“Adagio Dazzle's team has checked in to Doctors Do and Cabelleron with the black queen and are now awaiting their assessment score.”

“Drake Firewall's team has recovered the black knight and are on their way to the extraction point.”

“Noteworthy Parchment's team is halfway to the extraction point with the white rook in their possession.”

And on the chatter goes around Celestia through the many speakers. Though, she remains still and quiet in her chair, ever watchful of the events being broadcast live to her from feeds, cameras, and satellite footage. Most of the students are now fighting hard and side by side against the Tartarus creatures, using a combination of insane weapons and aura abilities. It brings back memories for her of when she was training, and it makes her a bit envious of how the students have it easy.

Reduced chances of death, constant observation for accurate assessments, aura boosters, an obvious target with less opposition and snacks and drinks at the end of it all with a film festival for the night before. None of these things were available to her and her class way back when she started her career as a Huntress.

Back in her day it was welcome to the Academy, here's a sleeping bag, here's some books, lights out at eight. Now with the luxuries these students have coupled with the looming threat, Celestia has a sickly feeling rotting her insides that pushes the idea of disservice to the front of her mind. She does not want to believe it, but with the evidence gathered and the lax attitude the Academy now has due to policy changes over the years, she fears that all the faces she is seeing right now will not last long.

Bzzt.

Celestia glances at her pad and sees an envelope icon in her corner. She opens the icon and a digital scroll rolls across the screen, revealing text with two dozen picture icons attached.

“Another village gone in the Badlands. Signs of looting and tracks of feet and vehicles. Images attached. Satellite feed blocked for this location. Two more dead Hunters. No recordings recovered. -W-&-R"

Celestia taps on the first icon, and a picture opens up showing gray bodies sucked dry. They are sprawled out across the main road of their small town, and other pictures show failed barricades and more corpses inside empty buildings. After those pictures are photos of tread tracks of all sizes and styles, circles of burnt grass and gravel, and a whole lot of footprints following the tracks or ending at the burnt circles. The final set is of the dead Hunters, and a copy of their vital records. It is just like the last batch with their sudden spikes and sharp drops.

Celestia types on her pad. “Traitor? -SQ”

The pad beeps. “Definitely.”

“Keep trailing. Be safe. I'll send you reinforcements and hunt on my end.”

“Always am. Don't forget to get some rest. You look tired.”

Celestia's lips twitch to a smile, and she raises a finger to type a response, but decides to close the message, instead. Afterwards, her smile fades and she leans into her chair and resumes watching the students prepare for a war they don't know is coming.

Soaring majestically in the sky is an eagle-like creature with blood red eyes, plumage like polished onyx, and talons like curved blades with clawed hands at the tip of its wings. Its tail flutters behind it like a banner made of fine thread and its caw is a sound of absolute beauty. It is such a shame that Applejack and Trixie cannot marvel at the creature's beauty since they are currently clinging on to it for dear life and can barely hear anything over screeching wind and their own terrified screams.

“Trixie, you good?” says Applejack, her throat hurting from how loud she has to yell over the commotion and hr hands holding on to the sturdy feathers as tight as she can. It is a little difficult to do since she also has to hold Trixie's wand.

“Does Trixie look good to you?” replies Trixie, her limbs wrapped around the creature's leg.

“We gotta get off of this thing!”

“No shit, Star Swirl!” Trixie looks down, and when she sees the hundred plus feet below them, she squeaks and holds the beast tighter.

“Give Trixie her wand!” says Trixie.

“Oh, no! I ain't climbin' this thing! You come and get it!”

“What!? Screw that! Trixie's not moving!”

The two stare at each other in silence, both holding unpleasant stares and suffering from the cold and wind, but when they look down they see not only the forest, but a circle of ruins next to a cliff. Their returning staring contest is not nearly as hostile, but the fear is still gripping them with its talons.

“Halfway?” suggests Applejack.

“Halfway,” says Trixie.

Applejack's heart races and her body stiffly moves as she gradually climbs the beast, whimpering and feeling sick in her gut and bladder. Her boots are able to get a good grip on the thick feathers, and she put the wand in her mouth so her hands can hold on better. Applejack's eyes flick between Trixie and the ground, and seeing the toothpicks that are trees her muscles lock and she holds on to the bird all the tighter while burying her face in the plumage.

The feathers scrape her like slivers of metal and her frantic heart tries to climb out of her throat. Another whimper leaves Applejack and her body trembles violently. She can feel her grip loosening, which springs her into adjusting her grip to a tighter degree.

“Hey!” shouts Trixie.

Applejack's eyes pop open and to her surprise she sees Trixie next to her, but she does not look too thrilled about having to climb to her, especially since she did not even make it halfway to the halfway mark.

“Give me my wand!” says Trixie.

Applejack leans towards Trixie without taking her hands off, forcing Trixie pull the wand out of her mouth. Saliva coats the grip and Trixie grimaces, but she still uses her thumb to change the gem. She flicks it from blue to orange, constantly, back and forth, back and back, over and over again.

“What are you doing?” says Applejack, her voice quivering and her tears being blown dry, just like her eyes.

“Working!” snaps Trixie. She keeps the wand on the blue gem and looks at Applejack. “Okay, I'm going to get us down, but I'll need you to boost us!”

“What!?”

“When I make the portal we'll need to jump, but we can't make it unless you boost us, got it!”

Applejack swallows and nods.

“You sure?” says Trixie.

Applejack nods again.

“You don't look like it!” says Trixie.

“That's 'cuz I'm about to piss myself!” says Applejack.

“Oh! Aw, gross! Way too much information!”

“Just do your thingy already!”

Trixie aims her wand at the cliff, and after taking a few precious seconds of calculating, she takes a deep breath and then shoots a blue and orange orb. The blue orb splashes on the cliff side and seconds later when the orange orb hits its target the interior of the ruins appear in the circle.

“Do it!” orders Trixie.

Applejack grinds her teeth, presses her legs against the predator with one hand hugging Trixie's waist and the other holding on to the feathers, and then she shoots herself off. Puffs of flame are ejected from her boots, and the bird squawks and flinches with smoking feathers falling from it, and Trixie shrieks in Applejack's ear as she wraps her arms and legs around the farmer's neck and waist. The grip Trixie has on Applejack is suffocating and her ears and exposed skin are stung from the cold, rushing wind. In a very short time they are upon the portal, and Applejack closes her eyes, turns her head and-

After a good while of aimless walking, Pinkie Pie and Rarity finally enter an expansive clearing, and they both stop and stare, unsure if their eyes are deceiving them. Across the open field of lush grass and colorful flowers is a towering cliff with a crumbling stone buildings in front of it. Pillars line the main stone path, but some have crumbled to piles, have toppled over with their pieces lined neatly, or are standing perfectly fine. Fluttering in the breeze are old, tattered banners of blue and white winged unicorns circling a sun and moon with a light blue background dotted with white stars. But with their faded condition, most of them are hard to see. Small, gutted buildings with collapsed roofs or walls surround the main building, which is circular and has a chunk of its domed top missing. In front of its entrance is a pair of winged unicorns, sitting regally on raised platforms. One is made from granite, but is missing a wing and horn, and the other is made from marble, but is missing half of its head and a chunk of its chest and front hoof.

Pinkie Pie and Rarity walk down the main path, and while Rarity marvels at the intricate carvings in the pillars and the faded hieroglyphics on worn path, Pinkie Pie keeps her weapon out. She scans the scenery, noting ballistic and shrapnel damage in the ruins.

“This place is beautiful,” says Rarity, her hand brushing along the carving of a sun above a group of stick figures. “Such a shame that it is being used for a training facility instead of being preserved.”

“Yeah, that kinda sucks,” says Pinkie Pie.

The two then enter the main building, and see the chess pieces displayed in a half circle with some pieces already missing. There is also a sun and moon in the center, with the rays of the sun extending like a compass rose and a moon in its center. Rarity is once again distracted by the beauty and makes a comment about loving to see the temple in its prime, but Pinkie Pie ignores her and scrutinizes the chess pieces, humming and hawing as she does so. With each inspection she sees nothing out of the ordinary, but hears faint humming come from each of them. So faint, in fact, that she wonders if she is hearing things.

Pinkie Pie puts her concern to the test and grabs a white knight and turns it upside down. She purses her lips and rubs her finger along the bottom, feeling a thin line. Then she presses it against her ear and nods with a proud smile when she hears the humming, as well as little clicks.

“What are you doing?” asks Rarity.

Pinkie Pie turns to her teammate and shows her the white knight.

“Wanna snag a pony?” asks Pinkie Pie.

Rarity sighs. “Pinkie, I don't think it matters what piece you get. Let's just get out of her and finish this assignment.”

“But we still need two more people to complete the teams.”

“I'm sure they'll turn up.”

After Twilight performs the procedure, Flash opens eyes, and everything is blurry at first, and the ringing in his ears covers his heavy breathing and heartbeats. The seconds go by, and his vision becomes clearer so he can see Twilight in front of him with her glowing hands on his shoulder and head. Her limbs are quivering, though, and she is breathing heavily with lines of purple slithering and fading around her body.

Flash gently grabs Twilight's wrist, snapping her out of her trance with a startled gasp, and he pulls her off of him and guides her to sit on a root. He then kneels in front of her, ax in hand and concern heavy on his features.

“I don't know what you did, but you don't look so good,” says Flash.

Twilight looks up, swallows some air and wipes sweat from her face, and then smiles wearily. “I used my aura to unlock yours. But I think I'll need to sit for a while, now.”

Flash nods and stands up. “Take all the time you need. I'll keep watch.”

Flash turns around, adjusts his weapon, flicks down a pair of grips and a trigger, and then watches the forest intently.

“Hey, Flash,” says Twilight.

Flash looks over his shoulder. “Yeah?”

“You're glowing. Just thought you'd like to know.”

Flash stares at Twilight with some skepticism, but when he inspects himself, his eyes pop wide open from seeing the blue fading around him, like a shield disappearing from view. His shock quickly turns to glee, and he giggles and scans the forest with more enthusiasm with hops in his steps.

“Oh, cool! This day isn't turning out to be so bad, after all,” says Flash.

And then a pair of large, red eyes open up behind Twilight and Flash's eyes expand quicker than a marshmallow in a microwave.

“Uh, Twilight,” starts Flash, his finger aimed behind Twilight.

Twilight looks behind her, then gasps and jumps away from the creature. She runs next to Flash with her spear in one hand and her other hand spinning through the holographic display on her necklace. She selects an icon shaped like a lightning bold, and her body and spear is covered in a flash of yellow, and the encased in a shell of electric currents. She then holds out her shield, slides one foot back and curls her body behind the shield as she aims her spear at the beast. Flash, on the other hand, gets an incredibly lame weapon cocking, and translucent spear heads slide into view of his weapon's barrel.

The red eyed beast growls, shaking the duo's organs and bones, and its eyes dissolve to flaming orbs as it rises from the ground. Wood snaps and pops, dirt cascades off of it, and its maw opens to reveal a forked tongue, thick, green slime that oozes all over its jaw and curved fangs, and sucks in air, creating a bright green orb of swirling energy in the back of its throat.

Flash screams.

A bloodcurdling shriek echoes from outside and into the ruins, and Pinkie Pie and Rarity snap to the temple doorway, bodies tense and weapons at the ready.

“What was that?” says Rarity.

“Some girl's in trouble,” says Pinkie Pie.

A shadow briefly covers the two students, and during its passing an orange circle appears next to Rarity. All she can do is turn her head right before Applejack and Trixie shoot out of it, clutching each other and screaming together, and hitting Rarity in the side. The three roll and bounce over each other and come to an abrupt, very painful stop when they hit the stone wall as a bundle, creating a cloud of dust and shaking off loose chunks of brick. When the dust settles, Applejack and Trixie are tangled, and Rarity is squished between them and the wall with her face down, butt up and leg twitching. All three sets of eyes are spinning and all of them are groaning or wincing, and Pinkie Pie immediately springs into action... by smiling and waving.

“Hi, Applejack!” says Pinkie Pie.

Applejack groans in response, and Rarity moans painfully.

“Why me?” she says.

The three stand up, wobbling and stepping in circles, having to use each other and the wall or pedestals for support. When Trixie has a good grip on a pedestal, her hand aimlessly swipes at a black pawn, accidentally knocking it over in the process. After a few more failed attempts and nearly falling over she finally grabs it and holds it up proudly.

“Trixie got the black thing,” she says, grinning widely with her eyes facing different directions.

Pinkie Pie wordlessly grabs Trixie's shoulders and turns her so that she is facing the group, and then she holds up the white knight, smiling sheepishly.

“Sorry, Trixie, but me and Rarity already got a piece,” says Pinkie Pie.

“Rarity and I,” corrects Rarity.

The group stares at her, and she looks at them, unashamed.

“Its proper grammar,” says Rarity.

“Trixie will proper your grammar,” says Trixie sourly.

Rarity raises a brow, Pinkie squints questionably, and Applejack tilts her head slightly,

“What the heck is that supposed to mean?” says Applejack.

“It means Trixie doesn't like this piece! Now follow me. We're getting out of here!”

Trixie throws the pawn away and boldly goes towards the door... only to be stopped when a girly scream gets louder by the second. She and the other three look up curiously, and when Pinkie Pie realizes what's going on, her eyes bulge and she zooms towards Trixie, pushing her out of the way just in time. As for her? She gets squished by a falling Flash Sentry.

The impact is sudden, the cloud is thick, and pain is all over Pinkie Pie's body with her ears ringing, chest and back sore, and her alarm going off. Below her is a small crater, and above her is Flash, sprawled out, eyes closed, tongue out, and a pained groan leaving him.

“Ow... My back,” winces Pinkie Pie.

Trixie, Applejack and Rarity rush to the two and help them up, with Rarity helping up Flash and the other two helping Pinkie Pie. Once standing, Pinkie Pie winces again and pops her back, sighing with relief when the brief pops of pain are drowned in a relaxing sensation. Meanwhile, Flash clutches Rarity's shoulder and uses his free hand to hold his side, but even though he is in obvious pain he still smiles at her flirtatiously.

“Hey there,” says Flash.

“Hello, yourself,” purrs Rarity, returning the smile.

“Oh, hey, it's Brad,” says Trixie.

Flash snaps to Trixie, frowning. “Seriously?”

Trixie shrugs, and Flash sighs and shakes his head, and then he pulls away from Rarity and grabs the nearest chess piece, which is a white king. He studies it for a moment, then stuffs it in his pocket and heads towards the exit, clicking his tongue and winking at the girls along the way.

“Well, anyway, ladies, it was nice seeing you, but I gotta go and rescue a damsel in distress,” says Flash. “Oh, and thanks for breaking my fall, Pinkie.”

Pinkie Pie is using a pedestal for support when he says this, and she mindlessly waves him off before tenderly rubbing her back. “Yeah, yeah, it was fun.”

“Hold on, are you sure you can walk?” asks Applejack. “You fell pretty far.”

“Oh, I'm all right. Just a little sore. Not bad for a simple minded musician, eh?” says Flash, his tone having a hostile edge to it.

Applejack's face flushes with embarrassment, and she turns away from him, twirling her golden locks with her fingers. Flash tries walking again, but Rarity stops him by grabbing his shoulder.

“Surely you cannot be thinking about going back out there after such a hard fall,” says Rarity. “And without a weapon, nonetheless.”

Flash inspects himself casually at first, but the seconds speed by and his casual demeanor devolves into frantic pats and swipes all over his body that ends with him cursing and tugging at his blue hair.

“Aw, man! I dropped my weapon!” says Flash.

Pinkie Pie staggers forward, hand still on her back and her eyes fixated on Flash with a pained scowl twisting her face. Thankfully the pain is gradually fading with the return of her aura, but that still does not change her mind about what she wants.

“You owe me an ice pack and a back rub, buster,” says Pinkie Pie.

Flash waves her off. “Yeah, sure, whatever, but my weapon is gone! Gosh darn it all! I can't believe I dropped my weapon!”

“Well, you did fall from high up,” says Applejack.

“How did you get so high, anyway?” asks Trixie with her arms across her chest and her brow raised provocatively.

There is a distant roar and crashing of trees, and the group spins to face the entrance, and that is when they see Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Octavia running out of the forest, being pursued a massive creature with a trail of destroyed trees behind it. With that unpleasant sight, Trixie pales, Applejack swears and leaps back with her fists raised protectively and Rarity's jaw drops. Pinkie Pie is the only one who gets a smile, even though she really wants to scream and run away from the horrible beast, but that will be hard to do since they are in a dead end and the only exit is to an open field that leads directly to it.

“By the way, that thing whacked me,” says Flash nonchalantly.

Pinkie Pie laughs grimly and gets a fire in her eyes fueled by the pure will to live, and she spins her hammer into the proper position and morphs it into her cannon. The barrel glows and sparks, and Pinkie Pie adjusts her stance and takes aim at the charging beast, as do the other girls. Clicks, whirs, hums, and sparks all roll over each other and various lights mix and spread the shadows along the ancient wall.

“Oh, goodie,” says Pinkie Pie as she cocks her weapon. “It looks like we're going to have one heck of a party.”