple realize they were dealing with something beyond their understanding.
“What in the fuck was that!” Shamrock couldn’t process the sight before him as the flames continued to spread and burn life back into the ash-covered land.
“It’s like she’s… a god….” Essex whispered, trying to stand back up. Her entire body was shaking, and she had a horrible migraine.
“I’m glad you’re catching on,” Ibaraki said, still strangely cheery, even though she was a claw short and now clattered when she walked. “Really, it’s fun watching you mortals struggle. You’re always so… passionate about your destruction, fighting with everything you have! It’s wonderful, really breaks my boredom. And this is my favorite part, will you bow down and worship me? Or resist until the end?”
Essex and Shamrock intertwined their claws looking longingly into each other’s eyes. It was inappropriate for the situation, but they kissed for what was perhaps the last time.
“Ready… love?”
Essex buried her head into her husband’s barrel, “Yes….”
Shamrock untangled himself from Essex, standing defiantly before Ibaraki and shielding his wife. He raised his spiked fists. Spitting green fire onto them. His muscles bulged as steam rolled off his body.
“Do you think yer, tough?” he asked Ibaraki. The Alirin just cocked her head to the side, wondering where this was going. “I’ve brought a Dragonlord to its knees with a blow, ye think ya can tank it?”
“I don’t back down from a challenge if that’s what you’re offering. However, this is your last free shot.” Ibaraki warned as she popped her shoulder back in. “I’ll be very cross if you don’t manage to impress me.”
“Aye, I bet,” Shamrock reared back his fist, coiling his body as he prepared a flame burst. With one last look at his wife, he said, “I love you….”
Shamrock delivered his most powerful blow to Ibaraki in a burst of speed that rivaled Topaz’s haste. This time, she moved, his spikes burrowing into her cheek and breaking teeth. Her feet skidded across the earth, her claws digging deep to slow her down. When she finally stopped, she and Shamrock remained fixed in place, with his fist buried into her muzzle.
She tried to speak, but her jaw was broken, blood poured out of her mouth with each failed word. Instead, she chose to smile. It was painful, but she thought it was the best reward she could offer: that and quick death.
Quick for her, at least.
Shamrock felt the last of his strength drain, feeling pride that his attack had an effect but disappointed that it was all he could do. Well, there was a bit more he could do, but it wasn’t much. Knowing what was coming he, crossed his forelegs in an X over his face.
He didn’t have to wait long.
True to her word, Ibaraki wasn’t playing anymore. She swung her iron club at full force, the hit breaking Shamrock’s guard, his right foreleg flopping in the wind, completely shattered! Screaming in pain, he tucked his body tighter, bracing for the second hit. This one, too, broke his other foreleg.
He didn’t waver. He kicked with his hind legs, breathed fire, and even bit Ibaraki in the shoulder.
She bashed his legs, shattered his shoulder, and then impaled him with her Spear Banner to keep him standing as she wailed on his head with her club. The strikes were painful, but she was toying with him, like a cat toying with a mouse.
“I’ll only smack you around for a few minutes! You were so fun! But I don’t like playing with broken toys! What was your plan anyway? Were you trying to give your mate time to run away?”
“No…” Shamrock rasped, blood pouring from his mouth and many other places. “She’s… kind of slow… at….” He began to laugh. “Oops, I was about to spoil the surprise….”
“What?” Ibaraki cocked her head sideways, she got tunnel vision when she was enjoying herself, and Shamrock was blocking her view of Essex. So, what was the rinin mare doing?
Knocking Shamrock’s lifeless body to the ground, she retrieved her spear just in time to see Essex crying with a bright shining silver spear in her claw.
The spear was of a familiar shape and pattern, though a different color.
“SPEAR OF SOLARIS, NOVA STELLA II!”
Ibaraki didn’t have time to react. The silver spear shot from Essex’s grasp so fast that it didn’t even appear as a glimmer in the eye. The Alirin touched her chest and fell to her knees. She still has lives left, but ever since the Kira fight, her wounds healed much slower.
“You haven’t… won yet….” She said as Essex stood over her.
Essex spat enough silver to make five more Snappers. Incapacitated, Ibaraki could only watch with bemused horror at the metal monsters that were set upon her. Literally eating her alive. She didn’t cry out but merely laughed at her own fate.
“What a cruel mare you are… as cruel as me… you’re even watching…until the end….”
A Snapper bit into Ibaraki’s neck, ending her life. Her body began to crystalize and then shattered, leaving diamond bones behind, a banana yellow orb flying away towards the dark pit in the middle of the battlefield.
Essex didn’t react to this. Instead, she went to her husband, laying his head on her lap as she hugged him close.
Up above the sky was ablaze with exploding shells from the battleships and the flash of Alicorn spells.
“They kind of look like fireworks,” Essex said while staring blankly at the sky. Running her claws through Shamrock’s mane. “It would have been nice… to see them again, just you and me….”
Titania and Zeppelin were tag-teaming the Alicorns Venus and Mercury. Both Alicorns were mares and the pinnacle of beauty. So, it was a surprise when it turned out they could fight and fight well.
Both Germane ponies utilized their blessed states, punching far outside their weight class and pushing their mechanical horns and wings to their limits. They rapidly fired their horns, the metal smoking hot against their skulls while their wings threatened to snap several times from their high-speed maneuvers.
This was indeed a test of their science and the power of earth ponies.
Now, if they’d only stop losing ground against the two alicorns.
“Ma’am! We’re almost to the ships!” Zeppelin said as they fainted retreat.
“Good! Get them close, and we’ll let the Evernight ponies blast them out of the sky!” Titania said in their native tongue. Given the thousands of years between them and their opponents, there was little chance the Alicorns could understand their language. It was their only real advantage over the Alicorns.
As proud as she was of their R&D department, Titania wasn’t going to risk her life to prove it was better than the real thing. No, she’d instead let the Airships and their arsenal of cannons and blasters do that.
“Here’s to hoping they don’t shoot us down first!” Titania grinned in a way that was described as gleeful or maybe even psychotic. Really it was just a nervous tick to cover her own fear and scare her enemies. It didn’t make for good first impressions, though.
Such as now, as they barreled into the gap of an Equestrian Airship’s Anti-flyer fire. When they hit the deck, the ponies aboard didn’t seem to know how to treat them. In their stupor, Titania tried to take advantage of their uncertainty.
“Concentrate fire on those two Alicorns!” She ordered with authority. Some ponies twitched, almost reacting to the order instinctively, but these ponies were well trained enough not to follow orders from just any random pony, to their benefit and detriment. “Come on! Before they get too close! Hurry!”
“You heard her! Blow them out of the sky!” A voice barked, snapping the deck crew into action. The full force of a flying battleship was focused on the two incoming Alicorns. The ancient ponies thought some simple yet powerful shields would be enough.
Their ignorance was their undoing as the two Alicorns were reduced to a fine red mist.
“Well,” A red pony with mechanical wings said, approaching the two Germane mares. “This is a surprise.”
Zeppelin knowing the mare, could say the same, “Indeed….”
“AppleJazz is my real name, Lady Zeppelin?”
“Just Zeppelin is fine.”
Titania looked between her subordinate and Jazz, “How the hell do you two know each other?”
“Long story,” Both Jazz and Zeppelin replied in unison.
“Right… well…” The trio looked out over the battlefield. It looked like hell on earth with the constant falling of shells, fire, and ash whirling in the air. “War’s not over yet, ladies. Let’s get back in there!”
And so, an unlikely trio of mechanically enhanced earth mares flew back into the fray.
“Get back here!”
“He’s over there! Don’t let him out of your sight!”
“Shit! He disappeared again! Fucker!”
Sixes swung his golden chains and hooks, trying to ensnare Hassan. The Bicorn vanished via a shadowy type of teleportation that seemed to merge with the shadows. Fury was snorting fire, blasting the earth with scorching hot flames that would have incinerated everything if everything wasn’t already ash.
“I’ll lure him out!” Fury dived to the ground, waiting for Hassan to strike. The hairs on his neck stood up. Signaling the Alirin’s presence. Fury, being Fury, didn’t bother to dodge. Losing his head for the fifth time this fight. He could see his own decapitated body burst into flames as Sixes’ chains encircled Hassan.
It seemed like the Bicorn would escape once more until Sixes brought the pain with a Spear of Solaris. Both Hassan and Fury were engulfed by the blazing light, and seconds later, both were rebuilt from their own ashes.
“You’re both such fucking cheaters,” Sixes panted as the gold faded from his body. Yellow steam rose from his body as his claws trembled. He clenched them tight to stop the shaking, but it did little.
“Rest up. I’ll hold the bastard for a few rounds!” Fury said, knowing Sixes was tiring. It was expected after blowing Hassan away over five times already. He’d knock a few lives off the Alirin while Sixes recovered.
Still, it was frustrating to fight a pony with the same ability. Fury almost felt sorry for all his past opponents. This was annoying. Fighting a pony that wouldn’t die.
Creating a flame sword in each claw, Fury charged right in swinging wildly, opposed to Hassan’s careful and precise strikes.
The Alirin was clearly the better swords pony. That was blatantly clear.
Fury, however, was much more accustomed to reckless fighting. His forearm got lobbed off. So, what! He’d grow a new one!
Smashing his other flame sword into Hassan’s head, Fury tanked the explosion from the attack and pressed on. Grabbing Hassan by the neck, and ripped it out as the other pony’s face regenerated.
He didn’t know what counted as a death, but Hassan’s regeneration was slightly different. In fact, it seemed to be slowing down. With each revival, Hassan looked thinner and thinner and a lot less buff. Each death was slowly eating away at him.
The question, now, was how many more times did they have to kill him? And that same question bothered Fury. Having lost track of the number of times he’s died himself. Briefly touching the golden feathers in his mane, they probably had something to do with it. He always lost one when he died.
“Fuck it!” He created flame swords, one after another, each exploding on contact that ripped his own body apart with each attack. Fury roared savagely, his blackened skull exposed as his own skin burned away to ash. His claws couldn’t keep up, leaving him with stubs, so he bit down on Hassan’s neck, sinking his teeth as far as he could.
“Troublesome Berserker!” Hassan clubbed Fury with the pommel of his sword, trying to shake the rinin off, but he was still healing. Fury’s relentless attacks left him in a near decaying state, making them appear as two burnt corpses duking it out.
Azure flames shined from Hassan’s empty sockets. He called upon the power of his old foe, Dragonlord Azazel. Even if his limbs lacked their impressive mass, he managed to force Fury off. Rising to upright, Hassan grabbed the hilt of his mighty sword for a finishing blow when his chest exploded!
He staggered, falling to his knees as wisps of gold danced around him. Next, a golden chain and hook ensnared Hassan, pulling taut.
“I’m tagging in!” Sixes said, wielding three golden spears, two chains, three golden axes, and three golden swords with his antlers. He was bringing out the full arsenal. Each weapon was made prior and stored away, and these weren’t the crude, one and done. No, they were exquisitely crafted fakes.
Since growing antlers and unlocking the ability to use unicorn magic, Sixes only learned two spells, levitation and summon object. With just those two simple spells, he gained tremendous power.
“Spear of Solaris, Ax of Apollo, Sword of Gram!”
The triple attack was overwhelming. The piercing power of Solaris’s spear, the hacking ability of Apollo’s ax, combined with Gram’s magic spell, created a perfect storm. Hassan was blown to pieces.
His heart eviscerated. Next, his head was cut off with Sixes wielding Gram to blast him again with a mighty slash of magic. The sword cracked but did not explode like usual, giving Sixes another chance to attack as Hassan regenerated.
The second blast of magic wasn’t as powerful as the first, maybe half if Sixes was generous to the fake sword. Still, he thought it an improvement over the usual one-and-done method. What the sword was not good for was, being an actual sword.
Blocking Hassan’s great sword was a very hairy ordeal, and Sixes being the furthest thing from a sword pony, was quick to admit his lack of skill and gain some distance away from the black Alirin. Tossing the nearly shattered Gram for its final and mild attack. The resulting exploding from the scrapped weapon was little better than a standard gem rocket.
Meaning it could still level a small building, but that was barely a love tap in this fight.
Still armed with his other six weapons, Sixes fired an ax to block Hassan’s sweeping strike. Taking to the sky to gain the advantage of mobility and height, he fired another spear at the Alirin, who battered it aside with his sword.
“The tolling bell calleth thy name!” Hassan raised his massive weapon, a ghostly blue flame engulfing the edge. With a mighty swing, he unleashed a Magic slash that seemed to cut across the entire sky!
Sixes grabbed his remaining Fake Grams in his claws and countered with a giant X slash negating Hassan’s attack with little regard to his supply. The two Grams crumbled in his grasp, having used all their might to block the incoming strike.
Feeling a chill run down his spine, Sixes willed his chains to move behind him, just in time to block Hassan’s follow-up strike from behind. Sixes maneuvered quickly to face his opponent pulling the chain tight while twirling the other with his claw.
“You fight like an assassin.”
“It’s my profession,” Hassan answered proudly. “Observe.”
The Alirin became a ball of black shadow that quickly moved around Sixes’ chain. Sixes tried to ensnare Hassan once more, but the golden chains passed through the Alirin. He fired his last spear in a bit of a panic, putting a little spin on it to increase its firepower.
This did little to slow Hassan down.
With only an ax left. Sixes wielded the unruly weapon in a meager defense. With every swing, a flash of light fired from the ax. The burst of sunlight caused Hassan to suddenly veer off, making Sixes wonder why the spear didn’t work. As he swung the ax again, Hassan blocked with his sword, but Sixes found minor victory in this, as the blade of his ax split.
“Cheap knock-offs will always be inferior to the originals.”
“Yeah, but they still have a use.” Sixes let go of the ax, willing it to overload and explode. Going gold, he spits up more lengths of chain, craving an anti-magic rune on each link. The massive weight of gold landed on the regenerating Hassan.
“Sixes!” Fury rejoined the fray, the two Rinin on either side of the Alirin, their chests swelling and glowing with fire. On an unknown signal, the two-spit streams of hot flame on Hassan. Both panted as the Alirin fell to earth in flames, both knowing it wasn’t the end but needed to catch their breath. “Did we get him?” Fury asked with a bit of hope.
Sixes’ response was to craft another spear and summon three more. He didn’t wait to find out and fired all four spears with some extra spin at Hassan. The resulting explosion would have sunk a battleship.
“Huff… huff… huff….” Sixes was panting even harder now, gold steam rising from his body from the overuse of his ability.
“You better slow down, buddy.” Fury said as Sixes waved him off, already trying to craft another weapon. “Hey, that’s enough!”
Fury reached out to shake Sixes of his battle trance when a shadow appeared behind the black Rinin. He screamed to look out, grabbing Sixes’ foreleg and pulled him away. Hot blood splattered onto Fury’s face as he flew his best friend to safety.
“Sixes!” Fury didn’t know how far or fast he flew, but he was well enough away from Hassan to set Sixes down. His best friend, his brother in arms, was in bad shape. Sixes was barely breathing, half of his right foreleg was missing, and there was a nasty gash in his barrel. Exposing bones and possibly Sixes’ beating heart.
“The bell tolls for him,” Hassan said solemnly, appearing behind Fury but not attacking. Was it out of a sense of Honor? Fury didn’t know. Maybe he just likes to watch his victims die.
Fury stared at his dying friend, the rage he’s managed to control for so many years came rising back to the surface, causing his veins to pop and his teeth to ache with unrestrained Fury.
Blue light pulsed slowly from within his body. Gradually the power of the Lapis amulet spread across his body, turning his bright red coat blue. That wasn’t all. His body twisted and grew, changing shape. Changing into that of a mighty blue phoenix.
With an angry squawk! Fury lashed out his with talons, his hindlegs, now his only legs. Were that of bird of prey, large enough to grab even a pony of Hassan’s size.
“Foul creature!” Hassan swung his sword, but it bounced off the steel-like talons. He aimed higher, cutting Fury’s skin, which only resulted in a burst of flames exploding from the firebird’s body instead of blood.
Fury snatched Hassan in his talons and carried the Alirin into the sky with speed seemingly unsuited for a creature as tall as a two-story house. Far above the clouds, to where even the stars seemed in reach.
Fury coiled his body around Hassan, projecting a barrier around them as his body broke down into tiny blue spheres.
“SHINING NOVA!”
An explosion, not so different from Kira’s final attack, filled the sphere. Hassan, having regenerated, found his legs regrown in reversed positions. Before he could even worry about fixing this, Fury once again:
“SHINING NOVA!”
The ordinarily stoic Hassan began to sweat, or he would if his brain could keep up with being destroyed every minute.
“You… can’t… keep this up… your life….”
From the void, Fury’s voice said, “I have more lives than you do. SHINING NOVA!”
And so, Hassan and Fury continued the cycle of death and regeneration. Fury repeatedly exploding with the force of a nuke, ending Hassan’s life over and over again.
How many times has either of them died? They both lost count by now. It was a matter of who had more extra lives to see who would come out on top. Who could endure the pain of death over and over?
Was it a dozen? Fifty? A hundred times? He’s died? Hassan didn’t know. He, once known as the Alicorn of Death, now longed for its embrace. And so, when his body regenerated for what was undoubtedly the hundredth time, he gave a small smile as he was obliterated once more.
This time Hassan did not come back. Bringing an end to his suffering.
Fury reformed his physical body, feeling completely drained as he caught Hassan’s remains in his talons. He was still a giant blue phoenix. Mildly concerning, but he was thankful for the extra speed as he dived down to snatch up Sixes in his talons.
His friend needed help, and there was only one pony who could, with great reluctance. Fury took Sixes to the only Doctor who could save him.
Kaiser Hades, formerly Doctor Hoofenstien.
Kaiser Hades, leader of Germane, Alchemist, and grandchild of Gaia herself. Bore witness to the battle playing out before him. An epic clash of the old gods versus the new age. A fight he’s anticipated since his first experiment. Though his creations loath him, he was proud of his work.
The alicorns were being kept at bay. He made the gods bleed!
“No…” he said, star gazed. “It wasn’t just me.”
Regular ponies around him wielded the weapons of science put forth by the legendary Starwind the Beardless. His airships have changed the world in more ways than one. Hades was somewhat jealous a unicorn managed to show him up.
A pony screamed, “Incoming!”
Hades looked to the sky to see a giant blue phoenix approaching the ship he was on. Though he lacked any authority over the Evernight ponies, he spoke with confidence. “Stay your fire. They are allies!”
There was only one blue phoenix he could imagine existing. But, once more, his test subjects exceeded his expectations. To think Fury could become such a beast was awe-inspiring. He genuinely wanted to examine the rinin to find the secret behind these radical transformations.
Fury would probably kill him, so he kept that to himself.
Hovering over the deck, Fury dropped two things from his talons. Some charred bones looked to be from a bicorn if the skull was any indication and Sixes.
“Can you heal him?” Fury asked. His voice boomed like thunder, but that was due to his size.
Hades examined Sixes closely, he was missing half of his foreleg, and the wound in his barrel was terrible. He didn’t know how the Rinin was legally still alive. One of the chambers of his heart was just gone.
The fact he could see the damage through Sixes’ ribcage did not point to Sixes’ survival. By any medical metric, Sixes should be dead. So how?
It was against surgery procedure, but Hades peeled back a bit more of Sixes’ flesh to find wisps of gold magic spiraling around Sixes’ heart. He was uncertain of how Sixes was doing this, but he used his magic to pump blood, bypassing the organ.
“You never cease to amaze me,” Hades said sadly. Knowing the magic was only prolonging Sixes’ life for a bit longer. “I could… remake him with alchemy, but I lack the materials.”
“What about these?” Fury pushed the Bicorn bones closers, making Hades scoff.
“Of for… what good are bones going to do me? He’s missing muscle! Flesh! Yes, the bones will help restore his foreleg, but I need more material! Do you see a lab stock full of organs and muscle tissue? Because you blew up mine! TWICE!”
“What about… them….” Fury pointed to the slain bodies littering the ground.
“Hmm, like the thought, but no, even freshly killed the organ begin to decay without proper preservation. Besides, we’d need a dragon or rinin heart. Any regular pony heart would burst into flames when he tried to breathe fire. Or it might not even survive his normal body temperature. What temperature do you usually run compared to the average pony?”
Fury merely stared blankly at him.
“Right, I forgot you weren’t one of my lab assistances.” Hades looked beside himself. He didn’t want one of his finest creations to die. “So those are our options, either find a Rinin heart or Sixes dies.”
“No…” A weak voice said.
“You shouldn’t… be able to speak….” Hades was floored once more as Sixes regained consciousness, grabbing Hades by the scruff of his neck with his claw. “You won’t… desecrate their bodies… not for me or…” Sixes slipped back into unconsciousness.
“Well,” Hades said, rubbing his neck. “You heard him. Nothing I can do.”
Fury looked on, feeling the same as Sixes, so, “Use me.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I said, use me for the materials. I’ve lived enough lives.” Fury began to shrink, retaking his usual form, but his color remained blue. “He’s my best friend.”
Hades couldn’t keep the mad grin off his face. “Combine two of my greatest creations? Plus, add in Hassan… mother’s mane… I… can’t resist! The possibilities! This could achieve my ultimate dream! The birth of a new god! HAHAHA!”
“Get to it before I change my mind and rip out your heart instead.”
Hades coughed into his hoof, “Right, let me get to work.”
Utilizing his mechanical horn, Hades drew over twenty sticks of chalk from his saddlebag and began writing complex formula runes on the deck in a frenzy.
“Place Sixes, here you go there, and poor old Hassan goes here! Let’s do this! Witness the creation of a new god!” Hades laughed with the utmost joy! How couldn’t he? He was about to combine not just his creations but Hassan, who had been an Alirin. Plus, the Lapis and Gold Alicorn Amulets. “Including Hassan… three Alicorn Amulets. Plus, whatever dragonlord he absorbed….”
He truly would be creating a new god. If nothing went wrong.
Hades slammed his hooves against the deck, activating the circle. Lightning shot into the sky from the complex array to display the sheer power he was playing with! Sixes, Fury, and the remains of Hassan all disintegrated, rearranging into something new, something beyond the divine Alicorns.
“This is my magnum opus witness the arrival of a new age!” He declared as the light began to fade.
“RAGH!”
“UGH!”
Over the dark pit where Mount Canterlot once stood, Celestia and Minerva did battle. They were both the pinnacle of pony kind, each drawing upon the vast power of their elements. Celestia brought forth the raw power of the sun!
Minerva wielded the very essence of magic itself. Every spell, big or small, was stored away within her vast mind. So even if it was just invented, she would know it as well as the pony who developed it.
That was not to say she was a master of every spell, nor could she be. She had her favorites and affinity, but it was there for her to use if she needed it.
“Rainbow Bullets!”
There was no holding back anymore. Not against Celestia, not against the child of the one who brought her race to near extinction. Minerva blasted every element from fire to darkness at Celestia. To the younger Alicorn’s credit, she managed to block them all with a solar flare with a wave of Solaris’s spear. Creating a wall of miniature suns to stop the attack.
Summoning a glob of bubbling darkness, Minerva let the purple muck rain down, forcing Celestia to weave and dodge before resorting to another Solar Flare. Using the mini sun like an umbrella to block the muck.
Swinging her ax, Celestia let loose a wave of fire. Minerva quenched the flames by ripping open the sky and pouring seawater in front of her. Creating a waterfall out of literally thin air.
Clenching her teeth tightly, Celestia screamed, raising the power of her Solar Flare. She increased the temperature to insane degrees. Finally, the black muck dissipated, and the waterfall exploded into steam.
Minerva moved back, her heat resistance overtaxed by Celestia’s sheer power. “This is the trouble with you master of one types. You’re too damn good at one thing! You’re just as annoying as your mother!”
“I’ll take that as a compliment!” Celestia replied, feeling proud to be compared to her legendary mother. She pointed her spear at Minerva, grinning with confidence. “I’ll be sure to finish you off properly this time in her stead!”
“Foolish child! If you intended that, you’d done it by now!” It was Minera’s turn to grin. “Too afraid to die. To burn yourself up like your mother did. Even if you are, I bet you can’t bring yourself to burn them up as well.”
Minerva gestured to the ponies fighting below them. “It’s troublesome having so many allies. That’s why Solaris came by herself. Well, to be fair, Nexus was with her. It’s a shame your father doesn’t get as much credit. If not for him holding everypony back, Solaris wouldn’t have had the time to perform her final attack.”
“They did what they had to; I will do the same!”
The two were back at each other. Instead of spells, they let their weapons talk. Celestia wielded her ax and spear with decent skill. However, the ax was a very odd weapon, heavily off balance, and not great for defending. While the spear gave her reach and excellent piercing and slashing capabilities.
Her problem was she wasn’t used to using both at once. Performing combos was awkward when she was unused to the spear. The lighter weapon lacked the impact of her second ax. Primarily she used her mother’s spear to parry Minerva’s Gladius. Using it to keep the short sword at bay while she tried to crush the alirin’s head with the ax.
However, Minerva’s staff was outfitted with several annoying features, such as auto-shield. That wasn’t what it was called, but that’s what it did. The rod would produce a magical barrier whenever the ax came too close in proximity.
A very annoying feature.
Firing off some magic bullets, Celestia attempted to overwhelm Minerva’s auto defenses, charging up her ax with light magic for added power. She swung and was parried by the Gladius, kind of shocking considering its small size. Pressing her attack, Minerva buried her blade into the edge of the golden ax!
“Don’t look so shocked! I made this sword by condensing a meteor! Unlike your flimsy little ax, it’s got some weight to it!”
Minerva cocked the sword back and flung it with her magic. Celestia mirrored the action with her ax, both weapons clashing at full force! The results were as expected. The Gladius tore through the softer alloy of the ax, continuing towards Celestia.
Celestia fumbled in her movements, overcommitting to the attack, causing her to flail in the air as she tried to catch her balance. She avoided being decapitated right then and there but didn’t escape unscathed.
“GRAH!” The Sun Princess screamed as blood gushed from her right eye, her vision suddenly cut in half. There was no reprieve as Minerva took the advantage, wielding her sword around for another attack. Celestia did her best to dodge, spinning her spear to projecting barriers, but the pain made it hard to focus.
Suddenly her right foreleg was severed.
“Sorry, I was aiming for your head,” Minerva said, recalling her sword. “I guess I should offer you the chance to surrender. I mean, look at yourself.”
“Don’t take pity on me,” Celestia growled, casting a healing spell. She couldn’t replace her eye or regrow her leg, but it stopped the bleeding at the very least. “At least now, I can be a pirate. That sounds like a fun way to spend part of my retirement.”
“Funny, you think you’ll get out of this alive?” Minerva pulled her Gladius back, ready to throw it again.
Celestia smiled, “If I was alone, no, not at all.”
“What…” Suddenly Minerva became keenly aware of the whooshing of wind. She acted, swinging her Gladius around to block an incoming projectile while her staff dealt with the other. She frowned when she saw the weapons that about ended her.
Two Star blades.
“Dammit! Why’d you have to warn her! Every time!” Luna fumed, retrieving her blades.
“It wouldn’t have worked, either way. It did give me the chance to do this….”
Minerva suddenly teleported away, a shower of fireballs rained down where she once been, falling from a Solar Flare that Celestia had created high above her.
“Will you stop announcing your attacks!” Luna barked, but her expression softened when she saw the state of her sister. “You’ve really taken a beating this time.”
Celestia grinned, “You should be happy. Now I have no choice but to retire after this. Where have you been, by the way… you feel different.”
“I’ll explain later. Let’s finish this bitch off!” Luna flashed her aura, creating her dark cloak, but there was something different about it. The mass of darkness was surrounded by a layer of gold. It wasn’t just that. Luna was also covered in the same golden aura.
“What… what is that magic!” Minerva screamed fearfully. She was the mother of magic! Why couldn’t she identify this strange aura? That was impossible!
The light surrounding Luna shown brighter, as did the stars above. “It’s a gift from some friends.” Luna’s starry blue mane began to change to a bright and vibrant starry gold one. If not for her blue coat, she’d be Celestia’s twin.
“So that’s what it is,” Celestia smiled. She’s seen that aura before. The Aura of Daydream Shimmer. “Thank you, Sunset.”
“Let’s do this! I’ll keep her busy. You do what you do best!”
“Right!”
Luna was off like a rocket. Of the two of them, she was always the better close-range fighter. The two-star blades spun like buzzsaws, flying faster than the eye could see, ripping through Minerva’s defenses, while Luna used her Dark Shroud to grab and slash at the Alirin, putting Minerva on the defensive.
“Alright, lacking a bit of depth perception, but I can still manage.” A complex magical array appeared around the Sun Princess, not just one, but seven. “Locked on! Ready for Magical artillery!”
Luna teleported away instantly, giving Celestia a clear shot at Minerva. She fired all seven spells, bombarding the Alirin with her most powerful attack.
Minerva merged from the smoke a bit charred and seriously burned. If not for Torch’s powers, she would have died. She charged, screaming madly, but Luna intercepted her, not giving her a chance to counter. Even with her raw strength, Minerva couldn’t overcome Luna.
Between fighting off Luna’s star blades, and black tendrils, Minerva was losing ground. Shooting a barrage of spells to get even a little breathing room, but Luna never let up! Then she disappeared again, letting Minerva get pelted by Celestia’s long-range attacks. They were nothing to scoff at.
Celestia’s bombardments might not be instant knockouts, but they weren’t fun either. She found herself panting, struggling to keep up with the constant barrage of attacks. It was then, Minerva realized how dangerous the sisters were. How they managed to overcome everything the world could throw at them.
“I have to separate them, two or three more of those, and I’m done!” Minerva let out a wave of raw magical energy to keep Luna at bay, buying her only a second. She swung her Gladius at one of the star blades while forming her own artillery spell.
Luna’s dark shroud grabbed for her, and she countered by creating a veil of light, it was really straining her brain to remember the counterspells, but she had to or die.
“Explosion!” Minerva chose to blow up the entire area rather than do anything fancy, taking some damage from her own attack, but that was fine. She breathed fire catching Luna by surprise, and rushed in, using Torch’s strength to wrangle the Night Princess.
Claws and thumbs were great.
“Got you!” She said triumphantly, digging her talons into Luna’s flesh.
“Think again!”
Minerva instantly let Luna go, feeling the effects of gravity magic. A distortion of space appeared around her, and Minerva was quick to sever her claw as it was suddenly pulled into the void and exploded into red mist.
She really missed her healing fire breath.
Another barrage pelted her, Minerva growled as bits of her body were blown away, one of the attacks taking a considerable chunk of her shoulder. Still, of the seven, only two had hit. Celestia was either out of range or tiring.
“Could be her missing eye too, I guess.”
Taking the chance to breathe, Minerva readied herself for Luna but found the Night Princess scarce. In fact, she wasn’t anywhere nearby.
She looked down. The sisters were side by side, with their mother’s spear encased in both of their magic.
“Oh no…”
“SPEAR OF SOLARIS!”
Together the sisters fired the spear. It was so much more impressive than the one’s Sixes tossed around. There was no comparison. Not when she was looking at what looked like the sun itself flying at her. It was a hundred, no, a million times more potent than anything Sixes could hope to create. She would know. She’s experienced it before.
The attack hit her, incinerating her instantly.
“We got her,” Luna beamed as she watched their mother’s spear continue to fly into the atmosphere. Becoming a new star in the night sky.
“Yes, now…GAGH!”
“Celestia!” Luna wheeled around, horrified to see Minerva alive, and running her Gladius through Celestia’s heart.
Minerva cackled, “I knew it was smart to keep my trump card a secret from you. All that effort, to only take away one of my lives! You fools!”
Having fought tooth and nail to stay alive all these years, Minerva wasn’t about to simply get careless just because she had a few extra lives now.
Pulling her sword free from Celestia, she let the Sun Princess drop, Luna, chasing after her sister. Minerva aimed to take her out too but was interrupted by Gaia, who tossed her hammer at her.
“Damn you!”
“I could say the same!”
Thus, the two ancient enemies resumed their battle once more.
“Celestia!” Luna managed to catch her sister and lay her gently on the ash-covered ground. She cast a healing spell, but the wounds wouldn’t close. “A curse? No…”
Luna stared in horror as Celestia’s body began to crystalize.
“Celestia, no don’t… don’t leave me… please.” She cried, hugging her sister close. “Please, I still need you….”
Celestia smiled as she patted Luna’s back and brushed her hair. “I will… always be with you… Luna. Always.”
Celestia’s body fully crystallized and then shattered! A pure white Alicorn Amulet floated in the air as Luna fell to the ground.
“CELESTIA! CELESTIA!” She cried, tears streaming down her face.
Suddenly something crashed nearby. Luna tore her eyes away from Celestia’s Amulet to see Gaia in the dirt, heavily injured.
“You need to… ‘cough’… grab her… before he steals her….” Gaia warned, spitting up more blood.
“Time to die!” Minerva came rushing in for the final blow.
“APPLEJACK!” Luna screamed as images of her and AJ the first flashed through her mind. “NO!”
A black blur tackled Minerva midair, sending the Alirin skipping across the ground. Luna blinked away her tears, uncertain of what or who she was looking at.
The pony? No, the creature floating protectively over Applejack/Gaia looked like a rinin, but one she’s never seen before. He was large, larger than her, with familiar black scales but unfamiliar overly large black and gold phoenix wings. Two glistening black horns protruded from his head, like a Bicorn, and his mane was a strange mix of ethereal red and gold. Giving his hair a flame-like appearance.
In his claw formed a sphere of black fire that he crushed, creating a sword of flame, “Black Flame Blade!”
Luna watched with stunned amazement as that single attack engulfed the landscape in a sea of black fire. When Minerva emerged alive once again, the creature roared savagely, opening its jaws wide shooting a beam of blue magic from its mouth.
“ATOMIC FIRE!”
The Atomic breath blew Minerva away. She regenerated but wisely chose to flee, teleporting as far as she could in that instance.
Clutching Celestia’s amulet tightly, Luna approached the creature that had saved Applejack. When she was closer, she was startled.
“Sixes… is that you?”
The creature did indeed resemble her husband somewhat, but was it really him?
“Luna…” The creature said affectionately.
“It is you… right? Sixes?”
“Sixes… no… I’m Fierce Sixes now. Fury and I, now one.”
“You’ll have to forgive him for the slow speech. His brain is probably still trying to adjust.” Kaiser Hades, the last pony Luna expected to see, said. “He is a marvelous creation, my best work, really.”
“What did you do to them!” Luna raged, but Fierce Sixes blocked her path.
“I chose to save Sixes.”
“Hmm, I set it up so Sixes would be the dominant mind, but it seems Fury still lingers. I’m sure that will pass in time. Now, what are we to do about all this?” Hades said, looking sadly over Gaia’s vessel. “Hello, grandmother.”
“Clay, is that you?” Gaia wheezed weakly.
“Yes, it is.” Hades brushed Gaia’s mane, surprised that her vessel so closely resembled her original form. It wasn’t a stretch to think the Apples were a direct descendant of Gaia. He wondered which relative they came from but pushed the thought aside. “You’re dying. We need to get you a new vessel.”
“No!” Both Luna and Gaia said at the same time as more ponies gathered around them. One of them AppleJazz.
“Applejack!” The red filly screamed, rushing over to her cousin’s side. “Why… why are you here… and…” She was at a loss for words when she saw Applejack was now an Alicorn. “What the hell happened?”
“Young filly of my blood, could I borrow your body? If you agree, I can save this one.”
“Jazz don’t!” Luna tried to stop the red filly, but Jazz agreed readily before the first word left Luna’s lips. Applejack’s Alicorn features transferred over to Jazz, who smiled sadly as her ethereal green mane blew in the wind.
“Fear not, little Luna, I would never let one of my own die for my mistakes.” Levitating some dirt from the ground, Luna and the others bore witness to the miracle that created the Earth Ponies as Gaia turned the very earth itself into organic material. They all watched the flesh like mud burrowed into Applejack’s body, restoring and fixing her bones and organs.
It was genuinely divine power, but it was not one to use repeatedly by the way Gaia/Jazz panted.
Applejack awoke, alive, and perhaps better than before, “What…where am I? Luna… Jazz… what…”
“It is not safe for you here, Daughter of my First Blood. Return to where thy were taken.” In another divine display of power, Gaia Jazz sent Applejack home. To relative safety. Once more, it took a toll on her. Her ethereal mane flickering. “I only have one last gift. Luna, your sister, please.”
Reluctantly Luna gave Celestia’s Amulet to Gaia, who smiled thankfully as she pressed it to her barrel. “Clay… I trust you’ll follow through this time?”
Hades hung his head, “Yes, Grandmother, I promise I will.”
She smiled one last time, “Good, I’m glad to hear that.” Gaia’s aura separated from Jazz, leaving the filly unconscious as Gaia transferred over to Celestia’s white amulet, which now gained an orange spiral pattern.
Luna picked the amulet up, uncertain of what this meant. Then Hades started drawing a circle around her. “What are you doing?”
“Following through, you’re not strong enough, so I’ll make you stronger! Titania! Throw the Rose amulet in as well! We might as well make her the same as Sixes. In fact, go find the remains of one of the other Alirins. A female if possible.”
“What are you planning to do to me!” Luna tried to escape but found she couldn’t move. With Jazz unconscious, the only other pony around to stop the Kaiser was Zeppelin, so that wasn’t happening. “Hades! Don’t think you’ll get away with this!”
He laughed, “Get away with what? Saving the world? Sorry, but I think I will. If you still have ill feelings feel free to kill me afterward.”
“I have Ibaraki’s skull, father!” Titania said, tossing the skull into the circle.
“Perfect!” Hades took a deep breath. This would be his last transmutation. “Don’t worry, I did this successfully once before just a few minutes ago. The second time is much easier. Now once more, we witness the birth of a new god!”
“HADES!” Luna screamed as the light of transmutation enveloped her. Combining her with Celestia/Gaia’s Amulet, the Rose amulet, and Ibaraki’s remains.
That wasn’t all. The sky split open, with lightning being added to the mix by Odin, Zeus, and Jupiter. Their reasons were unknown as they willingly added themselves to the mix.
When the light faded, a vastly different Luna stood there. She was taller, taller than Celestia. Her coat was two-tone, brilliant pure white with a splotch of black on her rear and long feathered black hair on her feet, giving her a Clydesdale appearance. Her wings were draconic in nature and black as night. When she opened her mouth, draconic teeth were revealed, and her ethereal mane was a mix of starry blue with a wisp of blonde. Her eyes were a strange blend of orange, pink, and teal, with two curved horns to top off her new appearance.
“I present, Olympia Luna!” Hades theatrically introduced. Only to shrink back as Luna blew fire from her nostrils and the air crackled with electricity. He chose to bend the knee to the new goddess of Earth, Sun, Sky, and Moon.
“I’ll decide your fate upon my return.” Luna declared, taking to the sky. Lightning and thunder cracked and boomed with every beat of her wings.
“What happens now, father?” Titania asked as they watched Luna disappear, flying into the dark pit in the ground.
Hades sighed, tired from performing two groundbreaking transmutations in one day back-to-back. It was safe to say he’d probably be dead before Luna and Sixes could come back and finish the job. A small mercy, perhaps.
“Now, my dear? We wait. We wait and see if the old gods prevail or the new ones. Either way, all we can do is wait.”
All around, the souls of the defeated Alicorns were being drawn to the pit. What could a pony do with all that magical power? Maybe the better question was who was going to use it?
Who would command The power of the King of the Alicorns, Romulus Rex?
Deep, deep in the earth, in the dark pit formed by Kira’s final attack. A great power slumbered. That power was the Black Alicorn Amulet, Romulus Rex. The King of the Alicorns and Alicorn of Creation.
The black gem floated over a deep crater, the souls of all the slain Alicorns flocking to it like bees to honey. Its aura shone brightly, engulfing everything around it.
At the edge of the crater stood Morrigan, gleeful like a cat as the Black Amulet continued to grow in power. A power she would control! Soon she would recreate the world as she saw fit! All this nonsense of inferior races, pony or not, would be settled once and for all!
“Soon, everything will be as it should be!” Morrigan boldly declared.
“And how should things be, dear sister?” Minerva asked, appearing from the shadows of a tunnel. Circling around her sister with a steely eye. “Please, continue.”
“Oh, Minerva, you’re alive… great.”
“You don’t have to sound so disappointed. We’re sisters, we may not always get along, but there are no secrets between us? Right?”
“Says the pony that didn’t want to revive me.”
“So says the pony that slept with my husband and still is, by the looks of it.”
“Well, you didn’t seem to want him back,” Morrigan countered as the two began to circle each other. “This World, our World, has gone to hell. Don’t you think it’s only proper that we, its creators, the ones that toiled to make it, reset it? Things could be like they were in the past. It could be you, me, and Rex. As a herd this time?”
Minerva snorted, “We’d be at each other’s throats in a week.”
“Well, it would be a fun week, right?” Minerva’s expression remained unchanged, causing Morrigan to sigh. “Alright, enough bullshit. Look at what you’ve turned us into! We’re freaks! We were the pinnacle of Pony kind! Now… RAGH! I don’t know what we are! Is this what you wanted?”
“Not exactly, but this is how things are. It’s what I, we need to survive. If you don’t understand that, then you can die with the rest of our kind, again! Sixes is coming, and he is something I can’t even fathom anymore! I need to… to eat Romulus if we’re going to survive!”
Morrigan reeled away from her sister in disgust. “What’s happened to you! Where’s your pride! You’ve… changed!”
“Of course, I’ve changed!” Minerva snapped. “I’ve lived for thousands of years, living by the skin of my teeth, jumping from body to body just to stay alive! And when I finally created a habitable life, it was taken from me because of a single mistake! All you’ve done, all of you, is sleep! I’ve lived life! I know how the ponies below us, our children, my children, Gaia’s children, live! I’ve experienced it! Unlike you!”
“You’re just a fool, romantically emulating those slaves’ lives!”
“Don’t call them that!”
“Don’t call who what? Gaia’s mud pony slave spawn? Or your degenerate slave spawn? They’re both equal in my eyes. Pathetic, worthless creations that you two killed our glorious race over!”
Morrigan’s rant was cut short as Minerva’s Gladius ripped through her auto-barrier. She tried to chant a spell, but her sister had her by the throat, with her wand glowing sinisterly.
“Minerva… you… wouldn’t…”
Fwoosh!
A magic bolt blew clean through Morrigan’s head, and to finish the job, Minerva tossed her sister into the pull of the Black Amulet, which crushed her body and soul before absorbing both into its depths.
“Now, to set things right,” Minerva said, calling the Black Amulet to her. The earth shook. She looked up, sensing two powerful presences. “And now Luna too, well, I hope the others buy me enough time. Even another minute would be enough.”
Condensing the power of the black Amulet, Minerva readied herself, biting into the crystal.
Sixes was barely halfway to the pit when he encountered two problems. One the alicorns barring his way, and two, the sense of dread when he saw the pillar of light touch the sky where he left Luna.
“Fuck…” Defying logic and tactics, he turned around to check on his wife when some idiots got in his way. “Why don’t you take what’s left of your fucking lives and run with them before I snuff them out!”
He’s been using all sorts of new abilities, but the familiar pulse of gold veins across his body bought him a strange comfort that not everything changed. The gold was coming out of his palms like sweat, but what can you do?
Mashing the two glops of gold together in his claws, Sixes was inspired to craft a new weapon. Really, he was ashamed for not thinking of it sooner. Tossing the mass of gold, he smirked devilishly as it broke apart into dozens, possibly hundreds of two-inch Star Blades.
With Levitation, he took control of them all and gave them a much-needed boost. Willing them to fly like arrows.
“FALLING STARS!”
It wasn’t a big explosion like Apollo’s ax or Solaris’s Spear, but what it did have was a more significant area of effect and shredding damage. Each star was like a mini buzz saw carving through the target, leaving behind a bloody mess.
Best of all, they exploded too.
“He’s a monster!” A random red Alicorn screamed.
He grabbed him by the neck before the Alicorn could flee. “No, I just kill them.” Sixes proceeded to bite clean into the alicorns’ skull, spitting bone and brains from his mouth. “Well? Come on! You think I’m a monster, right? So come and slay me! If you think you can!”
One Alicorn, a yellow one, took charge. “Come on! We’ve faced down the Dragon Gods! He is nothing compared to that!”
“We’ll see about that,” Sixes grumbled as blue energy arced from his back, lighting it up with a brilliant blue light. “ATOMIC DESTROYER!”
A concentrated beam of blue flames shot from his mouth, incinerating the charging alicorns. Though some tried to flee, he adjusted his aim and got them as well. When the breath attack faded, he formed swords of black fire and blasted another two that tried to jump him.
“Swarm him! Don’t give him an inch!” Goldie ordered the remaining alicorns, forming a circle around him, and began flying in one direction, shooting magic bullets at him.
“That kind of hurt,” Sixes said dryly, getting knockback from the shot. A small smoking wound was all the damage he took. He doubted they were holding back, that had to be a full-powered shot, yet he hardly felt it. That said, the constant barrage was noticeable. “FUCK OFF!”
Forming two black spheres in his claws, Sixes crushed them, creating two burning Xs in the sky! “This one’s for you, Fury! HELLROAD CROSSFIRE!”
It was fun shouting the names of these attacks, it was childish, but it helped give him a clear idea of the technique.
Alone in the sky with only the charred remains of his enemies, Sixes paused to grab his head. Another flood of memories, or maybe they were thoughts, rushed through his mind. The voices were like a scatter blast to his brain, each one as loud as the other. Making it almost impossible to pick out what they were saying.
But there was one clear voice, a voice that silenced the others. Saying only one phrase over and over, ‘I got this, brother.’ The others went quiet, and Sixes was alone in his thoughts once more.
“I don’t know what’s going on in there,” he said, rapping his fist against his skull. “But this is my body, so shut up!”
Sixes turned toward the dark pit, getting a neat view of the souls of his recent kills getting swallowed by the darkness below. He quickly concluded that probably wasn’t good. Whatever was going on down there.
Inhaling, Sixes charged up an Atomic Destroyer and fired down into the pit. The blue light parted the darkness, cracked the earth, and set off a chain of explosions that could blow up Ponyville five times over. Yet as soon as he let off, the darkness swiftly returned, as if swallowing the light.
“I wonder if I make a giant spear….” He muttered, calculating how much gold he’d need and how giant the crater was going to be. He needed to calculate the collateral cost. Ponyville wasn’t that close, right?
While in his figures, bolts of lightning shot on either side of him, striking down two would-be attackers. Nope, make that four. The lightning arced upwards to kill another two Alicorns. So that raised some questions.
“Lost in thought?” He turned to the voice of his beloved… and hesitated to embrace who he thought was Luna. It was her voice, and her face was the same, but everything else. “I know.” Luna seethed, “You don’t need to bring it up.”
He laughed, running his claws through his mane, or what he thought was his mane. Was ethereal hair still hair? “Right, well, I’m not much better.”
“You gained some bulk and have different horns! I have two horns! My wings remind me too much of Nightmare Moon and these fangs! I bit my lip three times already! How do you manage to live with a mouth full of knives all the time!”
Chuckling, Sixes embraced his wife, “After this, we’ll get you back to normal. If not, I’ll hang Hades by his own intestines.”
“That’s not very romantic, but it does make me excited,” Luna pecked Sixes on the lips, enjoying the lull in the chaos. “So, do you even know who we’re fighting?”
“Some bitch named Minerva, I think.”
Luna broke away, surprised, yet not. “Okay, there are several things you need to know… starting with….”
She brought him up to speed. Explaining Minerva was VeeVee, and Vi Violetblood, which surprised Sixes to the point that he didn’t know how to react to the news. He hadn’t really interacted with Vi, who had been an enemy.
He hadn’t been the closest to VeeVee, yet remembered the missions they went on together and how she provided first aid to Platinum during the Prench campaign and the Apples during the Tealblood incident.
On top of this, he had a son.
“I left Templar in the Otherworld under the care of Mac and Adagio, Cadence is there too, but we need to hurry. Every hour here is a month over there, now.” Luna trailed off, turning her head away. “Are you upset that I abandoned our child?”
Sixes’ reply was to embrace her again, kissing her deeply. “I can’t say I’m completely okay with it, but I probably would have done the same to save you if given a chance. So, I can’t judge you. All we can do is wrap this up as quick as possible and go get our son back.”
“Yeah,” Luna agreed, nuzzling his neck. “Let’s get this over with.”
Together, the two Olympian ponies stared down the dark pit and plunged headlong into the darkness. In the void, they appeared as two shining lights traveling further and further into the abyss.
“How fucking deep is this thing?”
“I think I see something up ahead!”
Ahead was a tunnel emitting a purplish light. The two dive, flying through ruins of the crystal caverns, emerging into a large chamber with another bottomless pit that seemed to run to the core of the earth. Floating above that was Minerva.
“Ah… you’re finally here,” Minerva said calmly, floating down, so they were level with each other. She walked across the air, a pathway forming beneath her feet. “But you’re too late. I hold the Keys to the world. Your resistance is futile. I recommend you surrender.”
Sixes scoffed, snorting smoke, “That’s funny after you gave the okay to kill us. I thought we were friends, VeeVee?”
Minerva closed her eyes, chuckling sadly, “Yes, but it’s frustrating when ponies you love won’t follow your plans. I misspoke, I don’t want you or any of the others to die, but you keep forcing my claw.”
“Call me an ingrate then, but if you have any shred of comradery left, you’ll stop… whatever the hell it is your doing.”
“Hmm, of course, you would say that, but since we’re talking, why not hear me out, Sixes? You to Luna. Do you really think it’s wise to stop me? Do you even know what you’re trying to stop me from doing? Because I’ll tell you myself. You’re stopping me from bringing peace and harmony to the world!”
“I think we have different definitions of Peace and Harmony,” Luna replied dryly, edging into a better attack position. “You’re just a mad old nag.”
“And you’re a foolish youngster! Neither of you has any idea what the world was like before Rex and I came along! You would subject our kind to suffering and a hellish existence!”
“So says the pony that plunged the world into total war! Monsters are everywhere. Ponies are dying as we speak!” Sixes roared, his chest glowing.
“Yes, the last monsters have finally left their hiding holes! Had you given me the time, I would have resurrected a select number of Alicorns to eliminate them forever! But then everypony was revived thanks to Kira, and they just started killing each other again! And now I am forced to use HIS power! To bring order back to this world of chaos!”
Black magic erupted from Minerva’s eyes, her mane turning into a starless void of ethereal.
“Looks like talks are over!” Sixes let loose an atomic breath. The blast mysteriously curved around Minerva, deflected by an invisible force.
“I got her! GIGATHUNDER!”
At Luna’s command, dark storm clouds formed in the ceiling of the rocky chamber, dropping bolts of powerful lightning down on Minerva!
Yet, the same mysterious barrier deflected the weather attack, causing the bolts to ricochet. The bolts curved in the air, coming back for another attack, but were repelled again.
Canceling the world’s most powerful lightning spell, Luna hugged the wall of the pit while she flew, looking for weaknesses to exploit while Sixes charged head-on, keeping Minerva busy.
“Let’s try this,” channeling the power of the moon, Luna imagined a sphere around the Alirin, willing it to grow smaller and smaller. A faint purple barrier appeared around Minerva before giving way.
Minerva stiffened, feeling the intense gravity assaulting her, and performed a high-level Teleportation that evacuated her out of sight.
“Where did she go?” Sixes yelled, looking frantically for the Alirin.
A concentrated beam of magic cut through the wall. They both evaded it, with Sixes firing and atomic breath in the same direction.
This caused the underground caverns to give way, the ceiling falling into the bottomless pit. Even this didn’t deter them as Sixes and Luna rushed to the other chamber after Minerva, who was waiting with a Rainbow Barrage!
The multicolored and multi-elemental attack slowed them down, pelting them with a salvo of weaker spells. Luna threw up a barrier that Sixes then blasted through, forcing Minerva to abandon the attack.
“Swords of Black Flame!”
Wielding two Black Flame swords, Sixes slashed at Minerva while Luna created a whirlwind, filling the chamber with fire. And then throwing up a barrier to keep them safe.
A bright black light suddenly cut through the flames, turning the inferno into stylized ice sculptures of fire.
Minerva’s horn shined brightly, engulfing them all, and suddenly the trio was in the desert.
“Is this the Equestrian wastelands? No, this sand… we’re in Saddle Arabia!” Luna shouted, amazed. Minerva teleported them halfway across the planet!
“We should all have some much-needed breathing room here, right? Plus, there are no ponies around for hundreds of miles. So, we can all really cut loose!” Minerva’s horn crackled, purplish storm clouds forming above them. “Gigathunder!”
Purple bolts of lightning rained down upon them! Luna flared her magic, countering with her own Gigathunder, the two attacks canceling each other out.
“ATOMIC DESTROYER!” Sixes fired another atomic breath, turning the sand to glass as he chased after Minerva. She dodged adeptly with that same barrier surrounding her, reflecting Sixes’ attack whenever he happened to hit her.
Luna increased the gravity of the area, slowing Minerva down, but she wasn’t done. This time, she called upon the power of Celestia and Gaia.
Tendrils of coarse sand shot from the desert floor, grabbing at the Alirin while the stars brightened in the sky. “SIXES, GET BACK!!”
Five stars began to shine brighter and brighter and then vanished from the night sky.
A blazing six-point pentagram circle formed before Luna, “Stargate Cannon!” The ring flashed brightly, and then a massive beam of scorching hot energy hit Minerva head-on!
For the moment, it appeared the Alirin was gone, but both knew better. From thin air, a black vortex appeared, Minerva reforming before their very eyes.
“If you think five stars is enough to kill me, you seriously underestimate me! Let me show you the power of the Alicorn of Creation!” Minerva did… something that neither Sixes nor Luna could see with a quick flash of her horn.
And then a massive shadow appeared beneath them, causing them to look up. There was a mountain falling from the sky.
“Shit!” With no time to think or fly, Sixes charged up his atomic breath, shooting a hole through the newly created mountain while Luna clung to him. Once he burrowed through, they flew out of what should have been the base, only for three more to come crashing down.
“I got this!” Luna flared her magic, her hair becoming pure fire. Suddenly, three stars disappeared from the sky. “Stargate Cannon!”
Firing the ultimate Fire Spell three times, she blew up each falling mountain, scattering hot molten fragments across the desert in every direction. Simulating a mini meteor shower.
Sixes quickly formed a massive glop of gold, molding them into Star Blades, launching them up high, and then willing them back down at high speeds.
“Falling Stars!”
Each star exploded on impact, creating a choir of explosions in every direction. The attack wasn’t to hurt Minerva but flush her out. Sure, enough a familiar barrier shape emerged from the plumes.
“GOT YA!” Forging a Spear, Sixes reared back for his old favorite, but with a bit of a twist. Breathing black fire onto the Spear and then sent it flying with rotation. The Spear exploded into a coiling ball of black and gold fire. It shattered Minerva’s barrier and killed her once more.
“How do you like that!” he bragged, pumping his claw, but a sudden, dizzy spell hit him.
“Sixes?” Luna flew up to support him as the fight seemed to leave his body. “You’re burning up!”
Hot steam billowed off Sixes’ skin, his body losing mass rapidly, returning him closer to his original size. His hair lost its ethereal appearance, turning to a gold color but normal.
That wasn’t the only change, his wings were much more proportional to his body, and he frankly looked how he initially did. Safe for the gold hair, the Bicorn horn, and phoenix wings, Sixes looked normal again.
“The hell is happening?” He rasped, feeling a lot weaker.
“Finally, I thought that transformation would never end,” Minerva said, rematerializing before them. “That fool Hades, he thought he could actually create a permanent Olympian form? What a fool!”
“Olympian form?” Luna inquired, suddenly noticing the magic reserves she started out with were not replenishing. In fact, even just floating here was burning through magic at an alarming rate!
“Correct,” Minerva sang, creating a projection board with a bunch of diagrams. “The Olympian form is a transformation that occurs when a pony or any creature acquires more magic than they can physically handle. Think of it as temporary godhood. It ascends you to your highest level for a period. Unfortunately, its efficiency rate is abysmal; it literally burns energy as fast as it needs to keep you from dying. So, more power equals less time. You should be running out any second… and there you go.”
Luna suddenly felt weak herself, her body glowing and then changing again. Though her transformation back wasn’t quite as dramatic as Sixes. She was about the size of Celestia but only had one horn now, and her wings were fluffy feathers again. And her color had returned to somewhat normal.
She was midnight blue again, but her black spot was now white, and her mark was now a black moon overlapping with the sun.
As thankful as she was to be closer to normal, the dramatic power shift was not good.
“Shit…” She cursed, teleporting Sixes and herself as far away as she could, but Minerva was waiting for her there!
“Aw, is the fun over already? Here let’s try the mountain game again!”
Once more, wonders of the world formed from thin air above the couple. Luna tried to fly them to safety, too taxed to teleport again, but there was no way to dodge a mountain.
Sixes broke free from her grasp, spitting gold into his claws and crafting an Ax, “Ax of Apollo!” The spinning Ax hacked through the thinner part of the mountain’s base, breaking a chunk loose. Giving Luna and Sixes a small margin of escape.
“We made… GUK!” Luna’s breath escaped her when Minerva batted her with the blunt side of her Gladius. The Alirin then smacked Sixes on the head, breaking the skin, and bloodying his face.
Sixes let loose a stream of fire in rage, creating some breathing room between him and Minerva. He gathered flames in his claws, forming a flame sword, and swung, causing an explosion.
“Why don’t you just give up! This doesn’t need to be this painful!”
“Shut up!” Sixes roared, creating another sword. Leaping through the flames to tackle Minerva, who teleported from his grasp. He slashed the air in an attempt to catch her in an explosion, but she reappeared well outside the danger zone.
“I’m trying to be nice!” She screeched, creating a massive block of ice. “Why don’t you cool off!”
Sixes spat lava to melt through the ice, emerging out the top, as Luna went in with a mana blade. He quickly created a Spear of Solaris, trying to get a lock on the Alirin.
“Hold her down!”
“Easier said than done!” Luna seethed, locking horns with Minerva. The Alirin took advantage of her morphable limbs and grabbed Luna with her claws. To Minerva’s surprise, Luna did the same.
“Huh, I didn’t think you had those anymore,” Minerva grunted as Luna’s talons sank into her flesh. She copied the action and bit into Luna’s neck for good measure, producing a scream from the blue pony.
“SIXES!”
With only a moment of hesitation, Sixes charged with Spear in claw and stabbed Minerva in the side. The golden Spear pulsed and then fired a focused beam from its tip, ripping Minerva in half!
Sixes inspected the smoking half of the shaft that remained in his grasp, “Huh, didn’t know it could do that.”
“A spear is primary a stabbing tool,” Luna commented, embracing Sixes, so she could teleport them away. She did several random jumps, ending up in an artificial cave formed from mountain rubble. “Okay, we should have a minute to breathe.”
“Yeah,” Sixes fell back against the crumbling wall, feeling exhausted. “What are we going to do?”
Luna stared at the ceiling, wondering the same thing. “Depending on how many lives she has left, we might be able to manage… maybe….”
Luna and Sixes needed to take advantage of the fact there were two of them. That was their only advantage over Minerva. They needed to use that, but how? How could they make up the massive difference in strength?
“We need to fight smarter, more efficiently,” Luna muttered, her brow frowned tightly as she tried to formulate a plan.
Sixes held up the broken spear shaft, “I think I have an idea….”
Luna listened intently, nodding solemnly at their choices. “If that’s what we have to do, but one of us needs to survive for Templar.” Sixes wrapped her in a hug, kissing her softly.
“We’re both gonna survive.”
“Famous last words, dear.”
Sixes only grinned cockily, “Don’t go writing my will just yet.”
Minerva shook herself as her front and back end reconnected. She thought absorbing Romulus Rex’s creation magic would have a more significant effect than it did. Course, she wasn’t as imaginative as he was. A bit too grounded, as he used to tell her.
Still, it was a magic that incorporated all other magics, at least those of the defeated Alicorns. Shouldn’t it be more impressive? Creating mountains from sand not applied.
“It would help if my brain didn’t feel like it was going to melt out of my nose.” The constant attack on her psyche did not help foster her creativity. Really, she wasn’t even creative. She was copying what Rex had done when they fought the primordial Dragonlords. And really, did she really need anything new? The spell was good enough to kill those continent burners.
“I guess being city size did make them easier to hit.” She mused, taking to the sky. “How to flush them out… oh, there’s an idea!”
Once again, she created mountains in the sky, but she made volcanoes instead of plain dull old mountains! Lava plunged downward like water from a toppled cup, splashing the molten liquid everywhere! Rivers of fire rolled through the rubble, hitting the desert sand and leaving sheets of Obsidian in their wake.
It looked like a literal hellscape, yet Sixes and Luna remained rooted in their hideaway.
“Okay… let’s try this!” Summoning rain clouds, Minerva fired bolts of purple lightning randomly. The charged plasma bolts blew rocks sky-high but still failed to scare the two ponies from their bunker.
And then one of the bolts curved unnaturally, turning upwards toward the sky it came from.
“Found you!”
Minerva rushed in the direction of the reflected bolt, finding Luna out in the open. Just Luna. Breaking hard, she looked for Sixes but was too late. Sixes appeared at her flank, holding a shining object in his claw.
“Celestial Javelin!”
A flash of light pierced her barrier, her body, and then her heart, continuing through and out the other side. Minerva vomited blood, stunned by the surprise attack and how easily one of her lives was extinguished.
Sixes stood proud of his craftsmanship, having created the impromptu weapon from the remains of Solaris’s Spear. It was a simple weapon to make. A sharpened rod was all it really was, trading the Spear’s massive explosion for maximum piercing power!
“You!” Minerva reared towards Sixes and then got Javelined again! This time by Luna, who had hidden the shiny weapon beneath her wing.
In less than a minute, Minerva lost two of her lives.
Sixes and Luna began jumping around, moving randomly and always at a distance from each other. Forcing her to keep swiveling her head side to side. In anger, Minerva created a tornado of fire, sending it at Luna.
And then got hooked by Sixes, who tugged hard on the attached chain, ripping a piece of meat from her body. This made her extremely angry. Minerva could feel the vein in her head about to pop!
“Don’t think these little tricks will keep working!”
She gathered magic into her claw, only to lose said claw to a zooming Star blade!
“RAGH! FUCK! THIS!”
Flying high into the clouds, Minerva willed four, no eight mountains in the shape of perfectly square cubes to form and let them drop. They flattened the landscape, creating almost a perfectly level floor in the windy sands of the Saddle Arabian desert.
One of the cubes began to shake, slowly rising, and then suddenly shoot into the air like a cork from a wine bottle. This was perplexing. How did they manage that?
Luna and Sixes emerged unharmed; Luna’s usual magic mixed with an orange tint. Minerva didn’t have to think too hard to know whose magic that was. It was Gaia’s, so what Luna did next didn’t surprise her either.
The blue Alicorn tilted her head, causing all the cubes to shake and shoot up like the first. Now it was Minerva’s turn to dodge mountains, and she took the easy way by reverting them to sand.
Willing the sands below, Minerva launched a wave of the fine mineral at the couple, but a flash from Luna’s horn turned the sand tsunami into a playful splash.
“Shit,” With Luna now understand Gaia’s magic, all earth-based attacks were now null and void. Firing a Rainbow Barrage, Minerva watched intently as all her light spells, fire spells, gravity spells, shadow spells, and storm spells were all negated. “That cheeky fucker.” She cursed under her breath.
That only left her with water magic, non-elemental magic, and the obscure. It wasn’t hard to pick which one she’d be using.
Gathering massive amounts of pure energy in her horn and palms, Minerva let loose a concentrated blast of pure magic. The two deftly dodging the lavender beam of death. A glimmer appeared in her eye, and she moved left, losing a foreleg to another javelin attack.
“This is futile!” Minerva screamed, forming five, no ten! Magic barriers around herself. Instantly five were shattered, but it didn’t matter! She had the magic to remake them! She had all the magic in the world! “I AM INVINC…SPAK!”
Minerva’s reveling was cut short by a sudden pain in her chest and a surprising amount of blood gushing out of her mouth. She touched her chest, feeling no wound, yet her heart stopped beating.
All her defenses crumbled as she mysteriously and unexpectedly died.
“Here’s our chance. Let’s get her!” Sixes roared, wrapping Minerva’s body in anti-magic chains. His hooks burrowing deep into her flesh.
Meanwhile, Luna focused hard, gathering all the magic she could into a pentagram projection. “What happened to her, though?”
“Don’t know, don’t care! She’s waking up!”
Minerva’s eyes popped open, surprised by the sudden turnaround. Angerly, she began to gather massive amounts of magic again, the golden chains overwhelmed by the pure volume. Causing them to shatter. However, before she could do anything with all that power, she coughed blood and fell on her side.
Dead, once again.
That didn’t slow Sixes and Luna down. Sixes crafted Flame’s swords, slashing Minerva the moment she woke up, burning her alive. Upon her next revival, she awoke, raging with power, and the same mysterious force killed her.
Luna began to sweat as she put the finishing touches on her spell, waiting for Minerva’s return. When the Alirin twitched back to life, Luna fired another Stargate Cannon.
This time she extinguished seven stars.
The damage was apparent as a massive swath of the desert was blown away, leaving behind a glass crater. She and Sixes waited. Minerva taking an unusually long time to revive. They just about dared to hope this was the final time until she reformed.
Kind of.
“What’s happening? Why do I keep dying every time I use my magic! Why! WHY! WHY?” Minerva sobbed, her face flooded with tears. Her body a twisted mess, as it reformed improperly. Her wings were on her belly. She had three extra legs and two tails. It was weird to look at.
Minerva tried to use her magic, prompting another round of bloody vomit and slumping over. Her body breaking down into flakes of ash and reforming again, but this time, she had the body of an earth pony.
“Why…” Minerva pleaded in great pain. “Why…”
She tried to activate her magic, and this time, Luna and Sixes got a clear view of what was happening. A bright flash of white light, or perhaps lightning, shot out from Minerva’s heart. Resulting in her termination. Neither of them knew what it was.
But Minerva did, all too late realizing Kira’s parting gift to her. It was a cunning, sinister attack for those considered immortal. A simple attack that inflicted a fatal wound repeatedly, time, after time.
An Eternal Scar.
Minerva reflected on the previous battles, realizing after every death, every use of magic, Kira’s last attack was getting stronger, using Minerva’s own magic as its power source. With every use of magic, the fatal technique became more powerful and was tied to her own use of magic.
She didn’t understand the mechanics exactly, but it effectively sealed her magic. The more power she used, the more powerful Kira’s attack. As a test, she gathered a tiny bit of magic, slowly building it up until she felt what seemed like a blade just barely touching her heart. She added more, and the pain increased, so she let the magic go, feeling relief.
Yet the magic she was able to gather was a pitiful amount, barely enough for a levitation spell.
Minerva wiped away her tears, staring at Sixes and Luna, and then smiled sadly, lying her head against the ground. It was over.
“Just kill me, get it over with,” Minerva demanded, utterly defeated.
Thinking it was a trick, Luna and Sixes were on guard, both ready to attack, waiting for Minerva to make a move, but she didn’t. She just laid there.
“VeeVee,” Sixes said, looking over the mare who had been a friend and enemy. “Why the fuck did you do all this?”
She smiled, “VeeVee… of all my lives, I think that life was the most enjoyable. Ever since I first transferred my soul, I’ve been so many things. A Chief’s wife, a princess, a Queen, or just an obscure noble. The latter was the easiest to be. I always tried to maintain my lifestyle. I thought, even if I was merely a unicorn, I was still the Alicorn of Magic. I deserved more. I wanted more! I thought I was better than everypony.”
Minerva looked at them, wondering if she should continue, but if they were listening, she might as well. “When I took over that Rinin, BeeBee, it was the first time I was without a horn. I didn’t know what to do or how to act. So, I kept my distance, I took a position as far away from the castle as possible. I was in the middle of nowhere, just me and four other rinin. It was awkward at first, but I think we became friends. I was using my charm on them, but I enjoyed my time with them. It reminded me of how things used to be… before we became THE Alicorns.”
“What do you mean when you became Alicorns? Weren’t you always alicorns?” Luna inquired, confused.
“Ah, I suppose I should be clearer.” Minerva closed her eyes, thinking of the very distant past. “The pony race, believe it or not, were not the dominant species in this world. We could fly, levitate objects with our horns, and had amazing endurance, but we were nothing before the Primordial Dragonlords and Grogar’s monster hordes. We hid to survive while the creatures around us fought and destroyed. It was a chaotic and fearful time. Our clan was on the brink of extinction.”
She paused dramatically, smiling brightly, “And then Romulus stole Grogar’s bell, we stole the magic from the earth, the sky, sun, and stars. We took the magic from the world and brought order! We ascended, from mere ponies with wings and horns to gods!”
Luna was taken aback, her eyes widening in horror, “Then the reason we need to make clouds, control the weather, and move the Sun and Moon, is because….”
“Yes, because we stole their magic. Almost all of it is split between you and me.” Minerva closed her eyes, looking pleased with herself. “That’s the secret of Alicorn Magic. I wanted to go back to those days. The days when we ruled with certainty when everything was controlled. When there was only peace. I saw so many things… monsters, dragons, wars, we ponies are weaker than other creatures. I wanted us to be safe. Is that not what you wanted, Luna? For ponies to be safe?”
Luna was at a loss for words, wondering if Minerva was a dark reflection of herself or just trying to get some sympathy in her last moments.
“I wanted ponies to be able to live without fear of monsters, to enjoy the nights I created. That was why I started Night Patrol. I wanted to protect them, but… no… I cannot and will not impose my selfishness on them like you.” Luna looked up at her starry sky, mourning the loss of the stars. And what she and Celestia sacrificed. “And I have new priorities now.”
“I see,” Minerva stood on wobbly legs, gathering magic. The blade of white lightning erupted from her chest, and she revived as an Alirin once more. She panted. The strain of restoring catching up with her.
“I… still have my pride.” She rasped, creating a mana horn. Her chest exploded in pain, but she stood firm, even as blood seeped through her teeth. She gave a bloody grin to her two friends and rushed them, aiming for Luna.
Luna lit her own horn and met Minerva head-on, stabbing the Alirin in the heart and swung her head. Nearly decapitating Minerva, who staggered back with a strained smile.
“I guess… that was the last one….” Minerva fell back on her hind legs, sitting regally as if she were on a throne. She tried to speak, but only garbled words came as blood poured from her mouth and barrel. Only when her head hung down did Sixes and Luna sigh and collapse to the ground.
“It’s over,” Luna sighed, utterly exhausted. “It’s finally over.”
She closed her eyes, entangling her claws in Sixes’, who smiled tiredly at her.
They won.
“Child of Solaris…” A deep, ominous voice said.
Luna’s eyes snapped wide open, both she and Sixes scrambled to their feet, their hearts pounding with adrenaline.
“Whose there?”
From Minerva’s slowly crystallizing corpse, a black gem broke through floating by its own power and created a shape of a pony.
Sixes though tired, scoffed, “Fuck this!” And fired an Atomic Breath, a weak one, but it hit the black gem, cracking and then shattering it! A rainbow of colors shot across the sky, raining a multicolored glitter from their comet trails.
The two of them stood shocked as bright green grass began to grow from under the desert sands.
Kira found herself on a flight of stairs after unleashing her final attack. Was this the afterlife? If so, it was different from what she imagined. Then again, how could the living accurately know what the afterlife looked like?
Moreover, Kira was more surprised she was going up rather than down. How could she not be? She intentionally destroyed Canterlot and possibly more with her last breath. It wasn’t an easy choice, mind you. It’s not like she wanted to do it, but it was her last hope of helping her loved ones.
Still, she wouldn’t be surprised to see a few angry faces on her way to the afterlife. She had only let loose her final attack once Luna, her dear friend, was safe. The rest be damned.
She wondered what the history books would say about her. On the other hoof, who would know? Besides Minerva and her cronies? Who would believe them? Whatever the living knew or didn’t know, she knew what she did and would not feel remorse beyond the most basic sympathy for cutting so many lives short.
Traveling further up the stairs, Kira arrived at a platform that branched off in three different directions. Standing before the middle path was Dusk of all ponies.
“Dusk?”
“Greetings, Lady Kira, so this is the path you’ve chosen. I had wanted you on another, a happier one, but you probably won’t mind this one either.” Dusk smiled, and Kira felt the age radiating off the Alicorn. She knew this wasn’t the Dusk she remembered. “You want this path, by the way. They’re waiting for you. But I urge you to wait. You’ll have some more companions soon.”
In a blink, Dusk vanished, confusing Kira on the functions of this world, but she accepted things as they were. Heeding Dusk’s advice, Kira waited. She didn’t know how long. Minutes, hours, days, maybe even years? Was there even time in the afterlife?
Suddenly a herd of familiar faces appeared, perhaps as confused as she first been upon realizing she was dead. It broke her heart to see so many youngsters here with her.
“Kaki…” Her heart shattered, and she cried at the sight of Kiri’s wife here with her. Kira ran to embrace Kaki, but it was for her own comfort.
Seeing the Legendary Kira Perfecta cry came as a shock for Kaki, who was at a loss. “Lady Kira…” The elderly mare only hugged her tighter.
“I’m sorry, child, I didn’t do enough. For any of you.” Kira stared tearfully at the others. “Topaz, Smokey Haze, High Octane, Shamrock and you… Celestia.”
The Alicorn of the Sun could only smile sadly in response, “It was my time. I lived long enough, which is not something I can say for the rest of you. I’m sorry as well. I, too, should have done more.”
“Oi, we make our own choices!” Shamrock rebuked, “It’s our lives, not yours, so don’t go feeling sorry for our choices, got it?”
“He’s right,” Topaz added, “You are not responsible for our lives. If nothing else, it’s because of you two we even had a chance. I’m sure there are more climbing up the stairs, but you need not feel the weight of their deaths.”
“Their right, Lady Kira,” Kaki said, hugging the elderly mare tightly. “I chose my end, so Kiri and my sister would survive. It was my duty as a wife and the eldest sister.”
Kira reluctantly accepted this truth and let go of Kaki, and brushed away her tears. With a sad smile, she approached the middle set of stairs. Ascending slowly with the others following her lead.
At the middle of the stairway was a thin layer of something, perhaps the boundary of this limbo? Newfound energy began to build within Kira as she passed through the gap between worlds. All her pain left her, her wrinkles disappeared, she was in her prime again!
“Hey! Up here!”
Kira looked up, tears falling once more, but this time they were ones of joy. At the top of the path waving madly were two ponies she’d been dying to see for a thousand years. Her brother and sister.
“Overheat… Emerald!”
With all the energy of a filly on Hearth’s Warming morning, Kira flew up the stairs, tackling Emerald into the greenest grass she’s ever seen.
Emerald laughed, hugging her Monster Pony sister again, “It’s good to see you too! Took ya long enough!”
Overheat joined, hosting both mares to their feet and embracing Kira in a group hug with Emerald. “You did enough living for the both of us, Kira. We got to see the whole thing! Good job!”
Kira blushed as the others finally made it to the top, but she didn’t put on airs anymore. She loved these two! So, she squeezed them as tight as she could!
“I’ve missed both of you so much!” Kira declared, smiling wide as she did after having her first child. “It’s good to see you again.”
Breaking away from Kira and Overheat, Emerald Cutter walked straight to Topaz, who avoided meeting her eye. With a smile, she ruffled his mane. “Hey, little brother.”
Topaz looked at her in shock, “You remember?”
She embraced him while he hid his tears in her mane. “Yeah, I remember. Sorry, we couldn’t have reconnected in life.”
“It’s not your fault,” Topaz said, burying his face deeper in his sister’s mane.
Kira and Overheat watched the siblings reconnect from afar, and Kira was suddenly assaulted by a slew of memories. Memories that had been stolen away from her. Memories of her time in the factory. It was a strange feeling. It was like she saw the world through a different pony’s view, and perhaps she was. That part of her was gone but still there.
Out of curiosity, she tried to find memories of Sixes and the others and burst out laughing.
“What?” Overheat asked, knowing what had happened. The same thing happened to him and Emerald. “Remember something amusing?”
“Yes, was that really what we called ourselves the first time?”
“We did the best with what we had.” Overheat grinned.
Once the novelty of seeing long-lost loved ones passed, the group left the entrance to travel deeper into the grand prairie in the sky. Rolling hills and grassy plains extended for what seemed like forever. A paradise for ponies.
“So, you guys ready for another round?” Emerald asked as they settled down on a knoll.
“Another round?”
“Yeah, didn’t Dusk explain things to you? Never mind, I can tell by the look on your faces that she didn’t. Ok.” Emerald took a breath. “This area of the afterlife is kind of a nexus?”
“Crossroads, Emmy.”
“Don’t interrupt Overheat!” Emerald playfully hissed. “Ok, where was I? Oh, yeah! In this zone, you can wait around to meet others you’re waiting to die to meet again. Other zones include the eternal pasture, where you can choose to stay dead and frolic with past relatives and friends until forever. Most ponies move on to there quickly. However, there is another place that lets you live life again, but in different worlds! Your soul kind of gets recycled, and you can choose where you can go! Overheat, and I plan to go there once we met up with you, Kira. We already got a world picked out; it looks entertaining!”
Kira smiled as she laid her head down in the soft grass. “I would love to, but do you mind if we hold off, just a bit? I’ve lived and fought for over a thousand years, so I could use just a little peace. Unless you two are in a hurry.”
“Not really. Time is pretty much meaningless here, so we can hang out here until you are ready. Besides, I’d love to hear about your time after we died. We got to see an overview, but not all the details.” Emerald said, scooting closer to Kira with an eager ear.
“If you’re asking me, a grandma, to talk about my family, then you’re lucky we have endless time because I can talk about them for eternity.”
As Kira regaled Emerald and Overheat with her life’s story. Celestia stepped away from the group smiling as Topaz, Kaki, and the others tuned in to Kira’s story while she slinked into the mist. There was a particular pony she had to see, and to go there meant never coming back.
With a heavy but determined heart, Celestia ascended into the Eternal rest. There she found countless ponies from all ages mingling, playing, and enjoying their eternal rest. But there was only one Celestia was looking for. One that she needed to make amends with.
Traveling to the edge of the clouds, Celestia found her, Titania’s mother. Sitting at the edge of paradise gazing down. When Celestia looked over her shoulder, she saw Titania making a speech in the Germane Capital.
“I deserve that,” Celestia said, settling down next to her. “Your daughter is a wonderful mare; you must be very proud.”
“I am. Don’t you have other ponies to bother?”
Celestia smiled sadly, “Probably, I would like to see if my mother and father are here or see my cousin Symphony.” At the mention of family, Titania’s mother’s ears twitched. “But I came to you first. I know I can’t make up for my mistakes in life, but you wanted to know your family history, right? Let me grant that wish.”
“I barely knew my parents. In fact, I was an orphan. How could you know any more?”
“Funny thing about this place, ever since I came here, all sorts of memories I’ve long forgotten have come back in vivid detail, and even things like what happened to all my descendants are now freely accessible to me. What’s more, I feel no strain from it. This place truly is amazing.”
“The same happened to me, but only for my daughter. I could see how she was growing up, but I couldn’t investigate my own past. The rules of this place are strange.”
“Well, we only have all eternity. Why don’t I fill you in?”
Titania’s mother stared at the projected image of her daughter, safe and happy. “I guess I have the time.”
“Very well, let’s start with my first child….”
In the vast newly minted Canterlot plains, one pony opened their eyes among the scores of dead. That pony was Permaflame. Rising with a triumphant roar, but there was something vastly different about the young Alirin.
Besides the hole in her barrel being completely healed, she sported a completely different color pallet. Her chilling blue coat and flaming orange hair were now a blazing red, and her mane was cool icy blue. Giving her a closer appearance to her father, Overheat.
Her eyes shone bright orange as she stared at the freed sun burning in the sky, slowly making its way across the bright blue sky. The sight brought forth an innocent warm smile from the pony that scorched the earth and murdered many merely hours ago.
“So pretty.”
Sensing but not understanding how Perma turned her head to a spiraling blue portal. From which Saki exited. The runaway princess regarded Perma as a dangerous rabid animal while Perma cocked her head. Utterly confused and intrigued.
“Are you… friend?” Perma asked with all the innocence of a newborn. That’s what she was once more. By some strange magic, no other understood, Permaflame was once more a blank slate.
Just as Lady Dusk had told her.
Saki sighed, reluctant to do her duty this time, but knew there was no point hanging on to the past. So, she offered her claw to the young Alirin and put on her best smile. It was challenging since she would be taking this pony as a pupil.
“Yes, we’re friends. Come with me. We have much to do.”
Perma jumped to her feet like a puppy, happily following Saki into the spiraling blue portal. They emerged in the cosmic realm outside of time. Where Dusk was waiting for them.
“Welcome, Permaflame.” Dusk greeted, patting the Alirin on the head. Perma enjoyed the action, rubbing against Dusk’s hoof. “I have great plans for you. You may not remember, but you did… some bad things.”
Perma stared at her with big watery eyes, “Bad… things? Am I a bad pony?”
“No, no,” Dusk assured her, “Merely misguided. Don’t worry. You’ll more than make up for it soon enough. For now, let’s start with the basics.”
In the coming centuries, long after the disappearance of Canterlot, Saki finally returned home and settled down. Leaving her duty as Dusk’s herald. Rumors or more like myths would depict a new messenger of the Alicorn of time.
Perma would learn of her crimes, learn of her family, and would work tirelessly and endlessly to redeem and bring honor to herself and her family. Her story would continue, far, into an unknown future.
All to ensure history would not repeat. It was a duty Perma would perform for generations and one she readily fulfilled.
The battle was over. The combined Nippon and Evernight forces cheered as the last Alicorn was put down, and they waited for the return of their leaders, Luna, and Sixes. They waited. And waited.
Yet, the two did not return from the dark pit.
Then strange lights flew across the sky, restoring the destroyed land to a pristine green pasture. They took that as a good sign and hoped for their leader’s safe return. In the meantime, they began rescue efforts. Looking for civilians and tending to the wounded.
It was what Luna and Sixes would want.
Day’s past. And then days became weeks.
They began to worry if perhaps Luna and Sixes died in the battle, never to return. To keep order, Essex was made Leader of Night Patrol and custodian of Evernight. As she was Sixes’s sister and entitled to the throne with no apparent heirs.
Essex, to keep herself busy, accepted. Burying herself in her work to not think of the loss of her husband, Lucky Shamrock.
Three weeks after the battle, she would discover she was pregnant. The joyous event was soured by the fact the child’s father was already gone.
Essex reclused herself from the others for the day, foisting her responsibilities onto Gloves and Fleetfoot to ponder her future at Lucky’s grave. He was one of the few that got their own graves. Any pony they didn’t find a body for was written up on a wall.
Not the Night Patrol memorial wall, but the Canterlot wall. It was located about a mile from the hole that was once Mount Canterlot. The entire area is a grassy valley. In lu of making millions of graves, they made a memorial wall instead.
What choice did they have?
They never found a single residence of Canterlot. Not even after a month.
Enough of other ponies’ problems. Essex has been dealing with those enough. Now she needed to focus on herself.
“Hi… Lucky,” Essex awkwardly said to the stone that bore her husband’s name. “It’s me, again. But I’m a day early, a few days actually.” Essex laughed pitifully. She usually visited every seven days. “So… I’m gonna cut to the chase. We have a child! Yay… but they won’t have a father, Uncle, or Aunt. We still haven’t found Sixes and Luna. We’re still looking, but… well… nothing changed since last week.”
The stone remained silent, but Essex imagined, perhaps a sign of her slipping sanity. What his reply would be. Something like, don’t worry, they’ll be fine! Something like that. And then he’d take a swig of ale and laugh.
“So, you’re probably wondering why I am here. Well, don’t be mad, but I’m considering. Only Considering! Getting remarried. There won’t be another pony like you anywhere, but our child will need a father. Or some sort of father figure. For a time, I hoped Sixes could have been a substitute as an uncle, but… well… I’ll come out and say it, Highlander offered to fill that role. He didn’t offer to marry me, but I thought it wasn’t fair to offer so much without anything in return. I don’t know. Maybe I’m foolish?”
Once more, the stone was quiet, and she couldn’t imagine his voice because she had no idea what Lucky would say.
“I’m… just… so alone. Your gone, Sixes is gone, Luna is gone. Oh, Oberon is dead too. I just found out from Obara not long ago. I guess Clydesdale is a mess right now. So, I can’t even go there to getaway. I’m tired of being Lady Essex already.”
Sighing, Essex poured some ale onto the headstone, gave a prayer to whatever gods were left, and departed. Her heart troubled, but her mind calm. She had time to think, nothing needed to be decided today.
“Oh, right,” she said, turning around, her smile strained. “We never got to talk about this in length, but I’m thinking of naming our child, Sinead if it’s a filly, or Fergus if it’s a colt. What do you think?”
She laughed as if hearing a joke before crying.
“I guess that’s a good one too….”
“Hey, Jazz, you ok there?” Applejack hollered from the ground floor of the barn. “You don’t need to strain yourself.”
“I’m fine!” Jazz replied, kicking down five bales of straw. “This is nothin’ ya know?”
Jazz drove her point home by gliding down with her metal wings. “See? Easy peasy!”
“Alright, if ya say so.”
Jazz felt her stomach sour at her cousin’s babying. Both her and Applejack were possessed by Gaia, yet she was being treated like a porcelain doll.
Retiring from Night Patrol put a strange thought in her family’s mind that something was wrong with her. Like she was injured beyond repair. Physically she was fine, but mentally something was wrong. It wasn’t hard to see.
Of course, Jazz knew what was wrong. It was easy to figure out. She lost too many friends. Seeing all the graves and the names added to the Wall. She remembered seeing it happen when she was a filly, but many of the ponies added at the time were ones she didn’t know. Or know well.
It was different when Topaz, Jockey, Octane, Smokey, and many others were up there. To not hear their voices in the halls, to see their rooms empty, was too hard.
She tried to go on as if nothing was wrong, but that only got her through the first few weeks. When Essex found her crying alone in her room, the black rinin used her supreme authority to order Jazz to take some leave time.
Ironic considering all Essex was going through, but Jazz had no way of rebuking her. It was too important to have a stable figure, and for better or worse, Essex was that figure. No pony wanted to step up, so she had to bear the burden.
Jazz readily agreed to the leave to not cause Essex any more trouble.
So, she came out to the farm.
It was awkward living here at first, but once she got into the daily routine of chores, picking apples, and teaching Applebloom some things behind AJ’s back. Such as fighting. She found herself at peace. After a month of peaceful country living with her family, Jazz sent in her resignation form. Something Essex had slipped into her luggage, perhaps hoping she would do just that.
Things were so peaceful.
Until Big Macintosh announced, he’d be getting married and moving out. That caused a stir, but Jazz chose to keep her distance on the matter. Having been from a time where males moving out wasn’t only the standard, it was expected.
From her point of view, Mac should have five mares and a slew of kids. But that way of thinking was a thousand years outdated. So, she kept them to herself.
That said, it did bring up the idea of what she should be doing with her life. She could stay and help with the farm until Applejack or Applebloom marry or travel around a bit. Honestly, seeing the world like Nightingale seemed appealing.
She’d have to think about it more. For now, her place was here.
Trifecta was sweating bullets between the two mares on either side of him. His wife Wiess, the exiled Noble from Germane, and Twilight Sparkle, his other wife. Legally they weren’t married yet. They were waiting on some pending paperwork.
Today they were in Ponyville concerning the matter.
How had he managed to get two mares where herding was on the outs in this day and age? Well, it was less about love and more like a responsibility.
He’d promised Wiess’s brother to take care of his sister. Even with things settling down, Weiss still wasn’t welcomed back home in Germane. And might never be. Her homeland was in a state of upheaval because of the war, then the worldwide monster invasion, and then the cherry on top.
Kaiser Hades died.
In a stroke of diplomatic luck, he died in front of his daughter, Titania, and her trusted aid, Zeppelin. He apparently expired after performing some sort of alchemy on Sixes and Luna. The process sapping his life energy. Or so the official report said.
Trifecta would have thought the Germanians wouldn’t be accepting of that explanation. Still, the words of Titania, followed by her quick ascension to Kaiserin was enough to keep the nation together.
Still, things weren’t stable, and when there was uncertainly and a fresh new leader, there are usually power grabs. Which are generally followed by political purges. So Wiess was safer here with him.
A letter from her brother even encouraged her to stay and just forget about her homeland. Not the most encouraging message, but Wiess accepted it.
Trifecta was more surprised he had a mailing address.
So that was Wiess’s situation, and she seemed happy enough to go through with the marriage, and he agreed out of attraction and obligation.
And then there was Twilight.
Things were complicated between them. She was racked with guilt over killing Jockey and scarred from their battle. Platinum fashioned the unicorn a prosthetic leg and helped her through physical therapy.
There were still more treatments, but Twilight was able to walk outside of the hospital now. So that was positive. Her only positive since the end of the battle.
Besides her disfigurement, Twilight received the worst news possible when she woke up four days after the end of the battle.
Her entire family was declared missing and then later pronounced dead like every other Canterlot residence. The whole city was just gone! There was nothing to look for, even though they did look. Some were lucky to have been out of town, like Thrice’s family.
Trifecta had never been so happy that most of Thrice’s family left Canterlot for Evernight. Seeing little Thrice coming out of the Evernight Academy bunker had brought him to tears.
So that was some sunshine for him, but the rain kept pouring for Twilight.
Not only were her parents declared dead, but so was her brother, Princess Cadence, and then to really hammer the despair, Celestia was officially declared dead. Luna was still listed as missing, but the point was, Twilight was in a tough spot.
Making things very awkward when he introduced Wiess to her and tried explaining her situation. He was set on not breaking her heart on top of everything, not like they had officially been dating, but they were close. So, he wanted to be honest with her and not string her along.
And then Wiess said Twilight should stay with them! Not that he was opposed to the idea. Twilight was all but on suicide watch or had been, but the offer just took Trifecta by surprise. He really questioned if the two could get along.
After a few weeks of living together, he and Wiess officially got engaged, and then Wiess suggested that Twilight form a herd with them. She made a compelling argument. Telling Twilight that she shouldn’t be alone and that they could start a new family even if hers was gone.
Once more, Trifecta was taken aback. Not sure it would work or be appropriate. Given the situation, Twilight only said she’d think about it and then agreed only a few days ago.
That’s why they were in Ponyville today, two months since that fateful battle. Twilight had two conditions before she’d join his herd. One was he had to get all her Ponyville friends’ blessings. They were the only family she had left, really, but he also thought she was using it as a convenient reason to reconnect with them.
Not that was a bad thing. Twilight’s friends were happy to see her again and glad she found a pony to be with from their reactions. Apparently, this was a considerable concern behind the scenes for a while, especially after seeing her scars.
Trifecta could understand this. It took a real pony, like Bulwark, to accept a scarred mare. It was a rare breed to get past superficial things like that. He wanted to be like that, so he promised to do his best to each of them.
The second condition was they had to go visit the Canterlot Memorial wall with her. That was the other reason they were in Ponyville. The train wasn’t fixed, but Platinum retrofitted some train cars with offroad wheels so a tank could pull them across the grassy plains.
After purchasing their tickets, the three of them were on their way out to what had been Mount Canterlot, home of the Alicorns, now Canterlot Valley, the resting place of the Alicorns.
Many wondered how the valley was made, and the public was told it was a scar from the battle.
Trifecta and few others knew the truth, though he wasn’t sure how it was found out, but Kira apparently made the trench and destroyed Canterlot. For the sake of their diplomatic relations with Nippon, it was a secret that would never be made public.
He wasn’t even allowed to tell Twilight. Trifecta vowed that it would be the only secret he’d keep from her.
“Attention Passengers, we are ten minutes from the Wall. Please consult your dictionary to find out where your loved ones are posted.” The Driver announced over the intercom.
Trifecta tuned out the announcement, already having the names he wanted to find written down. So, he chose to stare out the window at the tall grass covering the plains between Canterlot Valley and Ponyville.
The grass was almost as tall as the windows, which sat about six feet off the ground. It was a literal sea of green that could swallow a pony into a natural labyrinth. Only the path of the tank offered any hope of navigating the green sea as it was called.
From what he heard, it was terrific the land recovered so fast. From the reports, ash-covered the ground like snow, there had been little, if any, hope of recovery. A strange green patch was created by some Alirin, but that was only a few acres.
And then a rainbow light shot across the sky and restored the land. This apparently happened all over the world. Deserts became prairies, wastelands became forests, rivers were cleaned of filth, etc., miracles like that happened everywhere.
Trifecta wondered what caused the environment to shift when they stopped.
“Now disembarking, please leave the cars in an orderly fashion, and allow returning passengers to board. The transport will be back in three hours, so please keep an eye on the time. As a public service announcement, please do not attempt to get home on foot. The Green Sea is not safe. Have a nice day!”
Together he and the two mares exited with everypony else onto the platform. Once again, the wonders of using magic for physical labor were put on display before them. What was more impressive was how they managed to find so much marble for the Memorial Wall.
Shuffling through the crowd, Trifecta left Wiess and Twilight at a bench to read the directory. Sure, enough those with a family name under S were located a mile or more north.
The specific layout for the Canterlot Memorial Wall was in alphabetical order. With the service center and visitor depo located in the middle. No motor, magic, or other self-propelled vehicles were allowed to keep the facility serene beyond the gates.
For the disabled, there was a cart service. Lucky for the pony’s pulling, everything was flat and ground level. No stairs or hills, so it was an easy pull.
The sight was free to visit, with a free-will donation box located at the entrance. After double-checking the location of Twilight’s family, Trifecta dropped a hefty thirty bits into the box.
“Let’s get going. It’s a bit of a walk.” He said to the two mares. Twilight nodded quietly while Wiess patted the younger mare on the back. Trifecta wasn’t sure if they were bonding or not, but Twilight clung close to Wiess. Who was being incredibly supportive?
“Hey.” He whispered into the Germane mare’s ear. “What did you talk about?”
“Mare talk, don’t worry about it.”
Trifecta cocked a brow but let the matter go, taking the lead to show them the way as quickly as possible.
As they walked, they all marveled at the artistry of the Wall; it was more than just names written on stone. There were ornate carvings of a pony of valor, regular citizens, and of course, Celestia. To not overcrowd the Wall with the sun princess, the artists were encouraged to depict a famous pony sharing the first letter of their name of each section.
The Wall was still in early development, so there were plenty of blank spots to fill.
Awkwardly, when they passed the M section, they saw a half-finished carving of Cadence. Since her full name was Mi Amore Cadenza, she got placed in M. He wondered if that was her last name or first but kept quiet. It wasn’t essential to know. He patted Twilight on the shoulder as they passed the image of her Sister-in-law and moved on, Twilight stealing a look back at the immortal visage of Cadence.
The artist depicted Cadence with a fierce expression. Trifecta thought it was suitable, but Twilight’s face said otherwise.
“Don’t like it?”
“No… I just… don’t think that’s what Cadence would have wanted. It seems too… angry. I guess it just doesn’t say Alicorn of Love to me.”
He really didn’t know what to say to that, so he only patted her again and got an annoyed look from Wiess. Was she telling him to say more? What? What should he say? What could he say?
“You know the truth. That’s enough,” Trifecta was spitballing, but he got a smile from Twilight, so he called that a win.
They continued in silence, reaching the S section. And wouldn’t you know it? Shining Armor was being carved for this one. Twilight stood staring at her brother’s carved face, her eyes glossed over.
“Twilight, Dear?” Wiess shook the lavender unicorn with concern. “Let’s keep going.”
“Yeah,” Twilight mumbled, clearly holding back tears. “Let’s.”
Trifecta trailed behind the two feeling bad, for not feeling any strong emotions. It’s not that he felt nothing, but losing so many friends made him numb to death. He couldn’t get overly worked up over his closest friend’s passing, let alone ponies he hardly knew. Yes, he’s met Twilight’s family and mourned their tragic end but couldn’t feel the genuine loss like she did. He wasn’t that close with them.
“Here we are,” Wiess announced, shaking him from his miserable musings. There carved neatly on the clean white marble was Twilight’s family. Twilight Velvet, her mother, Night Light her father, Shining Armor her brother, and Cadence, her sister-in-law.
As far as Trifecta knew, Twilight didn’t have any aunts or uncles or cousins. Making her the last of her family.
He and Wiess stood back, letting Twilight process her thoughts and emotions. It didn’t matter if the transport left in three hours. They’d camp here for days if they needed to.
“Hi… mom… dad… Big Brother… Cadence…” Twilight said, her voice cracking. In the corner of her tear-filled eyes, she saw Trifecta and Wiess step away to give her space. A gesture she appreciated. “I wish you had your own headstones. I want to get you some, but they’re expensive, and the demand is high. I’m sure you know why. I’m thinking of making them myself. Trifecta… has a plot of land squared away for his retirement, so I can put you there, then I can visit every day.”
Twilight tried to smile, but it was strained, and her tears hid any genuine happiness. Not that she had any right now. “I know… you’re probably worried about me. Especially you, mom, dad. I was never a catch, especially now. Too into books, and then too distant to even keep ties with my friends after joining Night Patrol. I thought I had a higher calling, like I had to do something. I wanted to be useful to Princess Celestia… but I was used against her instead.”
She took a long pause as if she was breaking the news to them. “Princess Celestia is dead. I’m sure… you all knew that before I did. I’m the last living member of our family. And I’m not sure what I should do with the rest of my life. I’m thinking of retiring from Night Patrol. I guess I should tell you that Trifecta is engaged, and his fiancé invited me to be part of their herd. I’m not sure how I feel about it or how you would. I’m strongly considering it, but I don’t know if it’s the right thing to do.”
Twilight took a deep breath, fiercely wiping away her tears. “I wanted to tell you, even that your gone, I’m not alone. Trifecta and Wiess are looking out for me, and they helped me reconnect with my friends. I kinda forced them too. I was too afraid to do it myself, but baby steps. I guess what I’m trying to say is, you don’t have to worry, I know you will, but know I… I’ll be alright. I promise I won’t see you until I’m an old nag.”
Twilight walked over to Trifecta and Wiess, taking the Rinin’s left flank while Wiess took his right. She gave a half-smile to the other mare, who smiled broadly back.
“We can bring you here anytime, dear.”
“Thanks… Wiess…”
“You can call me sister… if you want.”
Twilight smiled, “I’ll think about it….”
Together the trio walked towards an uncertain but hopefully peaceful future. Passing by many others walking similar paths.
“Is that Trifecta?” Hazel asked Ruby as the red rinin pushed her along the marble platform.
“I think it is…with two mares. Want to go talk to them?”
Hazel shook her head, “Nah, he’s doing his thing. We’re doing ours.”
Today the two were visiting the Wall. Not that they had any pony listed here. Commander Topaz, Smokey Haze, Jockey, and High Octane were all recorded and memorialized in the Night Patrol cemetery. So, they had little reason to come all the way out here other than to see the endless green sea of grass that claimed the battlefield after the war.
Ruby came out with some scars, but they were nothing compared to her fellow monster pony, Hazel Thunder. Confined to a wheelchair until her body healed enough to endure the prosthetic surgery. It irked Hazel that ponies like Twilight got their new metal limbs so quickly. Apparently, having four of her six legs taken from her made the surgery much more dangerous, and the demand was high. A lot of ponies lost legs and more in the battle. At least Hazel still had her middle legs, not that she could walk with them.
It fucking sucked!
That’s why Ruby took her out here, to give her some fresh air away from the castle, where she all but planted herself at Platinum’s door.
Besides the wave of ponies needing metal legs skyrocketing after the war, there was one more reason it was taking so long. Platinum was nursing her newborn and enduring all the hardships that come with a new foal.
Luckily, she still had her loving lug of a husband, Bulwark, to help. Though Bulwark was immobile himself. Ibaraki hacked off his left foreleg and right hindleg. If not for his generous heart of wanting others to get their prosthetics first. Platinum would be busy trying to engineer limbs strong enough to support the behemoth.
“It’s a nice view, but this grass is so tall. Think about all the bodies still hiding in it.”
“I’d rather not,” Hazel replied sourly. “I’m glad they recovered Commander Topaz. I know every pony deserves a fitting send-off, but….”
“It’s alright,” Ruby assured her. “We all have our bias. So where do you want to go next?”
“Platinum said it would be a month,” Hazel sighed, staring longly at the sky. “So why not head south to Appaloosa? I hear they’re having a big festival down there. Lots of food and music. It sounds like a fun time.”
“There’s an upcoming singer down there too, Some Apple’s wife. She’s purple in color, I think, but she apparently sings really good.” Ruby nodded, “Yeah, let’s go.”
Spitfire mindlessly sat at Fury’s desk sorting his paperwork, or maybe it was hers now? Did she get promoted? There wasn’t a big presentation if she did. Essex just took her aside, told her to sort through Fury’s stuff, and she’s been here since.
So maybe she did get promoted.
Well, even if she did, she wasn’t going to make a fuss about it. There was enough stuff going on. Her demanding a Commander’s emblem so soon was unnecessary. It’s not like she really wanted to be sitting here, swamped with paperwork, again!
“Maybe I should make a little fuss….” She mumbled, scribbling her signature across another document. Spitfire doubted she could stand being desk-bound again. Then again, Fury hardly stayed at his desk, so she’ll see how things played out from here. Given enough time, she’ll probably get the job by default.
“You sure left a mess!” She scolded the picture of Fury she kept on her desk. “You had a filing cabinet! But it was empty! WHY! There are months of mission backlogs in the trash that were never sent in! How did this get past the audit!”
Screaming at her dead lover’s profile did little to relieve her work stress, but even pretending to talk to Fury helped. It was all she had. Unlike every other mare, she didn’t get impregnated before her mate’s passing.
As far as she knew, but there haven’t been any signs, so far, Spitfire was expecting.
“Need some coffee, Spit?”
“Thanks, Fleetfoot,” Spitfire all but pushed over her desk to get the offered cup of jo. Tentatively sipping the peppermint cream mixed mud. Yes, she put in cream now. No longer did she take it black. Why?
Life was bitter enough.
“How are things with you? Gloves take that promotion, or is he retiring too?”
Fleetfoot adjusted the sling around her body, so her baby Gauntlet was on her other shoulder. The baby proceeded to swat at his mother’s long braid.
“Oh, he’s going back and forth. He’s still in bad shape from the battle and going through rehab. But Essex really wants him to take up a Commander role. At least until things settle down.
Spitfire nodded between sips, observing her long-time friend and how things have changed. Or not changed regarding herself. Fleetfoot was the picture of a mother, baby in a harness, with a well-maintained mane. She was even wearing makeup.
Meanwhile, she was over here, still sporting a military cut, single, childless, and probably going to stay that way. And she was ok with that. She loved Fury. Enough that she didn’t want to find another lover.
So, she’d make the sacrifice, so her friend could live a happier life.
“If Gloves isn’t up for it, not saying he can’t do it, there’s Goodnight, but I would be willing to make a recommendation. I’m sure after everything… you all want to be together more.”
Fleetfoot blushed, “Yes, he’s been so affectionate that we might have another foal before this one’s even two. But you don’t need to do that, Spitfire. Other ponies can fill the role. Like Goodnight, Bulwark, or even Ruby Blaze. You should go live your life too.”
Spitfire smiled, setting her cup down on the desk, and picked up her officer’s cap. “Thank you, but I’m doing what I want already. You can head home early. I’ll wrap things up here for the night and come help watch the kids, so you and Gloves can have some peace.”
“Spitfire…” Fleetfoot closed her eyes, smiling graciously. “Thank you. Tonight we’re having steamed potatoes.”
“I’ll be there. Your cooking is so good now!”
“Implying it wasn’t good before?”
“Fleetfoot, you used to order nothing but take out from the bar.”
“So did you!”
Spitfire chuckled, patting her fuming friend on the head, “Yeah, and now I get to eat your homemade wife cooking without even buying a ring. I say I won.”
“If that’s the way you feel, we could always form a herd.”
“Nah, I’m good being a godparent for Goodnight and Sweet Dreams’…. which one was it again?”
“Good Morning. Next month is his birthday.”
“Right, I’ll remember a present this time, I promise.”
“Just don’t give him a wing-blade like last time. Save it for when he’s fourteen. He’s turning six, by the way.”
“Right,” Spitfire saluted while kicking a box with the said object under her desk. “I’ll see you at supper.”
“Bye, Spits.”
“Bye…” Spitfire waved, the door closing with a lonely squeak. Seeing her friend mothering and being happy gave her the recharge she needed to keep working. Supper wasn’t for another two hours; she could get another pile done by then!
“I’m going to work hard, Fury, for all their sakes.”
Kiri stood on the balcony staring at Kira’s old castle. Well, that’s what he thought he was looking at. He wasn’t completely blinded by Hassan’s attack, but he might as well be. His vision was so blurry, it only served to remind him of what he’s lost.
He’s tried every remedy. Dipping his face in the healing springs, corrective lens, magic glasses, and surgery. It seems he wasn’t merely cut but cursed. The curse was so powerful and ancient that no Miko or healer could remove it.
Currently, his family was contacting Saddle Arabia to try and find some means to heal him, but he’s kept his hopes in check. Rather than bear with the blurry world, he chose to cover his eyes completely. The darkness was a strange comfort.
It was in this darkness; he discovered another means to see. He was embarrassed to admit he hadn’t thought of it. It was something he used all too often.
His electrical aura.
Using his magic, he could extend his senses using an altered version of his electrical mist to see a rough outline of the world. It wasn’t perfect, but better than a blurry mess of colors. He’s become so adept at using his aura to see, he soon noticed the differences in the pony closest to him.
Or rather, he finally admitted what he already knew.
His ‘wife’ wasn’t his wife. She sounded like Kaki, felt like Kaki, and even acted like her, but Kiri noticed the differences over time. The way she talked, how she drank her tea, and how she played in bed. All the little things added up.
The big giveaway was her heartbeat. It was slightly different than before, but the big thing was his ‘wife’ was constantly lying.
“Sakura,” He said, causing a stir from the bed behind him. He could hear the startled tone in her gasp and the increase in her heart’s rhythm. He could also hear the second beat inside her belly. “We should visit her grave.”
‘Kaki’ sighed without knowing, but perhaps she already suspected he knew. One day, they would have to either acknowledge the truth or keep going until the lie was the truth. Kiri didn’t know which he preferred. Wanting to keep the lie going. To pretend the pony in his bed was really his wife.
Kaki got up and stood at his side, their claws intertwine. She kissed his cheek. He wasn’t revolted by the gesture or angry. He just squeezed her claw tighter, “I love you.” He told her.
It wasn’t a lie.
“I… love you too.” She replied.
That also wasn’t a lie.
Essex yawned loudly, not caring if any pony heard her. There was no pony else around anyway. Not on Sixes and Luna’s floor of the castle. It was a little lonely having the whole place to herself, for now.
She ate in their kitchen, slept in the guest room, and lounged around as if it was her own home. It might as well be her place now, but she wasn’t going to impose on their private bedroom until she knew for sure they were dead. A weird principle, but really, she just didn’t want to touch their most personal items.
So here she was, laying on the elegant sofa with a bowl of crisp fries and watching the gem projector play a book for her. It was like watching a movie, but better because the book is always better.
Tonight, she was watching something called the Legend of the Goblin Slayer, a tale of a heroic pony who made it his life’s mission to slay all goblins. Where he slew many, many goblins and somehow accidentally formed a herd?
This was volume 11.
Anyway, after being the pony in charge all day, Essex just wanted to relax and take her mind off everything. Work, the fact her husband was dead, and she had a child on the way. For one hour, she just wanted to not deal with any of it, for just an hour.
Pausing the projector, Essex went to get some chocolate mint ice cream and a bottle of ketchup. Back on the couch, her frozen treat in claw, she slathered an insane amount of ketchup as a topping.
She always thought this kind of thing was a trope, but here she was.
A third of the way through her Projected Book, Essex fell asleep, her bowl half-eaten on the coffee table, her body sprawled across the couch.
At one thirty-five in the morning, she stirred awake, dehydrated from her snack bender. When she sat up, a blanket fell off her to the floor. Confused, she picked up the comforter looking around the room for any pony.
The front door was still locked, and there were anti-teleportation runes in the walls with alarms on the balcony doors. This was a Royal Suite, so there were layers upon layers of defenses.
Only two ponies had the knowledge to disarm them all.
Essex suddenly bolted to her feet, spotting a faint blue light from under the door to Sixes and Luna’s room. She ran full sprint, nearly flinging the heavy oak from its hinges!
“Sixes, Luna!” She cried out with tears of joy, but all she saw was the last spiral of a vortex fade into the full-length mirror.
Did she dare to hope? Or was she simply dreaming and not realize it yet? To disprove the latter, she tugged hard on her cheek and felt the pain. So, this was real. At least she hoped it was.
Standing before the lifeless mirror, Essex looked down to see a note. Picking it up, she read it, and her tears fell harder, but she smiled genuinely.
Relief and joy flooding her body, Essex laid down on the master bed with the letter close to her heart and fell into a deep and restful slumber.
Upon the shattering of the black Alicorn Amulet and releasing magic back into the world. The first thing Luna and Sixes did was collapse to the ground, both blacking out until the heat of the nearby lava forced them to move to a safer location to rest.
Shacking up in a small cove far from the blast zone of their battle with Minerva, the two ponies fell into a deep slumber. Even as they slept on uncomfortable rocks and sand, the warmth of each other’s body was enough of a comfort to bear it.
For twelve hours, the two slept.
When they woke up, they had only one mission. To get home and get Templar back! So, they flew! As fast as they could. With Luna’s power of the Sun and Stars, they never faltered in their path, hitting the coast of the sea on the first day. Flying over five hundred miles in half a day.
They thought they were making good time as they searched for a port with a ship to take them across the sea to the next continent. Instead, they found a giant-sized Alicorn of the Sea pony variety, terrorizing the local populace. Trying to establish a territory for itself.
The Sea-green Alicorn demanded offerings from the ponies of the small port town, feasting on their crops and livelihood.
After the battle with Minerva, the Sea Green Alicorn was barely a footnote. Sixes pierced its skull with a Celestial Javelin, and Luna burned up a star to incinerate its body. Upon the formation of its gem, they shattered it like the Black Amulet. Returning the magic to the world.
In thanks, the town offered to take them across the sea.
This allowed the couple to rest while traveling. Once halfway across, Luna teleported them the rest of the way. From there, Sixes carried her on his back into southern Hispania.
They probably wouldn’t be welcome, but the Hispania ponies had other problems besides recovering from the war and the monster attacks.
Another Alicorn was trying to make its mark. This one a mustard yellow and proclaimed to be the Alicorn of Spice.
He tossed exploding rice at them, so he had a very confusing power set. Nonetheless, as before, they trounced him. Earning another favor.
This time they were given a small airship to fly in. Luna slept while Sixes kept watch, not trusting the crew. Another day passed. Marking the third day since Minerva was defeated. Sixes pondered how many lapsed during the battle. It hadn’t seemed that long, but he guessed a day.
He worried about the time ratio between worlds. As by his best guess, four days have passed.
Once more, they made it halfway across the ocean, and Luna used her magic to teleport them again. They landed in the waters off the coast of Evernight in the southeast.
Luna, wholly exhausted physically and magically, was dead weight in the water. Sixes grabbed his sinking wife, struggling against the waves to shore. He staggered wobblily across the sandy beach with Luna on his back. Rather than wait for his wings to dry, he carried her on foot.
They lucked out, finding the railway within the hour. With a clear path, Sixes ran full tilt for Night Haven to their home. Following the tracks would take longer, but the road was clear, and he knew where he was going. Not having to fight through the thick trees and vines of the Everfree forest was a huge boon too.
Plus, there was the chance he could find the train, a rail cart, or even just some ponies to pull them in a wagon.
He would find none of them, only abandoned and scorched towns. This only spurred Sixes harder. As soon as his wings were dry enough, he took to the sky. Making a beeline for the castle. By nightfall on the fifth day, he made it home.
Luna finally stirred after he crash-landed on the balcony.
The two ate whatever wasn’t spoiled from their kitchen, bathed, and took a truly short power nap. It was the absolute bare minimum to recover from the long five-day journey home.
Putting a little magic into Luna’s dresser mirror, they activated the portal to the other world and stepped through. They could finally have their child back.
Templar Apple ran across the Canterlot city park towards his older siblings, Hymn and Waltz. He chased after them with great vigor, parkouring through the playground equipment.
They had two older siblings, his oldest sister was Arizona, and his eldest brother was Andante. Both were at school. Learning magic! Apparently, this was a new thing in the world. He wouldn’t know. He was only born ten years ago.
His dad was watching from a bench, though people called him Mac or Big Mac. His aunts Applejack and Applebloom called him the latter the most.
He loved his family, and they loved him. Even if he didn’t look anything like his other siblings, who had blonde or red/orange hair, it wasn’t anything scandalous.
He was adopted.
It’s not like they could hide it. The ashen skin tone and blue hair kind of gave it away. Though Aunt Sonata had blue hair, however, it was a different shade of blue.
His dad and his Aunt Sunset told him stories of his birth parents regularly.
Aunt Sunset was a weird relation because she was his real father’s granddaughter, but his mother wasn’t her grandma. It was too complicated for him to really understand. Anyway, both his dad and Aunt told him stories of his birth parents and how they were great people with heavy responsibilities who loved him.
He kind of just nodded his head to this because as much as they sang their praises, he’s never met them. Maybe Sixes and Luna were his Father and Mother, but Mac and Adagio were his Daddy and Mommy. That was just the way he saw it.
Sliding down the slide, Templar skidded to a stop for reasons he didn’t understand. He felt something like a presence in the back of his mind. On instinct, he turned to his dad, Mac, speaking to two people he didn’t know.
It was a man and woman. They looked familiar, yet not. His mother, Luna, had a counterpart in this world. So, he kind of knew the image of his birth mother. The woman fit the description yet didn’t. Her face was eerily like Mrs. Luna’s, but that was where the similarities ended.
The lady was taller for sure. His parents would be mad for thinking it, but her… milk jugs were more prominent too. Besides that, her hair was all wrong. It held shades of blue on his own head, but there was this weird orange highlighted bang that fell between her eyes.
The man beside her looked like a mix of his Godfather Ferocious and Mr. Stryker Six. With an odd mix of red and gold in his flame-like hair. Still, Templar couldn’t help but look at his own ashen skin and notice how similar the shade was.
It made him very afraid.
Despite that, he walked towards his dad, his palms sweating.
“That’s him… he’s gotten so big….” Luna said as she and Sixes stood beside Big Mac, watching their son play in the park. The smile on his face was a relief for her. He was a cherished and happy child. She made the right choice in her heart.
But it was that same choice that made her heartache to see the baby she left behind, now ten years old. She gripped Sixes’ hand, conflict brewing in her torn heart. What did he think? This would be the second son he didn’t get to raise.
Mac understandably was in an awkward position. “We tried to hold off making anything official, but by three years old, it was time to shit or get off the pot, as they say. Sorry.”
Luna shook her head vigorously, “No, you don’t have anything to apologize for. In a perfect world, this shouldn’t have happened, but… it did. I’m glad he’s happy. You raised him well, Mac.” Her grip tightened as she looked to her husband, “Sixes…?”
Sixes responded to his wife’s hand squeezing by squeezing back, knowing what they had to do. “It’s probably karma or punishment for how I treated Crusader. I didn’t want anything to do with him for so long for petty reasons. Now, I have a son I would give the world for, but it’s obvious what would happen if we took him away from you.”
“Sixes…” Luna was in tears but agreed with her husband’s reasoning.
“Here,” Sixes dropped a literal bag of gold coins in Mac’s hand. “For Luna’s treatment, and there some more for Templar’s schooling.”
Mac reluctantly pocketed the gold. Adagio would be pissed if he turned it down. “Are you sure about this? I know we’ve adopted and raised him, but he is still your child. He’s a sharp kid. He’d understand….”
Luna cut him off, “No. As much as we want him, he’s yours now. That’s how he sees it, at least. We’re strangers to him. It would be cruel and selfish to take him now.” She spotted Templar approaching them in the corner of her eye. The poor dear was trying to hide it, but he was terrified.
Mac was right. He was sharp.
“We’ll pop in when we can. There’s still a mess in our world to clean up. We’ll also drop off gifts, but until Templar’s an adult and wants to know us, we’ll leave him in your care. It’s the right thing to do.” Luna didn’t know who she was trying to convince by saying that over and over, probably herself. “Come on, let’s go. He doesn’t look thrilled to see us.”
“Yeah,” Sixes took Luna in the crook of his arm, letting her cry in his shoulder as they exited the park.
“Dad…” Templar nervously approached his adopted father. “We’re they here to take me?”
Mac wondered if that instinct came from his pony side or some strange magic, scooping the young boy up in his arms and carrying him towards his siblings with a reassuring smile. “No, they were just some old friends saying hi, because they were in town. You don’t need to worry. You’re right where you belong.”
Templar hugged his neck, perhaps not wholly reassured. “Do you promise?”
“Yes, I promise,” Mac said to reassure his son. After rounding up the rest of his kids, he took them all home. Where Adagio was waiting with a fresh apple pie and ice cream. When the kids were asleep, he told her what happened today and what happened to Equestria.
“I guess we won’t be vacationing there anytime soon,” Was all she had to say, but he knew she was upset about her homeworld getting wrecked.
When Mac turned off the lights to sleep, he found he couldn’t sleep. His mind plagued by the thoughts of Sixes and Luna. If he were in their position, he’d probably be screaming at the sky.
Sixes and Luna returned to Equestria utterly heartbroken. They knew it was the right thing to do. It would have been cruel and selfish to rip Templar away from Mac, but it didn’t hurt any less. Especially for Luna, who had only gotten to hold her child for a few months before having to give him up.
She was so broken up about it, she even forgot to ask Mac what became of Cadence and her child but didn’t have the fortitude to go back. Not right away. Her mournful musing was cut short by Sixes.
“How long were we gone?”
Wiping her tears, Luna answered, “About two hours, why?”
“Well, it’s definitely been more than two hours here.” Sixes opened their bedroom door to show their living room, with a very pregnant Essex sleeping on their couch.
“The time ratio between worlds must have flipped, so it’s reversed what it was before, and an hour there is a month here. Following that logic, the time streams should be in sync in ten years. Is that right, Dusk?” Luna asked aloud, but neither the Alicorn of Time nor her messengers appeared to confirm or deny.
“Ten years, I guess that’s my punishment,” Sixes said sadly, still probably beating himself up over Crusader and now Templar.
“It’s our punishment,” Luna corrected, placing a blanket over Essex. “I wasn’t much better to Crusader. And it was my choice to leave Templar with Mac. If you look at it another way, there is still a mission we have to finish in this world.”
“The remaining Alicorns.” Sixes answered grimly.
Luna nodded, both knowing that if there were two, there were more. Would be gods trying to reclaim what they lost. And they were the only two ponies that could defeat them.
“If Templar ever comes here, I want this world to be one worth visiting.”
Sixes nodded, “Yeah, the last patrol.” He looked at his sister’s sleeping form. Besides not being a great father, he wasn’t the best brother either. And he wasn’t getting much better. “Can you put every pony to sleep? Like a deep sleep?”
Luna nodded, “Yes, I know a spell like that. Why?”
“I want to look around and not give away we’re back. I want to see how things are going without us. Plus, I need some materials.”
Luna wasn’t a hundred percent sure what her husband had in mind but fulfilled his request and cast a powerful slumber spell over the entire castle.
With carte blanche, the couple roamed the castle. The first spot was Sixes’s or Essex’s office since it was close to the room. He rummaged through the last two months of reports very carefully, making notes on the locations of remaining Alicorns. Seems Essex was planning to deal with them as soon as they gathered their strength, but their roaster of capable ponies was short.
“Get copies of these locations too, love,” Sixes said, passing her documents on ancient evils sealed by her and Celestia. That was part of Night Patrol’s mission, though the effort got sidetracked.
Next, they traveled down to the memorial wall. It was hallowing to see all the names added. There were some big names, too, such as Topaz and Shamrock.
“I thought it was weird he wasn’t nearby,” Sixes remarked on his brother-in-law’s absence. He assumed Shamrock had been on a mission.
Sixes left the wall in a hurry, Luna on his tail. She was confused when he procured a compass from storage and some spare paper.
“Put some blood on here,” he instructed Luna after inscribing a rune on the base of the compass. “I’ve tuned it to point to us, so Templar can find us if he wants to.”
“You study the strangest things,” Luna said, adding her blood to the rune. “What are you writing?”
“A letter, to Essex. Explaining what we’re doing.”
“Why… you don’t mean to….”
Sixes nodded, finishing the note and folding it on the dresser. “You said it yourself, ponies need to learn how to take care of themselves? Returning now would only hamper that. Besides, they seem to be getting along fine without us.”
“That’s just irresponsible, Sixes! We are the leaders of Evernight. We just can’t willingly give up our duties in trying times like this!”
“Then when? Luna? We’ll fall into the same trap that you and Celestia did! There will always be another villain to defeat, another evil, or problem. We can do so much more out there, defeating the Alicorns and whatever else is out there, then sitting on thrones. You know it! It’s what you’ve been working towards all this time! Yes, we wanted to slowly ween them off relying on us, but they got a bucket of cold water instead. This may be our only chance.”
Sixes looked to the portal, to the world on the other side where their son lived. “Maybe we can’t interact with him the way we want, but we can take time to watch our son grow. If only for a little while.”
Luna opened her mouth to rebuke her husband but slowly frowned, realizing he had a point. This is what she wanted.
The world may have almost ended, but ponies continued to live without her or Celestia. Without any Alicorns to guide them. In fact, it was despite them. Things wouldn’t be perfect, but when were they ever?
“Pass that note to me. I have some things I wish to say.”
With her conscious clear, Luna took Sixes’ claw, and they once more went to the other world. Just as Essex came through the door.
After delivering the compass to Mac to give to Templar when he was of age, the two Equestrians sat on a bench outside of the Magic Academy. They still had a mission to complete back home. And they would finish it, but after they had a good long rest here.
They watched their child grow up from afar, traveling the otherworld to satisfy their wanderlust and adventure. Always coming back to the small rural town of Canterlot to see their son. Never getting too close but being there to see him smile was enough.
One day, over a year later, they returned to Equestria to go on their last Patrol.
On the day they left, they spoke their first and last words to their child, “If you ever want to know more about your home when you come of age, just follow this arrow.” Sixes told the eleven-year-old Templar, ruffing the boy’s hair.
“I know it probably doesn’t seem like it, but we do love you, so very much!” Luna said, embracing her baby once more.
Templar accepted the awkward farewell, keeping a firm grip on Mac’s hand throughout it. Had it not been for his father’s insistence, he probably wouldn’t let either of them near him. They were just his parent’s strange friends to him.
He bore witness to their departure, the two disappearing into the portal between worlds. It would be the last time he ever saw them on this side of the mirror.
When Luna and Sixes emerged from the portal, things had clearly changed once more. Their room was no longer theirs. And that was fine. Quietly they snuck past a sleeping Essex once more, with a little black and green filly cuddling beside her.
“Alright, time for our last patrol.” Together Luna and Sixes flew off into the night sky. Their mission, to stomp out the last remnants of the alicorns and any evil sealed away. It was their final mission that they would undertake alone.
They were the last Night Patrollers.
“Let’s start in the wastelands and work our way south!” Luna smiled, feeling free for the first time in centuries.
Sixes chased after her, laughing into the night sky, “Sounds like a plan!”
A young man sat on the curb outside the Canterlot Magic Academy. He was lanky, barely of age, with ashen skin and blue hair. He was Templar Apple. That’s who he believed himself to be and who the state said he was.
Growing up, it was no secret he was adopted. He didn’t know how others dealt with that, but he accepted it. Even when he met his birth parents, he clung to Mac and Adagio Apple, his foster father and mother.
It was only a brief encounter at age eleven when he met Sixes and Luna. The entire time he was afraid they were going to take him away from his family. Much to his relief, they didn’t. Instead, they told him they loved him and wanted him to be happy.
His birth father, Sixes, left a compass that would lead him to them should he ever want to see his birth parents again.
His dad kept the magic tool in the gun safe so it wouldn’t get lost and finally gave it to him on his twentieth birthday. Which was last week.
The coming-of-age requirement was legally age eighteen, but Mac wanted his son to experience life a bit before gifting Templar his birthright. Or maybe Mac gave him the compass two years late because he didn’t think he was ready. Whatever the reason, it was a bizarre gift after failing his college entrance exams for the second time.
Templar buried his head in his arms, clutching the compass tight. He wanted to join the Magic Police force. Templar had the power. In fact, Chief of Police Pinkamena Pie told him he was probably too strong. His lack of restraint leading to injuries in the exam.
Combined with his low academics, he didn’t qualify to be an officer. Even a beat cop was out of his grasp.
He didn’t think it was fair, considering how wild west the world has been since Magic became public knowledge and then publicly widespread after the spread of Magical Girl Syndrome. It affected boys and girls equally, though girls developed Magic earlier. Reasons were still being researched.
Back to his point, Chief Pie hadn’t needed to pass an exam to get where she was. Granted, she’s worked many years in the force to gain her position.
The fact his oldest brother, Andante, was on the force only salted his wounds.
In this low point of his young life, his mind wandered to his birth parents, two legends of the monster-slaying gig. Mac was famous too, but even he praised his birth parents, stating they wrote the book on the subject, and Sixes had been the one to teach him. As well as many others.
Making up his mind, in the only way a young man could, Templar stood up and approached the long-dormant portal outside the Canterlot Magic Academy (Formerly Canterlot High). There was one in his mom and dad’s house, but he was already here. Before he took the dive, he sent his mom a text, like a good son.
Holding the compass up to the old horse statue, the portal opened, and he stepped in.
Templar popped out the other side, falling to his… hooves? Right, this world was inhabited by ponies. That slipped his mind. Still, he wasn’t uncomfortable with his new form. In fact, it felt more natural to him. Probably because this was how he was supposed to be.
Excitedly he wheeled around to look at his reflection, finding an ashen pony-like thing with wild blue hair, draconic wings, and scales? There was also a horn on his head.
“Right, dad was half-dragon or something?” He mused, tapping his horn with his hoof, only for his foot to morph into a claw! “Huh, that’s convenient.”
Satisfied with his appearance, Templar looked around at his surroundings and… found he was in some sort of ruins.
Somehow the mirror portal remained intact, but the room it was placed in wasn’t. There wasn’t even a ceiling anymore!
“I wonder where I am, and if there are any people… I mean ponies, I guess….” After giving his wings a little test wiggle, Templar slowly flapped them, gaining lift, and then slowly rose into the sky. The view was breathtaking.
The ruins were that of a large castle. Not just that, but there was a castle town! The whole place was overgrown with vegetation. Wildflowers grew in the old hallways, and vines climbed the walls. This must have been quite the place when it was still inhabited.
Reaching for his pocket, Templar was surprised to discover he wasn’t wearing any clothes besides a small saddle bag strapped to his back. Feeling inside the bag, he fished the one item it contained.
The compass.
Like with all magic items, the compass needed a little jolt to activate. Templar never used it before, so when it projected not one, not two, but seven arrows pointing in every direction. Templar wasn’t sure what to make of it.
“There’s not an instruction manual, somewhere, is there?” He asked the sky, looking for any sort of directions on the magic tool. There were none. “Hmm… what should I do….”
Two of the arrows began to move, growing larger in size. One of the two inverted, the arrow now pointing towards the center of the compass.
In other words, him.
Templar wheeled around awkwardly, unused to his new body and unaccustomed to flying. He barely ducked a punch for his head, flailing like a fish out of water or a bird learning to fly. A black and green pony zoomed by, and their eyes met, and the two experienced a sense of familiarity?
“Scathach! That’s enough!” Another pony shouted with a thick, barely understandable accent.
“But mom!”
“Don’t ya but mum me! I say stop, ye stop!” A much older version of the creature that just attacked him approached. Her hair was orange, her mane tied in a braid that fell down her back and reached her knees. The tone of her coat and scales was the same as Templars, and it matched the description he was given of his father’s sister. Or, in other words, his aunt.
Essex.
“Alright, let’s take a look at ye,” Essex gently but firmly grabbed Templar by the cheeks. The young stallion was a bit unnerved by the razor-sharp claws poking his flesh, so he struggled to relax. Essex suddenly nodded, satisfied with her assessment. “Hmm-hmm, yeah, your one of theirs, alright. The lost little colt of my brother.”
“So, this is me, cousin, the one Aunt Luna’s always moping about?”
Essex nodded as her daughter floated beside her, leaning close to get a good look at Templar. “Forgive my rude daughter. Her father wasn’t around to spank her for me.”
“You spanked me plenty!”
“No, I pulled on your ear, you rude brat! Nearly three hundred years old, and you’re still a brat!”
“Ouch! I’m only 240! And if I’m still a brat, then it’s your fault! You raised me! Ow, Awolowo! Stop pulling my ear!”
“Tch,” Essex scoffed, releasing her daughter. “How are you the oldest child of our clan, yet still the most immature? Your cousins are much more grown-up.”
It was here, Templar jumped back into the conversation or finally joined it, “Cousins… do you have other brothers and sisters beside dad? Or…”
“They’re your little brothers and sister, three of them,” Essex explained flatly. “This brat can help you find them. She’s got nothing better to do, anyway. Have fun!”
Essex floated down to the castle with a haggard sigh and entered one of the rooms. Most likely to sleep. Leaving the two newly introduced cousins floating awkwardly in the sky.
“Well,” Scathach huffed. “Uncle gave you a compass, right? Show it to me.”
Templar passed the magic tool to his cousin, who filled it with her own Magic. This produced the same arrows but with a very detailed map projection of what seemed like the entire world.
“Don’t look so surprised. This compass creates a map based on what information you have; you haven’t explored, so there was no map to make.”
“This feels like cheating in an open-world game.”
Scathach cocked her head sideways, “The hell are you on about? Anyway, we’ll go pick up Lena first. She’s the closest.”
Templar followed Scathach’s lead, struggling to keep up with her for the first day until she stopped to teach him how to fly. From there, they traveled south, over the Macintosh hills, bypassing New Dodge city, over the swamps of Neigh Horseleans, and stayed the night in Ocataca.
Ocataca was a surprisingly large town, nearly a city. He and Scathach stayed in a hotel for free. The owner apparently knowing Scathach, though she seemed embarrassed for some reason.
“He seemed nice,” Templar said as he settled on an actual bed. Maybe it was speciest, but he assumed it would be a pile of hay. “Do you know him?”
“No,” Scathach said firmly. “It’s because of Uncle Sixes and Aunt Luna. There was some evil beast they defeated a generation ago, so the town gives the whole family free room and board whenever we pass through.”
“And you don’t like it?”
“I don’t like riding on their coattails.” Scathach clarified. “I can earn my own keep, but it’s rude to refuse kindness. I’ll see if there’s anything they need help with in the morning. Once we do that, we’ll go visit Lena. Last I heard, she was still in Prancing Plains. Like thirty years ago. That arrow hasn’t moved, right?”
“No.”
“Then she’s probably still there.”
“Right,” Templar wasn’t sure what more to say. It was hard to wrap his head around that he had not just one but three siblings. On the other hand, or hoof in this world, he was lucky it was only three if Scathach’s age was any indication. “So, my little sister, Lena….”
“Oh, right, Lena’s a nickname. Her full name is Celena Stria Evernight. She would be… the middle child… if I remember right.”
“What’s she like?”
“It’s better to just wait until you meet her. She’s unique….” Scathach left it at that and went to sleep. Or at least pretended to.
With no answers forthcoming, Templar did the same. As sleep weighed heavily on his eyes, he wondered if Mac and Adagio were worried, he left a message, but he did this on kind of an impulse.
Then again, he was twenty, so he was supposed to be out of the house anyway. Either way, he’d apologize when he got home.
The next day, after Scathach talked to the town ponies, they took a side quest. That’s how he viewed it, to slay some wild beasts in the area. These beasts, were some sort of bear boar? They were tree toppling monsters that had the body of a bear, the hindlegs of a boar, and massive tusks next to their jaw of bone-crushing teeth.
There were ten of them. Bearboars breed like hogs too. So, they were considered a pest at best and an infestation at worse.
Since he just got to this world, Scathach told him to sit out the hunt and watch. Templar had reservations about letting girls do all the fighting, but what he witnessed wasn’t a fight, It was a slaughter!
Scathach ripped through the Bearboars’ thick hides with ease and then burned their bodies to not attract other predators.
That task done, they continued into Prancing Plains. Before, Scathach hadn’t spoken much when they traveled, but she suddenly started talking. Explaining the history of landmarks and other stories.
Pretty much all the stories feature his parents and what they’ve been doing the last 240 years. His parents have been on what they call the Last Patrol. They travel specific routes around the world every year and deal with any monsters or evil uprisings.
Occasionally, they take a break. These times coordinate with the birth of his siblings. Scathach explained that his folks were good about raising their kids. They spent thirty years raising them and making sure they were ready for adulthood before resuming their patrol. That was for each child.
Another day’s flight, and they were in the middle of the Prancing Plains. Where a ranch house and farm rested in the middle of the grassland. His little sister’s homestead.
“Is Lena married?” Templar asked as they touched down. Scathach about froze at the words.
“She better not be! She’s only… 200… I mean, I’m not even married yet!” Scathach chuckled in that particular way that Templar decided not to push the issue.
Templar was about to knock at the door when a massive explosion went off way in the distance! Both he and Scathach flew over the house to see the mushroom cloud. Scathach only sighed, mumbling under her breath as she flew towards the cloud. They found a midnight blue Alirin filly with blonde hair passed out in the grass about halfway there.
“This is Celena… her hobby is developing explosion magic,” Scathach explained, picking the filly up. “Come on, let’s take her home.”
Gathering his sister and her oversized witch hat, Templar carried Celena back to the house. Essex quickly made herself at home, rifling through the kitchen for coffee grounds and snacks. When the coffee was nice and hot and the cake divided into three plates, Celena woke up with a start.
“Don’t use my good coffee if you don’t know how to brew it properly!”
“Then hide it better!”
“I don’t need to hide things in my own house!”
While the girls bickered, Templar took in his little sister’s home. For being the daughter of royalty, she lived very humbly. The ranch house looked like a ranch house out inside and out. The main floor consists of the kitchen on the south end, the living room in the center, two doors leading to two other rooms, and some stairs on the north end.
“Anyway, who’s this guy! You finally get a boyfriend, Scathach?”
Scathach, predictably, spit out her coffee, or maybe that was on purpose, given Celena’s look of horror at the waste of her precious drink.
“Fuck, no! He’s your lost brother! Templar!”
Celena blinked, cocking her head sideways like a bird. “Huh, I guess I do see some resemblance. Nice to meet you, Templar!” She politely shook his claw but otherwise seemed bored. She sipped her coffee, stealing glances at him between bites of her cake.
“If you got something to say, just say it,” Scathach said to Celena.
“No, I’ve got nothing to say to Big Brother…. Actually, I do. How old are you? You seem too young! You don’t have that older brother aura like Crux does.”
“Crux?”
“He’s the oldest, not counting you,” Scathach explained. “His full name is Crucifix Sevens Evernight.”
“Dad got to name him. He’s the first child he ever got to name himself. Mom said she wanted something more traditional, but then she named me Celena. Which is fine, better than Moonlit Shine. So glad Auntie talked her out of that.”
“Right,” Templar nodded, processing the info dump. “Back home, I just turned twenty to answer your question.”
Celena burst out laughing!
“Twenty! You’re practically a baby! Styx is older than that, and he’s the youngest!”
Once more, Scathach elaborated, “Styx is the youngest child and son. He’s 180 years old. They are all about twenty years apart.”
“I get it,” Templar grumbled, enduring his ‘little’ sister’s laughter. “I don’t get what’s so funny. Cross out a zero, and you’re the same age as me. Hell, you act like a damn teenager, so probably younger.”
Celena coughed to stop her laughter and sat up straight to perhaps appear more grown-up. “Alright, ‘big’ brother. Do you have your own home? Have you moved out of your parents’ house? Do you have your own income? Well? Please regale me with your exciting independent life. In fact, are you married yet? Do you even have a mate?”
Templar, a bit cowed, mumbled out a depressed, no. To all the above. To her credit, Celena didn’t laugh, but she did look smug.
“Alright, enough teasing, time moves slower in the other world, so it can’t be helped. But let’s get down to brass taxes. Why are you here? Before you answer, why are you here now? You didn’t want to go with Mom and Dad when they came to get you, so why bother at all?”
Templar recounted the current events in his life and what drove him to cross the boundaries between worlds. He didn’t know how his sister would react to such selfish motivations, but she didn’t reveal much.
“Well,” Celena began taking a long sip of her coffee to build drama. “Whatever the motive, I know Mom and Dad would be happy to see you for any reason. It’s been a while since I saw them myself, so I’ll go with you. I was about to go on an adventure anyway. I just need to call Drei to house sit, or maybe Twinkle Star? I guess it doesn’t matter. Calling one calls the other two either way.”
This time Templar turned to Scathach, who sighed.
“What am I? The fucking exposition pony?”
“You have been explaining everything without asking…so….” Templar trailed off.
“Fine! Drei and Twinkle Star are the oldest of two sets of triplets of a family friend. Their dad is Trifecta, he married two mares, and they both had triplets. His wife Wiess gave birth to Drei, Eins, and Zwei, all boys. His other wife, Twilight, gave birth to three girls, Asteria Star, Stella Sparkle, and Athena Centauri.”
“Scathach loves Drei but can’t tell him apart from his brothers and confessed to Zwei instead,” Celena explained with a smirk.
“Shut up! I don’t want to remember that!”
“It’s been forty years! Just go talk to him! You can stay here, pose yourself on the couch and sexily seduce him, and finally, get a coltfriend! And I take over showing my brother around.” Celena suddenly frowned. “Wait, Dad gave you a compass to find him and mom. Why did you come here?”
“The compass points to everybody…err pony with their blood.” Templar showed the compass and projected the map created from Scathach’s memories. Celena took the magic tool, the map expanding further and becoming more detailed.
“Hmm, Crux and Styx aren’t where they were twenty years ago. They must have moved… and… huh… two pairs. They must be visiting. Yeah, so it’s a fifty-fifty chance we run into mom and dad or Crux and Styx.”
“Two of the arrows are in Nippon. That’s probably Aunt Luna and Uncle Sixes visiting Kiri and Kaki.” Scathach suggested.
“Or it’s Crux and Styx hitting on some Nippon fillies. I guess it will be what it will be. I’ll pack a saddlebag; it won’t take more than two hours.”
“Two hours? What are you packing?”
“How long does it take for females to pack in your world?”
“Two hours is fine,” Templar said, shutting his mouth.
The sons of Sixes and Luna were enjoying some leisure time in the Nippon Capital city of Shiroyama, in the heart of the red-light district. The establishment they patron was of the higher class. Where only the most beautiful and skilled Mares serviced the high rolling customers.
Crux, full name Crucifix, sat flush with rice wine, with two rinin mares adorned in stunning garments. One a pure snow in a red Chi Wa style dress, the short skirt barely hiding what was usually on display. The fair filly would flick her tail, tantalizing him with bare peeks at what lay beneath.
The other mare was a pink beauty, in a more traditional kimono dress, with the top wide open, the rest of her body concealed by the attires many layers.
“Lord Crux, please have another drink!” The white mare, Shira, encouraged.
“Another round of dice, milord?” The pink mare, Pinku, offered, shaking a pair of die in her claw.
“Ya, know it!”
Across the room, Crux’s younger brother and the youngest child of the legendary couple, Styx, sat with only one red rinin filly. Both the young stallion and his escort were the youngest of the group. The fact his late-night ‘friend’ looked barely out of school bothered him immensely. As such, Styx only allowed her to pour drinks.
“Hey, youngling, don’t look so glum! Akakiko may look eighteen, but she’s in her thirties, so feel free to get a little grabby! But not too much!” Pinku encouraged with a laugh.
“Please forgive my lack of experience. I just finished my tutoring.” Akakiko bowed, refilling his cup once more.
Styx smiled as he sipped, “This is fine. Dad always says drinks taste better when poured by a beautiful mare, and even more so by one you love.”
It took a moment for Styx to realize what he said and became as flush as Crux, and Akakiko hid behind her fan.
“Oh, Lord Styx, I am unworthy of such praise. Please save that for a mare you actually love. But I am grateful.”
“I… ugh… I mean… please refill.” He stuttered, thrusting his empty cup out. This prompted a giggle from all the Courtesans, much to his embarrassment.
“Hey, hey, if you pay off Akakiko’s debt, you can take her if you really want her,” Shira said. Styx didn’t know if that was a serious offer or not. But very rarely did mares end up as courtesans by choice. Their services varied by their contracts.
For example, even though his brother Crux was a little grabby and flirtatious, he wasn’t allowed to bed any of the girls here. Neither was he, not without paying a lot more money. Even then, that only applied to mares offering that service.
It was a confusing system that was strictly enforced. Breaking it meant dealing with lord Kiri, and that was a threat not even their parents could save them from. Because their parents would be in line to kick their asses if they ever indulged in such services.
Which might lead one to wonder why they were even here. Well, besides helping the girls pay off their debt contracts, it was a fun time. And a recent treasure hunt left both brothers flush with more gold than they cared to carry.
“Jokes aside, Milord,” Akakiko said, her voice dropping to a husky whisper. “If you desire, we could get a private room.”
Styx pretended to consider the offer before dropping three gold coins as a tip. “Better than last time, but not quite there yet. You still sound like a teenager to me.”
Akakiko sighed but pocketed the three coins. “I’ve yet to master seduction like Pinku and Shira, but I will get there!” She said peppily. Which was a weird thing to be excited about, but Styx wasn’t here to pass judgment.
“Perhaps Milord would like to partake in a game instead?” Akakiko offered, switching gears. “Or maybe some music?”
“Music would be great,” Styx smiled, dropping another coin.
The youngest of Luna and Sixes’ children was about to relax to the gentle tones of Akakiko’s Shamisen playing. When a polite knocked rapped their door. One of the waitresses opened the door and bowed to the group.
“My deepest apologies, honored guests, but… your sister is calling for you outside.”
“Celena? What does she want?” Crux seemingly sobered up, a bit of concern in his tone as he gently shook off his two mares of the night. It wasn’t often all the siblings got together anymore, but it was even rarer for his little sister to come to them.
Something must be up.
Both brothers put on deadly expressions as they left the Golden Needle. Outside they found their sister, impatiently tapping her hoof, beside… a colt.
Instead of asking any questions, Crux attacked the pony he thought to be his sister’s colt friend. You know… it’s what big brothers do.
“Is that them?” Templar asked as two stallions stepped out from the… whore house? Was that what this place was? Celena called it that, but the sign said Golden Needle Courtesan Palace.
Templar scanned the crowd for his little brothers, wondering and erasing what ponies would do in such a place. Spotting them quickly, thanks to Celena’s description.
Both of his little brothers were taller than the average pony. The taller of the two was broader and bulkier, with ashen scales and a white underbelly. His wings were black and draconic. Two white bicorn horns protruded from his head and a wild orange mane, with a whiplike dragon tail and orange and teal eyes.
This was his little brother, the second son, Crucifix, Crux for short. The oldest, not counting himself.
Next to Crux was the youngest child, Styx. He was much lankier than Crux. Sporting black bicorn horns that stuck out against his white coat, white-feathered phoenix wings, and fiery blue hair. His eyes were yellow.
Celena explained on the weeklong trip that Styx looked a lot like their dead aunt Celestia. Or so their mother said. He just took her word on that. He wouldn’t know either way.
“Yeah, that’s… look out!”
Celena suddenly pushed him, which saved him from getting his skull caved in by Crux, who didn’t look happy to see him. Which didn’t make sense because they’ve never met. And then Templar put two and two together and got four.
He was a stranger standing next to Crux’s little sister. Templar figured he’d do the same if their roles were reversed. Nonetheless, he wasn’t about to get his ass kicked by his little brother. He stood tall, crouching in a battle stance, and instantly realized Crux was a good head taller than him.
“Shit!”
“Shit’s right, you fucking turd!” Crux roared, stomping his claw on the cobblestone road. Stones flew everywhere, Crux’s barrel glowing as he gathered fire in his belly.
“Crucifix!” Celena screamed, getting between them. “It’s not what you think! This is Templar! Our big brother!”
Crux paused, seemingly processing his little sister’s words, “That just makes me what to kill him more. This little runt is our big brother? Fuck that! He’ll have to prove it first!”
His chest began to glow intensely, fire billowing between his clenched teeth when thunder roared overhead!
The crowd of gathered ponies scattered, those that remained dropped to their bellies, for their Lord had descended.
“Lord Kiri!” A pony cried as the Emperor of Nippon himself stepped out of a cascading bolt of white lightning.
Kiri was now taller than Kira and almost as powerful. A cloth bearing his clans’ symbol was tied over his eyes, his sight long gone, but it did little to handicap him. The Rinin Lord drew one of his fabled katanas sniffing the air.
“Ah… you three… no four? Did Luna and Sixes have another child recently?”
“No, Lord Kiri, this is our lost ‘big brother,’” Styx explained, bowing respectfully to the New God of Nippon. “Crux was establishing the pecking order, you could say.”
“I see, a sibling squabble, how refreshing. Reminds me of the times I clashed with my sisters, but we were immature then. You are all old enough to know better. Old enough at least to know not to cause chaos in my streets!” Thunder rumbled with Kiri’s voice. “Even if your children of my dear friends, I will not tolerate such boorish behavior! If you’re going to fight, you fight in the arena! Or you can fight me!”
Celena grabbed Templar and forced him into a bow. This confused Templar because Kiri was blind, but even Crux and Styx were bowing. So, he decided to do as Romans and follow suit.
That said, Templar didn’t expect to be moved to a colosseum and pitted against his little brother in a blood sport to a cheering crowd.
Above, Kiri laid out the rules of the match. Celena and Styx sat with Kiri and his family. “This will be a single bout with no time limit, but death will not be permitted. I will not allow my beloved friends’ children to kill each other, and I will intervene if necessary. The prize of this match will be the title of who is the true eldest of the Evernight children.”
“You know this makes you look childish by doing this, right?” Templar said as he and Crux squared off.
Crux merely snorted, “In this world, it is the eldest’s duty to protect his siblings and to do that, strength is needed! Prove you have it, and I will have no issue with you, ‘Big’ brother.”
With no choice, Templar reared back, his spine making an audible ‘pop’ as it realigned to an upright position. Another trick Celena taught him on the trip here. Now upright, Templar felt he was on some level ground since he’s lived his entire life as an upright creature.
Of course, he shouldn’t be surprised when Crux did the same thing. Once again, standing taller than him, but he still had the advantage on two legs, right?
Kiri gave the signal to start, “Begin!”
With all the speed and power of a professional sprinter, Crux raced across the arena, grabbed Templar in a hold, and slammed him into the floor. Suddenly twenty years of being human didn’t seem to equate to a two hundred- and twenty-year-old dragon pony demigod.
Templar grabbed Crux by the foreleg and threw his little brother to the floor, not ready to give up while getting to his feet. Inhaling deeply, he used another trick Celena taught him, fire breath.
Searing orange flames scattered across the arena floor, Crux not even letting out a grunt of pain as he rose from the fire. With a flash of his horns, a vast volume of water was dumped from the sky.
“You know magic?” Templar said, startled.
“Why the hell wouldn’t I?” Crux inhaled his barrel ballooning to comedic levels, but what wasn’t funny was the lava he spat from his mouth!
Templar hopped around the field, avoiding the molten liquid best he could, before dashing for Crux and delivering an air-shattering blow. Chief Pie said he was too strong for the Magic Police force, so he didn’t hold back.
He expected Crux to let out a shout, but his larger little brother, merely stepped back to inspect the damage, which was some scuff on his scales. Meanwhile, Templar was doing all he could to keep from screaming because his fingers/claws were a twisted mess of broken bones!
It was a stark contrast of the power level between worlds. Templar realized he had been a fish in a pond, and now he was in the ocean with sharks.
Still, he wasn’t about to just cry and give up! Against any doctor recommendations, Templar crudely smashed his fingers back into a workable fist and used his good hand to taunt his little brother.
Crux’s response was a smirk followed by an earth-shattering punch from which Templar was sure he blacked out. Digging himself out of the crater Crux smashed him into, Templar heard the referee stop at the count of eight as he rose to his feet again.
“Is that… all… you… got?” He said to Crux, swaying wildly. His left eye was swollen shut, and his jaw hurt like hell, but he refused to yield. It’s what his dad taught him, though his mother would probably call him stupid and tell him to run.
Templar was kind of a daddy’s boy, so he charged, landing another solid blow against Crux, then ducked the counter punch and struck again. Templar got into a rhythm, fell into the stance his dad taught him, and landed blow after blow on Crux. Even as his claws bled and ached with mind-numbing pain, he pressed on, drawing blood from Crux.
From outside the arena, Celena screamed, “Crux!”
Crux, parrying Templar’s blows, waved dismissively at his sister. “Yeah, yeah, don’t worry.”
Gold veins appeared across Crux’s body as he delivered the finishing blow to Templar. Whether he liked it or not, Templar was knocked out cold by his little brother.
Crux stood over him, panting lightly but disappointed that he resorted to that power. Though he didn’t intend to do anymore, Kiri appeared in the arena, bringing an end to the fight.
“So, what do you think?” Celena asked as she and Styx landed in the arena. “He’s better than you thought.”
“He made you go gold. That’s impressive enough, even if it was for only a second.”
“He’s not bad,” Was Crux’s response. “We can talk after the medics are done with him.”
Templar awoke in a lot less pain than expected. Rising from his hospital bed, he was surprised to see all his siblings, his blood-related ones, in the room with him.
“How’s it going, big brother?” Crux chuckled, ruffling his mane, he didn’t hear any sarcasm in his little brother’s tone, but he sure didn’t feel like a big brother. Not yet.
“I’m fine,” He brushed Crux’s claw away. “I don’t remember winning, so if you’re just teasing me, you can stop it.”
Crux laughed, “Yeah, I clocked you good, but you were right. It was childish of me to challenge you. I mean, even on a basic level, it was unfair. You just got here, and you were born when Mom and Dad could still be considered mortals. But you have willpower, and dad always said that’s what you need most in a fight.”
“Crux is right,” Styx said, approaching the side of the bed. “It was immature of him to challenge you like that. I hope you can understand you just showing up out of the blue… is surprising and kind of insulting. It’s been over two hundred years… for us. How old are you?”
“I’m twenty….”
His two little brothers both frowned, making the same face he did when he had to do math. It quickly became a comedy routine when they got pen and paper.
An hour passed.
“It would be this ratio, right?”
“No, it would be more like a one to two? Right?”
“Bullshit! Check your math, bro!”
“Do you know when the last time I did math was? Like serious math?”
“Yeah, I do. It was when we built Celena’s house, and you got the measurements wrong! That’s why the south wall is a foot longer! How do you mess up a rectangle!”
“That house is square as can be. You’re the one that couldn’t cut the stairs right, Crux!”
“Says the pony that begged me for help!”
“Yeah, because I needed to recut everything!”
Celena ignored her brothers’ bickering at Templar’s bedside, choosing to tend to Templar’s wounds. The Nippon Medics were top-notch, most of the damage was already eighty percent healed, but she used her Magic to finish up that last twenty percent.
“They get like that, give it another hour, and they’ll both be laughing at the whore house again.”
“It’s not a whore house if you can’t sleep with the mares!” Crux quietly added, “At least not all of them.”
“But you can still sleep with them if you want!”
“But we don’t, so stop getting so hung up about it!”
“Well, you’re not the one getting letters from Mom and Dad asking if you’re married yet!”
Crux rolled his eyes, “Oh, don’t get on that! They bring it up every time I visit!”
Now Styx stood beside Templar’s bed with a deck of cards, “What’s your game, bro? Because they’ll be at this for a bit. Family reunions and all that.”
“Do you know Golf?”
“No, but I’m up for learning.”
Another hour later.
“And why the hell is he here anyway!”
“He wants to see Mom and dad!” Celena screamed as her and Crux’s ‘discussion’ ended abruptly. She took a deep breath and showed the compass, projecting the map of the world. “Because you and Styx were hanging out, we couldn’t figure out where they were. We thought they were visiting Kiri. I guess they’re here… wherever that is….”
The last two arrows, Luna and Sixes, were in a massive black spot. Crux took the compass filling out the rest of the map.
“Well, you would have needed us anyway. No way you two are surviving there.” Crux said matter of fact.
“Where is there?” Templar asked, siding out of bed to look at the map.
Celena sighed, “Discordia.”
Discordia, a vast, untamed zone making up two-thirds of the entire planet’s landmass. It was here where the Primordial beings returned to the world after Magic was returned to the earth. With this new magic-rich environment, new species of fantastic beasts and monsters emerged.
And they were big!
Titanic was the only way to describe them. Combined with the release of the 72 demons of Soloqine, it created an eco-environment unfriendly to ponies.
To counter this threat, the countries of Europona, led by Germane, created a massive wall fortified by miles upon miles of Battleships and cannons. An enormous army of volunteers, prisoners, and others manned the forts, beating back the monsters daily.
“Yeah, so Mom and Dad kind of screwed the pooch about a hundred years back,” Crux explained as he led his siblings to the frontlines of the Demonic Front. This was not a place for the meek. “They were trying to defeat all evil in the world and kind of kicked the hornet’s nest that hit five more.”
They approached the wall, made of battleships buried in the earth and reinforced with the bones of defeated monsters. How big were some of these creatures? Well, the rib cage of one easily fits three battleships inside the rows of bones.
Presently a horde of Orochi, eight-headed giant snakes, one of Nippon’s legendary monsters, now just a typical encounter in Discordia. Besieged one of the fortresses, the blaring roar of the ship’s cannons knocked the creature back as the soldiers and heroes worked to deliver the killing blow.
If there was one good thing for Pony kind with Magic being returned to the world, it was that Heroic Ponies, ponies with beyond normal abilities, were on the rise. Or have been for the last two hundred years.
Besides the descendants of Rinin, typical pony breeds were guarding the wall effectively. One group, the Kirin, have been staunch defenders for generations. Along with thestral and other abnormal species.
“We’ll land here,” Crux ordered as they dived towards one of the larger ships. They were greeted by what Templar thought had to be the world’s largest pony!
“Big Brother Bulwark!” Celena cheered, jumping into Bulwark Bulldrake’s waiting arms. She promptly embraced the slightly smaller version of Bulwark, who resembled him to a tee, safe for his pink mane. “Cousin Barricade!”
Styx explained, “This is our Stepsister Platinum’s husband, Bulwark Bulldrake, and their son Barricade.”
“Stepsister?”
“It’s complicated,” Was Crux’s abridged explanation. He warmly greeted Bulwark, who smiled pleasantly to the siblings, his wrinkled face deep with sadness.
“Hi, how are you all doing?” Templar was surprised at how softly the giant pony minotaur rinin spoke. “Have you come to see Ruby… or perhaps Hazel?”
Crux and Styx both shyly looked away, confusing Templar but Celena grinned slyly. “Oh, ho, is that what’s going on….”
“Shut up, Celena,” Crux snorted.
“Now, now, it’s not polite to fight,” Bulwark gently scolded, flicking Crux on the forehead. “Ruby and Hazel are with the vanguard, but they’ll be back shortly.”
Suddenly a giant red Rinin, as big as the Orochi, appeared, wrestling one of the massive snakes to the ground and firing a red beam of flaming death from its mouth. Before the other Orochi could help their comrade, a barrage of yellow streaks blew their heads clean off!
“Somepony call me?” Hazel Thunder asked as her prosthetic hooves clinked against the decks of the ships. She was a stunning mare. Not even her missing limbs and battle scars could hide that. She took stock of the small gathering, smiling at the sight of the Evernight Siblings. “Oh, Crux, Styx? Have you two come to volunteer again?
“That would be a big help!” Ruby said, her massive head appearing alongside the ship. In a burst of flames, she shrunk down to her standard size, which was about the same size as Celena. “Celena’s here too? Don’t tell me, you have some new spells you want to try out?”
“I do!” Celena said excitedly. “My newest masterpiece will blow a mountain sky high!” A sharp cough from Crux quickly reined in her excitement. “Right… we’re actually here to go see Mom and Dad.”
This caused all the older Rinin to frown their brows. “Why?” Said, Ruby speaking for the group. “Wait like two more years, and they’ll be back for their annual rest. You might even… have….” Ruby blinked, finally noticing Templar, but she saw another pony. “Who is that?”
“This is our big brother, Templar!” Celena announced excitedly. “He finally came to visit.”
“Templar… of course, I thought he might be Crusader… never mind. It’s nice to meet you, Templar.”
“Commander Ruby! Lady Obara needs reinforcements in sector seven!” A messenger pony screamed from the sky.
“We’ll be right there!” Ruby replied. “Right, well, we’ll look forward to next time then. It’s always good to see you guys. I don’t need to tell you, but be careful in there. The further in you go, the worse it gets.”
Ruby, along with Hazel, Barricade, and Bulwark, took off to help Obara. Whose dragon horde was guarding the northern region of the wall. If they needed help, they were facing something genuinely monstrous.
That wasn’t any of the Evernight’s sibling’s business, though, and they moved ahead into Discordia searching for their parents.
“It’s always good to let the border guards know when you’re going in,” Styx said as they flew, the wall becoming a speck in the distance.
“Why?” Asked Templar.
“So, they can declare you dead if you don’t show up in a year, a day if it’s your first trip.” Crux said seriously, leaving no room for jokes. He did crack a smile after a minute. “Celena, Styx, and I have all been in here multiple times, even with a noob like you, we’re fine. Just remember, don’t start fights if you can help it.”
Styx flew up beside Templar, “Spoiler, there’s always a fight here. It is impossible not to fight.”
“Right…” Warily Templar kept a sharp eye out on the horizon. What he saw terrified him.
Far off in the distance, two silhouettes of mountain-sized creatures wrestled, destroying everything as they fought. A geyser of blood shot into the sky as one monster came out victorious, munching on its prey with a billowing roar of victory between bites.
“Don’t worry, the bigger monsters don’t go after ponies unless they’re starving. And if they are, they usually go to the wall to try and breakthrough it. What you really want to look out for is the small or medium creatures.” Celena tried to assure him? Templar assumed that’s what she was doing, but it wasn’t working.
In hindsight, he probably could have gone home for a day and come back. If that time imbalance stayed true. It maybe wasn’t too late, but he didn’t want to lose face with his blood siblings.
The Evernight siblings flew straight through the day and well into the night. Using the moon as their guide, Crux led them to the hollowed-out remains of some creature, with dim lights coming out of its hollow eye socket.
“We’ll rest here tonight. Welcome to Misery.” Crux said, welcoming his siblings to the Discordian outpost.
Inside the skull of the creature was a small town. The buildings were of simple construction, with small field plots for food. A waterfall flowed in from somewhere, blanketing the city in a soft mist. “Here’s the town inn. Nothing fancy, but it’s as safe as you can be, given the populace.”
“What does that mean?” Templar asked as they got the keys to their room. Even though they had Celena with them, they only got one room. He supposed they were all siblings, and ponies weren’t big on clothes, so there was nothing to hide. It was just a culture clash he needed to accept.
“Everypony here is a criminal of some sort. Thieves, murders, political dissidents make up the bulk, though.” Styx answered as they settled inside the small room. There were no beds, just piles of straw and bars on the windows, and a thick four by four log to bar the door.
The place was cheery.
As they settled down for the night, Crux taking the first watch because this place wasn’t that safe. Templar found himself pondering what Styx had told him.
“What?” Crux asked, noticing he wasn’t sleeping.
“Is this place a gulag?”
“Partly yes, partly no, the ponies here are as free as they want to be, so long as they can survive. The fact they can make a place like this proves they have the balls to do so. Ironic considering what some of them wanted when they lived back in what you call civilized society.”
“And your ok with this?”
“There’s nothing to be ok with. It’s just the way things are. You must understand Templar. Discordia encompasses two-thirds of the world. Ponies want stability. The only countries left are the ones that survived more than a hundred years. Minus Equestria, I guess, but asking Aunt Essex to keep that shit show running was an impossible task and one she didn’t want to do, so she didn’t.”
Templar blinked, clearly asking for context.
“Right, ask Celena for a history book to borrow. That’s more her thing. Here are the bare bones. Some ponies didn’t like how the world changed. Their easy lives suddenly became harder, and they wanted entitlements. When the ponies actually growing and producing things said no, they raised a fuss. In the abridged version, ponies don’t tolerate half-baked ideas or ponies that threaten the peace. The sheer effort to keep what land we have left is hard enough. Besides, this place isn’t so bad once you get used to it.”
“I’ll borrow that book, but this place is so different from what I’ve heard. It’s jarring.”
“Well, when ponies look to one pony to keep things going, things go to shit fast when that pony disappears.” Crux squinted, seemingly seeing something Templar couldn’t. “I was born early enough to meet ponies that still clung to Aunt Celestia. Without her… they just couldn’t function. I couldn’t understand it. Mom did, which is why she kept the fact she was alive a secret. Growing up unable to tell any pony who my parents were, was tough. It’s a little different now. Ponies know Mom and Dad are around, but they are more like myths, rather than visible factual rulers like before.”
Crux looked out the window, spotting the stars through a crack in the giant skull. “Time for Styx’s shift. Go to sleep. Otherwise, it’ll be rough flying tomorrow.”
When Templar woke up in the morning, he was the last one still asleep, the smell of burned meat stinging his nose. The door to their room was blown out, embedded in the hallway wall, with two black smudges staining the floor.
Apparently, two intruders tried to break in during Celena’s shift, and she dealt with them by incinerating them.
Scary.
They all set out, flying hard toward their parent’s location, which was in the farthest reaches of Discordia. Along the way, they stayed at two more settlements, each one grimier and more down run than the last, with multiple attempts to steal their valuables during their stays. Things really were desperate for the ponies out here. Templar asked if it wasn’t better to stay outside of town, but Crux answered that at least in town, they only had to worry about ponies attacking them.
For the most part, there were other creatures exiled here too.
Once they passed the fourth settlement, a town simply named End, the local populace simply consumed narcotics until they died. They were past the point of no return; they were in the cradle of Discordia. Where only the strongest survive.
The Evernight siblings flew silently, not daring to utter a word, lest they draw the attention of something fierce. They never stopped, not even to sleep, because there was no safe place.
On the third day past the point of no return, the siblings landed on a mountain peak to rest and eat their rations. Crux checked the map, frustrated at his parents.
“At this rate, we could have flown to the other side of the world and been closer. Mom and Dad keep heading east. They might have decided to go home early.”
“Dad probably got mom pregnant again if that’s the case. It’s only been sixty years since we last got a sibling,” Celena said chipperly, looking at Styx. “I hope it’s a girl this time. I’d love a little sister.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. They could just be chasing one of the Demon Gods. After killing forty of them, I’m sure those bastards have gotten wary of Mom and Dad,” Styx suggested. “By the way, what’s your count? I’m at three.”
“I got five!” Celena answered proudly.”
“Seven,” Crux said, smirking. “That means they’re only seventeen left if Mom and Dad haven’t killed them all by now.”
“You keep mentioning these Demon Gods, but what do they look like?” Templar asked, looking out over the vast misty mountain range.
“Well, their…” Crux stopped short as the ground beneath his claws gave way. He ordered all of them to take flight once more, his expression shaken as the earth fell away to reveal glistening scales. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Hit it hard! Before it wakes up!”
“ATOMIC EXPLOSION!”
“GIGABLAZE!”
“ATOM BREATH!”
All three of his siblings unleashed what looked like finishers to him. Celena’s explosion toppled the surrounding mountains in a mile radius, Styx’s fire washed across the land like a tidal wave, and Crux fired an energy beam from his mouth that dug a trench in the earth.
Nothing could survive all that, right?
“Templar, run!”
From the smoke and dust emerged a creature Templar didn’t know how to describe. Its body was as large as a skyscraper, with six equally large demonic wings, six arms, three goat’s heads, five serpents’ tails, and the legs of a bear. As well as being covered in dragon scales.
61st Demon God: Aamon.
“We need to run!”
“We won’t get away! We have to kill it!” Crux snarled, firing another energy beam.
“It just tanked all our finishers! This thing is beyond what the forties were!” Celena argued but let lose a barrage of explosion spells to slow the demon god. “Templar, you help too!”
“Right!” Templar inhaled and spewed as much fire as he could with Styx, who shot white-colored flames that seared Aamon’s skin, but it instantly regenerated. Any damage they dealt was healed just as quickly.
Fire and lighting came from the three goats’ heads, Aamon’s six arms flailed wildly trying to snag them. Luckily the Demon God was too big to move quickly, so its efforts were wasted, but the mere moving of its arms created hurricane-force winds, blowing them all for a loop.
Then the serpents got in on the action, each one billowing poison from its mouth. Filling the air with a purple haze.
“Celena!” Templar saw his little sister inhale a bit of the miasma and instantly dropped. He swooped in, catching her before she could fall into the cloud itself, but her breathing was shallow, and she was wheezing horribly.
“Get her to safety!” Styx shouted, zooming by as a blur of burning hot fire. “Scorching Nova!”
Styx erupted into a flash of white flame that burned up the poison and half of Aamon’s left side, it was slower to regenerate, but even now, the giant demon was rebuilding its body as it lumbered towards them.
“Shit!” Crux fired beam, after beam, slicing massive cuts into the demon’s body. The heat of the rays cartelized the wounds, making them harder to heal, but it only slowed the devil down.
While Templar carried Celena, a child version of Styx materialized, looking drained and tired. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.”
“It’s alright,” Templar grabbed the chibi Styx flying the way they came but weighed down. He wasn’t getting anywhere. “Crux!”
“I know!” Crux’s horns glowed and ripped free the peaks of two mountains, slamming them into Aamon. Gold veins appeared across his body, and he spat gold into his claws, shaping it into a massive gold star as large as himself.
“Dying Star!”
With a great toss, Crux launched the star at Aamon, the weapon burrowing into the demon’s chest and glowing brightly. A bright shining light shot out from Aamon’s body, followed by another, and then another until the demon’s body was torn apart!
“Did you get him?” Templar asked as chunks of the demon flew everywhere. Crux panted hard, the attack taking a lot out of him. “Crux?”
“Yeah,” He replied, though he didn’t sound happy. “But it only made things worse.”
Before Templar could ask what he meant, monsters of all shapes and sizes emerged to feast on the remains of the demon god. These monsters were very dragon-like in nature. Their scales were rough and coarse as stone, with turtle-like bodies, bullhorns on their heads, and long tails covered in spikes.
They didn’t move mountains. They crushed them.
“The fuck are those!”
“Primordial Dragons.” Crux landed beside Templar to help support Celena and Styx, but the second son was clearly shot and barely supporting himself. “We got to get out of here before they notice us.”
One of the Primordial’s feet hovered over top of them. It didn’t even know or acknowledge they were there, but it would crush them either way. Templar and Crux flew as fast as they could to escape the shadow of the behemoth, but it was looking grim. Templar could feel the beast’s body heat, and then the shadow stopped moving.
Daring to look back, Templar and Crux saw the foot of this titanic creature was stopped, but what could do such a thing? The beast didn’t know itself, as it tried to apply more pressure only for a brilliant teal aura to envelop its entire leg and cut it off!
As the leg crashed in the distance, Templar looked down at the pony that hadn’t been there before. It was a tall, beautiful mare with a midnight blue coat, a white splotch on her flank, and ethereal hair as dark as the night sky.
He’s only met her once before, in a different form. His mother, Luna.
“You DO NOT touch my children!” Her horn flaring wildly with Magic, Templar could only stare slack jaws as Luna PICKED UP the mountain-sized beast and then proceeded to crush it!
This got the attention of the other monsters, and they, on primal instinct, recognized the threat before them and charged. Some of them didn’t even get to move before a flash of gold light pierced their skulls, dropping them dead.
Templar looked up in the sky to see his father, Sixes, levitating an entire arsenal of golden weapons.
“Begone,” with only a flick of his head, he sent his weapons flying. Blood rained from the sky as every monster was suddenly and violently taken out. One with a half brain still functioning tried to attack, only for Sixes to fire an ax and hack it in two.
Templar couldn’t believe what he just witnessed. No, he couldn’t even fathom it. Even though he just saw it!
“Everypony, alright?” Sixes asked. Touching down, he went to his sons since Luna was fussing over Celena. “How are you doing, Styx? You, ok?” He asked his youngest, who was still miniaturized.
“I’m fine, dad!” Styx whined, fighting off his dad’s ruffling. Unfortunately, he was too small to defend himself from his father’s affections. “I’m not a colt anymore, dad!”
“Could have fooled me!” Sixes laughed, taking his youngest into the crook of his foreleg. “Haven’t held you like this in forever! You get over here too, Crux!”
Even though he was about the same size as his dad, Crux didn’t resist, letting Sixes bear hug his two sons before the Rinin paused to notice just who was with them.
“Well… I’ll be….” Sixes set Styx down and walked over to his oldest. He was joined by his wife, teary-eyed, as she looked at her firstborn all grown up. Both were clearly holding back from outright embracing Templar.
Celena, healed by her mother, whispered to her oldest brother, “Could you let them hug you? At least once?”
Templar gulped, uncertain how to proceed now that the moment was here, “Um… hi, Mom, Dad… I huh…”
“He came to visit!” Celena jumped in, quickly and thoroughly explaining Templar’s entire story to her parents. From him deciding to come to Equestria, why, how long he’s been here, and their adventure together thus far.
“Yeah… what she said….” Templar mumbled, still unsure how to proceed. His body stiffened when Luna took him in a hug, but he relaxed and hugged her back. “I’m sorry… it took so long to visit….”
“No,” Luna said, crying. “You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”
“So, how long are you planning on staying? We can take some time to teach you if you want. We were about to take a break anyway.” Sixes said, laughing and ruffling his oldest’s mane.
Templar wondered that himself as his family talked among themselves. Sixes recounted his and Luna’s adventures since the last time his siblings were together. He’s learned so many things already, and he wants to know more.
First, he’d return home and tell Mac and Adagio how he was doing and that he wanted to stay in Equestria for a while. To learn more about his family. After that, who knows.
“I hope they don’t mind if I go on a bit of an adventure,” Templar said to himself, wondering how his foster family would react. Would they think him a failure for wanting to stay in this pony fantasy world? Probably not, but it still worried him.
“Templar!” He looked up, Celena waving excitedly. “We’re going home! Come on!”
“Yeah, right behind you!” He got up and flew into the sky with his family. To go home, to Equestria.
