> Starting A Flame
>  by Star_Shade
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue: Resuming the grand tale
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You are mine now.  We are going to have so much fun together!” said Dawn Lighter triumphantly, her face encased in darkness. They were in a dark room, shadows rendering most of the place as black as it could be. 

“You will get nothing out of me! Torture me all you want; I will never betray my friends!”  shouted Velvet, straining against her bonds binding her to a table. Dawn Lighter moved her head back, shrouding her face in darkness, before her horn lit up with a purple hue. Suddenly, the lights on the ceiling flared to life. Dawn Lighter waltzed along shelves filled to the brim with tools of unspeakable horror, lifting a few, trying to decide between a metal fork-like device and a set of pliers with knives at the edges.   

“We shall see how tough you really are!” Dawn Lighter cackled wickedly, choosing the set of pliers. She moved to stand beside Velvet and whispered into her ear. “We are going to have so much fun together.” She stroked her cheek with the tips of the pliers. 

“Dad, DAAAAAD!” yelled Velvet.



  

“Dad, wake up. You are mumbling in your sleep again,” said Velvet, smiling. Shaking himself awake and moving aside the blankets, he stumbled over to where Velvet was standing and hugged her.

Sighing deeply, he spoke softly, “I had another one of those dreams.”   

Doing her best to comfort her father, Velvet laid her head against his shoulder. “I am so sorry. Was it you or me this time?”

“You. It has always been you since you came of age,” he said, sighing again. “It has been so long since the last nightmare, I had thought they would be gone. The emotions had caught me by surprise.”  

“Well, remember what Mom had taught you. You guys had won. Won. Remember?  Remind yourself that you have a family now and that Dawn Lighter is gone, she cannot hurt you anymore. We are all safe. Safe,” said Velvet, reciting the chant that her mother had devised.

“Could me telling the kiddos my story have possibly retriggered the memories?” he asked after a moment of pondering.

“Maybe, maybe not. What I do know is that this is a good way of bonding with your grandfoals. They know so little of you and your history, and telling them your story helps grow your relationship with them,” stated Velvet confidently.   

“You’re right, as always. Have I told you that you share your mother’s way with words?” he said, a smile growing across his face.

“Only a bajillion times. Come on, I want to finish making breakfast before the children are up.” And with that, Velvet made her way downstairs.





With a mad scramble down the stairs, the two foals, Ava and Orin, rushed to the room.  “Tell us. Tell us! TELL US!” they shouted in unison, staring expectantly at their grandpa, who was sitting calmly at the breakfast table.

“Not yet,” he said, after a moment of consideration and leaning back in his chair. “Wait until after breakfast is finished.”

“Aww,” they sighed. Hearing commotion from the dining room, Velvet stuck her head out of the kitchen. Seeing that the two were up, she grabbed two bowls of oatmeal with apple slices on the sides and placed them before the foals.

“Eat up. Guess who will be joining you two once you have finished?” Velvet said, beaming. Ava and Odin immediately dug into their hot food. Suddenly, the front doorbell rang.  “Oh, I forgot!  Dad would you be kind enough to get that?  I think I am expecting a package today.”  

“Sure thing,” he said, moving to get up from the table and trotting into the hallway.

Opening the front door, he found a  pegasus mailmare waiting with a box in hoof. “Hello!  I’m here to drop off a package for…” she started politely, yet her jaw fell to the ground when she saw who was standing in the doorway.

“Ah yes, I believe my daughter, Velvet, ordered a package. Do you need me to sign anything?” he asked.

“You… you’re... you’re the Dawn Breaker! The legendary figure of old! I thought you had died years ago!” exclaimed the pegasus.

“Yes well, retirement will do that to you,” he replied awkwardly, moving a hoof to scratch the back of his head, slightly embarrassed to be found in his morning robe.

“But...wasn’t that all like over a hundred years ago? How are you still alive?” she asked.

“Being a powerful wizard has its perks. Now then, is there anything that I need to sign, or am I good to go?” he said, not trying to be rude, but still wanting to finish breakfast. 

“No no, everything is in order, but uh… could I have an autograph?” she squeaked sheepishly.

“Sure, have any paper?” he said kindly. She quickly rummaged around in her saddlebag and produced a piece of paper.

“I have some paper, but don’t have any ink,” she muttered, disappointed with her own lack of material. 

“No worries. There is a spell for everything these days. Actually, I had to make one since I had so many documents that needed to be signed.  Never liked wasting that much ink.  What is your name?” he asked.  After receiving her name, he enchanted his hoof and placed it onto the page.  A purple hoofprint with four elements swirling together appeared on the paper, with the mare’s name atop.  

“Wow, thank you so much. I can’t wait to show all my friends!  An autograph from the Archmage of the Grand Unicorn Academy!” she shouted joyfully, flying off.

“Yes well, have a good rest of your day. Young ponies these days…” he said, shaking his head and closing the door. Chuckling and holding the package in his magic, he made his way back to the dining room and the pleasant smell of breakfast.


        	“Ah good, you were able to get the gift. Ava, Orin, could you two go to the living room? Grandpa and I need to chat about something before we begin,” Velvet called.  The two scurried out of the room, eager to reclaim their original spots from before. 

“Anything I need to know about this ‘gift’ that you received?” he asked.

“Oh it is nothing. Just something of a thank you from a friend. But that is not really important right now. Are you sure you are alright to continue your story? I know I had sounded pretty confident before, but after thinking it over, I do not want you to suffer. I can tell them if you would like,” offered Velvet.

“No, I think I will be fine. I should be able to finish the story, should we not get interrupted anymore, or stay up too late at night, ” he responded.  

“Well, since I have some free time this morning, I will be joining you three. It has been a while since I have heard the grand tale. You better not exaggerate anything this time,” said Velvet, winking at him. 

“Well, I would never,” he exclaimed, aghast. “After all, most stretch and mold it into events that are almost unfathomable. Yes, I had done and experienced great marvels, but also suffered many hardships.”  

“Then it is good that your grandfoals hear it from you. Anypony else would just leave out the bad bits,” said Velvet.  

“Well, I am sure we could continue to chitchat, but I am pretty sure that if those two wait any longer, they may implode from excitement.” He chuckled, making his way to the living room to reclaim his spot near the fireplace.

   



A few minutes later, and with no implosions, all four of them were calmly seated in the living room. Lighting the fire with his magic, the stallion paused before speaking. “Let me think… We ended with Flutter Moon’s death, correct?  With Moon Melody offering Dasher a position in the rebellion. Anything else that I might be missing?” 

“Actually, before we begin, I have a question or two. When do you come into the story?  What do you have to do with any of this? Why do we need to know about all these other ponies first?” asked Orin. 

“Excellent questions, Orin,” he said. “For this next story, I can promise you that all your questions will be answered. Everything will be revealed in due time. Just come close, snuggle up, and listen to the adventure of a lifetime.”
> Chapter [1] Memories of another life
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

This story is dedicated to my younger brother. He has given me a responsibility to be an older sibling to someone with a very different personality than my own. I am so glad we can become the best of friends.



Dasher lost count how many times she went through Flutter Moon’s remaining belongings. Each time she reminisced over Flutter’s final words to her, ‘Take care of my animals for me, will you? Especially Angel Bunny, as he will take it the hardest.’ 

Some had understood and left when Dasher told them. Yet others had still been relying on Flutter to take care of them. Dasher tried her best, but they only responded to their old caretaker’s touch. 

Angel Bunny was indeed the hardest to take care of.  Most of the time, he was angry with Dasher. Unwilling to listen to her when she tried to explain to him that Flutter Moon  was gone. He barely touched his food and would throw it around the cottage. Other days he would outright ignore her presence, deciding to look for Flutter Moon  by himself. These trips took all day, but only a dejected bunny would always return.

Eventually, Dasher was unable to take care of him. One day she brought him to an adoption center. Giving Angel up was the hardest decision that Dasher had to make. He alone had stayed true to Flutter Moon. He was the last reminder of who Flutter Moon was, and it broke Dasher’s heart to give him up.

Coming back to Flutter Moon’s cottage, Dasher simply collapsed and bawled. She had failed at completing the one simple task that her friend had given her. The weight of failure rested heavily on her shoulders. After countless minutes of crying, she eventually picked herself up to grab something to drink. Refreshing herself, Dasher moved to the pile of what was left of Flutter Moon’s possessions. Having to quit the weather team to take care of the critters, Dasher had slowly been drained of bits. She had to sell most of her own possessions, as well as later Flutter’s. The cottage was mostly empty, save for her friend’s few personal items she held most dear.  

Dasher promised herself that she would cherish these for the rest of time. She picked up a photo which used to have a message of congratulations on it.  Dried tears stained its surface. She looked at the three smiling faces. Flutter Moon and her parents, congratulating her on her cutie mark.  

Laying the photo down, Dasher picked up an incomplete sweater. The smell of Flutter Moon on the sweater had slowly faded. Dasher had attempted to finish the sweater, but it just became a mangled mess, and she gave up. 

She hadn’t even known that her friend was into knitting. Coming to this conclusion, Dasher realized that she should have spent more time with her friends, her real friends. Ponies that would stick with her through the thick and thin. Not wasting time on useless glory that only lasted for a little while.

Putting the sweater away, Dasher moved onto the third item, well, items, really. A tea set that Moon Sparkle had given to Flutter when the shy pegasus first came to Ponyville. A pleasant gift, helping Flutter calm down from one of Moon Pie’s parties. Dasher reflected on her own reaction to hearing her friend move to Ponyville. One of the few times she had put up with Moon Sparkle’s frivulties and indulged in a fancy tea party with her friends.  

She picked up the final item and placed it in a saddlebag, then made her way out of the cottage. After using her very limited amount of bits to purchase flowers, Dasher walked to the town’s cemetery. It was a nice, open place, with trees and hedges surrounding it . The graveyard was lively with birds and squirrels, chattering at each other. Sitting on a bench, she took Flutter’s scrapbook out of her bag. She caressed its tainted cover and flipped it open. This was by far the greatest treasure trove of memories. Flipping through each page, Dasher would smile and giggle at the photos. Seeing Moon Flutter happy made her happy.  Reaching the end, Dasher took out the feather that Moon Flutter had given her, the final physical reminder of her friend.

Closing the book gently, Dasher made her way to Flutter’s final resting place. It was a simple marble grave, nothing super expensive or flashy. “Here lies Flutter Moon, who believed that every creature, no matter the size, deserved a little kindness,” was inscribed upon the tombstone. It was the best statement that Dasher could think of and felt like it aptly represented her friend. Laying the flowers that she had bought down, Dasher bowed her head in respect for her fallen friend.  

“I failed you, Flutter Moon. I tried so hard, but ultimately, I am just a failure,” Dasher said, eyes closed with tears threatening to come again.     

“You are not a failure, Dasher,” came a voice.  Turning around, Dasher was surprised to see Moon Sparkle standing behind her. Sparkle did not look any better than herself. She too was disheveled, with dried stains coming down her white face, ruining her makeup. Moving to stand next to Dasher, Sparkle looked directly into her eyes, saying, “You did your best, but I don’t think Flutter Moon would want you to beat yourself up like this. Things happen, and we all need to move on.”

“But how can I move on? There were so many things that she wanted to do, to accomplish. Why should I throw that all away?” Dasher asked. 

“You do not have to. Let it guide you, have it remind you of what has happened. Don’t have your past hold you back, but let it give you motivation,” Sparkle said, switching her gaze to the tombstone.

“I guess you are right. But what should I do now? How do I use this pain?” wondered Dasher.

“Well, use it to get your revenge. Do whatever it takes to make Dawn Lighter and Nightmare Moon pay for what they have done,” Sparkle growled.

“Yeah! You know, I am sorry that we never got along that well. I had said some pretty harsh things, and I want to say that… I am sorry,” mumbled Dasher, reflecting over her words.

“I forgive you, and I apologize myself. I still have many things I need to work on and deal with my own way of mourning,” Sparkle said, accepting Dasher’s words by laying a hoof over her shoulder.  

Comforted, Dasher found new strength. “You know, I think I will take Moon Melody’s offer. I am sure they could use Equestria’s fastest flyer!” she exclaimed confidently.

“That’s the Dasher I know. Make the Lunar Empire suffer, and show them Tartarus for me,” Sparkle said, stomping her hoof defiance.
> Chapter [2] Making a decision
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Listen, Dasher, ah wish ah could help you, but ah have the family business to take care of and don’t have time,” said Applejack Moon, bucking an apple tree.

“I know that, and I am not asking you to join me or anything. I just need to get in touch with the uh…” Dasher leaned closer to the orange mare, whispering, “...resistance. And you are the only pony I know who was in contact with them.” The pegasus pulled back, shifting nervously from one hoof to another.

“Fine, but listen to me. These ponies don’t mess around. If you want to join them, you better be serious. Come back in ten hours or so, and ah will try to arrange a meeting,” said Applejack Moon, wiping sweat from her brow. 

Hours later, Dasher sat waiting in front of the Sweet Apple Acres barn. The wind sweeped around the trees, carrying the smell of apples on it. A cold chill bit into Dasher’s back, keeping her awake. She was not sure what to expect, so she did her best to stay watchful for anything out of the ordinary. Every creak and noise pushed her nerves on edge. Shaking her head in defeat, Dasher was just about to give up, when an audible snap came from the edge of the treeline. Twisting around to face the noise, she called out, “Who goes there!” 

A hood fell over her head, obscuring her senses. Dasher attempted to fight off her perpetrators, but she was quickly restrained. “Hold still, and relax,” whispered a gruff voice. Breathing in deeply, Dasher smelled the sweet scent of chloroform, and fell unconscious.  





Gasping into the waking world, Dasher frantically looked around her surroundings. It seemed that she was in an alleyway, blocked on one side by a far brick wall. Calming herself down, Dasher noticed that she had been dressed in robe-like clothes. Running a hoof across the fabric, she saw that it blended quite well into the background. Intrigued by the craft, Dasher wondered if it had been made by Moon Sparkle.    

Getting up, Dasher took a better stock of what was around her. Listening to the night, Dasher could hear the bustle of a city. Moving to the brick wall, she put her ear to the side of it. Straining to pick up conversations, the word ‘Canterlot’ was thrown around from time to time. Shoving herself from the wall, Dasher fell on her flank. She was in Canterlot city!  She wasn’t supposed to be here! If she was caught, she… she didn’t want to think about what would happen.

“Oh good, you are up,” came a male voice. Jumping again, Dasher spinned to face him. It was a pony wearing the same clothes that she was, a hood obscuring his face. “Based on your reaction, you apparently recognize where you are.  Follow me.” Gulping, Dasher did as she was told, which turned out to be easier said than done. Stepping into the street, Dasher pulled the hood over her rainbow mane, and did her best to keep pace with her mysterious guide. 

She lost him twice in the crowded streets, but couldn't help but gaze around at what has become the city. Canterlot had changed since the last time she had been there,. Banners no longer decorated the city, and figurines of Celestia and her beauty had been torn down. Instead of golden swirls that had been inlaid on walls, there were darker metals added over them.  Many different enchantments had been placed over buildings, making them sparkle and shine in the moonlight. She rubbed her eyes as a glinting facade momentarily blinded her. Looking up, she caught a glimpse of her guide’s hood disappearing round a corner. She trotted forward, trying to not draw any attention. Eventually, she finally caught up with him. He was standing at the entrance of a nondescript building. Seeing her, ducked inside. 

Dasher came a few steps closer, but hesitated. Hoof raised over the threshold, she wondered if she could get out of the city undetected. She took a tentative step back, looking back to the street. The same male voice spoke. “If you are thinking of leaving, don’t. Odds are you would be caught pretty quickly with the upgraded security. You could make it, if you were fast enough, but that’s what they all think.” Turning back to the doorway, Dasher saw that her guide was patiently waiting for her to follow. Coming to a decision, Dasher stepped forward, crossing the threshold.





Dasher looked around as they moved through the building. Trotting down the darkened corridor, she noticed a few hooks and a faded outline of what used to be a sign above an open door. Her guide passed through the door, Dasher on his heels. Noticing a bar, Dasher reasoned this place probably used to be a tavern.  A trio of ponies was sitting at a round table next to the bar, whispering over a map. She slowed down a little, her ears perking.  Academy, construction, purpose, foals, were some of the words she picked up before the trio noticed her passing by, and halted their conversation. “Come Dasher, follow me,” her hooded guide called, tapping his hoof impatiently. 

Shoving the information away for later, Dasher turned from the trio and started moving in step with her guide again. They continued across the old tavern, passing a few doors until they came to the end of a hallway. Opening a door, they moved down to a cellar. Continuing on, Dasher was surprised how huge the establishment was. Lamps along the ceiling helped illuminate their path. Dasher had to hold herself back from peeking in the rooms they passed.  

Reaching their destination, her guide showed her into a room with a single candle in it.  Leaving her with a command to sit and wait, he closed the door, and with an audible click, she was alone. Sitting in the room, Dasher quickly grew bored of watching the candle. Looking around, Dasher paced the room, searching for any clues on what was going to happen next. Getting up to check the door again, she found it was indeed locked with no way of being opened from this side. Flexing her wings, Dasher lazily combed through her feathers. 

She figured it had to be at least an hour since she had gotten here. Eventually, the candle ran out of wick, and plunged the room in total darkness.  

Standing up, Dasher tried to feel for a wall, but only managed to hit her hoof against the candle. Biting back a curse, Dasher did her best to wipe off the hot wax. Stumbling around, she tried to reach a wall for stability. Finding one, she reoriented herself against it. A voice suddenly spoke,  “Dasher, why do you seek us?” The voice was cold, but also roughly familiar, reverberating around the room.

“I want to join the rebellion,” said Dasher, projecting her voice to what she thought was the middle of the room.

“You wish to join something that you do not know. We have changed since the last time you were here. Now, we are more careful and thoughtful in our actions. Again I ask, why do you seek us?” This stumped Dasher. She tapped her chin. What was her goal here? What could she offer?

“I seek revenge for my friend,” she declared finally.   

“Yet then? If you get your revenge, what will you do after that? Many want revenge, but it consumes them, clouding their judgement. They become obsessed, turning to animals. Revenge only leads down the path of destruction. We must rise above it. Look inside yourself, and you will find a reason,” continued the voice.

This time, Dasher contemplated everything she had done. Was it for pride? For her friends? What drove her? What was her purpose? Was she worth anything to anyone anymore?  “I don’t know! The world is going into chaos, and you all seem to have the answer. I don’t know what I can do, but I can give my all. Even if that is pathetic. I am just broken and need somepony to show me the way,” cried Dasher, lying down and putting her hooves over her head in defeat.

“And that is why, even in your brokenness, there is hope. There will always be hope.  Hold onto that hope, until it becomes sight,” said the voice. A soft glow from a horn, and the room was bathed in light. Dasher felt a soft hoof on her back. She looked up, recognizing the pink form of Moon Melody through her blurry eyes. The alicorn bent down, hoof rubbing the sobbing form of Dasher.  “We are all broken, but it takes courage to admit it. Your loyalty, your devotion to your friends defines who you are,” Melody said comfortingly.

“I guess you are right. I have just been so lost… and needed somepony to remind me of who I am. But what now?  Why should the rebellion need somepony like me?” sniffled Dasher.

“Because we need ponies to remember who they were. Nightmare Moon has pushed us all to be something new, something better. Yet if we lose focus of who we were, we cannot move forward to be who we are. That is why the rebellion needs to defeat Nightmare Moon,” said Moon Melody, moving her mane out of her eyes.

“How has it come to this?  So many things are different, it just seems like a bad nightmare. What was the purpose of all this… secrecy?” Dasher asked, wiping away her tears. 

“Times have changed and we cannot afford to make mistakes. Housing our initiation this close to the capital is risky, but being in the most powerful city is too big of an opportunity to pass up. Should anypony not have the right intentions, we simply surrender them to the guards for conspiracy,” explained Moon Melody, waving a hoof around.

“So is that it? Will you allow me to come back? Even though I left after Flutter Moon’s death?” asked Dasher nervously. 

“Of course, sadly we still need many more allies to join our cause. It has proven more difficult to convince ponies to help us, harder for them to even fight for us,” said Moon Melody sadly, shaking her head. 

“Well what can I do? I know I am probably not that useful. You probably have much stronger ponies helping you,” Dasher muttered, conflicted.

“Trust me, you will be very helpful,” said Moon Melody, smiling at her. “Welcome back to the rebellion.”
> Chapter [3] Pulling the weight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Are you sure it was a good idea to let her join? Dasher was pretty unstable when she left. I am surprised she was able to pull herself together,” said Shining Moon. He and Moon Melody were going over the list of new recruits.

“Wouldn’t be the first time we have taken on risky ponies like her. She has a type of fire inside of her that once kindled, could start a powerful flame. You remember her standing up to Dawn Lighter? That took guts. Not just anypony can do that. I definitely think we can use her,” replied Moon Melody.

“I don’t think I can train her personally, she has too strong of a personality,” said Shining Moon, tapping his chin in thought.

“Having her run through our basic training will settle that down. We can mold her, use her strengths for our benefit,” continued Moon Melody, laying her hoof on the white unicorn’s shoulder.  

“But if we push her too hard, she may break. We need strong leaders, or ponies that can continue should any of us fall. We have been able to lead because most ponies do not know who we are, should that change, it could be disastrous for us,” Said Shining Moon, starting to pace the room.

Moon Melody watched him closely. “I know, but it is a risk we have to take. You have heard the whispers, words of a coming leader for the rebellion. We need to find whoever that is, and figure out what our next plans are.” 

“Well, we are putting a lot of faith in these rumors! How can we be sure this is the right move?” said the stallion angrily.

“I know, but right now, that is our best bet. They could be fake or real, but we still need a good leader,” said Moon Melody, walking over and placing a calming hoof on his withers.  “One thing at a time.”  



  

After her discussion with Moon Melody, Dasher was smuggled out of the city, this time conscious. However, as soon as she was outside of the city limits, she had a hood thrown over her head. With a muffled cry of annoyance, she felt the strange feeling of being teleported. 

Once the hood was taken off, Dasher was exposed to her surroundings. Stepping off of a teleportation pad, Dasher looked around. A forest surrounded the area, with a thick treeline on the edges of a large clearing.  Buildings had been erected everywhere around the area, with tents placed close to the margins. Ponies of each tribe were walking around leisurely, running, or working out with a drill sergeant. Dasher was quickly shoved forward to a building, which she later learned was the administration facility. Being debriefed, and told that her training would begin the following day cycle, Dasher was sent to a sleeping barrack and promptly fell asleep.

The following morning, and every morning after, she was unceremoniously awoken by a bucket of freezing cold water. Her new commanding officer would yell in her face to get clean and head to the pavilion for duty, with a long day of work following shortly after.  

One day Dasher and two other pegasi who she didn’t care to get to know had been tasked with working together to lift a set of crates. An instructor cleared his throat to get all of the ponies’ attention and then began, “I, along with a few other coaches, have decided to make a race out of this little exercise. Each group will be monitored, and the top three that come in first shall have the following two days off. Good luck!”

Now this was something that Dasher could get excited for! Shaking herself out of her stupor of boredom, Dasher started stretching. Rubbing and prepping her wings, Dasher walked over to her two teammates. “So! Are you two excited for this race?” she asked giddily. They just looked at her with funny expressions before trotting a few paces away to continue their conversation. Not to be discouraged by their unenthusiasm, Dasher felt ready to win this race!



Dasher instantly regretted purposely pumping so much blood into her system. She huffed and pulled against the ropes fastened across her back and barrel, but to no avail. All of her energy was being wasted. Looking back, she saw the two other pegasi simply chatting away. Chatting! Like this was just a simple walk in the park. She Dasher yanked at her restraints angrily. The tug shook her teammates considerably, with one of them losing their wing stroke. Out of sync, the mare plummeted a few meters before regaining herself. Catching up, she called over their supervisor, who was already flying up to them.  

He then flew over to Dasher. “What were you thinking?  Do you have any idea what would happen if this precious cargo was damaged?” he yelled.  Dasher quickly tuned him out, mumbling a quick apology once he finished. Sighing, she resigned herself to be set in last place.      

As her group continued at their snail speed, Dasher noticed another group had paused ahead of them. Once her group met theirs, Dasher was able to hear the yelling of all four ponies arguing. Fitting together their words, Dasher concluded that the group somehow had hit one of the buildings below, and were all throwing the blame at each other.  

Looking down, Dasher was right in her deduction, seeing the top part of one of the armory buildings broken off. Transferring her gaze back to the group, Dasher noticed that the rope that connected all three of the pegasi together had begun splitting. Doing a double take, Dasher rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing things right.

“Hey! I think your rope is about to snap!” she called to the group, but it seemed that her words did little to puncture the argument. Checking down again, Dasher bit her lip, spotting a group of earth ponies working out right below the arguing group and their crates. Dasher called out again, but her words were snatched by the wind. Deciding to take matters in her own hooves, Dasher started undoing her restraints.

Fumbling for a bit, she was just about to finish when her instructor flew towards her. “Hey, what are you doin--” he started, before Dasher zipped around him, placing a rushed fitting around his sides before diving.

“Sorry, gotta save some ponies byeee!” she yelled, spiraling downward. “Clear the area!” she cried as soon as she landed in the front of the drill sergeant. 

“You have no authority to comman--” the drill sergeant began, before Dasher rudely directed her attention upward, pointing at the incoming danger. 

“Everypony, scram!” Dasher yelled again. An audible snap from above sent a shiver down her spine.  Most of the earth ponies immediately sprang into action, dodging away. A few stumbled, but were able to pick themselves up and move. One mare in particular just stood, frozen in fear. Dasher jumped and tackled the pony out of the way, just as the air compressed behind her. 

Hyperventilating, Dasher attempted to bring air back into her lungs. Looking back, she saw the mare she had just saved stand up suddenly. Stumbling around, the earth pony wobbled before sitting back down to stable herself. Finally getting her breathing under control, Dasher walked over to inspect the mare.  

“I, uh… think you just saved my life! Thank you!” she said as Dasher came into view. Batting away her compliment, the rainbow-maned pegasus circled around her silently, making sure nothing was broken before launching back into the air. “Wait! I didn’t even get your name!” shouted the mare. Dasher didn’t even turn back.  





Dasher was eating lunch in the huge mess hall the following day. With an hour to spend, she sat alone, enjoying her food. Lost in fantasy, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a food tray landing beside her. Annoyed, Dasher turned to find the same mare she had saved looking at her nervously.

“Hey uh… my name is Moon Nettle, and… I kind of wanted to thank you for saving me yesterday,” the mare said pensively, shifting from one hoof to another.

“Whatever,” mumbled Dasher, returning back to her food.

“Well, I also noticed that you were sitting alone and thought you could use a friend to sit with,” continued Moon Nettle quickly, slightly stumbling over her words.

“I am not really into the whole ‘making friends’ business anymore. So thanks, but no thanks,” replied Dasher, hoping to end the conversation.

“Oh, okay,” responded Moon Nettle awkwardly. “I just wanted to show you some form of kindness for what you did.”  

“Do I look like I care what you think? Maybe it was a mistake saving you, if you are going to bug me like this,” responded Dasher angrily, emphasizing her point by slamming her hoof onto the table and staring right at her.

Moon Nettle wilted at her gaze. “Sorry…” she mumbled, on the edge of tears. Picking up her tray, she moved away. Dasher simply harrumphed before turning back to her food. Had she watched Moon Nettle leave, she would have seen her sit down at another table, cross her hooves and lay her head down, alone.
> Chapter [4] Breakdowns and a new friendship
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“How is your candidate doing so far in training?” asked Shining Moon, starting off their weekly talk. 

“She’s getting through it. It seems that Dasher struggles against the authority above her, talking back to the coaches. But I think she is getting used to the system we have,” said Moon Melody, after a brief pause.  

“Has she made any friends? And are you still certain she has the potential to be a leader? I know that business the other day with the crates was a mess. Thankfully she was able to handle the situation and nopony was hurt, but I think she still has a long way to go,” said Shining Moon, beginning his usual ceremony of pacing.

“She seems resilient when it comes to making any friends, but I think that earth pony she saved has grown attached to her. If we push gently, Dasher’s attitude should turn around. When those two become friends, I think they will make a powerful team,” said Moon Melody, watching him. 

“Perhaps, but our time is growing shorter. You and I both can feel the slow grip of Nightmare Moon around us. Our attempts have only slowed her progression. Soon, she will have all of Equestria under her hoof, and nopony will be able to stand up to her, ” continued Shining Moon. “That is why we need to accelerate our training and push them to the limit.”

“But is that wise? Sometimes the weak have an interesting way of defeating those that are strong,” replied Moon Melody whimsically.

“Maybe, maybe not. I do not think we can resolve our conflict by all sitting down and sharing a cup of tea. Nightmare Moon has gone beyond reasoning at this point. I mean, she left the moon in the sky! Yeah, she enchanted the land and us so that we can live, but her power continues to grow unchecked!” yelled Shining Moon, stomping his hoof. He sighed, his shoulders slumping. “All I can foresee in our future is a long and bloody civil war.”  

“Does our future really look that bleak? I just hope we can be ready by then,” said Moon Melody, staring off into the distance.

“We may never be, but the dice have been cast. Our destinies have been wrapped in this. And to think we had the chance of a normal life.” Shining Moon chuckled sadly, shaking his head.

“That chance is long gone. We can only salvage what we have,” began Moon Melody, getting up to stand next to him. “Just because our lives have been changed doesn’t mean we personally can’t move on into other areas,” she said seductively, smiling at him.

“I know, but we cannot get sidetracked by our own selfishness. I know you want us to get married, but now is not the best time.” Shining Moon gripped her hoof gently, batting away her attempts. “Too many lives are counting on us, and a wedding would just complicate everything. When this is all over, if it is ever over, then we can try and pick up the pieces.”

“But will there be anything left?” said Moon Melody sadly. “Or will we drive ourselves into oblivion?”





Dasher could not fall asleep. I just wanted to show you some form of kindness for what you did. Those words had been eating away in the back of Dasher’s mind. Why had Moon Nettle said them? And why couldn’t Dasher stop thinking about them? She rolled over again in her bed, trying to find a comfortable position. Her muscles ached from the day's events, and the uneven military cot wasn’t helping.  

Getting up, Dasher decided to stretch a bit. Making sure not to wake anyone else, she pulled away from her bed and stood up. Doing her normal routine, Dasher was just about to finish when her left ear twitched. She was able to pick up the sound of somepony crying a few bunks away.

Deciding to investigate, Dasher moved as quietly as she could. Finding the noise, she discovered Moon Nettle, with her back to the pegasus, crying softly. 

Dasher hesitated, pawing at the ground. On one hoof, she could try to comfort the mare. But on the other, her own words were probably the reason for the distress in the first place.

However, her decision never came, as Moon Nettle rolled over and looked straight at her.  Awkwardly, Dasher tried and failed to find an excuse of why she was standing there. Moon Nettle continued to stare at her, her face red and stained with tears. Finally, she broke the silence, saying, “Oh, it’s you.” There was no bitterness, no anger in her words.

“S… sorry, I heard you crying,” was all that Dasher could mumble out.

“It’s nothing,” replied Moon Nettle, turning away.

“Do you… want to talk about it?” asked Dasher, immediately regretting her words.

“What is there to talk about? I don’t know what I was thinking, joining this thing. I thought maybe I could make some friends, but no,” said Moon Nettle sadly. “And then, when you saved me, I thought, ‘There's your opportunity, Moon Nettle, don’t screw it up,’ but somehow, everytime I try, I fail. It’s like I am cursed or something.

“And you know the worst part?” continued Moon Nettle. “The worst part is when everypony is talking about you. Like an outsider, like somepony to be pitied. Sure they feel bad, but none of them ever do anything. I thought, since everypony talks like that about you, I thought I would break the mold, but nope.” Moon Nettle planted her face into her pillow, crying some more.

Dasher had never considered this. “I don’t know what to say,” she said simply.

“But you know how I feel, right? You know what it is like to not have a friend. That burning feeling of something missing inside of you. It eats you alive with the sense of no hope, and no pony to turn to when you're at your lowest point. I can’t be the only one who has felt like this. I just wish I could end it all,” said Moon Nettle seriously.

“No,” said Dasher, realizing what she was saying, “that won’t fix anything. I just…” 

“Just what?” asked Moon Nettle.

“I just can’t lose another friend!” exclaimed Dasher. “That’s why I have been mean to everypony, including you, and why I haven’t tried. I think… I know that if I get close to somepony, that I will lose them too, and I can’t bear to go through that again.” Dasher slumped. 

“Oh,” Moon Nettle said, recognition overtaking her features.

“I just had been so caught up in pushing others away, and your words reminded me… of my friend, and that is why I lashed out at you. I should have said something else. I know you only attempted to be kind to me. I just…” Dasher paused, sitting down and leaning against the cot, sighing. Moon Nettle continued to watch her.

“I guess what I am trying to say is… I am sorry,” apologized Dasher. “Do you… want to try again?” Joy immediately came upon Moon Nettle’s features.

“Yes!” she said happily, closing her eyes. Then Dasher turned and put on the best face she could muster.

“Then hi, I am Dasher,” she said, stretching out a hoof, which Moon Nettle seized.

“Hello Dasher, I am Moon Nettle. Pleased to meet you,” responded Moon Nettle, opening her eyes and smiling for the first time in a long time.
> Chapter [5] The final test
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Well, I have good news from the west, but bad news from the north. Which would you like to hear first?” asked Shining Moon just as he pushed aside the tent flap returning from a meeting with his scouts. 

“I suppose we may have the good news, then the bad,” replied Moon Melody, perking up from her seat. A smile plastered itself on her muzzle at the sight of the stallion.

“Well, the good news is that our spies have found another group that has been working against Nightmare Moon. From what our scouts saw, this group seems to be wearing royal guard uniforms, as well as acting and fighting in a militaristic way. I, along with our advisors, believe that they may be a secret division that Celestia had created. Possibly to start their own resistance should Celestia fall.” Shining smiled, pulling his hoof around Moon Melody’s neck. “I have sent out more scouts, but this party has been extremely elusive. They have yet to be found by Nightmare Moon’s forces, as well as our own. Though we think they may be operating somewhere along the Unicorn Range mountains,” he finished energetically.

“That sounds really great. And the bad news?” asked Moon Melody, nuzzling him back. Shining Moon’s smile immediately fell.

“As you know, our training process has been stretched and accelerated as much as possible. The advisors think that a few more days of training, and our recruits will be ready for the field. I already have a few specific missions for most of them in mind.” Moon Melody tapped her hoof impatiently. Shining swiftly continued, “However, news of Nightmare Moon gathering her forces made their way to us. Several towns have been receiving more and more soldiers. It is becoming harder for our spies to get information, and the chance of capture has increased dramatically,” said Shining Moon, downcast.

“Oh. This is concerning. Do we have any idea what Nightmare Moon is planning?” wondered Moon Melody.

“Sadly no, and it gets worse,” continued the stallion. “Apparently, an entire nation has suddenly appeared in the north. Somehow, the old legendary city from Crystal Mountains has returned. Our advisors are baffled, and our casters have received incredibly high amounts of magic coming from the city. Our forces are already spread out too thin to amass a large enough party to investigate what is happening.”

“Hmm. The appearance of a completely new nation could prove to be problematic. We have no idea what their military strength is, or which side they may fight for. Continue to keep me informed, I shall think of a plan to deal with these new circumstances,” replied Moon Melody, tapping her chin in thought.   

“Very well then, you will be the first to know of any new developments in either area,” said Shining Moon. He patted her shoulder before exiting the tent, leaving Moon Melody to ponder over a map of the land.





Dasher dodged another swing from her opponent. She had been tasked with disarming and defeating one pony of each race singehoofedly. Her easiest opponent, an earth pony had proven more difficult than she thought. He suddenly body-slammed Dasher, sending her flying into the mud. She coughed, waiting for air to return to her lungs. The earth pony slowly advanced onher.  

Getting up and dusting off, Dasher glared at him. The words of her trainers rushed through her mind as she dodged a swing from the stallion.. Learn to fight with unconventional attacks. Your enemies will play dirty, so play dirtier. A nasty buck missed her by a hair’s width. Use your surroundings to your advantage and never surrender ground. Adapt, and you will survive. Dasher gritted her teeth. She hated them, but understood their points.

With a deep breath she rustled her armor back into place, before charging her opponent again. This time however, she flicked some mud up with a wing, right into his eyes. Using her chance, Dasher was able to land a few hits on his side and knees and send her opponent sprawling.  

Once the earth pony was up again, they circled each other a few times. Quickly growing bored, Dasher let out a low growl. Her wings twitched and she propelled herself at him, slamming into his neck. He held up a hoof. She grabbed it. The two wrestled around, muscles bulging and sweat drenching their coats. She flapped her wings, pushim him into a puddle of mud. The stallion slipped, Dasher’s hoof grabbing a hold of him before he hit the ground. Pinning him down, she hesitated, then roughly caught his head and twisted slightly, as if to snap his neck. Dasher waited for the instructor's call to stop. When she received the signal, she let go.

“Excellent job. Just remember, if you were in an actual situation like that, you won’t have the chance to hesitate before your opponent breaks free from you. It should be over in an instant,” said her supervisor, before a paramedic team came by to check over the stallion. Dasher only grunted in response. 

Next came the pegasus. With them both wearing light armor, the two jumped into the sky once the whistle was blown. Flying in circles, Dasher gauged her adversary. He seemed to be well-built, having the stamina to somewhat keep up with her. Yet Dasher knew she was faster. Catching a sudden gust of wind, Dasher pushed into the air, before doing a one-eighty and diving at her opponent.  

Always keep your body in peak physical condition. You never know when something unexpected happens and you lose the ability to move a limb. Overcome any obstacle that presents itself! The rushing wind took the words of her instructors from her ears. She reached the pegasus, locked her hooves around him. He headbutted her, limbs tackling her sides. The two spun around, with Dasher keeping a mental note of how fast the ground was coming up to meet them. A metal-clad hoof sliced around her flight muscles. She hissed in pain and returned a few punches of her own. He howled in pain. She smirked and let go just in time, leaving her opponent to slam into the ground. 

Landing gracefully, Dasher approached the pegasus. He lay on his side, one wing outstretched, the other gingerly clutched in his hooves. She shoved him face first into the ground, pushing his wing back. The stallion whimpered as the wing creaked and cracked. Another push and it’d dislocate. A whistle pierced the air. Dasher let go, satisfied.   

        	



For her final combatant, Dasher was fitted with a special set of armor which negated most magic, however, it also held her wings strapped to her sides. Her final opponent, a unicorn mare, was the most elusive pony Dasher had ever faced. She  simply sitting on the ground, looking at her. Doing a double take, Dasher quizzically looked at the mare again. She was just sitting there, what was she playing at? Thinking that the unicorn had probably frozen, Dasher decided to just run over and tackle her opponent. 

Just before she reached her, a small part of her brain considered if it was too easy, before the more aggressive part took over, silencing the tendril of doubt. Barreling straight forward, Dasher braced for impact. Surprised, she only met empty air. Checking her speed, she looked around for the mare. Finding nothing, Dasher was confused, snapping her head in every direction. 

Always pay attention to everything. Take note that there might be other assailants that attempt to be stealthy. One slip up could be a slit to the throat of your commanding officer. Be on the lookout for the imperfections in reality. Dasher gritted her teeth and sighed.“Show yourself, you coward!” she yelled, trying to provoke the mare out of hiding. Her only response was giggles coming from all around her. Giggles, seriously? Who giggled when fighting? Stuck in her stupor of annoyance, Dasher didn’t notice a bolt wheezing at her. It struck her armor, sending an electrical spark along her body.  

Supremely pissed off, Dasher turned this way and that, scanning the field. Nothing stood out to her.  After a moment of calm, Dasher decided to use her other senses. She closed her eyes. Hearing her blood pump in her ears, she could smell the field, feel the dried mud under her hooves and the taste of blood from her previous fight. Her ear twitched. There! She heard the sound of the unicorn breathing just a few meters away.  

Trotting over in a flash, Dasher struck the spot where she thought the mare was. Feeling a fleshy resistance, she did her best to grab her opponent. The mare shimmered in her grasp. Dasher made another attempt to subdue the unicorn, but only felt a slippery surface with a hoof. “A friction spell,” Dasher muttered, continuing to claw at her.

She panted, glaring at her semi-transparent opponent. Dasher stepped back. The unicorn suddenly shifted,  firing bolts of energy at her. Dasher, doing her best to dance around the projectiles, was able to jump over the barrier her opponent summoned. The pegasus landed a few blows. Her opponent immediately rolled away, charged up her horn, and fired a huge blast at Dasher.  

Unable to dodge in time, Dasher took on the full effect. Jarred to the bone, Dasher opened an eye tentatively. Seeing that her armor had completely absorbed the blast, she shrugged it off. The unicorn charged her horn again. Dasher broke off a piece of the armor and dove forward. The sharp, jagged steel cut into the mare's legs, her spell imploding. 

Brandishing the shard of her armor, Dasher pushed it to the unicorn’s neck, grazing her hairs. Her opponent looked at her fearfully. Dasher froze. Those eyes, those eyes awakened a memory inside of her. Something that she had suppressed for a long time. It was the same look that Dawn Lighter, her friend before all this, had given. It reminded her of the horror Dawn Lighter experienced as she was corrupted by Nightmare Moon’s magic. The look of somepony pleading, begging for release. Dasher suddenly gasped and let go of her weapon, the memory taking its effect.

Shaking herself, Dasher looked at her hooves. She had been so close to killing somepony, the feeling slowly consuming her. With a quick word, the supervisors called off the fight. They told her that she had been marked off, but still had passed the overall test. Their words slowly faded into the background, as Dasher came into grips with what she had just come close to doing.





Taking a shower, Dasher watched as blood fell away from her. Most of it was hers, but some had been her opponents’. Her mind in turmoil, she hadn’t even noticed the water losing its warmth. A banging hoof brought her back into reality, reminding her of the limited time. Cleaning up, she found Moon Nettle standing in the doorway.

“Hey. I am sorry I wasn’t able to watch. Are you doing okay?” asked Moon Nettle suddenly, noticing her tired friend.

“Yeah, I am fine… Let’s get some grub,” Dasher mumbled. Moon Nettle gave her a sideways glance before following her out of the building. They walked in silence, making their way to the mess hall. They ate quietly, Moon Nettle sneaking a few more glances at Dasher.

“So… did you pass or fail?” the earth pony asked finally.

“I think I passed… I don't really want to talk about it,” replied Dasher, staring into her porridge.

“Ah, okay…” said Moon Nettle, picking up the subtle cues. “At least you have your mission coming up soon.”

“Yeah, three more days of learning, then I will be out of here. What about you? Were you given anything since we last spoke?” 

“Sadly no, but my own assessment will be the day after you leave. Hopefully once I pass, they will have an assignment for me,” said Moon Nettle, disappointment creeping into her voice.

“Cheer up, at least we have that final class tomorrow. Any idea who our teacher for this ‘Apothecary’ position is?” asked Dasher. “I sure hope it isn’t Mueller again. I can’t focus with that stallion yelling at us all the time.” 

“Honestly, I have no idea. Nopony I know has taken the class. It probably has something to do with basic survival in the field or something,” said Moon Nettle, grinning. “I have always had a knack for--” A messenger burst through the doors of the mess hall, the building immediately quieting to mere hushed murmurs.

“They are here!  Everypony come and see!” he yelled, before turning and sprinting out. Everyone that was present got up and made a mad dash for the door. Dasher and Moon Nettle looked at each other, confusion spreading across their features. 

“And just when I was getting into my hayburger,” grumbled Moon Nettle, rolling her eyes and getting up. The two followed the rest of the group to the edge of the camp. Once outside, they tried to get a good view, shoving other ponies out of the way. Reaching the front, they found a group of at least one hundred soldiers in flashing gold armor, standing at attention behind a single pony.

Ponies around Dasher whispered about the appearance of the gruffly looking pegasus at the front. A few speculated that he was the general, while others gasped and pointed out the numerous scars running down his exposed flesh. Dasher’s attention quickly snapped back when Shining Moon calmly walked out of his command tent to greet the grizzled leader. Continuing to watch, Dasher was just barely out of earshot to pick up what they were saying. However, she noticed that both of them reacted negatively to a few of each other’s words. Yet this was soon resolved and they embraced, turning to face the same tent that Shining Moon had left.

A hush fell over the camp as Moon Melody stepped out of the command tent. Dasher had not seen her since she had been accepted, and the ex-princess rarely met others in public. Yet, as she came out, she greeted the old general happily, embracing him the same way that Shining Moon had.    

The pink alicorn then trotted before the gathered crowd. Clearing her throat, she gestured to the newcovers. “Everypony! I would like to introduce you all to General Solar Comet! He, along with his small division, are all that remains of the old guard. They had been hidden away by Celestia, should she fall.” A plethora of gasps rose from the onlookers. “They were tasked with creating their own resistance to topple Nightmare Moon and return peace to our land. Do your best to welcome them into our camp. Now, everypony is dismissed,” Moon Melody announced. 

With the crowd breaking, Dasher looked for Moon Nettle. “Can you believe this?” she exclaimed once she found her friend. “More ponies to help us fight Nightmare Moon. Kind of stinks that I have my mission and won't have much time to talk with anypony.” 

“Well, if you want, once you get back from your mission, I will tell you everything I learn.  But if I am on my own mission, you tell me everything you learn once I get back. Deal?” asked Moon Nettle, raising a hoof.

“Deal,” replied Dasher, bumping it.
> Chapter [6] Strengthened bonds with final preparation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Well, they have arrived. I think the morale of the camp is considerably boosted,” said Shining Moon.

“Yes. But let us not get distracted from our plans. Have those that have missions been briefed? Specifically Dasher?” asked Moon Melody

“Most of them, yes. A few I will tell today, including Dasher, as things are being put into motion,” replied Shining Moon, getting up to begin his routine. “With the return of the old guard, I will need to re-evaluate our troops and systems. The General will be able to advise us on future actions, as well as help us with our endeavors.”

“Good, and how is Comet doing? Has he and his ponies been taken care of?” continued Moon Melody, rubbing her hooves together.

“I believe so, though it is amazing how they have been able to survive for so long,” said Shining Moon.  

“Well, it takes more than the moon to remain in the sky to stop him. One does not simply remain in charge of the guard for fifty years for nothing,” said Moon Melody smugly.

“And his connection with you probably spurred him on. I know he was thrilled to see you still alive and kicking,” Shining Moon remarked, smiling at the thought.

“We have worked well together as a team before, and I plan on continuing to partner with him again. I believe he and I, along with most of the remaining guard, will be able to deal with our problems in the north,” said Moon Melody, eyeing Shining Moon. “And I plan on leaving in five days.”

Shining Moon was speechless. His brain tried to grapple her words as they slowly sunk into his mind. He was so used to her company that the mere thought of her leaving him sent a shiver down his spine. “When were you going to tell me this?” he exclaimed.

“I just did. Look, I know this is a bit sudden, but you and I both know the dangers from the north. Our scouts have confirmed that Sombra has returned and is amassing his own army of slaves. I have no doubt that he will join Nightmare Moon. Therefore, we need to launch an equal amount of power against him, and we need to act now,” explained Moon Melody.

“But so soon? I don’t know if I will be able to lead alone,” said Shining Moon dejectedly, looking down. 

“Then find others who can. That is why I have been putting so much pressure on ourselves to find a strong leader. There is somepony out there that we need,” said Moon Melody, comforting him by raising his chin with a hoof. “You and I both know this isn’t what we were cut out for. But I am confident in you, never forget that. I love you, Shining Moon.”

“I love you too,” he responded, watching her leave with a frown.





Dasher sat nervously. Their group had been told to sit and wait in one of the classroom buildings as their new teacher would be there shortly. Moon Nettle, who was sitting next to her, gave her a reassuring smile, which calmed Dasher’s nerves a little. Being here gave her flashbacks of flight school when she was a filly. Within her reflection, she also remembered meeting Flutter Moon. The corners of her lips dipped down..  

However, she was quickly brought out of her stupor when a strange creature walked into the room. Those that had been talking lightly immediately fell into a hush, as all eyes were on the odd pony. The newcomer was dressed quite exotically, with golden bands along her neck and hanging from her ears. She also had a green mask, complemented by a green saddlebag with smaller pouches hanging from its sides. She had an air of authority around her.  

“Hello and welcome to my class for apothecary. Now, many of you see me and may become wary. I would like to calm those fears, as I am a zebra, by the name of Arocez,” began the zebra. “This class shall be simple, as I teach each of you the basics for  brewing and survival. For I personally have lived on my own and learned what is vital. As some of you have your missions soon, this class shall be sped up quickly. Today, I shall go over the basics of foraging, a task you must master swiftly.”  





“How are you so good at this?” whispered Moon Nettle, as Dasher easily recognized most of the plants and berries. Arocez had given each of them a list to memorize and then a test later, which Dasher had passed easily.   

“My uh, friend was into nature. She kept a book of all the things she found. I had committed most of them to memory, which helps,” whispered Dasher in reply as she sorted through the dried herbs.

“That's so cool! Do you think you could show me?” asked Moon Nettle. This made Dasher pause. Did she really want to show Moon Nettle all of Flutter Moon’s memories?  After a while, Dasher made a decision to end the habit of pushing others away. Moon Nettle was her friend now, a good friend, and she shouldn’t hold back.

“Sure! Let me get it out,” she said as she began to rummage through her pack.  Retrieving it, she sighed before giving it to Moon Nettle. “Please be careful with it,” warned Dasher.

“I will,” said Moon Nettle as she received the book. Holding it up gingerly, she looked at the scrapbook with awe, before tenderly opening it. Dasher turned back to Arocez’s lecture on the use of poison joke. An occasional poke in her side drew her attention back to Moon Nettle, followed by the mare asking about not only the nature pictures, but the photos of Flutter Moon as well. Towards the end of the day, Dasher was exhausted mentally, as reliving memories had been painful, yet she felt good. Moon Nettle sat beside her, gripping the scrapbook gently and listening to Dasher whispering the tales of her friendship with Flutter Moon.  





“I am not too excited for tomorrow, I was never good at cooking, and brewing seems like a useless skill,” Dasher said to Moon Nettle as they walked out of the class.

“Don’t let Arocez catch you saying that. She seemed nice, until poor Hazel accidently ate one of the poisonous plants. I never knew zebra’s could raise their voices that loud. I think Hazel may be a bit traumatized after today.” Moon Nettle giggled.

“I just hope I don’t do something like that tomorrow. Sure, I know my way around a dandelion, but when it comes to putting stuff together and mixing… I might as well try and learn magic,” grumbled Dasher.  

“Hey, cheer up. You helped me today, the least I can do is return the favor.” Moon Nettle winked.  

“Yes, well, I am sure--” began Dasher, before a gruff voice got both of their attentions.

“Excuse me, Dasher, if I may have a word,” called Shining Moon, standing in a doorway ahead of them.  

“Uh sure, see you later, Moon Nettle,” called Dasher and waved to her friend, before following Shining Moon. They arrived in a simple room, with a table and two chairs facing each other.  

“Sit,” commanded Shining Moon. Dasher complied nervously.

“Look, if this is about the prank with Lieutenant Dodge, I just wanted--” began Dasher, before she was silenced by a raised hoof from the stallion.  

“This is not why I am here, unless of course, you would like to confess to me all of your shenanigans,” he cut in, raising an eyebrow.

“Uh no,” responded Dasher, blushing. “Why did you bring me here?”

“I thought you may be interested in the mission that you would be taking in two days, so I have come to brief you of it. I do apologise for not telling you sooner, as things have been a bit hectic lately,” Shining Moon stated, a snort escaping him. “Anyway, your mission is in Cloudsdale and--”

“Why Cloudsdale?” butted in Dasher excitedly.

“Let me get to that… in Cloudsdale, we need you to talk with their leaders.  Communications with them have gone cold, and we need to assess whether they are still with us or not,” explained Shining Moon.  

“That's… it?” asked Dasher, surprised.

“What, did you expect us all to march over and try to beat the tar out of Nightmare Moon? Our goal as of now is raising support, then we can work on fighting the Lunar Princess,” said Shining Moon, a bit annoyed by her response.

“Kind of, but that is fine. Why me though?” wondered Dasher.

“Why not? You are pretty fast, you have done quite well in your studies, and as a pegasus, you won’t be questioned as much. Plus, you do have experience with dealing with their culture and politics,” praised Shining Moon.

“Yeah yeah, ‘Control the winds, control the power of the gods. Through power, control the wills’ and blah blah blah. It’s a bunch of racism and pegasus supremacy. Are you sure you want their support?” said Dasher, tapping her hoof on the table.

“You know just as well as I do the value of having pegasi on our side. Our forces are already stretched, and having fast scouts, messengers, or the ability to control weather is incredibly useful. If we can get around their ideologies, they could be incredibly valuable allies,” continued Shining Moon.

“Fine. Who else will be coming with me?” asked Dasher.

“Well… just you for now. Like I said, our forces are spreading out, and I can’t focus too many resources on one specific mission,” said Shining Moon sheepishly. “We will send a messenger in order to make sure everything is in order. I’ll send somepony to give you the proper phrases, and you can give the messenger an update on the situation. Just remember, if they choose not to support us, don’t make any enemies there.”

“Got it. I just hope I don’t get recognized by any of my old acquaintances. News of my public dishonorment has probably reached them,” said Dasher awkwardly.

“Being an outcast is hard, but that makes you all the better to work on this assignment.  You know the place better than most here. Get in and talk with the city’s leaders. They are on the edge right now, and we need them to fall on our side. I wouldn’t trust this assignment to anypony else,” said Shining Moon, placing a hoof on Dasher’s shoulder. “Do you think you are ready?”

“Definitely!” 





“So… what is your mission?” asked Moon Nettle.

“I can't tell you. If I did, I would have to kill you,” replied Dasher, trying to keep a straight face, before breaking out in giggles.

“Oh, come on. So where is it? Las Pegasus? Vanhoover?” continued Moon Nettle.

“Cloudsdale,” said Dasher finally. Moon Nettle immediately scrunched up her face.

“Why there? Don’t they know that the city is the most racist place?” said Moon Nettle, a bit disgusted.

“Yeah, but we need the support. I am supposed to talk with their leaders and convince them to help the resistance,” explained Dasher.

“Ah okay. I mean, it isn’t the worst place you could go. You could have gotten stuck dealing with… you know what? Forget it. Let's get to class,” said Moon Nettle angrily.

“Huh? Did I say something?” wondered Dasher, surprised by her friend's anger.

“It’s nothing. Come on, or we are going to be late,” huffed Moon Nettle as she turned her trot into a gallop. As they entered, Dasher's mood plummeted when she saw the many brewing pots scattered around the classroom. Arocez eyed them warily as they entered, but was still satisfied that they had arrived before the class began.  

Taking her seat, Dasher braced for another long day of monologue, followed probably by an embarrassing moment. She felt confident enough not to accidentally burn herself on the cauldron, but actually cooking? In her opinion, it was a useless skill. She tried to pay attention, but she quickly got bored, getting distracted by the design of the pots. Once they had received their lecture, she tried to remember what she was just taught, but only came up blank.

“Psst. Since you helped me yesterday, let me show you a few tips and tricks when it comes to brewing,” whispered Moon Nettle, noticing the distress of her friend.

“You actually understand this stuff?” replied Dasher.

“Yeah, it is quite easy actually. You just have to be patient, let me tell you how,” said Moon Nettle, happily. “The first thing you need to do is to make sure you have everything you need. Next, you take the berries between your hooves…”
> Chapter [7] Beginning the mission
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Well, I guess this is goodbye for us. I am going to miss you, Moon Melody,” said Shining Moon, sizing up the mare’s furry, form-fitting jacket.

“And I will miss you, my Shining Moon. Yet sadly, our duty is to our ponies. You remember the scrying spell? We can stay in touch through that.” Moon Melody smiled, laying a hoof on his withers.

“Yes, of course. I will keep you updated on what is going on,” Shining Moon muttered sadly, gripping her hoof in his.

“And I will do the same for you.” Moon Melody chuckled. “I love you.” She smiled and stepped back, and trotted out of the tent.

“I love you too. Safe travels,” Shining whispered, watching through a crack in the flap as her swaying tail slowly vanished in the distance





        	Dasher was escorted out of the camp. They told her that it was for security, that if she got captured, she wouldn’t know where the rest of the main body was. She understood the logic, but didn’t like participating in it. She grumbled as they pushed her over the uneven forest ground, her hooves stumbling over the roots and vines. The blindfold chafed against her face. Eventually, she regained her sight, spotting that a single pony remained with her in an unknown clearing. The stallion proceeded to give her the final instructions.

“You will meet here when your mission is complete, and your set of codewords and hotel address are in your pack in case you forget. Any other questions?” finished the pony. Receiving a head shake from Dasher, he disappeared into the tree line and out of sight. Checking her bags for the fourth time, and concluding she had everything she needed, the pegasus set out on her mission. Flapping her wings, she began her expedition to Cloudsdale. 

Taking note of the clearing she had begun in, Dasher did a three-sixty in the air to gain her bearings. Commiting a few landmarks to memory for later use, she made off in the direction she believed to be her destination. The first few hours of her journey were boring, as she watched the countryside pass below her. Trying to find a way to pass the time, she tried counting clouds, hills, and houses, but eventually grew tired when she passed two hundred.

Making sure she paced herself well, Dasher swept her gaze to the distance in order to find the best spot to set camp. Deciding to rest along the Unicorn Range mountains, Dasher increased her speed. Circling a few times, she found what she assumed to be a peaceful sleeping ground and descended.  

Landing, she shuffled her wings and let her pack drop to the ground. Ears perked, Dasher trotted around the clearing, half-heartedly glancing through the dense underbrush and behind the gnarled trees. She shrugged, satisfied that no apparent threat was in the area. Kicking away a few branches and leaves, she  began setting up her makeshift tent. Just as she was about to place the final structural piece that would be the backbone of her humble abode, she spotted an ophiotaurus slithering toward her.   

Groaning internally, Dasher placed down the pole, annoyed to find the past twenty minutes of her strugglings go to waste as her tent crumpled to the ground. Turning to face her intruder, Dasher looked up and down the large bull-serpent hybrid. She gulped, catching a glimpse of its sharp venomous teeth, pointy horns, and hooves that would crush her to a pulp with a single stomp.   

Gritting her teeth, Dasher jumped into action. The beast flung itself at her. She dodged, rolling behind it. The ophiotaurus panted, its immense muscles creaking as it pulled itself upright. The mare ducked, barely avoiding an angry swing from its tail. Dasher grabbed it once it sweeped back, and the creature let out a deep hiss as she pulled its tail above her head. Hooves leaving deep gouges in the ground, the hybrid was pulled into the air. Dasher spun it around, clockwise and counterclockwise, the beast trashing in her grip. Finally she let go, sending the ophiotaurus flying down the mountainside.   

Laughing and rubbing her hooves together in success, Dasher turned back to her initial task of setting up the tent. Once finished, she decided to have another look around. Doubling her search radius, she methodically checked every bush and tree for any more interruptions. Paying much better attention this time, she noticed a raspberry bush hidden away behind two trees. She swiped a few of the delicious berries with glee and returned to her camp. After eating a late dinner, which her grumbling stomach did not forget to remind her of, she finally retired for the night.  





Waking up the following morning, without the annoyance of a bucket of water, Dasher happily stretched. Knowing the long day of flight, she resolved herself by enjoying a few more of the berries. Cleaning up the camp, she set off again. 

She assumed she would have made the journey in about four days, if she hadn’t been through training. Because of her excessive exercise, she made it in half the time. 

Finally, she reached her destination, or rather, the town that rested below the flying city. below her destination. It was a small settlement, by the name of Volantes, that welcomed most who travelled to Cloudsdale. The town was used to folk coming and going, and Dasher knew it to be the best place to catch information. Little shops that advertised cloudwalking spells, along with peddlers that sold trinkets and other accessories were scattered around. As she descended, the smell of cooked foods from a nearby store reminded her that she needed to find an inn. After asking an earth pony, Dasher was directed to the town's local tavern. 

Entering, she found what she expected. Ponies of all tribes were scattered around, some chatting in boothes, while others were at the bar, drinking one shot after another. “Ahoi! You have a face that looks new ‘round these parts, can I help you with anything, ma’am?” asked an enthusiastic freckled colt, wearing a dark blue buttoned shirt.    

“Uh yeah, I need to talk with the innkeeper for a single room for the night,” replied Dasher.

“Right away, miss, I’ll get him now,” the colt said excitedly, nodding his head a couple times before he scurried off. Waiting patiently, Dasher looked around the tavern, gauging the crowd of ponies. A few paid her no attention, some met her gaze, and a couple stallions from the bar sent smiles her way. 

“Hello, the name is Chipped Moon, but most ponies call me Chip, and I run the Chipped Mug. Tucker said you needed a room for the night? Is there anypony else, or just you?” introduced  a bulky pegasus as he hurried up to her. 

“Just me, and yes, a single room for the night,” said Dasher politely. After haggling for a price, Dasher was directed to her room, which she put her traveling backpack in. Seeing as the night was still young, Dasher made her way back to the tavern’s common room. Fishing for local gossip, she decided to try her luck at the bar.  

“‘Ello miss, you have the look of somepony that just had a long journey. Why don’t you come sit by me, and we can enjoy a drink together?” called one stallion. Sizing up the pegasus, Dasher decided that she could probably take him if he proved to be dangerous and sat down next to him.

“Nothing much, just passing by,” answered Dasher, asking for a drink from the barista. 

“Interesting times to be travelling alone. Not many brave the land on their own. What brings you to Volantes?” he asked.

“I’m tougher than I look, and I am just passing by to visit a friend for a potential job opportunity in the big city,” replied Dasher, giving him a smile.

“Oh I am sure, but where are my manners? The name’s Moon Cloud, but most of my friends call me Cloudy,” said Moon Cloud, scooting closer to offer a hoof. Dasher noticed the movement, but let it pass by shaking the offered limb.

“A pleasure to meet you, Cloudy, my name is Rashed,” responded Dasher.  

“Nice to meet you, Rashed,” said Moon Cloud, visibly happy by the use of his name. “So you said you were looking for work? I know a few ponies that are in need of strong ponies like yourself.”

“Oh, thank you, but I would rather stick with my first choice,” said Dasher blushing. “I am just meeting a family friend for an internship with one of the local weather teams. She told me the pay was good, and so I made my way here.” 

“Really? How interesting. I know most of the ponies up in Cloudsdale, but wasn’t aware of any new positions. What is the name of your friend? I may know her,” said Moon Cloud, slowly drawing even closer to her.

“I think she wanted the position to mostly stay anonymous. Jobs in Cloudsdale pay pretty well, and she doesn’t need ponies flocking in and asking for jobs,” Dasher replied, shifting in her seat. “So... how is the big city?  It’s been a while since I was here.”

“Things have been quite different with Queen Nightmare Moon in charge. She has been in constant contact with the leaders of Cloudsdale, and the city has grown with her support,” said Moon Cloud, drawing in even closer to whisper. “If you ask me, the ponies of Cloudsdale are growing more and more distant from the known lands. You are the first pony I have heard from that has been contacted by anyone in the city, and I am beginning to think they want to isolate themselves. They refuse to cooperate with us, or any city for that matter.”

“Really? That is interesting,” Dasher remarked, doing her best to not cringe away from the smell of whiskey on his breath.

“Yeah, if I were you, I would try and get my friend out of there. I tried warning my own friends, but they wouldn’t listen to me. The city doesn’t look to be going in the right direction in my opinion,” Moon Cloud mumbled sadly.  

“I am sorry to hear that. I’ll definitely consider your advice when I go there, but I think the hour is getting late, and I am a bit sore from my journey,” said Dasher, beginning to get up.  

“Well if you want, I may be able to ease your soreness.” Moon Cloud grinned, raising his  eyebrows seductively.

“I think I am good. I have an early morning tomorrow and can’t stay here for too long,” said Dasher, flicking her tail dismissively.

“Alright then, my offers still stand if you ever change your mind,” continued Moon Cloud as he resumed to nurse his drink. She just nodded and flew up the stairs. Walking back to her room, Dasher smirked at his attempts.
> Chapter [8] A final plea
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Armed with new knowledge, Dasher made her way up to Cloudsdale the following morning. Doing a few twists and turns to avoid the air traffic, Dasher decided to take the east entrance, as that had the least amount of ponies entering through it. Landing, she looked at the guards. There were four in total, two pegasi wearing the insignia of Cloudsdale, proudly displayed on their light armor. They were the ones that interacted with those in line. The other two Dasher recognized as the ‘hooded ones,’ draped in their dark purple robes with silver streaks. These two were positioned on each end of the door, ready to assist if a pony needed to be escorted off.

With three other ponies in front of her, she took the time to glance at the city through the gate. The beauty of Cloudsdale never ceased to amaze her. Spiraling buildings rose high in the air, surrounded by perfectly chiseled clouds. Eventually though, her sightseeing was cut off when one of the guards called out to her.

“You are up, miss. State your name and business coming here,” said the green-maned stallion. 

“Hello, my name is Rashed, and I am here to meet a family friend for a potential job opportunity,” replied Dasher, looking over his curiously blue-spotted coat.

“Arlight, Miss Rashed, do you have any identification with you?” he continued.

“Uh yeah, let me grab it real quick.” She rummaged around in her pack, looking for the forged papers she had been given. The guard looked them over before nodding his head.  

“Do you have your Lunar tablet with you? Just to make sure.” 

“Well… I don’t actually have one… err... one with me at the moment,” said Dasher hastily. The guard simply raised an eyebrow.

“Why not? Did you lose it? You know you can just get another one…” he said, clearly annoyed.

“I didn’t lose it… I just can't find it, that's all,” said Dasher, embarrassed. 

“Mares, amirite,” chuckled the guard to his buddy, before turning back to Dasher. “That’s fine. We just need to do a couple of tests before we can let you into the city.”

“What sort of tests?” asked Dasher nervously. They never said that there would be any tests! Fidgeting, she watched as the other guard moved to stand next to her.

“Oh, it’s not really, just some things we need to do to make sure you are a real pegasus,” he said nonchalantly. 

“Ouch!” exclaimed Dasher as the other guard ripped one of her feathers from her wing.

“Looks pretty real to me,” said the second guard, beaming.

“Do you do this to everypony that comes here?” Dasher grumbled.

“Only to the pretty mares like yourself,” said the first guard, giving her a toothy grin. The other guard just laughed and put her feather into his mane. Dasher just rolled her eyes in response.

“Is that all?” she continued, growing more annoyed by their shenanigans.

“Just one more thing, we need you to move this cloud,” said the first, producing a miniature cloud and trying to hold in his laughter. It was Dasher’s turn to raise an eyebrow now.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, normally we just need to--OUMF!” he began before the cloud was thrown onto his face. Dasher smirked, and the second guard continued to laugh.

“Alright, Cumulus, we have had our fun. Let her into the city,” said the second guard, letting her pass. Sneaking a glance up to the two hooded guards, she saw… nothing. No change in their position, they stood still like statues. It creeped her out, but she continued on nonetheless.





Once through security, the city opened up to her, and she was exposed to the full sight of everything. She had only seen the rooftops before, now she had a clear view of the buildings. Houses and stores were alive with light and ponies, pegasi were flying around and through golden arches and waterfalls, while unicorns were walking and talking together. The many businesses lining the streets sold complex and amazing items that Dasher had never seen before. 

Dasher stared with mouth agape, only slowly pulling herself from the lull of wonder. Deciding to distract herself by focusing on getting a better layout of the city, she began looking and going down alleyways and sidestreets, making sure to trace directions and take note of possible hiding spots or escape routes. Her understanding of the flow of structures grew, and after a few hours of walking, was able to create a rough mental map.

Proud of what she had accomplished, she remembered her instructions.  Rummaging through her pack again, she produced the name of a hotel. “The Prancing Puppet, huh. What kind of name is that?” read Dasher. With the help of a few passersby, she was directed to the place. Entering her booked room, she was a bit surprised to find a note half-hidden underneath a desk. Lighting a candle, she read.

 Dasher,

We hope this finds you well. You will meet with the city officials tomorrow. Do your best to inquire about the happenings of the city, and whether or not they will support us. Remember your training and your codewords for the mission. Be careful how you speak with the representatives. Good luck.

Reading over the note a few times, Dasher grabbed the candle and burnt the message. Seeing as she still had most of the day, she decided to enjoy the city and its wonders. Going out, she went to one of the shows she had seen advertised earlier. It had been a long time since she had been to a theater, and the play was gripping. The plot kick-started with the protagonist losing a few loved ones, followed by a daring escape. Many adventures afterwards, with a delightful twist at the end with an alive queen coming onto stage. She felt like she could really resonate with the pains the protagonist had, and the losses he experienced. Once the play was finished, she made her way to one of the deliteful restaurants, ordered their signature sandwich and sat at a park nearby.  

Watching a group of foals playing together on one of the playsets brought a smile to her face. Joy in these times was hard to find, and seeing foals having fun unaffected was nice. A few played tag, chasing one another, while others pushed each other down slides. One in particular caught Dasher’s eye. A young filly, flapping her wings to try and catch one of her friends. After struggling a bit, the little pegasus eventually got off the ground, flying over to reach the other filly. The first filly reminded Dasher of Moon Scoots, a young pegasus that had adored her while she was still in Ponyville. Thinking of Ponyville reminded her of her old life of being carefree and lazy. She sighed, the image of the small hamlet forming in her mind. How were ponies in Ponyville doing? Was she or Flutter Moon even remembered? How was Moon Scoots dealing without her? 

Lost in thought, Dasher didn’t notice a mare walking up to her. “Hello, I noticed you sitting over here alone and looking a bit sad. My name is Stella, Stella Moon,” said the mare, sitting down next to Dasher. Startled, Dasher’s wings flared and her hooves shot up to her face. 

Stella gazed at her curiously. “Oh sorry, yeah, I was just lost in thought. Nice to meet you, Stella Moon, the name’s Rashed,” said Dasher, rubbing her neck sheepishly. 

“I don’t think I have seen you before, Rashed. Do you have a foal playing over there?” asked Stella, pointing a hoof at the playground.

“What? Oh no... I just came here to think, and one of the foals reminded me of a filly back at home that I had to leave behind,” Dasher said somberly.

“I am sorry to hear that. It sounds that you two were pretty close?” continued the mare.

“You could say that. She was a little squirt that followed me around and idolized me. I am just thinking about what she is doing right now,” Dasher muttered, subconsciously tracing her hoof over the bench. She felt uncomfortable talking about her feelings with a complete stranger. What am I doing, I don’t know her! She clenched her teeth.

“Sounds like you are a bit homesick. If you are looking for any work, I know most of the moms in my group could use a foalsitter. They need ponies that are good with colts or fillies, if you would be interested,” said Stella, indicating the group of mares standing a few meters from them.

“Thanks for the offer, but I actually have something else to do. Maybe another time,” Dasher responded. Why is she being nice and offering me a job all of a sudden? She doesn’t know me.. Deciding to end the conversation, Dasher got up. With a bit of a pained expression at her getting up, Stella forced a smile.   

“See you around then,” she remarked as she watched Dasher leave.

How is everypony so happy all the time? Don’t they see the evilness of Nightmare Moon? thought Dasher as she trudged back to her hotel. She was slowly losing focus of where she was walking, occasionally bumping into other ponies. “Oh sorry!”  “My bad!” “I didn’t see you there.” Dasher simply mumbled an apology in return as she continued. Nopony is even getting mad at me! How is this… wait. Then it finally hit. It was a facade, it had to be! I bet it’s to attract ponies, like flies to nectar. Once caught, nopony escapes. I need to get out of here, I need to… but her train of thought was derailed as she stumbled back into the Prancing Puppet hotel. Finally reaching bed, ideas on trying to figure out what to do tomorrow swirled in her head as she fell asleep.





Okay Dasher, you got this. Do your best to convince them to support the resistance. Don’t let your emotions get in the way! thought Dasher, patiently trotting up and down the corridor that she had been directed to by the secretary. As the minutes turned into an hour, then into three, she became impatient. What is taking so long…

Eventually the door opened, and she walked through the opening. Looking around, she counted five ponies in total, sitting around a table. “Ah, Dasher, thank you for joining us,” called a grey toned pegasus with a forced smile. “My name is Titanus Moon, and I am the governor of Cloudsdale.”

“Hello. Well, since you already know my name, then you know why I--” began Dasher

“Yes, we know why you are here,” cut in Titanus Moon, shifting into more of a bored manner.

“Then… you already know my question. Do you have an answer?” asked Dasher, trying to muster an air of authority.

Everypony glared at her. “Cloudsdale has been one of the oldest cities to have ever been built. It has the largest population of pegasi, barely rivaled by Las Pegasus, and continues to grow every day,” started Titanus Moon, getting up. “Ponies come here to get away from the despair of the land, of the annoyance between petty rivalries and politics.” He cleared his throat. “Queen Nightmare Moon has given us enormous tax reductions, more land to cultivate, and has donated a large amount of bits to our cloud production. In return, we neither meddle in her affairs, nor do we need to focus on what happens on the ground.” He walked around, the other councillors nodding.

“Seriously? You know that Nightmare Moon will become a tyrant! Pretty soon, she will have you under her hoof and there will be nothing you can do to stop her,” exclaimed Dasher, barely holding herself from slamming a hoof on the table.

“So far, she has only shown us a token of her kindness. We focus on the pleasures of life, and Queen Nightmare Moon has enabled us to do so. What can the rebellion offer that she has not already given us?” asked Titanus Moon.

“When we win, we can offer you a horizon! Don’t you re--” countered Dasher.

“If, if you win. The Queen has proven she is quite powerful, and it would be suicide to oppose her. We have chosen the winning team, and you should too,” interrupted Titanus Moon, steepling his hooves together.

“So then you would gladly accept her bribes, rather than deal with the problems that are happening everywhere else? Loyalty should not be purchased!” Dasher exclaimed, looking at each of them in turn. Some of them met her gaze, while others flinched away.

“What is it to us, the happenings of the earth? Is it just for the heavens to invade what is below? If it does not affect us, it is none of our business,” said Titanus Moon coldly.

“But you have it all wrong! Nightmare Moon’s reign, unchecked, will bring destruction to us all! Can’t you see that she wants us to stay seperate, to worry about our own corner of the world?” said Dasher, slamming a hoof down in anger.

“I believe you are the mistaken one, Dasher. To answer your question, no, we will not support the rebellion. It is not our ways, it is not our problem,” Titanus Moon stated evenly.  

“Very well, but when we are victorious, we will remember who sided with whom,” retorted Dasher angrily.

“And when your little rebellion is broken and dismantled before your eyes, don’t come crying to us for protection. You have no hope against the crown,” finished Titanus Moon calmly.

“There will always be hope. Hope is the worst thing to give up in times like this. But it seems you have all come to a conclusion, good day then,” said Dasher, shaking her head before turning and leaving. Before the door closed behind her, she spotted grins on their faces, and her heart plummeted.





Dasher felt sick to her stomach. Something was missing, but she couldn't lay a hoof on it. Some essential part that should have been a defining factor, but wasn’t. Shaking her head, she played over the words that Titanus Moon had said. Coupled with the previous day’s events, Dasher was starting to question whether or not she was doing the right thing. She began wondering if the cause was worth it, if the price was high enough. She could easily run away from it all, start a new life here.

As she was turning down a street to get to her hotel, not really paying too much attention, a gruff voice called to her, “Would you please step into this alleyway?”  Mentally slapping herself for her lack of observance, Dasher looked around, seeing two ponies hidden away in an alley. Hesitating a moment, Dasher was deciding between running or fighting, when the voice called again.

“Dasher, come out of the street. We need the answer,” hissed the voice. Stepping in, she noticed that the two were hooded in a familiar cloth. “Confirmation?”

“The jail keeper has been spoken with,” replied Dasher.

“And will they let out the raven?”

“The cage has been raddled, whether they kill it or not may change. Yet they refuse to release it,” said Dasher, sadly.

“This is very concerning news. I am sorry to hear that your first mission was not successful. Your orders are to remain in the city for a quarter of a day, and then return for debriefing. Confirm?”

“Confirmed, stay safe,” farewelled Dasher, as she watched the two walk into the busy crowd on the other side of the alley. Making her way back to her hotel, she collapsed into her bed. She had failed, crying as she felt the weight of responsibility. If the resistance was unable to convince other cities to join the cause, then truly all hope would be lost.
> Chapter [9] Returns and revelations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shining Moon was looking over a map of Equestria, when a messenger came into the tent. He saluted and snuck closer to his commander, whispering in his ear. Shining slumped in his chair. “How many cities?” he asked.

“All of them, except three. Las Pegasus, Manehattan, and Cloudsdale sir. And all three have gone on lockdown,”  said the messenger bleakly.

“Any word from our spies there?” continued Shining Moon after a moment of hesitation.

“No, nothing but dead silence. Best case scenario they have gone into hiding. Worst case, killed or tortured for information of our whereabouts,” replied the messenger grimly.

“Thank you, please call in my second-in-command.” Shining returned to gazing at the map with despair. The messenger flashed him another quick salute and quickly trotted out. The unicorn ignored him.

“Dear Celestia. What are you doing, Nightmare Moon? Why act now? What are you playing at?” he mumbled, shaking his head. 

A few minutes later, an ombre orange unicorn walked in and stood at attention. “Reporting for duty,” he said.

“Good, Brisk, you are here. Nightmare Moon is making her move. Crushing the hope and spirit of every single city and town in one fell swoop. I fear that our camp may be next. I want you to double our watches, keep our eyes open, and have scouts surveilling our perimeter twenty-four-seven,” commanded Shining.

“Is an attack imminent?” asked Brisk.

“Honestly, I have no idea, but we need to be ready if it is,” finished Shining, dismissing him as well.  

He sighed as Brisk left. Standing up sluggishly, the stallion  grabbed a mirror from one of his chests. Casting the scrying spell, helocated Moon Melody fighting alongside Solar Comet. The two battled two crystalized ponies clad in full black armor. A small smile returned to his face upon seeing his marefriend disarm one of her opponents. Deciding that it was probably a bad time to communicate, he would wait to talk with her and share the devastating news.



 

“Stupid ponies, can’t they see that Nightmare Moon has full control of them already? They are just puppets on a string, mesmerized by her power and wealth,” Dasher muttered just as she opened her eyes, staring blarily into the cloudy ceiling above her head. And I failed to convince them otherwise. What a waste of time and effort. Continuing to pity herself, she decided to forgo enjoying the city. Choosing the best way to punish herself, she opted for a long journey of flying back all the way to the Unicorn Range.

She knew she shouldn’t have pushed herself this hard to get back, but she didn’t care. With her hard gaze fixed on the horizon, barely making sure she was going in the right direction, Dasher continued with her self-deprecation. You should have tried harder. You could have done better convincing them. You just flapped your gums while Titanus Moon made his points. Maybe if you hadn’t gotten caught up in all the attractions, and dug deeper into their characters, you could have completed the mission successfully.  

Spending all day talking to herself, laying blame after blame onto her failure, she continued.  Eventually, towards the beginning of the night cycle when her muscles started to ache, she reached the familiar ground. Thoroughly exhausted, she didn’t even bother to check the area. Throwing together a rushed tent, she surrendered her misery to the sweet release of sleep.

“Ow ow ow…” she moaned the following morning as she rubbed her abused wings, momentarily forgetting her anger. “Okay, note to self, never do that again.” Lying back, she reviewed what she wanted to do that day. Option one, I spend the day making my way back. The journey will probably take much longer with sore wings. And I don’t really feel like returning and accepting my failure so soon. Alternatively, I could spend today relaxing, blowing off my duties at the encampment. I am sure everything will be fine when I return.   

Choosing the latter, she got up and wolfed down a quick breakfast and began to exercise. Alternating between wing pushups, jogging around the area, and pull-ups with the help of a nearby branch that supported her weight, Dasher pushed her muscles. Yet as she was working out, anger began to boil up inside of her again. Seeing as how she was getting nowhere, she decided to let her anger out on a poor tree.

Punching it twice immediately gave her more inspiration to continue. “Stupid,” she punched, “politicians,” punch, “and their,” another punch, “stupid dilemas.” Turning around and giving the tree a good buck, something Applejack Moon had shown her how to do, she stomped off to another tree to continue her assault.

Three trees later, and covered in sweat, she collapsed. “Heh, look at me, mutilating trees,” she huffed out, panting. “I wonder what Flutter Moon would think of me now. She loved trees. I am sure this would have broken her heart.” Getting up, she felt that she was strong enough to fly, and began looking around from above for something else to do. 

Spotting a few timberwolves and a manticore fighting over a fresh kill tempted her to fight them both. Yet the manticore reminded her too much of Flutter Moon, and she decided to stave off her attack. Growing bored, she fell back into the tendency of being lazy, grabbing a cloud and pulling it to rest above her campsite. Finding it infinitely better than her rough bed, she decided to take a quick nap.  

Yet her sleep was interrupted by screeching below. Jolting awake, Dasher fervently looked around, making sure she was not under attack. Satisfied of no impending force, she briefly checked the time before gazing through the cloud to find what had disturbed her slumber. Seeing a large group of raccoons ravaging through her tent and packs, she gritted her teeth. Scrambling to get up, she broke up the cloud and descended. “Scram ,you vermin!” she shouted, shooing away the thiefs. Grumbling, she took stock of the damage. The perpetrators had taken anything of food value, running off with her cooking kits. Finding all of her bags ransacked, her papers torn into shreds and other gear with claw marks, she was glad to find that Flutter Moon’s scrapbook was undamaged. She sighed, flipping through to make sure each page was fine.

Chasing off a few more stragglers, Dasher sweeped the perimeter, hoping to find anything the filches had left behind. Returning empty hoofed and hungry, Dasher was mentally kicking herself for not securing her camp. Now with nothing to eat and still on adrenaline, she scavenged around, looking for anything edible. Remembering the raspberry bush, she was delighted to find it still held an abundance, and picked as many berries as she could. Going to bed hungry would be no fun, but she figured that a warm meal would be waiting for her back at the resistance camp.





Taking note of the familiar landmarks and the correct formation of trees, Dasher looked around as she flew on, eventually locating the clearing where she began her journey. She circled around and landed, plopping down on the ground. Nopony came to greet her. She waited, munching on a stray daisy before her muzzle, trying to figure out what to do next. Minutes ticked by as she lay there.  Groaning, she got up and trotted in a random direction. 

As she was passing a few trees, one in particular caught her eye. She would have normally breezed right past it, as it looked exactly like the others, except one key difference. While all the trees had been growing in one direction, this one was bent and faced another. Drawing closer and placing a hoof on it, she noted that the lines of bark on the tree seemed too perfect, like somepony had… Removing the hoof, she felt the familiar texture of paint on it. Duh.

Circling the lone tree, Dasher tried to figure out what she was supposed to do next, was she to buck it or knock? Opting for the latter, she thwacked the tree a little above the middle. With a resounding CLANG filling the area, an annoyed voice responded, “Alright alright, don’t get your tail knotted, who goes there? Is that you again, Moonshower?” 

“Uh, actually it’s me, Dasher. I am waiting for entry to the camp,” Dasher said, surprised. “Excuse me, but are you a tree?”

“Don’t be silly, ponies can’t be trees. Unless of course, you were cursed as a tree, then I figure--” continued the tree, before Dasher cleared her throat in annoyance. “Huh? Oh yeah, entry code words?

“Requesting entry to the huggermugger. Access level three, and would you hurry up? I am kind of hungry,” Dasher commented, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah yeah, access granted. Please wait for teleportation,” completed the voice, before being cut off. Dasher could hear some bustling and creaking then... nothing. Tapping her hoof on the ground impatiently, she waited for something to happen. After a moment, she could hear a pop and a sizzle, and then felt the world fold in on itself.

Being spit back into reality, Dasher stumbled around, before a pony came over and supported her. “You are still alive! You are Dasher, right?” exclaimed the guard as he led her off the teleportation platform.  

“Of course I am alive, why shouldn’t I be? Did something happen?” exclaimed Dasher, confused and a bit scared by his tone.

The guard's face fell. “Yeah, something big. Haven’t you heard? What was your mission?” 

“Cloudsdale. What happened?” said Dasher, panic rising in her chest.

“Cloudsdale! That's amazing! If you were able to get out and live, maybe others have too. But I don’t think I should be the one to explain everything right now,” he continued, noticing her look. “You need to go report your mission to Commander Shining Moon, as I am sure he will be happy to see you alive.”

The guard turned without another word and quickly led her to the command tent. Looking around, she noticed that everyone’s face was downcast, few sat together or talked. Others were running around while supervisors were yelling louder commands that usual. She took note of the increase of ponies keeping watch on the walls of the camp, and the jitteriness they exuded. 

She was just about to ask about the increase in security when they reached the command tent. Entering, she found Shining Moon standing next to an orange pony looking over a list of some sorts, too far for her to see. “Commander Shining Moon, sir! Dasher here reporting for duty after returning from her mission to Cloudsdale,” said the guard, a little too enthusiastically.

“At ease and dismissed. Brisk, may I have the room with Dasher please,” said Shining Moon, looking at the ombre stallion. With the guard and Brisk leaving the tent, Shining turned to look at Dasher. She saw pain in his eyes, along with bags under them from loss of sleep. “I am glad you have returned safely, Dasher, and I am sure you have many, many questions of what transpired while you were gone. But first, please tell me what happened in Cloudsdale,” he said.

Dasher went into a rapid-fire summary of the past few days’ events. Shining nodded his head when she talked about her dealing with the ophiotaurus, and equally shook his head when she spoke of her interaction with the leaders of Cloudsdale. “...and that's about it. But shouldn’t you already know all this?” she finished.

“Yes, but I wanted to hear your side of the story as well. I am sorry to find that your first mission was not successful. But don’t lose heart, as we have more precedent matters to attend to,” said Shining Moon, getting up.

“Just give me some food, and I will be ready for whatever happens. But I still want to know what happened, why is everypony so sad? Did we lose Moon Melody?” asked Dasher.

“Thankfully no, she is somewhat safe at the moment, I believe,” said Shining Moon, letting out a sigh as he glanced at the mirror on his table. “Though it is a little hard to explain, as we are still scrambling to find the full ramifications, but… well, I don’t know how to phrase this the best.” Looking up, he stared directly into Dasher’s eyes. 

“Nightmare Moon has made a move to take control of the population. By brute force, she has taken every single foal between the ages of three to sixteen, to do Celestia knows what to them.”

Dasher froze, every hair on her back rose in fear. Her mind processed the information, but came up blank. She blinked a few times, then sputtered out. “What!?”
> Chapter [10] Surprising reunions and discoveries
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Wait wait wait, so you're telling me Nightmare Moon has taken every foal between three and sixteen, everywhere?” exclaimed Dasher.

“Well, not everywhere. She, for some reason, has left three cities intact.  Cloudsdale, Las Pegasus and Manehattan, probably a token of faith from her for becoming puppets. From what you as well as our other spies have informed us of, these cities have already been taken control over by bribery, wealth or prestige. These three also had the most militaristic value, and thanks to Nightmare Moon, are out of the equation of possibly defying her,” said Shining Moon, pointing to each city's location on his map.

“So there were other cities that had the same idea as Cloudsdale. Have all of them pulled out of society?” asked Dasher, looking up.

“We don’t really know, but if Cloudsdale is any comparison, then they are probably the same, or worse. At least from what you gathered, Cloudsdale is not outright supporting Nightmare Moon. Words from the other two are not so fortunate, and we have lost contact with our operatives that have been sent there,” said Shining Moon sadly.

“Wait, other operatives? What about Moon Nettle? Was she assigned a city or town? Is she safe? Is she alright?” said Dasher anxiously.

“She’s fine, she actually returned yesterday thankfully. A bit banged up, but no worse for wear. She got caught up with a riot. Many cities have been rioting, ponies trying to get their foals back, but to no avail. Any city that causes too big of a disturbance warrants an increase of Nightmare Moon’s personal guard, the ‘hooded ones’, you know. Yet if they can’t calm down the population, then Dawn Lighter personally comes, and certain ponies disappear,” continued Shining Moon, shaking his head.

“That’s awful! Didn’t school just start up a couple months ago? Life seemed to be settling, then Nightmare Moon threw a rock. But why move now? Why have the facade of everything going back to normal, then remind everypony that she is in charge? What does she hope to accomplish?” wondered Dasher, pacing the room.

“As far as we know, she is unaware of our existence, so this was a political move to assert total dominance. What she plans to do with the foals is anypony’s guess. And her holding the lives of the innocent cripples any resistance,” said Shining Moon haggardly. 

“Do we have any intel on the possible whereabouts of the foals? That many mouths to feed will be a difficult task to mask,” pondered Dasher.

“Only a few whispers. Blue Moon has been able to supply us a solid train of information from the political happenings in Canterlot. The former prince was able to overhear plans of making an ‘Academy,’ but that was almost a year ago, and he hasn’t heard anything about it since. We had dismissed it back then, but now we are putting as many resources we can into finding where that is,” Shining Moon said, rubbing his brows.

“What was Nightmare Moon’s excuse for her move? Did anypony else know?” Dasher continued.

“We actually intercepted a few scrolls that explained everything. The gist of the message was that the foals were ‘secured, and would be re-introduced’ to society when Nightmare Moon is finished with them. The scrolls came with a few bits congratulating families for their contribution to the greater good of the country,” Shining Moon muttered, disgusted.

“That’s terrible. Do we have any idea what Nightmare Moon plans on doing with that many foals? ” questioned Dasher, hopeful and desperate.  

“Honestly, we have no idea. We are still scrambling to deal with this mess. With so many contacts going silent, we can’t get enough information to do anything. We are sitting ducks, reacting the best we can,” said Shining Moon, shaking his head again, before noticing her ragged look. “Enough questions for now. I have kept you here long enough, and I can see that you are hungry and weary from your journey. Go get some food and rest. I will inform you on a new mission soon enough,” he said, anticipating her next question. 

“Are you sure? I am ready to--” began Dasher.

“Yes yes, now go!” he commanded. 





Dasher ordered a hay burger and plopped down at a table to enjoy her hot meal. Midway through eating, she saw Moon Nettle wander in with a depressed look. Dasher tried to get her attention, but only got a few mumbled words out. Swallowing her food, she was able to call out again, “Hey Moon Nettle, over here!”

Moon Nettle’s ears perked and she looked around. Spotting Dasher, she raced over to tackle her. “You’re alive! It’s so good to see you!” she exclaimed happily, hugging her tightly.

“Aw thanks, Moon Nettle, but could you let go, I can’t breathe,” growled Dasher. Moon Nettle loosened the embrace, still smiling at her.

“When I heard that those three cities had been forcibly closed, and when most of our spies didn’t return, I feared the worst. I don’t know what I would do if I lost my friend,” Moon Nettle whispered, a few tears coming to her eyes.

“Well, I am glad I got out when I did. Even though Cloudsdale is a nice place, I don’t think I could stay there too long before I strangled somepony.” Dasher snorted. “Sadly, I was unable to convince them to support the rebellion.

“I am sorry to hear that. I was sent to Appleloosa, and was able to deal with a feud between some buffalo and the natives. Something about old stomping grounds or whatever. Since I was able to fix their friendship, the ponies of Appleloosa have pledged to support us with food and stuff,” said Moon Nettle as she sat down next to Dasher. 

“Sounds like you got all the fun. I was stuck trying to convince a bunch of aristocrats. They just talked in circles and chose ease and comfort over caring for what happened to the ponies below,” Dasher grumbled angrily. 

“Yeah, Nightmare Moon really has taken control of all of Equestria. If there was any debate before, it’s over now. I honestly don’t know what to do now,” Moon Nettle said, shaking her head.

“Cheer up, at least now there is no doubt that she is evil. We just need to stay united against her and convince others to join our cause,” Dasher exclaimed confidently. Looking down, she noticed that her food had grown cold. Before she resumed to eat, Moon Nettle got up to grab her own plate, bringing back a cup of soup and a carrot.

Placing her meal before herself, Moon Nettle began her story. “...anyway, right after I finished talking with the leaders, the hooded ones came and stole all of their foals! I helped organize a riot to get them back, but their numbers were too much, so my newfound friends helped me sneak out of the city, and here I am,” she finished, before picking up her food. “Alright, I told mine, what about you?”

So then Dasher told her everything, including how she felt about her failure. “...and spent that day mostly moping. Had some racoons pillage my food supply and then returned here. The commander told me the rest,” said Dasher, concluding her recount.

“I can’t believe you got lucky and fought an ophiotaurus! All I had to face personally was some annoying buffalo,” laughed Moon Nettle.

“At least you were successful in your mission. I only return with failure,” Dasher muttered. As they were finishing their food, a few raised voices made their way to the two of them. Swiveling her ears, Dasher, along with everyone else in the hall, focused on the disruption just outside.

“What was that?” wondered Moon Nettle as she got up.

“No idea. Best go check it out, could be something big. Anything that stirs up this camp is always important. Come on,” Dasher said excitedly, getting up and heading out.

“This better not become a regular thing,” Moon Nettle said as they both went out to see what caused all the commotion.





“--I don’t care! They shouldn't have been allowed access into the camp without higher clearance! You broke protocol in the midst of a possible attack by letting them in,” yelled Deputy Commander Brisk.

“But they were being pursued by the hooded ones! They were obviously running for their lives, and it was the right thing to do,” defended the guard, slightly cowed by his superior’s gaze. “And she had a foal with her! Both are hurt, I just couldn’t let them die!” The crowd that had formed were shouting out their opinions. Some argued that the lieutenant was right, while others defended the guard. 

“Excuse me. Excuse me! Medic coming through!” came another voice, belonging to a stallion forcibly pushing his way through the crowd. Seeing the opportunity to get closer, Dasher followed the path he made. Reaching the front, the scene that she came upon was quite surprising. 

In front of her lay prone two unconscious forms. The first she recognized as an old friend from Ponyville, while the other was a foal she didn’t know. “Applejack Moon!?” Dasher exclaimed.

“You know this pony, miss?” asked the guard.

“Yeah… she is one of my friends,” responded Dasher shakily.  

“Then I place you in charge of her until she can be taken out of this camp. She may be a liability or a spy,” said Brisk, suspicion in his eyes.

“Uh yeah, that’s fine…” Dasher muttered, trailing off as she noticed the pool of blood coming from the foal that was on Applejack Moon’s back. Looking closer, she identified him as a colt. She watched as the medic unwrapped the makeshift bandage covering his side and back. Dasher recognized the bandage as a familiar pink ribbon, now bloodstained, and her heart was gripped with fear.
> Chapter [11] Unsettling perspectives
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Piper!” came a voice. “I asked you a question. Were you paying attention?”

“Ah yes, Miss Cheery,” said Piper, turning his gaze from the window to the teacher. Looking at the chalkboard, he did the math problem in his head. “Uh, X equals four?”

“Yes, thank you for solving the equation, but I asked you to close the window you were looking through. It seems like somepony wasn’t paying attention,” Miss Cheery remarked. Piper blushed and went to close the window. Returning to his seat, he focused back on the lesson.

“Psst, are doing okay, Piper?” whispered Starfall. Piper looked to the larger colt and smiled at him. 

“Yeah,” replied Piper in an equally hushed tone, “just thinking about getting home and opening--”.”

“Boys! Please pay attention!” Miss Cheery called, tapping a hoof on her desk.

“We can talk at lunch,” Starfall whispered when Miss Cheery’s back was turned.





“Dude, you should have seen your face when you answered the problem. I think everypony in class was doing their best to hide their laughter.” Starfall chuckled, gesturing wildly with his sandwich in his magical grasp.

“Yeah, probably not my best moment. My mind has just been elsewhere today. You know that package that my parents are getting for my twelfth birthday? It’s supposed to come today!” Piper exclaimed.

“Wait, really. The package?” said Starfall, surprised. 

“Yes! The package, which contains General Nightwing and troops. I can’t wait to open it. Imagine all the adventures we will have!” Piper squeaked enthusiastically.

“Yeah, that sounds amazing,” Starfall breathed, then went into a more militaristic position, puffing out his chest. “General Piper, leading his troops valiantly into battle. Facing off the most dangerous monsters that Equestria has ever known.”

“Quit it,” said Piper, playfully poking his friend. “Just because I am the general doesn’t mean you won’t play a part.”

“Of course! Who else will advise the great general? You aren’t the only smart one here,” Starfall replied.

“Yeah, it really stinks that you were never able to get into The School for Gifted Unicorns,” Piper mumbled.

“Yeah, but I can’t pursue too big of an education. I promised my parents on their deathbed that I would take care of Gnar,” Starfall said, crestfallen. His brother was two years younger than him, and he loved him with all his heart. Every day he felt the weight of losing his parents and having to take care of themselves. 

“Hey, cheer up. You and I both know what it feels like to move from a big city to a small town like Ponyville. At least you have a sibling. It stinks being an only child and still being seen just as a little pipsqueak,” Piper huffed.

“At least you don’t have to share everything you get. Speaking of my brother, I need to go knock those two knuckleheads who are talking with him.” Starfall sighed, motioning to another table where Moon Gnar was getting into a heated conversation with two unicorns by the names of Snipper and Snailer Moon. 

With the lunchroom alive with conversation. Starfall got up from his seat and walked to the three smaller colts. When Gnar saw his brother come over, he immediately stopped talking. They were too far away for Piper to pick up any of the words that Snipper and Snailer said, but a stern stare from Starfall hushed them. It seemed like just two words from Starfall made both immediately get up and move to another table. 

Shaking his head in amazement, Piper watched in awe as his friend brought his brother over to their table. “Sorry about that, Piper. Just had to clear up something,” Starfall muttered. It seemed Gnar shared the same look of awe with Piper, as his face was stuck in an “o” expression. Starfall sat across from Piper, helping his brother up next to him. 

“Uh, no problem. What did you say to them?” Piper asked, supporting his chin with a hoof.

“Oh nothing. Anyway, Piper, tell Gnar what package you are expecting today,” Starfall said. 

“Huh? Oh yeah. I just ordered the newest figurine of General Nightwing. First in the production. Did you know that he was the son of one of the founding three pillars? He led the pegasus army in one of the greatest battles of all time,” Piper started excitedly. Gnar switched his gaze over to Piper, his eyes widening in wonder as he listened to the colt’s words.

“Yeah, and he was one of the smartest tactical generals to have ever lived,” Starfall added.

“Yeah, most of his troops were outnumbered by four or five to one ratio. Yet that didn’t stop him from achieving victory. He was one of the few pegasi that went hoof to claw with dragons. He was unbeatable on the battlefield,” Piper said proudly, clapping his white-brown hooves together.

“And you got a figurine of him?” asked Gnar. 

“Not just his figurine, I think the set comes with a good chunk of his battalion!. It should come today, and me and Starfall will get to play with him as soon as school is over,” continued Piper.

“Maybe a few hours after school. I still have some work to do over at Mr. Dravenport’s place. After I am done with him, I can swing by,” Starfall said.

“Oh yeah, I forgot. Anyway, maybe you can come too, Gnar,” Piper offered. 

“Yeah!” Gnar exclaimed happily.  





“Do you ever think of what you want to do with your life, Piper?” asked Starfall at recess. The two sat at the top part of one of the playground sets overlooking the area. Foals of all ages laughed and played with each other below them.

“Dunno. Maybe when I get my cutie mark, I can figure out what I can do,” Piper said.  “What about you?

“My life hasn’t really been going great. No thanks to Dawn Lighter,” Starfall muttered sourly.

“But your whole family tried their best to find a cure! Your brother and your mom even went to the official Canterlot library to search. Some things just can’t be helped or fixed,” Piper said, shrugging.

“Maybe, but if I was smarter or had been a little older and gone to the school, I could have saved them. I shouldn’t have put my trust in Dawn Lighter to help my parents,” continued Starfall.

“I know that it can be hard. But I am sure she was super busy and just forgot about you.” Piper patted his shoulder.

“Forgot about us, yeah. Because of her ignorance my parents are dead,” Starfall growled.

“And I am sorry about that,” Piper said quietly.

“But that doesn’t matter now, at least I have my best friend with me.” Starfall smiled, perking up. Looking around once more, he noticed a certain hooded creature surveying the area. “Hey, look over there.” He pointed. “Do you see that thing? Isn’t that one of the Queen’s ‘hooded ones’ or something?”

“Yeah, you are right. What is it doing here?” Piper craned his neck and cocked an eyebrow, curiously scanning the shady figure up and down.

“Dunno, let’s check it out,” said Starfall. As the two descended, Starfall shimmying down a poll, Piper going down a slide, they grouped back together to look around. Yet their search proved futile.    

“Huh, it must have left,” Piper remarked.

“Yeah, guess so.” Starfall nodded, though a spark of suspicion remained in his eyes.





With only a few minutes left for recess, the two looked around, trying to find something to burn the time. They came upon five ponies talking with each other, three of which faced the other two. “Hey look, it’s the CMC,” said Starfall.

“And Moon Bloom,” said Piper, his eyes going starry. It was not secret between the two that they each had a crush on the crusaders. 

“They look like they are fighting over something. Should we go over to them?” Starfall asked. 

“Are you crazy?! What if I say something stupid?” sputtered Piper.

“Come on, you need to be more fearless. Just treat them like a normal pony.” Starfall winked at him.

“Fine, let’s go see what is happening,” Piper said. As they walked over, they could pick up some of the conversation. 

“--plus she isn’t even cool anymore! I bet she locked herself in that nature pony’s house and won’t come out till she dies of old age,” snarked Moon Tiara as the two colts drew closer.

“That’s not true! Mah sister told me she had tuh leave Ponyville for something important!” replied Moon Bloom in defense.

“I don’t believe that. I bet your sister is lying to you just so she doesn’t have to tell you the truth of what kind of pony Dasher is now,” continued Moon Tiara smugly.

“Did you just call mah sister a lier!?” exclaimed Moon Bloom, stomping her hoof in indignation.

“Yeah, I bet she doesn’t trust you ‘cus you're too nosy in others' business. What was Dasher even to you anyway? She was known to be the laziest pony to have ever lived, and what kind of name is Dasher? Like a pack animal or ugly beast of burden kind of name,” said Moon Tiara, curling her lip.      

“It’s not nice to speak badly about a pony who isn’t here to defend herself,” Piper called as the two stepped beside the crusaders.

“No one asked for your opinion, blank flank,” Moon Tiara countered.

“Everypony’s opinion is important. As it seems, the four of us value his opinion just as much we value yours,” said Starfall smugly, gesturing to the crusaders.

“Yeah, nopony should be left out!” Moon Bloom cried. Piper blushed slightly at her words.

“Whatever, we have more important things to do. Later, blank flanks. Come on, Moon Spoon,” Tiara grumbled, marching off with her friend following in her wake.

“Thanks, guys. Those two can be annoying sometimes.” Moon Scoots beamed at them.

“No problem,” replied Starfall, blushing a little. “I am guessing they were picking on Dasher, since she hasn’t been seen for a long time?”

“Yeah, we haven’t heard anything from her. I asked my sister, and she told me she left Ponyville,” Moon Belle commented.

“Weird. Maybe she knows something we don’t?” Piper offered.

“I doubt it, she liked to tell me certain secrets she found. I remember when she first learned of Miss Cup’s pregnancy and wanted to prank Mr. Carrot,” giggled Moon Scoots, remembering the fond memory.  

“I don’t know. Something strange is going on. I mean, it’s been six months since the school year started. Maybe I am just on edge after seeing that hooded one,” said Starfall.

“You saw one today? Did you see what was under the hood?” asked Moon Bloom curiously.

“No, me and Starfall were at the top of the playset when we saw it. It was surveying the area or something. It’s probably nothing.” Piper waved his hoof. Though Starfall felt differently, absently stroking his chin in thought. 

“Well, no need to be paranoid. It’s not like something bad will happen or anything,” Moon Belle said nonchalantly. Then the bell rang, signaling the end of recess.
> Chapter [12] Escape from the unknown
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It seemed the school day would never end. Piper glanced at the clock every two seconds, watching the time tick by. He still had one hour left until the last lesson was over. “Now normally, most objects have three phases of matter.  Solid, liquid and gas. However, a fourth form can be achieved by heating gas to an incredibly high degree. This form is called plasma. Some unicorns are exceptionally good at controlling the first three elements. However, plasma is used quite often by pegasi, does anypony know why?” asked Miss Cheery.

Starfall raised a hoof, answering, “Would that be lightning?”

“Precisely. Well done, Starfall. Yes, lightning is a favorite among the pegasi when they control the weather. Unicorns have attempted to master the powers of lightning, but pegasi have proven to be the most capable,” said Miss Cheery. A knock on the door drowned out her lecture. 

“Excuse me, class, I wonder who is at the door?” she said. Calmly moving from the front of the room to the side door, she stuck her head out to see who had disturbed her lesson. “Can I help you?”

“Yesssss,” hissed the being in the doorway, its face covered by shadows and its hood. “We have come for the foals.” Her eyes widened upon hearing the strange serpentine voice. She looked around the hallway, noting more hooded ones lined up at doorways. They too were talking with other teachers.  

“Yes well, let me go get them ready,” she said a bit shakily, closing the door. Turning to the class, she made an announcement. “Class, please get up. Leave your bags. When I tell you to run, I want you to run! Understand?” The class was a little confused, but complied. 

Opening the door again, she tackled the hooded creature. “Run!” she yelled, wrestling the creature to the ground. Springing to action, Moon Bloom helped the other foals out of the room. Piper looked at his teacher struggling with the creature.  “Get them to safety, Piper!” yelled Miss Cheery, looking straight at him. Her frantic eyes bore into his very soul.

It seemed that the other teachers had the same idea, as multiple forms on the ground were wrestling the hooded creatures. Cloth and limbs were flailing, and foals dodged around in panic. Screams from both sides permeated the hallways. Their bulky gym teacher, Mr. Track, Piper would later remember, had successfully knocked out three hooded ones already, and was being currently dogpiled by five. Foals continued to stream out of classrooms, hoping to get away from the perpetrators. 

More hooded creatures flooded in. They quickly began scooping up the foals, knocking them out with a magically infused device. Piper didn’t stick around long enough to find out what exactly it was. “Quickly! This way!” Moon Bloom cried, leading the five of them to a window in a side corridor. 

“Alright, I have an idea. Moon Belle, work on breaking that glass! I’ll try and stand guard if anything comes at us,” said Starfall, falling into a defensive stance. “Piper, you get that direction.” He pointed to the other end of the hallway.

“Uh, yeah,” replied Piper shakily, his brain still trying to catch up with the events. He focused his attention down the hall. He gulped, keeping track of the two hooded creatures stuffing the unconscious foals in bags.  

There was a resounding crash signaling that Moon Belle had successfully broken the glass. Piper spotted a shadow from the corner of his eye. “To your left, Starfall, that thing is coming!” he shouted.

Turning, Starfall quickly charged his horn for an attack, sending a bolt of energy at the creature. It just laughed creepily. “Puny ponies. Your magic cannot defeat us,” it hissed, stalking ever closer.

“Maybe not defeat you, but I can slow you down!” shouted Starfall, casting another spell. This time, he aimed for its hooves. Ice began to grow around its front-left leg, stopping their perpetrator mid-stride. Three more bolts then finished the job. Satisfied, the colt turned around and helped push Moon Bloom out with Piper’s help. Hearing the crack of ice behind him, Starfall doubled his speed and shoved Moon Belle out of the window.

“Come on, Starfall! I think I saw another hooded creature out here! Jump out, and I’ll catch you!” called Belle Moon once she landed. As Starfall hopped out, Moon Belle  dug her hooves into the ground as she strained to hold him with her magic. 

“Crap, we gotta move fast,” Starfall whispered, touching down as he spotted another hooded one begin to approach them. Piper sat on the window, just about to jump when something grabbed his back hooves.

“Help!” he shouted. Moon Belle quickly wrapped him in her magic, trying to pull him from his attacker.

“Hold on, Piper!” she cried, straining to hold onto him. She was able to pull him a bit more forward, before losing half of him back. Going back and forth was painful, Piper’s limbs protesting. He began rising higher, the broken glass cut into his back. Crying out, he felt blood slide down his barrel. With a final tug and kick, he was freed. He slipped from Belle’s hooves, falling to the ground. Huffing, he picked himself up, then sagged under the jolt of pain in his back.  

“Here, let me help you with that,” Moon Bloom said, undoing her bow and making it into a makeshift bandage. Piper blushed at seeing her hair down. 

“Thanks,” grunted Piper, loving the attention she gave him and the feeling of her hoof on his back.

“We have to get moving. More hooded creatures could return any minute,” urged Starfall. He flicked his horn, freezing another one.

“We could go to Sweet Apple Acres! We can hide in mah sister’s barn until all of this blows over,” Bloom exclaimed.

“Sure, but we need to find cover, or we won’t make it. Maybe if we take a detour to the Everfree Forest? We can just stay within the tree line and be able to see if anything follows us,” Starfall said, nodding.





Just before they reached the treeline, Starfalled noticed his limping friend. Walking over to Piper, he placed a temporary pain nullification and healing spell on him. “That should keep you good for now. Can you still walk?” Piper nodded in reply. 

Turning to face back to the schoolhouse, Starfall paused and uttered one word. One word that would become a pivotal moment in time to come. “Gnar!” he cried, eyes wide. A chill went down Piper’s spine at hearing the distress of his friend.

“We can’t go back. We just escaped!” said Moon Scoots, shaking her head.

“I cannot leave my brother behind. We… we can split up. I’ll meet you all at the farm after I save my brother,” said Starfall shakily, already taking a few steps back.

“I’ll go with you. I know how much your brother means to you. The two of us might be able to get him out. You girls go on ahead,” offered Piper, moving to stand next to him.

All of them fell silent for what felt like an eternity. “Ah don’t like this, but ah can’t convince ya otherwise. Be safe!” Moon Bloom whispered finally. She waved her hoof as they parted ways.
> Chapter [13] Daring escapades
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Alright, now to find my brother,” said Starfall. Moving to hide behind a nearby small hill, they watched as a group of six hooded creatures move to stand just outside the forest’s edge. “Five escaped and went into the forest. Find them! We leave none behind,” came the gruff voice of their leader.   

“I don’t think we can take on three. We bought the girls as much time as we could, let’s just hope it is enough,” Piper whispered.

“Yeah. Look over there!” Starfall gestured to the playground. They watched as the creatures corralled a group of young foals into pens. “Look how many of them there are.”

“I think that’s at least a hundred of those creatures here. How did we not notice them?” exclaimed Piper, dismayed.

“They must have been scouting the area. I think I see Gnar in one of the pens,” Starfall replied.

“We have no chance against all of them. Come on. We need to make our way to the Sweet Apple Acres,” said Piper. Starfall looked at his friend with a pained look.

“I can’t leave my brother. I promised on my parent’s deathbed that I would take care of him. You go and make your way to the farm. The only way I can think of protecting him is to give myself up, and be with him,” began Starfall, getting up from their hiding spot.

“No! There has to be another way!” Piper cried, pushing him back down.

“What other way? This was all planned. I must make sure my brother is okay. I can only hope that we stay together,” Starfall choked up. “You don’t have any promises to keep. Go make sure the girls are alright. Keep them safe as best you can. Promise me that? And if you somehow escape, do your best to find a way to free the rest of us.”

“I promise,” mumbled Piper, crying. They hugged, and Starfall got up and left the treeline. Piper watched as his friend presented himself to the huge group. 

“Hey look over there! Silly colt ‘prolly thought he could take us on, huh?” called one of the guards, as Starfall feigned an attack before getting knocked out. The hooded ones dragged his limp body away.  

“I will get you free,” Piper whispered, heading back into the Everfree.





Finally arriving at the farm, Piper looked around. Checking for any indication he was being followed, he made sure to wait a few minutes behind a tree and listen. Hearing nothing , he quickly walked over to the simple house close to the barn. As Piper knocked, he began to feel light headed. Stars started forming in his vision. Shaking his head, he knocked harder. He thought he could pick out a voice, sounding far away. Was it just him, or was it hard to stand? He checked his bandage with a hoof, his vision blurred. Leaning against a rail to stable himself, Piper brought a hoof closer, inspecting it to see the red of blood. His vision darkened. “Now who in tarnation is knocking at my door at this time of the night cycle? Moon Bloom, you better not have been sent home early,” Applejack Moon called, opening the door. Expecting her sister, she gasped, finding a colt passed out, bleeding on her front porch. 





Waking up with a beating headache, Piper groggily checked his surroundings. Had he been captured? Feeling underneath himself, he ran a hoof over a soft, leathery surface, a couch? Remembering his injury, he peaked beneath his blanket to see a second white bandage looped through his leg and onto his back. The original bow that had belonged to Moon Bloom was still there, a few pieces of pink peaking out. His ears rose. He froze when he heard someone moving in another room. Looking around, he took stock that he was in a house. 

With another clanking noise, probably coming from the kitchen, Piper tried to sit up. He groaned in pain as his back sent a lightning strike of agony along his body. Lying back down, he felt another wave of nausea hit him. Tentatively poking the roof of his mouth with his parched tongue, he attempted to bring moisture back. Smacking his lips, dehydrated, he clenched his eyes shut as his headache dutifully reminded him of its new home inside of his head. 

“Here, this should help, sugarcube,” said a voice. Applejack Moon crouched and gave him a cup of water.

“Thanks,” croaked Piper, eagerly taking the drink.

“Now I know a lot has happened, but can you tell me why you showed up to my house, bleeding out on my doorstep?  And why ya have mah sister’s bow tied around your waist?” asked Applejack Moon.

“Wait, so your sister isn’t here?!” exclaimed Piper.

“Afraid not. Was she supposed to come here?” Applejack Moon said.

“Yeah. The school was attacked. The hooded ones attempted to foalnap all of us. Me, my friend Starfall and the girls escaped. We had to part ways because Starfall wanted to go back and save his younger brother, Gnar. Sadly, there were too many of them, and Starfall gave himself up in order to stay with his brother,” said Piper, turning his face away from her. A couple of tears fell down. 

“And the other three were supposed to come here? Why?” continued Applejack Moon.

“I don’t know. Your sister suggested it. Maybe she thought you could help us,” Piper muttered dejectedly.

“I told her to keep quiet about that, but yeah, I could have helped you. I am in contact with important ponies that are working against the Queen,” said Applejack Moon, shaking her head and pursing her lips.

“Wait, really? Why don’t we go to them!” Piper exclaimed.

“Yeah well, I kind of fell out with them. I wanted to keep my sister safe, and I didn’t want to risk getting in trouble. But that doesn’t matter. Right now, I bet they will want to talk with you and ask you what is going on. Tell them everything you know,” Applejack Moon finished.

“Yeah. When can we go? We were kind of hunted,” Piper said sheepishly.

“As soon as my brother returns. He went into town to go see what is happening.” The mare shrugged.

“That may not be a good idea. These hooded creatures were pretty serious, showing no mercy to their victims,” said Piper, shivering slightly.   

“My brother can handle himself, but if you are right, then we need to move soon. I’ll write a letter for him, you rest now, ” said Applejack Moon, getting up and leaving the room. Finding nothing else to do, Piper wriggled down, got comfortable and fell asleep again.





“Psst, wake up Piper,” whispered Applejack Moon, shaking him lightly. Piper groggily opened his eyes, looking around. It seemed like he had slept for only five minutes or so, but looking at the time revealed that he had rested for three full hours.

“What’s happening?” he whispered back.

“Those darn creatures have the house surrounded, cutting off our escape. They really, really want ya,” said Applejack Moon.

“But why me? I am just a normal colt from Trottingham. Why am I important?” wondered Piper. Feeling much better, he moved to get up. 

“Hush now. We need to move. Follow me,” said Applejack Moon. The two moved through the house, doing their best to make as little noise as possible. As they crouched, Piper momentarily saw a few family pictures and heirlooms hanging from the walls. If he had time, he would have asked about some of them. Yet Applejack Moon beckoned him over to a door that swung open to reveal the basement. 

“Why are we going into the basement?” he asked.

“We installed a tornado shelter a while back. We can use it to escape,” Applejack Moon said. Descending the stairs, she didn’t bother turning on any lights, as the room was aglow with moonlight. Continuing their journey, they came upon the tunnel that led outside. Doing their best to continue sneaking away, they came to the door which opened into a clearing.

“You sure we won’t get spotted?” whispered Piper as he watched Applejack Moon stick her head out.

“All clear, let’s go!” hissed Applejack Moon, stepping out. Closing the door behind them, cringing slightly at the small noise it made as the bar slid into place, Applejack Moon peered around again. Grabbing Piper and ducking to the earth floor, she held a hoof over his mouth and pointed to a hooded creature sweeping the area. Waiting until it passed, they continued to slink across the ground, hoping beyond hope that they made no sound.

Picking up the pace again, Piper suddenly felt another jab of pain in his back. Trying to mask his grunt, he tripped and landed down hard. The sentry swiveled its head, noticing the two ponies frozen in place. Just before Applejack Moon could reach it, it let out a yell. “Over here! They are making--” was all it got to say before Applejack Moon bucked it.

“Run!” Applejack Moon yelled, looking around before noticing Piper still prone on the ground. Sprinting over to him, she hoisted the colt over her shoulders and made a beeline for the forest. Bobbing her head in full gallop, she could hear cries of warning coming from all around her, following her in the trees. Doing her best to weave and dodge, she just hoped she was going in the right direction.





Pausing only for a moment to catch her breath, Applejack Moon looked around. Her ears swiveled, picking up the multiple forms still chasing her. They were probably only a couple hundred meters away from her, so she only had a few seconds to rest. Checking the unconscious Piper again, she grimaced at the bandage now undone, leaking precious amounts of blood down her sides. She inhaled as much air as she could, before starting her marathon pace again.

Finally reaching the familiar spot, she supported her weight against a tree and gasped a few times. Frantically looking around, she recognized the designated teleportation spot and tree. She knew it was against protocol to bring known enemies so close to the spot, and that the magic could be traced, but she didn’t care.   

Doing one more sweep to make sure she was somewhat alone, Applejack Moon strained her ears for anything, and heard… nothing. Coming to the tree, she banged it three times. A metal grate in the bark slid across, revealing two eyes staring back at her from within the tree. “Code words?” said a monotone voice.

“Uh… Requesting access to the huggermugger. Entry level one!” Applejack Moon exclaimed. “And make it fast!  We are being chased.”

“You know the rules, we can’t let somepony in if there are others viewing,” said the voice.

“Then send one of your agents over here! I have a foal with me!” Applejack Moon stomped her hoof.

“Very well.  Sending reinforcements,” the voice said. 

Applejack Moon heard a crack. It seemed like the remaining hooded ones had found her and Piper. Putting her back to the tree, she laid Piper behind her softly. Watching as the creatures circled her, she took her final stance, ready to buck any of them that came near. Two immediately ran to her. She twisted and bucked the first, sending it sprawling off. She ducked the second’s attempts at pinning her and sent it on its way. 
Three more were upon her. Dodging a right hook, she punched and pushed, but she couldn’t take both simultaneously. The remaining three drew closer. She tried to return their kicks, but the wall of mass was too close. Getting her legs swept from under her, she grabbed Piper. Bringing the colt closer to her, she attempted to shield him with her body. The last thing Applejack Moon could remember was the sound of one of her ribs being broken, and the crack of magic in the air, before she succumbed to the raining assault.    
> Chapter [14] Brave recognition and new ideas
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“And that’s my story,” said Piper. He and Applejack Moon had been laid carefully onto military cots. Piper had a better bandage wrapped around his waist and head. Because of Applejack Moon’s self-sacrifice, he sported only a few bruises. After being cleared by the medic, he was awoken and asked to give an account of the events that had led them to the camp. Applejack Moon had been able to give her own account when she had regained consciousness, but then was wheeled away for more extensive magical healing in another tent. 

Dasher went over and put a wing over Piper, doing her best to comfort him. “I am sorry to hear that, Piper. That sounds like a pretty traumatic experience. You were very brave,”  she said.

“Well, we all have to make our sacrifices now,” replied Piper coldly.  “Is Ms. Apple going to be okay?”

“I do not know,” Dasher muttered. “She looked pretty banged up when I saw her…” 

“Do not worry. We have some of the best doctors in all of Equestria with us,” remarked Shining Moon, patting Piper’s shoulder with a hoof. “She will be well-cared for.” A stallion in a white coat walked in through the tent flap, looking around before spotting the three.

“Hello, you must be Piper. My name is Doctor Therevex,” he said, stepping close to sit next to the colt. “I am here to take care of you. How are you feeling?”

“Okay, I guess,” whispered Piper softly. Therevex smiled at him before looking up. 

“If you do not mind, I will require that this be more of a private session. I need to do a full body check to make sure everything is in order, and I am sure Piper would like some privacy,” stated Therevex, eyeing the two warily.

“Come, Dasher, time to go now,” said Shining, picking up on the cue. “Piper is in good hooves now.” Dasher glanced at the foal. For some strange reason, the colt had begun to grow on her. She watched as Therevex pushed him down lightly, drawing a curtain to hide the two. Hearing Piper’s steady breathing from the other side, Dasher trotted out of the tent. 





Exiting the tent, Dasher noticed another pony that she didn’t recognize talking with Shining. Relief filled Shining’s face and he thanked the pony, then trotted over to Dasher. “Applejack Moon is going to be fine. Thankfully, the doctors were able to locate internal bleeding that had been filling some of her lungs and were able to heal her. She is currently at rest and in a stable condition. They are saying she should recover in a few days,” he said.

“Thank Celestia. She looked like she had been through Tartarus and back,” muttered Dasher, feeling a great weight coming off her shoulders. 

“Yes, walk with me, we have much to discuss,” he continued, starting to trot towards his personal quarters. They walked in silence, and the mare sneaked a few curious glances at Shining. He seemed to be deep in thought. “Dasher, what are your thoughts on this development?”

Dasher blinked a few times, surprised he would ask her such a question. “I do not know. Like I said earlier, Nightmare Moon continues to make moves that are completely enigmatic. I mean, why take foals? What plans does she have with them? Why keep three cities as puppet states? Why not take all the foals? So many decisions and actions that do not make sense.”

“My thoughts exactly, and what is more, what does taking the foals accomplish? Nightmare Moon already controls the population, unless the foals themselves have a certain value to her. If that is true, then we need to take extra precautions to protect Piper. He may play a bigger role in all of this. There must be a reason the hooded creatures fought so hard to capture all of them. Why not let one or two escape? wondered Shining.

“But again, to what end? From his account, he doesn’t pose any threat to Nightmare Moon. In fact, it is by complete luck that he was able to escape. I feel like it is too early to jump to conclusions,” said Dasher as they drew closer to his tent.

“You may be right, but I think we may be missing something. I will personally keep an eye on him, maybe teach him a thing or too.”

“At that age? You aren’t going to train him to be a killer!?” exclaimed Dasher, stopping and turning to him.

“No no, nothing that extreme,” replied Shining defensively, holding up a hoof. “Just some basic stuff so that he can defend himself. I am afraid nowadays everypony needs to learn how to take care of themselves. We cannot just give him back to his parents, he would not be safe there.”

“You are right on that, but how are we going to tell him that? He has already gone through so much trauma, I doubt he will be thrilled to not be able to return to his family,” said Dasher thoughtfully.

“I will be gentle, but he will have to stallion up. The world has grown cold, colder than ever. I fear that our youth will become children of war, and those that survive may not be on the right side of the fight,” growled Shining, shaking his head. 

“What do you mean by that?” asked Dasher, raising an eyebrow at his rash response 

“I mean we should be bolder. Some ideas are forming in my mind, plans of the future, of fighting back. Dasher, I may not know what to do next, but I believe I need a better understanding of our troops to make plans,” Shining began, squinting his eyes and rubbing his chin in thought. 

“And what sort of plans would that be? We can’t just go and fight, our forces are spread too thin. We would need to regroup; we still have quite a few spies that we have lost contact with. We need to find out who is still with us,” concluded Dasher awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head.   

“My thoughts exactly, the camp has been running on a skeleton crew. I want you and Moon Nettle to go assess our allies. Because of this development, ponies everywhere are running around trying to figure out what to do. I want to find out who has been caught and spilled information, and who we can still rely on. I will send somepony to give you all the information you need, and you two can go. I know you have been itching for more action,” said Shining, throwing a hoof over Dasher’s shoulder. A spark of inspiration shone in his eyes.  
> Chapter [15] Better understandings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I can’t do it anymore, Melody. I no longer know what I am doing. I wish you were here… you always knew the best course of action.” Shining sighed, sitting in his tent alone. He had been looking over a map of the land. Moving away, he glanced at his mirror, seeing his reflection. What once had been his peak physical form, was now a weary stallion looking back at him. He took note of the bags under his eyes, seeing the toll of many sleepless nights. His mane was tattered and barely combed to be presentable. The weight of attempting to stay one step ahead of their enemy was taxing him greatly. Shaking his head of some treacherous thoughts, he made his way to his bed. 

Climbing into his bed, he pulled a heavy blanket over himself and stared at the roof of the tent, with the fabric only slightly obscuring the night sky.  Thoughts and plans swirled in his head. He ran hundreds of outcomes through his mind, all of them, it seemed to him, led to their defeat and Nightmare Moon’s victory. Who am I kidding. I am no leader. I can barely manage to keep ourselves together, he thought, maybe I should focus on what Moon Melody had hoped for. Those whispers of a leader rising among us. But who?





“Are you sure this is a good idea? Commander Shining was smart enough to disperse our numbers so that our enemy won’t become suspicious with such a large group. Is it wise to gather everypony now?” asked Moon Nettle. They both were in the mess hall, going over the plan that Shining had given Dasher.

“Oh come on, Nettle! You and I both know that the resistance has been pretty lax right now in our fight back. Why not gather our forces for something huge? We could really do some damage right when Nightmare Moon least expects it,” responded Dasher enthusiastically, slamming her hoof onto the table. “I trust the commander; he has led us well so far.” 

“I trust him too, but our trust should not be given blindly when it comes to these things.”

“But come on! Where is your sense of justice? It’s time we stood up and fought back. Don’t you think we have a chance?” exclaimed Dasher.

“Of course we have a chance! I just think that we should be wise when it comes to fighting Nightmare Moon. She and Dawn Lighter have been known to do things that are erratic, I mean by Celestia, she took the foals! She is not afraid to do terrible stuff!  We just need to be prepared for anything. Who knows what other horrors they have done?” said Nettle.

“Don’t think like that,” responded Dasher, nudging her. “That just spirals into depressing thoughts. We have hope.”

“You’re right.” Nettle sighed. “Now, where to first?”





“Give this to Commander Shining. It is a medical report on Piper,” said Doctor Therevex, giving a messenger a scroll.  The messenger looked at it, then back up at the doctor.

“How is the colt? Will he be okay?” he asked.

“Marble, was it?” responded Doctor Therevex.

“Yes, sir,” said Marble

“Alright, Marble, well… just get the message to the commander. The future is looking somewhat bright for this lad. Whether the commander wishes to elaborate is up to him. And make haste, too,” Therevex commanded, dismissing the messenger.

As the stallion made his way to the commander’s tent, he contemplated opening the message, but then thought better as the commander would update the rest of the camp on what happened to the poor colt. “Courier Marble, here with a message for Commander Shining Moon,” he said, speaking to the two guards positioned outside the tent. Waiting to be admitted into the tent, Marble was surprised to find Commander Shining personally coming out to greet him. It seemed that Shining had recently taken a bath, with his mane still a bit wet. Gone were the bags under his eyes that ponies had whispered about as he stood proudly before him.   “Commander Shining,” Marble said, standing straight at attention.

“At ease, I hear you have a message for me?” Shining smiled at him.

“Yes, sir!” he exclaimed a little too loudly. “Update on Piper’s condition, sir.”

“Very good,” Shining remarked, picking up the message with his magic. “Hopefully better news of his condition.” Quickly scanning the scroll, his chipper expression faded into a sadder look. Rolling the scroll up, Shining tucked it away in his saddlebag and started making his way to the medical tent.

“Not so good news, sir?” questioned Marble.

“Sadly no, Doctor Therevex has requested my presence to give me a more detailed report. I can’t say everything is alright with the colt. I will give a better update when I have all of the details.”

“Is it really that bad?”

“He will survive, he is a strong colt. But he will have many challenges to overcome in his life now.”





“It’s hopeless!” cried Piper.

“No, it is not. Eventually, you will learn to live with your pain. Maybe one day we may be able to heal you properly, but for now, I need you to walk across the room without falling,” Doctor Therevex commanded. He supported Piper as he stood up. Letting go, he tracked the colt struggling across the room. Yet Piper only got a few steps in before collapsing again. The doctor sighed softly before beginning the process again. Three more attempts were made before Shining entered the tent. 

“We can try again later, Piper.” Doctor Therevex sighed, moving over to greet the commander. The colt breathed in, glad for the break.  

“I came as fast as I could,” Shining said, drawing closer..

“Yes, thank you. Piper, why don’t you go ahead and rest for now? . Commander Shining and I need to step out and talk for a bit, is that alright?” asked Doctor Therevex.

“Yes!” exclaimed Piper, relieved that he did not have to move anymore. As he stumbled back to his bed, Shining and Therevex calmly walked out of the room. 





Shining Moon and Doctor Therevex strolled over to a nearby picnic table and sat down. “So, how bad is it?” asked Shining. 

“Surprisingly not as bad as I thought. In laypony terms, he will suffer back pain for the rest of his life. Right now, I am helping him with some physical exercises to test his pain threshold. He is a strong colt but needs the mental mindset to get over obstacles,” began Doctor Therevex, bringing out a medical sheet. “I fear that his own failures will take hold in his mind and block him from being able to function properly. He is going through the loss of his friends and family, as well as dealing with new pain he has never experienced. It will take a long time for him to get used to.” 

“Something that I wish we all had. His predicament sounds pretty hard, but why did you ask me to come? I care about the colt’s condition, but I do not see how this pertains to me,” asked Shining.

Looking up, he noticed the camp coming to life. What had once been blue and gloomy was now alive, as a few ponies ran around and cheered as they saw Dasher and Moon Nettle leave. Glad his plan to bolster the morale had worked, he was satisfied to find that the two were off to their mission. He returned his attention back to Doctor Therevex. 

“...healing process, he should be all yours in about a few weeks. Unless of course, you already have something in mind,” concluded Doctor Therevex.

“Wait, what do you mean? How did you know I wanted to train him?” asked Shining, a bit surprised by the words.

“Don’t be silly. It’s my job to watch ponies for a living, keeping track of what they do and feel. You may have been good at hiding it, but I can see that you intend to take him under your wing. I highly recommend nothing extremely physical for maybe, two weeks at the most? By then the healers should have made ample progress,” responded the doctor, smiling gently at Shining Moon’s open jaw.

“Well… I am still trying to figure out where to begin, really. Your update on his condition has helped, but training him will be… interesting to say the least,” continued Shining.

“You have had plenty of experience with training, why, you were Captain of the Guard ,if I recall correctly. Surely you are used to shaping stallions and mares into soldiers, why not him too?” said Doctor Therevex.

“But that’s just it, those were adults, not foals. I have to completely rethink my way of teaching, just to suit his physical needs. I can’t push him hard, because he would break too easily.” Shining sighed, rubbing his temples.

“Then don’t start with anything physical. Work on his mind. Celestia knows he has enough survivor's guilt already. Beat those insecurities out first, and then… give him room to grow. Sometimes the little ones can surprise us all,” Therevex remarked coily.

“Maybe, but… how do I do that? How do I get him to focus on what is important right now, rather than the past?” wondered Shining.

“I don’t know. I am a medical doctor, not a psychiatrist.” The doctor smirked.
> Chapter [16] On the road again, with friends
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I think we should have a third member. Maybe a unicorn well-versed in magic that can get us out of a tough spot. I know you and I could hold our own, but a trio really cements the persona of an adventure, don’t you think, Nettle?” asked Dasher as they walked.

“Sounds good to me. Just as long as it isn’t a stallion. I don’t think I can feel comfortable with one sleeping with us on the road,” Moon Nettle said, catching up to her.

“Well, if you want, we could bring a certain Triton Moon.” Dasher giggled, sending Moon Nettle a sideways glance. Her friend blushed and averted her gaze. “But I agree. Any stallion would probably be more interested in the two of us, rather than the mission. I requested the best mare unicorn the camp has. I think her name is Ulla Moon, and we are going to talk with her now.”

“She better be good,” Moon Nettle muttered as they neared the meeting tent.





“What do you mean you don’t know how to teleport? Shouldn’t all unicorns learn how to teleport objects and ponies?” Moon Nettle exclaimed. The three were sitting at a table, going over the finer details of the journey. 

“Well s-sorry! I was a traveling showpony, not a teleporting maniac! I never needed to teleport anywhere, so there was no point in me learning how to,” said Ulla plainly.

“Hey, now I remember you! You were part of my initiation! You had some pretty impressive illusion magic.” Dasher exclaimed, finally grasping the memory..

“Thank you. Now I may not be able to teleport us directly to where we need to go, but I can still be quite useful. I can mask our journey, maybe even smuggle ourselves into cities under my illusions. Observe,” Ulla stated, lighting her horn. Suddenly, all three, including the table, had turned invisible.

“Impressive. How long can you hold the illusion?” asked Dasher, bringing her now undetectable hoof to wave in front of her face. She knew it was there, but her eyes saw nothing but the dirt floor.  

“For the three of us? A few hours. Half a day for a single pony. I can do much more, but illusions are what I am good at. I also have a lot of experience traveling Equestria as an old showpony,” finished Ulla, dispersing the spell.

“Well I think you would be great with us. Nettle, what do you think?” Dasher turned to her friend.

“Fine, but you carry your own stuff and don’t complain if you get into harsh conditions.  The journey ahead of us will be perilous, are you prepared for that?” asked Nettle.

“Of course! I love traveling! What could go wrong?” exclaimed Ulla. Dasher giggled, playfully shoving Nettle.

“Hey, she said it first, not me. We head out in an hour. Pack your stuff and be ready by then,” said Dasher, getting up and shaking Ulla’s hoof. 





As soon as they left the clearing, Dasher jumped into the sky and circled the area. Enjoying the wonderful feeling of being in the air, she steeled herself for a long journey of flying. Just before she rocketed east, she remembered that two other ponies below were waiting for her. Rolling her eyes at their snail speed, she landed next to the two. “Come on! I could make it there in less than two days! Why aren’t you two picking up the pace?” she complained.

“Oh hush, Dasher, we all know you are the fastest flyer in all of Equestria. But that doesn’t mean Ulla and I can keep pace with you. We’ll get there in a week or two, what’s the rush? Why don’t join in on our conversation?” Nettle explained.

Dasher harrumphed and joined them in their pace, which was surprisingly quick. “So, as I was saying. After I graduated from Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, I chose to pursue the same business that my family has always been in,” continued Ulla, hopping over a small hole.

“A showpony, right? Who in your family was the most talented?” cut in Nettle.

“Oh, that would be my father. He was, and still is, probably one of the most famous illusionists around. Jackpot Moon, my father, and his friend, Buck Moon, were the creators and performers of the Splashtastic Escape,” Ulla said casually.

“Wait, the Splashtastic Escape? As in, escape from an upside down chest, underneath water, inside of a magical whirlpool, Splashtastic Escape?” exclaimed Dasher, dodging around a bush to keep pace.

“The very same. You really need to be there to experience the full deal.” Ulla smirked.

“That show is crazy! I have always wanted to see a performance. Is it true that your dad and Buck escaped together once?” asked Dasher.

“Not just together, sometimes they would both do the same stunt. A few shows they raced, or attempted to escape at a certain exact time. I had quite the exhilarating foalhood watching them,” finished Ulla, grinning. 

Dasher would never admit it, but she was starstruck, her mouth wide open. She had heard stories of fantastic escapes, but the Splashtastic Escape took the cake. Nettle noticed Dasher’s expression, and a playful grin grew on her face. 

“Careful there, Dasher, you are drooling,” Nettle said. The pegasus promptly closed her mouth, sputtering and coughing to mask her embarrassment.  

“’Scuse me, had a leaf fall into my mouth,” Dasher said without thinking.

“Really? Tell me, do you see any trees nearby on these rolling hills we have been traversing?” goaded Nettle. Dasher could not think of any whimsical response, and looked around, trying not to meet her laughing friend’s gaze. Ulla raised an eyebrow and joined Nettle’s mirth as she watched Dasher suddenly find a very interesting rock to look at. 

“So what about you, Moon Nettle, got any interesting stories? Didn’t you just get back from Appleloosa?” started Ulla, her ear flicking in annoyance at the silence.

“Totally,” began Nettle. “So it all started with this pony getting foalnapped by a buffalo…” 





As the full moon lowered, signaling the end of the day cycle, they made camp at the base of a hill obscuring any who may be on the lookout for travelers. “This should be a good spot for now. Not that we should expect any danger, but it never hurts to be safe,” Dasher commented, looking around the area.

“So, what now?” asked Ulla.

“I am thinking,” mumbled Dasher. “Got it. I’ll scavenge around for some food and see if there are any monsters near us. Nettle, why don’t you start setting up our campground, work on erecting our tents. Maybe start a small, very small campfire for food.”

“See if you can get any wood sorrel and garlic mustard, I have been meaning to try a recipe with those two,” called Nettle as she began unpacking.

“Will do. Ulla, I want you to set up some magical wards or traps around the area, as well as a magical screen or something to hide ourselves while we are here,” continued Dasher, turning to the blue unicorn. 

Ulla nodded. “On it, I will even add a dream eater to fight off the nightmares from Queen Nightmare Moon.”

“Hey, Ulla, can you give me a hoof by lighting this fire real quick?” asked Nettle after placing a few pieces of dried wood in a circle, waving the unicorn over.      





“Alright, I found a few different plants you wanted, including wood sorrel, garlic mustard and some henbit,” Dasher said, dumping a bunch of flowers next to a crouching Nettle.  

“Thanks!” she replied, grabbing the specific three and putting the rest in one of her bags. She broke up two of the flowers and grounded up the third. Tossing a few more ingredients in the cooking pot, she tentatively sniffed and stirred. Dasher moved over to sit next Ulla, who was reading a book on transmutation of solid objects.

“Oh hey, Ulla, I didn’t take you for an egghead,” Dasher said, finding a comfortable spot. 

“Oh, just brushing up on a needed material,” answered Ulla softly, quite engrossed in the book.

“I am sure,” Dasher muttered, looking around and trying to find something to occupy her time as the two waited for their food. Dasher closed her eyes and listened to the night. Her ears picked up the soft sound of crickets in the distance. The crackling of the fire nearby and the crinkle of a page being turned. Sighing softly, Dasher smiled as she enjoyed the feeling of being on an adventure, with friends. 

“Dinner’s ready!” called Nettle, shattering Dasher’s tranquil moment. 

“Finally, I am starving,” Ulla said enthusiastically, putting away her book. Nettle withdrew three bowls and a spoon from her cooking saddlebag, dipping out three scoops, and gave the two their steaming portions. She waited anxiously as she watched Dasher and Ulla cautiously take a sip each. 

“This is really good, Nettle! Way better than me or Ulla could make with our basic training,” praised Dasher, as she took in another gulp of the delicious soup.

“Thank you. I picked up a few recipes while I was in Appleloosa, a certain buffalo brewer gave them to me. I want to try a few while we are on our journey. Don’t be afraid to critique the food, I am not perfect, and I am bound to have one or two bowls that are trash,” said Nettle shyly, beaming at the compliment. She quickly put away her cooking utensils and sat down next to the two.

“Trust me, it would be better than anything I would be able to make. I am used to living on cold rations for long periods of time from when I was traveling,” said Ulla. 

After they finished their dinner, they continued to swap stories, laughing and joking at each other's expense. Sparing a glance at the moon, Dasher’s eyes widened at the time. Getting up and rubbing a few aching muscles, she made an announcement, “As much as I hate to be a party pooper, I believe we should retire for the night. Even though I am enjoying our time, we are still on a mission from Commander Shining. Therefore, as the designated leader of this little ragtag crew, I believe we need to establish watches for the night. Four-hour periods should be enough time for all of us to rest. I will take the first watch. Ulla, you take the second, and Nettle, you can take the third,” concluded Dasher. The other two mares nodded.  

Cleaning up, Dasher helped Nettle smother the fire with a long blanket. Finishing all that was needed, Dasher wished the two goodnight and sat with her back to what remained of the heat, watching. With the dying embers finally wearing off, she made her way to the top of the hill, figuring it as the best vantage point to keep a lookout. Getting intentionally in an uncomfortable spot so that she couldn’t fall asleep, she went into a rhythm of sweeping the area with her vision, daring for something to attack. 

After a very boring four hours, she got up and passed her watch onto Ulla. “The top of the hill is probably the best spot, if you want,” suggested Dasher after she roused the unicorn. 

“Thanks.” Ulla nodded groggily, beginning her ascent upward. Dasher climbed into her own tent and promptly fell asleep.   





 “So, I have been thinking. I know that Commander Shining wants us to collect all of our forces, but then what?” asked Ulla. They had just finished another wonderful meal by Nettle that night.

“Beats me. He always has a plan. To be honest, even I do not know how many of us there are,” responded Dasher, reclining back on a blanket.

“I bet we are going to attack a major city or something. That is what I would do with everypony,” added Nettle. 

“Another thing that has been bugging me is what is happening in the north. I know that Moon Melody and the old General Comet were sent there, but what is really going on over there? Why haven’t we sent more ponies to investigate?” continued Ulla.

“If I recall, it had to do with a nation suddenly popping into existence or something. I believe Moon Melody only wanted herself and a chosen few to investigate. Something about an ancient enemy returning, and him needing to be stopped before his powerful magic could be used against us. The embodiment of evil or whatever, so that’s why she brought only those she could trust,”  answered Nettle. 

“But all of them? Why not leave a few with us? I know we could definitely use the ponypower,” grumbled Nettle.

“Why does it matter to you, Ulla? I am sure both Commander Shining and Moon Melody had their reasoning,” huffed Dasher, moving to a more upright position and looking at the unicorn.

“No reason in particular. I just find it terribly inconvenient that our best are off doing whatever, when they could be helping us,” replied Ulla defensively. 

“Well, if you want to join them up north, I am sure they could use somepony to point out their many dilemmas, as you freeze in frigid cold weather and battle whatever Celestia forsaken things are up there,” muttered Dasher. “I don’t know about you two, but I am exhausted and going to hit the hay. Wake me when it’s my turn. G’night.”  
> Chapter [17] An interesting challenge
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two weeks, two weeks they said. Every day, Piper was told to lift these weights. Hold this stretch for a period of time. Run that distance. Never complain, and never give up. Piper gritted his teeth through all of these. At the end of each session, he was always dripping with sweat and thoroughly exhausted. Doctor Therevex was a brutal taskmaster, but also incredibly kind whenever Piper failed at anything. His soothing words always gave the colt the necessary inspiration to continue.

“Get up and try again,” the doctor said softly, his ever-infinite patience evident in his features. Piper groaned, but dutifully complied. He was now no longer wearing any bandages, though he could always feel the scar on his back. Today, he was asked to bring two thirty-pound weights, nearly half his mass, across the exercise floor. 

Piper slowly made his way across. His front two hooves shaking every time he took a step, he was still satisfied at the progress. Half a week ago, he couldn’t even do twenty pounds, now, he was doing sixty. “Good… good!” called Therevex as he watched the struggling colt walk. “Almost there.”

“I did it!” exclaimed Piper in jubilee. “I made it across without falling!”

“Great job, my boy,” said Therevex as he walked over to congratulate him. 

“So this was it, right? I can go home now?” questioned Piper, looking up at the doctor.

“Not quite. I believe Commander Shining has something he wants to do with you,” responded Therevex, smiling at his innocence.





“So…” Piper drummed with his white hooves on the table before him and looked around. They were sitting outside in a clearing, on a picnic bench next to a tree. Shining was just staring at Piper from across the table, without an expression.  Piper was not sure what to expect. He was told that he was going through special training, something different than what he saw older ponies doing. However, the silence around him was starting to eat away at his patience. “When are we going to start?” he said impatiently.

“We have already started,” said Shining, still in his emotionless state of staring at Piper. The colt did not know how to respond and started lazily looking around.  Noticing something on the other side of the tree, he made to get up. “Stay.” There was no emotion in the words, just a simple command. Piper halted his movement.  Returning to his original position, he returned Shining’s stare, searching for any cracks in the mask that the commander had. Finding nothing, Piper grew bored again. 

Minutes turned into hours, as the day cycle continued, Piper laid his head down, sighing out loud to show his discomfort. After what seemed like forever, he heard a voice from behind him. “Get up.” Somehow, Shining had sneaked behind him, sitting and looking at the tree. Piper did as he was told and moved next to Shining, who was staring at the tree and the water canteen in front of it. “I want you to watch the canteen for twenty minutes,” said Shining.

“What?” Piper exclaimed, unsure of why he was doing such a stupid thing.

“I want you to watch that water canteen and not lose sight of it.”

“But why? Is it going to sprout legs and walk away? Is it something dangerous that I need to protect?” It seemed like an endless spout of questions. 

“Just watch the canteen,” stated Shining plainly, walking back to the table and closing his eyes. His horn lit up and he sat in silence. Piper turned to the canteen and looked at it, daring it to be interesting. Sadly, the canteen had another idea and sat in its unimportance. Grumbling about doing nothing, Piper got into a comfortable position and watched.

He didn’t last long, after some time, he noticed a butterfly passing through his peripheral vision. Debating in his mind why he was listening to Shining in the first place, and thinking that it must have been twenty minutes, he turned his attention to the butterfly. “Stay focused on the canteen. Your twenty minutes were not up. Try again.  Watch the canteen,” called Shining. 

Rolling his eyes, Piper returned his gaze to the canteen, deciding to just count in his head. He reached four hundred before he grew bored of doing that too. Chiding himself for his boredom, he again lost his gaze. His eyes wandered up to the tree, noticing how it was ten times more interesting than the canteen. “Focus!” exclaimed Shining. “Try again, twenty minutes.” Piper just groaned in frustration.

He failed two more times, the first with a group of ponies in formation training near him.  He turned to them to see what was going on, and with another remark and groan, he watched again. The second time was when Shining’s horn started to sputter, and sparks flew. Piper, confused and distracted, wanted to see what was happening. With Shining alleviating Piper’s confusion with a simple nod and another chide remark to stay focused, the colt once again watched.

After what felt like hours, Piper was finally able to count himself to twenty minutes. With a word from Shining, who still had his eyes closed, confirming that his twenty minutes were up, Piper jumped in jubilee, happy that he would be done with just sitting and watching an insufferable inanimate object for a silly amount of time. Opening his eyes, Shining turned to Piper. Piper, expecting some praise for--in his mind--his massive achievement, was mildly disappointed. 

“Good job. Now, I want you to do it again for another twenty minutes,” said Shining casually.

“What!?” cried Piper. “Why do I have to sit here, doing nothing but watching this stupid canteen? Why when I could be doing so much more stuff! At least physical therapy was more interesting than this.”

“Well, when you are done complaining, maybe you can tell me why you are sitting and watching a canteen in the first place. I want you to stay and watch until I come back,” said Shining, starting to walk away.

“Wait, are you just going to leave me to sit here and watch? You are crazy!” shouted Piper, his face scrunching up in irritation as he observed Shining calmly walk off to do something much more interesting than his current activity. Sitting again and watching the canteen, he started compiling reasons why it was useless to be sitting and watching. A. Stupid. Water. Canteen.

Eventually, he lost his focus, and started looking around, hoping to find something, anything to keep his mind at work. He could still follow Shining’s command of staying, but he was done looking at a water canteen. After another period of time, Piper had no way of keeping track now, he heard a fizzle and pop as Shining teleported next to him. 

“I see you lost your watch again,” he said simply.

“Well, of course! This is completely idiotic! You would have to be crazy to find staring at the water canteen interesting at all!” said Piper angrily.

“Well, I see you spent no time thinking about why you were doing the activity, but instead wasted thinking time on reasons why said activity was useless.”

“But why? What purpose does it serve for me to just watch something that is not interesting?”

“Because,” huffed Shining, irritation finally showing on his face. “If you are to learn.  You need to stay focused. A great soldier and leader needs to learn focus before they can become great in the first place.”
> Chapter [18] The dragon and the zebra
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was easy. Too easy in Dasher’s opinion. Somehow, they had met little to no resistance in their campaign of rallying their forces. Sure, there were patches of the hooded creatures patrolling the cities they visited. Yet it was comically easy to avoid them with Ulla’s illusions. They had traversed most of the land, hitting the major cities. Currently, they were in a secret meeting at Tall Tale Town. The resistance had grown surprisingly strong in the town, and the trio were quite amazed by how organized everything was. 

Dasher and her group met in an underground labyrinth, which had passageways connecting all around the city. The place originally had been an underground shelter that the citizens would flee too, should any natural disaster hit the town.  

“And you are sure it is time to gather? Commander Shining has a plan to rally our forces and openly fight against Nightmare Moon?” asked the leader of their small group, a unicorn by the name of Astral Moon.

“Yes. He told me that now was the time to unite. I may not know the details or specifics, but I am sure he has it all figured it out. He has led us well so far,” said Dasher.

“Very well, I will gather our ponies. I believe I am just waiting on…” But before he could finish, a mare came running in, out of breath. The other occupants of the room turned to see whoever had rudely interrupted their meeting.

“It’s…” huffed the mare, trying to get air into her lungs. “It's Vanhoover!” she finally wheezed out. Concern filled Astral’s face as he went over to help the poor mare. 

“What happened?” said Astral in a stern voice. The mare breathed in another wave of air.

“They took control of Vanhoover! They captured and imprisoned Arocez. Nightmare Moon has  placed hundreds of those hooded creatures around the city to guard the zebra until Dawn Lighter comes!” she exclaimed. “I was just barely able to escape, please, please help us!”

“Arocez? Who is that?” wondered Astral, puzzled at the name. He looked around for an answer. Before the mare could respond, he turned back to her and quickly ran a spell over her, checking to make sure if she was injured. Dasher coughed and walked over to him.

“I know her, she is a zebra potion master. I personally trained under her, but why would the Lunar Empire take her prisoner? And why would they seize control of Vanhoover to secure her?” pondered Dasher. The mare was finally able to catch her breath.

“She contacted her sister, who had a message of great importance, but somehow the Empire found out. We need to rescue her and get the message to Commander Shining!” the mare cried. “Will you help us?”

“Of course,” said Astral, turning to Dasher. “I can’t ask for you to join us, but any assistance you could give would be greatly appreciated. None of us really have any idea what we are up against.”

“Well, I won’t lie to you and say we are well versed in attacking a city, but we each have had our fair share of dealing with trouble. I can promise you that we will do our best.” Dasher nodded in response.

“And I bet the three of us can figure out something, right Ulla?” Nettle added playfully, looking at the magician.  

Ulla just grumbled, rolled her eyes, and pitched in as well, “Well, since I am stuck with you two, I may as well offer my help. I suggest we get moving quickly.”

“Then it is settled, I would offer my own assistance, but I am afraid I have other business to attend too. I know this is important, but I also have other ponies that are counting on me. Dasher, I will allow you to pick the best of my ponies, but I have another matter that is urgent and will require my attention for a few weeks, ” muttered  Astral, giving his best pained smile.

“It is fine, Astral, I am pretty confident in our abilities, but any help you provide will definitely give us an advantage over the enemy. By the time you get back, Arocez will be safe and sound,” stated  Dasher, smiling.





“Alright, so here is our plan of attack,” started Nettle. Word had gotten around, and nearly a hundred ponies had answered the call for help. Dasher had sifted through the numbers, choosing forty-seven that she deemed the strongest and healthiest. “Now, I know that most of you may have family and friends in Vanhoover, and I am sorry to hear that. However, I do not think we will be able to retake the city immediately.”

“Our main priority is to get Arocez out alive, whatever that may require. Our unicorns will cause a distraction while our pegasi provide air support as well as make sure nopony gets left behind. Earth ponies will lead our jailbreak run. This will be a clean operation, and if everything goes as planned, we should be able to succeed without the enemy being the wiser of our true intentions,” added Dasher.

“But what kind of distraction will we cause that will get the enemy so focused on us?” asked one of the unicorns.

“Why, we are going to have a dragon attack the city,” deadpanned Nettle matter-of-factly. . There was a wave of confusion among the group. A few blinked their eyes in surprise. Others muttered that the trio were crazy, and some cocked their heads, taken aback by the bluntness. 

“But... where are we going to get a dragon to fight for us?” inquired the same pony tentatively. 

“Well,” responded Ulla smugly, “we are going to make one.”





The following month was spent in training. Dasher taught two different groups of pegasi. The first group would fly in formation, the spell letting them appear as a dragon. But to pass as one, they had to learn its mannerisms--how it flew, roared, and attacked.  The second group Dasher designated as the relief team to help the first team if anything went wrong, or provide support to the ground team.

Ulla had a harder time coaching her team of unicorns. She divided them into three groups. One for maintaining the illusion, Ulla being the head to direct it. The second, to create the hide of the creature, which needed protection from any arrows or other projectiles the enemy could muster. The third oversaw creating fire and roars for the dragon. Powerful magic was needed to maintain a fire from a distance, and Ulla hoof picked the strongest elemental mage she could find among the group.

“No no no… you need to maintain the dragon’s roar. You cannot just cut it short like that!” huffed Ulla. She shook her head as the leader of the third group gave her a sheepish grin. “Again!”

Nettle just had the easiest job, with only a single group in charge of sieging the city. She mapped out the best path to the prison block, and worked on memorizing the layout of Vanhoover. She coordinated with Ulla’s team and marked the areas she wanted the dragon to attack and which to spare.  She also had their group keep pressure on the city. Raiding their convoys and purposely scrambling messengers to keep the Empire oblivious of their doings. They made sure that nothing escaped the city and prayed no reinforcements were on their way. 

Eventually, when all three of them were satisfied with what they saw and confident in each of their teams, they put their plan into motion.





They attacked at first light of the new moon. Nettle’s group snuck to the outer city’s east wall. Nettle and Dasher stood next to each other, ready to lead the group of twenty earth ponies into the city. Waiting patiently, the two eyed each other with stupid grins as they listened to the waking metropolis before them. 

Thud. Thud. Dasher and Nettle shivered at the sound. Raaaaawr. The dragon made its way through the sky and into view. That’s the signal, thought Dasher as she beckoned their group over the wall. With another roar and the heavy beat of wings, both Nettle and Dasher looked up to see the beauty of the beast. They had decided to go with a silver dragon, not of gigantic size, but big enough to cause enough damage and to get most of the hooded creatures distracted.

Roaring again, the dragon swooped into the main city, letting loose a burst of fire among the buildings. Cries of anguish quickly awoke the population, as the thundering of the dragon set any sane creature’s blood curdling. Shouts and pleas arose as ponies ran for their life, hoping to be spared from the abomination tearing through their beloved homes. 

Shaking themselves out of the stupor of watching,Nettle and Dasher helped the rest of their team into the city.. “This way!” shouted Nettle as she led the group through the safe zone. They zigzagged through alleyways and sidestreets. It was a pandemonium, ponies ran everywhere in hysteria as they attempted to flee. Yet Dasher and Nettle were so focused on their mission, that they paid no attention to the cries around them. They did not bother looking at the beauty of the city, nor did they marvel at its many technological advances.

Suddenly a stagecoach came into view, blocking their path. Stopping and attempting to find an alternative direction, the group finally noticed the chaos around them. “Fine, yes, go!” commanded Dasher, anticipating their questions. Their ponies began breaking up to help others, whittling down their number to twelve. 

“Don’t worry about us, commanders, we all have the city layout memorized. We can call in aid if things get too out of hoof. You just focus on getting that zebra.” One of the ponies saluted. Nettle was flattered by the gesture , while Dasher simply nodded her head before the remaining group continued. 

They maintained their course, dodging and weaving through more buildings as Dasher followed Nettle, who was in the lead with a mental map of the city. “Alright, the prison should be two blocks away, we should--halt!” the earth pony commanded as she saw a group of twenty hooded creatures marching in unison towards the direction of the dragon. Seconds ticked by as they waited for them to pass. “Alright, let’s move!”

Curiously, Dasher stopped and peaked around the corner as the hooded creature's parade came to a standstill. She let out a gasp, as she witnessed something few saw and lived to tell the tale. The group of mysterious minions of the night drew back a bit of their hoods, revealing leathery wings. She was amazed to see them stretch and curl. There were no feathers, just fleshy membranes, like on a bat’s wings. Dasher was a bit confused and even surprised when they individually jumped into the air. They can fly?  

“Come on, Dasher!” called Nettle. Dasher briefly made a mental note of what she just saw, tucking it away to dwell on later. Catching up with the rest of the group, they surveyed the area which housed the prison building. Four shaking pony guards stood at the entrance. Nettle simply raised an eyebrow at their meagerness, before she sent an equal amount to knock them out. Dragging the unconscious bodies into another building, the group were surprised to find no other resistance around them. Entering the prison, they scoped out the layout of the building. Locating the guard room, they grabbed the keyring, and began freeing the prisoners. Jeers and congratulations were given, as the now freed ponies left. “Where is Arocez?” wondered Dasher as the two continued their search. 

“Ma’ams, over here!” called one of the earth ponies. The two walked over and were surprised to find a door leading downwards. “I believe it’s the dungeons.”

“I don’t remember that there were any dungeons in the building layout. Be on alert for anything that may be down here,” said Nettle as she peered down. Tentatively poking her muzzle into the lower depths, her nostrils were immediately invaded by the putrid stench of rotten flesh. Retracting and scrunching up her nose, Nettle took a gulp of fresh air, before braving the unknown.   “It seems that there are only three cells occupied. Just Dasher and I should go down, the rest stand guard at the door,” she said after looking around. 

Stepping down, Dasher’s nose was assaulted by the odor of rotting meat. She felt a burning sensation within her nostrils and began hating every second that she was here. “Alright… Nettle, you free those two. I will get Arocez,” mumbled Dasher, pinching her muzzle and trying not to hurl. She quickly unlocked the cell before tossing the keys over to Nettle, who began working on the other two. 

Pushing the old and rusty metal gate open, Dasher dashed over to the bound zebra. Dasher ran her hooves over her friend, taking note of the blindfold, gag, and bruises along Arocez’s body. Double checking to make sure she wasn’t in critical condition, Dasher began untying Arocez. The zebra’s ears had perked up at the voices and screams from outside, and she was moving her head around to try to discern them. Dasher looked up when she heard a gasp from Nettle. Unable to see through the bars, she called,

“Everything alright?”. 

“Yeah... I am fine,” muttered Nettle from the two cells over. All Dasher could see was her shuddering, before moving on to the next cell. Shrugging, Dasher turned back to untying Arocez.   

Finishing undoing her bonds and helping her to her hooves, Dasher looked directly into the zebra’s eyes. “Hey, Arocez, we are here to rescue you. Are you good to move and run?”

“Thank you, Dasher, yes I am ready to go. I hear the roars of a dragon; tell me it is not so?” the zebra asked.

“Sadly yes, but trust me, we have it under control. Everything is going according to plan,” said Dasher confidently. She supported Arocez up the stairs, letting her rest and take a moment to breathe in fresh air. Dasher could hear her head pumping with blood, as the adrenaline was still running through her body as the two waited for Nettle. “Where is she,” muttered the pegasus as she began to pace. Arocez took a few spare glances outside through a window, watching ponies gallop  around, screaming. Eventually Nettle emerged from the wretched dungeon, alone, and with a sad and shaken look. 

“I will tell you later, but we must hurry. The dragon will destroy the building soon to cover out tracks,” mumbled Nettle, anticipating their questions and disregarding their looks. Both just nodded in response. Exiting the building, the trio met up with the rest of the group and followed back the route they came. Just as they reached a good distance away, Nettle sent up the signal, and the dragon answered. Swooping over them, it laid fire among the buildings, spreading a path of destruction behind them. It completely engulfed the entire block, burning down the prison building. 

With another roar, the simulated dragon flew up and over to the watchtowers. It unceremoniously ripped them open, sending chunks of metal and wood across the city. Suddenly, the dragon let out a cry of annoyance, as the hooded creatures decided to brave themselves against the beast. Pitifully sending spears and arrows at the silver serpent, the group attempted to find some measure to bring it down. Billowing a challenge, the dragon dived at the company, scattering their numbers by snapping them up with its jaws and letting loose torrents of flames.   

“Come on!” yelled Dasher. Their group had paused and were watching the silver dragon tear through the sky. The streets were now empty, save for occasional whimpers from ponies hiding in the protection of their homes. With Nettle leading the way back, their team met up with the other earth ponies that had stopped to help. With all of their ponies accounted for, Nettle and Dasher moved in tandem next to each other, their group following close behind.  

With dragon fire everywhere, the small company had a harder time retracing their steps. “We have been here too long! Come on!” yelled Nettle, as they made a mad scramble towards the edge of the city. “Go go go!” Finally reaching their starting point, Dasher and Nettle helped their ponies up and over the wall. With all of them safe, Dasher sent up another signal. With everyone away from Vanhoover, the silver dragon flew off into the distance with the citizens none the wiser of its true intentions.





“Do you have any idea what you have done?” said Astral angrily, staring at the two of them. “You terrorized the city, lit it on fire, harmed most of the inhabitants, and destroyed almost all of its defenses! I get back from Los Pegasus, trying to convince them that the rebellion is good and only wants to bring peace. Yet here you are, nearly obliterating Vanhoover! Do you know how hard it will be to rebuild their trust, when they find out we are responsible for all of this? Do you have anything to say for yourselves? “We got Arocez out at least. We also destroyed about a half  of the hooded creatures that were stationed there,” mumbled Nettle with her ears laid back in shame. 

“Do not give me this silver-lining crap. There were probably a few different ways of rescuing the zebra, but you chose fire and destruction!” yelled Astral, starting to rub his temples. “I can’t believe I was gone for a month, and this is what I return too!  Now, I need to rebuild relationships with the city and tell them what we did.”

“I would not do that just yet. The less they know, the better. The longer we can keep Arocez dead, the longer the Empire will be off our tails,” said Dasher.

“Fine! But right now my priority is helping the ponies of Vanhoover in their time of need,” stated Astral, walking over to Dasher. “Just know this, when we have finished helping our neighbors and do support the resistance, our allegiance will be to Commander Shining, not you.  .” Astral pushed his hoof against Dasher's chest. “You have a day to leave the city. Get out of my sight before I change my mind.”

“Come on, Nettle, let’s grab Ulla and Arocez and go,” huffed Dasher disdainfully. Swishing her tail in annoyance, she left the room with Nettle following shyly.

 Nettle watched closely as her pegasus friend circled a few times around the city, before stopping at one of the parks. Dasher, not being able to contain her anger any longer, slammed her hoof into a nearby tree. “I cannot believe the nerve of that pony! He asked us to help him, and then chewed us out when we did it our way.”

“Well, he was right. We probably could have done it in a better and safer way,” added Nettle lightly, still thinking about the previous day. The things she had seen in that dungeon. She shuddered at the memory, knowing it will haunt her for the rest of her life.

Dasher, oblivious to her friend's distress, continued, “Whatever, he obviously can’t see the bigger picture. We need to make these sorts of sacrifices if we are to win against Nightmare Moon. I think we have spent enough time here. Why don’t you get Arocez, I will fetch Ulla. Meet up back here once you have found her.” 

“Sure,” agreed Nettle, shaking her head to pull herself out the past. 

Dasher flew off into the sky. Tall Tale Town was a beautiful city in the night air. Relatively close to the coast, the city had a large export of exotic delicacies.  Since it resided in a little corner of the world, it had stayed mostly untouched by Nightmare Moon. Looking around, Dasher located the blue unicorn. Landing a few meters away, Dasher drew closer, noticing a mysterious hooded figure in an alleyway conversing with Ulla. Just as she was about to reach hearing distance, Ulla finished talking with the other pony, turned around and came face to face with Dasher.  

“Oh!” exclaimed the unicorn, blushing and averting her gaze.

“Who was that?” asked Dasher suspiciously.

“N-nopony!” said Ulla slowly. Dasher gave her friend a sideways glance, clearly not buying the lie.

“Really.” Ulla just rolled her eyes.“Fine, if you really must know, it was a messenger,” she added.

“A messenger... for what, exactly?” said Dasher, raising her eyebrows.

“I do not want to talk about it…” continued  Ulla, clearly uncomfortable and trying not to look guilty. 

“Come on, what were you doing?” prodded Dasher. Ulla just sighed.

“Okay, but please do not tell anypony else?” pleaded Ulla, looking around.

“I promise,” responded Dasher, putting a hoof over her chest.

“Well… it is my relatives. I have a... pony keeping an eye out for them. They just give me updates about them, how they are doing, and stuff. With Queen Nightmare Moon in charge, it has me a bit jumpy for their safety. Maybe I am just a little on edge over all this resistance stuff.” Ulla laughed weakly, scuffling one of her hooves against the ground.   

“Well that is nothing to be ashamed about, Ulla! I know that me and Nettle do not have as much family as you do. But that should not get in the way of trusting each other,”  

“I know, I just feel embarrassed to share my burdens with other ponies. It won’t come up again,” finished Ulla. “So what’s up?”

“Oh I was just coming to tell you that we are leaving. Nettle is getting Arocez, and then we will continue our mission. We still have a few more cities to check up on, then our mission will be complete,” stated Dasher proudly, directing Ulla back to the park. “Next stop, Fillydelphia.”
> Chapter [19] Getting stronger
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Piper was tired of watching. He had spent two weeks of just sitting and staring at the water canteen. Everyday, he begged Shining to have him do something, anything other than focusing on the canteen. Eventually, at the beginning of the third week, Shining relented and invited him to the front of a sleeping barrack. “Since you have only slightly increased in your focus, I have decided to give you a new task,” he said, ever in his calm demeanor.

“Finally!” exclaimed Piper. “Anything but just sitting and watching that water canteen.”

“Trust me, there will come a day you wish you could just sit and watch.”

“I doubt it, that is the one and only thing I will ever despise doing.” Shining just rolled his eyes, and the two of them entered the barracks. There they met an ombre orange unicorn, who Piper had seen a few times, but never had the pleasure of meeting. Looking up, the unicorn  placed a half finished apple in one of his saddlebags and stood at attention as the two approached.     

“This, Piper, is Deputy Commander Brisk Moon. He will be giving you tasks throughout the next couple of days for you to complete. If you need any help, simply ask him,” said Shining, turning around and promptly leaving them. Piper was both confused and disappointed in himself. He turned to the Deputy.

“Did I do something wrong? I know I complained a lot, but I did not want to hurt anypony’s feelings. I was just tired of looking at the dumb thing,” the colt mumbled dejectedly. Brisk just raised a single eyebrow at him before turning to the barracks.

“This place needs to be cleaned. There is a brush and a bucket in that closet over there,” he said in a clear and crisp voice, pointing out a door. “There is also a soap solution, and freshwater can be found near a pump outside. I want you to wash the floor, the door, and the front porch. When you have finished this, meet me at the next barrack.”

“But, wouldn’t a unicorn like you be better suited to do this? They could clean this place a hundred times faster than I can,” asked Piper.

“Possibly, but not everything needs to be done with magic. A horn on your head doesn’t excuse the hooves on your legs. Put them to good use, and they will serve you well. Now get to work.” 

“And I have to do this alone?”

“Well, do you really need help with this, or do you think you can do it by yourself?” Brisk remarked in a bored voice, like other ponies had asked him the exact same thing.

“I guess I can do it by myself,” said Piper, looking around the barracks. “I was just pointing out that there are better ways to…” He trailed off as Brisk had already left the room. Turning back to his task, Piper just shrugged. At least it was better than watching.





Surprisingly, Piper found doing work exponentially more fun than sitting and watching for hours on end. Still, the barracks took him five hours to clean, he was happy to have it finished. Once done with the task, Piper took a short break to rest his back. Breathing in and out, he delicately rubbed his aching muscles, before going to find Brisk. 

“Nice work, now for the next one,” Brisk stated, pointing to another barrack. Piper simply groaned before retrieving the mop and bucket and starting again. This one was much smaller, only taking about three hours. By that time, it was late in the afternoon cycle.  

“Good job. Now for your next task, you will be bringing refreshments to our trainees,” said Brisk.

“Sounds good to me. I have not had the pleasure of meeting too many ponies since I got here,” replied Piper sourly.

“Cheer up, lad, you will have plenty of time to get to know everypony.  Now then, I have two packs that I need you to carry. One contains water canteens, while the other holds  the food. I shall take the other four. We will be going into our training fields, so make sure you have your weight centered.” Brisk motioned to the six bags in question. 

Picking both up, Piper found that the canteens were considerably heavier than the food. He struggled under the weight, feeling pain shoot through his body as he was barely able to lift the packs with his hooves before dropping the two. Picking up the water pack again, he placed it towards the front of his back. The colt took a few experimental steps. Satisfied, he took in a breath, before setting the remaining bundle behind the first. Struggling now with a few steps, Piper’s legs wobbled before he eventually fell into a rhythm of walking confidently. Brisk simply glanced at Piper to make sure he was ready, before they started making their way to the fields.





With sweat running down his muzzle, Piper strained underneath the weight. Sure, it was easy to walk around on a nice flat surface. But trudging through a wet forest? He had to dodge roots and low hanging branches. Weave around trees and follow a barely visible trail. And  the mud. Blech, he thought, as one of his hooves squelched in a nearby puddle of it. What felt like an eternity trekking through the woods, only turned out to take less than an hour. Why can’t we just teleport there? If fact, where are we even? 

Twenty minutes later, he let out a gasp of surprise, as the lighter pack slipped off his back. Fearing retribution, Piper clenched his eyes shut and prepared to be yelled at for dropping it in the dirt. Yet astonishingly, he felt the package slip right back on. Opening his eyes, he found that Brisk had simply caught it with his magic and placed it onto him. Without even a word, the deputy simply moved to stand behind Piper as they continued. Letting him make the pace and keeping an eye on him should he drop anything again. Eventually, they came across a clearing, where three groups were separately at work. Each group was divided by race, with a captain and six trainees in each platoon. “I have the packs for unicorns and earth ponies. You have the packs for pegasi. Go over to the captain and inform him you have the refreshment packs, and he will direct you from there. Do as he says, and I will come over when you have finished,” instructed Brisk, before moving off to the two groups.

Making his way over to the group, Piper noticed quite a few things. The main one being that the group was extremely sweaty and smelled. They clearly had been going through a tough day of training and would be glad for refreshments. Walking towards the captain, Piper patiently waited to get his attention. Eventually, the captain noticed the colt sitting and waiting. The pegasus gave him a dirty look, his lips turning into a snarl. He sized up the scrawny colt, letting out a huff of disappointment before noting what he was carrying. Only losing the scowl, he turned towards his platoon and gave an order of rest. Stomping over to Piper, the captain continued in his annoyed state.  

“So, you are the runt that has been staring at that tree for weeks,” said the captain. 

“My name is Piper, and I was--” started the colt.

“I don’t want an excuse, runt, go give my platoon their food and drink, and get out of here. This is a place for soldiers, not lollygagging time for foals like yourself,” cut in the captain rudely. Piper just rolled his eyes and made his way over to the group. He received a much better reception from the platoon, as they each grabbed their food and drink and thanked him.  

Thinking he was finished, Piper looked to the other two groups, seeing that Brisk was still working on the second group. Eager for a rest, Piper sat down. Trying to catch his breath, he wiped away the sweat that had collected along his mane. “Runt!  What did I say about sitting around and doing nothing? Just because you could do that then does not mean you can do that now!” came the angry voice of the captain. “Get your lazy flank up and give me five two hundred-meter sprints.”

Piper got up and walked over to the captain. “Excuse me, sir?”

“You heard me. Those cones over there will be your indicator for distance. There is one hundred, two hundred and four hundred,” said the stallion, indicating the field behind his platoon.

“But, my back!” cried Piper, confused.

“I didn’t see you having any problems carrying those packs around earlier.  Right, didn’t think so. Chop chop, I have a schedule to keep up, runt!” spat the captain. Seeing that he had no other choice, Piper moved over to the field. Eyeing his destination, He tried to gauge how fast he should go, as well as how soon he would be done. Looking up and meeting the angry gaze of the captain, Piper sighed. “Come on, runt! We don’t have all day!” Mentally shrugging, he hoped he didn’t embarrass himself in front of the group that was watching. Piper moved into the starting position, stretched a little, and began.

Five sprints later, Piper collapsed in a sweaty mess. He was glad he was able to finish them all fast enough to not get yelled at anymore, but he knew that if he stayed on the ground for too long, he would probably have to do it again. Getting up and clearing more  sweat away from his eyes, Piper noticed that Brisk had finished with his task and was making his way over his group. Immensely thankful, and seeing that the captain was no longer bugging him, Piper met with Brisk halfway. 

“I see you made friends with the captain. Good, you will be in charge of bringing them refreshments for the future. Let’s head back to the camp, it is getting late in the day cycle and you have wasted enough of our time here,” stated Brisk in an almost bored tone, eyeing the sweaty colt. Piper did not even feel like defending himself. He just wanted to get back, take a shower, and feel the sweet release of his bunk and sleep.
> Chapter [20] Finding answers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Why? What were you doing? What did you find?” These questions were always on the forefront of Dasher’s mind, as she tried and failed to coax out an answer from Arocez. During their journey and every night, Dasher would attempt to breach the zebra’s defenses. Yet her striped friend would not budge, giving no reply. The only thing she let slip to Dasher was that she had completed her mission, and that it was vital she returned to Commander Shining. This only puzzled Dasher further, as she tried to grasp the significance of what Arocez had done. And why was the Empire so desperate to catch her? 

As the group made their way to the clearing that held the headquarters of the resistance, Dasher reflected over the many weeks that had transpired since her departure with Nettle and Ulla. Emotions rose and fell, as few cities gave their support to the resistance. Many had been cowed into fear and would not dare oppose the will of Nightmare Moon. Some wished to join, but had little to none resources to give and could not leave their homes behind. Even sadder, a few had grown strong in resilience, winning entire cities or settlements to the cause. Yet they had made their intentions known, and so Dawn Lighter came personally to crush any defiance to the crown. Those that got lucky only suffered a few losses as a warning. Others… Dasher stomped her hoof in rage at the memory of seeing cities and homes destroyed. Those that were brave enough and stayed anonymous pledged their support and gave the best they could. Dasher had initially declined their offers of sending troops of ponies with them, until Nettle pointed out that Commander Shining needed more. Arocez also suggested they should increase their numbers, and Ulla stayed indifferent. Mentally shrugging, Dasher allowed it, and their group grew.  

 Reaching the crest of a hill and seeing the familiar clearing below, Dasher smiled. There was this strange sense of home whenever she was within the camp. Something that just clicked when she was in a system of order. The beauty of seeing ponies living with honor and loyalty towards each other, in harmony. Walking closer, they were quickly hailed by the border sentries. Dasher, Nettle and Ulla walked up to greet a messenger that was dispatched.

“Hello! You three must be the leaders of the group that the commander sent. Come on in! It seems that your group is weary from their travels. We will get somepony to take care of you all, while I notify the commander,” said the messenger, beckoning them in.





Just as they finished settling down, Commander Shining walked up to the assembly. “Welcome everypony! I hope your journey here was well, and I am glad you all came. Please have a talk with my second in command, Brisk, and he will sort you all out,” Shining said happily, looking around before noticing Arocez. His face turned from joy into a more serious expression. “Ah, Arocez, it’s good to see you back. Come with me, we have much to discuss.”

“Oh no you don’t! I want answers, Commander. I busted my tail getting her here, and I better get a good reason for why the Empire is after her,” declared Dasher, rushing over to follow the two. Shining simply sighed before nodding his head.

“Very well. After all, it may pertain to you anyway,” remarked the stallion as they drew to his tent. 

“Wait, what?” exclaimed Dasher.   





“Alright, spill. I have so many theories buzzing in my head about what information you have, but none of them seem completely plausible,” muttered  Dasher as they entered Shining’s personal tent. She sat down and crossed her hooves, making her skepticism about what they were going to say next clear.  Arocez simply directed her gaze to Shining, seeking his approval before speaking. 

“I trust her, but be careful about how you say it,” said Shining, looking at Arocez.

“Careful about what? What do I have to do with any of this?” continued Dasher, confused.

“Understanding will come, but we haven't much time,” began Arocez as she made her way over to face the two. “In these rumors I found neither reason nor rhyme. I searched far and wide to discover the answer. It turned out to be my sister, who is a necromancer.”

“Your sister? Where can we find her? Why would she spread these rumors?” asked Shining.

“Why my sister has told these stories is unknown. She is not one to socialize, and prefers to stay alone. She and I parted ways when we came to this land. I enjoyed the forest and green, she liked the hills and sand. Though I dislike her practices, I fear we will be in need of her talent and skills. As she consults with the dead, and lives in the far west of Macintosh hills,” proclaimed Arocez.     

“Why would we need to see her?” wondered Dasher.

“The dead could see more than the living and may help us immensely in our fight against Nightmare Moon and Dawn Lighter,” offered Shining.

“We can worry about that later, I say we make haste to her location. For I fear if Nightmare Moon catches us, it would be our devastation. Our time grows shorter every day. I vote we move, get the ponies we have, and be on our way,” said Arocez.   

“I still don’t understand what I have to do with any of this,” commented Dasher. 

“That does not matter right now. Our top priority is to find your sister, Arocez, and see what information she can give us, and maybe have her join us as well,” concluded Shining.

“Wait, hold on. I still want to know why I have anything to do with Arocez’s sister,” pressed Dasher, turning to look at him.

“Well… we had received word that a leader would rise among us. Moon Melody believed that to be you,” stated Shining, rubbing his hooves together.

“Me? But, why? I don’t think I am the right pony to lead us against Nightmare Moon…” muttered Dasher, thinking about Astral’s words and the skirmish of Vanhoover. “Do you think I am?”

“I honestly don’t know. But since we now know where these rumors originated from, we may be able to hear the full prophecy--” began Shining, before flinching and halting himself. He immediately regretted his words. Dasher, however, caught the slip and perked up.

“Prophecy? No no no... I am not chasing another prophecy. The last time we did that, Flutter Moon died! She was executed for treason against the crown for attempting to steal the forbidden knowledge! How much more must we lose in pursuit of that?” Dasher said, shaking her head.

“It’s our only lead,” pleaded Shining. “Our only chance we have for hope. None of us are prepared to face Nightmare Moon, but with that prospect of knowledge, we might be fortunate enough. Or at least know what to do next at least.”

“I… I don’t know.” Dasher sighed shakily, biting her lip. The feelings of grief resurfaced, as did thoughts of Flutter Moon. Fear of making the same mistake caused Dasher to shudder. I don’t think I can go through this again, she thought as her breathing increased and she began zoning out.

“Dasher,” said Shining, jostling her slightly. “Look at me. I know you are afraid, but we need to be brave if we are to face Nightmare Moon. We cannot let our fear get in the way of doing what must be done. I cannot cower under her might. And if I need to make a sacrifice, that will be on me, not you. I need everypony to be in tandem and loyal if we are to push through this. Can you do that for me?”

“I-I guess.” Dasher sighed again, turning back to Arocez. “Your sister better be worth the journey.”  





“Alright everypony, if I can get your attention please!” addressed Shining that evening. “Dasher and her group have brought us valuable news today, along with all of you. Our next operation shall be going to the city of Appleloosa. There we will seek a potentially valuable ally and information. More will be explained when we reach the city. I can promise no safety on our journey. But I can swear to you that if we find what we are looking for, it shall be beneficial to our cause. Tonight I leave you with a choice. Join us in this expedition, or stay here and sustain our base of operation. We do not have much time, so you must make a decision by tomorrow.”  

Afterward, Dasher attempted to persuade her friends to stay behind. “Gals, I can’t ask you to join me in this. Who knows what perils lie ahead? I can’t in good conscience ask you to risk your lives again.”  

“Seriously? Nopony said that the road would be easy,” countered Nettle, crossing her legs. 

“After all, I haven’t wasted all this time saving both of your flanks, just to turn around at the first mention of danger, ” interjected Ulla.

“True, but I seem to recall you running and screaming like a little filly when you found that giant spider in your pack. Where was it again? The Whitetail Woods, I believe? The least dangerous place in all of Equestria?” Nettle chuckled. Ulla just blushed, huffed, and turned away in embarrassment. Dasher couldn’t help but crack a smile. She would never admit it openly, but she really enjoyed working with the two.

“Then it’s settled. To Appleloosa we go!” cheered Nettle.
> Chapter [21] Growing bonds, and a somewhat understanding
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Towards the start of the night, Piper enjoyed the attention. “Whoa, that's a colt!” “Where did he come from?” the new ponies would whisper whenever he passed them while helping Brisk. A few were hesitant to ask him anything, and those that were brave enough would walk up and try to talk. Piper would always look up and seek the approval from Brisk first before answering any questions the ponies had. Most of the time, it was a no. Piper was busy staying focused on carrying whatever Brisk needed him to.

Eventually Brisk freed him, and so Piper joined a crowd of ponies that had amassed. Pretty soon, they surrounded him, bombarding him with questions. A few reached out and felt his mane and back. Some did it to check if he was real, while others noted the scar running along. Piper tried to answer all their questions, but they kept pressing into him, making him uncomfortable. “Oi! Give the runt some room to breathe!” came a familiar voice. Piper smiled at the familiar captain of the pegasus platoon.

“Thank you, Crimson, sir,” said Piper happily. 
“You’re welcome runt, now go fetch me another drink. And then give me a lap when you get back!” called the captain as he pushed Piper with a wing towards the refreshment table. 

After doing what was asked of him, Piper took a slower approach towards answering questions, only talking with two or three ponies at a time. Most only cared about how he escaped and nothing more. Few kept up a long conversation afterwards, and even fewer wanted to get to know Piper better. Tired and sore from the day and wishing for a good friend, Piper trudged back to his bunk. Oh well, tomorrow is a new day, he thought as he fell asleep.

The following day, Piper was pleasantly surprised to find that he would be going along in the journey to Appleloosa. “And, I am going to start teaching you what I know. Since you have gained a little patience and some muscle, we can begin,” finished Shining. “Tomorrow we will start, right now I need to organize our group and prepare ourselves for the long trip. Pack your stuff, we leave at noon.” 

The rest of the time seemed to blur, as Piper was giddy with excitement. Not only am I going to be training under the great Commander Shining, but I also get to go to Appleloosa! Already towards the end of the day cycle, Piper found himself quite hyper and ready, drumming his little hooves against the ground as he waited for Shining to finish talking with other ponies.

Finally spotting the stallion walking towards him, the colt smiled as he took note of a small saddlebag at the side of the commander. “Alright, follow me into the forest,” said Shining as he beckoned Piper along. The two entered, Piper following Shining as they marched through. It was a relatively quiet walk, save for the usual noise of creatures scurrying and chattering about. Piper quickly got lost, and was glad that Shining was leading him. 

The duo stopped at an enormous tree, which sat within a clearing of flowers. “Pause!” shouted Shining. Piper, confused, halted and looked up at the commander. Suddenly a pony landed just ahead of them. The pegasus quickly jogged over to Shining and saluted. “We will be taking this position tonight, I wish to show Piper a few things,” stated Shining. The pegasus nodded and made his way back to the camp.

“How are we going to get up there?” asked Piper, pointing to the nest he now noticed lying in the tree. Shining simply raised an eyebrow, before teleporting the both of them up. Piper facehoofed. 

“Anyway, I wanted to show you something interesting about this area. Do you know why I have our resistance base stationed in these woods?” began Shining, motioning around them. Piper simply shook his head. “Well, I’ll give you a hint. Do you see this tree? Look around and see if you can find others like it.” Piper sweeped his gaze along the valley. It took him a moment, but he soon let out a gasp, as he saw similar trees in height relatively equally spaced apart.

“There are trees like this, scattered everywhere?” wondered Piper.

“Close, they were not scattered, but specifically placed. In fact, if you could see below the other trees, you would find similar plants planted at the base of these trees as well. These plants provide astonishingly universal uses. I won’t list every single one now, but I do plan on teaching you what most are used for. Every day, as we move our company closer to Appleloosa, I will teach you many things. These could range from battle tactics, to personal stories I have experienced, to ways in becoming a great leader and follower,” finished Shining, smiling at the sparkle in the colt’s eyes.

“But why are the trees here? And how did you know about all of this?” persisted Piper. 

“Everything will be explained in good time. As for the trees? It all started after the Great Griffin War…”      



        

“You know, I ought to give you more credit, Commander. I understand why you brought Piper along, and not just to train him. You know how to play all of your cards well,” said Moon Nettle. She and Shining were looking over the map of the area. They had been discussing all the requirements they would need in order to traverse the desert.

“Oh, and what do you mean by that?” replied Shining, attempting to stay oblivious and hiding a grin.

“Just the way you let Piper interact with all the other ponies. There are multiple reasons why, the main ones being you want them to grow attached to Piper. Helping them see a goal and a reason to fight. Most have grown cold and calculated, and young energy really helps them get out of that. And when they have a foal like Piper with them,  they will be more inclined to fight tooth and wing to make sure he stays unharmed.”

“And is that all that you see him to be?”

“No, I see him to be the makings of a great leader, but that’s your job. There is nothing wrong with what you are letting happen, I am just saying that it is working, and that I appreciate it,” finished Nettle, nodding her head in the direction of Piper playing a game with a peach colored unicorn. “I am just saying it’s good to see a happy face. Somepony that hasn’t been corrupted or experienced too much of the darkness. Sometimes I feel like we all get lost in that darkness, and that colt helps bring us out of it.”

“Yes. I can see that same darkness in myself as well. I must hold myself back sometimes when teaching him. Though I fear that if I continue, he himself will figure out that we are all broken inside,” said Shining, gazing over to the two.

“He will have to grow up sometime. Nopony is perfect, but we can still use our imperfections. “He will have to face many hardships in the future. I am just glad he has a good teacher.”

“I know, but whether he is ready for those hardships, I do not know.”

“None of us ever are, we just have to move on. Pick ourselves up when we fall and keep marching,” affirmed Nettle, smiling. “Now then, as I was saying earlier about the area…”





Dasher was stretching her wings near one of the camp fires. She had just returned from scouting the area with two pegasi and was cooling down for the day. She had sent the two off to report to Commander Shining. Enjoying the light breeze ruffling her wings, she shuddered slightly as it ran across her frame. Settling down, she noticed a certain colt happily walking by with the dumbest smile on his face, and she herself couldn’t help but smile too. 

“What’s got you so happy there, Piper?” she called.

“Oh nothing, just happy that I am making more friends,” replied Piper chipperly.

“I am sorry that you had to go through losing all your old friends,” said Dasher soberly.

“Yeah. One of them talked about you a lot. She really idolized you,” added Piper, chuckling and remembering the giddiness of a particular orange filly. 

“You talking about that squirt Moon Scoots? Yeah, she was pretty cool. I was thinking of taking her under my wing when she got a little older, a fun foal,” mentioned Dasher proudly. 

“Mhm. Sadly, I think they all got captured, same with my best friend Starfall,” said Piper dejectedly. 

“Sounds like you two were pretty close, want to talk about it? I know what it is like to lose a best friend.” Dasher put a hoof on his shoulder sympathetically. “Trust me, keeping it all in and not talking about it hurts.”

“I guess so. We were close as brothers. I had just moved from Trottingham to Ponyville and hadn’t made any friends. He had to relocate both him and his brother from Canterlot.  Since we were both new, we instantly became best buds. He was incredibly smart and would always be patient with me if I ever messed something up. He was just a good friend all around,” muttered Piper as he wandered over to sit next to Dasher. He absently pawed at the ground, while also scratching his face a bit.  “He looked out for me, you know? After his parents died, he had to be the head of his family, taking care of himself and his brother. When he came to Ponyville, he took me under his wing as well, added me to his family. My parents were always busy with work, and as an only child, I couldn’t really talk with anypony. Yet he was somepony I could trust, share secrets and thoughts with.” Piper’s ears drooped. “I am sorry to hear that. I had a best friend too. Her name was Flutter Moon, and she was the kindest pony you could ever know,” began Dasher. “We had grown up together in Cloudsdale. Ponies liked to pick on her there because she was shy, and I hadn’t known why then. Now though, with my recent visit to Cloudsdale again, I remember why I had left that place. Anyway, she was a kindred spirit and was able to communicate with every animal that she ever met. Those skills helped us when we…” Yet Dasher got lost in the memory, thinking about that fateful day. The potential of a new friendship scattered and broken. 

“When you?” persisted Piper, curious.

“Never mind. Just know that in the end, it was because of Dawn Lighter that I no longer have my friend.”

“Oh. I am sorry to hear that as well. You know my friend, Starfall? His parents had a sickness that was caused by the spell that Nightmare Moon had put on us all. Dawn Lighter was supposed to be able to heal them, but never came. I never understood what it felt like losing a loved one to Dawn Lighter. But I guess I can see better now. How the loss affected you, Starfall just had a better way of hiding it and focused on everypony else, ” mumbled Piper. Dasher laid a hoof over him and brought him closer to her.

“Yeah, pain can cause that. Each of us deal with pain differently. It sounds like your friend dealt with his pain by helping others, I wish I had that chance when I had to get over my own pain. I still carry the burden of my pain with me. But at least I have a memento of my friend. A single feather, a simple yellow feather as a reminder of what I have lost,” revealed Dasher, digging around in one of her saddlebags and bringing out the feather. “It’s funny how something so small can be so significant.”

Piper looked at the feather with a mixture of feelings, watching the light from the fire spill over it. “But hey, have I ever told you how I got my cutie mark? Well, it all started with this pair of bullies…”
> Chapter [22] The City of Appleloosa
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I believe that only a few of us should enter Appleloosa,” began Commander Shining. Their company sat along the crest of a hill, with the city of Appleloosa below.  “We do not need everypony to be there, and if too many of us are in the city at once, somepony might become suspicious. We will be making a few supply runs, but most of you must stay here. Moon Nettle and I will be looking for a buffalo tribe or caravan for us to join. We have plans and provisions to make it across the Appleloosian plains. The journey will probably be filled with many dangers. I will ask this once, and only once; is there anypony here who would like to opt out of this mission?”

When nopony answered, Moon Nettle stepped up to address them. “Since I have had the most experience with Appleloosa, I will explain a bit of their culture. They are very nomadic, and most of the ponies either live or trade with the traveling buffalo tribes.  The average value of a bit is considerably lower here than anywhere else in Equestria, as they mainly trade in goods and services. Be careful with what you say, as information is another valuable currency here. For those that do enter the city, remain inconspicuous. Try to draw as little attention to yourself as possible. The less ponies that know that we are here, the better. That’s the best advice I can give.”





“Can I go, pleeeease!” begged Piper, quite excited at the prospect of seeing the city. 

“I don’t know, it’s quite risky. I can’t just let you waltz in like you own the place. Don’t you recall how difficult it was for Applejack Moon to get you to safety the first time? The Lunar Empire may still be on the lookout for you, and I can’t risk endangering the company,” countered Shining, shaking his head.

“But I promise I will stay hidden! Maybe today is a good day to teach me how to be stealthy!” continued Piper.

“Uh-uh, don’t try and turn this into a lesson, that's my job,” quipped Shining. “And anyway, I have to meet with a tribe, remember? So you cannot come with me.” 

“What if I went with a different pony? I am sure they could keep me safe,” offered Piper.

“Very well. But you must promise me that you will stay hidden at all costs. I suppose you could ride on somepony’s back under a hood,” said Shining, pausing for a moment to think. “How about this, I believe Arocez is in need to restock her supplies. You can go with her, but only if she consents.”   

After asking Arocez, Piper jumped with jubilee at her agreement to take him. After calming down a little bit, he was allowed to lie flat on the zebra’s back as she entered the city. Being sprawled on the zebra’s back was not an easy task. Even underneath a hood, Piper tried and failed to find a comfortable position to lay.  He immediately regretted his decision as he had to constantly shift around and do it slowly so that nopony would notice.. He was unable to see around him, catching only glimpses of light that came from the front of the hood.

“Quit moving so much, little one. I still have much to get done,” whispered Arocez as she made her way to another store.

“This is no fun, why can’t I just get my own hood? I promise I won’t wander,” mumbled Piper. Getting fed up with his complaining, Arocez stopped, branched off to an alleyway and crouched down, letting Piper off.

“Stay here, and I will come back for you later. Keep well-hidden, stay out of trouble and only be a spectator,” uttered Arocez as she left him.

“Thank you!” responded Piper as he watched her trot away. Clinging to the shadows of the alley, he observed the city before him. Piper spotted some cool ponies dressed in western clothing talking and walking around the market area. He let out a gasp, as a shaggy buffalo came into view. He tracked its movement as it made its way over to a flower stall. Bending down, it sniffed the merchandise, before talking with the shopkeeper.

Piper was surprised to find that he could sit for hours and watch the bustling city of Appleloosa and its occupants. Ponies came and went, with the occasional buffalo meandering around. He was currently observing a couple talking with each other. The stallion had gone and purchased a flower and had adequately placed the gift into his marefriends’s mane. The colt smiled as he watched the two embrace and move on. 

Just as he was about to move on to another group, Piper quickly let out a gasp as three ponies made their way into the alleyway he was hiding in. “Hey, did you hear something?” came the gruff voice of a silver stallion leading the trio. He looked around the alleyway, skimming over the place that Piper was crouching in.

“Come on, Smoky, it's an alleyway… it was probably a mouse or something. I promise you, nopony knows we are here,” said another stallion as he came into view. “Now then, let’s get to business. Do you have the Moon Dust? All twenty caches?”

“Yeah yeah. Do you have the bits?” asked the same silver stallion. This is a drug deal! This is so cool, thought Piper as he stayed pressed against the wall.

“Of course. Three grand as I promised. Let me see the goods first,” responded the other stallion. Piper sneaked a peak, seeing the silver one facing the other two. The buyer had a much browner coat, with his compatriot ruffling her wings in agitation, and was nervously checking at the end of the backstreet. The silver unicorn produced a briefcase, flipping it open in the air with his magic.

“Let me see the bits now,” remarked the silver stallion as he placed the case down.

“Cinnamon, may I have the bits please?” asked the brown earth pony as he turned to the pegasus. Cinnamon’s eyes opened in fear, quickly patting down her body as she rushed to find the money. “Cinnamon…”

“Found it!” she called finally, procuring the bags with a jingle and tossing all three into the middle of the group. “Here ya go.”

“Perfect. It was good doing business with you, Smoky,” called the earth pony as he lifted up the briefcase. 

“Likewise,” said Smoky as he examined the bags, weighing them with a hoof. The earth pony and pegasus left the alleyway, with Smoky staying behind. The unicorn quickly pocketed the bits, before eyeing the passageway again suspiciously. Shrugging, he peered out of the exit, checking both ways before crossing into the busy market. Piper let out a sigh, as he found himself holding his breath during most of the encounter. That was fun. 

An hour later, Arocez came back for him. He quickly hopped back on, and the two made their way to the clearing their company presided in. Just before the zebra went off to her own tent, Piper had a question for her. “Arocez, what is Moon Dust?” he asked innocently.





After receiving a stern talking too about the use of illegal chemicals, Piper waited for the rest of the company to return.

He didn’t need to wait long, as both Commander Shining and Nettle were spotted coming towards the camp and talking with a buffalo. Shining immediately went up to speak with the colt. “I don’t trust them too much, so it's best if you make yourself scarce when we talk with the chieftain,” he said anxiously, taking a few glances back at the buffalo and Nettle. The two were idly chatting as they drew closer. “I will fill everypony in later for the exact details.” Shining shooed Piper off, as he returned to the two. And with that, Piper moved away, looking to see if he could talk with Dasher.

He found her sitting in her usual spot near the fire, talking with a unicorn he had seen before, after a quick thought, he remembered that her name was Ulla, and that she had been friends with Dasher for some time. Before he could look for somepony else to talk with, Dasher noticed him looking around and called him over to enjoy the fire.

“Sorry. I didn’t know if two would be okay if I joined you while you were talking,” said Piper politely.

“That's fine, Ulla was just saying that she believes most ponies are motivated by a fundamental desire to do good,” continued Dasher.

“Yeah. I think most ponies don’t want to be bad and just want to see the world be a better place. But sometimes they are forced to do bad stuff anyway,” added Ulla.

“Yet I think most ponies are driven by greed. Sure there are some that want to do good, but most only want to please themselves,” countered Dasher, reclining back. “From my experience, ponies just want power and money, not caring for others.”

“If you are always focusing on the bad and evil in the world, you’ll miss the good that ponies do, ” responded Ulla.

“Eh, I guess it’s up to each pony’s perspective. What do you think, Piper? What do you find motivates ponies?” asked Dasher.

“Uh… I don’t know,” mumbled Piper, surprised by the question. “I think you both are somewhat right.”

“Well, that doesn’t help,” muttered Ulla, rolling her eyes.

“No, I mean…” Piper took a moment to think. “I guess some ponies want to please others.” Like that nice stallion with his marefriend today. “While others see the world and only want to take advantage of it.” I wonder what that unicorn will do with the Moon Dust.

“And what do you think motivates you?” pondered Dasher absently.

“I…” Piper didn’t know. What am I motivated by? What is my goal that I want to achieve? he thought as his brain was stumped by the question. 

“Piper,” nudged Dasher, bringing the colt out of the depth of his thinking.

“Huh?” he replied plainly.

 “I asked you if you had fun today. Did you?” said Dasher, changing the subject.

“Oh yeah! It was a blast! I got to see the market and the western ponies and the buffalo…” Piper quickly went over the events of his time in the city of Appleloosa.

“Pfft, you shouldn’t have put yourself in danger like that during the drug deal. You could have gotten caught. I’ll have a word with that zebr-” lectured Ulla after Piper finished his account.

“That sounds awesome!” exclaimed Dasher, interrupting Ulla.

“Dasher, don’t encourage him! He could have gotten caught!” said Ulla, aghast. Dasher attempted to put on a bold face, before laughing. She secretly winked at Piper when Ulla wasn’t looking, approving his actions.





“Oh look, the chieftain is leaving,” noted Ulla, as the buffalo came into view before exiting the camp. A few minutes later, Commander Shining called for all of the camp to gather.

“Alright. We got lucky. A tribe of buffalos are resting relatively close to the town, and have offered us to join them in an expedition across the plains,” began Shining once the company had come together. “They have warned that the journey will be quite harsh and dangerous, but possible. Everything is being set in motion, as we prepare for our voyage. Any questions?”

“Uh yeah. Do we have enough resources for the trip?” “How long are we going to be traveling for?” “Has anypony seen my jacket?” inquired a few ponies.

“Yes, Nettle and I have gone over our assets and we believe we should be prepared for the crossing. The journey should take a week or two, but the tribe knows of a few shortcuts for us. That is all for tonight. We will be joining them the following morning,” finished Shining, nodding his head and dismissing them. He then walked over to Piper.      

“I talked with the chieftain, and he said that having you along won’t be a problem. They have seen the hardship that Dawn Lighter and Nightmare Moon have inflicted on the ponies of Appleloosa and are no friends of the Empire,” said Shining, patting Piper on the back. “So everything should be good, and I won’t have to resort to plan B.”

“What was plan B?” wondered Piper.

“Oh, we were going to hide you in a flower barrel or something. Glad that's not happening,” remarked Shining passively. Piper hoped he was joking. “Anyway, I think you have stayed up late enough. You will need your rest for tomorrow’s journey.”
> Chapter [23] The Appleloosian Plains
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two hours before noon, Shining directed and moved the company. Being careful not to be detected, he expertly avoided the small outpost the city had, and positioned them in the area that the buffalo tribe had described. Soon enough, the tribe was spotted drawing closer to the company.    

A few of the ponies whispered amongst themselves as they saw the approaching buffalo. Shining, noticing the nervousness of his group, decided to make first contact. “Hail the tribe of Arikara,” he called as he pushed to the front and bowed.

“Hullo the company of Shining Moon,” replied the buffalo chieftain, as he walked over to the commander and bowed in return. “I am Chief Tatanka, and I welcome you to our tribe as we voyage across the great Kreaccimund. Or the Appleloosian plains, as your kind calls it.” 

“Thank you. Tatanka, and on behalf of my company, I thank you for your hospitality. Is this all of your tribe?” asked Shining, indicating the group and bowing in return.

“It is. We were once a proud tribe in charge of keeping peace with our kind and yours, offering hospitality to any in need, and safety to those that wished to journey through our lands. Yet our outstretched hooves were not only smacked away, but our authority was dismantled. The demon Tunrida has been merciless against us, and now only thirty of my tribe remain, ” said Tatanka, shaking his head sadly.

“Tunrida? I do not think I have heard that name before,” remarked Shining curiously.

“It is a curse among my tribe. She has been named as Dawn Lighter among yours. She has withheld aid to many of the wandering tribes of buffalo and attacked those that sought to oppose her,” continued Tatanka, angrily pawing at the ground.

“Oh,” replied Shining, pain flashing across his face, “I am deeply troubled by this. If any of my company could help with the damage that our kind has done, please let us. Though if she is close to the city, then we must make haste to avoid her.”

“Thank you for your offer, but it is unneeded. We see helping others as a noble task, and we are thankful that your company would join us. As for whether Tunrida is close, we can only hope not. But enough of this talk, our journey shall take many moons, and we should move now.”





The desert plains were brutal. The constant howling wind, combined with waves upon waves of sand crashing into the forms of ponies and buffalo alike, quickly dragged the group’s spirits down. All of the company wore bandanas, yet that did little to spare their lungs from sand that always seemed to find a way in. 

The tribe of buffalo were faring much better than their pony companions. Having built up a greater immunity to the raging plains, the buffalo were sympathetic and did their best to support the rest of the company. Sharing their food and water with them, the bond between the two groups grew quickly, and the ponies found themselves quite dependent on the buffalo. 

It was interesting to see some of the traditions the tribe had, ranging from synchronously shaking off sand towards the beginning and end of each day to singing sweet hymns to their fallen ancestors during their camp time. What interested Shining the most, however, was when Chieftain Tatanka would lay his head against the ground at somewhat random intervals. When asked about this particular behavior, Tatanka would simply reply, “Sandworm.”

A few days into the journey, Shining asked what the chieftain meant by ‘sandworm’ and whether they should expect any danger. “Of course there is danger when traversing Kreaccimund. Many of the sandworms have attacked our tribes, scattering our goods and water containers. They are attracted to our movement and will attack without mercy,” stated Tatanka.

“And you think one of them is following us?” asked Shining nervously.

“Maybe more than that, but we are making good headway to the barren rocks, and that should discourage anything following us,” responded Tatanka. “Rest your fears, should one attack us, I am confident in my kind fighting it off. We have driven off a few in the past.”

“Very well, but my ponies will do the best they can to help in defending,” declared Shining confidently, before returning to his tent.

The following day, five days into their journey, a buffalo scout notified the two entourages that they would be entering a sand dune territory. What once had been scattered small slopes with patches of green, now turned into rolling hills of sand. Dramatically slowing the pace of the group, the buffalo moved much more carefully through these areas.    

“It is also a very popular ground for the sandworms to attack us from,” said Tatanka, walking beside Shining. “Even harder for my kind to stir up enough vibration to drive them off.”

“Would you like my ponies to arm themselves? We had brought armor and weapons should we need them. Is there anything more you can tell us about these sandworms? Maybe a way to kill one?”  asked Shining.

“Not anything that you may find useful, I am afraid. My kind have always respected these creatures, simply driving them off when we encounter one.  Killing one would be a mighty feat,” replied Tatanka thoughtfully.

“My ponies will do their best, but I would prefer not to lose any of your or my kind on this expedition,” continued Shining.

“Death is never an easy matter, but should we fall, none of my tribe fear death.”

“Let us hope what you have said does not come to pass,” said Shining, commanding his company to arm and prepare themselves.





Just as they passed over another dune, the sand before them shook. The buffalo stopped as each and every one of their hairs rose in trepidation. There was a momentary pause of peace, before the ground erupted. Cries escaped from a few ponies that witnessed the event. A huge burst of sand was flung in the air, blanketing most of the surrounding group and forcing them to cover their eyes. Those farther away were spared and were able to get a glimpse of the perpetrator. 

The sandworm opened its maw and let out a challenging roar, showing its rows of sharp yellow teeth, as well as an awful stench of death and decay. Black tentacles retracted from its maw, slithering about as it tasted the air. Razor-sharp purple scales shielded its body. Two black beady eyes sat atop its head. It eyed the group, before jumping back into the sand.    

“You didn’t say it was a frickin’ tatzlwurm!” screamed Shining as he ran to aid his ponies. He took a moment as his brain caught up with what his eyes just saw. Focus! Prioritize the situation! Evaluate your assets and form a plan of attack. “Unicorns to me! Rain lighting among the sands to draw it out!” Let’s see the enemy. 

Four unicorns immediately charged their horns and sent bolts of lightning into the sand. The rest soon followed, with a crackle of electricity in the air as the sands continued to move beneath them. “Pegasi to the sky! Focus on finding where it may attack next! Keep others safe and rescue any that get caught in its tentacles!” continued Shining as he began preparing a spell.

All but a few jumped into the sky and they began circling the dispersed group, letting out calls as they saw the exposed hide of the creature. “Earth ponies form a blockade! Gather together and try to keep it occupied or find a weak spot! Arocez, find Piper and any others that are not equipped to fight this and get them to safety!” yelled Shining as he released the spell, forming a shockwave that clapped and rippled through the sand.   

Even with everyone doing as they were commanded, the skirmish with the tatzlwurm was vicious. As soon as a unicorn got lucky enough to hit a particular area with a spell, their opponent would jump out of the sand, attacking any who were nearby. Fast and incredibly intelligent, the cunning worm left no time for relief with its merciless attacks. Every breach the sandworm would grab two or three ponies in its jaws and then try to dive back into the sand. A few brave and daring pegasi were able to save their fellow ponies from immediate doom, others were not so lucky, getting snatched and then immediately being crushed by the massive and powerful jaws.

The screams and horrendous sound of bones terrified the group, but Shining remained in control. “Unicorns! Form up and pour your magic into me!” he called as he began charging up another spell. Standing in a circle, Shining gathered the magic around him. Forming a claw, he let it seek out and find the tatzlwurm. The claw pulled the monster out of the ground and into the air. The commander only eyed it warily, giving no remorse as he stretched and ripped the sandworm in half. Split in two with a horrid groaning sound, the worm let out a pitiful screech as its life and viscera spilled out and onto the party below. 

The rush of battle and adrenaline slowly faded as Shining steadied his breathing. 

“Commander! Two more tatzlwurms were spotted attacking the buffalo as well as our weaker forces!” exclaimed Dasher as she landed next to Shining. He simply turned to her, wiping off a good portion of the blood before looking at her. There was a fire in his eyes that scared her deeply.

“Best to give them a friendly welcome then,” he stated as he rallied his forces towards the buffalo.     





At first, Piper didn’t know what was going on. He had chased a sand salamander over a dune and cornered it into a bush, when his ears perked up. Unsure of the raised voices and cries coming from a good distance away, Piper cocked his head in confusion.  “Piper, come here,” called a peach-colored mare, who hoisted him onto her back.

“What’s happening, Pearl?” asked the colt, clinging to her, a bit scared by the unicorn’s demeanor. 

“I don’t know, but le--” began Pearl, before the ground below them shuddered. A blast sent the two sprawling from each other. 

“Pearl!” cried Piper after he got up and looked over to his friend.   

“Stay back, Piper!” stammered Pearl timidly, frantically looking around at the shifting sands. Another rustle, and a giant sandworm breached just below the mare. 

“Pearl!” screamed Piper as he witnessed the tatzlwurm grab Pearl and dive back into the terrain, never to be seen again. “Nooo!” Running to the spot he just watched his friend get taken under, he attempted to dig into the sand. “Bring her back…” he protested weakly.

Suddenly, he was lifted into the air. “I got you, Piper,” said Dasher as she brought him closer to her chest. A moment later, two more worms breached, bringing chaos to the group. Yet reality seemed to slip as Piper’s brain attempted to deal with the shock of losing a pony right in front of his eyes. Tears pushed their way across his sandy face. He barely noticed being laid down near a group of buffalo and given a command to stay there. 

Soon enough, the buffalos with a few ponies, created a circle and began to stomp their hooves in unison. Yet that did little to stave off the two tatzlwurms from working together, breaching and snatching at ponies and buffalo alike as they whittled down their numbers. With so much mayhem happening around, Piper hunkered down and held his hooves over his head in fear, only vaguely noticing the coarse feeling of shifting sand underneath and the tight hold of Arocez above. 

Eventually, Shining’s group came into view, charging at the enemy. With a distraction on one side, the buffalo moved together and assaulted from the other. “Commander! There is a weak spot on its maw!” cried a pegasus, pointing at one of the worms. Shining quickly utilized the opening, grabbing its jaw and tentacles, twisting it with magic before impaling it through. 

With the second one dead, the whole group faced the third, ready to take it down. However, the tatzlwurm had other ideas. After smelling the death of its brethren, it slinked away into the sand.  With the rush of battle cooling off, Shining took stock of his surroundings. “Alright,” he sighed sadly, looking around. “Tend to the injured and find what’s left of the dead.” The rest of the day, the group worked together to find those that had been killed and gave them the best burial they could. Those that survived, but were injured, were given the best treatment with the limited resources the group could offer. Through it all, Shining remained stoic, and once everyone was taken care of, the group moved on, the commander never looking back once.
> Chapter [24] The Sphinx
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I am worried about the commander. He hasn’t been the same since the attack of the tatzlwurms,” whispered Dasher.  She and Moon Nettle sat next to each other by the fire. It had been a week since they were attacked. What had once been a group seventy was now fifty-four. The buffalo had lost five of their own, while their company had lost eleven. Five earth ponies, three pegasi, and two unicorns. Another pegasus had died because of blood loss, while others were able to be healed in time. Their journey took much longer than they had planned, and their resources were wearing thin.

“I know, if anypony brings up the attack, he just yells at them to be quiet. I think he is blaming himself too much. We all knew what we were getting into, and we all accepted the risk that we may not be coming back. The resistance doesn’t die with us,” said Moon Nettle. “I also think he feels the weight of our resources waning. At least our destination has come into view. Tatanka is confident that we should reach the mountains quickly, and he says that there is an oasis there.”

“There better be. I don’t know how much longer I can go when everything tastes like sand,” complained Dasher.

“Oh? And here I thought somepony had slipped chocolate into my food. Lighten up.  Tatanka says that our journey is close to being finished and that we are out of danger from any more tatzlwurm attacks,” snarked Nettle.

“Maybe no more tatzlwurms, but that storm behind us is looking quite feisty. Are you sure he said we would be safe before it hits us?” replied Dasher.   

“Yes, Tatanka already explained that those kinds of storms were natural among the plains. Though he did point out that it was unusual weather for this time of year,” pondered Nettle absently, watching the flames dance.

“Yeah, but could it be the tatzlwurms coming back for revenge?” asked Dasher fearfully.

“Doubt it. We are too close to the mountains, and we are ready to face them again out in the open,” said Nettle.

“How are you so calm? Most of us are on the edge of our nerves.”

“You forgot I was a city guard in Fillydelphia before joining the resistance.  I have had my fair share of dead bodies to deal with. We constantly had monster attacks from the Hollow Shades forest. Didn’t I already tell you this?” asked Nettle.

“You did, but I probably wasn’t listening,” quipped  Dasher, lightly hitting Nettle’s shoulder.



 

Reaching their destination, the company wished the tribe farewell. Watching as the buffalo made their way back across the plains. Nettle, along with Dasher and Arocez, approached Shining. “So, Commander, What is our next move now? The pass ahead of us is too narrow to fit the entire company, and I doubt our wounded would be able to maneuver well through it,” started Nettle.

“And our troops need rest. The resources we have here would be perfect to set up a little camp. Not all of us have the same strength or fortitude you have to keep continuing like this. I think it would be wise to stop while we have the chance,” added Dasher.  

“The path forward possibly holds dangers as well. I would not be surprised if those that have sought  my sister before have tried and fell,” added Arocez, staring up at the pass that spiralled upward. 

“Yes, well, I have considered all of this. And I have come to a decision. I am going to leave our main force here, under your supervision, Nettle,” began Shining, laying a hoof on her shoulder. 

“But--” interjected Dasher, yet Shining stopped her. Nettle simply nodded, smiling at the thought of having authority. 

“I do not plan on going alone. I knew this voyage would be dangerous, and was prepared for the loss.” Shining turned to Arocez. “I do not know what trials we may face from your sister, Arocez, but I would offer you to join me, if you are willing.” 

“I am,” the zebra stated.

“Dasher, I know you have wanted an answer as much as I, so I offer you to join me as well. You of all ponies deserve to know what is going on, and I won’t push you off to the sidelines. Will you come?”

“Of course! I haven’t traveled this far just to wait to hear second hoof,” exclaimed Dasher.

“I thought so. I also wish to bring Piper along. I--” continued Shining.

“Are you sure it would be wise to bring him along? He is young and has already been pushed pretty hard,” interrupted Nettle.

“I want to keep him by my side. I think I would have a better mindset if I knew he was safe with me, no offense, Nettle. We came here for answers, and maybe we can find some that pertain to him and why he or his generation is important. I have already made up my mind on this, please inform everypony else,” finished Shining, ending the discussion and turning back to look at the path ahead. 

As the trio left, they each mulled over what he had spoken. Nettle was a bit excited, being left in charge was pleasant enough for her. Arocez pondered what dangers lay waiting on their journey. Would her sister even see her after all these years? Dasher was beginning to feel a little trepidation at what lay ahead.  What would happen next? Would they find information crucial enough to do damage to the rapidly growing Empire? Or was it too late, and all hope was surely lost? She continued to think about these things until she bumped into Ulla, who had been nervously looking at the storm.

“Oh, hey, Ulla. The commander has decided for us to split up, he, Arocez, Piper, and I will be heading up the pass, while Nettle takes command of the company and holds our position here,” said Dasher.

“We are splitting up?  But shouldn’t we wait for the storm to pass?” asked Ulla, rubbing her hooves together and nervously glancing at the storm. Her eyes widened and her breath hitched as she attempted to consol herself.    

“I doubt a storm will stop the commander,, as he wants to get to our goal as swiftly as possible. Relax, it's just a storm. If you are super scared, you can hide behind the tree line until the storm rolls over you or something,” said Dasher, trying to calm her friend.

“No no no, we all were supposed to wait out the storm,” continued Ulla.  Dasher, confused, gave her friend a sideways glance, before being called by the commander to come over. Shrugging the comment away, she made her way back to the commander.

“We should leave as soon as possible. Nettle has addressed the company and taken over command, are you ready? I want to make good headway before the storm hits us,” said Shining. 

“Yeah yeah, I am ready to go. Do you think we should wait? It might be a good idea to wait until the storm passes us before we continue,” asked Dasher.

“No time like the present,” stated Shining, smiling for the first time in a while. “Let’s go, we are burning daylight. Err, moonlight. Celestia, that's hard to remember sometimes.” 





The hike upwards was easier than expected. After walking through the tree line, they came across a path that spiralled and scooted around the bottom corners of the mountains. The path had started out as rough and uneven, with rocks sliding down and leaving impressions. Yet the higher they climbed, the smoother the terrain became. “Interesting. These stones below us have been shaped through magic,” noted Shining absently. 

Another odd detail the group noticed was the dead silence that permeated the mountain. Other than the gusts of wind and the occasional pebble that fell and echoed around, the mountainside was lifeless. With hardened earth everywhere, it would be nearly impossible for any plant to live here. So what fascinated the group, was that towards another bend, they came across a mossy structure. One could guess that it would have resembled an arch. Yet the cut stone had probably whittled away, causing it to collapse in on itself. Only a simple sign that seemed untouched sat to the side of the crumbled structure. The group all congregated in front of the sign to see what it said. 

“Beware! Should you be a friend, be prepared to be tested as so. Should you be an enemy, turn back, or never turn again,” read Shining.

“What does that mean?” asked Piper.

“No idea. But we are coming as friends, so hopefully we can pass whatever test is before us,” said Dasher. Arocez simply stayed quiet, a bit mystified at the thought of meeting her sister. How much had she changed since the last time they met? Would she be a loving sister? Or would she have grown cold in her solitude? They continued, climbing over the ruins of the arch. Just as they were about to round another bend, Shining stopped abruptly. The other three bumped into each other behind him. 

“Hey what’s the--!” began Dasher, before Shining shushed the group. Wide eyed, he took another peek around the corner before ducking back. 

“There’s a sphinx blocking our path,” muttered Shining. “I was not expecting a sphinx. This complicates things.”

“What’s a sphinx?” asked Piper.

“Have you dealt with one before?” said Dasher at the same time.

“They are enormous mythical monsters. Their words can trap even the most powerful of ponies, and their magic is even stronger. They have only been a hypothetical scenario that I’ve had to deal with,” responded Shining nervously.  

“Do you think we could fight it? I know it’s huge, but I think the three of us could take it on,” stated Dasher confidently.

“D-do we need to fight it? Why not hear it out first?” asked Piper.

“Arocez, you have been pretty quiet through this journey, what are your thoughts?” voiced Shining.

“Agree with Piper, I do. If we could ask the guardian of my sister, it may give us a clue,” said Arocez after a moment.

“Very well, we will hear it out and then decide from there,” declared Shining. The group rounded the bend and came within sight of the sphinx. It was a captivating creature. Standing at nearly ten meters tall, the sphinx had dark eyelashes and was covered in deep red fur. Sharp jagged teeth were barely visible within its maw. It wore a simple purple nemes, and a purple band around its right front leg. It carefully watched as Shining approached. “Great guardian of this path, what must we do to pass you in peace?”

The sphinx paused, before answering him with a distant look, “To pass and consult the Medium, you must first answer my riddle. I shall choose an individual to ask.  Should they be unable to answer, I shall let them turn back. Should they fail, their life is forfeit.” Shining bowed, then returned to the group.

“Do we continue?” asked Shining.

“We haven’t traveled this far just to turn around now,” said Dasher.

“And should one of us fall, we can only come back and get more. Fight her and settle our score,” added Arocez. 

“Then it is decided, just remember, the sphinx’s questions are very simple, we just over complicate them,” announced Shining, before returning to the beast. “We agree, choose your pony.”

The sphinx paused again, looking at each one of them in turn before speaking, “The youngest of your group. Let Piper come forward and be tested.”

“No,” said Shining, shaking his head, “I can’t let you have him.” The sphinx’s posture changed immediately. It leapt up, baring its teeth at the group. It rose on two legs and roared.  

“You dare defy me?!” it exclaimed, slamming its paws into the ground and shaking the mountains. Shining winced, but stood his ground.

“His life is in my hooves, ask me instead,” he said. 

“Your time for self-sacrifice has not come, step aside and let the colt be asked!”  boomed the Sphinx. The dark swirls beneath her eyes glowed, and she shoved Shining back with her magic.  Piper reluctantly stepped forward, heart pounding, waiting for the anvil to drop.

“No!” shouted Shining, making another attempt to stand in front of the colt. Yet he was stopped in his tracks, as the sphinx erected a barrier between the three and Piper. Shining slammed into the force field, desperate to try and stop Piper. 

“It’s okay, Shining,” the colt said hesitantly, giving a forced smile before walking closer to the Sphinx. “Ask the riddle, should I be unable to answer, we shall turn back,” Piper mustered, trying to sound brave. The sphinx changed its demeanor from anger to a more tranquil state as it watched Piper. It bent down till it was face to face with the colt, as it looked at him with its great yellow eyes. It purred softly before speaking.   

“We hurt without moving. We poison without touching. We bear the truth and the lies.  We are not to be judged by our size. What are we?” said the sphinx. Piper paused.

“C-could you repeat it? Slower though?” he asked politely. The sphinx bowed, with a slight smirk, and repeated the riddle. Piper thought about it. He considered their journey, and those that had lost their lives for this to succeed. He thought about all of the events leading up to this moment, and how crucial it was for him to get this right. He considered his options. He was never the smartest, and the words of the riddle were enigmatic. Wait, he thought, words! But could it have been that simple? Maybe it was an opinion? Or could it be something else? He decided to go with his gut and take a chance with his first choice.

“You are simply words,” Piper responded, hoping beyond hope that he was correct.  The sphinx paused for what seemed for like an eternity, before bowing its head again. 

“You are correct,” stated the sphinx. Satisfied with Piper’s victory, the sphinx lowered the barrier, letting the group congratulate Piper. Then the sphinx addressed all of them, “Now, since you have answered my riddle, let me tell you of myself and why I am here, as it pertains for your future. Long ago, I, Fate, once was a proud creature, and hated ponykind. One day, a pony stood up to my wrath and defeated my words. In my anger, I fled. And with my anger, I brought wrath to not only others, but to myself as well. A powerful unicorn came along, and stopped me in my rampage. Rather than kill me, he was merciful and placed a spell on me to never see again. Forcing a once proud creature to roam the world blind. 

“Yet one day, I came across the same medium that you seek. She repaired my vision, but not as you would think. She gave me a vision of the future and the bloodshed that is to come. I, in grace, protect her from those that wish to take control of her knowledge and power. Giving tests and warnings of my own such as now. So, I compel you all, do not go to her. If you do, you will cement what is to come. Instead, move beyond her dwelling place. There is a place behind her door for you to pass over. Once over, you can find a way to escape the coming storm,” finished the sphinx. 

“We cannot just throw away the chance we have been given! We must see the medium! She is the only one who can understand what is happening in our lands. Maybe even a way to fight or stop it,” argued Shining.

“Very well, but beware, Piper. Words can be your ally, or they can sow poison. Use them wisely, for if you do, you will light a fire. Now I must go, for I am needed in another place,” said the Sphinx, before rising. Extending its wings and flapping them experimentally, it launched into the air.  Each one in the group stood amazed at the proclamation and the sudden departure of the guardian. Piper was excited to find that he had just faced a sphinx.  

“Well then, we best get moving,” said Shining after a while, looking back at the storm.
> Chapter [25] The Prophecy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

They continued up the path. Piper kept his eyes on the ground, watching his steps. He felt like they had walked for days and was beginning to feel sleepy. He voiced his concern for them to stop and rest. Shining, glancing at  the storm, argued that they needed to continue. They were not in the most desirable place to be hit in the storm, and should find level ground less they be swept over the mountainside. Piper looked over the side and gulped at how high they had progressed.  Dasher kept her gaze ahead, estimating another half hour of walking before they would reach the top of the path. 

Picking up the pace, they reached a summit point. A small flat area opened up, with small clumps of grass growing here and there.  Before them sat an enormous boulder, covering the entrance of a cave. The boulder had three holes on its sides, with a few runes and words carved into it. The group gathered around it. “Here you will find the dwelling place of Zanzibar the medium. In order to approach, complete the foundation, and enter,” read Dasher.

“Interesting. ‘Complete the foundation.’ I wonder what that means?” said Shining.

“The foundation of what perhaps? Completing a message, song, or do intricate taps?” wondered Arocez. 

“I have no idea,” stated Piper, stumped.

“Well, I think we should pause and rest for now. This puzzle won’t go anywhere, and I am much more confident in our elevation. We can come back in an hour or two,” offered Shining. He glanced back down the path, noticing that the storm had disappeared. A confused expression found its way on his face. “Huh, the storm is gone.” The others turned to look, and true enough, there was no hint of a storm to be seen.

“Weird, it was just brewing a few minutes ago,” said Dasher, tilting her head.

“Possibly our friends below dismantled the storm for us. Had it reached our location; it would cause quite the fuss,” commented Arocez. 

“Strange, the sphinx talked about the coming storm, yet now it is gone, could it have been wrong?” wondered Shining. All that could be now heard was the ever-present howling wind, which blew around the area. Piper didn’t know why, but a chill ran down his spine. He thought of voicing his concern, but chose to stay quiet. 

“Beats me, at least we do not have to worry about getting caught in it. We already have one puzzle to figure out. Let’s rest for now,” decided Dasher. 

The group huddled together, finding a patch of grass that seemed to be the softest before lying down. Had they chosen to turn back and take a peek at the path behind them, they would have been able to see small billows of fire rising from what remained of the campsite they had just left. 





An hour later, they once again huddled to tackle the problem at hoof. “Alright, so, any ideas on what ‘completing the foundation’ means?” said Shining.

“Maybe we are looking at this the wrong way, could it possible have something to do with us?” asked Dasher.

“Possibly. But what foundation do we need to complete?” wondered  Piper. Arocez was the first to take a crack at it. Walking up, she tested her theory of a melody by tapping the boulder in certain places. She also hummed a few short and long tunes that only proved unfruitful. Not to be outdone, she placed her ear to certain areas of the giant rock and hit it lightly, hoping for some clue.  

Dasher came beside Arocez to examine the big rock. It looked old, with moss growing towards the top, but not covering any of the message. After circling the stone a few times, an idea formed in Dasher’s head. “Foundation…” she said. “Could we be going at this incorrectly? Maybe it isn’t what we can do, but who we already are.” She then noticed the holes. One facing towards her, and the other on each side. Piper and Shining approached and sat beside her.

“What do you mean?” asked Shining.

“Look at these holes,” remarked Dasher, pointing at them. Shining moved over to one side, crouching a little to look inside.

“I don’t see anything. What are they for?” he muttered, before sniffing them tentatively. Piper moved to the other one.

“Maybe… that’s it! Put you hoof into the hole,” exclaimed Dasher.

“What?” said Piper.

“Just do it. ‘Complete the foundation!’ Complete the foundation of the tribes!” proclaimed Dasher, who then slowly pushed her own hoof into the hole. Shining did the same, with Piper following hesitantly. When all three had pushed in as far as they could, there was a resounding click. The message flashed blue, before the words melted into the stone.  There were a few intricate clicks, and a quick jab of pain, before they each pulled out their legs, and the boulder moved.

“Ouch!” complained Piper, rubbing his leg, the others just stared in awe as the passage opened for them.

“Woah,” proclaimed Dasher as the group watched the boulder slide to the side, a passage opening up beside it with steps leading down. “That is cool!”

“Well done, Dasher. Let us make haste and be down faster,” said Arocez, leading the way first.





As the group moved down, Piper looked up and his jaw dropped. Little bits of light traveled over the ceiling, flashing in colors of yellow, white, and red. Strange magical artifacts in glass cases lined the walls. A brown sword suspended and twirling in the air. A gold necklace with an hourglass symbol lay on a simple rock. A strange sock in the shape of a horse crafted with stringy hair and buttons for eyes on a stick that stood upright. These were the more notable ones. Others were simple chests or scrolls that probably held greater dangers. 

One item in particular caught the attention of Shining as he passed. A metallic object that contained some globs of oozing green liquid. What fascinated him the most was watching the bubbles condense and then rise upward. Not sensing any magic, Shining was fascinated by the object. He’d never seen before anything like it.  

“Hey, Piper, come take a look at this,” said Shining, beckoning him.  They both were mesmerized by the liquid, which winked ever so often with sparkly lights. 

“Boys, come along now. You will have plenty of time to look at pretty things when we don’t have a powerful medium to see,” called Dasher, sending a wayward glance at Arocez and attempting to hide her smile with a hoof. The zebra chuckled. Shining just laughed gently before regaining his serious expression and moving behind them with Piper following him.

Eventually, the tunnel opened upward into a room with a simple wooden door. Lightly unlocking the door, the group moved into the room which seemed to have been prepared for them. Four neatly placed cushions were splayed on the ground, with an elderly zebra sitting behind a table with her eyes closed. While Arocez had more defined straight black stripes, this zebra had a jagged design displayed over her body and legs. She was wearing a red mask inlaid with small golden beads. A small oval necklace adorned her neck, and rather than a mohawk, she had a small afro. her expression was tranquil as one of her ears flicked slightly when they trotted into the room. 

“Welcome all, to my simple resting place. My name is Zanzibar and as you have probably already guessed and seen, I am a medium,” began the zebra, opening her eyes to look at each one of them. “Welcome, Piper Moon of the earth ponies.  Shining Moon of the unicorns, Dasher of the pegasi, and Arocez Moon of the zebra. You each have faced many difficulties, trials, and tribulations throughout your journey to me. Yet now you all are here. What now, do you seek?”

“We seek to understand the events in our land. We wish to find advice on what to do, and how to fight back against a nearly invincible enemy and do what we can to restore our country,” stated Shining, being the bravest and taking a cushion. The rest quickly followed suit. 

“Yes. The Moon has overshadowed the country of Equestria. And following it comes much change and sorrow. Yet beware, with knowledge comes a burden. Are all of you willing to carry this?” asked Zanzibar.

“We are,” the group replied, each one focusing on the zebra’s words.

“Very well,” she began, before closing her eyes. Suddenly, a draft of air blew across the room. The wind gained strength, blowing around and through the five. Along with the sound of wind came a barely audible noise. This noise soon grew into tiny voices that were just barely decipherable. Just on the edge of familiarity, but still mysterious. Dasher felt a chill down her spine and could have sworn she felt a wing brush up against her back. Just when she thought she could pick out the voice of her dead friend, Zanzibar spoke. The zebra had been lifted into the air by the winds. Her eyes shone with an eerie green light, and she spoke in a strangely melodic voice. 

“Behold! Hear now the prophecy of true and old!

“The Possessed, the one ruled by night. She shall get her revenge on the light. 

“The Broken, though mended, was denied her destiny and loyal desire. She shall light the flame that starts the fire. 

“The General, he who leads through storms and fires, will answer the call. Or risks for endless night to fall.

“The Savant, though through many pains and sorrows, finds a way. And with a final understanding, shall free the light of day.   

“And the Hero that comes, taking the stage when all hope is lost and it is too late. The world looks on, as a decision is made foretold by Fate.” 

Once finished, Zanzibar was lowered and the wind died down. Each of the four were astonished, reflecting over the words. Shining was the first to break the silence.

“So… who are the five ponies of the prophecy? Is it any of us?” asked Shining.

“Three of the chosen are known. One approaches, and one is yet to be found,” spoke Zanzibar. Each ruminated on what the zebra had said. 

One approaches... wait! “Dawn Lighter, she’s coming! The storm! Moon Nettle! We have to go back for her!” exclaimed Dasher, getting up and facing the door. Fear gripped her heart for her friend.





“Ulla, get yourself together mare. They have been gone for less than ten minutes, and yet you're shaking like a rattlesnake’s tail, ” muttered Nettle, raising an eyebrow.  She jostled Ulla, who was rocking slightly back and forth.

“But, Nettle, this wasn’t supposed to happen! We were supposed to stay together!” cried Ulla, tears threatening to come out.

“What do you mean?” asked Nettle.

“No no no… I can’t take it anymore,” said Ulla, before turning invisible and vanishing.

“Wait, Ulla, come back! Darn that girl,” muttered Nettle, shaking her head.

“Commander!” called an earth pony by the name of Silvertin. 

“What, what is it?” huffed Nettle.

“You are going to want to see this, Commander,” announced Silvertin.

“Don’t give me this ‘You are going to want to see this, Commander’ crap. Report what you saw,” snapped Nettle, annoyed. 

“It’s the storm, Commander. Uh... Dawn Lighter stepped out of it and is standing near the entrance,” said Silvertin nervously. Nettle had to pause to chew the information, before swearing obscenely.

“Get our troops into battle positions! I want everypony that is able-bodied to be on high alert. Get our wounded to the safest spot and form a line of defense. Now!” commanded  Nettle. 

Pegasi began bringing the wounded back, while unicorns and earth ponies worked together to form a small dirt barrier facing the entrance. Once the rushed defense was in place, each pony stood at nervous attention as they faced the enemy. “Why is she here?” “How did she find us?” “What is she going to do?” “What does she want?” These comments rippled through the group, anxiety sweeping across the line. 

Nettle could feel the tension rising. Putting on her best poker face, she came to the front and peered over to address the enemy. “Dawn Lighter. Speak your business here!” Nettle demanded. The infamous unicorn’s outline was seen at the mouth of the entrance. Her dark purple coat and darker blue mane appeared from within the clouds of dust. Her star-adorned tail slowly swished behind her as she stalked forward. There was a moment of pause, before Dawn Lighter smiled.  

“I only want my brother and the colt. Give them up to me, and the rest of you may live,” stated Dawn Lighter, her voice echoing among the mountains. 

“Brother?” responded Nettle.

“Shining Moon,” replied Dawn Lighter simply.

“You will have to get through us before you touch them!” yelled one of the ponies on the line. Nettle just facehoofed. 

“Thanks, Tentak, you just told the enemy that they were here,” said Nettle, sighing.  Dawn Lighter swept her gaze at the pitiful defense, before looking back at  Nettle, recognizing her as the leader. A shiver ran down Nettle's spine, as Dawn Lighter’s eyes seemed to pierce right through her facade. The unicorn shrugged slightly, before turning to the tempest and lighting her horn. Her magic seemed to envelope the entire gale, before lightly sweeping it away like a broom. Nettle gulped, as a miniature army of hundred or so hooded creatures now faced her group.   

“Sweet Celestia, save us all,” whispered Nettle, before the army attacked.





“You cannot help her now, Dasher. Her life is in her hooves,” said Zanzibar. “ Piper, step forward.” Doing as he was asked, Piper awkwardly drew closer to the medium, a little fearful as he took in her appearance. He shook his head and cast his gaze away from her jagged stripes.

“Each of you play a significant role in the future, as all of us are tied to destiny. Piper, learn to be a wise leader, but know your weaknesses. Go and seek out the changelings from the east, for they possess many gifts and burdens. Find what has been lost, for there you will find treasure beyond measure.” Bowing his head, Piper stepped back.

“Dasher, you have given so much. Though you doubt yourself sometimes, you have always stayed loyal to your friends. I fear your time grows short. Be encouraged that you have done well,” Zanzibar said. Suddenly the cave rumbled, as if an earthquake hit the area.

Unfazed, Zanzibar continued, “Shining, you carry the burden of what your sister has done. One should not have to pay for the crimes of their sibling. You must choose where your loyalties lie. Blood, or brothers.” Turning to Arocez, Zanzibar was about to speak to her, when an explosion rocked the room. 

“The spirits tell of one coming. We shall continue another time. Follow me.” Getting up, Zanzibar moved over to a section of the wall and tapped it with a hoof. A doorway opened, and she walked in, beckoning the others to follow. Hurrying through the passage, they came to fork in the tunnel. 

“Here lies a divided path, our impasse. To the right, our escape. All of us may go, but Dawn Lighter will catch us. To our left, doom. Should the rest survive, one must stay behind to distract,” Zanzibar said sadly, looking down.

“No! We all have gone so far, we can’t sentence somepony to possible death!” exclaimed Shining in disbelief.

“Maybe we could all make it?” Piper wondered absently, scared at the thought of losing another.

“Surely, Zanzibar, you could stay behind. Since Dawn Lighter may want you and keep you alive,” offered Shining.

“Now hold on, that is not the right thing to say. We did not come this far, to then turn around and send her off that way,” countered Arocez. Soon both began arguing over what to do, while Zanzibar gently and subtly laid a hoof onto Dasher’s shoulder. A knowing look passed between the two.

“I will stay,” stated Dasher, halting their quarreling. Shining instantly wilted, knowing it was the best option. Arocez looked down, pawing the ground and not meeting Dasher’s gaze. Piper sat in stunned silence.

“No…” mumbled the colt weakly. “There must be another way.”

“There isn’t, kiddo. Finish what I started. Find more loyal allies and you will succeed. Maybe you can even find and free your friend. Don’t make the same mistake I did and stay on the sidelines,” proclaimed Dasher, hugging Piper and turning to Arocez. “Looks like it is the end of the road for me. And I wish I had more time. Tell Moon Nettle I am sorry and give her a proper goodbye.”  

“Your sacrifice will not be in vain,” said Shining, conflicted. There came a cry of annoyance, as another wave jostled the group. Followed by a resounding crack, signifying that they needed to get moving. 

“Goodbye,” whispered Dasher as she watched the four go down the right path. Breathing in, she tried to slow down her raging heart as she turned towards the coming storm. 

She didn’t have to wait long, as smoke began snaking its way towards her. Covering herself with a wing, Dasher anxiously shuffled in place. Barely noticing a figure emerging through the smoke, Dasher turned tail and ran down the left path. 

“Get her!” yelled a voice, but Dasher’s rainbow visage already disappeared down the left direction. Reaching the end of the tunnel in only twelve seconds, Dasher only wished she had more time. Just as she turned around to face her adversary, five hooded figures jumped onto her. She was only able to hit one or two, before more came to her downfall and pinned her to the ground.      

Waltzing into view, Dawn Lighter looked down at Dasher and sneered. “Release her!” she shouted. Tossed from their grasp, Dasher spit out a bit of blood and stood defiantly. “Now, where is everypony else, Dasher? What did you learn here?” asked Dawn Lighter.

Dasher just shook her head. “You won’t get anything from me. I would never betray my friends.”

“I am sure. But it matters little to me. My spies will tell me everything I want to know, all in good time. It was rather easy to infiltrate the resistance. No screenings or anything,” said Dawn Lighter triumphantly. 

“Impossible! Who? We would have figured them out by now! Why not have them dismantle us or slow our efforts? ” exclaimed Dasher.

“You know her quite well actually; your illusion of knowledge is quite funny,” continued Dawn Lighter, slowly circling Dasher. 

Illusion? What is she… no. “Ulla?! But… why? She fought with us for her family! Why would she betray us?” asked Dasher, eyes wide.

“And why should I tell you? Don’t you see I have already won? Your little cause will be destroyed, your friends killed, and Queen Nightmare Moon will reign victoriously, with me along her side,” sang Dawn Lighter.

“If you have won, then why aren’t you smiling?” Dasher said defiantly. “Do to me whatever you want; you will still lose in the end.”

“Oh? So confident? Let’s wipe clear your muck,” uttered Dawn Lighter, charging up her horn.
> Epilogue: Stopping at tragedy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“And in that brief final moment, Dasher was at peace. Though those were the last words she would hear, she stood defiant to the very end. Now~ Ava, are you alright, dear?” said their grandpa, noticing the atmosphere of the room and pausing. Ava was bundled up against her mother and quietly sobbing. Retracting her head from Velvet’s chest, Ava nodded absently and rubbed her eyes. “Yeah. It’s just so sad that Dasher had to die. She didn’t deserve to die,” she mumbled. 

“I know, sweetie, but sometimes, life is not fair. Many ponies died and gave their life up for the cause. However, their sacrifice did not go in vain, as Piper, Shining Moon, and Arocez escaped with Zanzibar. Come here,” called the old stallion, patting his chair with a hoof. Hopping up, Ava was comforted by her grandfather, who stroked her mane.  Nuzzling into his chest, she calmed her breathing. 

“So, what happened next?” asked Orin.

“Let your sister finish crying before we continue,” said Velvet. Shying from his mother’s gaze, Orin looked down. Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

“Oh, are you supposed to get another one of these ‘gifts’, Velvet?” asked the unicorn  humorously.

“No, I wonder who that could be at this hour,” exclaimed Velvet. Getting up, she walked over to the hallway entrance and opened the door. With a soft gasp and a squeal of joy, a familiar voice echoed out a greeting.

“Dad!” yelled Orin. Getting up, he ran over to his father and hugged his leg. An orange pegasus stallion in full armor stepped into the room. 

“Orin! How have you been, Son?” the pegasus called in a cheery voice.   

“Great! Grandpa is telling us his story!” replied Orin excitedly. Stepping into the room further, the stallion came to attention.

“Lieutenant Vex Bristle, reporting for duty, sir!” he shouted.

Their grandpa eyed him warily, before softening into a smile. “At ease, soldier. You know I hate it when you do that, Vex. I haven’t been a commander in over a hundred years, so no need to keep treating me as one.”

Vex just laughed in response before taking his helmet off. Looking around, he noticed Ava still huddled against her grandpa, crying softly. Losing his smile, Vex moved over and kneeled in front of the chair. Using his muzzle, he nuzzled Ava softly to get her attention. “Hey, Ava, what has gotten my baby girl worked up so much?” he asked softly.

Turning to her father, Ava jumped and wrapped her hooves over him. “It’s just unfair, Daddy. Why did all those bad things have to happen?” Ava asked. Picking her up, Vex hugged her tightly, before placing her down. 

“I have no good answer for you, sweetie. Bad ponies do bad things, because they think it is good. Those who have power and seek more only hurt others. But hope is always there, you just have to find it,” said Vex, lifting her chin to look at him. “Now, I hope I am not interrupting anything. If you stopped where I think you are in the story, I would love to listen along.”

“Nonsense! You just came home, at least take off your armor and rest from a long week before we continue,” stated the old unicorn , getting up. Stretching slightly, he made his way to the kitchen to grab another glass of water. 

Returning, he found Ava and Orin snuggling next to their father, who had both wings covering the two. Bringing a glass over, the old stallion smiled knowingly before lifting the drink over to Vex, who took it with a quick thanks. Velvet had already left the room, carrying the armor to be stored away.

Ten minutes later, Vex brought Ava and Orin to bed. Wishing them goodnight, he made his way back downstairs and into the dining room. “You’re so bad, teasing them again with a cliffhanger,” giggled Velvet as Vex walked in.

“I seem to recall that was the only thing that got you to sleep. If you always were left satisfied, your imagination would take hold, and you could never fall asleep. The promise of the rest of the story tomorrow always drove you into your slumber,” said her father softly.

“I know, but I still hated it when you did it. Oh hey, Vex, thank you so much for putting them to sleep. I think those two feel a little betrayed with where we left off,” Velvet said, beckoning Vex to sit at the table.

“You stopped at Dasher’s death then? Another one of your favorite places to end, I see. You have told them about you and Commander Piper, right?” Vex asked, slipping into his chair.

“A little, they have yet to guess my identity in all of this. But I am sure they will find out soon enough. Oof, they don’t make good chairs like they used to,” replied the ancient stallion as he lowered himself on another chair. 

“When do you plan on telling them? Or do you want them to figure it out?” continued Vex as he took a sip of his water.

“They may figure it out, but I plan on telling them after the funeral. I don’t want to spoil too much by jumping around, so I will go chronologically. Starting with Piper’s first-time meeting with the changelings. Then break off to my first imprisonment. Everything will be explained in good time, now they just get to wait and see what comes next,” Starfall said, smiling at the two.