“Every day is like Sunday,

Every day is silent and gray….”

Cheerilee turned up the radio just slightly and bobbed along to that old nugget by Moorissey.  She had to admit, the emo minotaur was one of those artists who just didn’t age well, which is why she always listened to his earlier albums or the stuff back when he was with the Blacksmiths.  Unfortunately, his more recent albums showed signs of a performer just retreading his hits until retirement time, which was a shame.  Oh well, there was always those rumors that the ‘Smiths were getting back together, so hope springs eternal….

Now, she happily confessed to herself as she took the eggs out of the fridge, if you wanted a band that showed the test of time, it was her all-time favorite band, Echo and the Bunnymares.  Except for a brief hiatus back in the mid-90s, that was a group that knew how to rock without all the infighting and drama most bands had.  Their new album was supposed to come out later in the year and you could bet your calculators she was going to get it.

But as she cracked the eggs on the pan and started making breakfast, she wondered why she was listening to Moorissey.  She usually started off the mornings with the classics: Siouxie and the Barn-shes, Trotson Twins, Pet Shop Colts, Clopture Club, and, of course, Echo and the Bunnymares, or occasionally whatever was on the “Awesome Always 80s” station EATY.  But today, for some reason, she chose Moorissey, something she didn’t do unless she knew she was in a bad mood.  And how could she be in a bad mood?  Life was great right now.  Her husband, who always got up earlier than her, was already working the northern fields.  Apple Bloom was working on yet another one of her Special Projects; ever since she got her cutie mark, that little mad scientist was always up to something or other.  Granny Smith was sleeping peacefully, her retirement years earned, and Applejack was off taking care of some government business in Canterlot.  Other than some unexpected overcast clouds due to the unfortunate accident over in Fetlock Mountain, there was nothing to worry about.  And it was a Saturday, so she could grade papers at leisure.

“Cheerilee, how many times Ah gotta tell ya, y’ gotta stop list’nin’ t’ that rubbish ‘fore it rots yer mind,” a voice said from the door.  “Y’ gotta listen t’ the good stuff, like Haylon Glennings or Applebama.”

Cheerilee laughed, “AJ, not all of us listen to country music.  Care for breakfast?”

“How Big Mac puts up wit’ ya, Ah just don’ know,” she said with a laugh.  “If y’d please.”

“Can you pass me the hay bacon?”  The purple earth pony added more eggs to the pan and began to chop up veggies for the omelet.  “Besides, if you want to talk about bad music, explain Apple Bloom.”

“No foolin’ there.”  AJ shook her head as she went to the fridge.  “What the hay is ‘fat beats’ and ‘wicked porch music’?”

“House music,” Cheerilee corrected.

AJ dutifully passed the bacon strips.  “Don’ sound like it’s fit fer any house, if’n y’ ask me.  Well, she’s mah li’l sis, so Ah s’pose Ah gotta deal wit’ it….”

“Wit’ what?” Big Macintosh said as he came in the house.  Walking over to kiss his wife, he added, “D’Ah miss sumthin’?”

“Oh, nothing much, dear, just talking about how good music has somehow missed Apple Bloom’s generation.”

“Yeah, tell m’ ‘bout it,” he said with a grin and a shake of his head.  “Been tryin’ t’ get her to listen t’ Van Haylen or Billygoat Squier, but well, y’ know….”

Both mares looked at each other in that secret glance known only to females of any species: Stallions. They then giggled simultaneously, ensuring the time-honored tradition of leaving said stallion completely clueless.

“So, sis, whut brings y’ back from Canterlot so early?  Wuz expectin’ ya t’ be there fer a spell,” Big Mac asked as he washed his hooves and got ready to set the table.

“Well, Ah got news.  Mite wanna wake up Granny an’ get Apple Bloom fer this,” she said as she took the tableware from him and started setting up the table herself.  For a second, it seemed as if she wanted to get away from him.

“Aw, let Granny sleep,” he commented as he got the plates.  “She wus up late last night watchin’ a mar’thon o’ her ol’ fav’rite TV shows.”

Applejack took a breath then said what was on her mind.  “Mac, Goldengrape show’d me yer service record, an’—”  There was a sudden crash as plates slammed against the floor, breaking and when Applejack turned, she found her brother staring at her, angry and shaking a hoof at her.

“Y’ had no right, AJ, no consarnin’ right!” he snarled.

“Mac, Ah had ta!  Ah’m a Knight, which means Ah’m a senior guv’ment official!  Didn’ have much a’ choice, an’ y’ know if Ah couda, Ah wouda!” she pled.

“Fine – y’ go get Granny.  Ah’ll get Apple Bloom,” he seethed as he stormed out of the house.

“AJ, what’s going on?” Cheerilee asked.  All it had taken was one word about Mac’s military career, something he’d said was a brief time, and he’d suddenly blown up, something he never did; furthermore, Applejack had a miserable look on her face, as though she knew she was about to do something wrong but that had to be done.

“Ah’m sorry, Cheerilee,” was the only response that came from the orange pony’s lips.

Maybe Moorissey was the proper thing to play today, after all.

═╬═

Groaning, Haruka strained against her bonds.  She’d heard the plan, and if she didn’t hurry soon, she was done for: Aspenclaw would sit through the summit, gather as much information as he could about his former potential allies, then leave as soon as possible.  Once he did, there would go any hope of rescue, as he threatened to cut off all her tails – foxes’ tails were central to their magic and de-tailing her would essentially destroy her, leaving her weaker than a newborn kit and completely at his less-than-tender mercies.

Fortunately, the arrogant wolf king made a huge mistake in her favor: he’d ordered no one save for him to enter the tent, under pain of instant death.  That meant that regardless of what she tore apart in this…horrorshow…of a king’s tent, she would be left alone, which meant it would give her just the slightest chance to find a way to escape.  And the one way to accomplish that was to get help.

She turned over just about everything in the room, searching for something that came from the earth in some fashion or other, but the wolf king was a true monster, having just about everything in his room coming from life: skull food bowls, blankets made of animal furs, utensils made of bone or similar.  Haruka fought back the urge to gag; she needed to focus if she ever planned to survive this abattoir.

At last, a miracle came: one of the swords in Aspenclaw’s armory chest had a handle not of bone, but wood.  Wrapping her bound paws around it, she focused with all her might.  Directly touching the wood was for amateurs, but with the ensorcelled bonds sapping her strength, it was all that she could do.

She felt a trickle of her power flow into the wood, and what was once wood slid away from the metal, forming a piece of paper, floating in the air before her.  The paper formed a small butterfly before landing on Haruka’s snout.

Find Rarity, she thought.  Find her and bring her here.

The butterfly flew out the window, headed straight towards Canterlot castle…and the only hope the fox princess had left.

═╬═

Flying higher than she’d done in a while, enough so that she could see the great dome of the sky stretch from horizon to horizon, she soared, just enjoying the simple pleasure of being airborne.  Too many pegasi took it for granted, often using it as mere transport to get from A to B or because they preferred wingpower over hoofpower.  While there were some pegasi she knew, such as Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, who loved pure, unadulterated speed and aerobatics, she wasn’t sure that even they enjoyed flight for the sake of flight.  But for her, it was a good way to just get out there, grab some air, and spend a few moments of respite from everything.

“DERPY!  GET OVER HERE!”

She sighed, “Okay, coming, you don’t have to get pushy about it, sis.”  Brought back to earth, metaphorically at least, Derpy went to join her sister while on their trip, winging over to an identical pegasus.  As she got closer, once again, it seemed like she was looking in a mirror; despite the fact that they weren’t twins and she was actually two years younger, Derpy and her older sister Orange Box looked very much alike save for a few slight differences.  The first was their mane shades: Orange’s, true to her name, was a slightly redder tone than Derpy’s.  The second and bigger one was obviously the eyes: when Derpy was born, there had been a complication in her birth and the result had been that the pegasus ended up with strabismus.  She learned to deal with it over the years, but unfortunately it turned her into a one-mare flying disaster circus.

The other became more apparent when one spent enough time with the both of them.  As their mother had said, “Derpy had the brains while Orange had the looks”; however, Derpy’s best friend Golden Harvest had said it best: at least the younger sister isn’t a harridelle.  It showed in spades: though Derpy, Ponyville’s mailmare, lost mail frequently and often inadvertently damaged things, she could always be counted on to help and it was that generous heart that led her to adopt two daughters.  Orange, on the other hoof, was a Cloudsdale party queen and usually could be counted on to have the exact opposite reaction than her sister, and most of the time that was very much not a good thing.

At present, the two were en route to Whinnypeg.  Derpy’s older daughter Sparkler had moved there a couple of years back when she was accepted for apprenticeship in the Mage Guild.  Sparkler had shown an exceptional ability in pyrotechnical magic, far beyond the baseline level of a cutie mark-enabled special talent; after hearing about it, Twilight sponsored Sparkler’s entry into the Guild, pairing her up with a fellow pyrotech mage named Oriental Blossom.  The trip to see Sparkler had been in planning for months; but unfortunately Dinky had caught a case of strep horn and had to stay home.  However, she asked her mother to visit Sparkler anyway, so Derpy had brought her sister along for the trip.  Flying directly would be quicker than taking the train in any case, as Dinky was now too big to fly on her mother’s back.

“Derpy, how many times do I have to tell you, you’re the one who knows how to get there, not me!” Orange snarled.  “I haven’t been to Whinnypeg since we were fillies.”  She huffed, adding, “I swear, you act like such a foal, sometimes I wonder if my nieces ran the house instead of you.”

Instead of an apology, Orange instead got a fond smile from her sister.  “Awww…you’re so sweet, sis!  I don’t think I’ve ever heard you call my little muffins your nieces before.”

Orange rolled her eyes; unlike her sister, she didn’t have a problem doing that.  “Well…they are my nieces, Miss Clueless.  You’re my sister, they’re your daughters; ergo, Derp-o, they’re my nieces.”  A rare considerate thought crossed her mind and she asked, “I don’t think you’ve ever told me about how you adopted them, and Mom and Dad haven’t mentioned it either.”  One thought became two, and she added, “They are adopted, right?  I mean, whatever you do in your own life is your business, and if you’re sleeping around, that’s really none of my concern.”

Derpy bit off a nasty retort; she loved her sister dearly, but Golden Harvest was right: Orange often acted like a bucking tarpan.  “They both needed a home, and I fell in love with both of them from the day I first saw each of them.  How could I not adopt them?”

“Sis, you really need a life.  You know what?  Let’s go clubbing while we’re in town!  A friend was telling me about this hot place downtown that—”

“Hey, what’s that?”  Derpy pointed to a small black line that seemed to slither along the road, heading towards Whinnypeg.  Seeing the black line from this high up meant that it was long, seeming to snake away from Grand Flanks and towards their destination.

“Hay if I know,” the older sister replied.  “Everything looks like ants from all the way up h…Derpy, come back here!”  Curious as to what it was, the younger pegasus dived towards the line, wanting to discover its secrets.  Muttering half-serious comments on how it probably would have been better to have been an only child, Orange followed.

As the pair got closer, they began to see that the line was a caravan of ponies, headed straight for the city.  As they got even closer, an unnaturally foul smell hit them like a rock, enough to make them both blank out for a second.  Forcing themselves to fly through the rotting stench, they got closer and what they saw horrified them both: the line was made of ponies, all right: if ponies came back from the dead.  Stumbling like lepers, the ponies were scraggly, emaciated and stared straight forward with glassy eyes’ wings were withered and twisted, horns were bent or broken.  To a one they were black as night, save for the blood red eyes.  The only sound coming from them were moans of pain, cut short as one or another fell and were stepped on by the slow-motion stampede of the others.  This proved they weren’t dead; death would have been a mercy for them.

“Hey, this doesn’t look good.  This looks like something outta Zombie Massacre VII.  We need to get out of here, Derpy!”

“We’ve got to get help.  Let’s get to Whinnypeg immediately.”

“What, are you crazy?  That’s where these things are going!”  As if in reply, one of the creatures looked up at Orange with its haunting eyes and she felt icewater roll through her veins.   “I’m not going to go anywhere near that place, you got me?  Not for anything.”

“Fine.”  Derpy’s crossed eyes now became a cross look as she stared her older sister down.  “If you don’t give a bucking trot about my daughter, then you can just go to Tatarus!” she snarled.  “My Sparkler means the world to me and if…you know what, why am I even wasting breath talking to you?”  Seeing that the line of the damned had moved a quarter mile during their argument, Derpy immediately rocketed off towards the larger town, racing the clock.  She didn’t have any of Rainbow Dash’s natural speed to propel her, but she had the metaphorical afterburners of a mother’s righteous fury.

Wordlessly, Orange took off in a beeline to catch up to her sister.  Derpy’s byzantine, twisty flying style notwithstanding, she was a mare on a mission and that mission led her to Whinnypeg.  Despite Orange’s reservation regarding the creatures below – are they getting faster? – she did care about her family; she just didn’t really vocalize it at all well.  She’d just have to think of a way to make it up to Derpy; she was carefree enough that just an apology would make everything better.

Ten minutes later and in a speed that would have impressed Rainbow Dash, Derpy found herself just above the Mage Guild office, in the center of town.  As luck would have it, several apprentices were leaving for the day, headed for another afternoon of homework at their domiciles; a few seconds later, Oriental Bloom came out – the bright yellow unicorn with the red, orange and pink mane was pretty hard to miss, since she seemed to glow like a living firework.

“Bloom!” Derpy dived, meeting her on the ground hard enough to rattle the cobblestone pathway.  “Am I glad to see you!”

“Oh, hello, Derpy.  Sparkler’s back at home; I gave her the day off since she was expecting you.”  After a second of looking into Derpy’s worried eyes, she added, “I get the feeling you want me, instead.”

Derpy nodded her head like it was about to fall off.  “There’s something out there!  Scary, too, and it’s coming this way!”

“Derpy, you’re not making sense.”  Bloom looked at the pegasus, who seemed uncharacteristically shaken.  Her eye condition aside, Derpy was a reliable and caring parent, unlike most parents who had mage foals – having a colt or filly with powers well above the average tended to freak out the everyday parent.  But for Derpy to be wound up, something had to be very wrong.  “Let’s get some tea, and we’ll talk about it.”

“No time!” a voice said from above.  Bloom looked up to see what appeared to be another Derpy, this one however, more annoyed and with straight eyes.  “Time for you mages to go justify what I pay in taxes!”

“Excuse me, and you are?”  Whomever it was, the Derpy-alike was certainly ruder than the real thing, Bloom thought.

“Orange Box.  I’m Derpy’s older sister.  I came along to visit my niece, but we ran into someth—”

“Bloom!” a voice exploded from within the building as an old unicorn mare raced out.  “We need to round up the mages and apprentices.  Just got word from Sheriff Whitesnow – there’s something out there headed straight towards the city, and whatever it is, it’s attacking every pony in its path!”

“We know, we just ran into them a few minutes ago,” Orange explained, coming down to earth.

“Would you be willing to come with me over to the Guard station on the other side?  An eyewitness would be helpful.”  Orange agreed, and with that, the senior mage teleported both to the other side of town, where the guard base was.

“Derpy, why don’t you tell me what you know about all of this?  It’ll help us find a countermeasure.”  Bloom turned her head quickly and her horn glowed with pink energy before three bursts of red roared into the air, exploding far above with a booming echo.  It was a predetermined signal for all mages to return to the Guild office immediately – that a crisis was now upon them.

As Derpy followed Bloom into the building, she thought about all the rumors lately regarding a war on the other side of the world and the recent tragedy at Dodge Junction; there was also news that military reservists were being called back to duty, and a fair number of them lived in Ponyville, making the town seem that much less populated.  Thinking about it all, Derpy sighed; all she wanted was a peaceful world for her and her daughters, and if the rumors were true, the chances of her wish coming to pass had just been trampled under the hooves of the black horrors coming this way.

═╬═

Three mares, one filly on the verge of adulthood, and one stallion sat at the table, all looking at each other.  No one had anything to say; this hadn’t changed in the past fifteen minutes or so.  The breakfast omelets and hay bacon sat on the plates in front of their potential consumers, now cold and unlikely to be eaten anytime soon.  The clock in the background ticked each minute passing, birds chirped in the distance.  Other than a brief yawn from the barely awake Granny Smith, nothing had come from the house’s residents.

Applejack exhaled; she’d screwed this up like she expected she would, and now she was going to have to make it right.  “Liss’n, Mac, Ah’m—”

“No, sis, Ah’m th’ one who shoud apolagize,” the red stallion interjected.  “Ah shouda known Purp’d make ya out t’ be th’ sniper.”

“Purp?”  Apple Bloom asked.  “Whut’s a purp an’ whut’s it do?”  Applejack looked at her younger sister, appreciating how beautiful the teen filly had become…in theory, anyway; Apple Bloom’s special talent pretty much pulled away from any focusing on her looks, much to the chagrin of Apple Bloom’s best friend Sweetie Belle.  Pretty much the family’s “mad scientist,” the filly was more often spotted wearing welding goggles, protective gloves or the like than her old manebows.  Everyone in the Apple family understood Twilight’s assessment of AB’s talent – that she had an innate knowledge of tech and building things that could put a unicorn inventor to shame – but her daily antics made them wonder how she’d build a life out of that.  

“Heh.  Purp wus Goldengrape’s nickname ‘n mah ol’ squad,” Mac explained.  “We all had ‘em, based on our marks so’s it’d be harder t’ pin us down based on real names or coats.  Ah was ‘Greenie’ on account o’ mah mark being green, while he wus Purp, ‘cus he has grapes as his.  There were others: Silver, Blues, Reddie, an’ such an’ like.”  He turned to Cheerilee.  “They wus all at our weddin’, but only a cop’la ‘em introed themselves.  Th’ others didn’ ‘cus of nat’nal secur’ty.”

Cheerliee giggled.  “Mac, you’re such a kidder!”  A few more seconds of Mac’s serious face immediately put a halt to that.  “Wait – you’re not kidding?”

“No, an’ there’s a lot o’ stuff ‘bout mah Guard career Ah ain’t toldja, honey,” he said, in a voice that said he’d be in the doghouse with Winona tonight.  “The truth is, Ah wus a Destrier.”  Turning to face his sister, he said, “Lemme guess: Purp wants m’ back in his unit?”

“That’s a negative, Greenie,” a voice said from the door.  Everyone turned around and saw Goldengrape standing there, wearing a jacket and a ballcap embroidered with OPERATION DRAGONSLAYER on the front.  The choice of the general’s hat was blatantly obvious: it was the name of that fateful mission so many years ago.

AJ’s anger rose like the sun.  “Why y’ sneakin’….”  She bit off the retort; while Apple Bloom was nearly an adult, the instinct not to curse in front of her sister was still everpresent.  “We had an’ agreem’nt, Goldengrape!”

“Indeed we did, Applejack, and I kept to it – the deadline was yesterday, as per our agreement.  You can’t blame me that you took all of the three weeks you asked for to avoid telling them.”  She looked as though she wanted to buck him through the next tree, but he took it in stride; he was long used to reactions like that.  “Actually, Mac, the plan is for you to take command of our old unit.  I’m the head of the EPG now, so I’m stuck playing desk jockey.  But you…best Destrier there ever was, Mac, a one in million.  I need you back – Equestria needs you back.”

“Y’ know Ah’m done wit’ that part o’ mah life,” he said, looking at his old friend with daggers.

“Mac, you’re the only one who has ever killed a dragon single-hoofedly,” Goldengrape said, awe in his voice.  “You’re the only one I know fit to command Destriers.”

Cheerilee’s eyes went wide in surprise…and not the good kind.  “Mac…you’ve killed somepony?”

Oh, buck me.  “It wus a Destrier op, an’….”  He fell silent, knowing that merely explaining things wasn’t enough.  “Y’ really wanna know whut Ah did in the Guard, honey?”  With a fast flicker of his forehooves, he picked up the knife sitting in his set of cutlery and flung it.  The blade cut a trail through the air until it embedded itself in the exact center of the clock.  The motion happened so fast, no one had really expected it, save for Goldengrape.

“Heh.  Still can toss a sticker too, I see,” Goldengrape added, pointing to the clock.  As everyone’s eyes finally followed the trail, all suddenly grew quiet once more, but for an entirely different reason.

“Ah need sum time alone,” Mac said, rising from his seat and just heading out the door, pausing only to glare at his old friend.

“’S this how y’ planned t’ tell mah family, Goldengrape?” Applejack accused.

“No, but apparently the result would have been the same,” Goldengrape admitted.  “This is a part of your brother’s life that he’d rather not relive, and I can’t blame him for that.”

“Goldengrape?  I need to know something.”  It was Cheerilee.  Her face had a confused, enigmatic look on it, but the tone of her voice was clear: her husband needed her and she was now stepping into the fray.

“No, no, y’ don’t.”  The answer had come from Granny Smith herself; up until now, no one thought she’d really been listening, and had actually been asleep.  “There are sum things don’ need t’ be told again, Cheer’lee.  Take it from this old mare: sum things ‘re jest best left gone.”

“No.  He’s my husband.  I’m sorry, Granny, but I won’t let this go.”  Cheerilee felt hooves on her own; she looked and it was the Apple sisters.  They were family, and they’d march into this together.

“Cough it up,” Applejack told the EPG general in her harshest tones.

“Since you insist,” Goldengrape said, taking Macintosh’s seat.  “It all started when Mac was selected for Destrier training….”

═╬═

“Have you seen Princess Haruka this morning?” Rarity asked Spike as the dignitaries filed into the meeting chamber.

“Nope, not at all.  Something up, Rarity?”

“We agreed to have breakfast in the morning and she didn’t show up.  I hope the poor dear doesn’t think I’m cross with her for what happened last night.”  When Spike’s brow rose at that, Rarity explained, assuring him she was made of sterner stuff than seemed.

“I’ll keep an eye out and let you know.  I’m sure there’s a good reason for it all.”

From down the hall came both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.  Both were walking down the hall and had noticed their friends.  “Hey, ‘sup?” Rainbow asked.

“Just another glorious day of sitting around in tedious meetings with dignitaries who lie enough to give Applejack a heart attack.”  Rarity then grinned as she playfully added, “And those are our friends.  You should see the others.”

“No thank you,” Fluttershy commented.  “I’ve already had enough of bad feelings for the week.”  She chose not to elaborate further, and the four just continued to chat idly while the plenipotentiaries continued entering the room.  As the last of them were entering, at no time did anyone notice the representative from Inari arrive.

“I think we’d best head to the Inariese embassy,” Rarity said to her friends.  “Even if the princess couldn’t make it, they’d send the ambassador or someone.”

It had flittered in so quickly that it almost hadn’t been noticed.  The tiny paper butterfly danced in the air, making repeating corkscrew of turns until it alighted on Rarity’s dainty snout.  The act had been so sudden and abrupt that her friends had burst into amused giggles shortly after the event.  That didn’t last long, however, as the butterfly exploded into a blood-red sheet of paper with a white inscription on it: HELP ME!  The red paper shrunk back on itself, becoming a much easier to see butterfly.

As the red butterfly flitted in the air just before Rarity, the four looked at each other, the same thoughts through their minds: Did you see that?

“That’s no prank,” Rarity said with a tone of finality.  “Let’s go.  Spike, discretely inform Celestia of what’s going on and that we’ll handle it.”

“Will do, but you all take care, okay?  That magic doesn’t look very safe.”

“It’s very safe, I assure you, but where it’s leading us might not be,” she answered.  “Let’s go, ladies.”  Not even waiting for an answer from the others, Rarity thundered down the hallway, following the butterfly as fast as it flew.  Half a second later, the two pegasi took to the air to catch up to their friend.

═╬═

No sooner than the carriage arrived at the Mountreal base that Soarin’ himself raced up to the door.  “Your highness, my apologies, but the commissioning ceremony’s going to have to wait.”

One of the pegasi pulling the carriage spoke up.  “Something wrong, Commander?”

“I’ve got my squadron getting ready to take off, weapons ready.  There’s something going on at Whinnypeg, and the Guard there’s overwhelmed.”

“Whinnypeg?  That’s quite a distance away.”

He nodded.  “They asked for the nearest PEGFITRON – whatever it is, regular squadrons aren’t cutting it.  We’re the nearest one, so we’re leaving now at best speed.”

Luna poked her head out of the window, looking at the carriage drivers.  “Lieutenant, prepare to leave immediately.  Soarin’, get your ponies in the air and we’ll follow.”

“You sure you’ll be safe, ma’am?” Soarin’ asked, force of habit.

She smiled.  “Thanks for your concern, but…lunar divinity, remember?  I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine.”

“Well, since you put it that way….”  He turned to her drivers, shouting, “We’re scrambling in five, then moving at full speed.”  Looking at her one last time, he added, “See you in the air, Princess.”

Luna turned to look at her attendants.  “You heard?”

“Do they have any indication of what’s going on in Whinnypeg?” Twilight asked.  “That’s too far inland for an invasion, and if they even tried that, we’d have armies there within days.”

“Not necessarily: you’re dealing with a group of ponies in which each combatant is a full-fledged mage,” Pumpkin pointed out.  “Besides, at the risk of sounding morbid, I daresay the former residents of Stalliongrad – those who are still alive, at any rate – will necessarily agree with you as to what is too far inland.”

“You have a point.”  Twilight looked out the window and saw two dozen gray-suited pegasi reaching for the sky; a few seconds later, they felt the pull towards the rear as their own cart took off.  The lead driver, equipped with a chatterbox gem, spoke, his voice filling the room: “We’ll be in Whinnypeg in two hours at current speed.  The mages will send a report shortly.”  Sure enough, a puff of turquoise-colored flame appeared before Luna, immediately coalescing into a scroll which unfurled immediately.

Her eyes scanned the parchment, darting to and fro on the script.  “Whinnypeg might not have two hours to spare, even if this is the fastest our fliers can go,” she said, flitting the report over to the other two.

Twilight only needed a second to read the report before blanching.  Pumpkin’s warning was terribly accurate; there was no such thing as safety by distance any longer.

═╬═

So far the shield was holding.  So far.

Right now, every mage and apprentice in the city of Whinnypeg was either directly powering one of the two shields extending around the city or lending their magic to those who could.  The primary shield had wavered and buckled more than once as over 2500 unicorns funneled their power into the barrier; the second one, so far untouched, was backed by another 1500.  But there was only so much that could be done as the press of the unnatural equines continued unabated.  As more mages grew exhausted, it wasn’t going to be long before civilian unicorns would be pressed for their power.

As the creatures surrounded the city, their noxious odor wafted in.  Ponies were getting sickened by it and there was no way to stop it.  It was almost a separate assault of its own, and those who could stand it had no other recourse than to do so.  Those who could not gave into their biological functions and became wretching, vomiting masses, unable to stand from dizziness or debilitated in some other manner from the stench.

Fortunately, not all were affected.  “Muffin!”  Derpy saw her daughter and moved in for the kill…or rather, the glomp.  “I missed you!”

“Kinda busy, Mom,” Sparkler said, her face grimacing in concentration as she pumped all of her magic towards the primary shield, as well as staying on her feet, knocked off balance by the hug of a loving mother.  “But I’m glad to see you.”

“Hello, Sparkler,” Orange said briefly, pulling Derpy out of the way.  “If that shield comes down on our heads because your daughter got distracted, so help me Celestia, I’ll—”

“Your attention, please: all able-bodied pegasi are needed at this time at City Hall.”  The voice request was magically enhanced to ensure all ears heard; the telltale tickle of magic brushed the ears.  “Repeat, all able-bodied pegasi are needed this time at City Hall.”  The bickering was immediately dropped as both headed towards the center of town, to City Hall.

Upon arrival, they saw the city mayor and his council, standing at the front, already explaining.  “Look, we don’t have much time: as it stands, I spoke to Master Mage Peaceful Night and she said that the shields are holding, but they won’t hold out forever.  If that happens, we will start the immediate evacuation of all civilians from the city; foals and infirm get first priority, followed by teens and then adults last.  The doctors and nurses are rounding up those from the hospitals and we’re asking the city sheriff’s department to round up every foal we can, as well as every wagon possible.  When we give the word, all of you are to start evacuating towards Maneiapolis, towing a full cart – yes, that far.  Don’t expect on coming back.”

A pegasus towards the back shouted, “You’re asking us to evacuate the entire city with just a hoofful of pegasi, and all the way to Maneiapolis?  We don’t have the ponypower to do so!  And you want us to remain there after arrival?  What if we don’t evacuate everyone?  I have a husband and two teen-age foals – are we supposed to just abandon them?”

The mayor looked at the mare with equally sad eyes.  “I’m sorry, but we have to think of the younger foals and infirm.  I know how you feel – my wife and son are part of the Guild holding that shield up, and if I wasn’t a pegasus, I’d be the first in line to stay behind.  But unless any of you can think of how we’re going to beat those…things…out there, then we have to do what we have to do!”

At those words, Derpy wanted to feel sick and cry or scream or something.  This was supposed to be a time when she’d get to see her oldest daughter after a year of being gone, and now she was going to see her die if something didn’t happen.  She felt so numb, so completely out of her element, that she didn’t know what to do – if she could, she’d pack everyone and take them all the way to Ponyville where they could all be safe.  But this was real life, not fantasy, and things like that didn’t happen.

“Sis, pray that Celestia gives us a miracle,” Orange said at her side.  “I don’t have foals of my own, so I can’t imagine what you’re going through, but you’d better not show that weak face in front of Sparkler, okay?”  

Derpy felt her sister nuzzle her.  “Okay, who are you and what did you do with my big sister?” she asked, surprised at the change in attitude.

“I deserve that, I guess.”  Orange fell silent herself, concerned that Derpy was going to lose it.  A thought came to her the other day that she’d joked with a friend that the war over on the other side of the world had nothing to do with them, because if it did, it would be at their doorsteps.  Well, if these strange black ponies were part of the war, someone was showing up for dinner.  “Derpy, I’m serious: Sparkler needs your support by you remaining calm, so you need to be calm, okay?”

Several groups of ponies raced past the city hall and someone asked aloud, “What’s going on?”

“Primary shield’s down.”  A Fleet pegasus – one of the reinforcements that had arrived in the past hour – landed by the mayor to give him an update.  “There’s a breach on the southern perimeter bridge, and we’re getting troops there in position in case the secondary shield fails, but if it does, that’ll be your cue to go!”  

The crowd grew restless, but they knew what they had to do.  As the carts were being brought in, the pegasi, two at a time, began to harness themselves in, ready to fly at a moment’s notice.  Orange and Derpy hooked up to one carrying nothing but a nurse, two sickly ponies and a pair of fillies.  “Don’t worry, we’ll get you out of here safely,” Derpy turned to assure her passengers.  “I’m the town mailmare in Ponyville, so I’m used t—”

The cross-eyed pegasus looked at both fillies.  Both were unicorns, one was slightly older than the other, and both had variant shades of purple for their coats.  While they didn’t look precisely alike, the similarity was hard to ignore.  “Are you okay, miss?” the older filly asked, seeing the sudden look in Derpy’s eyes.

“I’m…okay,” she said, turning away before she cried.  She looked at the shield, and just minutes before, it had been a beacon of hope.  Now, with the knowledge that her daughter was powering that shield and it was the only thing keeping the city from turning into a full-scale battlefield, Derpy prayed to Celestia that it would hold; that a miracle would come.  If Derpy left, knowing Sparkler would never survive, her heart would be eternally broken.

At the edge of the flickering shield, the pony-like creatures continued to push hard against the mystic barrier.  As they were pushing against it, they somehow seemed to be growing stronger, as if they were draining the shield, absorbing the power into their own.  The shield shrunk back, inch by inch, under the onslaught of the beings.

On the Southern River Bridge, several guards were in position, ready with crossbows, swords, lances, spears and magic missile pods.  The sergeant in charge of the position, an EPG lieutenant, had all the troops ready.  “We can’t let them reach the bridge,” he told the troops, “it’s the weakest position and if they hit that point hard enough, it’ll break the secondary shield.”

“I don’t know about any of you, but I’m not letting them in,” an EPG sergeant snarled in a scratchy voice.  The earth pony hefted a large crossbow, and had it aimed at the center of the oncoming throng.  “My wife just had our foal last week, a filly.  No way those freaks are gettin’ past me.”

“We got your back, Sergeant Irontail,” a Fleet pegasus stated.  She was one of the reinforcements from Maneiapolis, and while she was wearing the older olive combat flight suits, she had the current generation gunpods.  “Gotta make sure you get back to your family.”

“Tell ya what,” another pegasus said on the other side of him as she had her pods at the ready, “Ensign Seaside Shore an’ I’ll do the cleanup, and you’re paying for the next round of cider.”  She then flashed a squeeful smile at him, and Irontail laughed.

As the ebon horde approached the bridge, that was the cue.  Picking up a spear, the lieutenant roared, “HIT THEM!” as he threw his spear.  At the cue, the troops cut loose with a barrage of offensive weaponry, hitting their targets with trained precision and leaving a cloud of black dust and smoke.  To their horror, the creatures rushed through.  Spears and quarrels stuck in their flanks briefly before popping out with a sickening slurp; body parts blown off by the magic blasts began to heal.  The creatures looked crazed, as if they were terrified to approach the guardsponies even as they kept on coming.

As the pegasi kept firing, the earth ponies charged forward, lances ready to kill.  With screams of rage, the lieutenant rushed forward, and with all his strength, he slammed his lance straight through the closest of the black ponies, driving it straight through the heart and viciously enough to completely impale the creature on it.  Turning to Irontail, he shouted, “Next lance!”

The look on the sergeant’s wide eyes should have been the warning, but he said it anyway, “Sir, look!”  As the lieutenant turned, what he saw next would haunt him for the next remaining seconds of his life.  Like something dragged through a viscous liquid, the lance fell through the bottom of the pony with the same sickening sound as earlier, leaving the creature unharmed.  Before the EPG trooper could react, however, three of the black ponies were on him, biting furiously.  The officer began screaming, a death knell as Irontail watched his officer being torn to shreds by the creatures.  There was blood everywhere, and the sergeant went into shock as he became soaked in sprays of red.  Soon, the other EPG soldiers were caught by the creatures, being dismembered in shrieks of agony.

Irontail felt a tug on his shoulder, and he almost screamed before he was turned face-to-face with Petty Officer Chocolate Blueberry, the one that made the cider demand.  “Get out of here,” she ordered.  “We’ve got this.”

“Are you cra—” he was going to say before he was cut off by her hoof.

“Go.  You’ve got to get your family to safety,” she said.  She quickly turned to look at her officer, but Seaside Shore, as well as the other fleet pegasi, was fixing edgeknives to her wings, reading for close-quarters combat.  Quickly ripping a locket out from under her flight suit, Chocolate Blueberry passed it to Ironeyes.  “There’s a stallion in Ponyville, name of Noteworthy.  Give this to him and…tell him I won’t be home,” she said, tears forming in her eyes.  “GO!  GET THE BUCK OUTTA HERE!” she roared again, turning to open fire on the black ponies as the fleet pegasi rushed in valiantly…and vainly.

He ran to the other end of the bridge and saluted them before turning and running.  He didn’t want his last memories of such brave ponies to be brutal, vicious deaths.

═╬═

“For the last time, pony,” the Alasxaqi sentry at the campsite snarled, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.  We have no contraband here, and even if we did, diplomatic conventions rule that this area is technically Alasxaqi land while we’re camped, thus making it subject to our laws.  Searching for what doesn’t exist is useless.”

“Oh, but then, you wouldn’t mind if we took a quick look then, if it’s okay with you,” Fluttershy said, offering her brightest smile to the dour wolf.  Behind her stood a detachment of guard that had been hastily grabbed by the three of them at Rarity’s insistence.  While they knew that this was going to be a potentially dicey situation – international incident with a potential ally, anypony? – none dared to show any emotion on their faces.

Rarity stepped forward.  “What my friend means to say is that we wholeheartedly believe you on that front,” she started, full well not believing a single word of it.  “It’s just that such accusations have a potential chance to drive the alliance apart, so Lady Knight Fluttershy and I stepped in to intervene.  If we take a look for ourselves, anyone daring to doubt further would have to go against the word of the Knights Elemental.”

The guardwolf shrugged.  “And that’s supposed to mean what to me, pony?  I don’t know what a Knight Elemental is from a Night in White Satin.  What I do know is that if King Aspenclaw finds out about this, he’ll have my hide, then yours, and then he might bring up a complaint with your ruler.  I like keeping my head attached, so no way no how are you getting in here, got it?”

“Sir, I must protest!” Rarity answered.  “The fate of the alliance hangs in the balance, and if the enemy is spreading baseless rumors, it could have a very damaging effect on the war effort.”  A thought suddenly came to her and she followed it.  “But imagine, if a smart and valiant wolf such as you were to assist us in investigating this – I’m quite sure such a forward-thinking and loyal act would be heard straight by his majesty himself.  After all, we will be going into war soon, and I’m sure King Aspenclaw will need plenty of brave officers in his retinue.”

The wolf scratched his chin in thought, and everyone could almost hear those rusty gears set into motion.  “I’m a private right now; I could make sergeant, maybe even lieutenant!”

“Or, perhaps…what’s your name, good sir?”

“Rimefur.”

“Just think of it: Rimefur, a brave and noble captain of the Alasxaqi army!”  She painted that picture with as liberal a flattery brush as she could muster.  “Dozens of troops, all riding forth on the field of battle, ready to gain more glory and honor for their gallant officer.  One of Aspenclaw’s rightpaw wolves, a name to be honored and spoken with the highest tones of awe.”  She faked a shiver of delight, adding, “Is that not just grand?”

“You’re absolutely right!”  Rimefur waved over two more soldiers.  “Head to the castle and let his majesty know that me and the Equestriani knights are looking into the false accusations.”

“Oh, I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Fluttershy said, slightly stepping in front of the two other wolves without making it seem obvious.  “They were supposed to be in closed-door negotiations today and not even we can get a hold of our Princess.  I’m not sure they’d allow your wolves in either.”

“You’re right, I didn’t think of that.  Well, let’s get started, then.  The sooner this is over and done with, the sooner we can put those fears to rest,” he said before whispering, “Captain Rimefur – I think I like the sound of that.”

Rarity and Fluttershy looked at each other, the look signifying the first part of the plan had started.

At the far end of the camp, cleared by the events going on in the front, Rainbow Dash rocketed to and fro between tents, searching for the foreign princess.  The butterfly had led them here, and while Rarity and Fluttershy, backed by the guards, agreed to get the attention of the sentries, Dash could live up to her namesake and check the camp as quick as a wink.  In the space of the few minutes since the guards had been distracted, the blue pegasus had thoroughly checked four of the five tents.  What she saw in them pretty much made her sick; just because she was the supposed tomcolt of the Knights didn’t mean she could deal with everything…and what the wolves had as part of their culture would make just about any herbivore queasy.

Running around the far side of the largest tent, she looked for a window.  This was the king’s tent, the last one to be searched.  Considering everything she saw before, this was going to probably be by far and away the worst of them all.  She swore she could even smell the stench of cooked meat wafting from within the animal hide tent.  At last, she found a small window, just barely large enough for her to fit through, and the stench flowing through it.  Breathing in a big gulp of air and holding it in, she dived through the window, ready to be assaulted by the odor.

As she jumped in, she noticed the princess, looking at her with a mixture of shock and surprise.  Rainbow wasted no time in starting to undo the fox’s bonds, telling her, “Rarity got your message.  We’re here to bust you out.”

Haruka looked at her rescuer with no small amount of appreciation.  “Thank you.  I take it you’re Lady Knight Rainbow Brite?”

“It’s Rainbow Dash.”  Seriously, where did that whole “Rainbow Brite” thing come from, anyway? she wondered, having heard it once too many times.  Well, nevermind that right now.  “How you holding up?”

“I can walk, but the bonds drained my magic – it’s going to take hours for anything significant to come back,” she replied.

“Well, looks like the way I came in ain’t gonna be an option,” the pegasus mused.  “We’re going to have to go through the front door.”  The pair made for the tent opening, steeling themselves, as they knew there’d be resistance…when things got worse.  A guard, moving ahead of the searchers, raced into the King’s tent to clean things up, instead ran into both escapee and rescuer.

“Um…hi?” Rainbow waved before rushing past him, dragging Haruka in the process.

“Intruders!  They’re stealing the King’s mistress!”  The guard howled, a warning bay echoing through the tent and sounding out into the beyond.

“‘Mistress?’” Haruka shouted as she regained her footing.

“Later, Princess!” Dash yelled back.  “No time for….”  She immediately hit the brakes as she noticed what was pointed right at her; a split-second later the fox princess careened into her, sending both tumbling to the ground, making it easier for the now-alert wolves to point pikes right at them.  As for Rainbow Dash, while she could probably blast away without a scratch, she couldn’t do so while carrying Haruka in some form, and there was no chance she was leaving the fox behind.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to.

“Guards!  Arrest everyone on the compound!”  Rarity’s voice carried from the far end of the compound, and the guard escort rushed in, expecting battle.  Dash and Haruka looked at the wolves with knowing grins as one ordered two to guard them while the rest joined the fray.

Rimefur looked at Rarity, half-shocked and half-enraged.  “You tricked us!”

The unicorn thrust an accusing hoof in the direction of the mob.  “And you lied to us, and enslaved the Inari princess!  What do you have to say to that, ruffian?”  His answer was to swing a claw at her, with the fashionista barely able to dodge.  Magic lit up her horn, and she flung the wolf several feet away from her and Fluttershy.  “Fluttershy, dear, you need to move!”

Unfortunately, from the moment the battle began, Fluttershy found herself frozen in her tracks.  She felt nearly all but her mind shut down, as she was only able to watch as if disembodied, her Cartesian theatre featuring a live-action wargame.  She wanted to scream for them to all stop, for there to be a way to resolve this peacefully, but as the first blades clashed, the chances of a placid resolution became nigh impossible, a fact buoyed a second later as one of the wolf sentries raked a bloody streak across the face of a pegasus, who only had time to roar in pain before his attacker shoved a sword through his chest, killing him instantly.  The wolf, however, didn’t last long, cut down a few seconds later by the sure hoof of a unicorn archer.

Nonononononononono…. StopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Fluttershy screamed in her mind, unable to get the words out to the combatants as the world became bloodier and blurrier.  She couldn’t discern true figures anymore, just movements of black turning into sprays of red as they died, all action timed to the sound of her own heartbeat on overdrive, a heart that seemed to be saying the same thing over and over at an increased rate: Pacifist.  Failure.   Pacifist.  Failure.  Pacifist.  Failure.  Pacifist.  Failure….

No, I don’t want anyone to die!  Please, stop!

Failure.

But I can’t move!  If I do, I’ll end up in the fight, too!

Pacifist.

But if I fight, others will die!

Failure.

There was a sudden rusty scream in the blurry distance of Fluttershy’s fear-blinded vision.  A huge hulking smear of black stood over two smaller smears, one with a red streak.  The larger smear rushed towards the smaller ones, and the red-stained one barely dodged, protecting the smaller one.  For some reason, Fluttershy focused on this one: the smaller blurs were going to lose.

Then the stained one turned light blue.

“I SAID STOP!”  Before she even knew that she’d moved, the yellow pegasus noted a dizzying, stomach-churning change in her view.  When it stopped, everything became crystal clear, and she found herself looking straight into the terrified face of a wolf sentry, sword held over his head for the kill.  The look on his face grew more and more terrified, and it suddenly started to dawn on Fluttershy that she wasn’t looking at the wolf – she was Staring at it, her natural weapon on full glare.

The wolf turned and ran, dropping his sword; that was all the blur behind Fluttershy needed to tackle the wolf, pinning him by the tail with his own sword.  The wolf’s scream shook Fluttershy to full realization, and she noticed Rainbow Dash, bleeding from a gash on the arm, holding the wolf down, refusing to let go of the sword she’d buried in his tail.

“Rainbow!” Fluttershy screamed.

“Arrgh…it looks worse than it hurts, Fluttershy,” the pegasus grunted, focusing more on the sword and the fact that at any moment, the wolf would turn around and start attacking her.  Fortunately that didn’t happen: three guardsponies, looking the worse for wear, held their weapons at the downed sentry, signaling for his surrender.  As one of the guard unicorns magically bound him, Rarity raced towards them, carrying bandages.

“Rainbow, dear, are you okay?” she asked, proffering the first aid kit to Fluttershy, who immediately started to dress the wound.  

“I’m okay, Rarity, sheesh, you guys worry too much,” Rainbow feigned, though the smile on her face indicated she was grateful for her friends’ concern.  “But we would’ve been toast if wasn’t for the fact that Fluttershy only comes through in emergencies!”  A couple of seconds later she realized she unintentionally insulted her friend and amended it with, “Sorry, I meant she really comes through in emergencies.  Sorry, Fluttershy, I guess my brain’s working faster than my mouth again.”  

“Oh, that’s no problem, I understood what you meant.”  Out of all her friends, she’d known Rainbow Dash the longest, which meant there were certain mannerisms that the yellow pegasus could read that the others hadn’t quite figured out yet, and right now, all Fluttershy could see was tension.  She’s mad at me because I didn’t step in sooner.  She’s mad at me because I’m a coward.  Had Fluttershy been truly paying attention, she would have noticed the tension was from Rainbow’s reaction to the stinging pain of the cleaning solution that had been applied to the wound before Fluttershy began wrapping it.

Meanwhile, Rarity had turned to the Inari princess.  “Haruka dear, are you okay?  Those brutes didn’t do anything to you, did they?”

“A little sickened by the barbaric decorations of King Aspenclaw’s tent, but otherwise unharmed,” Haruka replied.  “I suppose I should be grateful that he decided to ‘save’ me for the trip, but I’m rather hard pressed to show any appreciation.”

“Well, you can just show him in the flesh, then,” Rarity answered, her eyes filled with indignation.  “Princess Celestia must be informed about Alasxaqa’s betrayal before they depart or else we’ll be compromised.”

═╬═

Under the pressure of the black ponies, the shimmering shield finally sputtered and died.  “Shield’s down!” Peaceful Night shouted.  “Begin the evacuation!”

“NO IT’S NOT!”  The command had roared like a voice of a vehement god, and quite literally all eyes went skyward.  As they did, they noticed a thick wall of energy, blistering with power, surrounding the entire city in an instant.  Up high above, a violet star fumed in the afternoon sky, radiating with a brilliant glow to rival the sun itself.

Someone shouted out, “It’s the Knight of Magic!” and gasps of relief and cheers began to fill the sky.  The Knight Commander Elemental of Magic was now on scene, and woe be to the enemy that dared to cross Twilight Sparkle.  A few swore that despite how high up she was on that pegasus carriage, they could make out her august and imposing figure, daring the ebon monsters to challenge her.

“Showoff!” Soarin’ laughingly called from his position, seeing something quite different from the city below saw.  Sure, there were very few ponies alive who had the capability of casting a magic barrier around a city, but most of them tended to do so from the ground, not perched precariously on the top of a pegasus-drawn carriage.

“I don’t suppose you could do this, could you?” Pumpkin snarled at him.  Right now, she was doing all she could to ensure that Twilight stayed safely planted on top of the carriage; so focused was she on the spell, she hadn’t thought of setting a stabilizing spell previously.  “By the way, if she falls, you’re going next, got that?”  Pumpkin’s eyes narrowed; she meant every word of that threat she uttered.

“Easy, Pumpkin.  Soarin’ didn’t mean any harm by that.”  Beneath them, the door to the carriage opened once more, and the Princess of the Night jumped out, stretching her dark wings and taking to the sky.  “She tends to be a bit protective of us,” she explained to the ice-blue pegasus.

“A new member of the Knights?” he inquired.

“Actually, she’s my hoofmaiden and private assassin.”  When Soarin’ blanched at that, she added with a shrug, “Well, I am trying to break her of the latter habit….”

The Stormrunners’ CO ignored that last comment; it was well known that Princess Luna’s sense of humor ran toward what could charitably be called bizarre.  “Well, we’re ready to begin our attack run when you give us the go, your highness.”

“Have your fliers prepare to descend to assist the city; they’ll need all the hooves they can get.  I’ll take care of this myself,” she said, her eyes growing grim as she sped away from the rest, coming to a point just above the shield.  She began to glow, stronger than moonlight, more than twilight – and Twilight – and briefly became a fierce blue ball of power, enough to rival Celestia’s sun in brilliance.  That soon ended as she screamed “YOU WON’T HARM ANOTHER OF MY PONIES!” and let the power flow down at the horde of targets below.

When the lightning hit, it was nothing less than the literal strike of an angry divinity. The creatures began to scream in unearthly tones of pain as the plasma raked across their unnatural forms, coursing through them and impaling them on dozens of angry jags of magically-created electricity.  They quaked and jittered with the telltale signs of being electrocuted before beginning to bloat as if they were part of a fleet of black balloons.  Finally, the thousands of black ponies popped, a burst sending a sickening scent over the skyline of Whinnypeg.  Black ichor, the remains of the ponies, rained against the shield—

—and suddenly, they were gone.  No sign that they had ever been there, save for the external damage done to the city limits outside of the original shields.

As Twilight began to drop her shield, Soarin’ approached the princess.  “Faster than we could have done it.  Nice job obliteratin’ them.”

She looked at him, and the surprise never fell from their face.  “You don’t understand: they disappeared on their own.”

The hours fell towards night, and the citizenry of Whinnypeg were treated to the rare sight of seeing Luna both lower the sun and raise the moon – with Celestia’s attention on the summit, Luna agreed to handle both for a couple of days; it was a fun challenge for her, as she had to correct the angle of both celestial objects to take account of her difference in location from Canterlot.  It also brought hope to the beleaguered city that both the Night Princess and the Knight Elemental of Magic were present this night to protect them.

While Luna stayed in the town to be a figure of comfort, Twilight moved out to the battlesite to get a better idea of what had occurred.  She was escorted by Irontail, the lone survivor of the twelve ponies fighting outside the shield to protect the bridges.  Twilight had specifically asked for his presence, as it would make her investigation easier; as for Irontail, when a Knight asked for your presence, a stallion just couldn’t turn down that level of authority.

Her horn currently in use as a flashlight, Twilight turned to Irontail.  “So, this is the place where you and the others were pinned down?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Irontail answered.  “It was me and Lieutenant Golden Raisin an’ some squaddies; and we were joined by two fleet pegasi, an ensign and a petty officer.  Can’t remember the name of the former, but the other was Chocolate Blueberry….”  He trailed off as he saw the look on her face; it was obvious.  “You knew her?”

“Not personally, but I know her fiancé, Noteworthy – he’s going to be devastated.  What happened?”

Irontail shook his head.  “She saved my life, because my little filly was born last week.”  The grief just slammed him, survivor’s guilt on full auto.  “I should have been out there to die with them, but she insisted that my little filly needed her father.”  He finally broke down, the tears coming.

“They were brave and did the right thing.”  Twilight patted him on the shoulder.  “One of my friends grew up without parents, and she told me in many ways, it’s the most horrible thing ever.  Your fellow troops all knew that and couldn’t let you make that sacrifice.  Honor theirs by living – this war isn’t over yet.”

“I have something that she passed me to give to Noteworthy.”  He was going to pull it out of his utility belt, but Twilight stopped him.

“No.  That’s your mission, Sgt. Irontail, her last wish.  I’ll see that you get permission to leave for Ponyville to do so.  Noteworthy will understand; he’s a very sensible stallion.”  She turned around to focus back on her duties, when she stepped on something.  “What’s this?”  She used her magic to float it to her face, then turned to Irontail.  “Did this belong to…?”

“No, ma’am.  None of the others were wearing any visible jewelry, far as I know.  EPG regs prevent it, and all of us were stallions.  While the pegasi were nearly all mares, I’m guessing Fleet regs are probably even stricter due to flight hazards,” he answered.

“I thought so…I recognize this, in any case.”  Twilight immediately conjured a communication spell.  “Princess Luna, can you hear me?”

“I hear you perfectly, my knight.”  Both were on the clock, so their usual informality gave way to duty.  “Is there something amiss?”

“I just found something: a barrette with a cherry design on it.  I recognize the design, and if I’m right…let’s just hope I’m wrong.”

“I know you, my stalwart mage, and you are scarcely amiss.”  Twilight translated that to her friend’s real concerns: you’re probably not wrong.

I was afraid of that.  “The barrette…belongs to Cherry Jubilee, a cherry farmer south of Oatmaha, a friend of Applejack’s.  Those ‘things’ that attacked today…they’re the residents of Dodge Junction.”

“So you think…?”

“The enemy’s using everything against us.  Including necromancy.”

═╬═

The sun had long set in Canterlot, and the meeting drew to a close.  All in all, it had been a fairly productive day; all had agreed to form an alliance to face the Black Ponies.  While there was little they could do, Ambassador Magnet pledged that the sealanes would stay open, and that his country would ensure that supplies made it from one continent to another if they had to go by sea.  The lone holdout in any of this had been Inari, who had not sent a delegate and may have somehow been offended by something.

“Your majesty,” King Aspenclaw stated in formal tones, “it is entirely possible that…the Inariese…they may have allied with the Black Ponies.”  As others gasped, he shook his head sorrowfully.  “Can it be anything else?  They have not sent a delegation, and they have a full embassy here in Canterlot, unlike many other nations.  There can be no other explanation.”

Bauxite looked at his rival; the very fact that the wolf king was being excessively polite was a danger sign.  “Your majesty, with all due regard: you’re being rather…civil today.”

Aspenclaw nodded.  “I had much to think about last night, some of which was my scandalous behavior of the prior day.  I owe both you and Princess Celestia a great apology, and it is my desire to speak with both of you later in private,” he said, bowing to both Bauxite and Celestia in turn.  “But for now, we must do something about our former Inari allies.  They have clearly tur—”

“STOP!”  The great doors to the chamber room flew open, and Rarity burst in, flanked by a huge retinue of guards.  “Guards, seize King Aspenclaw!  Aspenclaw, I arrest you on charges of rape and kidnapping while on Equestriani territory!”

“What?” Aspenclaw’s face went from surprised to murderous all in a matter of seconds.  “You dare to attempt to arrest me, a king?”

“Rarity, would you clarify?”  Celestia left her seat, walking towards her knight.  While Spike had discretely notified her of what was going on, the accusations were as serious as who she was accusing.  There would need to be evidence, and while Celestia would easily take the word of her knight and friend over anything Aspenclaw said, there had to be concrete proof that could be used to nail his hide to the wall.

Not taking her eyes off him, Rarity snarled, “He and his allies – the Black Ponies – captured Princess Haruka last night.  The plan was to spy on us, then to take her back with him to Eversnow as his ‘entertainment.’” She spat the word, looking at the wolf king as fiercely as he looked at her.  “You, who would take the innocence of a fair maiden?  You’re no king; you’re scum of the earth!”

Celestia looked at Aspenclaw, her face contorting in anger.  “Explain yourself.”

The wolf opened his mouth, but his voice came from elsewhere: “Please let her majesty the Queen of Magic know that I will be back in Eversnow within a week, and we will most warmly welcome an envoy from our new ally when it is convenient for her.”  He looked up and found Princess Haruka, flanked by Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, using her magic to recreate the scene.  A paper diorama played before her, the tale of the treacherous king.

Haruka faced Celestia, relief and gratitude shining in her eyes.  “Your majesty, I would be still trapped and my homeland falsely accused of treachery had it not been for the efforts of your Knights Elemental.  I am eternally in their debt, and I pledge that Inari stands with you against the Black Ponies.”  She then looked at Aspenclaw and added, “And their allies.”

“You mangy cur!” Aspenclaw roared at Haruka.  “You’ve undone my plans!  When I am done with you, you’ll beg to be my plaything!”  Enraged, the wolf king launched at the fox princess, ready to tear her to shreds with his claws, murder in his eyes.

He never got that close.

The lights went out, and any semblance of warmth suddenly drained from the room, leaving a chill not unlike the native lands of the wolf king.  But then it got colder, more than anything Aspenclaw had ever faced and enough to send a shiver through his body.  As for his body, he found he could not move, somehow locked into place by magic.

“You’re a fool, Aspenclaw.”

The voice was echoing, angry and righteous.  In the dark of the room a flare of white flickered into existence, painful enough to burn his eyes even as he couldn’t remove his eyesight from the view of the burning star before him.  The star walked closer to him, and he noticed its shape: wings, horn, a scowl on its beautiful face.  On her beautiful face.

“You dared to hurt someone under my protection in my lands, Aspenclaw.  All for the sake of being a pawn for the Queen of Magic.”

Stars winked into existence all around them.  The billions of lights against the dark sable, all occulting with brilliant existence, all bearing witness to his treachery.  As one, they all seemed to shine on Celestia, adding to her brilliance all the more, making his pain even more unbearable.

“You betrayed us, and for what?  Nothing.  You call yourself a king, but in truth, you’ve become a pawn of the Queen, a pawn about to be removed from the chessboard.  Oh, your country will fight to avenge you, but they needed a reason to do so; and by sacrificing you, the Black Ponies can oh-so-nobly say they stand beside Alasxaqa in its war against Equestria.  A war they started using you as bait.”

Though he could not so much as move a single muscle even in his mouth, his mind was his own, and he screamed at her with it. I will yet live, Celestia, and I will have my revenge.  You cannot harm me, whelping.  I am a king, and you but a mere princess.

No.  I am no mere princess; you should have realized that by now.  But, I suppose you’re too stubborn to think about such things.  She sighed, and though the sound was soft, it felt like each note pounded his eardrums.  But it matters little, and I’ve no reason to punish the commoners of your lands because of your stupidity.

Reality shifted again, and all stood in the room once more.  Every eye in the room was fixed on the Sun Princess, and not a few with horror: what she had done she’d shown all and made it clear: no further treachery would be tolerated.  The looks on the faces of the polar bear, tanuki and winged dragon representatives made it obvious that they too had been approached by the Black Ponies; the three were now hastily rethinking their newfound alliances as the Princess of Equestria had just exposed them to the error of their ways.

“Spike,” she started, “take a letter.”  He’d expected it, and had one on standby.  Pausing long enough to ensure he was ready, she said, “Through my authority as Divinity of the Sun and Princess of Equestria, I, Celestia, hereby declare war against the unnamed one who calls herself the Queen of Magic and her host, who we know as the Black Ponies or the gypsies.  I order my military to immediately initiate hostilities against them as directed by my needs or those of my allies.”  She looked down as she finished the dictation; to her, the very act of going to war for the third time in her life was an abject failure on her part.

Remembering what was transpiring, Celestia looked at Bauxite.  “Lord Bauxite, I request that Draconia begin a military campaign against Alasxaqa immediately.  Make it quick and decisive; no commonfolk should be harmed because of the folly of their rulers.”

“You shall have it, with our thanks,” Bauxite replied as he humbly bowed.  “We will be in their capital in a week, Your Holiness, and we will treat all our new subjects with the greatest of care.”  With that, he departed the room, headed back towards his embassy to order the assault.

That done, Celestia turned back to Aspenclaw.  “There: you no longer have to worry about your kingdom, Aspenclaw.  Within a week it will be a protectorate of Draconia, and probably a permanent part of it within a few years.”

“You can’t do this!” he roared at her.  “I am a king!”

“And I am not merely the so-called Princess of the Sun – I am the sun!”  The fire in her eyes raged more than anything Aspenclaw had ever seen before, and for the first time in his life, he tasted fear, as well as a haunting realization: she truly was a divinity, and he was truly at the end of his days.  He felt the heat of her wrath on him, and it was hard to miss: the temperature in the room suddenly flared a dozen degrees and she blazed brighter than anything in the sky.  Her broiling heat burned mere inches away from him, and he whimpered, a sound that did not go unnoticed.

Seeing the look of utter defeat cross his face, she relaxed a little and the room’s temperature returned to normal.  She gave all in the room a look of apology, and then she looked back at Aspenclaw.  “Aspenclaw of Alasxaqa, you have been found guilty of attempted rape, kidnapping and conspiracy, and the Crown of Equestria holds you in judgment.  I have but one last thing for you.”

Aspenclaw stood before her, shivering.  Whatever existed of his bravado was now a long-gone memory, and the wolf king had been reduced in a manner of seconds to a titleless, landless pup.  “What?” he asked, knowing it was the last thing he’d ever say in this life.

Celestia smiled at him, but there was no mirth or happiness in that smile, only judgment.  But her eyes, her luminous eyes held a glee in them, a merriment that bordered on the monstrous.  “Tell me, Aspenclaw: do you like bananas?”

═╬═

They found him on the field bordering Golden Harvest’s carrot farm.  As he’d been out there the whole day, Applejack and Cheerilee decided to give him as much time as was needed.  Bu now, it was extremely late out and he hadn’t eaten a thing all day, so the mares packed some food and went off to find him.  Goldengrape had left hours ago, citing a need to return to Canterlot and leaving the situation in Applejack’s capable hooves.  Apple Bloom wanted to go along, but they asked her to remain behind with Granny Smith; the underlying message had been clear: it was something the three of them had to work out separately.

What they found on that barren field, was a magnificent sight.  Silhouetted by the stars and the moon on the mostly unused land, there was Mac, practicing long-unused sword movements.  He flowed in a rhythmic, fluid way, the large stallion moving so swiftly and gracefully in ways that neither mare had ever seen before.  As they watched his hypnotic sword routines, it was almost like watching another pony entirely, and not the gentle, kind stallion both had loved for so long.

He suddenly stopped and without looking in their direction said, “An’ Ah’ll teach y’ and th’ others t’ fight like this, Applejack.  Ah’m not lettin’ mah sister out there without bein’ able to protect herself, even if y’ outrank me.”

Applejack smiled.  “Goldengrape told me t’ tell ya, whate’er y’ want, ‘t’s yers.  He’s goin’ t’ set ya up wit’ th’ best Destrier team there ever wus.”

She could see his smile.  “Tell ‘im Ah’m puttin’ th’ band back together. Purp’ll reckon whut Ah mean.”

Cheerilee stepped forward.  “Mac, Goldengrape told me everything.  He didn’t want to, but, well, you know me.”

Mac’s smile disappeared.  “Ah didn’t want’cha t’ know, honey, c—”  He was immediately silenced by her kiss.

She looked him straight in the eyes.  “You’re no killer, Mac.  You’re a hero and the stallion I love, the stallion I married.”  She kissed him again before nuzzling him.  “You’re the most gentle and wonderful pony I know, and you did what you had to in order to save lives.  That’s nothing to be afraid of – it’s something to be proud of.”

“But Ah could do it agin,” he explained as he looked into her loving eyes.

“Then Ah reckon yer prolly savin’ more lives,” Applejack answered.  “Neither y’ nor Ah came inta this life expecting this.  Ma ‘n Pa, they ne’er wouda let us have lives like this if they couda done something ‘bout it.  But there’re killers out there, an’ we have t’ do sumthin’ ‘bout it.  Yer an Apple, and we Apples nurture th’ land an’ feed the ponies…but sometimes, we gotta protect it all, too.”

Macintosh reached over and embraced two of the mares closest to him in his life.  He had to protect them: the storm was coming and he stood between it and his family.  If he could teach Applejack how to protect herself with a sword and keep the enemy from his family, he would do so.  “Ah’ll protect y’ both.  Ah’ll protect y’ all,” he whispered, holding them both close.

Cheerilee held her husband as well.  She loved him and nothing would ever change that.

Applejack looked at her brother and sister-in-law.  This ‘s the reason Ah’ll fight, she thought to herself.  T’ protect their happiness.

As they let go, Cheerilee took that moment to start undoing the picnic supplies.  “There’s nothing like a moonlight picnic to spend time together,” she said, “and you probably haven’t eaten anything all day, have you?”  Cheerliee started breaking out the food and for a moment, there was just absolute peace.  Tomorrow would be a different day, another day, but for now, there was nothing but love and peace.