Twilight didn’t let me get more than ten sentences into my explanation of the situation before her horn lit up with magic. To the utter surprise of everyone(pony) present, we were snatched up in a maelstrom of power that made my stomach threaten to spill my dinner in spectacular fashion. I managed to keep my food where it belonged as the world came back into focus, revealing the inside of Twilight’s castle as she snatched up a quill and scroll from somewhere.

“Take a letter Spike,” she ordered, her face a mask of determination and cold calculating reason as she practically shoved the quill and paper into his grip.

Either Spike knew better than to argue with his foster sister or simply fell into habit, but readied his tools anyway as Twilight began to pace back and forth with her gaze locked on the floor. The others still seemed to be a bit woozy from the mass teleport and didn’t bother to comment on Twilight’s rather rude behavior.

“Dear Princess Celestia,” Twilight narrated, Spike’s quill moving rapidly to dictate her words, “Just moments ago Sarah and Major Swift Blade responded to a sighting of a zombie roaming around the edge of Ponyville. The mare who spotted the monster was cared for by the Major while Sarah went to investigate. The initial report was accurate, and after a brief interaction Sarah was able to subdue the creature with her Auramancy. I will be sending Shallow Grave, Ponyville’s mortician, to recover the remains once all available magic evidence can be obtained from the corpse. In the meantime, I request that more immediate effort be placed on finding the location of the necromancers controlling these undead, because I fear we will not be ready for them if we wait for these dark mages to reveal themselves. Please reply with as much information as possible concerning this matter as soon as possible. Your former student, Princess Twilight.”

Spike finished the letter with a flourish, rolling it up and sealing the scroll with a red ribbon before igniting it with his breath. The ashes flew out a nearby window, gone with the fading light just as the sun began to fully set.

By that point everyone seemed to be back to normal, the rather jarring sensation of teleportation wearing off for most of those present. Fluttershy still seemed a bit out of it, although it was predictably Rainbow who had recovered first.

“So what do we do now Twilight?” The prismatic mare asked as she hovered next to Applejack’s head, “I don’t like the idea of just waiting around for instructions when there’s zombie flank we could be kicking.”

“Now hold on there sugarcube,” Applejack said calmly as she tugged Rainbow to the ground by her tail, “we don’t know if there are any more of those things out there, and frankly, Ah’d just as rather stay put until Princess Celestia tells us what we can do about this here undead issue.” She shivered rather violently, the fur on her neck and spine rising like a scared cat’s, “If it’s all the same to you all, Ah would rather not deal with something like that without a plan of action.”

Rainbow resumed her hovering, crossing her hooves over her chest as she made an indignant pout, “Totally uncool to sit and do nothing.”

“Personally I agree with Applejack,” Rarity said as she finished brushing the teleportation frizz out of her mane, “dealing with those ghastly things is going to be bad enough in it of itself. Let’s not borrow trouble by rushing headlong into things without thinking it through.”

“We need to know what kind of numbers we’re dealing with and general locations before we can do anything more than react.” Swift added, “From what I saw in the fields outside Ponyville, the zombie Sarah took care of was the only one nearby, meaning trying to come up with combat strategies would be next to pointless unless more happened to stumble into town.” She turned towards Twilight, who had stopped her pacing to listen to the others, “Until we hear back from Princess Celestia, my orders come from you Princess Twilight. What do you want us to do?”

Twilight held a hoof to her chin for a moment, her eyes clouded in thought before she spoke, “I think we should sit and wait for more information. Running around like chickens being chased by a fox is going to get us nowhere. My orders for you and the other members of the Ponyville Guard are the remain on alert but to do nothing else unless given immediate reason.”

Swift nodded, turning to my shadows with a hard commander’s glare, “You heard the Princess, get your lazy rumps in gear and inform the local guard post of recent events. Make sure to include Princess Twilight’s orders or I’ll personally see to it you don’t get out of latrine duty for the next year. Now MOVE OUT!!”

The two stallions were off so fast I could have sworn they left behind afterimages, although I attributed that to the low light in the castle foyer. I turned to face Twilight just as she met my gaze, only for my words to be interrupted by a loud belching sound. Spike’s flames condensed into another scroll, this time secured with blue ribbon and a golden seal.

Twilight unrolled the letter in her magic grip and cleared her throat before speaking, “Dear Princess Twilight, I am happy to know that the problem in Ponyville has been taken care of with no major harm to its citizens, but a confirmed sighting of undead only strengthens the worry I have centered around these dark mages. In light of this, Luna and I believe it is best if you all come to Canterlot in the morning, to learn what kind of foe we are truly facing. I cannot state more in this letter, for I fear the enemy might have some way to intercept our communications if we are not careful. Know this my little ponies, the darkness we are about to face is unlike anything you have encountered before. I pray that your strength will be enough, but for now I wish for you all to be on guard, in case the shadows begin to move before we are ready. Take care my friends, and I will see you in the morning.”

The scroll fluttered to the ground as Twilight released her magic hold upon it, her eyes wide in shock as she stared at the innocent paper like it held the plague. She wasn’t the only one who looked surprised by the Princess’s words. Everyone else, even the normally stoic Swift Blade, was staring at the letter like it had just proclaimed the doom of their world.

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and cleared my throat, “I understand that this might sound callous of me, but right now we need to do as Celestia says and focus on the here and now. We can worry about these sorcerers if and when they reveal themselves. Until then, we need to prepare for when they do come, so that way we can give them a good pounding for their trouble.”

Swift turned to me with a slight smile, nodding once before turning back to the others, “Alright, you heard what Princess Celestia wanted. Head on off to bed before you lot get any more riled up about this. Can’t do anything more tonight and we all need to be rested for the trip to Canterlot in the morning.”

When no one seemed to hear her, Swift growled softly under her breath before sucking in a large lungful of air. Knowing full well what was about to happen, I covered the ear facing her direction with one hand, smirking to myself as I waited for the fireworks.

“ATTENTION IN THE RANKS!! GET THE ROAD APPLES OUT OF YOUR EARS AND ANSWER ME WHEN I’M TALKING TO YOU!!”

I had to stifle my laughter with my other hand as all six mares, and dragon, jumped about six feet in the air. Spike let out a yell that was accompanied by a small burst of flames, but what nearly had me rolling in stitches was the fact that every, single, mare, present, made the most adorable high-pitched whinny upon being blasted by Swift’s command voice.

Those with wings had them flared wide in surprise while Pinkie looked like someone had stuck her tail in an electrical socket. Applejack was holding a hoof to her chest while trying to remember how to breathe, while Rarity had materialized a couch out of nowhere and had promptly fainted upon its red velvet surface. Fluttershy looked ready to join the alabaster unicorn but had instead chosen to hide under one of Rainbow’s wings after pulling it over her head and shoulders.

Satisfied that she had everyone’s attention, Swift let out a very horse-like snort before turning her attention to Twilight, “Right, now that we are actually paying attention instead of sitting around like torn saddlebags, maybe you lot will listen when I have something to say.”

Applejack growled softly under her breath as she placed her hoof back on the floor, but otherwise didn’t comment. Fluttershy peaked out from under Rainbow’s wing while the prismatic pegasus glared daggers at the Major. Pinkie was giggling like a schoolgirl and bouncing around without a care in the world, but I had sort of gotten used to some of that crazy mare’s antics by now. Rarity was still out cold while Twilight was running a brush through her mane.

“Was that really necessary Major Swift Blade?” Twilight asked as she teleported the brush away.

Swift nodded, “You lot were so wrapped up in your own heads that it was the only way I could think of to snap you out of it.” She bowed her head towards Twilight, “Forgive me Princess, I didn’t mean to startle anypony. I was simply doing what I thought was best at the time.”

“Well next time don’t yell at us like you’re trying to crack a thunderhead,” Rainbow retorted as she reclaimed her wing from Fluttershy, “you about gave Fluttershy a heart attack.”

Said canary pegasus simply nodded while hiding her face behind her mane.

Swift’s face softened as she walked up to Fluttershy, placing a gentle hoof on her shoulder as she lowered her head to her level, “I apologize Fluttershy, it was not my intention to scare you. Can you forgive me?”

One teal eye poked out from behind the pink mass that was her mane, followed by a small nod and the corner of a smile.

Swift nodded in return, “Right then, back to business.” She spun around to take the rest of us in, “As I was saying before, there isn’t anything we can do right now until we have more information. The best thing to do is to get some sleep and be well rested for the trip to Canterlot in the morning. Without a plan we have no hope of dealing with further incidents, be they undead related or not, so I suggest we all get to bed and try to rest up for tomorrow.”

General nods of accent were shared between all present, although as Rarity came around she had to be filled in by Pinkie.

“Then I think we can call it a night for now,” Twilight said as she incinerated the scroll in her magic, “if Princess Celestia is calling us to the castle for this, then it has to be important. Go home girls, and we’ll meet up with you at the train station first thing in the morning.”

Murmurs of agreement met her statement, and the others slowly filed out of the castle in pairs. Fluttershy was still clinging to Rainbow Dash, so I imagined they would be traveling back to her cottage before Rainbow headed home. Once the doors to the foyer closed with a loud bang, Twilight turned to face me and Swift, her eyes alight with worry as she glanced at the closed doors.

“Are you sure it was alright sending them home after all that?” She asked, “I feel like it would be better if they stayed here at the castle for tonight, given the situation.”

“You’d only make them more uncomfortable,” I said calmly, “they’re already wound up and tired after a day like today. Making them sleep in an unfamiliar building when their minds are already bound to be playing tricks on them is just asking for disaster.”

“Sarah is right,” Swift added as she stepped up to my side, “the comforts of home will help to ease their fears better than anything you could provide in the castle. Let them get over the shock in their own time and they will come out of it stronger than if you let the fear fester in their minds.”

I recognized the flyaway hairs in Twilight’s mane as she started to pace back and forth, leaving Spike to simply roll his eyes. “But what if the zombie you faced wasn’t the only one? What if the dark mages behind them attack in the night and I can’t protect my friends?” More and more hairs began to spring loose of her mane and tail as her speech picked up speed.

Hoping to avoid a Twilight freak-out, I stepped into her path and lifted both hands to her head. She didn’t even notice until my fingers pressed into the fur just behind her ears. Immediately, her rambling ground to a halt as a deep moan escaped her lips. I fought back a blush as I worked my fingers into her head and over the backside of each ear, trying to ignore the sounds of pleasure that were escaping her mouth every other second. The coloring of my cheeks grew several shades darker as I heard Swift snickering off to the side, and I spotted Spike staring at his own claws with a look of wonder. I smiled at the idea of Spike turning Twilight into a puddle with his claws, and slowly let off the pressure as I moved my hands away from Twilight’s head.

Her wings were on full display and her eyes were lidded as she sat on the floor, her breathing slightly labored as she swayed from side to side. Slowly, her eyes opened up again and she looked up at me with a smoldering gaze that made my blush return full force. A half second later, she seemed to realize what had happened, shaking her head several times as she fought to get her wings under control. Her own cheeks were aflame as her eyes locked onto anything but me, and I chuckled to myself at her adorable behavior. Princess or not, Twilight was still a single, young mare who I imagined had never had someone touch her in that manner before. Immediately upon that thought crossing my mind I shook my own head to clear it, hoping to banish whatever crazy debauchery my mind had concocted.

“Well, um,” I cleared my throat, “should we head to bed for now and try to get some sleep?”

Twilight nodded, her cheeks still alight as she stumbled past me and down the hall, “Yeah, right, sleep, need sleep before we get train in morning.” Spike raced to follow her down the hall, disappearing around a corner and leaving me alone with Swift.

Said mare walked up next to me and elbowed me softly against my fleshy leg, “You trying to get into a royal engagement?”

I glanced down at her and scowled at the knowing smirk that had found its way to her lips, “No, just trying to keep Twilight from going nuts over things she can’t control. I wasn’t trying to cause that kind of a reaction, just calm her down.”

“Mmhmm.” Her tone told me she didn’t believe a word of what I had just said, “Whatever you say. Just remember that if you want to date the princess, you should probably keep an eye out for her brother, what with him being Captain of the Guard and all that.”

I groaned as I performed a spectacular facepalm, “You’re not going to let me live this down anytime soon, are you?”

Her lips split into a wide grin, a slight bounce in her step as she followed me down the hall, “Nope!”

I rolled my eyes as I pushed the door to my room open, “Just try and leave off the jokes when it’s not just us. I would rather not have the others getting the wrong idea.”

The smirk was back in full force, “Oh I think you do plenty of that on your own, but I get the idea. Got to keep up the ‘stoic soldier’ motif in front of the civvies.”

I nodded, glad that at least someone around here knew what it was like being military around the general population, “Thanks Swift. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“See you tomorrow,” she replied, throwing me a quick salute before making her way down the hall.

I closed the door and stripped down to my underwear and bra, making a mental note to have Rarity make some more for me before the two sets I had wore out. Without any fanfare I climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to my chin, taking a moment to gaze out at the moon before closing my eyes. It only took me a moment to fall asleep, an art I had perfected when trying to get a nap in during a mission could be a nigh impossible task. If only I had known what awaited me in the dream world, I might have taken my time instead of jumping in with both feet.

Gunfire rattled through the plaza as my squad moved from one of the decrepit buildings to the next. Dust was thick in the air from explosives and the heavy thrum of attack helicopters rose and fell as they did aerial sweeps of the village. My team had been sent in with a company Army grunts to clean out the Taliban agents that had been using the little backwater town as a base of operations. Now we were in a constant firefight that threatened to send any of us to an early grave with each passing moment.

“Get that sniper nest under control Freeze!” I yelled over the din as another high-caliber bullet ricocheted off the stones above my head, “We need to have clear line of sight to take out that pocket of Talis on the next block!”

“I’d like to see you take a three hundred yard shot in these conditions, Pepper!” First Lieutenant Connor Litman, a.k.a. ‘Freeze’, yelled at me from across the road as he hefted his M24 onto his shoulder in favor of his M16, “How about you give me some cover fire so I can find a better shooting position so I don’t get my head blown off?!”

“How about both of you can it and start shooting at the Talis instead of firing off at each other!” Major Robert Williams, a.k.a. ‘Smokey’, yelled over our comms system, “You two argue like an old married couple and seem to find the absolute worst times to do it. Now move two blocks west of your current location, I’ve called in some help from our flyboys with the big toys.”

I grinned as Freeze shot me a matching smile, “Rodger that Smokey, we’ll be ready for the fireworks.”

After the line cut off, Freeze and I ducked through another building, moving inside to avoid getting spotted by the sniper or any of his friends. Seconds later, the thrum of the choppers became nearly deafening, and the dust floating in the air became a miniature sandstorm as the rotor blades kicked up a powerful downdraft. Freeze and I were just in time to look out one of the building’s side windows, our eyes locked onto the two Apache attack helicopters as they unloaded several rockets into a nearby plaza storefront. The explosions reduced the building to rubble in seconds, the fire and smoke making it hard to see until the downdraft cleared it away.

There was a small buzz of static before Smokey came over the comms again, “Looks like your sniper problem has been taken care of. Move on to the next quadrant and meet up with Echo before you clear the rest of the town. The grunts are finishing up the south side so the last little bunch is all on you. I’ll meet you back at base once I finish up here with this bunker. Over and out.”

Freeze chuckled under his breath as he followed me through another empty street, “Smokey’s a real barrel of laughs isn’t he?”

I rolled my eyes, popping off a couple shots into a Tali before moving out of cover and behind a burned out car, “He’s the commander, it’s not his job to be funny. Although I guess making fun of our misfortune is about as close to a joke as you’re going to get.”

The snort I heard was his only reply, although we were cut short as a familiar face popped out from behind a building half a block down the road.

The figure held a hand to his helmet and smiled at us as he spoke, “Nice to see you made it. I was wondering if I was going to get all these Taliban all to myself.”

I rolled my eyes as Freeze and I moved up to Echo’s position, “Not on your life you little shit. I’d sooner toss your ass in a Tali base with nothing but your skivvies before I let you have all the glory.”

Sergeant Paul Rivera, a.k.a. ‘Echo’, laughed as we fell in beside him, “You love me and you know it.”

Freeze pulled out his M24 again before moving up next to Echo. He slid the rifle around the edge of the building and took a glance through his scope before speaking, “Looks like we got six, no, eight Talis milling around in the middle of the next plaza. Not much cover for them or us, and I have no way of knowing if there’s more hidden inside the buildings.”

“Then we’ll have to do this the old fashioned way,” I said as I pulled a pair of grenades from my pack, “we’ll pop these little boys into the middle of their party and then smoke the rest of their asses while they can’t see straight.”

Freeze and Echo nodded before pulling out a set of their own grenades. “Let’s do this right,” Freeze said as he switched back to his 16, “we only get one chance at this.”

As one, we moved through the buildings leading up to the plaza, thankfully not running into any enemy troops on the way. Something itched at the back of my mind that we were being watched, but I disregarded it as my imagination. If we were being watched then we’d already be full of holes.

It took several minutes, but we made it to the storefront leading into the main plaza. Sure enough, eight Talis were milling about in the open like a bunch of idiots. I signaled Freeze and Echo with hand gestures that we should throw our little surprise in a double cascading arc, that way no place in open ground would be safe from the explosions. They nodded, pilling the pins on their first grenade as I did the same.

It was a spectacular show when the grenades went off like firecrackers, the Talis flying through the air and the thunderous report of the explosive devices. Three more ran out as the group before us perished, but were quickly taken down by Echo’s rifle.

After clearing the last of the buildings to make sure there weren’t any surprises for us, I held my hand to my radio and called it in to Smokey, “North side is secure, Smokes. Anything else you need us to clean up?”

“That will be all for now Delta Team,” he replied, “the grunts can take it from here. Head back to base and I’ll buy the first round of drinks.”

We let out a string of whoops, “All right! I’m going to drink you under the table Freeze!” Echo and Freeze had a long-standing tradition to see who could out-drink the other when coming back from a mission. So far the bets for this round were 10-to-3 Freeze, but with Echo getting better every day it wasn’t a complete washout. Many hundreds of dollars had been lost on the rare occasion Echo would win.

“You can try little man,” Freeze retorted, “you’re going to have to try a bit harder than last time if you want to stand a chance against me.”

I chuckled as they began to bicker, moving into the plaza to check the bodies for anything useful. Yet, as my eyes roamed over the torn figures, something began to happen. The bodies began to shimmer and change, gaining vibrant colors as the dusty rags and worn rifles were replaced by short fur and hanging feathers.

My eyes widened as the dead Taliban changed into my new friends from Equestria, and I felt my knees weaken as I stumbled up to the first body. It was Fluttershy, although not much was left of her by this point. The right side of her body had been mostly blown off by one of the grenades, leaving her bones and organs open to the air. I forced myself to move on, to check the other bodies for signs of life. But one by one, they all came back negative. Rarity, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, all dead because of various causes. Finally, I came upon the last body, Twilight’s.

I knelt down next to her, my ears ringing and my eyes misty with tears. One gloved hand slowly reached out and ran through her mane, but she made no sign that she could feel me anymore. One of her legs was missing, almost exactly the same way my own had been lost, and a large pool of blood was slowly growing under her body. The tears began to stream down my face as I wrapped my arms around her barrel, holding her cheek to my own as I sobbed.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” I cried as I held her. “I should have been here to protect you. I should have been faster.”

I slowly pulled back, wiping my eyes with a hand as I gazed upon Twilight’s still face. At that moment, I felt that sensation of being watched once more, and I turned my eyes to look over my shoulder. Standing there, her eyes full of sorrow, was Princess Luna. I didn’t know what was going on, but my mind apparently wasn’t done killing me just yet. Before I could do anything, Twilight’s eyes shot open, and in an instant she was wrapping her rotting teeth around my throat. The flesh on her body began to rot at hyper speed, leaving just flaps of skin and a few rotten feathers on her corpse as her undead eyes bore into mine. I let out a gurgling scream as her canines tore my windpipe to shreds, and the last thing I remembered was Luna’s horn flashing impossibly bright. Then, it all fell apart.

I jerked as my senses came rushing back to me all at once, the light of the moon softly shining over my body as I lay in my bed. I slowly got my breathing under control, feeling the cold sweat that had covered my entire body. I swallowed thickly, taking a moment to get my mind centered after that terrible nightmare. I hadn’t had one of those in a while, but they never seemed to get any less horrifying when they did invade my sleep. The ponies were a new one, but given my current living arrangement, I couldn’t be that surprised. The only part that I couldn’t figure out was Princess Luna. I knew she ruled over the night while her sister ruled the day, but that did nothing to explain my dream. The Luna in my dream hadn’t been a corpse like the others, in fact, she had seemed so life-like that it was almost possible to believe she was there.

Yet, I knew that couldn’t be possible. Magical pony princess or not, no one could look into someone’s dreams like that, at least not without me kicking their ass afterwards for invading my mind without permission. I rolled to my feet and walked over to the bathroom, smiling to myself now that Twilight had switched the pony-sized sink and mirror for one a bit more my speed. I filled up the glass with cold water and downed the entire thing in one go. After that I took some of the refreshing liquid and splashed it over my face, hoping to banish the last of that dream from my mind.
With that taken care of, I walked back and climbed into bed, taking one last look at the moon with a smile before rolling over. Sleep came just as easily as it always did, even after what I had seen, and I slipped into a dreamless darkness for the rest of the night. I just hoped tomorrow would go a bit easier than today had gone.

The next thing I was aware of was the early morning sunlight hitting me directly in the face. I growled under my breath but rolled to my feet anyway, knowing that we had to get an early start today. I pulled on my cargo shorts and slipped my phone into one of the many pockets, then slid into one of the amazing blouses that Rarity had made for me. This one was a dark blue in color with accents of gold and silver along the hem and shoulders. It was a beautiful piece, and I almost felt bad for wearing it. I smiled to myself as I walked out of my room, following my nose back to the dining hall where I found Spike placing three stacks of pancakes with two large vats of syrup upon the table.

“Morning Spike.” I said as I took a seat, “How’s life treating you as Twilight’s butler?”

He chuckled as he slid the second vat of syrup onto the table next to the third setting, “I’m not Twilight’s butler, I’m her number one assistant. There’s a huge difference.”

I smirked as I poured a river of golden goodness onto my pancakes, “Sure there is.”

I was just about to take my first bite when the doors at the end of the hall opened, revealing a prim and proper Swift Blade in full dress armor.

I set my food down for a moment to admire her as she walked up and took a seat across from me, “Nice regs there Swift. Trying to look your best for someone?”

She rolled her eyes as she began devouring her pancakes without even touching the syrup, “No it’s not for somepony special, unless you count reporting to your commander in chief as somepony special. We’re going to see the Princesses today, the least I can do is make sure I look the part of a Royal Guard.”

“Twilight’s a princess and you’re not getting bent out of shape every time you talk with her.” I countered.

Swift paused mid-bite, a thoughtful expression on her face, “Huh, I never thought of that. I guess it’s easier to be causal around Princess Twilight because she does everything she can to avoid throwing her royal weight around.”

“I hope that wasn’t a comment about me being fat.” Twilight said with a grin as she walked into the room. “It would reflect very poorly on my next report to Princess Celestia if that were the case.”

Swift’s face blanched as she stumbled over her reply, “N-No, that’s not what I… if you’ll let me explain… I didn’t mean for it to come out like…”

Twilight giggled as she held up a hoof to stop the poor Major’s rambling, “That was a joke Swift Blade, I’m not mad at you. Besides, I’ve heard a joke or two about my former mentor and ‘throwing her royal weight around’ from several of your comrades while I was living in Canterlot. It’s not the first time I’ve heard it and it most certainly won’t be the last.” Twilight took her seat before a cheeky grin came over her muzzle. She leaned between us and held a hoof to her mouth before adding in a stage whisper, “Between you and me, I think my mentor could use without those extra cakes she keeps in the bottom drawer of her dresser in her private chambers.”

I roared with laughter as Swift’s expression took on a look of mortified curiosity, “How exactly do you know that Princess Celestia keeps cake in her dresser?”

“Because she shared it with me several times when I was a filly and we were doing late night studying in her room.” Was Twilight’s candid reply, “She told me she has them for special occasions, but given how fresh they were, either she had all eight of those cakes prepared for me, or she goes through them at a rather alarming rate.”

Swift’s cheeks were now a vibrant red, and she averted her gaze as she attempted to continue eating. I shoveled my food away in a matter of seconds, patting my stomach a time or two before turning back to Twilight, “So what’s the plan today Your Highness?”

Twilight’s expression turned sour as she bit into her own food, “Please refrain from calling me that. It makes me feel like I’m too important for somepony to use my name.” She sighed as her fork clattered to the table, “Seems like the more I come into my title as a princess, the less and less I get to be a normal pony.”

I nodded sagely, “Such is the burden of command. But don’t worry about it too much. The only ones you ever need to use that title against are probably stuck-up nobles with sticks so far up their behinds they need to clear their throat in order to let sunlight hit the leaves.”

Swift Sputtered in laughter as Twilight openly stared at me. Swift pounded the table a couple times before she could get her laughter under control, though the tear that threatened to escape her eye was the true tell of her mirth, “Oh Celestia, I haven’t heard one that funny in a while. Where do you come up with that stuff?”

I shrugged, “Comes with the territory of being a Ranger. If you can’t make fun of the morons then you’ll never survive in the Corps. You’ll just end up being the brunt of the jokes instead of the comedian behind them.”

Swift nodded as she finished off her food, “True enough. The stallions back in Canterlot could use a good dose of humor now and then. It might get them to loosen up a bit instead of being the stoic blockheads I remember.”

Twilight cleared her throat, pushing her plate away from her, “Well girls, I think it’s about time we head to the station. Our train should be leaving within the hour, so we need to get going if we want to be on time.”

Swift glanced up and I followed her gaze until I spotted the crystal clock that I had somehow missed. Its hands marked the time as seven forty-three, meaning we had just over fifteen minutes to get to the station.

“Well then,” I said as I stood up, “I think we should make like a banana and split.”

Both mares groaned as we headed out the door, “That pun was bad and you should feel bad for saying it.” Swift said while Twilight performed a spectacular facehoof.

Before too long we were at the station, followed quickly by Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity. Rainbow Dash arrived soon after with Fluttershy in tow. Tickets were bought and a train was caught, and in mere minutes we were on our way to Canterlot. Hey, not a bad rhyme if I do say so myself. Anyway, we arrived at the capital after a few hours on the train, in which time Rainbow Dash and Pinkie had come up with about a hundred reasons why Celestia would want us to come and see her on such short notice. However, as we walked through the castle’s front gates, I noticed something off about the duo that were ‘guarding’ the front door. First off, they didn’t wave to us like they had before, although I couldn’t be sure it was the same pair of stallions. What really tipped me off was that they had a tight grip on their weapons, and were watching the crowds outside the castle grounds like a pair of hawks. Either something else was going on, or we might actually have a reason to be worried coming into this meeting.

We were directed into one of the main dining halls, and the instant the doors opened I knew why the guards were so on edge. Celestia was seated at the head of the table, no surprise there, but what did surprise me was the two creatures seated on her left. I recognized them from myths and legends, but never in all my life would I ever imagine seeing two real-life gryphons right in front of me.

The first was seated next to Celestia, meaning he was a very important bird for some reason or other, and had deep chocolate brown feathers covering his upper half. There were also twin black streaks coming from the corners of his eyes and running down past the base of his beak, much like the designs of a cheetah. The fur on his lower half was a rich golden color, with streaks of silver that shined in the overhead lights and the sunlight coming in through the windows. His eyes were a deep forest green and a silver circlet rested upon his head, meaning he was probably a noble or something like that.

His companion was a bit more ordinary by every meaning of the word. His feathers were a dusty grey in coloration while the fur on his lower half was an equally boring tan. The only thing that really caught my eyes were his own, which were a vibrant crimson that seemed to smolder like a young flame.

All eyes turned to us as we entered, and were then summarily redirected to me alone as both of the gryphons stood from their seats. The younger of the two gripped what looked like a sword handle with one talon, while the older simply lifted an interested eyebrow in my direction.

“It would seem that you have been keeping secrets from us, Celestia.” His voice was rich and spoke of long, hard-earned years, “I see before me a unique creature that bears resemblance to the apes of the southern jungles.” He turned to face Celestia with the same lifted eyebrow, “Taking in stray pets to add to your zoo?”

The ponies bristled, but paused as I took several steps forward. All eyes returned to me as I stepped up to the end of the table and rested my hands on its smooth surface, “How about I take you through a couple rounds in a sparring ring and then we’ll see who belongs in a zoo.”

I heard several gasps from behind me while Celestia hid a smile behind a hoof. The younger gryphon, an assistant or guard by the look of him, bristled before drawing his sword, “Watch your tongue, creature. You speak to King Edward Brightwing, and you will give him the respect he and his station deserves.”

I smirked as I stood up to my full height, the gryphon faltering for a second as he realized I was a good half a foot taller than him, “I give respect to those who have earned my respect. I bow to those who prove their mettle on the field of battle and preserve the honor of a soldier. Princess Celestia has shown me kindness in allowing me to stay in her kingdom, even when she had no reason to do so other than because she could. Your king, mighty he may be, has not earned that respect, at least, not yet.”

The guard growled and made to lunge for me, only to be stopped by a talon on his shoulder. He turned to see the calm eyes of his king, and lowered his blade at the subtle shake of Edward’s head.

“While young Dusty is my personal guard,” Edward spoke calmly and clearly as he turned to face me, “he can still be prone to hotheadedness when it comes to matters of honor. You are a creature of rare spirit, challenging me as you did. What is your name?”

I stood at attention and snapped a crisp salute, “Captain Sarah Lovegood on the United States Ranger Corps, retired.”

His eyes widened slightly at my words, “Captain? Then you were a part of your nation’s military?”

I nodded, “Although I’m no longer active duty. I was discharged after being wounded in battle.”

Now I had both their attention, “Wounded?” Dusty asked, “But you look completely whole to me.”

I rapped my knuckles against my leg, creating a loud clanking noise, “Don’t believe everything you see on first glance, hotshot.”

Their eyes latched onto my fake leg, widening to almost comical levels as they took it in with greater detail.
“Truly you must have been a mighty warrior,” King Edward said as he took a step closer to inspect my leg, “to have lost an entire limb and still survive.” His gaze met my own and I saw a growing respect in those emerald orbs, “Please, forgive any offence, but may I ask how it was you lost your leg?”

I felt an uneasy sensation in my gut, my eyes roaming over everyone present. All were waiting to hear my story, even Celestia looked like she was interested in hearing the tale.

After a moment’s pause I shook my head, “I’m sorry Your Highness, but I would rather let old wounds remain that way. I lost some close friends along with my leg that day. It still hurts when I remember them.”

Edward nodded once, a glimmer of pity in his gaze as he moved back to his seat, “Ah, the sorrow of a survivor. I know that pain all too well.” He indicated the seat across from him with a talon, “Come, sit with us. I would like to know one who has seen the darker sides of this world and lived to tell about it.”

I smiled as I walked around and sat, “Not this world, exactly, but I understand what you mean.”

As my friends took the seats on my left, I noticed that the gryphons and Celestia had plates of food in front of them. Celestia had the same pancakes that Twilight, Swift and I had eaten for breakfast, but what caught my eye was the well-done steaks lying before the gryphons.

King Edward noticed my gaze and seemed almost apologetic as he spoke, “I know what you’re thinking, but you have nothing to fear. Cattle in our home country are nothing more than beasts, as they cannot gain sapience without the overabundance of magic that saturates the land of Equestria. Pigs and other farm animals share this trait, so you need not worry about the loss of sentient life.”

I smiled at his words, comforted even though that wasn’t the reason I was staring at his food. The pancakes I had for breakfast were great, but I hadn’t had a good steak since I had arrived on this planet. Fish was all well and good, but if I was going to be stuck eating that for meat for the rest of my life, I’d got nuts by the end of the third year.

“Actually, you wouldn’t happen to have any more of that, would you?” I asked, pointing at the slab of meat resting only feet across from me.

This seemed to take both gryphons by surprise, going so far as to make their feathers ruffle before the king could compose himself, “You’re serious? You wish to dine on the flesh of another creature?”

I nodded, flashing my teeth at him in a wide smile, “I’m an omnivore, so that means I need meat in my diet to stay healthy. Sure the ponies can provide me with fish, but I haven’t had a good steak in years. If you don’t mind, do you have another sitting around somewhere that I could have?”

Edward’s gaze landed on Celestia, who was doing an absolutely terrible job of hiding her smile, “It would seem the surprises keep coming.” He turned back to me, “Very well, it would be my pleasure to provide for a fellow meat eater. I can assure you that the cut is of the finest quality.” He stage whispered behind one of his talons, “One of the perks of being the king, you know.”

I smiled as I rubbed my hands together, “Well then bring on the meat!”

King Edward nodded, signaling a servant with one claw before turning back to me, “While we wait, why don’t we talk a little about our respective cultures? I’m sure that stories of your homeland would be welcome conversation over the trade agreement we had been broaching earlier.” He sent Celestia a raised eyebrow, “Wouldn’t you agree Your Highness?”

Celestia nodded, “Absolutely. I have yet to hear all that much about Sarah’s homeland myself, so this will be a treat for both of us.”

I heard Twilight and the others quiet their own conversation as all eyes once again landed on me. I was a little flustered for a moment before I got myself under control, clearing my throat to make sure my voice didn’t crack.

“Well, first off there’s something you need to know.” I began carefully, “The ponies already know this, given they saved my life when I arrived in Equestria, but I’m not native to this world. I can explain the how and why later, but the simple fact is that my home world is called Earth, not Equis.”

Both gryphons’ eyes widened at my revelation, although it was the king who broke the silence first, “Are you speaking true? Are you really from another world?”

I nodded, “My home planet is home to almost seven billion humans. That’s what my species is called by the way. As far as we know we are the only sapient race on the planet, which means we have long been searching for someplace that might hold sentient life. It also means that we are very much a divided people, with several hundred countries scattered across the globe.”

It was Celestia who spoke next, much to my surprise, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but if you were part of your nation’s military, that would mean you had to be fighting your fellow humans, given the lack of any other races on your world.”

The mood of the room fell out of the bottom of the barrel as the implications of her statement sunk in, and I was forced to nod as I replied, “It’s true. For as long as mankind has been keeping recorded history, we have been at war with ourselves. Time would pass for parts of the planet with barely anything to speak of, but on the other side of the world we were ripping each other apart. I hate to say this about my own kind, but we were, and still are, a hateful and vengeful people that have created absolutely monstrous means of killing each other.”

“But you’re all nice and happy and caring about others.” Pinkie said from her place midway down the line, “You’re a superific friend that protects her friends. You’re not a meanie-pants that hurts other ponies like that.”

“I wish that were true, Pinkie,” I said as the pink mare deflated slightly, “but I’m no stranger to the cruel side of my species. I myself have taken the lives of hundreds of humans.”

The temperature of the room dropped several degrees, and I heard the scooting of several chairs as Twilight and the others slid away from me. “H-Hundreds?” Twilight’s voice was barely a whisper, “H-How could you possibly be responsible for that many deaths?”

I kept my eyes firmly planted on the table in front of me, “Because my people have invented weapons that can kill hundreds of thousands in the blink of an eye, the common foot soldier can wipe out a small town with the munitions he can carry in his backpack. I’m not proud of what I’ve done, but it was for the right reasons.”

I forced my gaze upwards so I could look Twilight and the others in the eye, “I killed all of those people so that they wouldn’t kill thousands of innocent lives. The sad truth is that all of those people, were evil beings who would kill women and children just because they believed it would please their god. I killed to protect the freedom of my countrymen, and I killed to protect the lives of my fellow soldiers. I hate myself for every life I have ended, and the only comfort I can give myself is the number of lives I saved in doing so. So you can hate me for what I’ve done, you’d be doing the same thing I do to myself every day, but don’t think for a second that I did it because I liked it or because I blindly followed orders. I am a protector, first and foremost, and that is what I tell myself so I can sleep at night amidst the ghosts of those I killed.”
Silence hung over the table like a blanket for several minutes, only to be broken by a rapidly moving yellow blur. Before I knew what was going on, Fluttershy had latched onto me and buried her face in my cleavage. Her wings wrapped around my body as her hooves gripped my shirt, and I could feel her shaking slightly as she spoke.

“You don’t need to hate yourself.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, but the power behind it nearly knocked me out of the chair, “You are strong and kind and caring and would never do those kinds of things if you didn’t have to.” She lifted her head until her eyes bore into mine with the force of a freight train, “You are not like those monsters that you k-killed. Don’t ever think like that again. We are your friends, and we know that you would never hurt another unless you absolutely had to. I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but I’ve seen the good in your heart.” She seemed to realize what she was doing and blushed bright red as she pulled back slightly, “So, um, don’t think we don’t like you because of what you did. We want you to be happy, and that means we’re here to support you, even if you did some unpleasant things in the past.”

I felt tears coming to my eyes as I hugged her close, eliciting an adorable ‘eep!’ from her as I did so. “Thank you Fluttershy, I needed to hear that.”

“You’re, um, welcome.” She replied, pulling away before flying back to her seat.

I wiped my eyes before turning back to the gryphons and Celestia, “Sorry about that, the history of my kind is long and dark, but it also has some of the greatest acts of kindness and bravery you could ever imagine.”

“Such as?” Dusty inquired.

I smiled at the memory that came to mind, “Did you know that my planet has a moon just like Equis?”

Murmurs of confusion met my words until Celestia asked, “What does that have to do with anything?”

“The point is that even though our moon is almost two hundred and fifty thousand miles from the surface of our planet, we advanced our technology to the point that we’ve been able to set foot on the moon, six separate times.” I sat back and crossed my arms as I watched the bombshell I just dropped detonate.

Shocked silence met my words, and I was delighted to see that even Celestia was completely gob-smacked. Her jaw hung low in a most undignified manner, although I don’t think anyone else was paying enough attention to notice.

Finally, it was Twilight who got herself under control enough to think straight, and the first things she did was teleport a quill and scroll into her magic grip. “Tell. Me. Everything.”

I rubbed her head with my hand, messing up her mane and disrupting her magic, “Sorry Twilight, all that stuff happened before I was born. We’ve moved on from that era so far that the technology required is practically obsolete.”

Her jaw dropped again as the quill and scroll settled onto the table, “What kind of technology could make space travel obsolete?”

I grinned again as I said the one word that could break her brain, “Internet.”

Her eyes narrowed in confusion as she mouthed the word to herself, “What’s the internet?”

“Think of it as a communication and information system.” I said smoothly, “It started out by connecting two electronic devices together, so that way they could share information over great distances. Then more and more machines were connected to that collective until it became a global network. Imagine, the ability to search any digitized information from anywhere on the planet, with translation between different languages and near instant access to almost every bit of history, science or literature humans have discovered since the dawn of our history. Thousands of years worth of scientific discoveries at the touch of a button, or trillions of pages of books that you can read anywhere on the planet. Now imagine that you can write a letter to someone on the opposite side of the planet, send it to them, and get a reply within minutes of sending the original. Even better, we have tech that lets us talk to one another in real time with the same distances in mind. We even used it to keep in touch with the astronauts when they were walking on the moon.”

I paused as I caught a glance of Twilight’s face, and I couldn’t help the laughter that escaped as I took in her expression. Her eyes were pinpricks and her jaw was hanging on the floor. Her wings had flared to their fullest capacity and she was frozen in that position like she had been stuck in a block of ice. I reached out and tapped her in the center of her chest with one finger, but she didn’t react to my touch in any way.

I glanced over my shoulder at Celestia with a grin, “I think I broke her.”

Celestia cleared her throat before smiling at me, “Given what you just told us, I can’t say I’m surprised. Perhaps we could try waving a book under her nose. The smell of paper might bring my former student to her senses.”

I was about to nod when a servant placed a plate before me, a large, steaming steak with just the right amount of pink in the middle. The ponies to my left, apart from Fluttershy and Twilight, immediately covered their noses with their hooves, turning numerous shades of green as they openly stared at my food. I glanced from the steak to Twilight and back again, a devious thought coming to mind as my lips pulled back into a grin.

Without saying anything, I took the knife and cut off a small piece of the steak, spearing it with my fork and lifting it into the air. With careful precision, I moved the slice of beef into the open space between Twilight’s hanging jaws, then used my free hand to close her mouth over the food. I pulled the fork free as she began to reflexively chew the meat, and I heard the others gasp as Twilight’s eyes slowly returned to normal size.

“Hmm,” she moved the meat around in her mouth for a moment, a look of confusion replacing the shock from a moment before, “I’ve never tasted something like this before.” She turned to Celestia and asked, “What is this stuff?”

No one made any moves to answer her, and as Twilight continued to chew the food her eyes landed on my plate. It was like watching a slow-motion car crash in the seconds before it happened. Her eyes moved across the steak, took in the portion that had been cut off, then landed on the fork in my grip, followed by the intent stare I was giving her.

It took a second or two, and I could have sworn I saw the gears turning in her head as she swallowed the meat. Yet as soon as the steak had begun its trip to her stomach, she realized what it was that had just been in her mouth. Her eyes instantly returned to pinpricks, and her entire face turned a vibrant shade of green. Her cheeks puffed up and she held a hoof to her mouth as she gagged, although she was able to keep her breakfast where it belonged after some careful breathing through the nose. After a minute or two she calmed down enough to remove her hoof from her lips, although the smoldering glare I received could have melted solid titanium.

“What. Was. That?” It wasn’t a question of what she had just eaten, but rather, how I planned on explaining myself to a very irate alicorn before she did unspeakable things to me.

I could feel a cold sweat running down the side of my head as a shaky grin worked its way onto my face, “Oh come on Twilight, you aren’t mad at me for a little harmless prank, are you?”

The glare turned into a sadistic grin paired with a raised eyebrow, and I felt a chill run up my spine as she leaned forward me, “Remember who owns the roof over your head. I can do all kinds of things to you and nopony would ever know the difference. Choose your next words very carefully, or I’ll make your Auramancy training from before look like a leisurely walk in the park.”

I swallowed thickly, looking to the others for assistance, only to find they all had the same devious grins on their face. Well, no help from the peanut gallery, so I turned to face Celestia in the hopes that she might intervene. Nope, she had the same sadistic smirk Twilight had on her face and was doing a very poor job of hiding it. Ruler of the nation my ass, this mare was a troll and she knew it. I grinned as I came up with a nickname for her off the top of my head.

“Hey Trollestia, did you teach your pupil all the tricks of the trade when it comes to messing with others?” I just had to see her reaction to that.

Instead of being taken aback, she simply tilted her chin upward and put on the fakest aloof expression I had ever seen, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I would never do something so unladylike as to pull a prank on somepony.”

That caused me and the other ponies to chuckle, and I pumped my fist in my mind when I realized my distraction had worked. Although, as I looked back at Twilight, her expression let me know I wasn’t off the hook just yet.

King Edward cleared his throat, “If we can move on from this conversation, there is something that has caught my interest after hearing all of that. Captain, I am intrigued by your stories of your home world, and I would be lying if I didn’t have some measure of curiosity concerning how your skills match up with those of my own people. Would you be interested in having a short sparring match to see whose combat style is greater?”

I set about to demolishing the steak before it could cool, replying between bites as the others tried to ignore what it was I was doing, “I think that’s a cool idea. I’ve never fought a gryphon before, so it will give me a chance to break new ground in my combat skills.” I pushed the plate away before turning my full attention to the king, “When and where would you like to do this?”

“How about in the castle parade grounds?” Celestia offered, “It’s wide open and should give everypony plenty of room to move even with an audience.”

Twilight turned to her teacher with a slightly surprised look, “Audience? Isn’t it going to be just us watching this match?”

A shake of her head was Celestia’s reply, “I think the commanders of my guard would learn a great deal from seeing new combat forms, so I will be inviting them to watch the match with us.” She turned to face King Edward, “If that is alright with you, Edward.”

He shrugged, “Our combat techniques are not a national secret, I see no issue with having some spectators.” He sent Celestia a knowing side glance, “No tricks now, we don’t want what happened last time to happen again.”

Confused looks were commonplace as a pained expression fell over Celestia’s regal mask, “Yes, quite.” She cleared her throat before turning to face me, “Very well, Captain Sarah, your match with King Edward shall take place in half an hour. Do you need anything to prepare before the match?”

I shook my head, “No Princess, I should be fine with just the clothes on my back.”

Dusty tapped King Edward on the shoulder, a concerned look on his face as he spoke, “My liege, are you certain about this? We know next to nothing about this, human. Is it wise to face it yourself instead of letting me fight in your stead?”

The king chuckled as he pat his companion on the shoulder, “Fear not my friend, this is a battle for sport more than anything else. There will be no harm done other than the wounds of one’s pride.” He turned to face me and narrowed his gaze with a challenging smile, “I look forward to facing you at the allotted hour, Captain.”

I stood up and placed my hands on the table, returning his grin as I leaned over the space between us, “I’ll mop the parade grounds with your face and use you for a feather duster.”

He roared with laughter as the ponies shared nervous looks, “You have spirit, I’ll give you that, but don’t let your confidence get the best of you. Many a warrior was undone by their overzealous pride.”

“Why hello pot, I’m kettle.” I replied, although the blank stares I received made me realize I had blundered a bit, “Sorry, human expression. The whole thing goes something like, ‘the pot calling the kettle black’. I was sending your advice right back at you as a warning to heed your own words.”

He nodded understanding, choosing to ignore the frantic scribbling as Twilight wrote down everything I had just said. “Very well, I shall see you at the parade grounds. Come, Dusty, we have some preparations to make.”

With a nod to Celestia, the pair of gryphons made their exit, leaving me alone with the ponies for the time being.
The first thing I felt was a hoof whacking me upside the head, and I spun around to see Swift Blade glaring at me as her hoof came back to the floor. I hadn’t even seen her move from her position against the wall, so I was a little surprised she had managed to get right behind me without making a sound.

“Next time you think about challenging a national leader to a dual, remember what that feels like,” she said in a clipped tone as she reared up and rested her front legs on my shoulders. “You are not invincible, if that metal leg is anything to go by, and the gryphons are some of the most combat-ready people on the planet. You might only be in for a friendly duel, but I can guarantee that you’re not going to get out of this without some bruised bones and torn ligaments.”

I snorted as I gripped her hooves in my hands, “Is that all? I thought for a second you were actually warning me about something. If that’s all these overgrown turkeys can do to me I’d count myself lucky.” I pushed her off of me and turned to face Celestia, throwing a crisp salute while maintaining my sarcastic grin, “Permission to leave in preparation for the match, Your Highness?”

Her smile was small but the light in her eyes showed she appreciated the gesture, “Permission granted. Major Swift Blade can show you the way. Go on, we’ll be there in time for the match to start. I think I have some words to share with my student and her friends before we go.”

I nodded, turning to face Swift, “Then lead on, oh valiant commander of mine.”

She rolled her eyes but didn’t comment, choosing instead to spin on the spot and lead me out of the room. Everyone’s eyes followed me as we moved past them, all the way up to when the great doors closed behind us. I had a feeling I knew what Celestia wanted to talk about with the others, but it wasn’t my place to pry. If Celestia wanted to explain the complex reasoning behind warrior honor to a bunch of civilians then I wished her the best of luck. I had enough trouble explaining it to my squad during my time in the Corps, and they had the same experiences as me to go off of.

The walk through the castle was a leisurely one, although I could tell Swift was still a bit ticked at me for my behavior in the dining hall. She kept sending me glares over her shoulder, although I saw a bit of worry that managed to show through on the fifth and following glances. I smiled to myself, feeling a bit of warmth in my heart that Swift cared about me enough to worry for my safety. Of course she would probably never admit that to my face, but it was the gesture that mattered.
We exited the castle through a side door and found ourselves on the edge of a large open courtyard. What I assumed was the barracks sat opposite the castle, with a smaller field along one side filled to the brim with straw training dummies and obstacle equipment. Given the courtyard before us was a good half kilometer square, I had to imagine that the royal guard was a bit more numerous than I first believed. However, I wasn’t able to take in the scenery for too long, because I heard the steady thump of paws coming up from behind us.

I turned around and spied the gryphons walking out a door just a bit down the wall from our own exit point, with Dusty leading his king into the open. The guard was carrying a pair of swords in his talons, while King Edward walked along at a casual stroll. He nodded to Swift and I before passing us, allowing both of us to get a good look at his leather armor before coming to a stop several steps further into the courtyard.

“It would seem our hosts have not yet arrived,” the king mused as he stretched out his arms, legs and back, “a pity, I was hoping to show off a bit before pounding your hide into the dirt.”

I grinned as I walked up to the king and made a show of inspecting his armor, “Not going to be much of a show if all you’re going to use is that thin leather. Last I checked, swords cut through that stuff like butter on a hot day.”

He chuckled before nodding to Dusty, the silver gryphon unsheathing one of the blades before passing it to his king, “Ah, but that would be far too much risk for a simple duel.” He gripped the sword by the blade and held it aloft for me to examine, “the blades may be metal, but the edges have been dulled to avoid causing too much harm. This is a friendly match of skill, after all.”

I ran my fingers over the edge of the blade, nodding as I felt the rounded cuff instead of a razor’s edge, “Then I guess I won’t have to hold back against you.”

Dusty snorted, a look of disbelief in his eyes as he looked me up and down, “Like a scrawny thing your size could do anything to His Highness. You’d be lucky to last five seconds before he beat you into a pulp.”

I lifted one eyebrow, and was about to retort when Edward beat me to it, “Now, now, Dusty. We must not judge a book by its cover. After all, a Cockatrice looks like a mixed-up and confused creature upon first glance, yet many have met their end facing such a foe.” He turned to face me with a confidant grin on his beak, “I will not make the same mistake when I face young Sarah. She is an unknown in this world, and that means she could very well prove to be a worthy challenger.”

I felt a glow of pride in my chest, choosing to ignore Dusty’s rolled eyes. Swift was watching our exchange with rapt attention, taking in everything while remaining aloof. I ruffled her mane with my hand in an attempt to loosen her up, and managed to make her stick her tongue out at me before her stoic expression returned.

I walked up to Dusty and nodded to him, sliding the other blade free of its scabbard before turning to face King Edward, “You don’t mind if I practice a bit with this, do you?”

He gestured for me to proceed with a sweep of a talon, “Please, feel free to familiarize yourself with the weapon. It will only make the duel more exciting for me if my opponent knows her limits.”

I nodded, feeling the heat of excitement burning in my blood as I took several steps back. The blade in my hands was about five pounds and roughly four feet long. Much more suited to my size than the short little toothpicks the ponies used. It had a single edge along the bottom side, with a slight curve at the end for extra slicing power. The hilt was wrapped in simple leather while the crosspiece consisted of an unvarnished bar of steel. All and all, a well-made weapon that was simple enough to be created for the rank and file. Had the edge been sharpened I could actually imagine carrying something like this into battle in lieu of a combat knife.

The first couple swings were rough and unbalanced, but as I got a feel for it I actually started to flow with the weapon instead of fighting against it. The hum of metal sounded in my ears as the blade cut through the air, and I felt my lips curling into a grin as I began adding kicks and strikes to the battle dance I had just made up. It was completely unplanned and mostly came to me on the spot as I moved from strike to block and back again, and I couldn’t help but feel more alive swinging this hunk of metal around instead of trying to pop off a round into some terrorist’s chest. This felt, real, like I was actually getting ready to fight someone instead of going to a target range with my squad.

I slowly wound down my movements, bringing the blade up in front of me as I slowed my breathing. After closing my eyes for a second and letting my muscles loosen, I turned back to Swift and the others, hoping I hadn’t given too much away in that little performance.

Swift’s eyes were wide in wonder, while Dusty simply let his jaw hang loose in shock. I noticed their reactions, but it was the king’s eyes that I had the most interest in. One eyebrow was lifted while a talon rested against this chin. His head bobbed in a slow nod as he lowered his hand back to the ground.

I stood straight as he approached me, taking note that he was no longer using his casual stance. This was the stance of a warrior, perfectly balanced and ready to move at a moment’s notice.

“You move with grace and power unlike anything I have seen before,” he said slowly as he circled me, “your upright posture and thin build belie the speed and agility you seem to possess, and the skill in which you carry yourself speaks of years of combat experience.” He paused as he came around my left side and met my gaze, “You were not exaggerating when you said you had taken the lives of hundreds, were you?”

I nodded, lowering the tip of the blade to the ground and resting my hands on the pommel, “I am a seasoned soldier with three years of combat experience under my belt. I’ve fought in open deserts and I’ve fought in the crowded streets of the city. I’ve seen friends die and I’ve killed those responsible with my own two hands. While there are those who have seen more than me and have killed many times my count, you will not find anyone who can say they wanted those numbers and memories on their mind. War is a cruel and unforgiving monster that will do everything it can to break the will of a person. No one comes out the same as they went in. We all just try and pick up the pieces and live a normal life once we make it back home.”

He nodded, a light of pity and understanding in his eyes as he offered his talon to me, “Then it will be an honor to share the field of battle with you this day, even though it will not be a battle to the death.”

I paused for only a moment before taking his hand with my own, “It’s an honor to be here, Your Highness. I can tell you have your own stories to tell, but I think now is not the time for that.”

This made the old bird crack a smile as he reclaimed his limb, “Indeed, today is a day of merriment and competition. Let us not muddy the mood by bringing up old wounds.” He glanced over my shoulder and his eyes grew a bit brighter, “Ah, it would seem the peanut gallery has arrived.”

I laughed as I spun around, spying Celestia immediately as she walked out of the castle, closely followed by Twilight and her friends. The last three ponies to exit were unknown to me, although if the different colored armor they wore was any indication, these were the guard commanders Celestia had spoken about.

The first was a white unicorn stallion with a two-tone blue mane and tail, dressed in white and purple armor but lacking the trademark helmet. The second was a maroon pegasus mare with a neon yellow mane and tail. If her grumpy expression was anything to go by, it seemed like she needed to have the stick in her ass removed before anyone could get along with her. Her armor was silver with gold trim, also lacking the helmet of the grunts. The final stallion was unique from what I had seen of the ponies thus far. He looked like a pegasus, but instead of the trademark feathers he sported a set of leathery bat wings. He also had what looked like fangs poking out from under his top lip, and his golden eyes were slit like a snake instead of round. His fur was a near-black grey, while his mane and tail were a reflective silver. The armor on his body was black with navy blue highlights, and he had a set of sunglasses hooked onto the top of the chest plate. He squinted for a moment as he walked into the sunlight, before flipping the shades open with a hoof and slipping them over his eyes. I had no idea what kind of pony he was, but it looked like his kind were more of the nocturnal type.

“I apologize we took so long,” Celestia said calmly as she and the other ponies came into hearing range, “I was discussing some private matters with my commanders prior to your little bout. We weren’t holding you up by any chance, were we?”

King Edward shook his head with a smile, “Far from it Celestia.” He indicated me with a talon, “Captain Sarah and I were just getting to know one another a little better.”

I nodded, “Yeah, reminiscing about the past and sharing some stories from the battlefield.”

Celestia’s expression turned sour for a split second before she mastered herself, “Very well, I hope you don’t mind if my guard watch the match. I believe they are more than interested in seeing some new combat techniques.” She turned her head to indicate the three newcomers, “Let me introduce you. The unicorn stallion on the right is Captain Shining Armor, leader of the 21st Unicorn Battalion and head of the Royal Guard in Canterlot.”

He nodded his head once, his eyes narrowed in suspicion as he looked me up and down. I nodded in return, keeping my expression neutral.

Celestia continued without missing a beat, “The pegasus is Commander Jetstream, First Wingleader of the 73rd Royal Air Scouts and the direct supervisor of the Wonderbolts Squadron.”

“A pleasure.” was her clipped salutations. I snapped a two-finger salute which made one of her eyebrows lift in interest.

“And finally,” Celestia said as she turned to the mystery stallion, “we have Colonel Shadow Fury, commanding officer of the Thestral Night Guard and my sister’s most trusted military advisor.”

He flashed us a fang-filled grin as he walked up to me, extending his hoof as his eyes glinted behind his shades, “A pleasure to meet you at last. I’ve heard some interesting things about you Captain.”

I shook the offered hoof and returned his smile, “I could say the same about you, except I had no idea ponies like you existed until a few seconds ago. What are you called again, thestrals?”

He nodded as he pulled his leg back, “Aye, we’re the ponies that live for the night, unlike most of the others you’ll run into. We serve Princess Luna in guarding the country while the regulars sleep away their long and boring days. If you ever need to spice up your night life, give me a call.”

One of my eyebrows rose, and I heard a few of the ponies gasp, “Why Colonel, are you actually flirting while on duty? And in front of your commanding officer no less. For shame you rascal, for shame.”

Shadow Fury simply grinned like a fool before turning away, “Princess Luna is my commanding officer, and my shift doesn’t start until the sun goes down.” He flashed me another grin over his shoulder, “My offer stands, if you ever feel like having an adventure.”

Celestia cleared her throat, her cheeks showing just the slightest hint of red, “That is enough Colonel. We are here for a training exercise, not to flirt with a foreign officer.”

The look Shadow Fury sent Celestia was anything but apologetic, but he refrained from digging himself any deeper before returning to his place in line. Jetstream made to cuff him upside the head, but the thestral was quick enough to duck under the blow and stick his tongue out at her for good measure. It looked like there was about to be a fight between them, but a sharp look from Celestia stifled any hostilities until a later date.

I turned to face king Edward, noting that Dusty had moved off to stand with the ponies instead of next to his king, “So, how exactly do we go about with this duel?”

He smiled and waved me further into the courtyard with his sword, “We start by standing ten paces apart.”

I walked away from him until I was in position, raising my voice so he could hear me, “Okay, now what?”

“Now we salute the referee.” He raised his sword in Celestia’s direction, waiting for me to do the same before nodding to the Princess. Celestia nodded and we brought our blades back to center, facing off against each other, “The match will be decided by either submission or knockout. Do you accept these terms?”

I nodded, falling into a combat stance, “Ready when you are you old turkey.”

He cracked a grin as he held his blade on an angle, “Then prepare yourself. This will not be an easy battle.”

For a minute we simply stood there, waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally, I leapt forward and sprinted towards the king, my blade held in a cross guard as I closed the distance. Edward waited for me to get within range before striking out with his own blade, the metal flashing as he tried to get inside my guard before I could counter. I let the blade slip past my own before I locked our cross guards together, pushing into him with all of my momentum as I tried to drive him off balance. His paws slid in the dirt for a foot or two before he steadied himself, his eyes flashing with delight as he pushed back into me.

“You are stronger than you look.” He said as we battled over our locked blades.

I replied with a sarcastic grin, “Said the overgrown feather duster with the strength of a lion.”

His eyes flashed with pride as he poured more power into his upper body, slowly pushing the swords back at me, “Then you won’t be surprised if you lose this battle of strength.”

“Who said anything about a battle of strength?” I retorted as I locked my feet into the ground, “I was just getting your weapon out of my way so I could do this.”

“Do wha –,” his reply was cut short as I twisted the blades in a circle, breaking his grip on his own sword before both blades went sailing over my shoulder.

The dulled metal clattered and slid over the ground behind me, and I followed up on my disarming movement with a precision knife-hand to the side of his neck. The king grunted as he stumbled to one side, and I was just about to follow up with another strike when he flared his wings and leaped into the air.

I coughed as the dust of his liftoff irritated my lungs, “Hey, no fair! I can’t fly!”

He chuckled as he circled above with lazy strokes of his wings, “Ah but why would I limit myself to the ground when every gryphon is taught to battle on both land and in the sky? It would be a disservice to you if I didn’t come at you with everything I had.”

I growled as he came in low and swiped at me with his talons, shredding the side of my blouse but not breaking the skin. I knew full well he could have gutted me with that move, but it seemed he was sticking to his word about not trying to kill me. I spun around, hoping to catch his next attack with one of my own, but I was unprepared for the body tackle he used to knock me off my feet. We tumbled for a couple yards before he pinned me to the ground, his full body locking my legs and hips to the dirt while his talons held my arms to my sides.

He leaned down and let his beak gently run across the underside of my jaw, his eyes locked with mine as he spoke, “I could rip your throat out right now if I wanted to, and there would be nothing you could do to stop me. Yield.”
I struggled, trying to break free of his grip, but his body had to weigh a good three hundred pounds, and his talons were like vices against my upper arms. He waited for me to wear myself out, a confidant gleam in his eyes as he watched my futile efforts. Finally, I let my body go limp, grinning to myself as his grip loosened slightly.

Gotcha.

“So, do you conce – OOF!” His breath rushed out of his body as I slipped one of my arms free and delivered a drilling three-inch punch to his solar plexus. As his grip on me released completely, I used my legs and hips to roll us over, slipping my knees over his wings as my body came to rest on his stomach. I grabbed onto his talons with my hands and pinned them above his head, my face a mere inch from his own as I gasped for breath.

“You were saying?” I retorted, failing to hide the grin on my face as he regained his breath.

His chuckle was warm and rich, “It would seem I underestimated you. Yet you seem to have stuck yourself into an unwinnable situation. I can’t move, but you can’t attack me without giving me free reign to counter.”
I smiled, shifting my face from confident to devious, “Oh really? I bet I could knock you out before you could stop me.”

One eyebrow rose, “Oh? Then this I have to see. Just be warned,” his gaze hardened as he smiled devilishly at me, “I won’t promise such a painless end to this battle if you fail.”

I matched his smile, shifting my weight just the slightest bit before attacking. My metal leg extended and struck right between his hind legs, causing the king to make a very undignified squeak before his eyes narrowed into pinpricks. His arms immediately tried to protect his jewels, and I let his arms go as I jumped off of his body. He curled into a ball, holding his privates with one talon while struggling to stay standing with the other. I stepped back, allowing him to regain his composure, and I watched as the kind and confidant king devolved into his more primal instincts. He let out a noise that was halfway between an eagle’s screech and a lion’s roar, and leaped at me with both talons outstretched in an attempt to pin me again.

I let him come at me, waiting in a combat stance as he flew closer and closer at ever increasing speeds. Finally, just as he was about to reach me, I spun around on my foot, picking up my metal leg as I rotated and striking out in a perfectly executed three-sixty roundhouse. My metallic foot impacted the side of his head with all the force of my spin behind it, going so far as to knock him off to one side and spinning him on his axis like a top. He soared past me and landed in a heap on the ground, groaning as he tried and failed to get his claws under him. I turned around and picked up the swords I had removed from the fight earlier, and walked over to the king’s side before resting one of the blades under his chin.
He looked up at me with hazy eyes, and I gave him a genuine smile as I tapped his beak with the tip of the sword, “Not quite a knockout, but I’ll take it.”

He chuckled as he shook his head to clear it, “Well fought Captain. I yield the battle to you.”

I pulled the blade back and let both of them fall to the ground. I offered my hand to the king and felt slightly better about ringing his bell when he waved me off and pushed himself to his paws. He rubbed the side of his head with a talon and shook his head one more time before turning to look at me.

“You are a warrior through and through.” The admiration in his voice couldn’t have been faked, “I would be honored if you would do this again with me some time, it has been far too long since I could enjoy a battle like that without someone losing their life.”

I nodded, offering my hand to him and smiling when he took it in his own grip, “Anytime you old turkey.”

He chuckled as we walked back to the ponies, Dusty rushing past us to pick up the swords as we came to a stop in front of Celestia.

“Well Celestia,” King Edward asked as he rested a talon over my shoulders, “Has Captain Sarah proven to be a competent warrior?”

Celestia nodded, “I believe she has. It has been quite some time since I have seen you lose a duel, old friend. I believe this should be a learning experience for all of us.” She turned to her commanders, “What do you think of that battle, my trusted guard?”

Jetstream simply huffed as she tossed her nose in the air, “Any of my pegasi could beat her in a fight. She has no long-range capabilities to counter our flight and seems to resort to grappling as her primary means of attack. Not to mention she’d be char-broiled by lightning before she could even get close enough to do that.”

“Give me a projectile weapon and we’ll see who’s the winner of that fight.” I countered. “I’ve killed targets at almost half a mile with my rifle. How far away was your longest kill?”

She seemed to falter for a moment, “K-Kill? The Equestrian military doesn’t kill enemy soldiers. We haven’t needed to do that in almost a thousand years.”

“Then I guess I’ve got your entire military beat a hundred times over.” I continued, “I’ve personally ended the lives of over a hundred enemy combatants, along with saving the lives of thousands of civilians. What does that say about our two Corps?”

Jetstream bristled, but couldn’t seem to come up with a retort, although her companion, Shining Armor, seemed to have some things to say, “So you’re a murderer then? Is that the kind of example your species sets, bloodlust and destruction?”

“No, Shiny,” Twilight said as she tried to step between us, “you’ve got it all wrong. Sarah fights to protect her people from those who would destroy the lives of innocents. She would never –,”

“Step away from the creature, Twilight.” He interrupted the purple princess with a boldness I did not expect to see. His horn ignited as he pushed the smaller mare out of the way, “I’m going to deal with this threat here and now so we don’t have to worry about it later.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, “So I’ve been reduced to an ‘it’, have I? Well what exactly do you plan to do to me? Your fellow commander just said that your kind hasn’t killed another in almost a thousand years.”

His eyes narrowed, a pink bubble forming around me as his lips pulled into a grin, “Who said anything about killing you?”
I rapped my knuckles against the bubble, receiving a couple dull chunk sounds for my efforts. “Hmm, not bad. I bet you can keep this up for a while, can’t you?” His overconfident grin was all the answer I needed, “Well, guess it’s time to pull out the secret weapon.”

His grin vanished in an instant, while the interest of the others was immediately focused on me, “Secret weapon, what secret weapon?”

I snapped my fingers and felt the now familiar pulse of my Auramancy as my hands were engulfed in orange flames, “Just a little trick I picked up since coming to Equestria.”

His eyes widened as I pushed my fingers into the bubble, the magic holding me in flaring for a moment before my hand slipped through like it wasn’t even there. Shining Armor’s eyes widened in shock as more of my arm made its way through his shield, and he ground his teeth as the glow of his horn grew brighter. My arm felt like it was being pinched in a press, but I ignored the slight discomfort as I pushed more and more of my body through the barrier. Finally, as my upper body came free, Shining lost the will to keep trying the same spell when it was obviously failing, and dropped the shield completely as I stumbled to a standing position.

His horn flared again, but he was interrupted by Shadow Fury as the thestral rested a hoof on his shoulder. “Let it go Shining. It’s obvious she’s got more tricks than you can handle. She could have attacked you once she got her limb free of the shield, but chose instead to free the rest of her body instead of taking it out at the source. I don’t know about you, but that speaks volumes about what kind of being she is.”

Shining growled, but didn’t honor the thestral’s words with a reply. However, his hard gaze locked onto me as he spoke his next words in a barely veiled threat, “Fine, but I’m warning you, creature. If you hurt anypony, especially my sister, then there is not a place on Equis where you can hide from me. Do I make myself clear?”

“Your sister?” I asked, “Who’s your sister?”

My attention was redirected by someone clearing their throat, and I turned to see Twilight lifting a hoof in the air with a sheepish expression, “That would be me. Shining Armor is my older brother.”

My eyes widened for a moment, before my gaze locked back onto the white stallion in front of me, “You don’t have to worry about that, Captain. I would protect Twilight and her friends with my life if I had to. You have nothing to fear in that regard.”

His nod was crisp but at least it wasn’t outright hostile anymore, “I’ll be holding you to your word, Captain. See to it that I don’t regret it.”

I snapped a sharp salute, and he returned in with equal vigor. We dropped our limbs at the same time, and I thought I saw the slightest hint of respect in his eyes. It was gone before I could be sure, but I hoped that at least buried the proverbial hatchet without one of us having to pound the other into oblivion. I turned to face Celestia, and was reassured by the simple nod she gave me, her eyes giving off an almost motherly glow as she turned to face the rest of our group.

“Well, my little ponies, I believe it is time for us to bid King Edward and his guard farewell.” She nodded to the gryphon ruler with a smile, “I believe we can finish the trade talks tomorrow afternoon?”

He nodded, “I believe I could use a bit of a break after that thrilling match.” He sent me a grin as he bowed his head in my direction, “I would be delighted if we could do this again at a later date, Captain Sarah. It was a match I will remember for years to come.”

I smiled, “I’ll be waiting to kick your behind into the dust anytime you want.”

Dusty bristled but let it go as King Edward returned my smile, “Don’t get cocky now. I may have lost the first duel, but it will not be so easy the next time we face each other.”

I held out my hand to him, “Then until next time.”

He took my hand in a tight grip and shook it once, “Until next time.”

With that the duo walked back into the castle, leaving the ponies and me alone in the setting sunlight. Celestia turned to the commanders and spoke with the regal tone of her station, “I want a full report on what you all witnessed here today by the end of the week. While it was unconventional, there were several things in that duel that could be useful to the guard if applied appropriately. I want each of you to figure out what it was I saw and come back to me with practical applications for our own troops.”

The three commanders snapped a salute at the same time, “Yes Ma’am!”

Celestia nodded, “Then you are dismissed.”

They nodded before returning to the castle, although Shadow Fury sent me one last cheeky grin over his shoulder before
the door closed behind him. I rolled my eyes and chuckled as Celestia turned to address the rest of us, although my jovial mood was summarily crushed when I caught Celestia’s serious expression.

Twilight was the first to speak, although it looked like she didn’t beat Rainbow or Pinkie by much, “What is it Princess? Is there something wrong?”

Celestia nodded, “In all the excitement I forgot that we were supposed to speak about the incident in Ponyville. I must contact my sister immediately, for if I am going to share this story with you, then it would be best if she were here to add her own insights.”

That brought the temperature of the air down by several degrees, and I heard Applejack gulp as Celestia turned her calculating gaze onto me, “There is a long and dark story behind the sorcerers we now face, and it will be a tale that must not leave this group for any reason. I have taken great lengths to keep this knowledge from the general population, as it would terrify most ponies into never leaving their homes after dark.” She moved her gaze from me to each pony in turn, “Swear that you will keep what you are about to hear a secret, for as long as you live. Nopony must know what I am about to tell you, even if the worst comes to pass and we fall into battle with these necromancers.”

All seven ponies nodded in turn, although Swift threw in a salute for good measure. She had remained off to the side during most of the conversation, but I had a feeling she was going to be getting a bit more than she bargained for once Celestia and Luna started talking about this forbidden history. If the slight widening of her gaze was anything to go by, she was outright flabbergasted that she was going to be privy to a secret her superiors were not, and in all honesty I couldn’t blame her. Being in on a national secret would throw anyone for a loop, be they a civilian or high-ranking official.

Celestia met each of our gazes one more time before nodding, leading us back into the castle without a word. We filed in behind her and followed her back to the throne room, and for the very first time I saw what it was that Celestia did. Her horn ignited with a bright golden glow, and I watched as she hovered off the ground, the sun rapidly sinking below the horizon as she came back to the marble tiles.

My jaw must have been hanging on the floor, because there was no way what I had just seen had really happened, “Did she just do what I think she did?”

Twilight glanced up at me and giggled, “Oh, that’s right, I don’t think anypony told you yet. One of Princess Celestia’s duties is to raise and lower the sun, while Princess Luna raises and lowers the moon at night.”

I took a moment and got my racing mind under control, filing that new information into the ‘Nope!’ file in the back of my mind. I could deal with magical ponies that could teleport and lift things with their minds, but I could not suspend my disbelief to really consider two immortal sisters that literally moved the sun and moon. I could pull that little nugget of crazy out once I was alone and I could have a proper freak-out, but now was not the time.

I watched as the moon rose above the horizon in the east, followed soon after by the entrance of Princess Luna. She took one look at us and then turned to her sister, “Is it time?”

Celestia nodded, “It is. If they are going to be fighting necromancers at some point in the near future, then they need to know the whole story.”

Luna sighed, “Even after you shared this history with me, I still have trouble believing that I caused you all that suffering, even after I had been banished to the moon.”

Celestia draped a wing over her sister’s back, shushing the smaller alicorn as she looked her sister in the eye, “It wasn’t your fault Lulu. You had no way of controlling what happened after you left, and I was too stubborn to realize how important you were until it was far too late. The blame for those dark years rests on me and me alone. You were the one protecting us. I just never understood how much we needed you because I was too blinded by the adoration of the citizens to notice. For that, I am so, so sorry.”

Luna smiled, even though there were tears threatening to escape her eyes, “Thank you sister. Even now you help me to overcome the guilt of my transgressions.” She let out a gusty sigh before straightening, “Very well, let us begin this sorry tale before the night grows too late.”

Celestia nodded, turning to face us as her expression shifted to a more somber one, “You might want to take a seat, this is not a short tale, nor is it an easy one to hear.”

I sat down and crossed my legs as the girls did the same. Swift rested on her stomach while Twilight and Fluttershy leaned against my shoulders. Rainbow chose to hover over my head instead of landing, and somehow Celestia’s tone had even managed to make Pinkie Pie sit still. Rarity sat on Twilight’s other side, although she seemed to be distracted by the damage King Edward had made to my clothing. I made a mental note to have her fix it once we got back to Ponyville. It just didn’t quite feel right wearing such a well-crafted article when it was damaged like it was.

Celestia lay down on her stomach and smiled when Luna did the same, keeping her wing draped over her sister’s back as she turned to face us. “I guess the best place to start would be the beginning. It all started one thousand years ago, right after I banished Nightmare Moon to the moon with the Elements of Harmony. As you know, it was at that point that our connection to the Elements was lost, and I made the choice to move the capital of Equestria to Canterlot. The pain of seeing the same hallways where my sister and I had once played as foals was too much to bear. The Castle of the Two Sisters, better known as Everfree Castle in those days, was left to ruin in favor of the more popular location I had come to call my new home. The ponies were happy, and I knew that in time, my sister would return. It would be a long and painful journey, but one day we could be a family again. Yet, it was not to last. At the time, I had no idea the responsibilities my sister carried along with tending the moon. You all know that my sister cares for the dreams of ponies and other creatures that call Equestria home, but even that ability was unknown to me, so blinded as I was by the praise of the citizens.”

Luna nuzzled her sister’s neck with her head, and Celestia paused to take a deep breath before continuing, “It was only after Luna left that mysterious incidents began to occur. Ponies went missing after dark, and strange magic seemed to pop up at random locations across the country. It was only after an entire village went missing that I realize something was terribly wrong.”

“What was it?” Twilight asked, her eyes wide in wonder.

Celestia’s eyes seemed to age by several centuries as she watched things only she could see, “Dark magic. The most foul and poisonous sorcery a pony could imagine. What none of us realized, even compared to her dream-walking, was that Luna was, is, the protector of the night. She cares for the citizens while they sleep, and keeps the darkness in check until the sun rises at dawn. I never could have imagined what it was my sister kept at bay all those years, but with Luna gone, well.”

For a moment, silence hung in the air around us, until I filled in the rest of her sentence, “The things that Luna protected the citizens from, found out they no longer had someone holding their leash. The things that go bump in the night, no longer had to hide under beds and in the shadows beyond the torchlight. The darkness that feeds on fear and death, could now roam about the country as it saw fit.”

Fluttershy made a soft squeak and hid her face against my chest, and I wrapped an arm around her body as she shivered against my ribcage.

Celestia nodded as the other ponies stared at Luna, a new light of understanding and awe taking up almost every face. Even Swift was not immune, her fidgeting forehooves and fluffed neck fur a testament to her frazzled nerves.

“It is as Sarah says,” Luna’s voice was little more than a whisper, “the darkness is home to many horrors that would more than enjoy snuffing the life of an innocent. Waking nightmares that escaped from the dream realm, monstrous horrors that skulk about after dark and foul magic that can twist the purest soul into a murdering demon.”

A shiver ran up our collective spines, and I chose to ask the question that I assumed was on everyone’s mind, “So when Discord spoke about the Shadow Wars, he was talking about those things, wasn’t he?”

Celestia nodded, “It took almost one hundred and fifty years before I had contained or destroyed the darkness that had appeared. Without Luna to keep them at bay, the horrors that hunted at night would take anypony caught out alone. Sometimes ponies would disappear for several days, only to come back as twisted versions of themselves, corrupted by black magic into monsters that would just as easily eat a pony as speak to one. But that wasn’t the worst of it. There were a select few who were not driving completely insane by the dark magic coursing through their veins. In fact, some even grew smarter and more cunning the more power they acquired. This was the origin story of the necromancy school of magic, along with a few other sub-schools that twisted the normally peaceful and benevolent schools into mockeries of their true selves. Raising the dead, controlling the minds of others, even the ability to take any inanimate object and imbue it with dark magic so that anypony who came into contact with it would become as corrupted as the caster. All came to be during this time of darkness and suffering. There is a reason I have stricken its existence from the history pages. It was a time where not even I could sleep peacefully at night, for fear I would wake to find my entire castle staff had been turned into undead monsters.”

For a moment, no one could even speak. The idea of the ponies living through something like that almost made me think of the war back home. Except this wasn’t some far-off land where only the strong went to fight. This was in their backyards, in their homes and in their nightmares. It must have been terrifying to be alive during that time.

“It wasn’t until nearly sixty years had passed that we finally caught a break.” Celestia continued, “It was at that point that the first Auramancer was discovered, and the ability was quickly taught to anypony who could wield the power at any level. Schools sprang up like weeds, and soon Auramancers were a regular part of the Equestrian Army. We finally had something to fight back with that worked, and I took the chance to strike back at the darkness that had engulfed my nation.”

“When I first heard of Auramancy,” Luna added, “it was like I had seen the darkest of magics given a place in the light. No longer would a pony lose their soul if they became lost in the darkness. Instead, ponies could use the light within their souls to push back against the shadows that hide in the forgotten realms of fear and pain. It was almost too good to believe.”

Celestia nodded, “Indeed, that was what I felt like when I first heard of Auramancy as well. It was like a raft thrown to a drowning foal in the middle of a raging sea. I took every chance I had and battled the darkness to the last. And after another ninety years of hard fighting, we finally did it. We pushed the horrors beyond Equestria’s borders, and eradicated the black magic users wherever we could find them. The next eight hundred and fifty years were peaceful and beautiful, and over time, ponies forgot what it was like during the early years of Luna’s banishment. I didn’t have the heart to make them remember something so frightening and horrible, so I wiped the history books clean of any mention of the Shadow Wars, hoping that we would never have to remember those terrifying years.”

“And now the darkness is back,” I said slowly, “after all this time, it’s finally grown strong enough to try again, even with Princess Luna here to protect the ponies during the night.” I shared a concerned look with the others before turning to Celestia and Luna, “Why now, and where did it come from?”

“The darkness is always there,” Luna said with a calmer tone than I thought was possible, “waiting just beyond the reach of our vision and within the more fearful expanses of our minds. Just because my sister destroyed the living manifestations of it, does not mean she eradicated it entirely. I would imagine that the remnants she did not destroy, but rather banished beyond our borders, waited and grew in strength while Equestria grew soft and peaceful. Now that they are back to full strength, and with Equestria so used to the comforts of harmony, we are ill-prepared to challenge them when they do make themselves known.”

“So we’re going to have to fight them, underprepared and under armed, with next to no hope of taking them on with equal terms.” I said, “Is that what I’m hearing you say right now?”

Celestia nodded, “You are the only living Auramancer in Equestria. We cannot send out word for trainees without alerting the public that something is wrong. If the general population knew what kind of danger they were in, the panic that would ensue would tear the country apart. No, we cannot let news get out, not without some kind of cover story to keep the masses comfortable.”

“But that’s lyin’ to the entire country ‘bout something that could kill them!” Applejack yelled as she leaped to her hooves, “Ah know we need to try and stay calm about this, but you can’t expect me to not tell my family about all this when any one of them could be next! Mah sister goes out almost every weekend with her friends and camps with them in the Whitetail Woods! What if one of those monsters gets her because Ah didn’t warn her about the dangers of going out after dark?! What if my brother needs to tend to the chickens and some undead thing gets him when he’s too far from the house to call for help?! What if –,”

“ENOUGH!!” Celestia’s thundering cry immediately silenced the irate farm mare, and I felt my heart skip a beat at the smoldering look Celestia now sported.

She mastered herself with some difficulty, but her tone was still hard as she spoke, “I understand you worries Applejack, but let’s say we did let you tell your family about the dangers of going out after dark. Would you expect them to keep the secret from their friends? What of their friend’s friends? Where does it stop? The simple fact is that if even one pony is told about the dangers that are brewing on the horizon, it would be a matter of days until the entire country knows. The panic that would envelope the country would make protecting the ponies even harder than if they had no idea what was going on. False accusations would fly like parasprites in every town and village from Manehatten to Vanhoover. Not to mention what would happen if some ponies got it into their heads to hunt these dark creatures on their own. I saw it happen many times during the Shadow Wars. Ponies would create hunting parties and march off into the night with next to no gear and no plan of attack.” Celestia’s ears folded against her head as her gaze lowered to the floor, “Most of them never came back, and even if they did return, most of those were the same horrors they had gone out to fight.”

Applejack slowly sat down again, thoroughly cowed by the reason in Celestia’s voice. The solar princess looked to the others one by one, as if asking for any other complaints or opinions. No one said a thing.

With another sigh, Celestia stood up, stretching her back as Luna did the same, “Now that you all know the story, I ask that you trust my sister and I. We will come up with a plan for fighting these dark sorcerers, without causing nation-wide panic. Until then, try and go about your days as normal, and enjoy the peace while it still lasts.”

With that, the sisters walked out of the throne room, leaving me, Swift and the element bearers alone with about a million questions between us.

“Well this stinks,” Rainbow said as she crossed her hooves with a huff, “do they really expect us to sit on our flanks and do nothing while these monsters are getting ready to attack?”

“I don’t know Rainbow,” I said as I stood up and popped my back, “but do you really want to try and argue with them after what we just heard?”

Rainbow’s combative expression softened a tad, “Well, no, but it still bites that we have to wait for instructions when we could be doing something about it.” She groaned as she landed and paced back and forth, “How are we supposed to be the protectors of Equestria, if we can’t even protect the ones who live next door to us?”

“While it is a trying dilemma,” Rarity said as she got to her hooves, “We don’t really have a choice in the matter. We all gave our word that we would keep this a secret. I know it wasn’t a Pinkie Promise, but I would think your word to Princes Celestia and Princess Luna would mean something.”

Twilight growled as she ruffled her wings, “I’m a princess of Equestria too. Don’t I get a say in all this? I mean, sure Celestia and Luna are over a thousand years old and have a lot more experience than me, but even Luna was just as much in dark as we were until Celestia told her the story.” She stomped a hoof in frustration, “AARRRGGGG! How am I supposed to be the Princess of Friendship if Celestia and Luna don’t even let me have any say in the big decisions? Am I not royal enough to have the same responsibilities as they do?”

She marched around the room for several minutes while the others talked about what they were going to do next. Meanwhile, I simply stood there like a dunce, hoping that we could get out of here and back to Ponyville so I could get some sleep. Big reveal or not, Celestia and Luna had made their choice very clear, so arguing about it was going to get us nowhere. In the meantime, I was losing sleep after an already short night and I was about ready to drop. I glanced down as I felt a weight rest against my leg, and noticed Fluttershy was about ready to nod off standing up. I reached down and picked her up bridal style, her level of fatigue so high she hardly reacted to being picked up. Her eyes met mine for about half a second before she fell asleep against my chest. I glanced down at Swift, who gave me a single raised eyebrow in reply, before I shrugged and settled Fluttershy into a more comfortable position. If she was going to sleep in my arms, I might as well make it as nice for her as possible.

In the end, the others came to the same conclusion I had, as we caught the last train back to Ponyville. Once we got back we all returned to our homes for the night, Fluttershy being given a guest room in Twilight’s castle instead of me having to take her all the way to her cottage. I somehow managed to get my clothes off my body and collapsed into my bed, immediately passing clean out almost before my head hit the pillow. I slept until well past noon the next day, and I felt like a new woman when I opened my eyes to the bright sunshine. Now if only I could get my mind to stop screaming about the fact that Luna really was in my dreams the other night I’d be doing just great.

Author's Notes:

Holy Mother of Celestia!! This is the biggest chapter I've ever written by almost double my previous record!! Anyway, it's nice to see all of you after almost of a month of nothing. No, I'm not dead, just taking a much-needed break after the huge marathon of chapters I put out last time. Do you have any idea the amount of energy it takes to put out a chapter every other day for two weeks?! Not easy, let me tell you.

Anyways, I hope to get another two or three chapters done this time around before my mind goes off cycle, but don't expect anything like what you all got last time. My brain is still ringing after the number of times I rang my own bell trying to get chapters out fast enough to keep up with my imagination.

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed my little after-hiatus present. I should be getting the next chapter out sometime after the holiday. It's great to finally be back and I'm ready to make some chapters for you all.

See you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon. (Oh it feels great to say that again)