The Mareitime Cathedral’s bells tolled out loudly over Canterlot.

Canterlot Castle had become an overturned anthill. Armored ponies bearing both Solar and Lunar armor ran to and fro, trying vainly to keep order. Many of them were missing parts of their armor, having quickly donned their uniform when the initial alarm had been sounded. The chain of command was currently in shambles, the confused guards unsure of who to report to or where. Several higher ranking ponies were currently out and about, helping search for a high-priority human and had yet to return.

It didn’t help that there were unconfirmed reports of a small group of unicorns making their way through the lower levels of the palace, attacking anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path. Some of them supposedly matched the descriptions of several inmates that had escaped from Canterlot’s dungeons earlier in the year.

In an attempt to get a handle on the situation, guards had been dispatched to the throne room, the last known location of the Princesses. The hope was that the Princesses would be able to shine a light on what was currently going on. However, none of the guards that had been sent had yet to return.

To make matters worse, the residents of Canterlot were currently making their way to the castle’s entrance, drawn there by the tolling of the bells. Scared, they were drawn from their homes in the middle of the night, only to become confused when the guards stationed by the gate told them to return to their homes. It was an internal crisis, not an external one.

Most of the ponies did so, albeit reluctantly. However, there were some—mostly minor nobles—who refused and demanded entrance to the castle grounds. When the guards refused, a small riot broke out, requiring more guards to be called and lead to further confusion, many guards believing that the source of the alarm were the ponies at the front gate.

All in all, Canterlot Castle had quickly dissolved into a chaotic mess that would have made a certain draconequus weep tears of joy.

“Will you, ugh… hurry it up?”

“Stop moving!”

“Then hurry up!” Ebony grunted, wincing in pain. “Gah! Stop yanking so hard. Be gentle!”

“I’m trying, but you moving your head is messing me up!” Avera growled. Draped over Ebony’s shoulders, she had the unicorn’s head held in one hoof, while the other hoof held one of her feathers. The quill of the feather was inserted into the locking mechanism on the magic inhibitor that was currently around Ebony’s horn.

Giving Ebony’s head another tug, Avera tried to get a better look at what she was doing.

“Stop pulling!” Ebony yelped. “I’m not a bobblehead!”

“Stop complaining!”

“Then go faster!”

“I’m going as… fast as I can,” Avera muttered, expertly wiggling the feather back and forth. “I’ll have you know that this is a lot harder than it looks. It’s not like bucking trees or kicking down doors. You have to, unf… be precise. If I’m not careful, the tip can snap off and become stuck in the lock, and then—hold still—this thing is stuck on your horn for good. You’ve already caused me to break three—will you stop moving your thrice-bucked head!”

“I can’t help it!” Ebony groaned. “It feels like you’re trying to rip my horn out of my forehead!”

“That’s because you keep moving! This would be painless if you’d just stay still.”

“Will you two shut up and get a move on?” Primrose snapped, glancing nervously over her shoulder. “This is no time for arguing! We need to—” The thundering sound of hooves running down the corridor caused all three mares to tense. Avera and Ebony froze while Primrose turned to stare down the corridor, her ears perked forward. Her body tensed, muscles quivering as she prepared to spring. No one relaxed until the noise faded into the distance, leaving only the sound of distant screams and the tolling of bells.

“Hurry up!” Primrose hissed, her eyes flashing once as she turned back to the pair.

“Oh, we’re going to be in so much trouble for doing this,” Ebony whined.

“The alarm bells are currently ringing like there is no tomorrow,” Primrose said. “I highly doubt anypony will care about what we’re doing.”

“Then why are you so nervous?” Ebony asked, glaring at the batpony.

“I’m not worried about a guard finding us,” Primrose muttered, ears swiveling around her head. “I’m worried about what caused the alarm. The last time the bells rang was when the changelings attacked.”

“Well, whatever it is, I’m sure the other guards can deal with it,” Ebony said, before wincing again. “Ow!” She glared up at Avera. “I would like to go on record for saying that I do not agree with this course of action. What if Tempest catches us?”

“Duly noted, and don’t care,” Avera grunted, her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth. “Almost… got it. Just a few… more… seconds!” With a click, the inhibitor split in two, clattering noisily to the ground. Avera quickly jumped off of Ebony’s back, allowing the unicorn to stretch.

“Ugh, thank Celestia,” she groaned, rolling her shoulders and tilting her neck back and forth.

“Yeah, yeah, thank her later,” Avera said. Turning, she presented her side to Ebony. “Get these things off of me, will ya?”

Glancing down at the pegasus’ bound wings, Ebony chewed nervously on her lip. “I don’t know. We’re already in immense trouble with Tempest about our previous behavior. She’s going to flip out if—when she finds out about this.” She shifted from hoof to hoof. “We were detained. No magic, no wings.”

“Are you kidding me?” Avera asked, gaping at Ebony. “I just spent five minutes trying to get that ring off your horn. You are not backing out of this now!”

“We could get in trouble for this!” Ebony said, waving her forehooves back and forth.

“We’re already in trouble!”

“We could get in more trouble!”

“Who cares?!” Avera shouted, her tail whipping angrily through the air. “Shit’s going down, guards are running about, bells are ringing, and you’re questioning the release one of the main things that will keep us safe?! What if something happens and Primrose and I need our wings?”

“We aren’t supposed to be in situations that require wings or magic,” Ebony shouted back. “We are relieved of active duty. We can’t fight, and we can’t get involved. We’re lucky we aren’t currently in a holding cell.”

“We can fight,” Avera corrected. “We’re just not supposed to, and I’m not letting Tempest’s stupid restrictions get me hurt. Now get these things off my wings!”

“But…” Ebony began but trailed off as she stared at Avera’s bound wings. They were quivering by her sides, the feathers slightly disheveled by the restraints. “But what do you plan to do?”

“Whatever the buck we need to!” Avera growled. “Don’t you dare back out of this!” she added as Ebony continued to look unconvinced. “Get these things off my wings or I swear by Luna’s frozen teats that I’ll stick that inhibitor back on your horn with so much force that you’ll never get it off again!”

Turning to Primrose, who had been silently watching the two bicker with a blank look on her face, Ebony gave the bat pony a pleading look. “Can you help me out here? Explain to this hothead why this is a bad idea.”

Primrose shrugged. “I actually agree with her.”

“I… but, what…” Ebony stared at her for a few seconds before finally sighing and shaking her head. “Fine.” Her horn lit up and the restraints holding Avera’s and Primrose’s wings to their side unlatched, falling uselessly to the ground. “There. You happy now?”

“Very,” Primrose groaned, flexing her wings.

“Ahhh, mama missed you,” Avera cooed, nuzzling one of her wings. “Yes she did. Yes she did.”

“So what’s the plan now?” Ebony asked Primrose.

“There isn’t really a plan,” Primrose answered as she threw the restraints out a nearby window. “First thing was to get free, the next is to acquire some armor. Other than that, I didn’t really have a plan. You?” she asked, turning to Avera.

The pegasus shrugged. “Find out what’s going on and buck shit up.”

“So, you wanted out of your restraints, but had no real plan after that?” Ebony asked, glancing between her two winged partners. They glanced at each other for a brief second before turning back to Ebony.

“Basically,” Primrose answered at the same time Avera said, “Yup!”

Ebony stared at the two before sighing again. A small smile touched her lips.

“The Max way?” she asked.

“The Max way,” Avera nodded with a smirk. After a few seconds, her smile faded slightly. “Although first we have to find some armor.”

“We could probably find some spare ones in the barracks,” Primrose offered. “If that doesn’t work, we can just head down to the armory.”

Ebony rolled her eyes before her horn began to glow. There was a bright flash of magic, and with the sound of clinking metal, all three mares were suddenly adorned in familiar-looking black armor.

“Nice!” Avera whistled, looking down at her armored self. “I totally forgot you could do that.” Reaching back into one of her side pockets, she smiled before pulling out her hoof claws. Quickly attaching them to her hooves, she scraped them experimentally on the ground. Sparks danced across the floor.

“I put the summoning runes in our armor as well as Max’s,” Ebony said, double-checking her gear. “It makes it easier to be prepared at a moment’s notice. The only problem is, the further away you are from the armor, the more energy the spell uses.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “That shouldn’t be too much of a problem, though.”

“Alright,” Primrose said. “Now that the armor has been taken care of, let’s get going.” She reached up to a pair of goggles perched on top of her helmet. Pulling them down over her eyes, she glanced over at her two companions. “Time to figure out what’s going on.”

The other two nodded. “Right.”

As the trio made their way down the hall, Ebony glanced at Primrose.

“We don’t know what’s going on… so where are we headed exactly?” she asked.

“Throne room,” Primrose replied, glancing down an adjacent corridor as they passed, her ears perked. “It’s close enough to the main hall, plus one of the princesses should be stationed there. There was some operation going on earlier today from the sound of it, so one of them should hopefully still be there.”

“And if they aren’t there?” Ebony asked.

“If nopony’s there, we’ll just head to the main gate instead,” Primrose answered.

Ebony still looked unsure, but before she could voice her concerns, a trio of ponies rounded the far end of the corridor. They were outfitted in cobalt armor identifying them as Battlemages, and upon seeing the trio, the newcomers froze. The group just stood there, eyeing each other with varying degrees of surprise.

Ebony was the first to break the silence.

“Zen Glory?” she asked, taking a tentative step forward. “Is that you?”

The foremost Battlemage cocked their head to the side. “Major? What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in Ponyville?”

“We were, but due to unforeseen circumstances, we arrived here a couple days ago,” Ebony replied. “Our charge is here also. Well, our ex-charge, to be exact.”

“We can catch up with one another later,” Primrose interrupted. She pointed a hoof at the new arrivals. “Do any of you happen to know what’s going on, or why the alarm bells are going off?”

Zen Glory ignored the bat pony, instead keeping his gaze locked firmly on Ebony.

“You made changes to your armor?” he asked slowly, his eyes narrowing.

Ebony blinked before glancing down at her armor. It was identical to the other Battlemages’ in all except color and glow. Her dark armor stood out in contrast against its cobalt counterparts, glowing a deep crimson while the other three pulsed with yellow light.

“Um, yes?” she answered uncertainly, looking back up at Zen. “I mean, I did make a few modifications to the enchantments, as well as a color change. Why—”

“That’s not important at the moment!” Primrose huffed. “The palace is currently at high alert, so can we please stay focused on the situat—”

A bolt of lightning interrupted her, arcing past her head and almost taking her ear off in the process. The fur along the side of her face stood on end, the air in the hallway suddenly feeling electrified. A low hum filled the air. Slowly, all three mares turned to stare at Zen Glory, whose horn was still smoking and sparking.

“Z-Zen?” Ebony stammered, her eyes wide. “What’s… what’s going on?” She took a step back. “What are you…?”

“Sorry, ladies. It’s nothing personal,” Zen sneered, his eyes flashing. “It’s just, you three were supposed to be out of commission right now, but from the look of things, that’s changed. We can’t have you three ruining the Archmage’s plans, so unfortunately...” His horn lit up again and he launched another bolt of lightning, this one at Avera. Her eyes widened and she ducked under the bolt, the back of her mane catching the tail end of it. The smell of burnt hair filled the air.

“The buck is your problem?” Avera shouted angrily, rubbing at the smoldering strands of hair.

“I think we might have just discovered the source of the alarm,” Primrose said, her eyes narrowing.

“Then let’s take care of it,” Avera growled before launching herself forward.

“No, wait!” Ebony cried, but it was too late; Avera was already halfway down the hall.

The Battlemage to the left of Zen Glory stepped forward, her horn flaring to life. A section of her armor flipped open, revealing a small, barrel-like container beneath it. With a flick of her head, a stream of water burst from the opening and streaked down the hall towards Avera. She tried to dodge, but the water followed her, arcing through the air as it tracked the pegasus. Avera tried to duck under it at the last second, but the stream twisted, slamming into the side of her face.

Immediately her entire head was encased in a globe of water.

Falling to the ground, Avera struggled vainly to free herself from the ball of water but her hooves were unable to get a grip on the liquid orb. She shook her head from side to side, tried to use her wings to remove it, and even went as far as to smash her head against the wall, all in a vain attempt to free herself from the suffocating ball of water.

“Avera!” Primrose cried, starting towards the flailing pegasus.

Zen Glory stepped forward, magic gathering at the tip of his horn. With a sharp ‘crack’, another bolt of lightning flew down the corridor.

Primrose flared her wings in an attempt to slow down, but it was too late; the bolt was upon her. Her eyes widened as the spear of thunder rushed towards her, causing the very air to crackle with its energy. Her fur stood on end as it rushed to meet her.

Closing her eyes, she braced herself for the strike.

“OH NO YOU DON’T!”

A wall of vines exploded across the middle of the corridor, separating the two groups. The bolt of lightning slammed into the vegetation, causing several of the smaller vines to burn and crack, but the rest of them remained strong.

Staring at the sudden wall of interwoven creepers in confusion, Primrose glanced back over her shoulder.

Magic pulsed over Ebony’s horn, causing a slight distortion in the air around it. One of her saddlebags was open, and a multitude of leafy tendrils emerged from it, clinging to Ebony’s sides, as well as running along the floor and walls to where the barrier of vines had appeared. Some of the creepers were still moving, wrapping lovingly around Ebony’s legs and upper body.

Primrose blinked several times. “What the buck? Where did all the vines…?”

“I’m a master of plant-based magic,” Ebony said, sounding slightly out of breath. The magic around her horn dimmed slightly, but held. “I… I can grow and manipulate any flora that I’m familiar with.” She sagged, her legs trembling slightly before she managed to recover. “I keep several different specimens in my bags, to help when I find myself in urban areas where plant life is scarce. Don’t want to be at a disadvantage.” She groaned, the magic around her horn flickering once. “Oh, I think I used too much magic.”

“How long can you keep this up?” Primrose asked as another bolt of lightning struck the makeshift barrier.

“Hopefully long enough,” Ebony said. Turning her attention to Avera, who was still thrashing about, she grabbed ahold of the pegasus. “Here,” she said, pushing a vine-covered hoof into the water, “just give me one second.” The ends of the vines twisted slightly before, with a soft sucking sound, they began to absorb the water encasing Avera’s head.

After a few seconds enough water had been consumed that Avera could breathe again.

“Ah, buck,” she gasped as the roots continued to work until there was no more water left. She inhaled deeply before beginning to cough. “Ack! Buck, buck, buck, buck, buck. Ugh, some went up my nose!”

“Hold still,” Ebony instruct. “The roots should take care of most of the water.”

“What do you—” Avera began, only to freeze when one of the smaller roots slowly and gently slithered its way into one of her nostrils.

“Don’t move,” Ebony repeated. “This might feel weird, but it won’t hurt.” She winced as another lightning blast charred the vines, several sparks flying through gaps in the plants.

“Ugh, I can feel it wiggling around,” Avera hissed, scrunching up her nose.

“Um, should we be worried about them?” Primrose asked as more lightning hit the barrier.

“The vines won’t keep them out for long,” Ebony replied, keeping her attention on the root currently in Avera’s nose. “However, it should stall them for a while. Unless, of course, one of them—”

A loud sucking noise suddenly filled the hall, followed by an explosion. A wave of heat slammed into the trio shortly before the wall of vines was consumed in fire. The inferno roared for several seconds before suddenly dying, leaving nothing behind but ash and three grinning Battlemages.

“—is a pyromancer,” Ebony finished lamely, her eyes wide. “Shit!”

“Thanks, Backdraft,” Zen Glory snickered. The unicorn to his right just gave him a feral smile, her eyes hidden behind a pair of darkened goggles.

“Shit,” Ebony repeated. Carefully, she extracted the root from Avera’s nostril as quickly as possible. “Not good!”

“Nice try, Ebony, but your plants can’t help you now!” Zen Glory sneered, static beginning to build up around his horn.

Keeping her voice low, Primrose turned slightly towards Ebony, but kept her gaze on the three unicorns. “Do we have a chance to take them?”

“If it was just Zen and Riptide, I could,” Ebony whispered back, “but with Backdraft here, I’m out of my depths.”

“We’ll take down Flamey,” Avera hissed. She opened and closed her hoof claws several times, studying the pyromancer with a critical eye.

“You sure you’re up for this?” Primrose asked Ebony softly, an eyebrow raised.

Ebony nodded. “They might have been my friends, but that doesn’t mean I won’t defend myself from them.”

“Good,” Primrose huffed. “Now then. Let’s—”

A fireball flew by overhead, causing all of them to duck.

“Enough talking,” Zen Glory growled. “Now, are you going to surrender, or are we going to have to put you down?”

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Ebony slowly turned to face the sneering unicorn. “I know we haven’t seen each other for a while, Zen. Especially since I was transferred to Ponyville. All that time separated from one another, I think you’ve forgotten one thing: I’m a Major.” Her horn began to glow, and more vines crept out of her saddlebag, twisting and wrapping around her body.

“And you all are just Sergeants,” she finished, glaring at the trio.

Zen Glory let out a barking laugh. “You don’t really think that you can take all three of us by yourself, do you?”

“Three? No,” Ebony shook her head. “Maybe two of you though. If my magic holds out,” she added under her breath.

“Is that so?” Zen Glory scoffed. “Well, as long as Backdraft is here, I highly doubt you’ll be able to do anything.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Primrose said before her hoof suddenly came up in a blur. A knife flashed through the air with a shrill whistle, heading straight for Backdraft. The unicorn dove to the side with a yelp, but the knife still managed to nick her cheek.

Before Backdraft had a chance to recover, Avera was off down the hall, heading straight for her.

“This again?” Zen Glory grunted, shaking his head. “It didn’t work the first time. What makes you think it’ll work a second time?” Beside him, Riptide’s horn flared to life, accompanied by a mass of water lashing out towards Avera again. However, unlike last time, a mass of roots exploded into life in front of the water, absorbing it with almost no effort.

Avera ducked under the roots and continued towards Backdraft, Primrose close on her heels.

“You and those damn plants!” Zen Glory growled, giving Ebony a hateful glare.

She smirked. “That’s what you get when you pick a minor element to master. Throwing sparks around won’t get you very far in this fight.”

“My thunder is more than enough to take you down,” Zen snarled. His horn began to glow, sparks dancing up and down its length.

“If you say so,” Ebony smiled. Her magic flared, and suddenly a bunch of leaves began to sprout up all along the lengths of vines that were wrapped around her body. “Shall we get started, then?” she asked.

With a shout, a bolt of lightning erupted from Zen Glory’s horn and launched itself towards Ebony. Quickly bringing up the mass of roots, she used it as a makeshift shield. The roots, still full of water from Riptide’s previous attack, just sizzled and popped, but other than that remained unaffected.

“Is that all you can do, Zen?” Ebony asked. Lowering her rooty shield, she lashed out at him with a whip-like vine.

Riptide’s horn flashed and a wall of water appeared between Zen and the vine, only for the vine to slice through the water effortlessly. Zen Glory was knocked off of his hooves, sliding across the floor and into a wall.

Ebony turned her attention to Riptide.

“You do realize that water won’t work against my plants, right?” she said with a frown. “They’ll just keep on absorbing it.”

“Oh, I know,” Riptide said with a smile. “I’m counting on it.” Her horn flashed once. The roots Ebony had used to absorb the previous water attacks shuddered suddenly before shriveling up and dying. They crumbled, falling to the floor as dust.

“Ah,” Ebony winced, the magic around her horn sputtering. “What the buck was that?”

“Oh, just me taking my water back,” Riptide smirked. Sure enough, small streams of water were emerging from the dried remains of the roots. They floated up and consolidated into three small spheres of water that orbited around Riptide’s head.

Zen Glory staggered to his hooves.

“You horse!” he grunted. His horn flared and the orbs of water began to spark and crackle.

“Block these,” Riptide sneered. “I dare you.” With that, she launched the electricity-infused spheres at Ebony.

Eyes widening, Ebony lunged to the side but wasn’t fast enough to avoid all the orbs. One of them caught her back left leg, sending a bolt of electricity up it, causing the muscles to lock up. She crashed to the ground in a heap, her left hind leg sticking out at an odd angle.

As she was struggling to get her leg working again, Primrose landed on her back next to her with an ‘oomph’. Her mane was smoldering, and the exposed fur around her face and neck was covered in soot. When she coughed, a cloud of smoke escaped her mouth.

“So,” she wheezed, peering over at Ebony upside down, “how’s your fight going?”

“Could be better,” Ebony said with a wince, massaging her leg. “Yours?”

“Same,” Primrose grunted as she got to her hooves. Giving her body a good shake, she charged back into the fray, where Avera was currently riding Backdraft like a bronc rider, all while the unicorn was launching fireballs in random directions as she tried to shake the pegasus off.

“Come on!” Avera shouted while holding on for dear life. “Is this the best you’ve got? Ivory has more kick than you! Come on! Impress me!”

Backdraft snorted, her nostrils flaring wide as she continued to try and buck Avera off.

As Ebony got back on her hooves, Zen Glory stepped forward.

“I’m going to enjoy taking you down a peg, Major,” he said, practically spitting the last word out. “You and your so-called ‘special team’. Special my flank. For what? Protecting some stupid human?” He snorted, shaking his head. “If I didn’t know for a fact the Anomaly was being taken care of already, I’d take a shot at him myself.”

“Keep talking, Zen,” Ebony grunted. Vines crept down her legs, spreading out and anchoring to the floor, helping to keep her stable. “You’re just making things worse for yourself.”

“Is that so?” Zen sneered. “Alright, I’ll end this quickly then.” His horn began to spark again, a buildup of electricity occurring until, suddenly, the static dissipated harmlessly into the air.

“What the…” Zen blinked, glancing up at his horn. Scrunching up his muzzle, he tried to get a current running through his horn again, only to be met with the same results.

“I told you, you were just making it worse,” Ebony said with a smirk.

“What did you do?!” Zen Glory snarled.

“Oh, nothing much,” Ebony said, reaching up to gently stroke one of the dozens of leaves that were sprouting from her vine-covered armor. “Just having my little plants here doing their stuff while we were busy.” She gave him a large grin. “Isn’t transpiration a bitch?”

“Transpiration?” Zen asked, his brow furrowing. “What do you…?” He trailed off, his eyes widening as he realized that the air in the hallway had slowly become more humid that it had been earlier.

“Mm-hmm,” Ebony hummed, still rubbing the leaf. “I’ve had them releasing water vapor into the air at an accelerated rate. It also helped that Riptide was providing water as well, even if she did take some back. The longer they are active, the more moisture is released into the air, and the less effective your lightning becomes.” Lowering her hoof, her expression became serious. “I told you, Zen. There’s a reason I’m a Major, and you’re still just a Sergeant. You’re just a one-trick pony.”

“‘One-trick pony’?” Zen Glory hissed. “I’ll show you a one-trick pony!” He rushed at Ebony, his horn glowing.

“Zen, no!” Riptide cried.

The minute Zen’s hooves came into contact with the vines carpeting the floor, they latched onto his legs. There was a loud ‘crack’ as both his front legs broke, bringing him to the ground. The creepers began to wrap around his body, holding him in place even as he struggled.

Walking forward, Ebony eyed the struggling Battlemage with a neutral look. Wordlessly, she raised a hoof before bringing it down on Zen’s head. With an echoing ‘crunch’, his head whipped back. His eyes glowed yellow before fading. They rolled up into his head and he slumped to the floor, unconscious.

“Zen!” Riptide cried. She turned her gaze to Ebony, glaring hatefully at her. “You’ll pay for that, Rose!” Her horn glowed and a blade of water exploded from beneath her armor, lashing out towards Ebony at great speed. However, the leaves surrounding Ebony’s body expanded, taking the brunt of the blow.

Before Riptide had a chance to recover, Ebony lashed out with a whip of her own, the vine striking Riptide, sending her bodily into a wall. Her head struck the wall, causing her helmet to fly off. Just like before, her eyes glowed yellow before fading, and she slid down the wall, motionless.

Ebony waited a few seconds to see if Riptide would rise. When she didn’t, Ebony sagged and sighed in relief. She turned, only to yelp in surprise as both Avera and Primrose landed in front of her.

“Ugh,” Avera groaned, sitting up and rubbing her head. “Did somepony see the tags on that carriage?” She tried to move her wing, only to gasp in pain and hold the quivering limb close to her body.

“What—” Ebony began, only to have a loud snort cut her off.

Backdraft was crouched down, steam erupting from her nostrils with each huff. Her teeth were bared, and she pawed at the ground with a hoof. The air around her seemed to shimmer and swim, and Ebony could feel the heat coming off of her from across the hallway. Slowly, her horn itself began to glow white, like a piece of metal heating up.

Ebony’s eyes widened in alarm. Moving quickly, she lashed out with a hoof, throwing a ball of tangled herbs and roots at the enraged unicorn while shouting, “Avera! Prim! Deep breath!”

The two did as instructed instantly, taking a deep breath and holding it.

Backdraft snarled before backhoofing the ball, causing it to burst harmlessly against her armor. A cloud of spores erupted from the broken clump of herbs, causing her to whip her head back with a loud whinny. She shook her head, blowing air out her nose as she tried to clear it. Growling, she took a step towards Ebony, only to wobble suddenly before toppling to the ground. She remained there, unmoving.

Lighting up her horn, Ebony gave her head a flick and the spores dispersed.

“What was that?” Avera asked as she got shakily to her hooves.

“Ground up passiflora incarnata,” Ebony asked, breathing heavily. The vines currently clinging to her armor slowly began to unravel themselves, creeping back into the saddlebag from which they had emerged. “Normally when taken in small doses, it helps ponies relax,” she continued. “However, my own special blend and highly concentrated mix knocks ponies out instead.”

“And why didn’t you lead with this to begin with?” Avera asked.

“Because it can also affect us too, and too much of it can kill,” Ebony huffed. “That, and I only had one on me at the moment and I was hoping to save it for later in case we ran into some higher ranking Battlemages.”

“What made you change your mind?” Primrose asked, brushing soot off her wings.

“The spell she was charging,” Ebony answered.

“What spell was it?” Avera asked. She moved forward and cautiously poked Backdraft’s unconscious form.

“You don’t want to know,” Ebony said. She paused, trying to catch her breath before continuing. “Let’s just say it would have taken the cleaning staff several weeks to clean up the hall and leave it at that.”

“Damn,” Avera whistled before straightening up again. “Still, I can’t believe they turned traitor like that. I wonder what their end goal is.”

“They aren’t traitors,” Ebony said, earning her an incredulous look from the other two.

“Pardon?” Primrose asked, digging a hoof into her ear. “Would you care to repeat that?”

“They aren’t traitors,” Ebony said again. “I noticed it first with Zen and then with Riptide. They were under the influence of somepony else’s magic.”

Primrose gave her a blank stare. “Mind control?”

“Mental magic,” Ebony corrected, “and most likely.”

Silence filled the hallway for several long seconds before Avera suddenly swore loudly.

“Grah! Son of a bitch!” she cried, kicking Riptide’s discarded helmet. “I hate dealing with mental magic!”

“You’re a pegasus. What do you know about mental magic?” Primrose asked.

“Enough to know that it sucks in a situation like this,” Avera growsed. Gesturing around at the unconscious bodies, she continued. “It would be so much easier if they were all just traitors. See, if the Battlemages were actually traitors, we’d could just charge them all for treason and be done with it. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. However, add mental magic to the mix and it changes everything. They now become the victims. We can’t blame them for their behavior, meaning instead of having all the Battlemages to blame, there is only one or two ponies pulling the strings.”

Primrose cock an eyebrow. “And that’s a bad thing?”

“Yes, because how are you supposed to tell who’s really brainwashed and who’s just faking it?” Avera asked. “How can you tell who’s in charge?”

“Well, according to Zen, it was the Archmage’s plan,” Primrose said.

Avera snorted. “How do we know he isn’t being controlled as well?”

Primrose and Ebony looked at each other before both rubbed their foreheads with a hoof.

“She’s got a point,” Ebony muttered.

“I don’t want to think about it right now,” Primrose groaned. Stretching, she worked the kinks out of her neck before slowly making her way down the hall.

“Oi, where are you going?” Avera called after her. “Throne room is the other way.”

“Not going to the throne room anymore,” Primrose grunted.

“What?” Ebony yelped. “Why?”

Glancing over her shoulder, Primrose pointed at Zen Glory. “You heard him. ‘The Anomaly is being taken care of already’. Max is in danger. I’m going to go find him.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Ebony called to her. “I’m sure he’s nice and safe with Twilight at the moment.”

Primrose paused and gave Ebony a look. “This is Max we’re talking about.”

Ebony opened her mouth, only to close it again a moment later. “Damn,” she breathed, shaking her head.

“Yeah,” Primrose said before continuing her way down the corridor.

“But we aren’t his guards anymore,” Ebony called out again. “He’s not our charge.”

“I’m not going to find him because he’s my charge,” Primrose shot back. “I’m going to find him because he’s my friend.” With that, she turned and disappeared around a corner and was lost to view.

Avera turned and gave Ebony an expectant look.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Ebony sighed. “Let’s go find the hopeless troublemaker before somepony else does.” She took a step forward, only to stagger slightly. Blood slowly began to drip from her nose.

Alarmed, Avera asked, “Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah,” Ebony answered as she recovered. “I just used too much magic. I’ll be fine in a few minutes.” She walked off down the hall at an uneven gait, swaying slightly from side to side. “I just hope we don’t run into anything else before we find Max.”

“Sir, I really must protest!”

“And I already told you, I don’t care,” Stacker said as he strapped on the last of his armor. The gray plates were charred in places, mirrored in part by its owner who was covered in bandages and singed fur. The rest of the Coming Dawn were in similar condition, but still they donned their armor quickly without complaint.

The unicorn who was currently arguing with Stacker gave him a dirty look, pushing her glasses back up her muzzle as she did so. A nurse’s cap was perched atop her head, and she had a red sash about her chest.

“You are in no condition to be going anywhere, let alone putting that armor back on,” she huffed. “Please return to your beds immediately.” She glared around at the other guards as well. “All of you!”

“Can’t do that, ma’am,” Stacker said, shaking his head. “Hear those bells out there? We got to go.”

“The bells are even more reason for you to stay here,” the nurse growled. “It’s hasn’t even been a couple of hours since you all showed up in the ward, bruised, bloodied, and burned. Some of you even have borderline third-degree burns. You need rest, not more excitement!”

“That’s not your call,” Stacker said, fastening the last strap. Flexing his wings, he opened and closed them several times, wincing slightly as the right one, which was covered in burned feathers, quivered slightly. “We have a responsibility to see to.”

“I could make it an order,” the nurse sneered.

“Are you?” Stacker asked, cocking an eyebrow.

The nurse continued to glare up at him for a few seconds before finally sighing and looking away. “Fine, but for the record, I’m against this. My duty is to heal the injured, not allow them to go back out and hurt themselves.”

“Noted,” Stacker nodded. His eyes flicked over to one of the two beds that was still occupied. A pained look crossed his face before he could stop it. “Just… take good care of her, okay?” he asked.

The nurse glanced over to the bed as well, and her expression softened.

There, lying unconscious and hooked up to several different machines, was Sunny. She was in bad shape. The fur on the left side of her face had been completely burned off, leaving behind red, angry inflamed skin. A bandage covered her eyes, the area over her left eye slightly bloody. The fur around the bald patch of skin was blackened and charred. Her mane had been singed short, the once long locks now barely falling across her forehead. An IV ran to the crook of one of her forelegs, the medicine inside the bag dripping at a constant rate. Her nostrils were encrusted with blood, plastic tubes inserted in order to provide her with clean oxygen. The heart monitor beside her bed was beeping at a lethargic pace.

Every so often she would groan, her wings shifting slightly beneath the blankets.

“We’re keeping a close eye on her,” the nurse assured. “Don’t worry. She’s in good hooves.”

“That’s all I can ask for,” Stacker muttered. Giving Sunny one last glance, he then turned to the other members of the Coming Dawn. “Alright. Time to go see what’s going on. Let’s move.” The guards nodded before beginning to file solemnly out of the room. The last one out was Windbreaker, the bandaged pegasus giving Sunny one last sad glance before closing the door behind her.

Silence fell over the room, broken only by the beeping of the heart monitors. After a few seconds, the nurse sighed explosively and massaged her forehead.

“Guards. It’s like looking after foals again,” she muttered under her breath before moving to attend to the two remaining patients. Giving Sunny’s vitals a quick check to make sure she remained stable, she then turned her attention to the second bed’s occupant.

“And how are we doing?” the nurse asked quietly. She shined a light into the patient’s eye, but there was no reaction. Letting out another sigh, the nurse just shook her head before heading towards the office in the back.

Melodic Wind just continued to stare up at the ceiling, her unswollen eye glazed over. Unknowing of the world around her, she just kept muttering quietly to herself. “Pegasus, seven, eight, six, twenty-five, twenty-six, seventeen, twenty-six, eighteen, thirteen, nine, one, twelve…”

Neither patient, nor the nurse in the back, heard the door creak open. Slowly, one bare foot slipped through the opening, making no noise as its owner stepped into the room. Leaving the door opened a crack, the new individual glanced around until their gaze came to a stop on Sunny.

Eyes narrowing, they let out a small chirp before creeping forward on silent feet.

The sound of pounding hooves filled the air as the Coming Dawn hurried down the hall. They moved at a quick pace, despite several of them moving with a limp. Stacker was out in front, a determined—if not somewhat weary—look on his face.

As they rounded a corner, one of the guards moved beside Stacker.

“Sir, maybe we should have stayed in the medical wing,” she said. “I’m all for helping during a crisis, but let’s be serious here. None of us are in the best of shape. I’m sure the other guards can handle whatever’s going on.”

“That’s what we thought about the Changeling Invasion, Shine, and look what almost happened,” Stacker growled. “If it wasn’t for Avera’s paranoia, Luna would have been captured by the changelings in her sleep.”

“That was before Tempest became Captain of the Royal Guard,” Shine shot back. “I’m sure they can hold their own now. Especially with the Lunar Guard and the Battlemages backing them up.”

Stacker paused long enough to give the unicorn a hard look. “Corporal Shine, you are more than welcome to return to the medical wing if you’d wish. It will not be held against you, and nopony here would think less of you. However,” he growled as he began trotting again, “I am going to see what’s going on, and help out in any way I can.

“That offer goes out to all of you,” he called back over his shoulder. “Those of you who aren’t feeling up to par don’t have to come. I am going though. Alone, if I have to.” Silence fell over the hall as all the guards continued following after Stacker, not a single one of them turning around to head back to the medical ward.

“That was a low blow, Sarge,” Shine muttered, her ears folding against the back of her head.

Stacker opened his mouth to apologize, only to freeze as a low groaning noise reverberated down the hall. All the guards froze, their ears perking up as they went on high alert. For a few seconds all they could hear was the constant ringing of the alarm bells, but then the groaning came again, slightly louder than before. There was something guttural beneath the noise, almost like a growl.

Slowly, the Coming Dawn grouped together in a tight circle, all facing outwards.

“What was that?” Windbreaker breathed, her eyes darting around the hall.

“Shine?” Stacker said slowly, his wings quivering by his sides.

“On it,” the unicorn muttered. Her horn flared to life, and her eyes began to glow softly. A few seconds passed before she glanced over her shoulder. “The door to your right, Sarge. Three life forms.”

All eyes locked onto the door in question.

“Species?” Stacker asked quietly, a hoof slowly reaching back for his knife.

Shine flinched. “Not sure. The spell keeps flickering back and forth, almost like it can’t decide.”

“We move cautiously then,” Stacker grunted. “Thunderspark, Cloudspire. On the door. Everypony else, get ready.” The two guards nodded and began to creep slowly towards the door.

“Sarge, what’s the plan?” Windbreaker asked in a whisper.

“Take down, non-lethal,” Stacker answered. “We don’t know what’s on the other side. It could be ponies trying to hide, so we need to—” The door exploded in a shower of wood and splinters.

What stepped out into the hall looked like someone had tried to combine a pony with a human, but had failed. The skin was pulled taut over its bipedal form, giving it a bony, malnourished look. Remains of golden armor hung about its upper body, the metal torn and sheared. Several pieces were stuck in the creature’s flesh, causing blood to stream across its patchy white fur.

Standing tall, it glanced around the hall before its blank eyes landed on the stunned guards. Its lips peeled back, exposing massive, predatory teeth.

“What the buck is that?!” Windbreaker gasped, her eyes wide.

“Thunderspark, Cloudspire, ditch and roll!” Stacker barked. Cloudspire moved without hesitation, using his wings to catapult him back and away from the creature. Thunderspark was not so lucky.

Moving faster than its size should have allowed, the creature grabbed Thunderspark’s wing mid-jump, its claws digging into the appendage and drawing blood. The pegasus let out a cry before crumpling, his body going limp.

“Private!” Stacker shouted as the creature released the unconscious pony. As Thunderspark fell to the ground, his body began to glow a sickly yellow. Within a few seconds, his legs and wings were twitching sporadically. There was a loud series of cracks as his bones began to shift and warp beneath his flesh. Armor warped and folded as his body seemed to grow. His legs elongated, and his hooves split and tore as long, bony digits erupted from the skin.

Twelve seconds after it all began, the transformation stopped. Slowly the changed form of Thunderspark staggered upright, his enormous wings flaring as he became adjusted to his new bipedal stance.

“T-Thunderspark?” Windbreaker asked tentatively

Thunderspark turned, his blank, white eyes locking onto Windbreaker. He stared at her for a moment before his mouth opened impossibly wide, revealing a massive maw of sharpened teeth. An inequine shriek issued from his mouth.

“Go, go, go! Back down the hall, double time!” Stacker shouted. “Don’t let ‘em touch you! Unicorns, bring up a barrier. Keep ‘em as far back as possible!” In a clatter of armor, the Coming Dawn turned and sprinted down the hall, different hued barriers of magic popping up behind them as they retreated.

Letting out twin bloodcurdling shrieks, the creatures launched themselves down the hall, following in hot pursuit. Similar cries could be heard in the distance, echoing throughout the hall.

The shrieks of the damned.

“That appears to be the last of them,” Night Light grunted as he stepped over the unconscious form of a Battlemage.

The corridor showed signs of a recent battle, the walls cracked and charred due to spellfire. The floor was littered with bodies of fallen Battlemages, their cobalt armor glinting in the light of multiple fires that dotted the hall. Several of the Battlemages had been tossed through windows, their unmoving forms now lying in bushes only a floor below.

A dozen or so ponies picked through the wreckage, their armor scuffed and dirtied.

Finishing his examination of one of the senseless mages, Night Light glanced up. “Sergeant Flare, what’re the casualties?”

Nearby, a unicorn removed her helmet, her red fur covered in sweat. Brushing a lock of white hair from her eyes, she glanced around at the bodies.

“Eighteen Battlemages total, sir!” she called out in a Coltish voice. “Sixteen unconscious an’ two dead, poor buggers. Didn’ know about the mind control until it was too late. Gave a good fight, they did.”

Night Light nodded. “Any from our side?”

“Iron Hoof got hit in the initial attack,” Flare answered, glancing over at the downed earth pony in question. “His armor took the majority o’ the blast, but I think he’s out fer the time bein’.” The earth pony raised a hoof and waved it back and forth before issuing a dry wheeze. A cloud of smoke proceeded to escape his lips.

“Aye, that’s nice,” Flare grinned. “Anyways, just a couple o’ minor scrapes and bruises fer the remainder o’ us. Well, except fer Nightwing o’er there, the damned scrote. He got hit by a burst o’ static near the end o’ the fight.”

This earned her a glare from a nearby pegasus, his fur and feathers fluffed up and sticking out in all directions. His enormous owl-like wings stood out straight from his sides, erect and unmoving.

“I wouldnae ride ‘em in tae battle, sir,” Flare said with a smirk. “Watch it, Nightwing. Yer owl is showin’.”

“G-go buck yourself, C-Crimson,” Nightwing stuttered, an eye twitching as more static ran across his body.

Flare laughed. “Aye, awa' n bile yer head, ya damned eejit.”

Night Light watched the two bicker before turning his gaze to a unicorn who was examining a discarded helmet.

“What’re you thinking, Lance?” he asked softly.

“The enchantment is definitely in the armor,” Lance replied, rolling the helmet around in his magic. “I can’t tell when it was put there, but I recognize the magical signature.” Lowering the helmet, he glanced up at Night Light. “It’s the Archmage’s.”

Night Light sighed.

“Looks like the Princess was right,” he said, shaking his head. “We’ve got a traitor.”

“I’m not sure if it’s that simple, Colonel,” Lance said as he stood up, tossing the helmet aside. “While the magic signature does match the Archmage’s, there’s something wrong with it. It feels off, kind of like when he ‘accidentally’ zapped Maple when she walked in on him showering.”

“Chaos magic?” Night Light asked with a raised eyebrow. “Why would that be present?”

“If I may, sir?”

Night Light smirked. “Come on, Terminal. You know you can speak freely around me. You’ve been in this squad almost as long as I have.”

Lance shrugged. “I don’t know why there would be any chaos magic in the armor, sir, but if the Archmage is behind it, I can’t see what the end goal would be. He’s already the head of both the Battlemages and the Academy, so I can’t see this being a grab for power.”

“With the Princesses out of commission, he would be the next in charge,” Night Light muttered. “Prince Blueblood’s title is just for show, and Princess Cadance has the Crystal Empire to deal with. None of the nobles would stand against him so long as their pockets keep getting filled with bits.”

“Why not just enchant all our armor then?” Lancer asked. “It doesn’t make sense to just do the Battlemages if you’re staging a coup. Even if you manage to ensnare all of them, you’d still have to deal with the Royal Guards, the Lunar Guards, the Coming Dawn, and the SAS. There’s no way the Battlemages could take on all of us successfully. The Archmage should know this, so what’s he playing at?”

“That’ll be something you can ask him when we catch him,” Night Light said. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Crimson Flare and Nightwing still arguing with each other as the other members of the Search and Seizure taskforce watched on in some amusement.

A frown crossed his face.

“Oye, Crimson, Nightwing! Enough!” he barked. Silence fell as all eyes turned to him. “We are currently on high alert, some of our own forces have turned against us, and all three Princesses are currently missing. This is no time to be goofing off! Are you SAS members, or new recruits?”

“Sorry, sir,” they both said at the same time, throwing a salute. “Won’t happen again!”

“See that it doesn’t,” Night Light growled, his eyes narrowing. Straightening up, he gazed around at the assembled taskforce. “Alright, here’s the plan. Go around and relieve the Battlemages of their armor, then tie them up and prop them against the wall. We’ll send a healer down to look at ‘em the next chance we get. Crimson Flare, Earthen Peak—” he turned to face the mentioned mares “—you’re on destruction duty. I don’t care how you do it, but I don’t want their armor to be wearable once you’re done. Got it?” As various sounds of affirmation reached his ears, Night Light nodded. “Good, now get to it.”

As the others started to go around and unequip the unconscious Battlemages, Terminal Lance stood up and glanced at Night Light.

“How are you holding up?” he asked softly.

“I’m fine,” Night Light said, a bit too sharply.

Silence fell between the two for a brief moment before Lance spoke again. “I’m sure she’s fine, Night.” A grunt was all the answer he got. “I’m serious. Her and her friends have been through worse. She’s probably safe right now, trying to figure out a way to fix all of this.”

This earned him a sigh from Night Light. “I’m sure she is. I just can’t help but worry for her. If this is a coup, she’ll be one of the main targets.”

“She’ll be fine, Night,” Lance said, his voice firm. “She’s got more magic in her than anypony I’ve seen before. Truthfully, I pity whatever moron is stupid enough to try and go up against her.”

“Yeah,” Night Light muttered. A small smile slowly worked its way across his face. “She’ll probably turn them into potted plants.” Both of them chuckled at that.

A sudden clatter drew everyone’s attention to the end of the hallway. A gang of humans suddenly rounded the corner. Clad in make-shift armor, a few of them even carried rudimentary weapons. They froze upon seeing the ponies, and their eyes widened.

One of the humans chirped softly, glancing around at the downed Battlemages. “<What the hell happened here?!>”

“That’s not standard armor for our human forces, is it?” Lancer asked, eyeing the humans curiously.

“No, it’s not,” Night Light hummed. “I also don’t recognize any of them.”

Lance glanced sideways at him. “Civilian class?”

“Not with that armor.”

“New recruits?”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Night Light muttered, his eyes narrowing.

One of the humans in the back of the group pushed forward. “<Who cares what the fuck happened, get ‘em!>” Pulling back his arm, the human proceeded to chuck a taped-together spear at the nearest pony. The spear flew shakily through the air, wobbling horribly due to its poor aerodynamics. Still, Crimson had to duck to avoid getting impaled.

“Oye! Watch it, ya wanker!” she cried as the spear zipped by her ear. Staggering back, she glared at the humans. “What the fuck are ya doin’, ya dreich, oof-lookin, skelly, bawface minger! Ya tryin’ tae take mah ear off, or what? ‘ho trained ya, ya smarmy-ass bastard?! Why, I have half a mind tae—”

zzzzzzzzpfth

“—GRAH!” Crimson collapsed backwards, a crossbow bolt protruding from a gap in her shoulder armor.

“Crimson!” Nightwing squawked. He flared his wings, only to wince as another bolt imbedded itself through his right wing. With a grunt, he crumpled to the ground.

“Iron Hoof, Earthen Peak, extraction now!” Night Light shouted as both his and Terminal Lance’s horns lit up. Interlocking blue and green barriers appeared between the humans and the downed ponies, providing cover as Earthen and Iron moved to grab their injured comrades.

The human who had fired the bolt—a male with a cage muzzle on his face—reloaded the crossbow and took aim again. With a soft ‘click’ he fired the crossbow, the bolt zipping through the air. It struck the magical barriers, which instantly shattered, allowing the speeding bolt through with little resistance.

Both Night Light and Terminal Lance grunted in pain, clutching their horns as their magic died unexpectedly. Night Light barely managed to duck in time, the crossbow bolt nicking his ear as it whizzed past.

“What bucking clod gave them nullstone weapons?” Lance hissed.

The crossbow-wielding human took aim for a third time, this time aiming at the downed Crimson Flare, who was being dragged along by Earthen Peak. Just as he was about to fire though, Night Light sprang into action.

Horn lighting up, he grabbed Crimson and Earthen in his magic and yanked them back. At the same time, he flung open the door to a nearby janitor closet, flinging the pair behind it before diving in himself. There was a loud ‘thunk’ as the bolt embedded itself in the door, its head cracking the wood slightly. Lance did the same with Nightwing and Iron Hoof, pulling the pair with him into a small alcove on the opposite side of the hall. Likewise, the rest of the team took refuge behind varying forms of cover.

“What the buck is their issue?” a pegasus huffed, leaning against a nearby column.

Terminal Lance stuck his head out of the alcove for but a moment before quickly pulling his head back in. “Humans advancing down the hall, sir. They’re about ten meters out.”

Pulling a small mirror from out of one of his pouches, Night Light used it to peer around the closet’s door. He focused on one of the approaching humans, a female with long red hair. Brow furrowing, he lit up his horn. A cloud of magic appeared around the female. For a brief moment the magic held, keeping her frozen in place, but then the cloud shattered, and the human was free.

“Of course,” Night Light muttered, rolling his eyes. In a louder voice, he called out, “they have nullstone on them! Physical magic’s going to be ineffective against them.” Beside him, Earthen reached into a small satchel strapped to her thigh. Pulling out a pair of glowing yellow gems, she clicked them together before pushing past Night Light and chucking them down the hall.

“Flash gems out!” she shouted. A bright burst of light blazed through the hallway, followed by pained cries from several of the humans. A crossbow bolt zipped by far overhead, too far to have been aimed properly. It was clearly a blind fire. Earthen pulled out two more gems and threw them as well, with similar results.

As she shifted back into the closet, Night Light glanced over at Terminal Lance.

“How is he?” he asked, motioning towards Nightwing.

Lance moved to examine the injured pegasus, only for Nightwing to push him away.

“I’m fine!” he grunted. Reaching up, he broke off the bolt’s shaft, but left the head in the wound. “It’s just my wing. I’m fine. Crimson needs the attention more.”

Lance exchanged looks with Night Light before both of them nodded. Reaching into his armor again, Night Light pulled out two knives, holding them in his magic.

“On three,” he grunted. “One… two… three!”

Diving out from behind cover, Lance launched himself into the closet that Night Light had just vacated. Night Light moved into the hall, flinging first one, then the other knife down the hall at the humans. The first one missed entirely, flying overhead and causing several of the humans to squawk and duck out of the way. The second knife found its target, and a human collapsed to the ground with a scream, clutching a bleeding arm.

Snorting with satisfaction, Night Light ducked into the alcove with Iron Hoof and Nightwing just as the humans retaliated, a shower of arrows and spears raining down on the ponies.

Lance pulled a medical kit out from his bags and began to tend to Crimson.

“Sir, should we think about retreating and finding a better position to dig in?” Iron Hoof asked.

“It wouldn’t work,” Night Light replied, shaking his head. “The only thing down the hall is a cul-de-sac. It’s a dead-end, and we’d be trapped.”

“Teleport?”

“Not with this many ponies,” Night Light sighs. “It would take too much energy.”

“What’s the plan then?” Nightwing asked as he nursed his injured wing.

“Come on, we can tak’ ‘em!” Crimson called from across the hall. She winced as Lance pulled the bolt from her shoulder before dressing it. “They’re jist a bunch o’ humans. How hard can it be? We train with ‘em all the time!”

“She’s right,” Night Light nodded. “I’m not sure where they came from, but we should be able to corral them.” Pulling out another knife, he frowned. “At least, most of them.” Stepping out of the alcove, Night Light flicked the knife down the hall, earning another pained cry from a human that crumpled to the ground. He remained out long enough to confirm the hit before retreating back to cover. Before he could though, an arrow struck him in the neck.

“Colonel!” someone shouted, their voice mixing with other cries of concern and alarm.

Sagging against the wall, Night Light gagged in pain. He reached up with a hoof to remove the arrow, but then thought better of it. Instead, he pressed a hoof to the wound, trying to stop the blood flowing down his neck and into his armor. Someone grabbed him from behind and began to haul him back into cover, but not before something caught Night Light’s eyes.

The human that had managed to hit him was lowering his bow, a smug smirk on his face.

Night Light’s eyes widened. ‘It’s like staring into the face of a predator.’

With one last heave, Iron Hoof pulled the injured unicorn back into the alcove. Propping him against the wall, Iron carefully removed Night Light’s hoof and checked the wound. After a few seconds, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Oh, thank Celestia,” he breathed. Straightening up, he called out, “The arrow missed the major arteries. It looks like it just caught the skin around his neck. He’s going to need medical attention though, before it gets worse.”

Lance nodded before undoing the straps to his satchel. He tossed it over to Iron Hoof, who caught it deftly and began to pull out bandages.

As Iron Hoof tended to his wound, Night Light turned his head to face Lance.

“C-change of plans!” he rasped out. “They aren’t regular Equestrian humans. They’re Terran humans.” He winced as Iron pulled the arrow out of his neck, but didn’t voice his discomfort. Iron muttered out an apology before beginning to bandage the wound.

“Terran, sir?” Lance asked, a confused look crossing his face.

“They’re… ugh, they’re intelligent.”

“How intelligent?” Earthen Peak asked before tossing out another pair of flash gems. There was a flash and a yelp, and a spear ricocheted off the wall, nearly impaling one of the fallen Battlemages as it landed.

“Anomaly-level, I think,” Night Light groaned.

Earthen Peak’s ears splayed back. “Ah, buck.”

“We… we just need to—” Night Light began, only to be cut off by the sounds of a commotion coming from further down the hall. “<Ah, fucker! Where the hell did you come from?!>” There were loud chirps and shrieks, accompanied by the sound of a crossbow being fired, yet no bolts zipped by. Being mindful of Iron Hoof still working on his neck, Night Light fished around in his bags before pulling out his mirror. It had a small crack in it now, from where he had landed on it when he collapsed. Inching to the edge of the alcove, he held the mirror out and glanced down the hall.

The humans were still there, but most of them were now turned in the opposite direction, their attention now on a door further down the hall. Said door had several arrows and bolts embedded in it, as well as a spear. One of the humans chirped loudly before waving a middle finger at the door.

Suddenly, one of the arrows in the door began to glow with a rosy magic. It ripped itself from the door and, flipping through the air, rushed back down the hall at the humans. Unable to move fast enough, one of the humans caught the arrow in the leg. With a scream, he motioned towards the arrow but didn’t touch it. A second arrow quickly followed the first, ending up stuck in the human’s other leg. The human screamed again before motioning to the new arrow. He repeated the action, motioning first to one arrow, then the other, each one accompanied by a scream of pain.

Rolling his eyes with a snort, Night Light lowered the mirror before shouting down the hall. “You, down the hall! Identify yourself!”

There was a lull in the fighting, in which no sound could be heard, before a snarky voice called back down the hall. “Oh no. Uh-uh. We’re not going to answer that until you identify yourself. How do we know you’re worth rescuing? You Battlemages?”

Night Light smirked.

“Oh no,” he shouted back, his voice cracking slightly due to the pain. “We were here first. You interrupted our party. How do we—buck!” An arrow clattered off the floor, inches from his hoof. “How do we even know you’re on the guest list?”

A chuckle drifted down the hall. “Fair enough.” The voice paused as the sound of something impacting wood echoed down the hall. This was followed by a loud bark from one of the humans. “<Fuck! I missed!>”

When the voice spoke again, all the previous humor was absent. “Anomaly’s Guards, First Lieutenant Avera Noctus reporting in!”

“The Anomaly’s guards? I thought they were dismissed,” Lance muttered under his breath, his brow furrowing.

Night Light shot him a look before shouting back. “Royal Guard, Search and Seizure branch! Colonel Night Light speaking. If I remember correctly, one of you is a Battlemage, correct?”

“Yes,” Avera called out before pausing. “She is a Battlemage, but she’s in control of herself.”

“Great, we can use all the help we can get,” Night Light shouted before dissolving into a coughing fit.

“I’ve done all I can, sir,” Iron Hoof muttered as he finished up bandaging Night Light’s neck. “It should hold for a while, but you need real medical attention.”

Night Light nodded, grimacing in pain.

“Um, that might be a problem,” Avera called out, her voice taking on a nervous tone. “Our unicorn is, uh… running on empty. The rest of us are pretty banged up too—”

She was suddenly interrupted by a human chirping loudly, nearly shrieking. “<What the hell are you ponies nickering about, huh? Huh?! Trying to decide which one of you fuckers is going to die first?>”

“Be warned,” Night Light hollered over the chirping. “The humans are intelligent. Anomaly-level intelligent. We have reason to believe they are Terran humans.”

“Great,” Avera muttered under her breath. Turning to Primrose, she shook her head. “Can this get any better?”

Primrose opened her mouth but paused, her ears twitching.

Faint at first, the sound of clanking metal was slowly growing louder. Peering out into the hallway from the room they had taken shelter in, all three guards glanced back down the hall, their ears twitching in time with the clunks.

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Ebony whispered.

The sound of metal had now risen to a thundering volume. It seemed to reverberate around the hallway, causing the very floor to tremble. The noise had almost become deafening when around the corner came… it.

It was humanoid in appearance, that much was apparent. Standing nearly seven feet tall, it looked like someone had crudely slapped a bunch of metal parts together in an attempt to make a set of armor. The chest plate was pointed, as were the shoulder pieces. The helmet was curved, with only three slots indicating where the mouth and eyes were. Leather straps were visible between gaps in the metal, keeping the armor together as the human within moved around. It carried a large, metal fence rail in its hands as a makeshift spear.

The metal abomination ground to a stop upon seeing the standoff between humans and ponies. A stillness fell over the carnage-filled hall as everyone stared at the new arrival.

Avera was the first to break the silence. “Okay, that’s kinda awesome. Scary, in a piss myself kinda way, but still awesome.”

“Max’s is better,” Primrose grumbled.

One of the humans, a bearded male wearing a camouflage jacket, stepped forward. “<Tanker! Excellent timing. You deal with those three—>” he pointed in Avera, Ebony, and Primrose’s direction “<—and we’ll deal with the others. Okay?>”

The metal human nodded stiffly before turning his attention to the three ponies directly in front of him.

“Oh bloody buckin’ heart bleed,” Primrose breathed, her eyes widening.

The armored human howled before lunging for the trio. Down the hall, the other humans did the same, charging Night Light and his forces.

“Scatter!” Avera barked before ducking as the armored human swung his sharpened fence-spear through the air. Ebony followed suit, diving off to the side to avoid being hit by a second swipe.

“How are we supposed to take him down?” she shouted, her horn sparking uselessly.

“Aim for the knees and head,” Primrose ordered. “We don’t need to kill him, just immobilize him.” Jumping over a spear thrust, she aimed a kick at the human’s head. The human barely ducked in time, the mass of metal making him slow and cumbersome. He staggered, losing his balance for a moment.

Avera decided to use that momentary distraction to her advantage and, dashing forward, she kicked at the human’s left knee with both hooves. A loud ‘clang’ echoed around the hall, and Avera fell to the ground, her hind legs trembling horribly. “B-b-b-b-buck! The knees are reinforced!”

“Aim for the back of the knees,” Primrose called out. “It’ll be weaker there, in order to allow him to walk.”

The human turned to face Primrose and raised his spear. Anticipating an attack, Primrose jumped quickly into the air to avoid it. Her eyes widened when, instead of attacking, the human shifted his grip on the spear. “Buck!” Snapping open her wings, she tried to redirect herself in midair, but it was too late. The spear thrust upwards, tearing through her armor, her stomach, and erupting out her back in an explosion of blood.

Six mares raced down the smoke-filled hall. Well, five mares raced down the hall; the sixth one was pushed along complaining all the way.

“I’m sure Princess Celestia and Luna are taking care of it right now,” Twilight whined, attempting to dig her hooves into the smooth floor. Her attempts were futile, as Applejack barely even slowed her pace. “They probably don’t even need our help. We should just go back to searching, and let them focus on the problem.”

Applejack just kept right on pushing. “Ain’t happening, sugarcube.”

“But, they could be in the middle of a dangerous fight right now. We shouldn’t distract them!”

“Twi, them bells are ringin’. The princesses are gonna need our help. Now buck up and get movin’. We can look for Max afterwards.”

“But—”

“Applejack is right, darling,” Rarity called back over her shoulder. “Remember the last time the Cathedral bells rang? All those nasty changelings. Ugh.” She shivered, grimacing in remembrance.

“Yeah!” Rainbow cheered, zipping by overhead. “Something big’s going down. Maybe the changelings are back for round two!” Fluttershy squeaked, staring at her with wide eyes. Ignoring her, Rainbow threw a couple of punches before doing a loop through the air. “We get to teach them another lesson! I’ve been dying for a rematch.”

This just caused Twilight to struggle more.

“B-but that’s why we’ve got to find Max!” she cried. “He’s out there somewhere, and could be in danger!”

“Darling, all of Canterlot is in danger!” Rarity chided. “I’m sorry for saying it, but this is more than just about Max right now. Oh, don’t give me that look,” she added as Twilight glared at her. “I’m concerned for him as well, but right now the best thing we can do is find the princesses and take care of whatever trouble has decided to rear its ugly head. The sooner we do that, the sooner the threat is gone and Max is safe, and the sooner we can go back to searching for him.”

Twilight opened her mouth to argue, but paused, her brow furrowing. After a couple of seconds, she grudgingly closed her mouth and stopped trying to escape, falling in step beside Applejack.

“Fine,” she grumbled, “but the minute this is over with, I’m going back to searching.”

Rarity’s gaze softened. “I know, dear. And we’ll be right there with you.”

The group rounded the corner of the hall, only to slide to a halt a moment later. They gaped at the sight before them, ears splayed back and eyes wide.

The throne room doors were wide open, one of them dangling precariously from one hinge. Large scratches covered the doors, gouged deep into the golden metal. Smoke billowed from the throne room, choking the ceiling high above with thick, black smoke. Colored glass was scattered across the floor, twinkling dangerously in the torch light.

“What in tarnation happened here?” Applejack breathed, gazing around at the destruction.

“It looks like a herd of buffalo stampeded through here,” Rainbow muttered. She had to hover close to the ground in order to avoid the smoke above.

“I don’t like it,” Pinkie whimpered. Her mane and tail had lost their usual volume, now hanging limply to the ground. She glanced around fearfully, small tremors running through her body. “It… it feels wrong here. Something’s wrong….” She trailed off and huddled closer to Applejack.

Twilight swallowed thickly before steeling herself. “Come on, girls. Let’s go see what happened.” Slowly—carefully—they crept forward into the throne room. It was roughly in the same state as the doors. Windows were shattered, allowing smoke to escape through them and into the night sky. The carpet leading up to the throne dais was ripped and torn, patches of it still burning. The banners hanging from the pillars were all on fire, the flames burning slowly as they slowly crept higher and higher. The grand throne was on its side, split in two from where it had fallen from the dais.

“I… I don’t understand,” Twilight stammered. “What happened here?”

“It looks like it was attacked,” Fluttershy breathed, holding a hoof to her muzzle.

“I know that,” Twilight huffed, “but how, and by whom? How did they manage to get to the throne room without the guards stopping them? Why are there no bodies? Where are the Princesses?”

Rarity winced, rubbing her horn, which was beginning to spark. “Twilight, darling. Do you feel that?”

Giving her a confused look, Twilight lit up her horn as well, only for her eyes to widen.

“I recognize that magic,” she breathed. “It’s… it’s Di—”

“Eeep!” Fluttershy squeaked in alarm. She jumped back and quickly hid behind Rarity, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Fluttershy, darling. What is it?” Rarity asked, glancing over her shoulder. Fluttershy didn’t move from her hiding spot, but did point a trembling hoof towards the far end of the room. Everyone turned to see what she was pointing at, squinting through the smoky air. It took a few seconds, but then Twilight could just make out two figures slowly emerging through the haze of smoke.

“Hello? Who’s there?” she called out, but the figures didn’t answer.

Slowly, the girls were beginning to backup, all while nervously watching the approaching forms.

“P-Princess?” Twilight gulped. “Is… is that you?” Again the figures didn’t answer, but a low growl reverberated through the air. “Girls, I think it’s time to—” A sudden breeze blew through one of the broken windows, stirring the air and revealing what was approaching through the smoke.

Fluttershy screamed.

The creatures were like nothing Twilight had ever seen before. They were some gross, grotesque abominations that looked more in place in a fevered nightmare than in reality. They practically made the changelings look like puppies, and she still had trouble sleeping for several weeks after the invasion due to what she had seen. Blood dripped from the terrors’ claws, their bony hands and forearms soaked in the crimson liquid. Drool dripped from their elongated muzzles, pointed teeth glinting in the light of the surrounding fires. The thing that made the horrors worse was that she instantly recognized the coat colors, as well as the hair that wafted behind the creatures on a nonexistent breeze.

Twilight trembled as cold, lifeless white eyes glared down at her from the twisted face of her once-kind mentor. “P-Princess? What… how…?”

Celestia threw back her head and let out an ear-piercing shriek, Luna following shortly after.

Screams filled the throne room as both princesses lunged forward.

Octavia peered apprehensively through the curtains of the living room window, staring up at the palace in the distance. Framed against the night sky, the white towers of the castle seemed to glow orange, the light flickering ominously. Smoke wafted into the air from unseen fires, obscuring the stars and tinting the moon red. The Mareitime Cathedral’s bells were still tolling loudly, making her anxiety levels rise.

She still remembered what happened the last time those bells rang.

Those pods had not been a pleasant experience.

Pulling her head back and letting the curtain fall across the window again, Octavia glanced over at the door, double-checking that it was locked. Upon seeing that it was, she breathed a sigh of relief, only to jump as a faint, echoing shriek came from the direction of the palace.

“What’s going on up there?” she whispered under her breath. Rubbing her hooves together, she moved through the candlelit room and sat tentatively down on the edge of the couch. A half full wine glass rested on an end table, and she picked it up in trembling hooves. Taking a sip in an attempt to calm her nerves, Octavia hummed softly to herself.

Lowering the glass, she allowed herself a small smile, only to flinch as another faint shriek came from outside. Hooves shaking, she placed the glass back down and began to stand up, only to nearly scream in surprise as a door slammed shut upstairs. Staring wide-eyed up at the ceiling, her ears twitched in time with the sound of someone walking around.

“V-Vinyl, is that you?” she called out. The hoofsteps paused before heading for the stairs. A few seconds later, Vinyl appeared on the landing of the living room.

“Oh thank goodness,” Octavia breathed, placing a hoof on her chest. “You nearly scared me half to death!” She paused upon getting a good look at Vinyl. Her usually messy bedhead mane was combed and styled, hanging down the side of her face. She had her signature shades on, her red eyes completely invisible behind the tinted lenses. Two metal tags dangled from a small chain around her neck.

Octavia blinked as she took in Vinyl’s appearance. “Vinyl, honey. What’s… what’s going on?”

“I’m going out, ‘Tavia,” Vinyl said, her tone neutral. “Lock the door behind me. The runes should hold. You can hang out in my room if you’d like. I moved one of your cellos in there.” She turned to head towards the door, only to pause when Octavia called out.

“Vinyl, wait!” Octavia bit her lip, glancing nervously at the window. “What’s going on? Is it a riot? An attack?”

“I don’t know, ‘Tavia.”

“But you have an idea.”

“...Yes,” Vinyl sighed.

Silence fell as the pair just stood there, unable to look at each other. Finally, Octavia glanced up, peering through her bangs with a melancholy look on her face.

“I know you once served in the Guard years and years ago, back before we met,” she said softly, “but that doesn’t mean you have to go, you know. They don’t need you to be there. You can stay here, with me, where it’s safe.”

“I know,” Vinyl muttered, “but I’m not going to help the guards.” Slowly, she reached up and gently brushed a hoof against the metal tags, causing them to clink together softly.

“I’m going to meet an old friend.”

Author's Notes:

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Terminal Lance is brought to you by personofuninterest. I hope I'm doing him justice.