Chapter 7: Drums in the deep

Daring growls as the hallway shakes beneath her hooves, a bright flash coming from the windows to her left as another explosive round strikes the large shield encasing the Castle. The sun was barely touching the western horizon now, the assault on Canterlot having lasted now for what seemed like ages. Barreling down the hallways the instant she was sure the shield had continued to hold, Daring rushes into the throne room, nearly crashing into the armored figure sitting in the center staring up at the throne.

“Shiro, we need you in the ballroom,” Daring states breathlessly. “Dawn, Knight, and I are doing our best, but we’ve never handled an attack like this.”

“To think,” Shiro whispers, shifting slightly and causing his armor to reflect the light. “Nox and Aurora’s daughters, sitting on a throne, ruling over an entire Kingdom.” He continues to stare at the empty throne. “Yet one is missing, and the other has abandoned her station to protect the few, when the many clamor for her guidance and protection.”

“Luna and Celestia did what they thought was needed in the moment,” Daring says as she comes around to stand in front of the alicorn. “And you? Are you going to let their Kingdom fall? Let another city burn all around you while you sit and wait it out in the safety of another palace?” Shiro looks down at Daring, his brow furrowing. “Are you?”

“No,” Shiro sighs. “I will not. However, I have seen the looks ponies have been giving me,” he looks back to the throne. “I had assumed many of my kind had died out, but only four remaining? Five, if I count myself?”

“Yes, yes there are,” Daring sighs. “But, can you please contemplate the fact you're part of a rare breed later? We need you now!” She picks up his polearm and offers it to him. “Now, Lord General Shiro, are you going to allow ponies, innocent ponies to die while you get lost in thought? Are you not a warrior?”

For a long moment, Shiro continues to stare at the throne and Daring starts to fear he’ll be stuck here. Then, the polearm in her hooves is surrounded by his magic, and raises to float by his side as he stands up.

“You are right, Daring,” Shiro sighs. He turns around, armored hoofsteps echoing in the empty chamber. “Equus may no longer exist, but my vows still do.” He points with the polearm towards the door. “Lead the way, my friend. I shall offer my council to your fellows.”

Nodding, Daring heads to the door, Shiro close behind her with his polearm held in parade rest against one of his wings. As they walk, more shells impact the shield beyond, illuminating Shiro and Daring as they make their way towards their destination. Daring stumbles slightly each time a shell explodes, even being saved once by a wing extended by Shiro who doesn’t so much as blink as the deadly rain continues to pelt the building’s protective spells. To say that she is impressed by Shiro’s resolve and calm under the situation would be a gross understatement, and she finds herself wondering if she can get him to sit down and talk to her about command as it looks like she’ll be in command of the Reserves for quite some time.

As they reach the entrance to the ballroom the shelling stops for a moment, followed by the loudest peal of distant cannon fire yet. For a moment, Daring clings to the belief that they’ve decided to stop.

Then, the largest explosion yet rocks the Castle, sending Daring from her hooves and into a nearby wall, the wind rushing from her lungs. Shiro also stumbles, raising an armored wing over his face as a blinding flash washes all the color from the corridor. For the second time since the Shadowbolts had attacked the city, Daring is sure this is going to be the end for her. Surely, whatever Blueblood’s mercs fired at the Castle was going to get through the shield and strike everypony in it dead.

Yet, the glow fades, and Shiro offers the butt of his polearm to Daring to help her up. Once on her hooves again, Daring spares the shield a glance, making note that it has retreated a few feet backwards towards the Castle’s walls. Whatever it was they just launched at them, it had doubtlessly done some damage.

Passing through the door as Shiro opens it for her, Daring strides into the makeshift command center she had left only minutes before as if she owned the place. And at this point, she may as well have. Her Reserves outnumber the Royal Guards currently in the command post, and are manning many of the tables cluttered with localized maps and scouting reports. In the center of it all, is the banquet table with her fellow commanders around it. The massive form of a radio, a long cable leading from it and towards a small magi-tech antenna setup on a balcony.

“This is Canterlot General,” a frantic voice comes through the radio. “Declaring ‘Code Black’, I repeat, ‘Code Black’, we’re running out of medical supplies, and the forces stationed with us are experiencing heavy losses from artillery fire. Require immediate reinforcements.”

“No can do, Canterlot General,” Wind replies, one hoof holding the microphone, the other pressing the speaker of a headphone to his ear. With his leather flight jacket Daring could almost believe him to be the comms officer on an Airship. “We can’t spare any more troops in that direction. Best I can give you is a few more medics from the Reserves loaded with as much medical supplies as they can carry. You’ll have to clear the LZ, though.”

The pony on the other end suddenly yelps and a new voice shouts through the radio. “Wind, I swear to Celestia, if you don’t get me more troops I will personally haunt your flank for the rest of your pathetic life!” Wind holds the headphone away from his ear, as the voice is loud enough for everyone to hear. “Now. GET. ME. MORE. TROOPS!”

“You could say ‘please’,” Wind mutters as he looks over to Dawn and Knight, both of which are focused on the large map of Canterlot in front of them. “Dawn, everypony's favorite nurse is asking for troops. What should I tell her?”

“Tell her,” Night starts as he looks up, his slitted eyes focusing on Wind. “That we’re fighting street by street to get to her, and that we’ve lost control of Manehattan Street through Celestial Boulevard. We’re trying to establish a supply line to her, but as things stand we’re getting bogged down as we’ve been forced to fight through some of the thickest pockets of troops.”

“O… okay.” Wind sighs. In the time it takes Daring and Shiro to find a place at the table, Wind has relayed all that information to the pony on the other end. “Look, Faith, we want to help but like the Commander said, we’re holding the streets around the castle by the skin of our teeth.”

For a long moment the radio is silent except for static, but then Faith’s voice returns. “Copy that, Castle, we’ll hold out for as long as we can. But if we don’t get troops soon, we risk being overwhelmed.” There is a sigh followed by a clearing of her throat. “And, please send those Reservists at your earliest possible convenience… if it’s all we’re going to get, then we’d best get it.”

“Roger that, Canterlot General,” Wind says in a deadpan before looking up at Daring and Shiro. He moved to microphone away from himself and lowers the headphones so they rest around his neck. “Good to see you two have re-joined this happy circus.”

“Wouldn’t miss this for the world!” Daring chuckles darkly, sweeping an arm to take in all the controlled chaos around her as well as the windows through which artillery shells can be seen raining down on the city. “After Blueblood went through all the trouble to get us front rows seats to him going straight to the the noose?”

“It is my duty to be here,” Shiro deadpans. A shell impacts the shield near the room, causing everypony but Shiro and Daring to duck for cover. “And it seems like you’ll need me, you can not command a battle from beneath a table!”

“Easy for you to say,” Dawn chuckles as he stands back up. “This might not be my first time under fire, but I’d rather be on the battlefield than trapped inside a building.”

“I too would like to be on the battlefield,” Shiro agrees, looking out the window. “But unless there is a pressing need, I do not think putting an alicorn onto the field of battle will make the situation any better.” He looks to Dawn, who looks thoughtful. “Celestia or Luna could have taken the field, but not I. I am an unknown, and they will only latch onto it and say I have come to usurp their ruler’s throne.”

“A valid fear,” Dawn agrees before pointing to the map, “but one we can worry about after the fact. Blueblood’s forces are hardly going to listen to reason. He has made it clear he wants the throne, and so even if we field you he will still spew lies. Best to use all our resources, than hold back and potentially lose not only the city, but the civilians caught in the crossfire.”

“Still, I am not sure I…” Shiro starts, but trails off as a voice comes from the radio again.

“All stations this net,” the new voice, a mare by the sounds of it, says. “This is Echo, Nova, Tango, we’re seeing artillery fire on Canterlot, please respond.”

Wind looks over at Dawn, who is frowning. “Why don’t you take this one?” He slides the microphone over towards Dawn, who sighs and clicks the small button.

“Enterprise, this is Canterlot Castle,” Dawn says flatly. “The skies are unsafe, best to avoid the airspace over the city for the time being.” He looks to the map, brushing his hoof over a few areas. “Advise your captain that best course would be to head towards Ponyville, there should be an area you can land your airship.”

“No need to tell me!” A new voice, this one a stallion, declares with a chuckle. “But, not sure we have much of a choice, Commander Dawn, the balloon isn’t all that stable.”

Dawn stops what he is doing, blinks a few times, then sighs. “Admiral Gold Star, please tell me I’m just tired and you didn’t just reply, and that I am actually talking to the…”

“Sorry, Dawny, no such luck, I’m afraid,” Gold Star replies in a sure tone. “We heard Canterlot was in trouble and came to help. To think, the admiralty board didn’t want me to fly here!” There is a chuckle followed by a sigh in the background. “But they never expected me to take my old ship!”

“Your… old… ship?” Dawn asks slowly. “But, your old ship is a…. STAR YOU DIDN’T!”

“As an old pony I knew once said,” Star continues, causing most of the ponies at the table, Shiro included, to sigh. “Catching one’s foes off guard is important, as is choosing your weapon wisely. Well, my ship has yet to let me down, and I know nopony will expect to see it flying!”

Shiro reaches over with his magic and takes the microphone from Dawn, who looks ready to protest but is silenced by a glare and frown from Shiro. Raising the mic to float in front of him, Shiro speaks. “When I taught you that, dear grandson, I meant it to be used in conventional warfare. I do not know what you have done to your ship, but when last I checked, ships belonged on the sea, and there is no sea near Canterlot.” The silence that follows stretches on for a while, interrupted only by the constant bass beat of shells falling against the shield, as well as distantly within the city. The next voice that speaks from the radio is not Gold Star, as it is monotone, though it is still a stallion.

“I would like to congratulate you, Grandfather of Gold Star,” the voice says, “I have never seen him turn white so quickly, nor back away from the radio after such a fit of bravado.”

“Well, at least he still remembers something from his time with me,” Shiro grunts. “Please advise my thick-headed grandson, that he is to follow the advice of Commander Amber Dawn, and that we will have a long talk when all of this is over.”

“Very well,” the voice answers. “Be advised, though; from where we are over the city, we can see a large force has flanked your defensive line, and is heading towards the front gates of the Castle. With the way the building’s shielding is reacting, I would surmise that it is set up to stop projectiles, not ponies from entering the castle’s grounds.”

“It is,” Dawn says slowly, looking to the map. “We couldn’t sustain a hard-shell for long, and had to scale it back under the artillery barrage…”

“Then, you had best ready your defenses,” the voice continues, ”as your foe shall soon be upon you.”

“I had best go out and meet them then,” Shiro replies, the finality of his tone causing everyone at the table to look at him as he levitates the microphone back over to Dawn, and turns to walk from the room.

“So,” Daring speaks up as she watches the retreating figure of Shiro walk towards the door. “Anypony want to place bets on how many of Blueblood’s troops walk away?”
---

The sound of Shiro’s armored hoofsteps against the stone floor of the Castle echo through the hallway he is traveling through, head held high and spear held at parade rest against one wing. His stride is confident and carries him through the corridors quickly. The familiar tingle in the back of his mind, the light-headed feeling of knowing he is about to engage in combat, makes his usually passive face split into a small smirk as he draws closer to the large doors that mark the area just before the Castle’s drawbridge.

Passing through the doors, he is unsurprised to find Duchess Diamond, his granddaughter, sitting on the field before the drawbridge, her cloak discarded and her polished armor on display for all the world to see. She is flanked by at least twenty other ponies, all wearing armor and the tabards of House Star. Slowing his steps slightly, Shiro schools his expression as he passes into the group, each and every pony with the exception of Diamond bowing or saluting to him.

“I take it you got word that the front door was about to get knocked on?” Diamond asks without preamble or greeting.

“Yes, apparently your son decided to join in the battle from the air,” He frowns looking towards the sky. “He apparently has stolen and modified his old vessel to float in the air. I find this highly ridiculous, as ships are meant to travel upon the waves, not the air.”

“I had wondered what that old sailing ship was doing up in the air,” Diamond comments dryly, pointing towards a speck in the sky that is mostly obscured by the smoke. “The Enterprise, his ship, is floating somewhere over there. I assume they’re going to head somewhere safe, but I think I saw a pony disembark using a parachute a little while ago.”

Shiro grunts in response, and settles down to wait beside his granddaughter. Behind them the troops from the house form ranks, many of them are armed with swords and crossbows, with at least four being earth ponies wearing heavy plate mail and wielding what look to be hand and a half swords. For a long time, the group sits in silence, protected by the shield from the deadly rain that, despite slowing down in the area around the Castle, continues to fall against the shield. Before long, however, the sound of running hooves against the cobblestone of the street comes from nearby, and all present in the defense group stand as one and raise their respective weapons.

However, what comes around the corner is not foes, but a large group of civilians all fleeing full tilt towards the Castle. Many of them are wounded, and quite a few stumble and fall before they reach the Castle and it’s defenses. A few of the fleeing civilians turn and head back towards their fallen friends, but as the first starts to help one up, a crossbow bolt comes from down the street and impacts the mare in the side.

She falls with a scream that hasn’t even started to fade before Shiro is down the street standing in front of the injured ponies, his wings spread and spear leveled and aimed down the street. Diamond is not far behind him, and he can hear her cursing under her breath.

“She’s hurt badly,” Diamond says flatly. “I think the bolt got her in the lung.”

“I… I’m fine,” a new voice, this one obviously the mare, attempts to protest. “Just… get my family… out of here.”

Shiro wishes to comment, but before he can a volley of crossbow bolts comes from the windows of an empty cafe’ at the end of the street, clearly marking it as the position the bolt that struck the mare came from. Using an armored wing to shield himself, Shiro’s horn glows brightly, dark red magic crackling around it and arcing off of his helmet. When the last of the bolts has struck his wing, he lowers it and sends a beam of magic towards the shop, striking it and instantly igniting it in a pillar of bright blue flames. The civilians who had stumbled and fallen, who have by now gotten up and started towards the castle, stop and stare as the mercenaries inside scream shrilly, one actually falling out of the front window.

The mercenary screams, writhing on the ground as he is consumed by the bright flames. Shiro watches with a frown, and eventually lifts the poor creature into the air with his magic, and magically snaps its neck before tossing it back into the building, which shortly collapses into nothing more than a funeral pyre.

“And here I thought your training was harsh,” Diamond says flatly, causing Shiro to turn his head slightly and look at his granddaughter. She helps the stunned and injured mare to her hooves, her eyes glued to the burning building at the end of the street. “But, a fitting end for those who attack civilians.” She looks to the mare. “Come, let us get you to the Castle.”

Shiro smiles slightly at Diamond, and turns back towards the Castle. He gets a few feet before the sound of more hooves on the pavement, a lot more than the last group, echoes from one of the connecting streets. Stopping, Shiro turns and gets into a ready stance as Diamond continues back towards the Castle, those of House Star not helping a civilian also come forward and stand beside Shiro.

And then, from around the corner, armed ponies start advancing.

At first, they seem occupied with the fact that one of their squads, and the building they were occupying, went up in flames. But then, one of them spots Shiro and his soldiers, and cries out. The ponies quickly form ranks, the front rank lowering bladed weapons and the rank behind leveling crossbows.

“And what do we have here?” a voice shouts from behind the lines, causing them to part and allow him to pass. “Have the usurpers truly grown so desperate as to conjure illusions in an attempt to frighten us?” The speaker is a unicorn stallion wearing leather armor and wielding a rapier. He scowls at Shiro, who simply schools his face and offers an impassive look.

“I am not an illusion,” Shiro states simply. “I am Shiro Hoshi, Lord of House Star, and family to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”

“Ha!” The unicorn laughs, shaking his head. “Yes, Commanders Dawn and Knight must be desperate to conjure such an illusion! You’re not even convincing!”

“Then come forward,” Shiro says calmly, lowering his polearm. “Taste my steel, I am sure it will convince you.”

“Very well then,” the noble pony sighs. “I never liked House Star anyway, so it makes no difference to me if their house guard wishes to die being led by an illusion.” He turns and raises a hoof, then lowers it quickly.

Shiro reacts instantly, a shield springing up around himself and his troops. The crossbow bolts impact the shield and fall harmlessly to the street. As the mercenary crossbows reload, Shiro lowers the shield and lets loose a war cry as he raises his polearm and spreads his wings, the very stones beneath the hooves of the ponies rattling at the intensity of it. He charges down the street at a pace that propels him towards his foes before they even have time to react or recover from his bellow.

Their hesitation proves deadly.

He advances into the ranks, blade thrusting outwards and catching a pony right where his neck connects to his chest, impacting deeply and propelling him backwards. Without stopping, Shiro jerks his blade downward, the enchanted razor sharp steel ripping through bone, organs, and sinew with equal ease; the end result is the pony not even having time to scream before he collapses in a spray of blood. Shiro arcs his blade upwards and at an angle next, catching a stunned swords pony in the throat, his head cleanly separating from his body and spinning upwards to land in the charging mass of Shiro’s troops.

By now, a few of his foes are broken from their shock, blades flashing as they attempt to strike a blow, any blow, against their impossible foe. Each attack is blocked by a wing, dodged, or countered with deadly accuracy.

Half of them fall beneath Shiro and his troops attacks before the line breaks. First, one turns and flees, then another, and another. Shiro holds up a wing, the pristine white feathers now stained with blood and gore, and halts his troops from following. The noble who had been commanding them screams at them to stand strong, his rapier out and slashing at a few ponies who are fleeing.

“Get back here! COWARDS!” the noble yells, turning his back on Shiro. “He is just an over-glorified unicorn! HE IS NOT AN ALICORN!” A merc beside him trips, his hooves slick with the blood of the fallen and weakened from multiple cuts. The noble rounds on the pony, his blade raising up in his magical aura. The mercenary stares at the blade, raising his hooves over his face, knowing he won’t be able to get up in time to dodge the blade.

But, right as it is about to fall, the noble’s neck is enveloped in red magic, and he is lifted violently up to stare into the eyes of Shiro, who had advanced forward when the noble had his back turned.

“Go,” Shiro says to the mercenary who is still cowering on the ground. “Inform your fellows that the Castle is under my protection, and any who dare venture here for anything else than to surrender will be given a personal inspection of the sharp end of my blade.” The merc nods, rises, and runs quickly from the area. Shiro then sighs, looking the noble in the eyes as he coughs and chokes, his airway constricted by the alicorn’s magic. “Do you still think I am fake?” When the noble does nothing more than glare at him, Shiro’s face splits into a look of pure rage, his eyes glowing bright red with his magic, the halo around the Noble’s neck growing tighter. “DOES THIS FEEL FAKE TO YOU!?” He tosses the noble to one side, his body impacting the cobble stone and bouncing with a sickening crunch. “I could end you, right here,” Shiro says slowly, advancing forward, blade held pointing downward, blood dripping off of it and leaving a trail as he walks. “When I was a General in Equus, ponies like you, those fools who dared to attack an entire city of innocent civilians, would be put to death. Your cries of mercy always echoed for the longest time, for your deaths were never swift.” He looms over the fallen noble, who coughs, blood dripping from his grey muzzle as he glares up at Shiro. “Sometimes, I would grant them mercy, end their suffering quickly.” He lowers his blade, the end touching the noble’s exposed neck. “But you, you attacked my family.” The blade presses forward, a thin trail of blood forming on the noble’s neck. “I should make you suffer. If only I had the time.”

The noble spits blood at Shiro, which only makes the alicorn smile as he raises his blade.

“Wait!” Diamond’s voice echoes from behind Shiro. “You cannot kill him, he must be put on trial along with the others who have orchestrated this mess.”

Without looking away from the noble, Shiro turns his spear around and delivers a resounding blow to the stallion’s head, knocking him out cold. “You are lucky we’re not in Equus.” He points his blade at the unconscious noble. “Take him to the Castle, let Daring and the Commanders do with him as they will.” He turns and looks to his grand daughter. “See to the wounded, any survivors of his troops should accompany their leader into captivity.” He walks back through the carnage, prodding the corpse of a mercenary with the blade of his spear.

“Leave the dead as a warning.”

----

”I need another three units of blood!” Faith yells as she continues to hold her hooves over the open shrapnel wound in the soldier beneath her. All around her chaos is playing out as ponies, both medical staff and guards, rush around attempting to scrounge up whatever they can to help save the ponies being worked on. The guard beneath Faith had been caught in the courtyard of the hospital when a mortar round had detonated near him, the hot metal easily cutting through the armor he had been wearing.

“We’re running low, Faith!” a nurse shouts as she rushes over with a bag full of blood. “ER Chief nearly didn’t let me have this one.” She hooks the bag up to the IV and looks to Faith.

“Damnit, if we can’t get this under control soon, I’ll have to let him bleed,” Faith growls, looking around before shouting. “Who the hay has my tray of instruments!”

“We don’t have any sterile ones left!” A stallion, currently helping a mare up onto a bed nearby, the mare left arm ending just below the elbow in a bloody bandage covered stump.

“Here!” a guard medic the next table over shouts over the din, pulling a knife from his belt and tossing it to Faith who catches it in her magic. “If you just need to stop the bleeding, heat it up and apply it to the wound. It’ll hurt, but at this point we don’t have a choice.”

“I know what to do,” Faith bites back, making the guard stallion flinch. “I was in the Navy during the war for Celestia’s sake.” She narrows her eyes in an attempt to concentrate enough to heat up the blade with her magic, but her efforts only earn her a frustrated headache. Closing one eye, she looks around for something else to heat the blade, but is stopped by a clicking sound beside her.

“You always did work yourself too hard,” a familiar, and for once welcomed, voice comes from beside her along with a blue hoof. “Use my lighter.”

Taking it in her magic, Faith starts heating the blade with a grimace. “Where the hay have you been, Admiral McCoy?”

“I had a red shirt to deal with,” McCoy replies as he puts another I.V. bag onto the stand and hooks it into the line. “And I had to go glare down the colt you’ve got as an ER Director.”

“I’m not going to be dealing with another casualty, am I?” Faith asks absently as she lowers the red hot blade towards the stallion’s neck, pausing with it hovering next to the hoof holding pressure on the wound. “Care to assist me, doctor?”

“Of course, Nurse Cure,” McCoy replies, holding the patient’s arms firmly. “Whenever you’re ready.” Faith nods and removes the hoof holding pressure, quickly applying the red hot blade to the wound.

The instant the knife touches the wound, the stallion under Faith jerks and only McCoy’s grip on the injured stallion’s arms and years of being a nurse on the high seas keeps her from being tossed from her perch. Yet, even after years of serving aboard a ship in war, she’ll never get used to the shrill scream of a pony in true agony.

He thrashes and struggles against the grip of the elderly doctor, tears leaking from his eyes as he screams, and screams.

And then Faith removes the knife, the wound an angry red and foul smelling scar. The guard falls to the gurney beneath him, heavy shuddering breaths escaping his mouth as he shivers. Looking over at McCoy, Faith can’t help but smile as the old stallion pats the injured guard on the shoulder lightly.

“Good job, son,” McCoy says gently. “You’ll live.” He then looks up at Faith and raises an eyebrow at her. “You’re smiling, should I be worried about sleeping tonight?” Before she can answer he turns and motions with his head. “Well, don’t just sit there, we have injured foals playing at war to see to!”

Faith growls, dismounting the stretcher now that the stallion upon it is no longer in immediate danger. Turning, she starts towards another 'bed' this one being the counter of a nurses station now long over-taken by sheets and ponies who are in need of assistance. As she draws close, she realizes there is a chaplain from the Guard standing beside the bed, and her pace slows -- a putrid smell filling the air around the poor stallion upon the counter -- noticing the stallion is shaking as he holds onto the hoof of the chaplain.

"... Beneath her wings, I fear no darkness, for Her light is eternal. Struck low are the foes who hath dealt me grievance, for they cannot stand before her glory. I go now, to rest beneath Her wings, forever sheltered and protected from harm, my days shall be filled with joy at meeting those who I hath loved, and lost. I shalt know no sorrow, shalt not know pain...." The chaplain's voice trails off, the stallion no longer shaking. With a weary sigh, the chaplain reaches up with a hoof, and gently closes the poor soul's eyes, before looking at Faith and shaking her head before moving on to the next bedside.

Faith goes over slowly to the still form of the deceased stallion, reaching out with her magic to confirm what she already knows. Shaking her head, she lifts the sheet up over the corpse, and turns to continue down the line.

She gets a few feet before she slumps against a wall and closing her eyes for a few moments with a sigh and a full body shiver.

“You alright, Faith?” A voice comes from behind the older nurse.

Waving a hoof absently, Faith chuckles wearily. “Just feeling my age, Ember.”

“Uhuh,” Ember replies coming over to drape an arm over her friend’s shoulders. “Take a break, I can feel your exhaustion.”

“No time,” Faith sighs as she pushes off of the wall. “We need to keep going, too many injured. We can’t afford to be down even a single set of hooves.”

“We gained one set when McCoy showed up,” Ember retorts, putting her friend towards a door marked ‘staff’. “I am sure he’ll be able to make up for you going to pass out for a short bit!”

“Ha, like he is in any better shape than me,” Faith retorts, starting forward again. “But I’ll take a lighter duty…” She looks to Ember, who is following after with a raised eyebrow and a worried look. “What?”

“No such thing as lighter duty in war,” Ember says with a sigh. “I know you and I both know that first hoof.”

“Semantics,” Faith replies with a dismissive wave. She opens her mouth to say more, when the entire building rocks beneath their hooves, an ear splitting explosion ripping through the air. Faith dives for the nearest patient, an action mirrored by all the other older doctors and nurses, as light fixtures and ceiling tiles fall from above. After a few moments of no further shaking, Faith sits back up, the red emergency lights coming on.

“What the buck was that?!” Ember says loudly, putting a hoof to one of her ears and wiggling it as if to clear it.

“An explosion?” Faith replies, looking around at the other medical personnel before shouting. “Anyone hit?” Her question calls forth a chorus of ‘uninjured’ or ‘all clear’ from the various ponies. Faith gets back on her hooves, and starts towards the entrance as a guard with a bandage over part of her face storms in.

“The courtyard was hit! We’ve got wounded!” The mare shouts, grabbing the attention of everypony present. “The mercs are making a major push!”

All at once, doctors, nurses, and lightly wounded reserves and guards, instantly spring into action. Weapons are drawn and medical bags shouldered as all of them rush towards the front of the hospital like a well oiled machine. For a moment, as she runs side-by-side with Ember, Faith muses to herself silently about how danger so quickly draws ponies together into acting as one entity.

And then she is rushing through what had once been a large window on the ground floor entrance, and into the fray. If not for her long years of service in the Navy, Faith would have been stunned by the scene before her, as the stench of blood and spent gunpowder alone was enough to make many of the younger ponies with her gag and even a few vomit.

Faith ignores it all, simply wading into the fray with the practiced impartiality born from years of combat, scanning the injured who are still moving with a practiced ease she longed to no longer possess. Instantly, she knows that many -- at least more than half -- would not make it even with medical care, and at least a quarter of those left over would not survive with the meager medical care they could currently provide. Pushing aside the desire to attempt to save them all, she sets to work marking them.

Each of those who will not make it she marks with an ‘x’ applied using a nearly spent eyeshadow brush she had found in the pocket of a civilian who had… seen better days. Those who could survive she marks with the proper level of triage. One for critical, through five for non-critical, and any who are uninjured she directs to take the injured into the hospital.

It takes only a few minutes, and in that time the fresh guards form ranks as a flare explodes above the courtyard, illuminating the dead and dying that Faith has deemed beyond hope. The bright red light also illuminates the guard ponies who are forming ranks, weapons and armor taking on a surreal look in the strange light, even if the bandages many of them wear make them look all the more like a last stand.

And as Faith looks beyond the line of those defending her hospital, she knows that statement to be all too true.

Standing barely in the glow of the flare, are hundreds of ponies armed to the teeth, their uniforms an inky black in the shadows cast by the illuminating flare. Many in their first ranks carry barbed weaponry, the very sight of which brings forth a deep seated revulsion, as she has been treating wounds from such weapons all night. The row behind that are holding large crossbows, the bolts mounted upon them gleaming dangerously.

The flare fades out, and another is quickly launched from somewhere nearby, the two lines staring at each other as both are unwilling to back down.

The silence is shattered by a war cry from the assembled mercs, chilling Faith to her core. Then they charge forward, the ranks of Guards bracing themselves for the impact as Faith scoops up the young mare who she had just marked as non-critical, and runs for it. She gets halfway back to the hospital before the mare’s extra weight drags her down, and her front hoof hits an upturned cobblestone. As she tumbles, she does her best to soften the fall of the injured mare on her back, resulting in her side striking the stones beneath them hard enough to knock the wind from her lungs.

Coughing and gasping, she fights through the inky blackness that threatens to overtake her, dimly aware that the fight has been joined by a few more guards from inside, including the large form of Ember’s griffin mate, and the sound of screams and metal clashing against metal fills the air around her. Weakly, she grabs the mare who she had been carrying, getting her back onto her back with some effort as with her head swimming her magic is beyond her.

As she starts forward again, a merc stallion is able to break through the line and charge towards her, blade held aloft in his magical aura. As he draws closer, Faith does her best to pick up speed, but she knows that it’s wasted effort, between her tired body and the fact she is still catching her breath, she’ll never outpace her foe.

And then, the stallion is upon her, and she watches the blade rise up as if it is the only thing in the world. Absently, she starts going over in her head how she needs to turn as the blade comes down, possibly sparing the mare on her back from the blade even as Faith herself will fall.

Right before it does, however, a cutlass comes into view, its hilt clenched in the jaws of a blue pony with a look of fury in his eyes. He deftly deflects the sword and pushes the stallion backwards into the direct line of the griffin helping the defenders, the stallion quickly finding himself in a situation far worse than fighting McCoy.

Smiling to McCoy, Faith hurries back to the entrance to the hospital, quickly handing the wounded mare she had been carrying to a waiting nurse, and finds shelter behind the former ER counter. McCoy joins her behind the counter, spitting the hilt of his cutlass out and giving Faith a stern look.

“What do you think you were doing!” McCoy demands. “You’re too old to be storming off into the lines of battle and risking your life! You could have --”

Faith cuts McCoy off mid-sentence, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss. It’s mostly fueled by adrenaline leftover from nearly getting killed, the rest is simply wanting him to be quiet! Yes, that’s it, she tells herself silently as he stops fighting the kiss, her cheeks are clearly not heating up and her heart isn’t skipping a beat as she remembers all the years she had been married to this truly infuriating stallion.

Pulling back and doing her best to frown in her most annoyed manner, Faith glares at McCoy. “Good, that took the wind out of your sails.” She clears her throat and settles back on her haunches. “So… don’t go telling anyone that I just did that, because some of them might get the wrong idea.”

“Like what?” McCoy replies, his own scowl failing miserably to hide his blush. “That we actually might still love each other?” He looks away, blush rising to his ears. “Yeah, can’t have the youngsters thinking that.” He pauses as Faith scoots over and leans up against him, head resting on his shoulder. “We’d best go see to the fresh wave of redshirts.”

“You never rest, do you, Bones?” Faith whispers, eyes downcast. She looks up at him, intent to say something else, but before she can a scream rips through the air.

“QUICKTAIL!” Ember’s voice pierces through the din of battle, the urgency of it causing both Bones and Faith to flinch and instantly stand up and look over the counter. What meets their eyes chills Faith’s blood, as Quicktail is surrounded by multiple ponies wielding polearms and longswords. He is battling furiously, a fallen guard pony beneath him and clearly being guarded by the enraged griffin.

The sound of running hooves pulls Faith’s eyes from Quicktail and his immediate danger, and right to the running form of Ember. Faith is stunned to see a look of protective fury filling her friend’s eyes, but more so at the fact that, as she runs, she is suddenly enveloped in bright red flames as she jumps through the window. When she lands, the pony is replaced by a beautiful drake of the same emerald green as Ember, the instant her talons touch the ground she lets loose a furious roar that shakes the building beneath Faith’s hooves, and also chills the old nurse to her core.

“Didn’t think I’d ever see that again,” McCoy muses absently, a frown on his face. “Been awhile since I’ve seen our mutual friend change.” Faith nods, unable to find the words to properly express her amazement through the fear Ember’s roar had brought up. It’s not that she is afraid of her friend, but rather she is fearing just what her friend will do to protect her mate.

Before Faith, or the mercs who the roar was aimed at, can recover the changeling-drake rushes forward, taloned paws slashing at any unfortunate mercs that get between her and Quicktail who only smiles and fights on harder. Each hit that finds it mark leaves horrible wounds that gush blood, many a pony stricken by her not even having the time to scream before their life-blood flows freely to further muddy the ground beneath them. She fights with a wild abandonment, a feral look to her eyes that causes many a more of her foes to flee before they’re even within range of her talons, a few freezing in place and finding their deaths quickly.

Faith watches as Ember reaches Quicktail, quickly leaping on the foe he is fighting, her jaws closing around the neck of the screaming pony and promptly silencing it forever as she rips its throat out in a spray of blood.

It is at that point, the mercs break and start to flee.

Quicktail picks up a cylindrical grenade from one of the fallen ponies, his uniform marking him an officer, and tosses it at the fleeing masses. It bounces a few times, then explodes in a rush of colored smoke, causing the fleeing mercs to cough and trip. The instant they realize it’s colored smoke, many of the mercs pick up speed, some even rushing back towards the hospital, momentarily confusing Faith.

Then, in the distance a massive peal of thunder sounds, and Faith’s blood runs cold.

“Artillery!” a pony cries, scooping up an injured friend, and rushing for the hospital doors.

“Oh, flock of feathers….” Quick shouts, quickly grabbing a still wild-eyed Ember, and rushing back to the hospital. He, and many of the guards and quite a few of the mercs, reach the hospital’s entrance when the block the smoke grenade had marked for attack is struck.

The force of the explosion sends everypony present, in cover or not, to the dust and rubble covered floor. Faith coughs profusely as dust overtakes the area she and McCoy had fallen to, beside her Quick -- who is still holding Ember close -- likewise coughs as he continues to restrain his changeling mate.

“Sound off! Who’s not dead?” Faith calls into the settling dust. A chorus of groans call out in response, followed by voices.

“I’m alive,” McCoy says from beside her. “Though, I suspect I’ll feel like dying in the morning…”

“We’re alive too,” Quicktail’s voice calls out, followed by a grunt. “Dear, I’m fine! The battle is over!”

The dust settles enough for Faith to spot Quick holding onto Ember, who is still in the form of a drake and blinking. Smiling, Faith gets up and walks over to her friends, who had taken cover behind a large support pillar, and smiles. “You two don’t look too worse for wear, considering you’re both covered in blood that likely doesn’t belong to you.”

“Blood…?” Ember asks slowly, before looking herself over, eyes going wide. “Oh no… no no no noooo!” She starts squirming in Quick’s arms, doing her best to get out only to be pulled closer by her mate.

“None of that now,” Quick says firmly, holding her close, the bottom of his beak resting on the top of her head. “You just saved me, and a bunch of guards, from being killed out there. No one is going to hold you being a changeling against you. Not now.” She looks about ready to continue protesting, but Quick’s soothing tone of voice coupled with being held close kills that before it starts.

Clearing her throat, which causes Ember to look at her with tear filled eyes, Faith motions towards the entrance deeper into the hospital. “I… know it’s jarring for you, Ember, but we can’t rest. A lot of wounded to take care of, more so now after that last skirmish.” She rubs the back of her head with a hoof and looks at her friend. “So… if you could go back to your… unicorn form, we’d best be heading back in.”

“I… broke the oath, aren't you mad?” Ember asks slowly as she looks down and away from Faith.

“Sometimes,” McCoy’s voice comes beside Faith. “Sometimes, the code is more like guidelines, Ember.” He looks to Quick who nods to him. “Besides, sometimes the rules get… blurred in war, as much as I wish they weren’t, sometimes good doctors have to cause harm to save ponies.”

“O… okay,” Ember acknowledges with a nod. “I guess that makes sense.” She sighs and is suddenly enveloped in the red flames again, leaving behind the pony Faith has grown to know, and care for, in the place of the drake. “Well, I guess there is no rest for the wicked tonight…”

“Guess not,” Quick chuckles, hugging Ember one last time before letting her go. “Let's get back inside, I fear you’re going to need my help with some of the patients.” Ember nods, and starts to the door that leads into the emergency room’s bays without a word.

Faith moves to follow, but is stopped by McCoy. “Something wrong?”

“Yes,” McCoy says bluntly. “You’re going to go back in there, and work yourself to the ground.”

“And what if I am?” Faith replies curtly, narrowing her eyes. “If my working until exhaustion takes me saves another pony, then so be it!”

“Wrong!” McCoy replies, stepping closer. “I won’t let you endanger yourself, you stubborn old nag! How I ever fell in love with you is beyond me!” He starts pushing her towards the door. “Now, we’re going to get some blankets, and some pillows, and we’re going to go to your office!”

“We!?” Faith demands, her hooves sliding on the dust covered floor. “What do you mean us!?”

“Clearly, you will not rest on your own!” McCoy states in an almost shout. “So if I have to sit on you to make sure you don’t sneak back out onto the floor I will!”

“I think snuggling up next to me would suffice,” Faith says absently, causing McCoy to almost trip. “Well, we may as well get to it. If I try and fight you I’ll just have to kiss you again to avoid another long winded rant.” Behind her, McCoy grumbles, but from the few words Faith is able to pick out, she can tell he isn’t exactly dreading snuggling with her.

Getting back into the chaos inside, she watches with some amusement as McCoy looks for non-blood covered blankets and pillows, a task that Faith knows will be fruitless. Eventually, she is able to get him to move in the direction of the stairs, and then up them towards her office. Once they reach that, she gets him inside, points to the couch and smiles.

“It folds out,” Faith says as she goes over to a cabinet, opening it and pulling out fresh blankets and a few pillows.

“Knowing you,” McCoy chuckles wearily, “you have a futon because you don’t know the meaning of going home when ponies are sick.”

“Too true,” Faith sighs in mock shame. “But, what can I say, I had a good teacher.” She puts the blankets onto the futon as McCoy unfolds it, followed by the pillows, and climbs onto it promptly. She yawns loudly as she lays on the soft, albeit lumpy, mattress. It isn’t too long after that she feels McCoy lay down beside her, his warmth a friend barely remembered from better times.

Neither pony says anything, for words are useless at this point. Instead, Faith scoots back against McCoy, who wraps his arms around her as he nuzzles the back of her neck gently.
And for a moment, just before sleep claims her, Faith could almost forget everything wrong with the world. If only because the arms around her feel so right.

-----

Leaf sighs heavily as he peeks around the corner of the rubble he is hiding behind. The artillery rounds are slowing, but at the same time, the patrols in the area had increased and Leaf is unsure if he prefers the artillery and the constant fear of being blown up, or the mercenary patrols and the constant fear of being turned into a flying pincushion.

Of course, there was also the fact he isn’t alone.

“Uncle Leaf,” the voice of a young foal comes from behind Leaf, it’s soft and he can hear the fear in it. “How much longer until we can get out of here?”

“A little while longer, Tricks,” Leaf replies without taking his eyes off the latest patrol that was stomping through what was left of the neighborhood he had grown up in. “We can’t get out of here until I’m sure those bad ponies are gone.”

“Are the bad ponies Blueblood’s?” Tricks asks, coming up next to Leaf, his head poking out from between Leaf’s arms. “I’m not afraid of them! Nana Brew says Blueblood is stupid, and nothing he ever plans works out!”

“I don’t know,” Leaf says softly, looking out in the direction of Canterlot General. “Something big blew up over that way a little while back… and I can’t see that having been an accident.” He looks back out towards the patrol, smiling slightly at the fact it’s gone. “Let's go get my mom, I think we can get out of here.”

Turning and heading back deeper into the rubble, Tricks on his heels, Leaf deftly navigates into what had at one point been his home. To say that Fine Brew’s tea shop had seen better days would be like saying him and Daring were in love. Everypony could see it was vastly obvious, and had enjoyed pointing it out, much like Leaf had pointed out that this place had seen better days when they had walked in earlier. The building itself had been flattened nearly to the ground, and only the fact that it had been a very well constructed and sturdy building had allowed a few walls to remain standing, even with the upper levels having collapsed down upon them.

Originally, when they had come out there earlier in the evening, they had been hesitant to enter the building for long periods of time and Fine had actually forbidden Tricks from entering until he had proven capable of slipping in anyway. However, as the battle had started and shells had started to rain down around them, Fine and Leaf had agreed that any shelter was better than the open street. Thus, they had gone inside and found their way down into the cellar, Fine and Leaf more than happy to see that, for the most part, all the brewing and drying equipment that Holly and Fine had used in their respective trades was in one piece. This is where Leaf and Tricks return to, the soft glow of a storm lantern greeting them as they push aside the charred remains of the door they had propped up in front of the entrance to keep ponies away.

“That had better be my son,” Fine calls up from below, “and he had best have his nephew with him so I can scold him for sneaking out!” Tricks attempts to turn tail and flee, but Leaf extends a still bandaged wing and blocks his escape.

“Sorry, little adventurer,” Leaf chuckles, forcing Tricks to continue down the stairs. “But if you can’t take the heat, don’t go on the adventures.” Tricks’ ears go back against his head at this, but he soldiers on bravely without a word.

By the time they reach the bottom of the stairs he looks like he is walking into his execution. He makes it a few steps into the room, which is well lit now by the storm lantern and a few candles Fine had kept in the cellar in case of power outages, before his resolve breaks and he turns to run. Leaf simply sits down, and starts counting backwards from five in his head, and upon reaching one Tricks slides backwards with his tail firmly caught in the magical grip of his grandmother.

“Well, at least now he knows where his mother gets it from,” Leaf chuckles before standing and walking around the corner to where Fine is looming over her grandfoal. “Mom, as much as I would enjoy seeing Tricks not get away with something for once…” He trails off as his mom looks up at him, raising her eyebrow. “We have to go before the next patrol winds their way over here.”

“Alright,” Fine sighs, looking down at Tricks, “but when we get back to the castle, you and I are having a long talk about doing what you’re told.” She starts towards Leaf, continuing to talk. “Of course, I’ll also have to pen a letter to my daughter, informing her that you’re going against her orders.”

Tricks stiffens, ears going straight up and eyes going wide. “No! Don’t tell Witch Doctor! I’ll be good, I promise!” He follows after Fine with a look of horror, his voice pleading. “I won’t disobey you again! I swear!”

Leaf chuckles and shakes his head as he starts up the stairs, his mother and nephew behind him.

Before they reach the door, Leaf looks back and puts a hoof to his lips, singling them to be quiet -- which is mostly for Tricks’ benefit, as he was still pleading for Fine to not tell Witch about his transgression -- and then opens the door. He walks outside and looks around, motioning for the other two to follow when he is sure it’s clear. Walking confidently from the rubble, ears perked incase any more patrols are nearby, Leaf smiles warmly. Soon, he’ll be back in the Castle, with Daring, and hopefully this battle will be over soon.

Letting out a content sigh, Leaf turns the corner to head back towards the Castle.

And walks right into the end of a rapier.

“Well well,” an all too familiar voice speaks from the other end of the extended blade poking Leaf in the chest. “Aren’t we out a bit late, dear great-nephew?”

“Tie, what is the meaning of this!?” Fine asks loudly from behind Leaf. “Tell me you’re not out here leading mercenaries!”

“Oh, my dear naive niece,” Tie sighs, lightly moving the point of his sword up Leaf’s chest and along his neck, causing the younger stallion to stiffen. “Of course I am! Do you think I could pass up the chance to rid my glorious city of the filth that stain it? To aid a true visionary in attaining his throne?” He smiles, the sight chilling Leaf to the bone and forcing him to resist the urge to shiver while the sword’s point is against his neck. “But, don’t worry. I ordered all of them to stay out of what is to come. Such things should be between family, after all!”

“And what is to come?” Leaf asks doing his best to mimic the unamused expression he has seen Daring use a thousand times before. “Are you going to monologue us to death and told your mercs to stay back so they wouldn’t see you’re full of hot air?”

Pressing a little harder with his rapier, mostly becuase Tricks starts snickering from behind Fine, White Tie’s expression changes to one of disgust. “Did you learn that line from your harlot of a marefriend?”

“She is not a harlot,” Leaf growls, brow furrowing. “She is a loving, intelligent, and amazing mare.”

“Who has chosen a stallion outside of her social reach,” Tie sighs, the tip of his sword going up to rest under Leaf’s chin, forcing the younger stallion to look Tie in the eyes and tip his head back. “To be honest, though, I am not surprised. My dear niece couldn’t resist the charm of the lower class; why I hoped better for her children, I’ll never know.”

“Leave my family alone!” Tricks says loudly, his voice cracking, as he pushes between Tie and Leaf. “I won’t let mean ponies like you hurt them!” His horn crackles with magic, though not very strongly, the pale-gold aura illuminating the space between Tie and Leaf.

“I will admit,” Tie says with a frown, “your offspring are as loyal as they are deformed, Leaf.” He looks down at Tricks with a sneer that causes the young colt to swallow hard, but not back down. “It’s almost a service to the world, removing you from it.”

“I won’t let you hurt him,” Leaf growls, causing Tie to push a little harder with the rapier, a thin trickle of blood that blends almost perfectly into Leaf’s coat trickling down Leaf’s neck. “And he isn’t my son. He’s Witchy’s.”

Wrinkling his nose, Tie’s scowl deepens. “Is this what my father’s bloodline has come to? Deformed offspring who don’t know their place?” He lowers the rapier from Leaf and points it towards Tricks who this time does back up. “But, at least now I have proof the rumors were true. But well done, all of you, for keeping this little abomination hidden away from the rest of the family! My dear sister-in-law would have a heart attack if she knew her precious, can-do-no-wrong granddaughter was as much of a whore as everypony has always known she was!” He looks up and glares at Leaf and at Fine who has come up beside her son to help shield Tricks. “So, where is she? Where is the pride of your lineage, dear niece?”

Before Fine or Leaf can react, or at least frown at Tie, Tricks roars loudly from beneath Leaf and lets loose a beam from his horn point blank at Tie. The older unicorn raises his rapier in front of himself out of instinct as he is blasted backwards where he impacts into a nearby wall with a satisfying thud.

Collapsing beneath Leaf, Tricks pants and sticks his tongue out at Tie as he starts to get back up. “That’s… what… you get for…. insulting my… mom.”

Above Tricks, Leaf chuckles. “Good job Tricks,” he moves off to one side, and opens his mouth to continue when suddenly a purple aura surrounds Tricks' neck, yanking the colt forward and forcing a choking noise from him Leaf reacts immediately, jumping forward and holding onto Tricks as he looks over to Tie, now standing with a seething glare on his face.

“You!” he hisses. “You insolent mongrel!” He snorts hard as he lifts what is left of his sword, which is now melted about halfway down the blade. He shakes it in the air, stomping closer. “This was my favorite sword! It was given to me BY MY GRANDFATHER!” He pulls harder with his magic, Tricks making a strangled yelp as he is held by Leaf who is looking around for anything to use to break Tricks out of his great-uncle’s grasp. “And you. YOU RUINED IT! I am going to enjoy killing you. I might even save you for last. Make you watch as I kill my niece, and dear Leaf here. Perhaps-”

He gets no farther, as a piece of masonry flies over Leaf and Tricks’ heads, impacting Tie square in the face. The instant the rock strikes him, the magic around Tricks’ neck fades and the colt breaths heavily, coughing and leaning back against Leaf.

“Threatening my grandfoal is a big mistake,” Fine states coldly, coming forward to stand beside Leaf as he helps Tricks back to his hooves. “You will not touch him again!”

“Who is going to stop me?” Tie says as he stands back up, a bruise forming on face from the stone. “You? Your son? Both of you will fall before me, and the title will pass to me when my oaf of a brother dies, the title will go where it belongs!”

“Alright, well I think it’s time to let some of the hot air out of you,” Leaf says with a smirk. “Anymore blowing your own horn, and I’d be afraid you might just pop.” He steps in front of his mother and Tricks, wings flared. He stays there for a few moments, then rushes forward with a yell.

Tie easily sidesteps the punch that Leaf throws at him as he draws close, sending a stone flying and striking Leaf in the face hard enough to whip his head around. Tie smiles broadly at apparently being proven right in his belief that Leaf and Fine will go down easy, only to have Leaf crack his neck and look over at Tie with a wide, almost manic, grin.

“Silver Lining sneezed with more force than you!” Leaf says loudly, rounding on his great uncle again as stones start flying from the direction Fine is in.

Tie finds himself on the defensive quickly, dodging flying stones and hooves, and fails to notice that he is being herded into a corner until his flank hits the wall. For a brief moment, his head whips around to look behind him, possibly for an exit, only to be struck in the back of the head by Leaf, sending him careening into the wall face first, his horn absorbing the majority of the impact. Tie crumbles to the ground, front hooves coming up to cup his head as he screams in pain, a few small cracks now present in his horn that spark magic every few seconds.

Leaf hesitates, hoof in the air and ready to strike out again, upon seeing Tie crumple. He knew enough unicorns, his mother and sister included, to know that the horn was very sensitive and striking it with enough force could cause it to crack, which causes a lot of problems and a lot of pain. Looking over at his mom then back at Tie as if unsure what to do.

Sighing, Fine walks over to Tie and looks down at him with a frown as he whimpers. Lifting up the broken rapier with her magic, Fine looks over the masterfully crafted hoofguard as if inspecting a shipment of her tea.

“You know, Uncle Tie,” Fine says softly, in a deathly serious tone that causes Leaf to take a few steps back. “I’d grown used to you, and all the other nobles making threats against me.” She gestures with the sword, the blade coming dangerously close to Tie, causing him to try and scoot back. “Because that was just how I grew up, as twisted as it is. It’s just how the nobility works, I guess.” She points the blade at Tie, tapping the end of his horn. “But, you had to go and threaten my family.” She steps closer, the blade sliding down his horn, catching once or twice in one of the cracks. She then presses it to the center of his head, between his eyes. “Nopony threatens my family,” she growls, pulling the rapier back to strike. Instead of stabbing him, however, Fine silences her uncle’s whimpering with a sound blow to the head with the hilt of his own sword.

Turning, Fine looks over to her son and grandfoal -- who has come over to sit next to Leaf -- her frown remaining.

“So,” Leaf starts slowly, looking to Tie. “What do we do now? Do we leave him?”

“No,” Fine states with a sigh. “We can’t. If we do, he’ll only regroup with the others. Best to take him with us to the castle, and put him somewhere he won’t harm anypony for the foreseeable future.” She motions with her head to Tie. “So, you’ll have to carry him.”

“Alright,” Leaf sighs, standing up and going over to his great uncle. “But if having a stick up your flank is contagious, and I get it, you’ll have to answer to Daring.”

Chuckling, Fine shakes her head. “Sweetie, it isn’t contagious, trust me. If it was, you would have caught it from your grandparents years ago.” She levitates Tie onto Leaf’s back and looks to Tricks. “I should scold you for running into danger like you did,” Fine says with a frown causing Tricks’ ears to flatten against his head. “However,” Fine continues, smiling warmly, “I did enjoy seeing my uncle taken down a notch by a foal, so perhaps when we get back to the castle, if you promise to never do that again, I might see about asking Rusty for a treat for your bravery.”

“I promise!” Tricks replies happily, falling in beside his grandmother as they start back towards the castle.

Their journey back is uneventful, and surprisingly free of mercs attempting to stop them. Leaf wonders why, musing that perhaps Tie had been leading the majority of them out in this area, and that with their leader disgraced and beaten by them, the mercs will simply leave them alone.

It isn’t until they get closer to the castle’s entrance that Leaf realizes there is a completely different, and far more gruesome reason...

------

Twilight stares through her telescope, the flashes of light generated by the explosions within Canterlot making her squint every so often, but not look away. Something about it, for all it's horror, fascinates her much like a book she can't seem to put down. She had not gotten any letters from Canterlot, and as things stand she is worried. Luna and Spitfire had both sent her letters detailing that they were not in the city, but who was there in Luna's stead? Had Celestia returned? Or... was someone else in control? Was the fighting out there because of who was in control of the city? Or was it because nopony was? Shaking her head and lowering herself from the telescope, Twilight looks down at her friends, and one very worried looking red and white unicorn in a lab coat.

"Twi, I don't mean to say it again," Applejack speaks up once more in her country drawl, "but if what we're seeing is true, we need to get up there. What if this is the Griffins, or the Drakes? Heck, what if it's something worse?"

"I know, but Celestia's letters clearly said..." Twilight starts, only to be cut off by another voice.

"Princess, with all due respect," the unicorn speaks up, staring up at Twilight with narrowed eyes. "But my husband, one of your friends, is in that city. I know you were Celestia's personal student, but right now, you're a Princess, and part of Equestria is under attack! It's your duty to get out there, rally the troops, and go and save Canterlot! Or are you just going to let your home city burn to the ground as you watch it, taking notes and studying the way the flames look through your telescope!?"

Sighing, Twilight stands and descends from her perch on the second tier of her bedroom. “You’re right, Foxfire.” She pauses, looking at her friends, then back out the window. “Now is the time for action, not for overthinking things.”

“That’s the spirit,” Foxfire says with a smile. “So, what are you orders, ma’am?”

Raising an eyebrow, Twilight sighs and flutters her wings in annoyance a little. “We need to wake up the reserves in Ponyville who are not awake yet,” She crosses to a wardrobe and opens it. “Pinkie Pie, I need you to go to the school house… and ring the bell. The noise should wake anypony that hasn’t already been shaken awake by the fighting, and we’ll be able to gather them there to see who we can ask to come with us….” She trails off, swallowing hard as she stares into the open wardrobe.

“What’s wrong, darling?” Rarity asks, coming up beside her friend.

“I’m going to be asking a lot of ponies…. a lot of friends, to go into battle with me,” Twilight says in a serious tone tinged with worry. “A lot of them might not be coming back.”

“It can’t be helped, Twi,” Applejack sighs. “I know a lot of ponies will come if you ask, and a lot of them will be scared. But a lot of ponies in Canterlot must be scared, too. So we’d best be brave and go help them out.”

“Y-yeah,” Fluttershy speaks up in her quiet voice. “T-though I don’t think I want to get too close to the battle…. already the sounds from th-those cannons make me want to hide under my bed!”

“Darling, you and I will be far away from the fighting,” Rarity says in a soothing manner to Fluttershy. “Somepony has to tend the wounded, and I will have to help with other, less bloody things.”

“Well, let’s stop talking about it!” Pinkie Pie interjects, for once without bouncing. “I’m going to go ring the bell and get this party started!” She then grabs AJ and Foxfire. “You two should come with me, I am sure I’ll need your help!”

“I-I think I’ll go too, I should go grab my medical bag…” Fluttershy whispers, heading down the stairs after the group that is being pulled by Pinkie Pie, leaving Rarity in the room with Twilight.

“Well, I’d best go prepare myself, too,” Rarity sighs, turning to head to the stairs. She is stopped as Twilight speaks up.

“Rarity, wait,” Twilight starts, looking back at her friend. “I- I need help, I’ve never… I mean, I got some robes commissioned… just in case…”

“Darling, are you asking me to help you put on your armor?” Rarity asks, a twinkle in her eye.

“Yes…?” Twilight replies softly, levitating out a set of padded robes. “And… I figure I should get my mane pulled back, keep it out of my eyes? Perhaps braid my tail? I’ve read in a book somewhere that it’s important to keep your mane and tail tightly bound so that it doesn’t get caught on something in combat. And I think…” She trails off as Rarity comes over and puts a hoof on her friend's shoulder.

“I can put off my own preparations for a few moment’s, Twilight,” Rarity chuckles. “After all, it’s not every day you get to help a Princess don her armor before going into battle!”

Author's Notes:

And now, the battle has begun in earnest.

Here is the scene Canterlot General's scene is based off of.

WARNING: Contains images that you may find disturbing. You have been warned.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqOX2ecASuE

Canterlot once more is the epicenter for combat, this time forced upon it by their very own Archduke, Blueblood.

This chapter took me forever to write because of how bloody it is, as I don't personally really enjoy writing all of this stuff. Heck, I tend to get very attached to characters emotionally, so I got bogged down in all the negative emotions.

BUT, here it is, at last, so I hope you all enjoy it.

Until next time,

~Sylvian