Chapter Fourteen: Requiem

The pilot sighed quietly, enjoying the peaceful autumn morning upon the balcony of Luna's chambers. The sun had just risen only an hour prior, the man awake and sipping at the cup of coffee made just for him by none other than Nightmare Moon. The morning had started off rather unusual, but delightfully so. Behind him, soft sounds of slow, gentle breathing are the only melodies to grace the air. He turns his head and looks into the bed chamber, seeing his beautiful fillies sleeping peacefully with their mother, nestled safely under her outstretched wings as they sleep in this day.

Beside him, a black alicorn rests upon her rump, keeping silent vigil beside her master. She waits quietly, eagerly awaiting any opportunity to serve him in some capacity or fashion. She tenses up for a moment as he moves, ready to spring to her hooves if he leaves the balcony. When she sees he remains seated, and returns his attention to the cup of coffee and watching the activity of the palace grounds, she relaxes once more, licking her lips in anticipation.

Talon eyes her out of the corner of his vision, while taking a sip of the delicious elixir that was coffee. Setting down the cup on the table, he lets out a huff of breath. "You seem tense Nightie...what's wrong?" He asks, turning his gaze to her. "Is something on your mind?"

She freezes in place for a moment, chewing her cheek within her maw briefly while she contemplates a response. The alicorn folds her ears back against her skull for a moment as she looks away, then quietly speaks under her breath. "Master...it's...it's just..."

The pilot focuses on her now, turning all of his attention to her. "Nightie...whatever it is, let's talk about it...you don't think I'm upset about yesterday, do you?" He asks, uncomfortably adjusting his position in his chair. His hips and back are still sore from the beating he took only a few hours prior, after becoming the favored toy of five frisky alicorn's, and one Earthen Mustang under a spell of lustful death.

The nightmare alicorn nods slowly, her ears swiveling about as she lets out a quiet sigh. She turns her gaze to him briefly, and nearly flinches as he reaches out to touch her. His hand comes to a rest upon her neck, his gentle touch stroking her slowly, reassuringly. It takes all of her will to remain in place, resisting the urge to leap upon him and embrace the pilot within her large, raven black wings.

"I'm not upset. I kind of figured it was some kind of accident. Morrigan seemed too amused by the situation to do anything about it, and I'm pretty sure there isn't a single guy around the city that's complaining right now. ...well, other than having a sore back from it. I have to admit though...Luna's cycles were never that bad, even her actual summer estrus. I can't even begin to imagine what you were all going through." He comments with a smile. Talon pats her on the side and returns to the chair, grasping the cup of coffee within his hands once more, enjoying the last bit of the delicious fluid within the mug.

Nightmare looks to him with surprise, blinking in confusion. "Master...you're sure you're not at all angry? We...I was..." She stutters, finding it difficult to voice her thoughts. "I...I never meant for it..."

"Nightie, relax. It wasn't that bad. ...well, being chased around by sunny butt and all...can't say I enjoyed that part. And I really don't know what to say about Cadence. The fact that Twilight viewed it more as a science experiment, actually taking notes during the whole thing was what got me weirded out." He replies, setting down the now empty cup upon the table again. He turns and looks to her, a smile upon his features. "I understand that you were unable to control yourself. I get the fact that there was weird space pony magic that I can't even begin to understand at work. Just do me a big favor...next time you start to get that feeling again, don't hide it from me because you're afraid of what I'll say. It's perfectly natural for your unique physiology to have the extreme drive and need to do that when the time comes. I'm sure there was a time when my people were the same way, thousands of years ago. It's nature. You can't fight your biology."

The nightmare alicorn nods slowly, her teal orbs locked onto him with curious wonder and hope. A small, gentle smile crosses her muzzle in understanding, her heart slowing down as the panic fades from within her. She nods happily in understanding, sensing that he was speaking his heart, and that her master had held no contempt for her actions.

The pilot begins to rise to his feet, causing the alicorn to spring to her hooves. "Master, where are you going?" She asks in a hushed voice, backing up slightly, her hooves dancing in place with anticipation. "Is there something you need?"

Talon stops, turning to look at her. "Well...I was just going to get more coffee. The twins and Luna are still asleep, and it's rare that I get a quiet morning like this one. I figured I'd enjoy the peace for a bit longer." He says taking a step. He winces as the dull ache in his lower back throbs, shaking his head and grunting in pain.

Nightie steps forward, raising one of her fore hooves and pushes him back to the seat very carefully. "Let me get it, please!" She speaks up with some excitement. "Please, continue to rest, I'll return with it in just a moment." Alighting her horn, she grasps the mug within her telekinetic hold. Her magic flickers briefly, before she's able to maintain her grip upon the cup. Her power hasn't been completely restored yet, her body still adapting to the purely light magic. The alicorn flutters her wings with gentle shakes, some loose feathers falling away and to the ground as she turns and walks, exiting the balcony and entering the chambers quietly. As Nightie disappears, the pilot leans down and picks up one of the feathers, studying it with curiosity.

He notes the feathers from Nightmare Moons wings are somewhat different than those of Luna or Celestia. Unlike those two, the shine upon the sleek black feather is not due to material and fibers, but more to a slick, somewhat sticky form of oil in a light coating. He holds the feather up to the sunlight, looking at it carefully; noting one very strange fact as well...Light does not penetrate it at all. Not a single speck of light passes through even the spaces between the fibers, the feather completely opaque and as black as the deepest expanses of ocean at night.

As the pilot is rubbing his index finger and thumb pads together, studying the oil, he hears a mare clear her throat, coming to a rest beside him. "That's called preening oil, Talon." Celestia comments, letting out calm, gentle sigh. Her feathers are ruffled, her mane and tail not the wavering, ethereal banners that they usually are, but normal hair that lays limp against her form in long, multi colored strands of silken ribbons. Her mane and tail are a tangled mess.

If he as startled by the elder white alicorn sneaking up on him, he made no effort to show it. Talon looks up at Celestia, who leans her head down and nuzzles him lovingly. "Did you sleep well, Talon?" She asks, a gentle, content smile upon her muzzle as she backs her head away, the mare resting upon her rump against the marble floor of the balcony. "I know I sure did. I almost didn't want to get out of bed to raise the sun this morning, since you left me feeling very full..."

"Yeah, for what little sleep you nutty space ponies let me have, I slept just fine." He mutters, turning his attention back to the feather. "Preening oil? I've never seen this on Angel's feathers before...or the twins for that matter." He comments. The pilot turns his gaze to Celestia's wings, then without warning, reaches out and plucks a random feather from her. She flinches in surprise, before glaring at him. He ignores her smoldering stare, grinning as he holds both side by side. Much to his surprise, he noticed the same oil coating upon her feathers as well.

Celestia sighs, forgiving the pilot without a second thought as she smiles, watching him study the feathers. "That's because you manage their care so well. When we preen ourselves, that's what comes out of our saliva as an after affect. And judging by the amount on that black feather, which means the owner of it was looking to impress some pony with her plumage. It's a known fact that pegasi use their wings as a form of communication, attracting the opposite sex with their shine isn't out of the question."

The pilot nods, not looking at her. "I get that, but this feather belongs to Nightie...not a pegasus."

Celestia laughs quietly, resting her fore hoof upon his arm. "I was getting to that. The fact that there's so much of the oil upon that feather, means that Nightmare Moon was looking to impress you. Not just sexually, but to be noticed. Any mare takes pride in their wings especially. Luna doesn't use her oil anymore in heavy coatings, because she knows you will always love her no matter what. Now whenever she does, it's just to maintain her feathers. Looking at that one, I'd say Nightie wanted all of your attention she could get."

He nods in understanding, setting the feathers down. "Is that the reason? Why though? If she needs something from me, she's more than welcome to ask. Morrigan briefed me on everything regarding her redemption, and I'm aware that she's fully in my care...though I can't say I agree with any of it. This is a fresh start for her; she shouldn't be relegated to anything like this, let alone viewing me as some form of master. None of you, especially her are any form of slaves or pets. If anything, I should be in service to all of you. Since I've come to Equestria all those years ago, I was taken in, clothed, fed....you repaired my aircraft I don't know how many times over, and moved your lives around mine in ways I can't even begin to describe."

The elder white alicorn nickers quietly, lowering her muzzle down to his sitting height and plants a gentle lick upon his cheek. "That's because we loved you from the moment fate brought you here, commander. You were everything Luna ever needed, all in a single answer. You fought for us, you were our strength when we were weak, and above all else, you died to save us. I know in my heart...that I couldn't possibly continue on if you were not here. I still don't know how I personally managed before without you."

Celestia breathes deep the calm, cool autumn wind of the city, a warm smile as radiant as the morning sun upon her lips. "Without you being here, we would have never had the advances that we do. You brought with you revolutionary ideas that changed how we see things. Your machine brought advances in technology that have saved and bettered countless lives, weapons that defend that very way of life, and principles that pony society were slowly losing over the years. We as pony kind have never been so peaceful, and so fulfilled. Our economy is stable and strong, thriving and providing even the most destitute of areas with quality education, cutting edge medicines and jobs. We can safely say that since the last census, the country has been in the best shape it has ever seen since the reign of Discord. It would have taken Luna and I another thousand years to bring any of this about, yet it was done in just a few years thanks to the wonder that is humanity."

"Not all humans are as good as you think..." He says quietly. "On my old world, it was weapons like these that had brought about power struggles over resources, wars that were meaningless, and death upon innocent people. Humans had their good and bad points...and sadly I have to keep reminding you that we're not nearly as wonderful as you may dream. Even my country that I had come from had its darker times, and very dark, blood soaked chapters in its history. "

"But it's the fact that you didn't bring about any of it is why we love you, Talon." Celestia admonishes with a loving gaze, smiling sweetly to him. Her ears are turned outward and low, her eyes lidded and showing she's relaxed. "You had brought with you uncorrupted morals, an unwavering faith in love and light, and a good intended purpose for that very war machine. You turned something that was meant to be a tool of destruction into a symbol of peace and prosperity. These machines that we have now..." She says, motioning with her fore hoof to the flight line below. “Have become so much more than they were ever imagined form on Earth. They bring goods and items to faraway places that need them. They defend the skies from threats by the griffon empire and zebradic nations. Enemies that once preyed upon my ponies now run in fear when they hear even the faintest whisper of a banshees cry. Mothers now know they can allow their foals to play outside in complete safety, because somewhere, some place, one of our many legions of the ERAF is protecting them from anything. Even the EverFree has become tame, without a single incident in years from a monster attack on Ponyville. Believe it or not, the ponies of Equestria are very grateful that you were brought to us."

He sighs shaking his head. "I don't think you get my point, sunny butt."

"But I do, Talon." She says, her voice showing signs of strain and urgency. "It's much more than that too...you also gave us all the greatest gift that not even our mother could give. You had not only tamed the night with your love and compassion...but you had given Luna a reason to live. You had saved us all from our greatest threat...Nightmare Moon. My only solution was to send her away for a thousand years, to try and weaken her hold on Luna...I had failed. You however...you had taught them both what true love is. You purified her, and you had changed something so evil into something that can only be described as love in its purest form."

The elder white alicorn grasps the black feather from the table within her magic, holding it up to him. "Talon...The Nightmare Moon of my past was a vicious killer that had thought of no one and nothing other than the absolute and total annihilation of all life, she was the deepest part of hate that ever existed. But this...this is more than enough proof to show that you changed that. No mare would ever go through this much trouble to show affection, if they didn't honestly feel love and adoration. That Talon...is my point. That...is why we love you."

The sound of muffled hoof steps reaches their ears, the pair turning their attention to the balcony entry. Nightie has returned with the cup of coffee held within her flickering magic, the black alicorn eyeing the cup warily as it hovers shakily in the air, bound for the table. Her neck and sides appear to have a small sheen of sweat building upon her fur, the alicorn clearly struggling with her magic for even such a simple task. Right when it appears she's about to lose her grip, Celestia smiles gently and alights her own horn, the gentle golden glow of her magic securing the cup effortlessly and stabilizing it. Nightie sighs with relief, as the coffee is then given to her master without incident.

The elder white alicorn eyes the reformed Nightmare Moon, her eyebrow rose with concern. "Still having trouble, Nightie?" She asks, rising to her hooves and gazing at her herd mate. "You seemed to be having some difficulty adjusting to your new body still."

"It's nothing I can't manage, dawn bringer." Nightie sneers out, before she can catch herself. The pilot and white alicorn eye nightie with surprise, before she coughs with a shocked blush, then averts her eyes away. "I...well..."

Talon shakes his head, and sips the cup. The coffee is once again near perfect, if a bit bitter. He smiles as he looks at the dark gold liquid, the thought of just where the hell the alicorn’s keep finding milk from crossing his mind briefly. "Nightie...it's probably like Twilight said yesterday, that your pathways just haven't fully established themselves yet. Morrigan and Luna also mentioned that you would have difficulty for a few days until you have your magic flowing properly. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Besides, sunny butt was only trying to help."

Celestia gently bats the pilot with her wing, a wry smile on her lips at the comment. "Your beta mare or not, that's still princess sunny butt, Talon." She nods and turns her magenta gaze back to the nightmare alicorn, who seems to be chewing her inner cheeks angrily. "Nightie, it's alright. You may be an adult, and still a very powerful alicorn...but you're still adjusting to a new life, and filling in a new body. Don't discredit yourself. Give it a bit; you'll be back to shape shifting and tossing out lightning in no time."

Before Nightmare Moon could speak, Celestia yawns loudly and stretches out her wings to full spread, the mare shaking out her plumage and returning blood back to her flight surfaces. A few loud pops and clicks are heard, followed by one very satisfied grunt. "If you two will excuse me, I'll be returning Twilight and myself to our chambers, so we can bathe and meet with you at breakfast." She folds her wings back in, running her hoof through her tangled mess of a pastel mane. "And wash my hair...it's amazing the sheer hell estrus can play on a mares mane." Talon and Nightie nod, the black alicorn stepping out of Celestia's way, the white mare disappearing into the darkened chambers.

Talon lets out a gentle huff of air, turning his attention back to the coffee mug before him. He takes another sip and relaxes more in the chair, smiling as he takes in the view of the palace grounds from high up on the balcony, enjoying the crisp autumn air and beautiful morning skies. Nightie once again comes to his side and comes to a rest upon her haunches, quietly observing him out of the corner of her vision. Her ears swivel and turn rearward, the dark alicorn listening intently to the sounds behind her.

Nightmare picks up the soft sounds and sleepy murmurs of the occupants in the bed, as well as the gentle snores of the pink alicorn sprawled out on the sofa within the night princesses’ chambers. She inhales a quiet breath, licking her lips to speak. “Master…things will change here, won’t they?”

The pilot turns his attention to her now, raising an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Well…it will no longer be just Lumin…” She pauses for a moment, and then corrects herself. “Luna and myself serving you. Now our heard has since expanded greatly, including the dawn bringer, mistress Twilight, and now, the pink one.”

“Cadence.” He quips, nodding. “I don’t really know how to answer that. I couldn’t even begin to explain that situation, Nightie.” Setting down the coffee mug on the table, he turns around to glance into the chambers, looking right at the still sleeping Cadence. He rolls his eyes as he sees her with one foreleg above her head, her maw wide open and tongue hanging out. A small glimmer of drool glistens on her fur, the pink alicorn letting out a loud snort, followed by more snores as she scratches her belly with her other foreleg. Talon sighs, and then turns his eyes once more upon the black alicorn, who is staring at him with curious wonder. “Morrigan was pretty clear yesterday. She said that Cadence was to join our herd. As to why, I have no idea. But…I’m not even going to try and argue with the lady.”

“Yes…one does not simply argue with the mother of all creation.” She quietly breathes out. "For whatever may come our way, just know I promise to always be by your side. No matter how things turn out with this, I will never stray from you, my master.”

Talon shakes his head. “Nightie…I really wouldn’t mind if you just called me Talon. Or even Tal. Hell, I’ll happily take being called dumbass. I’m not your master. You’re free to make your own decisions and choose your own path in life. Part of free will.”

“So I may call you any name I wish?” She asks, her lips curling into a small smile.

“Yes.” He responds, picking up his coffee again and taking down a gulp.

“Then I choose to call you master.” She replies, smiling smugly. The alicorn watches as he nearly chokes on his drink, raising her hoof to her maw to cover her gentle giggle at his reaction. Talon only shakes his head in response. As she’s about to speak again, a long, loud trumpeting blast is heard from the chambers, Nightmare glancing quickly to track the source of the sound. Nightie crinkles her nose with amused disgust, quickly picking up the all too familiar stench of the Cadence butt trumpet special. Her eyes trace the snoozing alicorn’s tail flicking and swishing, the sleepy sound of a quiet giggle reaching her ears, followed by more snores.

Talon holds back a laugh, taking another gulp and finishing the remainder of the coffee. “Believe it or not, Luna’s are worse. That mare can clear a room after a few bowls of chili.”

Sledge adjusted his cigar as he looked over the latest repair manifest, sighing quietly as he realized more and more of his veteran crew was being picked off to work at the growing network of airfields. He stood at one of the many workbenches in the hangar, trying to figure out just what any of his new workers were good at. He had a couple metal workers, a couple guard rejects, and on top of that the first mare to work under him. She had been a gardener, and yet it was looking like she was shaping up to be the best out of all the new recruits.

“This is an absolute fuckin’ mess.” Sledge mumbled to himself as he turned around to look at the aircraft a couple of his veterans that hadn’t been picked off where giving it a once over on the welds and hydraulics, a couple were showing the new recruits how it was done. Sledge kept his eyes on one of the guard rejects; a brash douchebag of a stallion by the name of Checkered Record. He was a trust fund kid, and that just put him higher on Sledge’s shit list. His sand colored mane was unkempt and long, perfect for getting sucked into a jet engine. He never picked up any greasy tools for fear of ruining his pristine grey coat, and Sledge was stuck with him.

Sledge continued watching the recruit with his rather annoyed expression, smoke drifting upwards from his cigar. Checkered was supposed to be maintaining the hydraulics in the starboard wing, instead he was ogling the mare who was anything but interested in his advances. Sledge dropped his cigar from his mouth and stepped on it with his hoof before marching towards the recruit, without stopping the stallion grabbed a couple bullets from an ammunition crate sitting on a rolling toolbox.

“Head’s up!” Sledge shouted before chucking the bullets at the recruit, Checkered flinched as the bits of metal pelted his side. “Get your head in the fucking game, idiot!” The younger stallion looked at his approaching superior and puffed out his chest in an attempt to appear intimidating, it only made Sledge want to punch him in the face.

“What?! What?! You want to go, huh!?” Checkered shouted as he got up into Sledge’s face, Sledge simply exhaled and the smell of his cigar breath caused the stallion to take a step back.

“You keep your head in the Goddess damned aircraft, you understand me soldier!? This isn’t a toy; we can’t just buy a new one if you fuck it up!” Sledge shouted at the recruit, a vein bulging on the side of his neck. “You fuck up here and pilots get killed, I have a hard time believing I haven’t conveyed that to you by now!”

“I was doing what you told me too!” Checkered shouted back, still trying to gode Sledge into a fight.

“Did I tell you to stare at Daisy’s flank?!” Sledge bellowed, taking a couple more steps towards the recruit who held his ground. “Now here this, Private Record! You will straighten up and fly right, because so help me if you cause a crash I will personally lead the firing squad! Do you read me?!”

“Loud and clear, sir.” Checkered replied in a sour tone, he hated being talked down to, especially by lowly earth ponies. His entire life he’d been the one telling them what to do, and now the smoker in front of him had the gall to demand him to do actual work like a savage. Despite that, he knew very well that the punishment for disobeying his commanding officer was far worse than simply working on a stupid monkey’s plane.

“I didn’t hear you!” Sledge shouted again, by now the entire hangar had stopped to watch the chewing out. He didn’t mind, he wanted his new recruits to realize there were consequences, and those consequences included a chewing out by one of the most intense officers in the Equestrian military.

“Loud and clear, sir!” Checkered yelled loudly, his heart now pounding in his chest as he realized that his parents money wouldn’t help him here. He’d been transferred to Tartarus, and this smoke breathing earth pony in front of him was Larson, lord of the underworld.

“Get back to work, soldier!” Sledge ordered, with that he started walking back to his desk. Checkered Record let out a pent up sigh of anger and turned to his tool box, the stallion groaned and picked up a couple tools before poking his head inside the service hatch of the wing. The metal of the aircraft had turned the service area into a hot box, sweat began to form on Checkered’s brow as he overlooked the hydraulics. It was dark, so the stallion quickly brought up a flashlight to get a better look.

As far as he knew everything looked alright, the stallion reached into his coveralls pocket and withdrew a small booklet titled ‘Flight Control Manual’. He flipped through a couple pages before stopping on hydraulics, then compared the picture in the book to what he was looking at. To him everything seemed to be in place, that was, until he spotted what looked like a wrong connection. In actuality, Checkered was looking at the page for the port side hydraulics, which didn’t house a special backup connection like the starboard side. The connection was an Equestrian innovation, just in case something went wrong with one of the pumps.

Checkered reached in and gave the offending connection a hard tug, it didn’t budge. He gave it a few more tugs but nothing seemed to happen. Again, something actually did happen, in the form of minute cracks in the nozzle that went into the hose. Hairline fatigue cracks in a very unlikely spot. Perhaps if there had been more light, or Checkered had given one more tug and pulled the hose completely off, someone would’ve noticed. But there wasn’t, and he didn’t. With a shrug Checkered concluded that he’d ‘maintained’ the hydraulics well enough, he began to climb down out of the service hatch.

As he moved downwards he lost his grip on his flashlight, the heavy object made a crashing noise as it clattered around inside the wing. Checkered Record was glad it hadn’t fallen out of the wing, he grabbed it and continued making his way out of the area. Little did he know, but more cracks had formed along an aging weld, cracks that were close to numerous other growing cracks that spread throughout the airframe like a malicious spider’s web. They were hidden by the paint and their relatively small size. If they were to fail at once, especially at high speed, the entire aircraft would shatter like an eggshell.

“Alright, everyone front and center! It’s time for our weekly lecture!” Sledge shouted from across the hangar, gradually the crew made their way away from the aircraft. Checkered followed along at the very back of the group, muttering to himself before taking a seat in front of a white board. “Today’s subject is proper paperwork management.” A slight groan went up through the group, loudest of all was Checkered. “I know, no one likes paperwork, but let me tell you why it’s so important that you do it properly.” Sledge gestured to the whiteboard where several items of properly filled out paperwork were being held on with magnets.

“About two weeks ago we were doing a deicing boot swap on a strike fighter, during that job was a shift change.” Sledge said as he pulled a cigar from his olive drab jumpsuit, he lit it quickly and took a couple puffs. “Both boots on the rear horizontal stabilizer were set to be removed, but the night shift only took changed the one on the starboard side. The shift before had removed the leading edge screws on both wings.” A couple murmurs went through the gathered maintenance crew, Checkered Record was just sort of tuning it out. “Now, thanks to proper paperwork, we found out the screws were gone before the plane could take off, and you didn’t read about a fiery plane crash in the newspapers and a pilot got to go home to his family in one piece.”

Checkered Record zoned out after that, his eyes wandering over the assembled group and landing on Daisy once again. The former gardener was the only mare he’d seen in awhile, being that his guard unit had been made up of only stallions, and most of the ground crew as made up of stallions. He’d made a couple passes at some of the mares in the tower, but decided against it when he realized that one was interested in his boss, and the other was interested in his boss’ boss.

“Private Record!” Sledge shouted, snapping the young stallion out of his thoughts. “You paying attention to me or to her?!” Checkered began to speak, but stopped as all eyes turned to face him again. “Let me give you some advice, son! Keep your thoughts out of the gutter or you’ll end up in the commander’s office! Get out of here if you’re not paying attention! Go on!” Checkered stood up with a scowl and started walking away, again he was muttering to himself as he got closer to the hangar doors. As he passed by the aircraft he suddenly felt compelled to lash out, with a grunt he punched the wing. It didn’t seem to leave a mark, the noise was rather quiet and Sledge hadn’t seen it happen.

Unfortunately, once again the impact had had some consequences, as the hairline cracks grew several millimeters closer to one another. At that rate, the aircraft wouldn’t last another day in the air, unfortunately no one seemed to be able to detect the small fractures yet, and the technology just didn’t exist on the Equestrian front. Checkered Record continued walking away from the hangar, leaving Sledge to continue his lecture and the aircraft to wait for its next flight.

Sitting in the comfortable chair with a plush cushion beneath her rump, Stardust Kiss stares thoughtfully at the scene before her and her sister. Across the table from her, Talon, her papa seems to be very uncomfortable as he’s being fretted over by three pushy alicorns. Her mother, the new black furred svelte mare that looked like mama, and auntie candy. The filly flicks her ear as she blinks in confusion, watching the event unfold with curiosity.

Talon sighs and rubs his temples, quietly wishing for space that just wouldn’t be had. ‘And the morning started off so nicely too…’ He thinks to himself, letting out a quiet breath. He’s nudged gently by a pink muzzle in his side, Cadence attempting to regain his attention on her. Talon looks down as the alicorns snout works its way under his arm, followed by her leaning closer to him and coming to a rest against him. He backs his head away a bit to prevent being poked by her sharp horn tip. “…Yes, Cadence?” He asks, looking down at her. She stares up at him wide eyed with a smile, her muzzle covered with crumbs of a recently devoured muffin.

Princess Cadence only smiles and silently chews on her mouthful, rubbing her cheek against the pilot in a display of affection. After a few seconds she swallows, then grins, showing her pearly white flat teeth. “I’m just enjoying my time here with you as all. I’m really grateful you’re letting me stay with you guys now, with everything that’s going on back home.” She speaks out softly, a happy lilt in her voice. “I can’t express how wonderful it is, knowing now I have an actual herd to be in with an honest stallion!” She beamed. Her eyes go wide and she lets out a squeak as she feels a sharp yank on her tail root, the alicorn being pulled away.

Luna lets out a frustrated snort, her dimming as she powers down her magic she used to pull Cadence away from her husband. “Will you mares leave mine flame to his meal? Clearly thou hath no understanding that I am the alpha, and this means I shalt be the only one to nuzzle him so early on mine sisters morn!” She grunts out, her eyes narrowed dangerously at the sheepish looking Cadence. “And t’was I who hath agreed, mine niece Cadenza, not mine flame. Take heed that it would be foolish for thou to become so brash in thy affections so quickly to mine husband. Harrumph!”

Nightmare Moon only lets out a soft sigh, coming to rest upon a blue crushed velvet cushion beside the midnight alicorn, quietly focusing on using her magic to eat her meal. Her horn sparks to life, a small crackle of magic and arcane blue sparks dancing off of the tip as she attempts to grasp a doughnut lying upon the silver platter near Moonlight Way. It takes several moments, her light pink tongue poking out of her parted lips in concentration, the offending confection continuing to lie upon the plate and taunting her. The glow of her magic surrounds it, but it barely budges. The black alicorn scowls at the treat, her teeth grinding in her maw as she attempts again. Harmony magic was still very difficult for her to use, her neural pathways still developing and remapping themselves to restore her power.

Moonlight way watches as the black mare attempts-and fails at the levitation spell, the small filly feeling a small sense of pity for her new family member. Thoughts run through her mind of how difficult it was for her at first, Stardust Kiss mastering the spell long before she herself had even the concept. With a soft huff of breath and a loving smile, the filly reaches out with her telekinesis, the pink gentle glow of her magic enveloping the pastry and lifting it over to Nightie. Her eyes meet the black furred svelte mares teal ones, the two exchanging a glance of quiet gratitude and understanding. Nightie, not wanting to show anything but the greatest of love and sincere thankfulness, happily leans forward with her snout, extending her neck a bit and taking a bite of the treat mid-air. The filly only giggles quietly in response, happy to see her intentions were understood and welcomed.

Stardust Kiss leans over and whispers into her sister’s ear. “That was really nice of you Star.”

The indigo filly only nods silently, shifting her eyes to her twin sister. Licking her lips, she whispers back. “You helped me when I couldn’t do this…and papa says that she’s our mama too. So I wanted to help and make her feel welcomed.” Stardust extends her wing around her sister and gives a gentle squeeze, giving her a fanged-grin in response. Moonlight looks at Stardust through the corner of her eye, and then inhales. “Besides…you two look the same. So she is pretty fitting to be our mama mama.”

“Yeah…not many fillies in Auntie Tia’s school can say they’re the daughters of Nightmare Mooney.” The black filly quips, still grinning.

“That’s Mama Celestia now you two.” Dusty Shine whispers, sneaking in between the two fillies and planting a gentle warm kiss on each of their snoots, before pulling up a chair and sitting beside the indigo filly alicorn. “We’re all a big family now, Cadence and I are your mama mama’s now too. So you have lots of mama’s to love you!”

Nightie swivels her ears and listens intently to the conversation, Dusty and the twins completely unaware that the black alicorn was hearing every word in perfect clarity. She finishes the last bite of the doughnut suspended in Moonlight Way’s magic, before using her fore hooves to grasp a glass of cranberry juice to take a drink. Dusty continues speaking. “Twilight, Celestia, Miss Luna, Nightie, Cadence and myself, we’re all officially your moms now. So no matter what, you’ll always have at least one of us nearby to keep you two happy with all of the cuddles, games and love you can handle.

Talon, nods in agreement, still feeling awkward about this herd concept, but willing never the less. He reaches out with his hand and strokes the midnight alicorns’ mane with his hand, before picking up a glass of orange juice for himself. “And I’ll always be here too. We have a big family now just like Dusty said. You two are the luckiest fillies ever.” He says grinning, his own eyes turning to Luna who nods happily in response, scooting closer on her cushion to her husband. It was moments like these chaotic breakfasts he enjoyed really and truly, that gave his life meaning. He felt blessed and happy to be alive for this.

“Speaking of you, Cap—I mean Commander.” Dusty pipes up, turning her attention to him. A slight blush adorns her cream colored muzzle, her eyes focused upon his with a slightly lidded gaze. “You do have an important meeting today with Celestia in the throne room this afternoon. She told me to tell you to wear your dress formal uniform, and that you absolutely can’t be late. The same goes for you, Luna.”

Luna and Talon pause in their meals, confusion washing over their features for a moment. “What do thou mean?” Luna asks, her curiosity piqued. “What crazed feather-brained antics doth mine sister have now? And for that matter, where is fair Twilight and mine sister? They never miss breakfast.”

Clearing her throat with a knowing glint in her eyes, she grins sheepishly. “I’m afraid I’m not allowed to go into it, Spoilers …Celestia forbade me from saying anything beyond that message. She just told me to say that it’s extremely important, and that I had to get you two fully dressed up in your formals and there in the day court at exactly three in the afternoon. No exceptions.”

Talon considers her words carefully for a moment, going over the sentence in his mind. ‘Was she about to call me captain?’ He asks himself, before quickly dismissing it and nodding in response. “I promised the twins I’d take them for a flight around the city today. I’ll be sure to land long before we are due in the throne room. Do we have any major flight exercises this morning?”

Dusty shakes her head, while reaching out with her fore hoof to grab a muffin. “Not today Talon. The only flight we have scheduled is yours. The air space all over Equestria is cleared today, in observance of the Winter Star festival starting this week. Pegasi teams from Cloudsdale will be moving weather fronts from their factories to all over the nation to prepare winter. These are the last few days before we start the season, leading to Hearts Warming eve. But don’t worry, your machine is always cleared to fly at any time, and I will happily alert the Cloudsdale ponies of your flight plan. It won’t be a problem no matter where you decide to venture off to. Just…be sure you do make your meeting with Celestia today.”

The twins’ pause their breakfast, wide eyed hopeful expressions focused on their father, their wings twitching in excitement. He looks to them and nods, grinning, before returning his gaze to the mustang mare. “Thanks. I’m planning on two flights today, just a few laps around Canterlot is all. Nothing big or flashy planned.”

Luna leans forward and clears her throat, garnering attention to herself. All eyes focus on her now, before she speaks. “About that…mine flame. Three flights…I feel that thou should take fair Nightie up first. She hath expressed her desire…” Luna shifts her narrowed eyes to the nightmare alicorn, an irritated edge in her voice now. “…Repeatedly…to partake in a flight herself in our machine. Being her actions lately, and how she was kind enough to wait on thee this sunrise, I believe she deserves the first flight.” She relents, her voice becoming level again as she returns her gaze to the twins, smiling a sweet, motherly smile.” After that, thou may take our treasured foals up and dance in the skies all to thy hearts content.” She finishes, her horn alight and grasping the next confection for her to devour.

Nightmare sits wide eyed and hopeful, looking at the black and indigo fillies before her. Both of the foals nod in approval, shrugging and returning to their meals. Stardust speaks up, her mouth full of a peach crumble muffin. “If Mama Nightie wants to go first, then I’m ok with it.” She says between bites. Moonlight way bobs her muzzle in agreement with her sister, now ignoring everypony else and digging into her bowl of oatmeal.

Princess Cadence, the pink alicorn of love nestles up against the pilot’s other side and lets out a deep breath, her tail flicking and swishing on the ground. She says nothing, her mind mulling over thoughts of what she intends to say to Shining Asshat, wondering if she should make his eviction a big deal and publicly remove him for his misdeeds, or if she should quietly send him on his way with the maids he was having coitus with. None of that mattered now, her place in this herd a sure thing and forever secured now, by none other than the all mother herself.

It was strange knowing ones future, even stranger knowing that foals unborn still already had names and a place in this world. Mortal, like herself. Her fluorite orbs drift upward at the pilot, the alicorn quietly admiring his features. She had always felt a small degree of affection to him, but had brushed it off since it was considered forbidden. A wedded mare had no right to look at the stallion of another, especially when that one was already considered a form of very distant family. But now that idea didn’t seem so far-fetched. Last night, after they had been released from the lust drunk spell hiccup, Morrigan had sat Celestia, Dusty Shine, Luna, and herself down, explaining her grand plan for everything. Much to her surprise, Luna had agreed to all of it, very willingly so. Even more surprising, was the number of foals in the future. If Morrigan was anything, it was definitely a clever, clever pony, with grandiose plans that were mind blowing. How does one react exactly, when they find they are going to be the mother of champions? Unicorns so powerful that their power rivals the titans of old?

Or for that matter, how does one react to knowing that they share a common future in creating a world with perfect harmony, learning that it was that very event which had taken place when she lost her mind to passion and her carnal desires, that would craft a masterpiece of love which would last throughout the ages…it was a lot to take in. But knowing this, it gave her the one thing she had been lacking for the last year of her own darkness twisting her heart from Shining Armor. It gave her hope. And very soon, it would give her one called Faith. Cadence let out a contented sigh, unknowingly giggling softly as she nuzzled against the pilots arm like a love sick filly. The future looked bright, and she intended to rush into it headstrong and with reckless abandon. Exactly what the doctor ordered.

Leaning down, the pilot wraps his arms around the midnight alicorn, placing a kiss only a loving husband could give upon her eagerly awaiting lips. Luna’s tail flicks and swishes slowly, the alicorn mare enjoying every moment of it in bliss. After a few moments, Talon rises to his full height after breaking away, smiling at her.

“Enjoy the flight, mine flame. Thou may take Nightie around beyond the city, to give her a worthwhile experience that she shalt remember. After thou returns and we make the meeting with mine sister, thou may take our fillies up.” She leans up upon her forelegs, extending her neck and muzzle up to meet his ear, whispering to him. “And tonight, I shalt give thee an experience thou shalt never forget, mine love.”

Talon grins, clearly understanding what the midnight alicorn had meant, and despite being a little sore and overused, he knew he would be up for the challenge. He nods to her, fighting the tiny voice in the back of his mind to scrub the flight and have some real fun, rather than this. Nightmare steps beside him, her ears splayed back and a somewhat dry and annoyed expression upon her muzzle.

“If you two are quite finished now, I’d like to get underway.” She speaks up, a bored scowl upon her brow. “There will be plenty of time to discuss playtime later.” She finishes with a huff.

Talon coughs, and then nods to the black alicorn. “Right then…shall we?” He asks, both of his eyebrows rose as he smiles sheepishly. The pilot holds out his left hand and points with an open palm to the black war machine. “Ladies first.”

Luna turns and walks away, pausing in her steps after a few moments to watch Nightie climbing into her seat. She lets out a quiet amused snort, seeing the alicorn leap up, nearly stepping and falling off at first upon the gunnels of the fuselage, then squirming and wiggling her significantly larger rump and wings to fit in the cramped cockpit. Talon is standing facing the black alicorn now inside of the war bird, helping her strap her harnesses on her form. The midnight alicorn lets out a chuckle seeing Nightmare Moon fumbling with the straps and clasps, her uncoordinated hooves not helping in the slightest with getting belted in.

After a few minutes of this, Talon succeeds in getting the over-sized mare safely nestled in the cockpit of the fighter aircraft, before he himself gets buckled in and ready to go. The computers all flicker to life within the machine, displays and gauges, dials and buttons illuminating and chirping. The canopy begins to close slowly, coming just two inches above Nightmare’s horn, leaving very little room for the alicorn to move. Luna lets out a sigh and leaves the hanger, bound for the control center.

Inside the war machine, Talon places on his flight helmet and repositions the headset within it, turning on the internal communications equipment. The on-board computer completes the pre-flight and pre-launch checks, before displaying the ammunition load out on the main screen. He takes a mental note of the air to air missiles, as well as the air to surface guided bombs, before changing the screen over and checking the radar. Nightie waits patiently while he does this, a small ghost of a smile gracing her lips as she watches him in wonder. The headset placed upon her ears, as well as the headband is somewhat tight and uncomfortable, clearly being fitted for a much smaller alicorn than her. She lets out a soft sigh, her gaze falling to her hooves as she sits in silence.

“Are you ready to go, Nightie?” She hears through the headset speakers. She immediately snaps to attention. “If you need to go to the bathroom or anything, now would be the time before we take off. This will be a long flight for you, and we can’t exactly stop and find the nearest bush or restroom.”

The alicorn blushes brightly, not expecting the pilot to be so crass with her. He didn’t even use toilet humor with Luna! Scrunching her muzzle she scowls at him briefly, before defiantly upturning her snoot. “I’m not some little filly, master…I am well capable of holding such functions off for quite some time. Do not think that I had such luxuries as a toilet on the moon for a few centuries. I even give you my word I won't fart like the pink one in here.” She replies with a snark tone. She opens one teal eye and raises an eyebrow, still holding a defiant grin as she folds her forelegs across her barrel.

“Juuust checking.” He replies, shaking his head and turning his attention forward. The double doors of the hangar open, Solar Stallions pulling them to the sides and clearing the path for the war machine to exit. With a soft huff he focuses ahead, then nods. “Initiate scramjet sequence!” He calls out into the microphone, the war machine whirling to life.

The engines begin to whine and whistle, slowly spinning up before taking on their telltale howl. Everything appears normal and good across the consoles, before he gently pushes the throttle forward to exit the once ballroom. Inch by inch, the nose of the aircraft emerges from the palace, its gleaming black wings extended wide open. The concussive roar of the engines becomes louder once he exits safely, more throttle being applied, the thrust accelerating them forward to the flight line and taxi ways.

In the control center, Luna takes a seat beside Dusty Shine at the earthen mares’ desk, watching the monitors. Dusty hooves over a headset for her herd mate, and returns to the screens. The pair, as well as several other mares and three stallions watch the live feed from the cameras, each camera observing the flight line following the black fighter aircraft in its path.

“Talon one, you are cleared for takeoff on runway three at any time. Authorized use of one hundred percent military power. Skies are clear commander.” She finishes relaying the instructions, her eyes briefly glancing at the radar board upon the wall for one final check, before flicking her gaze back to the video feed.

‘Rodger combat control. Talon one staging for flight, preflight checks green. Verified runway three.’ The pilots’ voice responds over the intercoms, Talon answering her in return. ‘Flight-path request to Horseshoe Bay Harbor, following return to Canterlot, subsonic flight only. Please confirm.’

She flips through her papers upon a small clipboard, before quickly tapping away upon a keyboard to check the route. No Pegasi were scheduled to be in those areas today, the first cities to receive snowfall over the next two days being on the west coast, far from the pilots’ flight plan. Dusty clears her throat and presses the communications button again, her demure voice professional and curt. “Confirmed and approved Talon one, you may proceed upon flight path. Be advised all airbases are still in operation should you need to land at any time. Cleared for takeoff commander, good hunting.”

Releasing the button, she leans back in her chair and grasps her favorite coffee mug within her fore hooves, taking a deep drink from the cup and watching the aircraft on the screen. The machine is staged at the end of the designated runway.

“It’s so strange, seeing it from this side of things.” Luna murmurs, her horn alight as she levitates a piece of candy out of the small bowl upon Dusty Shine’s desk, quickly unwrapping it and popping it into her waiting maw. She chews in thought, observing the screen. “Normally, I see this from inside mine flames’ machine.”

“Don’t I know…I’d love to see what it’s like to fly with him at least once. I’ll bet it’s an absolute blast!” She responds, grinning. Dusty sets down the mug and grabs a candy for herself, her eyes glued to the screen. Luna suddenly extends her hoof over the earthen mares barrel, the alicorn flipping the switch upon the computer to override the aircrafts’ radio. A devilish grin overtaking her lips as she waits for an expected laugh. Retracting her hoof, she glances at Dusty.

“I believe I may be able to convince him to take the up into mine heavens. Nothing is more beautiful than a fight into mine night sky, fair Dusty. Of all of the mares in mine herd, I believe I like thou the most…so it would be fitting that I shalt share the experience with thou.” Luna quips with a smile.

Dusty gasps in delight, throwing her forelegs around the midnight princess in a tight affectionate embrace, missing the image of the aircrafts’ engines igniting in full afterburner. The whole of the command center now hears loud and clear over the intercoms exactly what Luna was waiting for, the delightful screams of terror, followed by a string of unladylike curses spewed from the black alicorn.

Luna and dusty are lost in a fit of giggles now, savoring every sweet syllable and sound of the alicorns’ misfortune within the war machine, the quick takeoff being the crucible for anyone who desires to take to the skies within one of the many powerful machines of the ERAF. They didn’t know that Morrigan, the all mother herself had snuck into the room, now behind them, the crimson maned Goddess staring at the screen with a grin of her own plastered upon her muzzle. Raising an eyebrow, the beautiful alicorn lets out a gentle snort and mutters under her breath. “Be careful what you wish for, Obsolescence…you just may get it.”

Talon banks gently, tipping the wing to correct his course heading to Horseshoe Bay, the reconstructed harbor city that now houses the mysterious fleet he’s been hearing about from Celestia. The flight has been uneventful and relaxing, the two hours in the tranquil skies thus far proving to be enjoyable for the black alicorn as well. Nightie seemed to be unaware the internal communications has been active this entire time, the pilot listening to her softly singing a tune to herself through his headset.

The skies are clear and beautiful in the mid-morning sun, the soft, fluffy white blanket of clouds thousands of feet above the Equestrian landscape masking everything below as the war machine flies overhead, giving a peaceful view of the heavens. A quiet chirping from the computer sounds, alerting the pilot of large objects far below being detected by the radar. With a smile, he turns his head back to look at the nightmare alicorn. “Nightie, we’re approaching the harbor. Are you ready to see this?” He asks through the headset.

Nightie turns to focus on him, her gentle teal orbs locking onto his through the flight helmet. The alicorn smiles and nods, her demeanor calm and serene. “Yes, master. I have been looking forward to this. I’ve always known Luna has loved flying in this machine with you…and now I know just why.” She responds. When the pilot turns around again, she returns her gaze back to the left looking out of the canopy glass, her eyes tracing the wing and the blanket of cotton colored clouds below. She can feel the nose of the aircraft begin to dip slowly, the clouds coming closer and closer, before the whole of the machine is enveloped in the white embrace, obscuring her vision.

She scrunches her muzzle in contempt, the layer of cloud cover preventing her from seeing anything. The aircraft rocks gently as it passes through some turbulent air, before the clouds begin to break away. As the view begins to clear through the canopy glass, she’s left awestruck and breathless at the sight below.

Coming quickly into view, rows upon rows of ships as far as the eyes could see, nestled safely in the harbor. There were a great many giant skeleton frames being built upon land, ships of unimaginable sizes being built. Ponies below looked like tiny specks in the activity, small flickering lights on sections of the constructed ships. Giant floating completed ones rested quietly in the bay, each vessel seemingly bigger than the last. She hears the voice of the pilot come over the headset once more, as the war machine slows in its decent and fly over of the city below.

“Those are Iowa class battleships that you’re seeing.” He comments with a smile, turning the aircraft to line up over the rows of ships anchored against the docks. “On my world, we had many of those that served in the Second World War, floating fortresses that protected the seas. “ Talon also looks around, leveling out the flight and slowing the cruising speed further, so he can enjoy the sights more. As they start to approach the larger ships further to the center, his eyes go wide with wonder. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. There, just ahead he could see numbers painted upon the hull, flight deck and super structure of the largest ship he had ever seen, numbers that were a familiar and welcomed sight. ‘CVN-65.’ Talon adjusts the course of the flight to run parallel to the vessel, flying further out to sea before pulling a sharp U-turn and coming up the transom of the great ship. There, painted on in bold black letters against the dull gray paint, the words that he had missed the most. ‘E.R.N. ENTERPRISE.’

“Master…that’s like your old vessel I had seen in your dreams…she’s beautiful.” Nightie whispers out in the headset, a giddy squeak emitting from her throat. She lifts her forelegs against the canopy glass and presses her snout to it, disbelieving the sight. And what a sight to behold! Gleaming in the sunlight, there was what she could only describe as a floating city. Standing silently at the bow and the stern, four massive cannon turrets stood silent vigil, their guns pointed forward and rearward, quietly awaiting the day they would rain down death upon an unfortunate enemy. The massive black flight deck was a whirlwind of activity, several groups of Pegasi lifting aircraft from the waiting docks below onto the carrier, where waiting teams of Earth ponies would then pull them to elevators and positions on the surface to secure them in place. The aircraft continues its course overhead, some of the ponies below stopping to observe the alicorn and pilot, some waving, others simply smiling at them.

Talon stares at the massive vessel, studying the new design. This ship seemed different, far larger, far more menacing looking in appearance to anything he had ever seen in his time on Earth. He nods slowly, inhaling a sharp breath before turning away, changing course again to observe and fly over more of the harbor to see the other ships. “She’s a predator…” He remarks with a smile. Further ahead on land, nearby the Enterprise, he could see another ship in dry dock being built, with two large incomplete structures being added on the sides of the hull. Clearly this was meant to be another super carrier he surmised. Seeing this one out of the water, he could observe it had many more hidden cannon turrets that would be hidden below the water break line. What confused him the most though was the structures being added on the ground. He pulls up slightly to gain more altitude, twisting the war machine in a gentle aileron roll to see more.

On each side of the vessel, were large ring frames that were being assembled and pieced together, one of the empty rings being attached by a team of hard working ponies below. ‘I wonder what those are for…?’ He asks himself, blinking in surprise. He didn’t see anything at all in the paperwork about these two ships. Talon had known about the Iowa Class battle ships, the various cruisers and destroyers being built. The fleet was told to be massive, being a joint effort of both the Crystal Empire and the Equestrian militaries, which would be split.

There was however, no mention of the two aircraft carriers that were here. There was absolutely no mention of the Enterprise. He smiled and changed course again, now cruising high above to the edge of the harbor, so they could see the other smaller ships docked in the bay. He flicks his gaze to the mirror upon the cockpit controls to see his RIO, briefly for a moment forgetting it was Nightie, and not Luna behind him. He chuckles quietly when he sees her, the alicorn pressed up against the canopy walls, both of her hooves and snout seemingly glued in place. The alicorns’ light pink tongue slightly hanging out with her open maw, her features betraying her excitement at the sight.

A crackle of static comes over the intercoms, followed by the voice of Dusty Shine. The pilot snaps his attention forward, and listens. ‘Control to Talon One.’ He hears, the voice of the mustang mare sounding professional and calm. ‘If you and Princess Nightmare are done sightseeing, you do have an appointment to keep here at the palace.’

Nodding and pulling the flight stick back gently, Talon angles the nose of the aging war machine upward and begins to climb into the clouds again, changing course to return to Canterlot. “Rodger combat control. Talon one VFR redirect to base, ETA is approximately zero-two hours.”

‘Understood Talon one, proceed at your discretion for air speed, Non-emergency redirect. Air Traffic is clear, avoid fly over of Hollow Shades Plains. Airbase in area confirms reports of poor weather conditions, not safe for flight. Proceed on current course, you have the ball.’ Dusty Shine finishes, the communications channel falling silent. The pilot pushes the throttle forward, pouring on speed the canards beginning to close. A low groaning can be heard, the sound of metal grinding against metal causing the aircraft to shudder in flight. He raises an eyebrow and turns to look at the right wing, unsure of what to make of it. The canard seems to vibrate for a few seconds, before quieting down and remaining somewhat still. The flight now levels out, the course bound for the EverFree.

Minutes pass, the flight quiet now, only the sounds of the engines whistling can be heard within the cockpit. The aircraft banks gently, flying along a river streaming through the EverFree leading away from the bay. The tree tops whiz by below them, giving the nightmare alicorn a high above view of the forest below. Nightie continues to watch the landscape through the safety of the canopy glass, taking in all of the sights around her and memorizing everything.

This flight would be a moment she would cherish forever, spending time with her master just as her counterpart Luna had done so many times before. The experience was so much better, seeing it through her own eyes, smelling the sweet scents within the war machine through her own snout, and feeling the elegant control panels with her own hooves. Truly, the alicorn was fascinated, and in love with all of it. She really did understand now, why Luna had fallen so deeply in love with this man.

Nightie in her mind now, understood above all else why Luna had done what she had, surrendering her divinity and immortal life for the fleeting one of a mortal. It made perfect sense now, why one would sacrifice so much for this. This flight, moments just like these were worth every second of that endless eternity. She licks her lips, a warmth filling her heart as she turned her gaze forward. Though she could only see the back of Talons’ flight helmet, and the reflection of the controls before him upon the canopy glass, it was more than enough for her.

This to her, was what made life something to finally cherish, the feeling within her that made her surrender everything to pure, unconditional love. In that moment of clarity she had made a life changing decision; she would give anything indeed to remain at his side, go to any lengths to please him, and above all else, she would die for him willingly. This was her family now, her herd. This was her life, and before her the father of her still unborn foals. Nothing of her past, no treasure could ever compare to this. She smiles serenely, a gentle blush coloring her muzzle. She inhales a soft breath to speak, wanting to tell him everything in her heart.

A massive shudder and screeching overtakes the war machine suddenly, cutting her off and silencing the words in her throat. Before her the panel flickers to life with activity, the screens showing strange images and flashing with an ominous red. The aircraft rocks again, jerking in flight, right as sounds begin to chime all around her.

The warbird bobs and shakes, tremors overtaking the airframe in flight, Talon eyeing the displays carefully as he pulls back on the flight stick, gaining altitude. Nightie sits wide eyed in Luna’s RIO seat, her fore hooves springing out to brace herself. Her chest rises and falls rapidly, the alicorn frightened of the new development. All around her and through the headset she can hear various chirps and beeps from the war machines computer, warning tones chiming out.

“Talon one to combat control requesting an emergency landing at any nearby landing strips. Flight control has degraded severely, situation critical.” The pilot calls out through the headset microphone, his eyes searching the lush green expanse of the Everfree Forrest below him for any sign of direction or marker to indicate their location in proximity to a nearby airbase.

‘Talon one, you are currently three-five miles from Ponyville airbase, fire rescue teams are being mobilized and dispatched. Cleared to land once you’re in range on any runway, you have priority. Pegasus transport will be waiting for Evac to Canterlot.’ The voice of Dusty Shine comes through the war birds speakers.

The aircraft rocks again, the sounds of screeching metal quickly overtaking the loud concussive roar of the engines. The displays suddenly change to scarlet red, warning indicator lights illuminating. ‘Port wing inoperative. Starboard canard frozen.’ The computer chirps out. The aircraft rocks and shudders violently now, as the starboard wing begins to rattle in place. Talon and Nightie look in unison, turning their heads just in time to see a sudden spray of fluid erupting out of the fuselage joint to the wing, right before it fails altogether and emits a loud groan. His breath hitches in his chest as the wing jerks violently, his mind frozen in terror as he sees it quaking.

Alarms screech within the cockpit as the sensors within the war machine detect the failure of the wing structure. ‘Complete systems failure. Start eject and auto destruct sequence. Twenty five seconds. Twenty four…twenty three…’ The wing shears off completely now, the aircraft spiraling quickly out of control as the remains of the shredded wing begin to spew smoke and flame.

“Combat control, mayday mayday! Flight has degraded to zero! We’re punching out! Locator beacons are on! Talon one is going down, repeat, Talon one is going down!” He shouts out, flipping switches quickly and fumbling for the assault rifle by his feet. “Nightie! We have to eject!”

In the control center, Luna and Dusty Shine watch in shocked horror, the displays all lit up red all around them. They can do nothing as they hear the frantic calls of their stallion through the palace intercoms, their hearts nearly stopped within their chests. Silence fills the control center as all of the staff members sit wide eyed, watching events unfold in the worst nightmare scenario. An aircraft, the legendary one that carries the prince himself, is now going down in flames.

Talon begins flipping switches rapidly, his hands moving as quickly as he could. As the broken war machine spirals out of control, he keeps his wits about him. This was no time to panic. He had to remember his training; failure to do this would mean his death, as well as Nighties. He ignores the dark alicorn’s screams of terror as he continues the sequence, finally hitting the last of the switches. ‘Seventeen…sixteen…fifteen….fourteen…’ The computer continues counting down, the weapons within the bay, as well as the internal charges arming themselves for self-detonation. The canopy blows off of the cockpit, Talon waiting a precious two seconds before forcibly launching out Nightmare’s ejection seat. The rockets ignite and deploy under the mare, the seat launching quickly into the skies, safely away from the out of control aircraft.

‘Nine…eight….seven…six…five…’ The pilot grasps his side arm assault rifle within his hands tightly, pressing the switch for himself now. The ejection seat deploys, launching out from the crippled machine at breakneck speed, Talon safely ejected and falling away from his war bird. Seconds pass as he looks up at it in free fall, his chest heaving from the forces upon his body as he plummets to the waiting earth below.

The aircraft explodes above him, bits of shrapnel and pieces of the once war machine set ablaze in the powerful fireball, scattering the parts and flaming components in all directions, thousands of feet in the air above the Everfree Forrest. Talon can hear the howls of the wind all around him through his flight helmet, his ejection seat falling faster and faster to the ground.

Nightmare flails helplessly, fighting her bonds and trying to escape the restraints holding her into the chair. The alicorn can see her mate several hundred feet above her, also falling helplessly to his death, a rain of fire and molten metal globs chasing him to the ground. She grits her teeth and howls out in rage, her powerful wings snapping open and slicing clean through the harnesses. Nightie bolts forward and up, pushing off of the falling ejection seat and pumping her massive black wings furiously, her heart racing within her as she tries to save the pilot.

She reaches him, her forelegs’ held out , tackling the ejection seat with enough force to send them both into a flat spin, the alicorn holding onto him now with everything she’s got. Her wings beat feverishly hard now, trying to slow and stabilize their decent. They continue to fall, the wind whipping her wings hard, the directions changing constantly and preventing a solid air foil for her. Her teeth bared, she clamps down upon the clasps with her maw, ripping at any part of the shoulder harnesses she can, desperately trying to free him from his seat so she can fly him to safety.

Nightmare Moon can’t hear Talon’s voice, shouting instructions to her to stop. The wind whistles and howls loudly around them as they plummet with the wreckage and burning debris, the man shouting to her to let go before the parachute deploys. She continues to rip and yank at the buckles and clasps, giving everything she’s got into tearing him away from it. As they continue to plummet, she begins to resort to punching with her fore leg, swinging as hard as she can at the metal brackets. Her hoof splits open at the frog, the keratin wall cracking with the force of her repeated blows.

The harnesses break free, the black alicorn now ripping away the buckles and harnesses with her teeth, before securing the pilot in her forelegs. They’re falling at terminal velocity now, plummeting dangerously fast as they continue their free fall thousands of feet above the equestrian landscape. The wreckage continues to fall and chase with them. Her wings snap open, the alicorn mare crying out in agony as the force of the wind rips at her. The mares every muscle within her wings and back screaming at her in pain. She continues to fight hard to slow their descent; Nightie tries to angle her wings and vectoring primary feathers, her flight surfaces to change their direction.

A massive flaming chunk of one of the war machines engines screams by them now, the burning debris delivering a hard glancing blow to her wing tip, then a long heavy braided steel hose whipping out behind it. The hose contacts her wing joint with a snap, the force of it instantly breaking her wing. Pain now shoots throughout her, the couple beginning to plummet again as she cries out. Talon can do nothing as the nightmare keeps him held tightly against her barrel with all four of her legs. Her wings flail, one of her massive wings flapping almost dead and whipping with the wind. They’re close to the tree tops now. Within seconds they come crashing through the tall pines and various other trees, snapping branches and limbs as they descend into the vegetation below.

The tree tops fly by quickly, branches and various brush clawing at the pair as the crash through, smacking branch after limb, the alicorn wrapping her one good wing around the pilot as tightly as she can, her forelegs squeezing tighter against her mate. They continue to barrel through the spaces between the thick trunks, rapidly approaching the floor of the Everfree. She cries out as each stinging lash strikes her flesh, before coming to a mind jarring stop, smacking shoulder first into a thick tree trunk several feet off of the ground. She’s knocked unconscious from the force of the impact, Talon flying free from her grasp and crash landing upon a sharp, large bolder just below the tree.

The pilot belts out a cry of pain, a surge of pure agony rocketing from his leg and hip ripping through him like lightning. He breathes hard through his nose to work through it, slowly turning back over onto his back, afraid to look down. He blinks quickly, looking up at the tree tops from the ground, his mind a whirlwind of chaotic thought as he tries to sort through events and prioritize his objectives. He finally has the courage to look down after a few moments, seeing the cause for the nightmarish pain. His left leg just below the knee is broken, the tibia bone shattered, the lower half twisted at an awkward angle. He reaches forward shakily, his eyes seeing the blood upon his own fingers, torn glove and shredded flight jacket. He breathes hard, laying his head back against the rock, desperately trying not to howl in pain, so he doesn’t attract nearby predators.

Minutes pass, Talon not moving from the ground. His training prepared him for this. His military mind finally taking over and sorting facts. First off, his war plane was destroyed. Somehow, he managed to survive the ejection, the fall, and is now in an enemy territory. His alicorn is nowhere near him, and he’s positive the locator beacon went dead the moment the chair splattered against the ground from the chute not deploying. He’s injured, and he’s losing blood from somewhere. He continues to slow his breathing down, working on a plan of action while he tries to ignore the pain from all over his body.

There’s a sound of sticks breaking above his head, somewhere behind him, close by. His eyes fly open, the man reaching for the rifle strapped to his other leg. The gun is missing. He turns his head quickly, then sees it buried muzzle first in a muddy puddle, several feet away out of his reach. The sounds of the steps grow closer, another sound of snapping twigs and leaves crunching. He braces himself for death, not knowing what kind of monster lurks nearby to consume its wounded prey.

Nightmare Moon limps closer, using her wounded fore leg to push aside a branch, now seeing her quarry before her. She heaves a tired, but relieved breath upon sighting her master, taking solace in the fact he’s alive. Nightie snorts quietly, blowing the droplets of blood out of her bleeding muzzle, then takes another step forward. Her left wing hangs broken and limp, dragging upon the ground as she hobbles to him. Her two forelegs contact the earth below her hooves normally, the alicorn then stepping with her right hind leg, the left rear leg being favored and weight kept off of it. Bloody hoof prints are left with each step, the right front hoof cracked and bleeding profusely from her repeated strikes against the ejection clasp only minutes ago. Nightie lets out a quiet, pained nicker from deep within her chest, trying to call attention to herself from Talon. Her eyes trace him as she approaches, seeing his leg twisted and broken. She sees a slow trickle of blood pouring down the side of the boulder from under his back, as well as a large tear in his flight jacket on the chest area. There’s too much blood to identify the source of the injuries.

“Master…” She quietly calls out in a strained voice, limping to him as fast as her injured and worn body would carry her. Talon slowly turns his head to meet her gaze, the pilots’ lips curling into a faint pained grin. He nods to her, letting her know he is still alive, and happy to see her. She reaches him finally, her bloodied snout nosing against his cheek as she shows affection and joy of knowing they’re both still alive.

Thus far for the olive coated earth pony, the day that was supposed to be good, hadn’t gone well at all. Today was the day that promotions were finally hooved out, the stallion officially taking command in Talon’s position, while his dear friend and comrade would have received the long overdue promotion to Captain, the official overseer to all of the Equestrian Royal Airforce and Naval Command, as well as the gift of the Enterprise by the crown. Instead however; after preparing himself in his best dress uniform, he was given the most horrible news any command pony could get- an incident report. This one the absolute worst kind of them all, the report of possibly the single most important machine in the military being obliterated from a catastrophic failure. What was worse…they had yet to even begin staging a rescue mission.

Sledgehammer, the pilot of Talon squadron, unit 02 finally takes a seat at his desk again after pacing in his office for quite a while, itching to get this meeting over with so he can rush to his aircraft; with-or without clearance, to begin looking for the missing pilot and princess. The earthen pony leans forward upon his elbows against the edge of the polished Cherrywood desk surface, taking a long drawn out pull off of the mostly depleted cigar, before bringing it to a rest again in the ash tray. The clock continues to tick away, every second thundering on like the crack of a whip in his mind, the stallion growing more agitated.

Sledge sat patiently in his office, his hooves steepled as he stared at the door in deep thought. The crash report had just landed on his desk; the aircraft computer had managed to send some of the information before it fell from the sky. Something had happened on his watch, under his command. As the stallion looked around his dimly lit office he picked up a cigar from the ashtray on his desk, it smoldered as it burned close to the end. Sledge wore his dress uniform, decorated with numerous pins and his pilots wings, his peeked cap sat beside his hooves on the oak desk. There came a faint knock on the door, one that Sledge had been waiting for some time.

"Come in." Sledge said, not taking his eyes off the door. The door swung open and two MPs escorted a red eyed stallion in, his clothes were disheveled and he reeked of alcohol. He hadn't taken learning about what he'd done well, and had been getting drunk to try and numb the feeling of shock, not that it seemed to help. "Gentlecolts, you're dismissed." The MPs nodded and left the room, closing the door behind them and leaving Checkered Record behind. The officer and the subordinate sized each other up before Checkered sighed faintly. "Private Record... You were the one working on the wing last, correct?"

"Yes, sir." Checkered said quietly, the entire experience had very quickly humbled him.

"What do you have to say for yourself before I issue my report?" Sledge said simply as he leaned back into his chair, he was a hard officer, but a fair one. Everyone had a right to explain themselves, especially when the consequences of ones actions were so dire.

"I... I misread the manual, sir. Furthermore, I failed to notice fatigue cracks in the wing. There is no exonerating evidence whatsoever." Checkered Record said as he straightened up and stood at attention. "I will accept whatever punishment you and my other superiors bestow." Sledge sighed quietly and adjusted his uniform; the stallion cleared his throat and looked down at the report on his desk.

"The data we received indicates that the fatigue cracks were there long before you worked on the wing, if a trained maintenance officer couldn't spot them, I doubt you could." Sledge flipped through a few more pages as Checkered continued standing in front of him, his anger had abated early on. Being in command of the entire air force now had forced him to grow an exceedingly strong temper, the stallion paused on one page and looked back at Checkered Record. "I didn't train you properly to read the manuals, and I didn't keep a close enough eye on you when you were working. I blame myself as much as anyone else for letting this happen." Checkered continued watching his commanding officer nervously as Sledge closed the report and picked up a rubber stamp from his desk drawer.

"You're confined to quarters until further notice while I decide what to do with you, barring an air raid or other emergency. There will also be a formal reprimand placed in your service record, as well as a freeze on any further rank advancements until a full investigation is completed, based on your behavior." Checkered Record snapped to attention. "I'm not finished yet." The stallion continued to stand there nervously. "That red haired alicorn, the one with the big ego that thinks she owns the place, if she gives you any trouble let me know. This is my area of operation; I won't have it usurped, even by someone that says they're 'Princess Celestia’s Mom'."

"Understood, sir." Checkered said quietly.

"Good. Dismissed." Sledge replied as he watched the stallion snap to a salute and turn to leave, Sledge sighed and went back to the report on his desk. He dabbed the stamp on a red ink pad and brought it down on the front, leaving two words in its wake. 'Ruled Accidental'. He rises to his hooves, not caring about changing into his flight suit, heading straight for the hangar to begin pre-flight checks and taxiing to the runway. He fully intended to bring his friends home.

The control center in Canterlot palace is a whirlwind of activity, shouting ponies and sobbing alicorns’, inconsolable fillies and constant radio traffic. The only one within the room eerily calm is the crimson maned Goddess; Morrigan. She lets out a frustrated breath and rises off of her haunches, clearing her throat quietly. No pony takes notice of this, every pony still focused on the last coordinates of the accident. The all mother alicorn turns her fierce gaze to the screen, seeing a flashing blip in the corner Just above Horseshoe Bay Harbor, with a bright red flashing [X] signaling the words ‘Unknown Event’. Turning her head back to look at the Earthen pony mare and posh unicorn arguing at the desk several feet from her, she sighs and lifts her right front hoof an inch off the ground, then slams it back onto the marble tile. The sound of the hard impact akin to a great clap of thunder, shaking the windows and rattling all of the screens and bulletin boards hanging on the off white walls. The room falls silent, all eyes upon her now. The fillies continue sniffling, being held close to the midnight alicorn within her enclosed wings.

“It would seem to me…that none of you have grasped the concept, nor the gravity of the situation.” She says in a low voice. Narrowing her eyes to the former maid, and unicorn model, she lets out a gentle snort. “Out there…right now, is one of my daughters, as well as my son in law, the father of my granddaughters. They have passed beyond my sight, and are in mortal danger. I can sense the life draining from them both as we speak…Now you have two options. You all either work together, and bring my family back to safety…or there with be dire consequences.” The Goddess warned with a whisper of a venomous hiss hidden in her every word.

There’s an audible swallow from somewhere within the now deathly silent room, Morrigan shifting her eyes now to Luna and the twins. “Luna…You are to take the children from here. This is no place to be right now. You too, Celestia.”

“But mother, I can---“ Luna begins to speak, before she’s silenced by Morrigan, who extends her left wing out with a snap, the largest of her primary feathers gently pressing against the midnight alicorn’s lips to silence her protests.

“I have spoken, Luna. You will obey me now. Worrying about them will only bring disharmony to your herd, and bring stress to the children. I will personally make sure they are returned home quickly, before the dawn of tomorrow. And I give you my word, my solemn oath…I shall find the one that caused this.” Morrigan speaks softly to Luna, a ghost of a smile upon her lips. Luna stares into her eyes, seeing the hurt hidden behind the all mothers mask of tranquility. The midnight alicorn knows the wellspring of pain that runs deep behind the all mothers emerald pools, the barely contained torrents of rage being held back.

Luna nods slowly, her elder sister Celestia stepping closer to her. Celestia extends a wing over the much smaller alicorn’s back and uses her body to gently turn Luna away from Morrigan, her horn alight as she grasps the fillies within her magic and places them softly upon her own back. The four exit the control center without a word, leaving Morrigan alone with the occupants of the room.

Letting out a breath even she didn’t know she was holding, the cream colored alicorn turns her gaze back to Dusty Shine, who is trembling slightly under the withering gaze of the Goddess. Morrigan curls back her lips, exposing her teeth slightly as she begins to speak. “My son’s machine had failed somewhere over the cursed lands of Oiche Gcathair, The last remains of the Heofon war that warped and damaged the mechanisms of Harmony…the one place that I cannot go. If my memory serves me correctly…that area is accessible by a large and deep river, the same waterway that had once fed the fertile lands of my daughters former home within the place you now call EverFree. Magic will have no meaning there. A Pegasus cannot fly, and a unicorn’s magic will do them no good. Only an Earth pony may enter there unharmed. You will begin your search here.” Morrigan alights her horn with a gentle white light, a small trail of glimmering star dust in the horn tips wake as she points, releasing a tiny glittering ball of light the size of a bit. It floats to the large screen in the front of the room, coming to rest several inches under the indicator of the crash location.

Dusty Shine nods, her gaze returning to the Goddess before her. “We…we do know our aircraft can fly over those areas, and we do have one carrier and battleship sea worthy now. We were going to launch them with the fleet this spring…” She quietly admits, swallowing hard. “There’s a skeleton crew onboard the Enterprise…not enough for a naval assault, but more than enough personnel to launch the ship and send it up the river to look for the commander and princess Nightmare Moon.”

Fleur nods quickly, also looking to Morrigan. “Oui, madam Shine is quite correct! I know this river you speak? But the water is not deep enough! The ship will be stuck like a foals hoof in a cookie jar. We can only use aircraft for air support, to locate and protect our comrades while we have a rescue party go and get them. We could launch one of our smaller cruisers up the river, however. I believe that a small team of our night guard would be able to reach them quickly by sea.”

Dusty Shine murmurs quietly, debating on whether or not she should mention the carrier in question didn’t actually need water at all to reach its destination. This was a very special vessel, built completely off the books in secret, known only to the workers in the shipyards, and the highest levels of command. Only Princess Celestia and a small hoof full of the control center staff knew of its true existence and capabilities, the ship designed by Twilight Sparkle herself. Dusty licks her lips and starts to stand, as the cream colored alicorn steps closer and peers at the unicorn next to her.

Morrigan raises an eyebrow, staring down at the posh unicorn from her muzzle. “Thestrals…their shadow magic would not protect them in that labyrinth. There are creatures there that were imprisoned while Celestia was still a small filly. Creatures as old as I…they have been dormant since long before the defeat of Discord two thousand years ago…and would only be awakened by the presence of the Thestral guard. They feed off of shadow magic…would you like to trade one disaster, in exchange for awakening Titans that would ravage and rape all of Equestria? Beasts that were so foul and powerful, they could not be contained in Tartarus?”

Fleur shrinks down in her seat, letting out a frightened peep as her pupils shrink down to pinpricks. “I…I had no idea such beings were there!” She stutters out in surprise. She dares not question the mother of all creation.

“It was two thousand years ago, when all forms of history and written text were all but destroyed after the reign of Discord. I cannot say that I am surprised that word of these creatures was lost to lore and legends over the centuries.” Morrigan comments, a gentle smile coming to her lips. “The creature there confined to a prison of eternal sleep is named Scorch, the Usurper. He was a Fae creature, a Titan of Flame and Shadow that had been a main figure in the war of Heofon. He was the general for my youngest sister Macha, which had deceived one third of my guardian aingeal’s, the watchers of Creation. This Titan had headed some of the most devastating battles in the war, before I had him struck down by my arch aingeal Mikjall, the swords pony of Light. Most of the fallen were cast into the abyss of Tartarus, but the ones that had staged the uprising were too dangerous to remain intact. Scorch the Usurper was the most dangerous of them all, defiant to the end. His final revenge was the defilement of the bloodline that would later lead to the one you called Sombra.”

The room remains silent, every pony hanging onto every word the ancient Goddess had spoken. They sat in wonder, listening to and remembering every syllable spoken in awe. Morrigan licks her lips, coming to a rest on her haunches. “It was the only thing I could do, to imprison him there. His destruction would have marked the end of the mechanisms of Harmony, which would have also blinked another world out of creation. It is because of the already poor balance within creation, the loss of these once aingeal’s that had served my selfish sister, and the place your prince hailed from had lost all but a fraction of their magic. Removing the titan would have only served in further destabilizing the balance. My younger sister Nehimane had helped me restore as much of creation as we could after the battle…but the loss was too great.”

Morrigan looks away briefly, her eyes darkening as she reviews the memories in her mind, a sense of sadness washing over her features briefly. She inhales softly and continues. “With our failure, she had left to create her own pocket universe, Elysium. The Thestrals you know of were her kiss of life to this plane of existence. Pegasus ponies to watch over the ponies of the day, Thestrals to cherish and protect the dreamers of the night. So you see my child, we cannot use the Thestrals, for their natural instincts would draw them to the remains of the titan, which would awaken him. He would unleash a plague of death that would wash over this world, and cause much damage before I could stop him. I fear the disturbance to Harmony he would cause…” She finishes quietly. “Earth Ponies, my personal kiss of life to this world, can tame even the most troubling of land and plants through their will and magic of their souls alone. Earth ponies like you, Dusty Shine. It must be an earthen pony that seeks them.”

The breath hitches within her chest, feeling the pure love radiating from Morrigan as she spoke. Dusty shine felt as peace, her mind clear and tranquil, as if she were wrapped in the safest blanket ever, and held in the forelegs of her mother. The mare nods slowly, her mind piecing together the pieces quickly. Dusty Shine turns away from the alicorn Goddess, her hoof slowly finds the intercom button for the flight line. Speaking into her headset, she closes her eyes and breathes. “Attention all pilots of First and third combat divisions, stage for flight immediately. This is not a drill. SledgeHammer, Helios Three and Viper Seven, you are cleared on runway one for takeoff. “

Fleur also turns in her chair, her attention now focused on her own screen. Lifting her headset to her ears, she shows a look of grim determination. “You heard the mare everypony, we must get to work! Let us bring our comrades home, oui?! Chop chop!” The fancy mare speaks out to her fellow tower workers, who all take the que and begin contacting other squadrons, nearby airbases in Equestria, and pilots. The white unicorn with the frizzy pink mane types in the command codes to the Horseshoe Bay naval port, contacting their air traffic control tower to inquire about any able bodied pilots and aircraft.

Morrigan quietly sits, observing the activity, a small smile coming to her muzzle as she watches. Pride fills her heart, her sensitive ears swiveling and listening to the maelstrom of activity taking place now within the room.

The Earthen mustang mare quietly studies her screen before her, watching the transponders moving on the grid reflecting the aircraft currently being deployed. Thoughts race through her mind, and one nagging, burning question silently rests there. ‘If Morrigan created me…and her younger sister Nehimane created the Pegasus and Thestral…does that mean Macha made…unicorns?’

Nightie comes to a rest upon her belly, her legs folded under her, the broken wing splayed out beside her body. The alicorn continues to nuzzle into her mate, burying her bloodied muzzle into the crook of his neck as he lies upon the bolder. A small pool of blood has formed from the slow trickle of crimson leaving his body through the wounds hidden under his flight uniform, the life giving fluid soaking the black alicorns fetlock fur and matting it. Talon wheezes, his breaths labored and slow.

“Nightie…you have to go from here.” He gasps out, closing his eyes. The sunlight filtering in through the tree tops blurred within his vision, the world around him slowly growing darker and fuzzed. “I can’t walk like this…I’ll only slow us both down. The naval port is not too far from here…you…need to get help. Leave me here…I’ll be…fine.” He says to her in a wheeze.

The black alicorn’s ears perk up as she listens attentively, the pilots’ words sounding wet and muffled with each breath. She breathes in deeply through her nostrils, tears stinging her eyes as she squeezes them shut. “No, my master…I will not leave you here. I’ll stay forever here with you, my love.” She whispers out in a strained breath to him. “I told you…that no matter what happens, I will remain at your side. We are leaving this cursed place together…I shall carry you away from here.”

“I’ll only slow you down.” He replies softly, ignoring the pain throughout his body. “You are also wounded…we need speed, Nightie. You can’t carry me and run. We…we have no communication…and no way to get a signal for aid. Leave me here…I’ll be fine.”

Nightmare shakes her head slowly, moving her bloodied muzzle away from his neck, opening her eyes once more to gaze at him. She contemplates his words briefly, considering and weighing his logic against her own. Her gentle teal orbs stare into his as he looks at her. Through their connection, she can feel the life slowly leaving him. Her own heart thuds out of rhythm within her barrel. As she studies him, a constant thought rings in her mind, snapping her to reality. Morrigan’s words echo into her soul with an alarming conclusion. ‘You will share in his pain; you will feel his every ache and sorrow. When he bleeds, your blood shall also be spilled upon the soil below your hooves. You will be the death of him. The source of your life, will be his vital energy that keeps breath within him.’

An alarm instantly screams within the nightmare alicorn, one that brings her absolute clarity of the situation. If she does not act quickly, they will both meet their end, right here, right now. She rises to her hooves, towering over him once more. Looking down, she can see the flow of blood bubbling out of his chest just under the rip in his blood soaked flight jacket. “No…my master. You are coming with me.” Nightmare whispers out to him, her voice gaining an edge of steel. “I cannot heal you…but I will mend you to stop the blood. You are climbing upon my back, and we are getting the hell out of here. Brace yourself my love, for this will hurt.”

She focuses her mind now, all of her thoughts directed to her horn, as she attempts to call out a localized fire spell. This will be quick, but painful. She remembers from the battle against Celestia so long ago, how she had once seen the white alicorn use this same spell to seal her own wounds in battle. Her horn begins to spark, but nothing more. A soft crackle of magic emits off of her failing horn, a brief whiff of ozone in the air, before the black alicorn’s horn shorts out and ceases function. Her eyes widen with confusion, before she scrunches her bloodied muzzle up and tries again, dumping more of her energy into it. Her horn does nothing in response, the magic not working.

Talon looks away from her, taking a ragged breath and moving his blood covered hand to her, slowly reaching out and touching her right foreleg. “Nightie…just go, leave me here. Please…save yourself.” He winces out, ignoring the pain the best he can. His vision continues to darken slowly, his body feeling colder than it should to him. His fingers feel numb and tingle with pins and needles, like a limb that has fallen asleep from being sat on for too long. He knows in his mind his injuries are too severe. It was a good life…his only regret now not being able to see his family just once more.

Nightmare lowers herself back down, hissing with anger as she feels the stabbing pain within her wing, shooting up through her spine like a hot blade ripping through flesh. Using her good wing, she snakes it around his body, and pulls hard with everything she has left in her, dragging him to the edge of the rock, before the man rolls off and onto her back. She ignores his weak protests and the pain within her, rising once more to her hooves and standing shakily. She gains her balance, her body adjusting to the added weight of him upon her, before she takes a tentative step forward. With one hoof in front of another, she continues to walk, trudging through the pain, mud and blood. She reaches the spot where the rifle had landed, lowering her head down and hooking the strap with her horn after a moment of several attempts. She raises her head again, the weight of the weapon awkwardly sliding around her head and ears, before coming to an uncomfortable rest against the side of her neck.

She can feel the pilots blood matting her fur against her side, the alicorn ignoring his wheezing and coughing the best she can, wincing with sympathy silently for him as she slowly makes her way out of the clearing they were in, looking for any still burning wreckage and parts of the aircraft she can use. She knows she needs fire, anything she can manipulate to her will that can serve as a triage to save him, and mend her own wounds. This was her mate. Hers! She refused to let it end here. The alicorn lets out a grunt through her maw, gnashing her teeth as she contained her bitter anger at the situation. Her broken wing continues to drag on the ground at her side; the feathers collecting dirt, mud and mother knew what else upon the forest floor.

Dusty Shine looks over her shoulder, seeing the cream colored alicorn pacing near the rear wall of the control center, the Goddess of creation clearly appearing anything but tranquil. The earthen mare licks her lips, her eyes following the crimson maned mare walking to one side, then turning on her hind hooves and changing direction for another, this being the case for the last half hour as fighter aircraft were scrambled from Canterlot and Ponyville to search the skies above EverFree. Everypony knew the dangers within the forbidden forest, the only chance of saving the downed pilot and princess being as much close air support as they could, praying for a miracle of a signal from them.

The wreckage had been found only an hour ago, a trail of blood on the ground followed to some burned fragments of the fuselage, a clump of feathers, and one jagged piece of a canard with residue of seared flesh and black fur. The ground teams from Ponyville and Hollow Shades had definitely found evidence they were alive, unfortunately; the trail of blood ended there. They had no way of knowing where the couple had gone to next. Rising to her hooves, she slowly steps to the Goddess.

‘Where could they have gone…how are they masked from my sight? This shouldn’t be possible!’ Morrigan thinks to herself, her emotions finally unable to be held back. Rage, sorrow, hatred…all things she had cast off eons ago were coming back full force to her heart. Somehow, she had failed to foresee this, something somewhere had blocked her ability and omnipotence, and now placed her loved ones in mortal peril. The Goddess was confused, but above all else, she was angry. Who or whatever had spun this web of fate to transpire this day, would answer to her. If Hell had no fury like a mare scorned, the guilty would soon find out that the so called fury of the scorned mare would pale in comparison against the wrath of the enraged Goddess of War.

Dusty clears her throat gently, garnering the attention of the Goddess before her. Morrigan comes to a halt in her pacing; now gazing at the plucky former maid before her. “What is it, my child? Have you any news?” She asks Dusty, a curious and gentle look coming to her features as she composes herself.

“Not…not yet, milady.” The earthen mare responds, steeling her resolve. She breathes deep, her stance strong and fast before Morrigan. “But…I did have an idea of how we can find them. The sensors on the aircraft while advanced…are limited in their capabilities. We do have one option we can use to locate them very quickly. It would also give us more than enough firepower to rescue them from…well, even you.” She hesitates on that last part, swallowing nervously.

Morrigan’s gentle smile falls quickly, the alicorn Goddess stepping very close and narrowing her burning gaze into Dusty’s eyes. “You have my attention…speak quickly.” She whispers under her breath, just loud enough for the earth pony to hear. “Time is of the essence my child…I need every detail.”

Nodding quickly, Dusty licks her lips and takes a deep breath. “We need to get to Horseshoe Bay.”

Author's Notes:

And here we are! With probably the biggest cliff hanger EVER. But don't worry, I'm actually in a writing mood, and fully intend to release the next segment of the arc this week. Like it? Love it? Leave your comments below! I look forward to everyone's review, and can't wait to hear your thoughts.

Scorch the Usurper character copyright to Kudzuhaiku, Author of the exciting tale (and probably longest fanfic in history...) The Chase. Character reference used WITH permission.

Sledgehammer scenes co-written with my good friend and pre-reader, The Boss

Special thanks to Kimmi for being a great editor and coach in getting these scenes out. I had a lot of trouble writing due to dealing with depression, she's the special gal pal that helped me work through it. Thanks to her, I have the motivation I needed to be able to write again.

Until the next chapter~