> Winter Moon Rising
>  by Gloominosity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Part One: Negotiations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cobalt glanced at his father nervously. This was the first time that earth ponies were being permitted to visit the unicorn stronghold. No other tribe had ever set hoof in this castle. It was an intimidation tactic, to show off just how strong and powerful the unicorns were.

He was supposed to be there in support of his father, but he couldn’t help himself from wondering what were earth ponies like? Were they really as barbaric and uncultured as the texts claimed they were? He was excited - but also rather frightened - to find out.

The palace was eerily quiet and dark in the moonlight. The sun had never risen that morning. Another intimidation tactic. The unicorn tribe was responsible for raising the sun and moon each day and each night, but they only did this in exchange for food from the earth ponies. The harvest this year had been pitiful and wouldn’t feed the tribe until the next one. Therefore, the brutal unicorn king refused to keep his end of the deal.

Negotiations had been scheduled to take place in the Unicorn Kingdom around midday. The earth ponies must already be on their way here.

Cobalt paced the floor of the throne room while he waited. He himself wasn’t much affected by the food shortage. His father, him, and his older sister were the first ones provided with a meal in the entire kingdom. It was the lower unicorns who were starving and begging for more food. As a king, it was his father’s duty to provide for all of his subjects.

At least Cobalt would never be responsible for that himself. When his parents passed, it would be his older sister who would ascend to the throne. Then her children after her. He didn’t want the responsibility anyway. Platinum was born for the throne, he preferred the library.

“Cobalt,” came a quiet voice.

He turned to see Clover the Clever, his father’s advisor, waiting for him in the entranceway. “Yes?”

“The earth ponies have arrived. Your father requests that you greet them.”

Cobalt nodded and quickly hurried out of the throne room and into the grand entrance of the palace. Platinum and King Tellurium were standing just inside of the towering doors. They looked up when he approached.

“They are waiting outside,” Platinum informed him. “Come, we are to greet them and bring them to meet father.”

Tellurium regarded Cobalt with a dissatisfied frown, but said nothing. Then he trotted in the direction his son had come from, back to the throne room to sit on his imposing chair of black stone. Yet another intimidation tactic.

Platinum didn’t bother to wait for Cobalt before opening the doors and trotting out to greet the foreigners. He scrambled to follow after her.

It was still dark out, the full moon suspended at the peak of the sky. A carriage was halted at the foot of the stairs, pulled by two earth pony stallions. They were the first of the species he had ever seen. Then the door of the carriage swung open and out stepped a mare.

Her coat was pale blue, her mane a smooth gradient of purple, red, and orange. She looked like a sunset, and was easily the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, even more beautiful than his fair sister.

The mare turned to hold the door open for the rest of the occupants. Four more ponies stepped out, three more mares and a stallion wearing a frill. He seemed to be dressed as a bearded lizard that was being threatened, and looked utterly ridiculous.

Cobalt snorted in laughter and Platinum shot him an angry glare.

The frilled stallion trotted up the steps towards them. “Who are you?”

Platinum’s nostrils flared in anger. “I am Princess Platinum. You must be Chancellor Hambone. Who have you brought with you?” She gestured a hoof to the other four ponies.

He chuckled and raised a hoof to the mare on his left. “This is Vice Chancellor Puddinghead.” Then to the mare on his right. “And my advisor, Smart Cookie.”

Smart Cookie cleared her throat. “Thank you for invi-”

Platinum cut her off. “And the other two?”

“My daughter Amaryllis. And her servant,” Hambone added, seemingly as an afterthought.

The sunset mare sneered at having been called a servant, but no one noticed aside from Cobalt. He couldn’t help but smile at her anger, it was rather cute. If only her perfect features weren’t ruined by the lack of a horn, he might be attracted to her.

Platinum frowned disinterestedly. “Come. My father is waiting.”

“You haven’t introduced us to the stallion beside you,” Amaryllis, the daughter of the Chancellor, complained.

Platinum looked at Cobalt. “My brother, Prince Cobalt. Now come, my father is not a patient stallion.”

The Chancellor trotted after her, followed by Vice Chancellor Puddinghead and Smart Cookie. Amaryllis was quick behind them, but stopped to look at Cobalt with a dreamy smile.

He wrinkled his lip in disgust and fell into step beside the servant mare. As if an earth pony would ever have a chance with him. They were strange creatures, with no magical ability. They would ruin the bloodline.

The servant glanced at him, then quickly away again.

Cobalt admired her sunset mane. “What’s your name?”

She jumped, as if startled to have been spoken to, then looked at him with a suspicious raised eyebrow. “What?”

“Your name? The Chancellor only said you were a servant, he didn’t say your name.”

The mare huffed unhappily. “I am not a servant. I came because Amaryllis asked me to. I’m her friend, not her servant.”

“Oh.” Well, that explains why she was speaking to him. A lowly servant would never be permitted to talk to a high unicorn such as himself. “Well, I’m Cobalt.”

“I know. Your sister said so.”

He smiled. “Good memory.”

“It just happened.”

Cobalt frowned and fell out of step with her, instead taking the rear of the group. A mare like her should have been grovelling at his hooves, perhaps begging for her precious sunlight back. She should definitely not be acting so rudely. He hadn’t even learned her name from the exchange.

A smirk spread across his face. He would learn her name. And by the end of today, she would be acting as she should act. A pitiful earth pony in the presence of a high and mighty unicorn.

Platinum lead the earth ponies and Cobalt into the lavish throne room. Tapestries covered the walls, illustrating all the great kings and queens of the Unicorn Kingdom, as well as the tales of their strongest heroes and greatest tragedies. Upon a platform sat the strone throne, on which sat a large unicorn stallion, a purple cloak resting on his shoulders and a crown perched on his head. He looked down on the earth ponies as they approached.

Chancellor Hambone trotted up onto the platform and spread his forelegs, as if he were preparing to embrace an old friend. “You must be King Tellurium!”

The unicorn king glared at him. It was incredibly disrespectful for anyone but the king or queen to stand on the throne’s platform. “Chancellor Hambone. You have come to discuss the raising of the sun, I assume.”

“You did invite us,” Vice Chancellor Puddinghead said with a little giggle. A giggle. While speaking to a king.

“Let us converse within my private study,” Tellurium stood, the purple cloak swishing against his hooves as he trotted to a door leading out of the throne room.

Platinum was right on his hooves, leaving the earth ponies to follow after her. Cobalt took up the rear again, finding it hard to not admire the sunset mare.

The king’s study was a large room, able to fit a small library, a desk for private matters, and a long table fit for meeting with the king’s counsel. Tellurium took the chair at the head of the table and gestured for the Chancellor to take the seat to his right. It was a bold power move, but one that his father had been well prepared to do.

Platinum sat to his left and Amaryllis beside her. Smart Cookie and Vice Chancellor Puddinghead took their seats as well.

Cobalt remained standing, as it was never his duty to attend this meeting. He was to wait outside for them to finish. He was neither the king or in line for the throne, he had no business to listen to private matters between tribe leaders.

“Dahlia, wait outside, would you?” Amaryllis asked the sunset mare.

The mare, who was not a servant, looked up in shock. Then she forced a smile. “Of course.” She turned and trotted out of the room angrily.

Cobalt followed her and the doors closed behind him. “Your name is Dahlia.”

“Congratulations, you have ears.”

He paused and looked her over. “Is Amaryllis your only friend?”

Dahlia turned to face him. “Why would you ask that?”

“You’re not very nice. I don’t see you having many other friends.”

She hesitated for a few moments before replying. “Why are you not in there? With your father and sister?”

“Oh, that meeting is none of my concern. I’m only here as a pleasantry.” He smiled proudly at her.

“You’re not as pleasant as you think you are.”

Cobalt’s smile faded away. “Earth ponies are very strange. How do you survive without magical ability?”

“We don’t rely on magic like you do. We grow our crops using tools and our own strength. I guess some ponies aren’t as...lucky.”

“Lucky?”

“Lucky or stuck up.”

He laughed. “You’re a funny mare. Is that why they keep you around?”

“I told you. I’m Rylla’s friend.”

“Rylla is Amaryllis?”

“Well, like you said, I don’t have any other friends, so who do you think Rylla is?”

Cobalt found himself smiling, despite her unacceptable attitude. “Would you like to see the rest of the palace?”

“Are you offering to show me around?”

“Unless you want to stand here for the next several hours, waiting for the negotiations to be finished.”

“I’d rather stand here then trot around a palace all day with an awful sta…” Her words faded away and a smile spread across her face. “Actually, yes. I want you to show me around.”

He smirked. “What’s with the sudden change of heart?”

“No earth pony has ever set hoof in a unicorn stronghold before today. I want to be the first to know everything.” She smiled sweetly. Innocently. Too innocently.

Cobalt gave her a questioning look before turning away and starting to trot. “Come on, I'll show you the library.”

“You have a library?”

“Well, yes. Don’t you?”

“A library wouldn’t do us much good.”

“What do you mean? How would a library not do you much good?”

“Most earth ponies don’t know how to read.”

He stopped trotting and looked at her. “You don’t know how to read?”

Dahlia looked away, clearly embarrassed. “No.”

Cobalt lost himself in his thoughts for a moment. His life would be bleak without books. His greatest joy came from reading the stories of ponies long past and researching the history of his tribe. If not for the manuscript he was writing himself, he feared he would not have any meaning in life. “I...I’m sorry.”

She looked at him. A thousand thoughts seemed to show in her eyes, a thousand facial expressions to go with them. Finally, she settled on indifference. “Like I said. Some ponies aren’t as lucky.”

He smiled. It wasn’t a proud smile or a victorious smile or any kind of smile with a hidden meaning. He actually meant this one, and he rather liked talking to this strange, hornless mare. “I could teach you.”

Dahlia snorted. “I couldn’t learn to read in just a few hours. Wouldn’t that take time?”

“You could come back again.”

“I’m sure your father would love that.”

“Well, what if I came to you?”

“Cobalt, stop.” She fixed him with a hard look.

He froze at the sound of his name. No one used his name aside from his family and high-ranking unicorns. Everypony else addressed him as simply ‘Your Highness’.

Dahlia sighed. “I won’t get much use out of a library. Show me something interesting if I have to be stuck with unicorns for the next few hours.”

“Unicorns aren’t so bad.”

“You take our harvest.”

“We raise the sun and moon in exchange for food.”

“Don’t you get it? You take so much that there’s hardly enough for us!”

Cobalt frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Earth ponies are starving. Starving and dying because your tribe takes our harvest. And you’re not the only ones, pegasi do it too. There’s not enough food for us.”

“The purpose of these negotiations is to figure out what we can do to get more food from your tribe.”

“We have no more to give,” Dahlia argued. “If we give up any more of our harvest, more and more ponies will starve every day. And as more ponies die off, the less crops will be harvested every year. Meanwhile, your tribe will keep growing. And growing. And growing. Until you demand ALL of our harvest, leaving NOTHING for us!”

Cobalt stared at her, eyes wide. Nopony had ever raised their voice at him before. “I didn’t know you were starving.”

“No one does. Only our tribe knows, and we would never tell you.”

“You just told me now.”

Dahlia fell quiet. “I need some fresh air.”

“There’s a courtyard this way.” He led her down a hall and opened a stained glass door to let her outside.

She trotted out and sat down on a stone bench under a willow tree. Her pale blue coat almost glowed in the moonlight.

Cobalt trotted over and sat down next to her. “I didn’t know the situation in your tribe was that bad.”

“We’re starving, but everyone is starving. Unicorns are starving too, isn’t that the reason for these negotiations in the first place? You won’t raise the sun until we give you more food.”

“I…”

“Do you know what it’s like to go hungry, Prince Cobalt?”

He didn’t answer.

“Maybe if you did, you wouldn’t be so harsh with us. We don’t grow enough food for you, so we are no longer allowed to the see the sun? Do you want to live in a world a darkness?”

“Well, no, but the sun will be raised when your Chancellor-“

“Agrees to let us earth ponies starve.”

“Agrees to give us more food,” Cobalt corrected.

“There isn’t a difference. I suppose you believe that earth ponies were created to serve unicorns as well.”

“Well, we are the higher race…”

Dahlia scoffed. “Unbelievable.”

He didn’t say anything more. She had given him a lot of things to think about. Could he really expect more from the earth ponies, knowing that they would be starving while unicorns were fed. His father could, but he was not his father. He couldn’t agree with this. It wasn’t fair. Even if earth ponies weren’t as gifted or intelligent as unicorns. They were still ponies. Dahlia was right.

Cobalt rubbed the back of his neck with a hoof. “You’re right.”

“What?”

“Unicorns aren’t higher than earth ponies. We’re all ponies. It shouldn’t be one tribe or the other. There has to be a way to grow enough food for all of us to be fed.”

She seemed surprised that he had agreed with her - he was surprised himself - but she quickly recovered. “You could help us instead of expecting us to do all of it ourselves.”

A thought occurred to him. “Dahlia, there’s something you should know about the negotiations.”

“What is-“ She looked up.

There was a shadow in front of the moon. Quite a few shadows. They were moving, no, flying. As they watched, the pegasi folded their wings and dove towards the palace.

Dahlia gasped. “Pegasi!”

Cobalt swallowed nervously. “My father told them about the negotiations.”

“What?!”

“He thought they should know. Pegasi are starving too.”

Dahlia galloped out of the courtyard and back through the throne room, to the entrance of the palace. Cobalt was right on her tail.

Three pegasi were trotting up the stairs and entered the castle, trotting right past Dahlia and Cobalt without any regard for them.

The leader was a large stallion wearing a helmet and suit of armor. The two mares beside him were obviously subordinates, but stood tall anyways.

“You.” The leader turned to look at Cobalt, who nearly jumped out of his hide.

“Y-yes, sir?” Cobalt stared up at the huge pegasus.

“I am Commander Hurricane. Where is King Tellurium?”

“He’s meeting with Chancellor Hambone right now. I can bring you to his study.”

The commander raised an eyebrow at him. “And you are?”

“Prince Cobalt. Son of King Tellurium.”

“Hm.” He nodded, turning his gaze to Dahlia. “And who is this?”

She glared straight back at him. “I’m Dahlia Dawn.”

“Oh? An earth pony, I see. Why are you here?”

“The negotiations. Why else would I be here?”

Commander Hurricane just looked at her for a moment, before disinterestedly moving on. “Prince Cobalt, where is your father’s study?”

Cobalt cleared his throat nervously. “Right this way, Commander.” He led the three pegasi to the study where the other tribe leaders were meeting.

One of the subordinate pegasi stepped forward to open the door for her Commander. She saluted him as he and the other mare trotted inside. Then she respectfully closed the door, shutting herself outside with Cobalt and Dahlia.

Dahlia tilted her head. “Who are you?”

The pegasus mare did not answer, she just gazed straight ahead with a blank expression, standing in front of the doors. She was meant to be a guard, Cobalt realized, but why would Commander Hurricane leave a guard at the door? Was he expecting to be interrupted?

Cobalt waved a hoof in front of her face. This received no reaction.

“Cobalt,” Dahlia whispered. “Is there any way to hear what’s going on inside of that room?”

He looked at her, debating whether he should answer honestly or not. “My grandfather built this castle and left ways for himself to eavesdrop on anyone from anywhere. He was a very paranoid stallion that was constantly afraid of rebellion.”

“So there’s a way for us to eavesdrop on them?”

“Yes, but...we’d have to be completely silent. Why do you want to hear what’s going on in there anyway?”

“I just...I need to. Help me. Please.” She looked up at him, her eyes meeting his.

Cobalt could see just how strongly she felt about this, he could almost feel her desperation. She believed the fate of her tribe may be dependent on the words being exchanged on the other side of the door. “Okay.”

Dahlia looked at the pegasus guard. “You don’t think she’ll sell us out, do you?”

To both of their great surprise, the pegasus turned her head to look at them. “I want to hear too.”

“Uh…” Cobalt was unsure what to do. “You want to eavesdrop on your Commander?”

She nodded. “My name is Autumn. Private Autumn. I’m not supposed to be talking to you.”

Dahlia extended a hoof.

Autumn slowly reached forward and shook it. “I’ve never seen ponies of other species before. You’re an earth pony, right?”

She nodded. “Yes, and Cobalt is a unicorn.”

Cobalt looked at them. “If you want to hear what’s going on in there, come with me.” He trotted away from the door and down a hallway, looking over his shoulder to make sure that the two mares were right behind him.

He opened an unmarked door and trotted into a broom closet, delicately levitating a board away from the back wall. He silently gestured them closer, holding a hoof to his lips in a sign for silence. On the wall that he uncovered were hundreds of holes, no bigger that pinpricks.

Dahlia, Cobalt, and Autumn flicked their ears and pressed their cheeks to the wall, hardly daring to breathe.

“It’s not enough,” came the voice of King Tellurium. “My unicorns are starving. We are a proud tribe and I can not let my ponies starve. We are prepared to offer you a steady supply of scrolls and books, texts that are written to inform and expand the mind. Perhaps they will help your tribe to gain a bit of culture and intelligence. In return, we ask for an additional half to our current supply.”

Chancellor Hambone laughed. “I’m afraid that my tribe will have no use of your books and scrolls. Most of my earth ponies don’t know how to read.”

“We can also offer lessons on reading and writing. My scholars are more than capable-”

“Let us make our offer, your highness.” Commander Hurricane cut their argument off. “My pegasi already provide you with weather control. There’s not much else we can offer you, but heed my warning. Your pleasant, cloudless days will be a thing of the past. We will drown your farmland under torrential rain, torment your land with endless storms, and bury your measly civilization under mountains of snow! Unless, of course, you provide us with double the amount of food that you currently do…”

Cobalt’s eyes widened as he made eye contact with Dahlia. Her expression was horrified. The pegasi were threatening her tribe if they didn’t provide more resources, resources they didn’t have.

Chancellor Hambone made some sort of nervous squeaking sound. “I-I’m afraid that we can’t deliver either of your demands, there just isn’t enough food…”

“Because you’re hogging it all!” Platinum snarled.

Dahlia pulled away from the wall, ears folded down.

Cobalt understood that she must be scared. He reached forward and placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder.

She looked up at him, tears pooling in her eyes. “They’ll never understand,” she whispered.

He nodded, not knowing what he could say.

The voices on the other side of the wall grew louder. “If you cannot provide us with more food, then we will take it from you,” Commander Hurricane said coldly.

Autumn frowned.

Hambone tried to laugh it off. “I-I don’t think you’ll do that, Commander…”

There was a slam, like hooves on the table, then Vice Chancellor Puddinghead spoke up. “Earth ponies are not pushovers! We will protect our farmland!”

King Tellurium cleared his throat. “Are you proposing war against the earth ponies, Commander?”

“If that is what it takes to feed my tribe.”

Chancellor Hambone was clearly growing desperate. “Commander, please th-there isn’t any reason for bloodshed!”

Amaryllis chimed in for the first time. “Father, there isn’t any reasoning with these ponies. We should go home. Build up our defenses. These ponies are barbaric!”

“We are barbaric?!” Platinum hissed. “You are disgusting! Just look at that clown suit your leader is wearing!”

“We are prepared to declare war as well,” Tellurium added.

There was the sound of movement. “I-I think my ponies and I will be heading home now,” Hambone stuttered nervously.

Nopony else said anything, no one tried to stop him or threaten him.

Cobalt pulled away from the wall and beckoned for Autumn and Dahlia to follow him. The three ponies left the broom closet exactly as they had found it and hurried to stand outside the doors of the study, just as they were thrown open wide by Commander Hurricane.

He stormed out. “Private Autumn. We are returning to our home.”

Autumn saluted and followed him, looking back at Cobalt and Dahlia. She gave them a sad smile and waved.

“Dahlia,” Amaryllis growled. “We’re leaving. These ponies will never be satisfied until they’ve starved us of our own farmland!”

Dahlia looked at Cobalt, and he back at her. “I…”

Cobalt shook his head. “It’s best if you don’t say anything. Goodbye, Dahlia.”

She closed her mouth and followed after Amaryllis, Hambone, and Puddinghead.

Platinum scoffed and trotted up to stand beside her brother. “The nerve of those ruffians!”

Tellurium watched the earth ponies and pegasi leave unhappily. “They won’t be a problem once we show them the true strength of unicorns.”

Cobalt looked at him. “Father? What do you mean?”

“If the earth ponies are keeping their harvest to themselves, then we will have to take what we need by force.”

“You don’t mean start a war with the earth ponies?”

The King smiled. “Not just the earth ponies, but the pegasi too. We alone will have claim over the earth pony harvest.”
> Part Two: Tragedy and Betrayal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a week since the official war declarations had been made between the three pony tribes, but an attack had yet to happen.

King Tellurium had met with his counsel several times, Platinum constantly by his side. The scholars and wizards were working together to create new spells that would aid in the fight against both the earth ponies and pegasi.

Cobalt had been denied access to any of these meetings, but he was able to eavesdrop using the secret passageways and hidden doors that his grandfather had built into the castle.

After the week of silence and anticipation crawled by, the unicorns were finally ready to put the first step of their plan into action. They would begin by sending a magical plague that would only affect the livestock on the earth pony farms, not the ponies or the crops at all.

The unicorns were only concerned with the fruit and vegetables, and had no use for other resources such as milk, butter, or fleece. All of their clothes were made magically from a variety of abundant materials.

Cobalt was able to keep his conscious guilt-free by telling himself that the plague would not affect the ponies, and therefore not affect Dahlia, the mare that he had decided was his friend.

It might have been wrong to consider a lowly earth pony mare as a friend, but he had never felt this kind of kinship with another pony before. The only unicorn he knew well enough was his sister, and she was much too strict and focused on politics to get along with. And so, Dahlia Dawn was his friend, whether she agreed with it or not.

When the time did come for the second step, almost three weeks after the declarations, Cobalt knew he could not stay idle any longer. That night, unicorn soldiers would march on to the earth pony kingdom and set fire to a quarter of the earth pony farms, not caring if there was anypony still in the fields or within the barns.

To Cobalt, it seemed foolish to destroy a quarter of the resources that they desperately needed, but Platinum told him it would all be worth it. If they could get the earth ponies to surrender the rest of their farmland, she was confident they would be able to build a fortress around it and keep the pegasi out. Without having to worry about the hungry pegasi or earth ponies, there would be enough food to feed every hungry unicorn.

Any of those farms could be Dahlia’s. He didn’t know the earth pony kingdom, he had had never been there, so what chance was there that Dahlia would be killed in the attack? He guessed it was something around a twenty-five percent chance, but then again, math had never been his strongest subject. Who knew if Dahlia even lived on a farm? Or if she lived in Chancellor Hambone’s estate with her friend Amaryllis? Could he accept a one-in-four chance of his friend being killed?

The deal was sealed when his sister confided that they also planned to attack the Chancellor’s estate itself. The unicorns were launching an all out attack against the earth ponies, and with it, an assassination attempt on Chancellor Hambone.

Cobalt’s hooves were tied. He had to find a way to get the news to Dahlia. He had to make sure she was safe.

The moon has been suspended in the sky for over three weeks now. In that time, a day had not dawned. He wondered if the earth pony crops could survive without sunlight, and if his father had even considered that.

Despite the constant moon, Cobalt knew the nighttime was just beginning. One of the unicorn counselors had somehow built a time-telling contraption that would tick once for each minute. When sixty minutes had passed, it would chime a certain number of times. He didn’t understand how it worked, but he could distantly hear it chime seven times.

It was time to go.

He pulled a cloak around his shoulder and trotted out of his bedroom chambers, heading down the spiraling stairs and down a hallway. Just a he reached the grand entrance, a passing scribe called his name.

“Your highness!” the scribe trotted up to him, levitating an envelope. “This was to be delivered to you from the far reaches of our kingdom. I’ve been instructed to warn you that no pony has yet read this letter and that it could be dangerous, what with the war going on.”

Cobalt took the letter and thanked the scribe, then hurried on his way. He soon forgot about it, as Dahlia was the only thing on his mind. He left the castle far behind him and pulled the cloak over his head, hiding his face...and his horn.

When he reached the edge of the kingdom, he trotted through the gate without a greeting to the guards. He doubted they even noticed his presence. No pony was foolish enough to attack the Unicorn Kingdom.

It was a long trot to the earth ponies’ land, but there was no doubt that he would make it there before the army, and the attack was not scheduled to take place for several hours. He would make it in time to save her. He had to.

After what seemed like an eternity of trotting, he finally reached the outer edges of the earth pony kingdom. He had no idea what time it was, as the moon was frozen in time at the peak of the sky, but his hooves ached like they never had before.

The first farmhouse came into view with a lantern hanging from the porch. It’s light cast a warm glow onto the front lawn. Cobalt trotted up to it and looked in the window of the house.

It was a cozy little home with rickety, hoof-made furniture, but there was nopony inside. Of course there wouldn’t be, everyone would be asleep.

He left the house behind him and continued down the dirt pathway. How was he supposed to find Dahlia in this entire tribe? There had to be hundreds more farms in this part of the land alone. Perhaps the best place to look was Chancellor Hambone’s estate. If she wasn’t there, maybe someone would be able to point him in the right direction.

Cobalt wandered down the path, passing farm upon farm along the way. The plowed fields were slowly replaced by orchards. Then abruptly, the trees and the dirt path ended, creating a near perfect line. This couldn’t be the end of the Earth Pony Kingdom, could it?

He looked down at his hooves and found that he was now standing in a field of flowers. Flowers weren’t the only thing in this field either. There were trees, some sort of fruit tree that he thought he had never seen before. It was difficult to tell what kind of tree it was in the pale moonlight.

Past the trees, atop a hill, stood a building. A large building with a stone base and wood frame, lit by dozens of lanterns on poles surrounding the exterior. This wasn’t the end of the Earth Pony Kingdom at all. It was the heart, the center. This was the building that his father was planning to burn down in an attempt to kill the Chancellor.

After making sure that his cloak’s hood covered his head, he slowly trotted through the flowers and fruit trees to the Chancellor’s Estate. There was light coming from the windows, shadows moved back and forth within the room inside.

Cobalt ducked and sat down under a window, listening in to the discussion happening on the other side. He recognized Chancellor Hambone, Puddinghead, and the Chancellor’s daughter’s voices.

“The unicorns attacked our livestock two weeks ago,” the Vice Chancellor was reciting. “The pegasi have yet to make any true threats against us.”

“Maybe they’ve given up?” Hambone suggested with a nervous laugh.

There was a snort, a familiar snort, but whoever made it did not speak up.

“I don’t think so,” Amaryllis replied. “The unicorns think they’re better than us. They won’t back down until they prove it. Why don’t we attack them back, father? We have the army. Why are we hiding it from them?”

“It’s not the time,” Puddinghead argued. “If we show them our army now, we lose the element of surprise.”

Cobalt peeked his head over the windowsill to look into the room. Amaryllis was standing by the door, glaring at her father. Chancellor Hambone and Vice Chancellor Puddinghead were seated on opposite ends of a long table. Smart Cookie was there as well, though she had remained quiet all this time.

Beside the door, stood a silent mare with a pale blue coat and a sunset mane. She caught the movement outside the window and locked eyes with Cobalt. Her glowering expression turned surprised before she quickly covered it with indifference. “Excuse me,” she said softly to the group, then turned and trotted out.

Cobalt ducked below the window again and crawled over to hide in the shadows under one of the mysterious fruit trees.

Dahlia stormed out the building, the dim lantern light illuminating her coat. She looked around in confusion before Cobalt waved at her. “What are you doing here?” she growled as she trotted to join him under the tree. “Someone might see you!”

“Dahlia, please listen to me. You can’t go back in there. You have to get out of here.”

“What are you talking about?”

“My father’s army is attacking your kingdom tonight. You have to leave.”

She stared at him. “Cobalt, why did you come here?”

He looked down at his hooves, unable to meet her eyes. “I had to make sure you were safe.”

“I’m an earth pony.”

“You’re my friend.”

Dahlia fell silent and looked away. “Earth ponies and unicorns can’t be friends. That’s how it has always been, and it’s even more true now that we’re at war.”

“I don’t care how it’s always been. Maybe earth ponies aren’t so bad. I only hated you before because I thought it was your fault that we were starving. But it’s not. It’s ours. We could help you to farm, so that there’s enough harvest to feed all of us. You could teach us.”

“It’s too late for that now. How long until the unicorn army is here?”

Cobalt scratched his head. “I don’t know, but they’re planning on attacking the Chancellor’s Estate. And killing everyone inside it. Please don’t go back in there. Come with me, I’ll keep you safe.”

“I have to warn Chancellor Hambone…” She shook her head. “He won’t believe me. You have to warn him. Tell him you’re a unicorn spy.”

“They all met me at the negotiations. He knows I’m Tellurium’s son.”

Dahlia stomped a hoof. “You’re right. They wouldn’t believe the prince of the unicorns.”

“I didn’t leave much earlier than them, and I wasted a lot of time looking for y-” He stopped abruptly and grabbed Dahlia’s hoof, pulling her against the trunk of the fruit tree.

In the darkness, there was light. Hundreds of pinpricks of light. If Cobalt hadn’t known what they were, he might have believed it was some magical occurence or hundreds of pixies, but he did know what they were. Unicorns. An army of them, each carrying their own torch. They were here to set fire to the earth pony kingdom.

“No!” Dahlia screamed, tearing her hoof away from Cobalt. Before he could stop her, she galloped back into the building.

He could hear her from even this far away, shouting at everyone that there was a unicorn army on the move, and heading right this way. From his hiding place under the tree, he saw Vice Chancellor Puddinghead press her cheek to the window and look out over the dark landscape. Her eyes went wide and she shouted something to the Chancellor.

Cobalt waited for Dahlia to return, but she didn’t.

Earth ponies spilled out of the estate. Vice Chancellor Puddinghead was leading a parade of earth pony soldiers towards the oncoming unicorns. “Charge!!” she screeched in her high-pitched voice.

The unicorns responded by lighting the nearest farms on fire, then charging into battle.

As the two tribes clashed, a group of unicorns broke away from the battle, galloping to the building at the top of the hill.

“Light!” the leader of the group shouted. The unicorns still carrying their torches threw them at the building. The straw roof immediately caught on fire.

Cobalt watched the flames for a moment, frozen in place. He could feel the heat from this far away. Dahlia was still in there.

His only instinct was to save Dahlia. He didn’t care that he could die in the fire just as easily as an earth pony could. She was all that mattered.

Cobalt galloped for the window that he had been watching the Chancellor through and leaped straight at the glass. It shattered as he jumped through the window frame, thousands of glass shards cutting him as he landed inside the counsel room.

The room was filled with smoke. The fire had already spread to consume everything, including the table and chairs.

He stumbled backward, holding a foreleg over his eyes. “Dahlia!” he shouted.

There was no reply and he could barely see anything. Only fire and smoke. The heat was nearly unbearable and he could already feel it singeing his coat.

“Dahlia!” he screamed again, somehow making his way to the door and looking out into a large entranceway. “Dahlia, where are you?!”

There were dozens of ponies in the room, several were still alive and trying to find a way out, but the doorway had caved in, leaving only the windows.

“This way!” screamed a voice. A mare with a pale blue coat galloped from out of a branching hallway and over to a window. She turned on her front hooves and bucked her hind hooves straight in the middle of the glass, which shattered upon contact.

Dahlia waved the trapped ponies through the window, then fell to her knees, coughing.

Cobalt galloped over. “Dahlia! There’s unicorn soldiers all over that side of the building. You have to come this way!”

“Co-“ she broke off into a fit of coughing. Her face was covered in dirt. “Why did you come in here?!”

“I’m not going to let you die in here! I came here to save you and I will!” He grabbed her foreleg, pulling her to her hooves. “Let’s go!”

She leaned against him, barely able to stand on her own.

Cobalt wrapped a foreleg around her shoulders and helped her back into the counsel room. The window was so close that he could smell the fresh air.

The flames were unbearable and out of control. His coat was blistering under the immense heat. Dahlia crumpled to the ground with a groan.

“Dahlia, come on! We’re so close!” He dragged her over to the window.

She didn’t say anything. Her eyes were closed.

“Dahlia!” he screamed, picking her up and fumbling to check her pulse. He turned to look at the window.

Cobalt levitated her body as high as he could, but he was much too weak to pick her up more than a few inches. It was enough to get her limp body onto his back.

He backed up a few hoofsteps, holding on to her with as much magic as he could muster. Then he pushed off and galloped forward before leaping clean through the window and collapsing in the grass.

He could hear the sounds of battle from the other side of the estate, but he knew that this place would not be safe much longer. Him and Dahlia needed to find somewhere safe, and he doubted any of the earth ponies would let a wounded unicorn carrying a limp earth pony into their home.

“Dahlia?” he whispered, taking her face in his hooves. “Are you alright?”

She didn’t move, not even a twitch.

Cobalt took a deep breath and dragged her away from the burning building. It would only be a matter of time until the grass and trees surrounding the estate would catch on fire too.

He lifted Dahlia in his magical field again and slid her body onto his back. She would be alright when he found a safe place to take care of her.

Without the slightest clue where he was going, he weakly trotted away from the estate. Every now and then he would stumble and almost fall, but the thought of Dahlia laying limp on his back kept him going. He hadn’t slept in over a day, he had been too worried about the attack on the earth ponies.

Cobalt left the Earth Pony Kingdom and headed into a forest surrounding, looking for a hidden place to rest. He finally came across a cave and gently set Dahlia down near the entrance, ripping off his cloak and collapsing in a heap beside her.

Only after he had made sure she was safe did he start to feel the itching, burning pain covering his whole body. He looked over himself and found several burns, but the ones covering Dahlia were much more severe. He couldn’t worry about himself when she was clearly in far worse shape than he was.

Cobalt forced himself to sit up and looked over Dahlia’s body, locating the worst burns and performing a soothing spell. It wouldn’t heal the burns - that would take time - but it would help her be in far less pain.

Exhausted and weak, he laid down beside her and closed his eyes. She was finally safe and he could let himself rest.
> Part Three: Coming of Winter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Cobalt.”

He jumped and abruptly sat up, wincing at the aching pain in his whole body. “Gah…”

“Cobalt, where are we?”

“Wha…” he stopped when he looked over at Dahlia, staring at him with her beautifully pink eyes. “You’re alright!”

She was crying, her tears leaving streaks in the dirt and soot covering her face. “Cobalt, what happened?”

He swallowed nervously. “I saved you.”

“From the fire. I know. What happened to my tribe?”

“I don’t know,” he whispered, answering honestly. His ears folded down sadly. He thought she would be happier that he had saved her, rather than upset with him for taking her away from her tribe.

Dahlia stood up on trembling legs. “Your burns are awful, let me bring you something for that.”

“Yours are much worse, you should take care of you before me.”

She looked herself over. “I don’t feel much pain.”

“I cast a soothing spell over you.”

She stopped and stared at him. “You what?”

Cobalt held a hoof to his aching head. “A soothing spell. I didn’t want you to be in any pain.”

Dahlia sat down uncomfortably. “Don’t use magic on me.”

“I’m sorry, I thought it would help…”

“It did, I just don’t like magic.”

“Oh.” He looked away, ashamed.

“Cobalt, you risked your life to save mine.”

“Like I said, you’re my friend.”

“Amaryllis wouldn’t have done that for me.”

He laid his head down on the smooth stone floor of the cave. “I couldn’t bear the thought of you dying in that fire. I had to save you.”

Dahlia turned away from him. “Thank you.” She trotted out of the cave and looked back. “Not all unicorns are stuck up after all.” Then she trotted off into the trees to look for something to help with their burns.

Cobalt laughed, then curled up in pain. She wasn’t a unicorn, but there was something magical about her that he was drawn to. He didn’t regret jumping into that burning building, and he didn’t think he ever would. If only his family could see that earth ponies were not any lesser than they were.

She returned not long after, carrying leaves in her mouth. Before he could ask what she meant to do with some random leaves, she laid them on floor of the cave and starting squishing them under her hooves. After a few minutes of this, she was left with a pile of mushy green pulp.

“What’s that?” he asked, his voice raspy.

“Stop moving.” Dahlia commanded, lifting a hoof covered in mushy green stuff. “It will help heal your burns.”

Cobalt didn’t dare to move as she wiped the pulp over his back, shoulders, and neck. Wherever she touched him, the pain seemed to fade.

When she was finished, he smiled. “Thank you.”

“It doesn’t make us even, but it’s the least I could do.”

“We don’t have to be even. I saved you because you’re my friend.”

Dahlia said nothing and began wiping the pulp on her burns as well. “I need to go back to my kingdom and find out what happened.”

“My father never ordered his army to kill everypony, only to burn a quarter of the farms and the Chancellor’s estate.”

“That’s a quarter of my tribe that’s most likely dead.”

“I tried to get there sooner.”

“You shouldn’t have betrayed your tribe for me.”

“You would have died.”

She stomps a hoof. “I would have died for my tribe.”

“I wasn’t going to let that happen!”

“You’re pathetic.”

“I’m not pathetic,” he snarled back. “I came all this way to warn you! I couldn’t let my friend die!”

Dahlia suddenly sniffled and wiped her eyes.

Cobalt sat back quietly. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s...I only wanted to help. I saved as many ponies as I could. I-“

“Dahlia?”

“Amaryllis didn’t make it out.”

He stared at her. “Dahlia, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know-“

“She was helping a servant when the doorway collapsed. The servant was fine, but Rylla was killed under the rubble.”

Cobalt looked away, at the everlasting night sky just outside the cave. He remembered the collapsed doorway. To be so close to freedom, but to never make it there…

Dahlia put her head in her hooves and cried. “I-I couldn’t save her.”

He understood now why she was ungrateful for him rescuing her. She believed there was more for her to do, to atone for failing to save her friend. He had taken away her chance to do more for her tribe, but she never would have made it out of that burning building.

“I’m sorry, Dahlia.” He awkwardly patted her shoulder, not sure how to help her. “You were just like Amaryllis. You risked your life to save other earth ponies. That was brave. Selfless. Most unicorns aren’t like that.”

She slowly lifted her head. “Thank you, Cobalt.”

“I’ll bring you back to your kingdom.”

She nodded wordlessly.

Cobalt stood and helped her up, trotting with her out of the cave and through the woods.

Dahlia seemed to know where she was going, despite having been unconscious during the journey there. They probably weren’t as far away from the Earth Pony Kingdom as he thought they were, she must have recognized some part of the land.

When they reached the border, Dahlia turned to look at him.

He stopped, watching her nervously. “Are you going to be okay?”

“Of course,” she replied, rolling her eyes.

Cobalt awkwardly scratched at the ground with a hoof. “I know you don’t think I did the right thing, but I don’t regret saving you.”

She was quiet for a long time before finally saying, “Thank you.” Then she looked away and trotted across the border.

From where he stood now, it was impossible to tell that a quarter of the kingdom had been burned to the ground. All of the farms in this area were quiet and still, it was almost peaceful. He found himself wondering what it would be like to live on a farm, to wake up and take care of the crops every day. It didn’t sound completely awful, as long as he could spend time with Dahlia when her life wasn’t in danger.

Cobalt trotted along the border on his way back to the Unicorn Kingdom. He hadn’t the slightest idea how he would explain his absence to his sister or father. Maybe they hadn’t noticed he was gone at all, sometimes he wondered if they even knew he existed.

Hours passed as he lumbered down the dirt path, leaving the Earth Pony Kingdom behind him. He could feel the pain from his burns slowly returning, but soon he would be home where he could visit a healer and get help. All he wanted to do was sleep.

However, as Cobalt approached the Kingdom, he realized something was very wrong. The gate was closed and a large gathering of unicorn soldiers was standing outside. The soldiers milled around restlessly, murmuring to each other. A few looked up as he approached.

A tent had been set up in the middle of the camp and he headed towards it. Guards stood outside, but they immediately parted to let him through. He was the prince, after all.

It was a small tent with a bedroll and a wooden table. A mare stood at the table, staring at the map rolled out on its surface and growling things under her breath.

It actually took him a moment to recognize her without the robe and crown that she constantly wore. “Platinum?”

She started and looked up. “Cobalt? You’re alright?”

“Why would I not be?”

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Where have you been?”

“I...followed you. Your army, I mean. When they attacked the earth ponies.”

Platinum’s expression relaxed. “That was foolish...but I’m glad you did.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“The pegasi knew about our attack on the earth ponies. While half of our forces were gone, they attacked the stronghold.”

Cobalt stared at her. “B-but our father was there with the other half of the army…”

“Father is dead. Our forces have been diminished. Our remaining subjects are now under watchful eyes of pegasus sentries.”

He took a surprised step back, staring at his sister. “Father is gone?”

Platinum turned away, looking back at her map. “As well as our home and half of our army. My only concern now is reclaiming our stronghold. We will do everything we can.”

“I will stand beside you.”

She nodded. “I’m glad to see that you’re alive. For a while, I feared I had no family left.”

Cobalt trotted forward and hugged her.

“What are you-” Platinum began, then stopped and hugged him back. “I know we don’t get along all the time, but you are the only family I have left now.”

He smiled. “We’ll get our home back.”

“You should get some rest. I can see that you ventured too close to one of the fires. You’re covered in burns.”

“I’m alright.”

“Rest. Now. By the time you wake up, I’ll have a plan for how to drive the pegasi out of our stronghold.”


----


While Cobalt had been talking with his sister, the soldiers had set up his own tent to retire to beside Platinum’s. He trotted in and collapsed on the bedroll.

He was about to take off his cloak, the hem of which was burned black and crumbling off from the fire, when his eyes caught on something. A piece of parchment was sticking out of his pocket.

He carefully levitated out the letter from the scribe and unfolded it.


——



Prince Cobalt,



I know that you consider me an enemy, but I must warn you about the events that will unfold within the next few days. Commander Hurricane knows about your attack on Chancellor Hambone and he is planning to take siege of your father’s stronghold while half of your army is preoccupied. If he gains control of your stronghold, nothing will stop him from hunting down every unicorn with power and getting rid of them. This is how he will win the war. Take care of yourself.



P.S. It appears that unicorns are not the only ones who know how to read and write.



——


Cobalt threw the letter away from himself, suddenly feeling nauseous. It was a warning. A warning that he had received prior to leaving his home in search of Dahlia.

He could have warned them! He could have saved his father and their stronghold. He could have stopped all of this.

The only thing that had been on his mind was saving Dahlia. How foolish! She was an earth pony, he was a unicorn. She should not matter to him. If it hadn’t been for her, he would have read the letter and been able to save his family.

Autumn had outright told him exactly what would happen, but he had been too blinded by a pathetic earth pony mare to think about anything else.

Cobalt’s expression hardened as a hot, fiery anger sparked deep within him. It was because of her. He would not let himself be distracted by her any longer. Dahlia was not his friend. She was nothing more than an earth pony who deserved what was coming for her.

A part of him argued against this, but he quickly stifled that part of his consciousness. He was much too angry to listen to any sense of logic.

Sleep would not come to him tonight, if it even was nighttime. He stood and threw off his cloak, marching out of his tent and back to his sister’s.


----


Cobalt stood by Platinum’s side. What remained of the unicorn forces stood behind them in an orderly formation, waiting for their princess’ signal.

She looked over at him. “Cobalt.”

He looked back at her. “Yes?”

“Stay out of the fight. I don’t want to lose what’s left of my family.”

He swallowed nervously and nodded. If he was being honest with himself, he would say he was rather relieved to hear her say that. He didn’t believe he would be much help in battle anyway.

Platinum slid the helmet over her head. She looked strong and courageous in her polished armor, just as a ruling princess should. The kingdom was hers now, to rule as she saw fit.

With a flick of her tail, the army launched their first attack.

The pegasi sentries had already reported to their Commander exactly what was going on, but it seemed that Hurricane didn’t believe the unicorns would dare destroy their own home in order to get back at him.

There was a harmonious shout of challenge from the unicorns as they launched their quickly-built war machines. Dozens of boulders twice the size of a full grown stallion were launched directly at the wall that had once proved as their protection against the outside world. Now, it was what was keeping them out. It must come down.

With the wall left in rubble and the pegasus sentries winging away in a mad panic, back to their Commander, the unicorn army charged back into their home.

Cobalt and Platinum stood by as the soldiers galloping forward parted around them. She raised her sword in her levitational field and followed them, screaming some very un-princesslike things at the top of her lungs.

He took a deep breath and galloped after her, raising his own sword. He had no idea how to fight as he was never instructed. It was Platinum who would inherit the throne, she was the one provided with all of the special lessons. He figured he’d just swing it around until he hit something.

The army was headed straight for the heart of the kingdom, where his father’s - no, his sister’s - stronghold stood. The pegasi were waiting for them. Several were hovering above the castle and dove to attack the unicorns.

Cobalt had to force himself to watch, from a safe distance back. If any pegasi noticed him, they didn’t bother attacking a lone unicorn soldier.

At first it seemed like the pegasi were winning, but Platinum knew how to rally her forces. He could hear her screaming out over the clashing of swords, encouraging her soldiers to take back what was theirs. Nopony could doubt that she was born to lead.

The battle continued within the fortress as the unicorns slowly but surely broke through the pegasi lines of defense. He could no longer see what was going on, but at least a quarter of the army had already fallen. This could very well be the end of the unicorn’s reign.

Shouting tore his attention away from the stronghold and back to the houses and buildings that made up the rest of the Unicorn Kingdom. The common unicorns were pouring out of their homes, armed with frying pans and soup ladles. A battle cry sounded from the one in front as they charged into battle to assist the soldiers that had always protected them.

Cobalt stared in shock. The townponies were rebelling against the pegasi.

“Cobalt!” came a shout over the noise of the chaos.

He looked all around him, but could not see anyone who had called his name.

There was a thump beside his as a tan streak dove and landed gracefully by his side. “Why were you not prepared?” the pegasus demanded, dragging him into an alley.

Cobalt stared at her. Autumn Rosette, the mysterious pegasus private he had met at the negotiations, and who had betrayed her entire tribe for the chance to warn him about the attack. His ears folded down and he looked away shamefully. “I didn’t read your letter until it was too late.”

She sighed and scratched a hoof along the ground. “I am sorry about your father.”

“Bad things happen when you’re at war.”

“I have never agreed with my Commander. Unicorns and earth ponies are no better or worse than we are. If we were more understanding and giving, we could aid in the farming and provide enough food for everypony.”

“I’ve started thinking that way myself,” he admitted. Then he looked at her. “Why are you not fighting?”

“I fled my home after I delivered the letter. If my Commander ever found out what I had done, I would not have survived the night.”

“I’m sorry your letter never accomplished what it was meant to. I was distracted at the time.”

Autumn nodded. “I assumed. While I have been on my own, I have had plenty of time to see what I have always wanted to see. I have watched earth ponies at work, struggling to grow their crops in the moonlight. And unicorn foals practicing their magic at your academies. You both have such intriguing ways of life.”

“Have you seen Dahlia?” His voice cracked when he said her name. He was not supposed to be thinking about her. She was worth nothing to him.

“She is alright. I saw her just a few hours ago, before I came here. Somehow she escaped the fire.”

He couldn’t help but feel relieved. “I suppose you were here when the attack on the earth ponies happened.”

“I was watching Hurricane’s attack on the unicorns.”

“I went to the Earth Pony Kingdom to warn Dahlia.”

Autumn tilted her head curiously. “You betrayed your tribe to save her?”

“I...it was a mistake.”

Autumn frowned. “If the pegasi lose here today, they will engage the earth ponies for control over the farmland. Do not get comfortable.”

Cobalt nodded. “We will prepare for the next battle as soon as the stronghold is ours again.”

“Good. I am going back to the Earth Pony Kingdom to warn Chancellor Puddinghead.”

“Wait. Chancellor Puddinghead?”

“Chancellor Hambone was killed in the unicorn attack, as was his daughter and several other ponies trapped within his estate.”

“I knew about the daughter, but not the Chancellor.”

She looked up at the sky. “The pegasi are retreating.”

“I need to warn Platinum about what you’ve told me.”

Autumn looked at him. “Farewell, Prince Cobalt.”

He nodded. “Goodbye, Private Autumn.”

She spread her wings and leaped off the ground, flapping to gain height and then soaring away to warn the earth ponies about the impending battle.

Cobalt trotted out of the alleyway to find his sister.


----


It was the first morning that the sun had risen in a month’s time. The land was washed in glorious light that filtered through the trees and reflected off the lakes. It was the most beautiful sight that the ponies gathered had ever witnessed. Even the unicorns had missed the sunlight.

Princess Platinum, the new ruler of the Unicorn Kingdom, had ordered her warlocks to raise the sun for the day of the battle. All must be reminded of the magical prowess of the unicorns.

The three armies were gathered in a field framed with maple trees, glaring at one another and preparing for the battle. This was believed to be the last day of the war. Whoever came out victorious would have claim over the earth pony farmland that each tribe so desperately needed.

Cobalt stood beside his sister, outfitted in a matching helmet and suit of armor. This time, he would not run from battle. He had wasted his time in trying to befriend an earth pony, and it had led to his father’s death. There would be no more mistakes.

A speck of pale blue drew his attention to an isolated pony standing apart from the earth pony army. It was a mare with a blue coat and a sunset mane. She was looking at him, but he turned away. When he looked back, he caught a glimpse of her trotting into the trees, away from the battle.

Princess Platinum raised her sword and a deafening roar erupted from the unicorns.

Chancellor Puddinghead, newly appointed, shouted commands at her army.

Commander Hurricane turned to face his troops and saluted them. Every gathered pegasus saluted him in return.

As the three armies charged at each other, storm clouds rolled in from the north. If anyone had been paying attention to anything other than the fight, they would have noticed that something was very wrong about those clouds.

The first swords clashed as the first flurries drifted down from the gray sky.
> Epilogue: The Fate of Dahlia and Cobalt
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The battle had never reached its end. A vicious storm of ice and snow had suddenly moved in and buried the battlefield under a white blanket. Those who survived the battle - and not been buried under snow - retreated to their homes for rest and sanctuary.

Cobalt was not one of those ponies.

Dahlia had been watching the battle from a hill within the surrounding forest, her attention on a blue unicorn in silver armor. She was certain that he had not fallen to an enemy’s blade, but to the winter storm.

The blizzard calmed and only a few remaining snowflakes drifted through the air. The pure, white snow lay smooth and untouched. The storm had lasted all but ten minutes.

“Dahlia!” a voice shouted above her.

She looked up to see Autumn, the mysterious pegasus soldier who had renounced her tribe and her home to save the lives of unicorns and earth ponies. What her motives had been, Dahlia was still unsure.

“I last saw him over here!” The tan pegasus flapped her wings and flew over a spot in the snow, angling her wings to circle it.

Dahlia galloped over, having to leap through the snow like a rabbit to not sink down. “Cobalt?!” she called.

She made her way over to the spot Autumn had pointed out, furiously digging into the snow with her front hooves. “Cobalt, please be okay,” she whispered.

Autumn landed next to her to help her dig through the snow.

The two mares had reached dirt before they finally uncovered an unconscious blue stallion.

Autumn picked him up and carried him away from the battlefield. Everything was covered in snow. The trees, the grass, the rivers. If any wildlife had survived the blizzard, they didn’t dare trek out into their new surroundings.

Dahlia followed from the ground, hopping ungracefully over to where Autumn had disappeared to. Sitting in the forest, was a hasty, sloppy cabin made of wood. It was halfway buried in snow, but its single pegasus resident had cleverly put a door in the roof.

“Come,” Autumn instructed, brushing off snow and disappearing down into the small house.

Dahlia looked into the hole and dropped down, landing hard on her flanks. Some ponies didn’t have wings to help them land. She rubbed her sore behind and looked around in the murky darkness.

Autumn set Cobalt down near the hearth and set to starting a fire.

“How long have you been living here?” Dahlia asked softly, noticing the lack of furniture or any homely decor at all.

“Two weeks,” the pegasus replied, focusing on the small flame. “I found the remains of an old house located directly in the middle of the three tribes. All that was left was the fireplace. I rebuilt the rest of the house around it so that I would have a place to live.”

“You’ve been living here since you abandoned your tribe.”

“I did not abandon them. I turned my back on war in favor of harmony.”

Dahlia sat down beside Cobalt, pressing a hoof gently to his neck. There was a very faint, fluttering pulse and he was trembling like a leaf in wind.

“The fire will warm him,” Autumn said, sitting down beside Dahlia. “I think he will be alright.”

She smiled and laid down, laying her head over his back. “Big, dumb idiot,” she muttered.

The truth was that Dahlia had been fond of Cobalt since the day they met in the Unicorn Kingdom. She could tell he felt the same, but pushed him away. A unicorn and an earth pony could not be friends, let alone a couple. She had thought it would have been better to keep him at a distance, but still could not control the erratic beating of her heart whenever he was near. Then, when he showed up at her home to rescue her, she knew she had fallen too far.

Now, all she wanted was for him to open his eyes and smile at her.

As hours passed, the sun began to set. It was the first sunset in a month, and it was the most beautiful sight Dahlia had ever seen. She had forgotten how much she enjoyed watched the pale blue sky fade into strips of pink, orange, and purple. Even the snow seemed beautiful in that moment.

Autumn was curled up in a corner of the tiny house, soundly sleeping on a pile of blankets arranged like a bird’s nest.

Dahlia spread a blanket over Cobalt and closes her eyes to sleep.


——


As morning dawned, Dahlia slowly opened her eyes. A pair of ice blue eyes met her own and she felt her breath catch in her throat.

Then he smiled, relieving all of her fears and doubts and insecurities with just one upwards curl of his mouth. “Now we’re even.”

She slowly smiled back, tears pricking in her eyes. “I didn’t save you to be even. I saved you because you’re my friend.”

Cobalt slowly reached out a hoof.

Dahlia reached out her own to hold his. “Don’t go back.”

“What happened to being loyal to your tribe?”

“Watching them fight was heartbreaking. I can’t bear to go back when all that matters to them is defeating the unicorns and pegasi. That and...it’s not the same without Rylla.”

He bit his lip, something she noticed he did when he was unsure what to say next. “My father is dead.”

Dahlia nodded. “I assumed that when I saw your sister leading the unicorn army. I heard about the pegasi claiming your stronghold for a day.”

“It’s not the same without him. Platinum scares me with how serious and focused she is…”

“Then let’s...let’s go somewhere else. Find a new home. Where there isn’t any fighting.”

Cobalt looked at her. “Me and you?”

“And Autumn.” She looked over to see the pegasus watching them.

Autumn stretched her wings. “I am going to stay here. I will keep an eye on things. Perhaps, if the relationships between the pony tribes improve, I could come find you.”

Dahlia smiled. “You’ll let us know that it’s safe to come home. Until then, Cobalt and I will find a place where we can live together in peace.”

Cobalt held her hoof tighter. “A new beginning.”

She looked at him, her eyes conveying all the emotion she needed him to see. “For both of us.”


——


Snow covered the ground and a cold breeze whistled through the trees. The chill cut straight through a pony’s coat and froze their bones. It was not ideal weather for a long trek, but the two ponies trotting down the forest path didn’t seem to mind.

They had long ago left the three warring pony tribes behind them and would soon enter a new land, a new home brimming with endless possibilities for the future.

As the sun set, the unicorn and the earth pony laid down in a cave together, looking up at the stars. Soon they would leave behind the snow and the guilt and the memories of painful times, instead turning to a new dawn.

A dawn they could greet together. Not as enemies, but as friends.


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