Travelling through these portals was very much a hit and miss affair with how it affected you on the other side. The trip to the human world had resulted in a rapid evacuation of my stomach contents, this time though, I hoped I’d be able to keep everything down. More worrying, was that I had no idea where it lead, only that Lumin was in danger and needed me. Thank Luna that Tingles would be getting help at the Tavern, and that white mare…damn it all, whenever I tried to think of her my mind reeled. Whatever she’d done to me, she’d really fucked me up but good. Right now though, I had to concentrate on the job at hoof.

Exiting the portal was all but instantaneous. In the blink of an eye, I emerged with Shadow by my side and the warriors already arrayed in ranks before us. The first thing that struck me was the light here; it had a peculiar green tinge to it that bathed the world with a sickly hue. The ground, the trees, everything looked…well, ‘ill’. There were no signs of the changelings, in fact the area around the portal was completely empty. Strange, why was there nopony here?

Shadow looked about her shaking her mane irritably, “I don’t like this place. It feels wrong.”

“I know,” I said scanning the area around us, “it’s like it’s shielded. In fact…” I stared up at the sky and a shimmer of magical energy flickered across is momentarily, “…it is”.

This would explain why we hadn’t seen changelings for such a long time. The damned things had been sealed away, yet here they were, able to enter Equestria through this portal. Come to think about it, what the hell was a portal doing in the middle of nowhere? The ones I’d seen had been deliberately placed, either a long time ago or recently, by the smugglers. This one was in the middle of a bloody forest, so…

An image of the white mare flashed through my mind again; the smugglers, Velvet Cream, the commissioner, the attack on Equestria...

“My goddesses…” I breathed, “Shadow, this whole thing…the portal, the attack on Celestia and the wedding. Somepony’s set this damned thing up to use the changelings as a game changer.”

The portal sat behind me, shimmering with that now familiar silvery light. The engravings, the construction…this was all new. It wasn’t some ancient portal somepony had stumbled upon, somepony had manufactured this and whoever it was, was damned skilled. I had a horrible feeling we were out of depth, and massively so.

One of the griffins walked up to us, bowing, “My lord, may I have your permission to scout ahead?”

I nodded, “Yes, but keep as low a profile as possible, I don’t know if they’re aware we’re here or not. If they’re in the dark, let’s try to keep it that way.”

The winged creature nodded and returned to her fellows, issuing orders. Shadow nuzzled me, “Lumin…”

“I know, love”, I smiled, “See? The beacon’s brighter than ever now.”

It was. Taking the lead, we fanned out in formation, the scouts watching our flanks and all of us on alert. We were in hostile territory now and there was no way I was going to be caught with my pants down out here. Not that I really wore pants all that often, but the analogy still works.

We trudged on. Some of the warriors looked tired from their exertions in the forest, others sported various injuries. If we were going to be successful, I wanted any operation here to be quick and decisive so we could get out fast. Once back in the Everfree, we’d still have to navigate the forest to reach home and if we were being pursued, we’d have a chance to evade them in there. What struck me about this place though was the bleakness of it all, the emptiness, like the land was on the verge of death but never quite tipping over into the abyss. The foliage, if you could call it that, was all dark and wilted like the tree’s, nearly dead, barely alive, an eternal half life.

I checked my supplies. Fortunately, I’d been able to bring plenty with me and I paused to retrieve a flask, suddenly realising I didn’t really need it. Curious. I scratched my chin and replaced the container. When was the last time I’d had any? Of course, I’d pushed myself to the brink healing our people in the tavern, but that was exceptional. For some reason, I didn’t have that hollow feeling that tended to follow any exertion and use of my magic, which was good. I’d have to think on this later. My pipe and a brandy would be a nice accompaniment to any thought processes, them and some chocolates. A nice mare or two would be good as well, afterwards…

Shadow nudged me, “Love?”

“Hmmm?”

She motioned to the green tinged sky. One of the scouts was returning, a hippogriff male by the looks of it. I nodded to him, “Report”.

“My lord, enemy forces are massed ahead. I kept low as you ordered. I don’t believe they saw me.”

“Good. Estimated numbers?”

“I couldn’t say for certain, they were massed tightly. I would certainly estimate several hundred including some larger ones I believe are leading them.”

Heavy Hoof strode over, “My lord?”

I looked at our warriors. Although quite capable of taking on a larger force, there were so many of the changelings we could be overwhelmed. Heavy Hoof rubbed at a bandage on his arm. Everypony had been hurt during the fighting, even with my wendigo powers…

“Scout!”

The hippogriff bowed, “My lord?”

“Show me where the enemy are, the rest of you wait here. Shadow, Heavy Hoof, keep a lookout but make sure these warriors get some rest.”

We took to the air; the half pony, half eagle creature a strange sight before me. Not that I had any room to talk really, he probably thought I was just as odd. His pony hind quarters bobbing along, blended seamlessly into the feathered forelegs and head. Like I’d seen with many of the griffins, he carried a quiver of short throwing spears and a curved sword. Add to that lethal looking hooked beak and claws, he was a force to be reckoned with. I would have to spend more time with the enigmatic denizens of Smiling Borders, it was my home after all.

Ahead of us, the land rose sharply and then dropped away into a deep valley. Both of us stopped and dropped quietly to the ground whereupon we shimmied forward to peer over the edge to the sights below.

I took a moment to take it all in. The hippogriff hadn’t exaggerated their numbers, if nothing else he’d underestimated. Arrayed in the valley was a force of changelings the likes of which I’d never seen. This was an army, not just a specialized attack force for an assault on the royal wedding, no, it was too big for that. The black sea of creatures buzzed and clicked, the sound of such a mass of the things creating a wall of noise which reminded me of waves on the shoreline, an inexorable force that would crash upon Equestria leaving nothing in its wake. Tingles and the white mare were an indication of what awaited everypony if this lot were unleashed. I watched them for a moment longer before creeping back from the edge and taking a deep breath. Maroc’s memories flared, images of the great battle, the final battle, the sheer numbers involved. This…this was an invasion force.

We flew as fast as we could back to our own force, its size pitiful in comparison to the changelings. As much as I respected their strength and fighting prowess, we didn’t stand a hope in hell against such numbers. Heavy Hoof watched me as I approached, the fellow was emanating anticipation like a furnace, “My lord, you have news?”

I nodded, taking the hulking minotaur, Nimble and Shadow to one side out of earshot of the warriors.

“Heavy Hoof, how many warriors do we have here?”

The great beast scratched his chin and held up his claws, muttering under his breath, “Uhhhh…”

Oh goddesses, what a question to ask him! Nimble placed a hoof on the minotaurs elbow, “Its okay big guy”, he turned to me, “One hundred and fifty, give or take a few.”

“Fit for battle?”

“Around a hundred, the other fifty are sporting some nasty injuries”

Heavy Hoof snorted, “They can fight!”

“I know”, I nodded to him, “But by my count we’re outnumbered around eight to one.”

Shadow whinnied, “Too many. We are too few”

“Even with my magic and yours, we’d be overwhelmed” I said looking at the warriors arrayed before us.

Heavy Hoof hefted his axe, “We are strong, they are weak, frail. We could attack, surprise them, we could win”

“Maybe…” I sat on my haunches and checked my saddle packs, “I am inclined to agree; speed, aggression and surprise would be of great advantage to us. However, what happens after the first few minutes, when the others have rallied? We would be swamped and many of our warriors are already hurt.”

I shook my head, “No, my friend. If we fail, Smiling Borders would be open to attack and my family, your family, would be drained of everything that makes them who they are and left to die. You saw what they did to Tingles, would you want that to happen again?”

The minotaur slumped forward, “No, my lord”

Nimble’s ears pricked up, “I say we lay charges on the portal, bail out and leave these fuckers to rot in their prison.”

“What if there’s more than one portal?” I replied, “How long before somepony returns to repair what we destroyed? You saw that portal, it’s new, some bastards are making them. No…no, we have to stop them. The question of course, is how.”

Shadow reached back into an equipment pannier strapped to her armour. Where had she got that from? I don’t remember her bringing it with her from the Withers. I’d have to spend more time with her when we got back…if we got back.

The midnight coated thestral pulled out a white leather pouch and tossed it to me, her eyes burning brightly, “Etrida”

Nimble looked at the bag like it contained a snake, “Etrida?”

“She’s a dragon, the elder dragon for that matter. She helped us get back here, but to ask her to come here and fight for us?” I smiled at Shadow, “That’s quite a different matter, love.”

Heavy Hoof sat down and retightened his bandages, “A dragon? My ancestors fought with dragons, they are strong.”

They were that, I’d fought them myself and nearly died in the process. If it hadn’t been for Shadow, I wouldn’t be here now. That wonderful thestral had rushed in to save my bacon and…

I picked up the bag and grinned to myself…it could work…

“We need to think tactically, everypony, but first things first. A tactical withdrawal is in order.”

Heavy Hoof looked like a vein was going to pop on his forehead, opening his mouth to protest, until he saw the look in my eyes. I hefted my scythe, “Don’t worry my friend, your time for glory is near.”

He smiled.

Leaving a small contingent of scouts on the changeling side of the portal, we took station back in the Everfree.

Back on the other side of the portal, I tapped my communications device, “Brandy? Fairlight, you receiving?”

A few moments later, a strained voice came back, “We’re here, just. The damned things are everywhere Fairlight, the army’s backing us up but there’s just no end to them.”

Damn it all, it looked like we’d missed the boat, “I’m sorry to say, that’s probably just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve found a portal into their homeland, there’s nearly a thousand of the things here and they look like they mean business.”

“How many troops do you have?” He shouted back over the sound of magical weapons fire.

“Not enough. The troops mitre’s sent will be at the village by now and I want to keep them there in case more of these damned things turn up. Brandy, how many MAD’s can you get to my position and how fast?”

“MAD’s? Fairlight, I…damn it, fine, I’ll get you what we’ve got. We can’t transport them by magic, the bloody things aren’t that stable, not to mention the distance. I’ll get my fastest fliers on the job, and if you can have one of your team meet us at the village to guide them in, that would speed things up.”

“I want a special order too…”

Brandy was livid by the end of the conversation but agreed to my requests. I could only hope they’d arrive in time. Those things would be on the move soon and the tension was almost palpable amongst our troops. I used the opportunity to administer to wounds and meet the warriors I would be fighting with. Griffins, hippogriffs and minotaurs, were the ones who made up the bulk of the forces. The ones I hadn’t conversed with, oddly enough, were the ones of my own species…ponies.

Several armoured stallions and mares were sat smoking and playing dice at the edge of the clearing by their stacked weapons. At my request, the troops had started clearing ground around the portal and were beginning to array sharpened stakes, spike pits and just as importantly, to take it in turns to have a break from all the work. These warriors, as strong as they were, needed a moment to relax and restore some of their energy. I was all too aware that they’d been fighting for hours and although they probably wouldn’t admit it, some were clearly at the point of exhaustion.

Around us, the clamour of chopping and digging continued.

“Evening ponies”, I said trotting up. One of them looked up at me and rose to his hooves, saluting smartly, “My lord”.

I shook my head, releasing the power and giving myself a chance to relieve a little tension, “Please, my name’s Fairlight. If you want to be formal, fine, but just not right now, okay?”

He looked a little unsure, “As you wish my…Fairlight.”

I motioned him to continue, “Oh…I’m Dusk Haze, this is Thistle, Blue Rummy and Jasper Star.”

I greeted them all, one by one, noting their names, faces, every detail that I could. These weren’t nameless, faceless fodder for the grinding wheels of war; they were ponies, creatures with thoughts, feelings and lives of their own. I couldnt, and wouldn’t forget that. Maroc’s memories tugged at me, he’d known his warriors, each and every one. He may not have recalled every name, but he knew them none the less.

“How are you keeping up?” I asked taking out my pipe.

Blue Rummy scrubbed her mane, “We’re all a little tired, but we’ll be alright.”

“Yeah!” Thistle added, “We’ll make our ancestors proud. Nopony fucks with the four winds tribe”.

Dusk Haze nodded, “We’ll be ready my lord, don’t worry”

Jasper Star, the chestnut coated mare sporting numerous dents and scrapes along her armour sat quietly, staring at the ground.

“Jasper?” I asked, “What about you?”

The quiet unicorn mare didn’t move her head but stared up at me with intense yellow eyes, “We won’t run if that’s what you want to know.”

Something in the way she looked at me, her eyes…“I didn’t expect you to, Jasper.”

She spat on the ground, “We’re not fucking cowards, we don’t fucking run from a fight. I won’t run”. Blue Rummy gave her a consoling look and placed a comforting foreleg on her, she whispered “We don’t run…”

I had a sudden image of a lone pony on a hilltop, standing strong and proud against the storm coming towards him, the banner of the moon held in his hooves. In Jaspers eyes I saw the same determination, the acceptance of fate, of death. This one, these ponies, we were all one…all of us.

Thistle stood, “Excuse me my lord Fairlight, it’s our turn at the defences.”

I nodded, watching them go. As Jasper stood to leave, I stopped her with an outstretched hoof. She turned to look at me, the baleful yellow eyes staring into me.

“He didn’t run”, I said quietly, “When others did…he stood as immovable as a mountain in the storm.”

She didn’t look at me, “Do you know his name?”

I shook my head sadly, “My memories aren’t complete from my ancestors. I mostly recall pieces, fragments. The final battle is one of the largest pieces.”

Jasper Star’s voice was distant, as if she were looking into the past,

“Moon Rise”

I looked up at the sky, Luna’s moon was disappearing now, the sun beginning its journey above the forest canopy, the light catching the edges of the mountain. It was quietly beautiful, sombre but with a melancholy feel that echoed my heart right then…

“Moon Rise”, I murmured.

Jasper bobbed her head and trotted after her friends. Moon Rise; I wouldn’t forget, the tribe would never forget.

Hours passed, the rows of lethally sharp stakes we’d set up presenting batteries of death and injury to the unwary. Pit traps and other ingeniously cruel creations were liberally sprinkled around the approach to the portal. It wouldn’t stop them all, not the numbers involved, but we had one advantage. As big as this portal was, it would act as a bottle neck for the changelings, like the restriction in an hour glass. Part of the problem however, was that they could fly and we had precious little air cover.

My musings were interrupted by two of our scouts flying in from the south. Everypony paused to watch before Heavy Hoof bellowed at them to get back to work. Nimble shouted over to me excitedly, “Captain, its Loofa!”

The Pegasus flew into the middle of the clearing, carefully landing his cargo and trying to catch his breath. I’d never seen him so winded, “Somepony…ask for…a special delivery?”

I clopped him on the shoulder and checked the cargo under the thick tarpaulins, “Heavy, get your boys over here and get these things into the entrenchments. Nimble, take charge of your team and get them ready.”

“Aye Captain”, he replied, saluting. I turned back to Loofa, clopping him on the shoulder

“Thanks my friend, any news?”

He nodded, “Tingles and Annabelle are doing okay, the doc’s wanted to move them to Manehattan but they’ve refused to go.”

That sounded like Tingles. As for ‘Annabelle’, I wasn’t so sure.

He continued, “The detectors have been going off all over Equestria, converging on the palace. Shining Armour believes an attack is imminent but he’s confident the shield will keep them out.”

I nodded to the portal, “Unless somepony leaves the door open”

Loofa nodded then hoofed me a heavy bag, “Careful with that”.

Opening it up, I peered inside. A box of innocent looking egg like devices sat nestled inside their packaging; eggs awaiting hatching. I shook my head, smiling to myself, “Loofa, you never fail to deliver”.

“Ha!” he chortled, “You can always rely on the Loofa”

Laughing, I helped him unload the last of the supplies and sent one of the hippogriffs through the portal with orders for the scouting party. It wouldn’t be long now.

“Any chance of reinforcements?” I asked Loofa, as I carried a box of gear over to a minotaur who was directing distribution. He shook his head,

“Everyponies out there trying to contain those damned bugs. The army’s being pulled back from outposts but the poor sods have been mostly ceremonial for years. Training, numbers, equipment, you’ve seen the state of them.”

He was right, the equipment they had was mostly archaic. Saying that, the majority of the warriors here were armed and armoured like something from the pages of ancient history. Dishing out PDW’s and pulse guns now with no training would probably lead to a massacre of our own troops. Thank the goddesses that Nimble and Loofa were here to help.

I tapped out my pipe on my hoof and stowed it back in my pack, I don’t think Tingles could complain about my habit right now. No, she’d probably let me have it later at full volume when all this insanity had come to an end. Smiling wryly to myself I looked up at the sky, it was dawn…

I’m not a particularly religious pony, it’s rather hard to be when your gods live in a palace up on a mountainside where you can call in and see them pretty much any time. It doesn’t help either when one of them turns out to be a complete bitch. Some of the warriors from the village still worshipped Nightmare Moon as the one true goddess and said prayers to her in their own way. Myself…well, Luna may have been that very same vanquished being from one thousand years ago, but now, I wasn’t so sure. Somewhere inside, I felt that the real Luna, her altered self like the wendigo inside me, was never that far away. In some ways, I wished I could have seen her before the battle, but why? Was I expecting to die? No…this was something different. On some level she was somepony special to me, one who had loved my ancestor, one for whom, should history have been kinder to them, could have taken a very different path in life.

I shook myself and took a deep breath. Most of the work was done now and melancholy thoughts wouldn’t serve me well in the coming battle. I pictured the princess in my mind and thanked her for her kindness and help. If she could hear my thoughts, she didn’t let on, but still…

The portal shimmered and one of the scouts flew in looking around urgently before spotting me and flying in for a quick landing, “Lord Fairlight”, she took a breath, “the enemy are approaching.”

“How many?”

“All of them”

I glanced around at our defences before turning back to her, “How long before they get here?”

Right on cue, the rest of the scouting party flew in and took positions. The scout ruffled her feathers, “Estimate around twenty minutes before their advance party arrive, my lord.”

I nodded my thanks to her and turned to face Heavy Hoof and Nimble. Loofa stood with his team watching close by,

“This is it everypony, get your warriors in position.”

I walked into the middle of the glade and watched the portal, the way the silvery liquid magic rippled and sparkled; it was bewitching. Sunlight was just starting to catch the edges of the structure and glinted off the armour and weapons of the warriors who watched me intently. Nimble waggled his eyebrows at me and I turned to see that I was suddenly, and rather unnervingly, the centre of attention. Oh Luna’s furry arse! I knew what they wanted, it was some bloody pep talk from ‘Lord Fairlight’, something to give them courage and drive in the coming battle. Damn it! What the bloody hell did I know of these things? Maroc’s memories gave me brief hints, suggestions, but each one of them had been tailored to the situation and all of them, every single one…came from the heart.

I breathed deeply, steadying my breath, sweeping my gaze around the clearing, taking them all in. I gave them my trademark Fairlight smile.

“Warriors of the Four Winds, you are here with me today not as my soldiers, but as my brothers and sisters. You accepted me, a stranger to your home, as the new lord of the fortress in the mountains, of your tribe. I knew little of our people and little of my past, but now…”

I raised a hoof and swept it around in an arc, “I can say truly that I feel as much a part of the tribe as I do of my own family. You are my family, each and every one of you. I may not know all your names, but I know your faces and I know your heart. I will gladly fight by your side and defend you all with my life.”

“This coming battle may decide the future of Equestria, of our very existence. Your loved ones and my own, are depending on us to stop these creatures, to throw them back into their own lands and make our home safe once more.”

I looked at Jasper Star, “Many of us share ties with our past, with a history we will never forget, but I say we must forge ahead, holding the past dear, but pushing boldly into a new future. We have a chance here, an opportunity to restore the honour, the glory of our people and home, to rebuild and be strong once more. I say we seize that chance by the balls and take what is ours.”

There was a loud murmuring from the warriors, a general nodding of heads and smiles on weary faces.

I unleashed the magic within me, feeling it surge through my body, wings bursting from my back, a shuddering force of anger and hatred flooding my heart and soul. My vision tinged blue and I reared on my hind legs holding my war scythe high above me, the winds of winter swirling around me,

“Brothers and Sisters!” I cried, my wendigo voice deep and frigid as the mountain air, “Bring down the wrath of the four winds upon our foe, join me in the song of war, sing the refrain of battle in your hearts.”

I snorted and shook my mane, grinning, “They have brought us woe, let us not be poor hosts…”

The first of the creatures emerged from the portal, its head dropping away from its shoulders, the spray coating my chest. I laughed, the sound rolling out across the clearing, “…LET US BRING THEM DEATH!”

A cheer rose from the warriors of the four winds, every weapon ready, every eye keen, hearts and minds focussed. War was upon us, and we revelled in it, our ancestors would be proud.

A tidal wave of black flooded through the portal, some flying, most running, straight into a storm of bolts, arrows and magical energy weapon fire. Although we had few PDW’s and pulse guns, at this range their fire was murderous. Those that made it through the hailstorm of fire tried to get through the ever increasing mass of bodies, through the stakes and pits, only to be cut down by the axes and swords of the waiting warriors.

The discipline of our tribe was impressive. Despite the excitement and adrenalin of battle, they kept their heads, making every shot, every thrust and cut count. Nimble and Loofa kept up a steady crossfire across the portal concentrating on the fliers; we couldn’t let any of them get past us, the next target on their way into Equestria would most likely be the village, our home.

Shrieks, cries and screams resounded across the forest, rending the morning air as the bodies of the changelings were rent before us. Blood, black as oil, fell like rain, making my heart soar to heights of ecstasy I’d never known. Life…Death…this was where a wendigo lived, this was the heart of the tribe. Celestia had been right, war was the natural element of our people, and looking at the eyes and expressions of my warriors, my brothers and sisters, they understood it too.

I laughed aloud, leaping the barricade and gutting the changelings that rushed me, struggling over the bodies of their comrades. One by one they fell, their charge endless, unceasing…

Faster and faster, more and more of the things came through, the clearing filling with dead and dying, but to these creatures there appeared to be a single minded drive, like some monstrous hive mind behind their willingness to die on our axes, swords and spears.

If death was what they so desired, they had come to the right place. We would give them their fill.

One of the griffins shouted down to me, “Lord Fairlight, the portal!”

The flow creatures slowed momentarily and we looked on, watching keenly as huge claws appeared around its edges with nails like scythe blades and skin as black as coal. Hauling itself through the opening was a creature the likes of which I’d never seen; a hideous, terrifying thing of spikes, teeth and hate. It shambled in on two tree trunk thick legs, roaring its defiance as the pulse gun fire danced across its hide.

I shouted my orders, “Loofa, Nimble, keep fire your fire on the changelings, ignore the big bastard…” I grinned, “…he’s mine”

I unleashed a blast of sparkling white mist into the clearing, waist high, freezing and laced with magic. The thing, dragging a massive iron club behind it, saw me and swung. For its size the beast was incredible strong, but it was slow, far too slow. The ice began to form on its body, cracking and snapping as the creature tried to get at me. My scythe bit into its skin, barely making much impression on its thick hide. I weighed up my options; this would require something a little more aggressive than blade work.

I took a deep breath and let the magic build as the creature trying to free itself from the icy prison. My magic peaked and with a scream of released power and rage, a beam of purest magic lanced from me and at my adversary. The battle raged on…

Flooding around the things legs, the changelings continued their attack, none of them seeming to notice their juggernaut had stopped its advance. The beast stared at me, then looked down. I grinned at the look on its face; the hole was so large I could have flown through it and finally, the things brain realised...it was already dead.

The ground shook when the enormous corpse fell, its size so grotesque that it managed to smash some of the barricades and with a hissing shriek and howl, the changelings began surging toward the gap.

“Now!” I shouted to Loofa and Nimble, “Now’s your time!”

The sacking and branches were pulled back and the multi barrelled machines swivelled to face the attacking horde. Nimble and Loofa, more experienced with such things, brought a new level of violence to the proceedings.

Some of ours warrior stood staring at the carnage before them, the metallic whine and roar of leaden death sweeping through the changelings, filling the air with body parts and guts. To see these things in action, to watch them killing…this wasn’t war, this was murder. Marocs calm voice echoed through my memories, ‘victory is victory, my descendant, however it is achieved’.

I stood there, still and quiet atop the pile of changeling dead. It was hard to find a spot that wasn’t approaching waist deep in them. The ground of the clearing was a virtual lake of black blood, many of the things twitching or crawling about only to be silenced with a sword, axe or spear. The multi-barrelled guns clanked in dawn air as they cooled, allowing the teams a chance to reload them. Loofa shook his head, “Not many rounds left, Captain, these things eat through them. Should be more on the way…hopefully”

Spreading my wings, I flew across the scene of carnage to the portal. Taking a deep breath, I plunged through it. Before me was a sea of black and green, interspersed with more of the giant club wielding creatures and larger pony type things. They would be on us in moments. Quickly, I ducked back through to the clearing, it was nearly time.

Screams and shouts reverberated around me as my scythe swung, my magic flaring. Frozen, burned and cut changelings piled up around me, more of the giant creatures clambering through, one after another. The tide was peaking. Soon…soon we would be swamped in the sea of chittering black horrors.

I shouted over to the hippogriff, “NOW! DO IT NOW!”

She nodded and flew to the top of the portal, landing on its apex and pulled out the detonator. Flicking the switch, the brave warrior ducked to throw it into the portal when a wild swing from one of the giants took her in the side and flung her broken body across the clearing and into the trees.

“Fuck!” I shouted trying to cut my way to the device, but no matter how hard I fought, it was hopeless. The ground and air were both thick with a solid mass of changelings. I was giving them everything I had but despite cutting them down in droves, they just kept coming, more and more. To my horror, I saw our lines begin to falter under the inexorable tide, our warrior’s struggling to keep the defensive line. Heavy Hoof bellowed as a wickedly curved sword pierced his shoulder, the mighty beast bringing his axe down to cleave the changeling adversary nearly in two.

Loofa and Nimble, their main weapons out of ammunition, had resorted to their pulse guns, the things all but glowing as they overheated with the excessive firing. Despite it all, regardless of the death dealt to them, the changelings surged forward, trampling their dead and wounded in their single minded determination to break through our lines. If this kept up…I looked at Nimble and he stared back, face ashen, eyes wide with the adrenalin coursing through his body…we were losing.

From the corner of my eye I saw a flash of silver and black armour, somepony running and leaping over the corpse of one of the giants. In the blink of an eye, they picked something up and with a toss of their head, sent the thing in through the portal. I watched them turn, try to run back, and fall, a spear lodged in their side. I cried out and flung my rage and hate at the things before me, even as the fire storm of magic blew through the portal with the strength a hurricane.

The world screamed around us in that inferno of green fire and death. Lives that ended in the initial flash were the fortunate ones, the others…My goddesses, what had we done…

Burning and shrieking changelings ran at us, flames pouring from their half melted bodies. Putting them down was a mercy. Many crawled, whimpered and were sent to the next world by our steel. The stink of burnt changeling was something I will never forget, not for as long as I live, it was terrible…simply terrible.

The warriors of the four winds tribe staggered amongst the wounded enemy, dispatching them at will. No prisoners were taken here, no mercy was even considered, it was simply a job that needed doing. Taking advantage of the lull, I passed the piles of dead and made my way to the edge of the portal. She had to be here, she had to be!

I pulled the dead creatures aside, kicking the remains of their burnt and mangled bodies away to reach my goal. A chestnut leg, still twitching, emerged from the charnel pit before me. I shouted for help and two of the minotaurs lumbered over to help move the badly burned body of one of the giants to reveal the mercifully still breathing form of the pony below. Heavy Hoof rushed over to help and between us we carried the wounded mare to the makeshift dressing station one of the griffins had set up. He cleared his table and we rested our wounded comrade of the pallet.

Jasper looked up at me, pain keen in her eyes, “I didn’t run, did I?” she coughed, “I didn’t…”

I smiled down at her, “You didn’t run Jasper, you saved us, all of us.”

The spear protruding through her had nearly run her through completely. Only her armour had protected her from being crushed and, perversely, the giant’s body had shielded her from being incinerated in the blast. I nodded to the griffin medic, indicating the spear.

“NO!” she cried out, grabbing my barding and pulling me down, “No…you do it…”

I gazed into her eyes, “I’m not a doctor, Jasper. I can use my magic to help you, but not when the weapon is inside you still.”

“I don’t…” she gasped a breath, “I don’t care…you’re my lord, please…if I’m going to die here, I want you to see me, watch me…I won’t run…”

Motioning to the warriors around us, I closed my eyes momentarily. Gritting my teeth, I spoke levelly, “Hold her down”.

Each of the warriors took a leg. She looked like a toy next to the huge minotaurs, but she was still one of them, one of us. I marvelled at her bravery, “Jasper, I wont lie to you, this is going to hurt.”

She gritted her teeth, nodding and gave me the oddest smile I’d seen in a long time, “Do it…”

I took the haft of the spear, twisting it, rotating the thing as I pulled. Marocs memories were guiding my hooves, advising me on how to remove the vile weapon. They didn’t prepare me for her cries of pain…

Jasper gasped and whimpered, desperately trying to keep quiet, not to lose face in front of her brothers and sisters. I leaned down and looked her straight in the eyes as I pulled, “Open your mouth”

In a haze of agony, Jasper did as I commanded and I clamped my mouth over hers, pouring my life essence into her as the spear came free. The mare thrashed and shook, her eyes never leaving mine but with a wild look of fear, anger and pain…feral. Smoke poured from the wound as the magic went to work and slowly, gradually, the flesh began to knit, the hide returning to its proper place. Jaspers tongue lapped at the fluid, taking it in, repairing and restoring her life.

Moving away from her, I staggered slightly, the loss of so much energy hit me hard. Loofa tapped me on the shoulder, a flask held in his outstretched hoof, “Thirsty?”

I could have kissed him but was taken with a loud bout of laughing, a deep echoing laugh of relief, joy and…

Damn it…I had to see for myself. Downing the flasks contents, I stowed my scythe and rushed to the portal, followed by worried shouts from the warriors. I didn’t care, I had to know, to see what had…oh dear sweet goddesses…

The world beyond was fire.

Nothing could have lived through this, and nothing had. A molten sea of black corpses, almost impossible to recognise, had melded together in the heat from the blast of the multiple MAD’s. Jasper had indeed saved us, the cost to the enemy of such bravery had been immeasurable. For as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but bodies, mostly massed by the portal, but many flung away by the blast, rendered into chunks of bone, limb and entrails. It was like hells gates had opened and I had wandered in to see its sights.

Hoofsteps behind me caught my attention, but I couldn’t look away from that dreadful vista.

“Oh Celestia…” Nimble breathed, “What have we done…”

The spell finally broken, I turned back to the portal giving him a hard look, “We’ve saved our home, Corporal, that’s what we’ve done.”