Across the river, the Thestrals went to work, every member of their assault teams using their cloaks to maximum effect. The plan had been to cross the river, using the waters black sheen to cover their approach. Once in the trees on the opposite bank, the cloaks would be deployed once more as they approached their targets.

I watched from cover with Thorn while Shadow dozed behind me. Our Thestral comrades stationed around us watched our flanks and rear, crossbows ready to meet any attack from land or sky.

The focus for me however, was on the activities on the other side of the bridge. A series of loud pop’s and flashes from several small crystal huts, were followed by shout and screams which drifted across the river. Shouting from the buildings further inland, were followed by a rush of Thestral re-enforcements heading for the huts under attack.

The enemy had shown themselves but for them, their planned ambush had backfired, and badly. It was hard to see any specific direction or leadership in them, in fact rather than our disciplined and organised Thestral warriors, these appeared to be acting more like a mass of individuals. Regardless of their lack of cohesion however, their numbers were greater than ours and threatened to overwhelm the assault teams should this turn into a pitched battle.

At this distance, it was hard to see specific detail, except I thought that…..I did ! There ! Cloaked and all but invisible against the white foliage, several Thestrals rushed from the first buildings and melted back into the surrounding trees. The generally black appearance of our foe against the snowy landscape made them hard to miss as they poured into the buildings until the ones outside neighed and fumed, unable to see what was going on inside.

Thorn stared intently and whispered, “….now….”. As if on cue, an enormous green ball of fire erupted from inside the building, flames gouting from the windows and door, licking under the eves. The intense light was mixed with an eerie otherworldly ‘darkness’, in a mind reeling display of raw magical energy, the likes Equestria had probably not seen since the last war. And thank Celestia for that! As the second explosion went off from the other hut targeted by our teams, the scream from the Thestrals caught by the merciless fires as they had stood outside was a horrific memory I will never forget. Of those who had been inside, there was no sign.

The remaining Thestrals ran in apparent confusion, blowing hard, unsure as what to do next. With lethal accuracy, bolts flew from their invisible attackers in the trees, putting them down . One of the creatures charged the tree line raising a spear. I could hear his battle cry even from my vantage point, I saw the glint of a weapon being swung, his body crashing lifeless to the ground, a moment before his decapitated head landed next to him. The pressure of fore legs gripping me, made me crane my neck

round to see a dark muzzle pushing hard into my neck, a whimper of terror and loss filling my ears and heart. I nuzzled Shadow, it was all I could do for her for now, she was shaking uncontrollably. I whispered into her ear, “Its alright love, it’ll all be over soon.”, I wasn’t sure I believed my own words. Shadow didn’t answer.

A whistle from the ruins brought Thorn to his hooves. He gave orders to Glimmer who rushed off to pass the word along. We were moving. Thorn brushed himself off and hefted his war axe, “Captain, are you ready ?”.

I took up my crossbow and checked the safety. The huge old thing wasn’t designed for ponies but would serve me well, solid and reliable. Judging by the black wood and steel of its construction, it most likely heralded from the war. My sword, a home grown Thestral creation was made from the same material as their weapons, crystal I had thought until Thorn corrected me; Diamond.

We swept down the wooded slope keeping to the tree line, keeping our cloaks on even now. No sense in taking chances at this stage. I picked our route as best we could but there was a feeling of urgency from Thorn, a sense that despite his outer calm, his son could not wait any longer. Thorn had told me his son would be dead, his body nailed to a cross as a message to him from the Duchess…she was coming and he would be next along with his comrades. This, Glimmer had explained while I had sat with Shadow under the trees, was an ancient tactic of intimidation. It apparently showed a willingness to make an enemy suffer incredible torment, a threat, a promise, that should they be opposed, this would be the fate of their enemy.

Whether this had any effect on the Thestrals, it didn’t show. Not until now. At the bottom of the slope, Thorn rushed headlong for the wing wall of the bridge. He
slowed and then stopped, staring at the water, snorting his impatience, waiting. As I neared the Storm Major wondering what had brought him up short, a Thestral, water cascading from his hide, emerged from the black water like some mythological beast. Red eyes blazing she shook her coat and saluted the Storm Major, “Bridge is clear sir”.

Thorn nodded and charged across the bridge, weapon drawn, heading straight for his son who was now flanked by several of his troops. He slowed to a trot, then a walk as he approached, looking up at his sons face. Why hadn’t they cut him down ? They were just standing there like statues, where they in shock or was there something else I hadn’t seen or understood yet.

My mouth hung open in shock at the sight before me. The young Thestral hung on a crystalline post, suspended by his forelegs by large nails driven through his flesh. His hind legs had been tied behind the terrible object of his pain and humiliation. I noticed in my rising horror, they had been broken first, before being pulled back into their unnatural position. His hide showed signs of a dreadful struggle too, slash wounds, burns and teeth marks. Whatever they had done to him, he hadn’t taken it lying down and had fought his attackers hoof and fang. I nodded to him and whispered a prayer to Luna, may she guide his soul to the next world, this brave warrior of the Beyond.

Thorn slowly walked up to the devastated body of his son, looking into his face…expressionless. He held up a foreleg to touch him, faltered, then put it back down. If any pony else saw the slight quiver as he did so, they didn’t say, the respect and bond they shared with their commander was a deep one.

One of the assault team Thestrals trotted over respectfully nodding, “Sir, its as we feared. They’ve….”

“Father……”. Nimbus’ eye opened a fraction, the green fire in them barely a flicker. “Father….”.

“Water !”, Thorn shouted and I thrust my water skin into his outstretched hoof. He reached forward to sate his sons thirst.

Nimbus groaned piteously but managed to croak a few words to his father, “No…keep away….magm….”, he tried to wet his lips with a dry tongue but choked and I spotted green tears trickle down his cheeks to fall upon the bloodstained grass.

“Sir !”. The Thestral who had tried to report to Thorn a moment ago, stepped up to put a restraining foreleg against his chest, firm but respectful. “It’s a magmine, they’ve rigged him with one, if you touch him, its all over. Please, sir !”

Thorn pushed forward against the pressure momentarily before backing away, a look of agony in his face. He pushed the water skin back at me and nodded gravely, “You are a unicorn are you not Captain ? Have you any experience with such devices ?”

“No Sir. I’ve never heard of them, I assume they are a booby trap of some kind ?”

Thorn nodded, his eyes looking into his sons whose chest rose and fell in short pants.

“Yes. A magical mine…’Magmine’…A cowards weapon. I thought they’d all been destroyed years ago. Apparently not.”

Thorn removed his cloak and unbuckled a crossbow from his harness. “My son, you know what I must do.”

Nimbus attempted a weak nod as the Thestrals near him backed away. Dawning realisation hit me, “Thorn, you cant mean to…for the Goddesses sake…he’s your son !”.

He motioned to Glimmer who stepped between us, physically pushing me back. “Fairlight, this is something he must do. Don’t make it any harder for him than it is already.”

This flew in the face of everything I had ever been taught, to respect, honour and protect lives. To sacrifice mine if need be to save others, the code of the Watch pony. I had never come across anything like this and hoped, somehow, that I had the wrong end of the proverbial stick, that some pony was going to be able to magic up some solution to it.

I cursed myself for not having a better grasp of magic, but with no idea what this thing was or what it could do, I’d be like a foal playing with a box of matches.

Shadow put a hoof on my shoulder and shook her head. Damn it all, she was as bad as the rest of them ! I couldn’t believe they’d just give up on him so quickly, was this some weird Thestral thing of theirs ?

Thorn spoke to his son, “How many did you slay my son ?” he asked. “Four…father…”. The old Thestral nodded and a smile, edged in pain, crossed his lips as he announced to all present, “My son has fallen in battle. He has slain four of his foes single hoofed ! From this day, songs will be sung of his fearsome strength, his deeds of valour, his bravery in death. Remember !”

The Thestrals as one slammed their hooves to their chests, the sound echoing dully around the old encampment. “Remember !” they shouted as one, the cry echoing out across the clearing. Oh Luna…Celestia…cant you do something to help this soul ? Where are you both ? We need you and we’re all alone, here in the darkness….

I watched in stunned silence at the heavy crossbow being levelled by Nimbus’s father, light glinting off its cruelly sharp tip. The wood creaked almost imperceptibly as the safety catch was released. I couldn’t bear to watch yet, when I looked over my shoulder, I saw that Shadow was stood with us, staring intently at the stricken young Thestral. They all were. Nimbus shouted out to his gathered troops, “Behold ! The warrior returns to the halls of his ancestors !”

We all looked up at Nimbus who raised his maw to the sky and howled with the last of his strength. Around me the others cried out, a single note mixing with his, calling to his ancestors warning them he was coming. The sound began to die away and as it did, I saw something I would not have dreamt possible from the grizzled war veteran; a single silvery tear rolled from Thorns eye, disappearing almost as soon as it had appeared.

“Goodbye, my son.”, the final note echoed away into the eternal sky. Thorn’s bolt left his crossbow with a loud ‘thwack’, transfixing Nimbus’ upturned head to the crystal pole. Almost instantly, he was engulfed in a violent green magical fire which doubtless would have incinerated any pony stood nearby when it was activated. Instead, it was a funeral pyre to send a young soul on his final journey. I’d never met Nimbus and although this gave me a strange sort of detachment from what was happening here, it didn’t mean that it didn’t wound some inner part of me as I bore witness to the stallion’s final moments. I fear that if not for me, he would most likely still be alive, a weight I would have to carry with me for the rest of my days.

The Thestral race was enigmatic, so alien to everything I had ever been brought up with in Equestria, that I sometimes felt frighteningly alone. Other times, by contrast, it was almost as if I’d been born here, a Thestral in the body of a pony. Perhaps I was losing myself in this place, becoming one with the people, my own now nothing more than a distant memory, a dream that had happened to another Fairlight. Right now, right here, seeing the green flames crackle and the heat haze shimmering in the strange white light of this land, all I could see was a brave young life, brutally cut short.

We re-filled our water skins and set out towards the final destination for our group, the Veil was not far now. My pendant glowed brightly when I peeked down into my barding, keeping its glow covered to avoid detection. The white cloaks continued to be worn even now. I was increasingly worried about Shadow, she appeared to be retreating more and more into herself lately. She rarely spoke at the best of times, why, I’d never properly understood and had never seemed to find the time, or conviction, to ask her. Maybe I was being cowardly, I don’t know. Its easy to look upon these matters in hindsight and say what I should have done, what I could have done. Right then, I just wanted to comfort her and not burden her with my needless questions.

I would look over my shoulder and smile at her from time to time. She would smile back sadly and when she thought I wasn’t looking, would occasionally hang her head
and drag her hooves. She looked tired, worn and world weary, not like the mare I had first met. The death of Nimbus seemed to have hit home with her more than any pony else, maybe even more than Thorn. Of the commander, he continued on as he had since I first met him, stoic, unyielding. Hooves smartly and purposefully clopping along, he was an elderly Thestral, true, but he was a bold warrior and a soldier you’d proud to fight beside. I hoped that I could be even half the pony he was. Metaphorically speaking, naturally.

Movement in the trees up ahead gave us reason to halt, a runner from the forward scout detachment rushing back to speak to his commander. Words were exchanged and a ripple of excitement ran through our party. Thorn looked back at me, a broad smile on his weathered face. He seemed to have aged a great deal since the tragic events at the bridge, yet now he was bright, re-invigorated and alive with fresh purpose. “We’re here Captain”, was all he said before beckoning me to follow him.

Ahead of us was a sight which would have made any Equestrian historian wet themselves in excitement. A vast, bowl shaped depression in the land, hollowed out of the white landscape itself spread out before us almost to the horizon. The geography in itself was impressive compared to the endless seas of black sand, hills and white crystal forests I had encountered before. However, what filled the bowl was the true jewel of this land. A city of crystal, sparking and glinting in the moonlight, a fairytale picture of palaces, spires, sweeping sky bridges and elegant buildings of every description. Even from this distance, the road network was incredibly clearly defined, laid out like some giant spiders web. It’s lines radiated out from a large central area which, from what I could tell, was a large round flat ‘rise’ of brilliant white crystal.

The city as a whole was simply breathtaking, truly beautiful to behold in all its majesty. I had never seen it’s like before, even in the pictures I’d seen of Canterlot, this was on another level all together. In fact if some pony had told me that this was Canterlot, I wouldn’t have questioned them at all. This was a place that one would naturally find royalty, even deities. I realised that my eyes had been staring and my jaw hanging slack when Glimmer knocked my head good naturedly with a hoof. “Wake up you big foals blouse, we have a ways to go yet you know”. She was right, the city was still a decent few hours walk away from us across open ground and no matter which way we approached it, we would have to cross. There was no choice now, the prize we sought was right before us, waiting. Whether with open arms or with drawn swords, remained to be seen.

We kept to the formation, keeping low and remaining vigilant in the white grass, our weapons ready. We would be exposed, but an advantage was that we could also see clearly around us and would be able to break for the apparent safety of the cities outer suburbs if need be.

The white grass of the open plain began to become sparse the closer we came to the lip of the cities perimeter. The black sand had returned just when I had begun to think of it as a thing of the past. The good old Fairlight wishful thinking kicking back in again !

The white cloaks we wore, were now useless for camouflage and so we stowed them back in our panniers, securing weapons and tightening gear in case we needed to move quickly. The black sand crunched with familiarity beneath my hooves and we broke into a trot, Thorn wanting to spend as little time in the open as possible.

We were making good progress towards the city when one of our lead scouts let out three blasts on his whistle. Thorn paused, standing on his hind legs, lifting a hoof and then making a pumping motion. Glimmer raced past Shadow and I, shouting “Looks like trouble, lets move flank pony !”. She didn’t have to tell me twice, and we raced after her and the other Thestrals, kicking up little puffs of black sand in our wake. As we picked up pace I saw Thorn look skyward and shout back to us, “Don’t stop till we get to the city rendezvous point ! Whatever happens, run like the bitch herself was behind you !”. He took off at a full gallop, damn… he was fast.

I was glad in some ways to have a chance to really open out into a full gallop, my blood pumping hot through my veins, the breeze drying off my sweaty coat. It was a relief to be free of that white cloak too, as much as a necessity as it had been, the sticky thing had become unbearably hot when worn for long periods. I’d been happily surprised to find the Beyond had some form of weather pattern, even if it was only a slight breeze. Unfortunately, it didn’t do much to cool you down when carrying armour, weapons and saddle packs.

Finally, I could run, I may have even shouted in relief if only it hadn’t been for the sudden rush of fear I felt mixing with the adrenalin. Something had spooked Thorn into a full charge, straight for the cover of the city. He’d said something about a city rendezvous…Bollocks ! I didn’t even know where that was ! I was completely dependant upon following these guys.

As we galloped, a faint noise overhead intruded on my hearing and I risked a glance upwards to see what it was. I wished I hadn’t, large sizzling balls of green magical fire, were arcing through the dark sky in our direction. If it was possible to gain any extra acceleration out of the poor old legs, this was the time to do it.

The first one screamed in with a noise like the damned of hell trying to escape into the world of the living. ‘Taking any pony back with them if that thing catches us’, I thought to myself as I locked onto the first buildings which hove into view. The explosion of the green fire was almost an anticlimax, more a ‘wumpf’, than a ‘boom’ as I’d half expected. The flames spewed and splattered in all directions, the heat was so intense where the fire landed, that it melted the black sand to glass at its centre.

More of them came in, almost blotting out the sky until all I could see was a bright green haze all around me. The thumps of the fire balls bursting near me flashed me with waves of searing heat and frighteningly, I could smell burned hair. I saw Glimmer coming up next to me, blowing like an Equestrian steam engine, “Keep running Fairlight,”, she called between pants, “we’re nearly there, keep going.”.

There were burn marks on her armour from the fire, and smoke trailing from her hide where it had caught her. Glimmer’s stoic face showed nothing but grim determination and I drew deep for a little extra speed. More thumps, some close, some far away. I thought I could hear screams carried on the gusts whipped up by the explosions but kept my head down and willed myself on. If those things hit me, I would be an instant pile of ash, my body becoming indivisible from the black sand around it. Oh Goddesses ! Why was I thinking of that now !?

Glimmer and I almost simultaneously leapt the retaining wall of the first structure we saw and turned quickly down a side alley. I had no idea where the rendezvous point was but an educated guess would be the central platform of the city. Any enemy we faced in here would most likely be there already waiting for us and we would have little choice but to meet them. Glimmer galloped around a corner and we were met with a hissing blizzard of arrows seemingly from out of nowhere. “In here !”, she shouted, heading off down another alley, I was hot on her hooves. The clatter of our

passage echoed off the empty buildings, their open windows and doors like the bones of dead creatures staring out at the living one’s running past them. A sudden thought broke through my adrenalin soaked brain, “SHADOW !”, I shouted at Glimmer, “She’s not behind us ! I have to go back, you go on ahead I’ll catch you up.”

Glimmer screamed back at me, “Don’t be a fucking idiot ! She’ll be with the others, we need to get you to the target area.”

“You don’t know she’s with the others, she could be back in the open field, hurt ! For Luna’s sake, Glimmer, I have to go !”

Glimmer lunged for my barding, grabbing it in her teeth and, flaring her wings, she flung both of us through the open doorway of a small building.

She threw me to the ground and kicked me roughly in the chest, “Shut the fuck up pony, just shut the fuck right up ! Do you hear me !”.

I was taken aback by her attack but rose to my hooves, taking to a fighting stance by instinct. “She’s my mate and your Duchesses daughter. I promised her father I would protect her with my life and that’s what I intend to do ! So get out of my way Glimmer, I’m going back for her with or without you.”

Glimmer stomped her hoof, “We don’t have time for this bullshit Equestrian ! Your mate has her orders and she knows this place like the back of her hoof, we all do. Its you we need to worry about, since you’re obviously not the Duchesses ‘precious’ daughter. The good Lady Shadow is far less likely to come to harm than her pony kidnapper, wouldn’t you agree ?”.

“I…”

“Good. Now we’ve got that settled, get your Goddess cursed arse out of here before those fuckers come in here for us.”

We charged back out into the street, taking side alleys more than the main roads. It was clear to me that Glimmer knew this area surprisingly well, even though no pony had lived here in a very long time by the generally abandoned feel to the city. She never slowed, never faltered, the dust whipped up by her thundering hooves catching in my nose. We turned yet another corner as a volley of bolts crashed into us with a sound of hail hitting glass. Glimmer cried out and smashed into the ground at full gallop, sliding to a halt as I twisted to arrest myself from colliding with her. Grasping her barding as she had done with mine, I pulled her with all the strength I could muster into the nearest open door. I took out my crossbow, flicked off the safety and covered the door entrance while I looked over her body. Several crossbow bolts had

hit her flank chest and neck. Glimmers laboured breathing and coughing evidenced at least one of them had penetrated her lungs. Blood foamed from her muzzle and seeped from the terrible wounds on her body. She held her eyes tight closed and let out a low whimper of pain.

Goddesses, what could I do ? I tipped out my pack onto the dusty floor, searching for medical supplies but finding only bandages. I remembered that the team had a medic with them and Luna knew where they were now...there was only one thing for it.

“Glimmer, you’re hurt, look…stay here and don’t move. I’ll draw them away from you and come back with help.” I went to put my cloak over her to keep her warm.

She glanced up at me with a half open eye, wincing with pain as she opened her mouth to speak, “No….just….get out of here, I’m…..not going…to make it.”

“Glimmer look, please just try and hold on”, I started to undo the strapping on her gear, “Here, I’ll loosen your armour so you can breath and I’ll get help for you.”

She reached out and hooked my barding with a foreleg, panting for breath, “Don’t be a…..”, she let out a gasp and coughed droplets of blood onto the dust covered floor, “….bloody hero.…I can feel my ancestors calling my….soul to them now. Get to the centre of the city, remember…remember….what Star Beard told you….my young equestrian….pony.”

More racking coughs hit her and I put my hoof on her chest for her to hold, chancing a peek out the doorway just in time to duck back as a bolt pinged off the frame. I levitated my crossbow up and shot back, quickly reloading as Glimmer pulled me back to her.

“Make me one promise, cute flanks…” she croaked. The fire in her eyes was starting to flicker, with heart breaking certainty, I knew she wouldn’t be able to last much longer. I nodded, “Of course Glimmer.” She smiled, “Sing to my ancestors for me. Let them know….let them…know I’m… coming home”. I could feel tears stinging my eyes and glanced out the door, there was some movement but hard to pinpoint. Glimmer shook violently and gave a stifled cry, “Damn it, come here !”, She pulled on my barding and kissed me full on the mouth, her blood and hot breath taking my breath away.

Weakly, she moved back and snorted blood and steam onto the floor. “I always thought, you had a….cute arse…pony boy. What I wouldn’t do to….you. If that little filly hadn’t stolen….stolen your heart eh ?”
“Glimmer….”, tears rolled down my face. How many mares were going to die in my forelegs ? Goddesses, was I cursed to bring so much pain and death to those around me ?

Her hoof reached out and brushed away the tears, “Go now….run, go save your mate….go…”. I took Glimmers head and kissed her, giving her a nuzzle before I drew back, brushing the soft mane from her eyes, “I’ll never forget you Glimmer, we’ll remember you. Goddess be with you.”

She waved a hoof at the door, “Go !”. I turned to leave, loosing off a bolt towards some movement at the end of the alley, grimly satisfied by the answering scream of pain. I took one last look back into the dark room, “Goodbye Glimmer….” I said and galloped off into the eerie streets of the dead city.