The sun was shining upon Canterlot and all of its streets were filled with buzzling ponies wandering around and chattering. What had them so up and about gossiping was not just the upcoming Gran Galloping Gala, the first Gala to be held in Equestria since the Age of Chaos. It was also about its Guest of Honour, Ser Golden Cross. It had been a week since the duel between Golden Cross the Lawbringer and Mighty Rich the False Lord and Former Commander of the Bronze Army. The brutal defeat and death of Mighty Rich had made waves through the entire city and all of its social circles from the poor to the rich.

Through out those seven days had Golden Cross been hounded by nobles seeking his favours and soldiers asking to be taught in the way of his Order. It had been infuriating since he had been forced to actually accept the training part since he had already given the bronze soldiers the basic training regime, which now all of the armies and even the regular guards were using. It took up some of his free time to read and research but he found it enjoyable with Grand Music and Happy Meal joining in on the training.

He had not been very keen on making up training regimes for his 'not-totally-made-up' order but he ha some ideas from training regimes from the knowledge he had from his home world. Imitation is the finest of flattery and he hoped that this would include him giving the ponies the basic training regimes of the Spartans and the Romans, he was hoping that they would refine it on their own. He had stated how he had not gone through the basic training of his 'order' for years, considering he knew them by instinct by now was he not able to properly remember everything, hopefully this would lead to the ponies developing some of their own training techniques.

It had come as a surprise to him that the two foals wanted to train in his way, but he had not had the heart to refuse them. And it would give them a decent exercise to keep healthy. Plus, training the soldiers gave him an excuse to not see those nobles constantly wanting to ask him how he had obtained those documents revealing Mighty Rich's evil deeds. The princess had been curious about it had accepted him explaining that he had sworn to not reveal the identity of the one who found the documents, which was true since he was not certainly not going to reveal himself as Maleficus Victoria.

But even if he manage to evade the inquiries of the nobles could he not evade the Princess' invitation to the Gala. He had wanted to reject the invitation but he knew that he should accept it, even if he was a loner by nature was his Golden Cross persona a knight and thus bound by chivalry to attend such events. Even as he told them he had never been part of an official party or event outside of a few gatherings of his order, the ponies had only seemed even MORE motivated to getting him to attend.

Heck, Grand Feast insisted on it even if she had not been invited yet. It made him feel slightly nauseous but the fact that he managed to get Celestia to also invite Grand Feast and her children made it all worth it in the end. There was also the fact that one of said children was the Future Lord of the Mighty Family, which probably going to be renamed into the Grand Family since he has a new name now.

Grand Music had not wanted to live in his family home ,it held too much painful memories, instead he, after having received some telepathic communications by the aid of one certain General's assistant, he told them to make the house into a branch of his new mother's eatery. Grand Feast had been protesting but the foal refused to not repay her and the mare found herself the owner of two of the most well visited eateries in the city, which she repaid her newly adopted son by giving him lots of hugs and treats.

She still preferred her original store at her Clan Home but she would go between each store to check up on things and to make sure that none of her new staff went without instructions or aid if required. The heirlooms and belongings of his former family was gathered at his new home in the apartment above Grand Feast's eatery, said apartment had been expanded by two floors while a basement had been made to expand the eatery. Once again, all decided by Grand Music to repay his new mother who would in vain try to tell him that he did not need to.

Golden Cross had enjoyed those events, they had been the far most enjoyable parts of the last seven days. Second being watching the two foals try and mimic his stances and going through the basic training he had developed for the soldiers to develop proper spine muscles to stand upright. It was rather adorable and he made sure to keep them from over doing it, he did not want to get a stern talking to by Grand Feast for letting the foals over exercise themselves.

He did not want to admit it, but he felt a twinging sting of paternal pride in him, something he had never felt before. It frightened him a little, he was not used to such sensations, and yet, he enjoyed it far too much to not want to keep feeling such sensations. So he personally gave them tips and aid whenever they needed, some of the soldiers even offered the two foals some suggestions and light spars to help them along, the two foals had essentially become the mascots of the Equestrian Military and Militia forces.

But such pleasant things were not part of his life at the moment, seeing how he was going through what he personally called, a stagnation of pinching suffering, or otherwise known as tailoring. He had made an absent mention of going to the Gala in his armour and Princess Celestia had gotten wind of it from Solid Pink who had been told by Grand Feast, an the three mares had in secret hired a group of tailors to make him a proper suit for the Gala.

*And boy do I regret stating that facts right now, since rather then telling me about it they just decided to ambush me after I washed up after practice and dragged me into this store. Juuuuust great.* He thought to himself as he kept stock still, not giving the tailor the satisfaction of reacting whenever she 'accidentally' inserted the needles a bit wrong and struck his hide beneath the yellow and green cloth they were putting on him. The tailor had been sticking him with needles for over an hour already and he figured she was doing it on purpose now just to get a reaction out of him.

The uniform was based upon a tabard of a knight's armour, but it was designed to be more like a uniform rather then a sleeveless breastplate decorating tunic. And his neck was decorated with a golden necklace marking his status as a knight. He felt awfully silly but did not want to show any reactions to the three giggling mares watching him from the other side of the store. Celestia (disguised as a pink pegasus), Solid Pink and Grand Feast, the three evil witches who had bound him to this torture.

They had become rather close friends since the whole Duel Debacle, apparently Celestia visited Grand Feast's shop whenever she could and always ordered freshly made pastries for when she could not go there herself. While Solid Pink had started chatting and gossiping with Grand Feast whenever she came over to check up on Grand Music or gathering the Princess' deliveries from the store.

A pricking needle almost made him flinch but he managed to keep himself still, it would not do to let himself get distracted in his current torture chamber. Although he had to admit that the yellow, green and black fit with his mane and pelt in some strange manner. Not that he was going to try and figure it out, he had never seen the point of such meaning even before he became a pony.

"So Sunny when exactly shalt the Gala start? Thou didst not specify a time." Grand Feast asked the Princess, disguising herself as a pink pegasus named Sunny Day, while she and Solid Pink shared some of the snacks available in the store. They were just some sugar cubes and mint tea but it was not bad and she found it enjoyable to eat something someone else had cooked for once.

"Oh the Princess said it should be by Eight of the Evening. Which shalt also include much delectable treats, like these delicious pastries." The Princess in question answered before munching on a muffin from a box of pastries from Grand Feast's shop she had been carrying with her the entire time.

*Makes Us jealous of her alicorn body, would be wonderful to eat so much and not gain any extra weight.* Grand Feast thought as she watched the disguised princess devour several pounds worth of sugar. Solid Pink seemed used to such scenes since she was not reacting to it and just calmly ate her sugar cubes and drank her tea.

Unknown to the preparing ponies, would there be some uninvited guests coming to the Gala, with less the honorable intentions.

In a dark attic room was a group of robed, two legged furry creatures, going through gears and weapons. Vials, arrows, strange small pellets, cloaks, ropes, crossbows, short bows, throwing knives and daggers. Everything was being given a look over, nothing was to go wrong on this mission or they would not live to loot the city.

"We got everything, yes?" The leader of the group asked with a nervous twitch in his voice, this was the moment, they could not make any mistakes. As he received the nods of confirmation from his fellow assassins he gave them a nod and opened the window, revealing the moon lit night of Canterlot.

"Good. We move now, swift and silent." And with a soundless leap he sprang out onto the nearby roof and with springy legs and clawed feet and hands he and his fellows moved towards the large majestic keep at the center of the city. Tonight would be a night of murder and death, today they would assassinate Princess Celestia. A mission near impossible, yet still may be possible, yet if they should fail killing her, at least they would severely weaken her.

The group of dark robes leap and climb across the roofs without being spotted, the dark night, even with the moon shining, hid their shapes even better then the shadows during the day. But the difficult part was approaching as the brightly lit central keep with its white marble walls, pillars and towers were lit up by torches, glowing crystals and braziers. There was a large crowd of ponies entering the castle as the dark shapes leaped off a roof and started climbing up the castle wall on the opposite side of the main entrance.

While the dark rouges were moving from the roofs of the city to the external walls of the castle, was a certain alicorn in disguise entering the castle ground as well.

Grumbling Golden cross was shifting his newly made suit, rubbing the tightly woven fabric around his neck, not really enjoying the awkward feeling. The fabric felt too tight on his body and was restricting his body movements, it also itched a bit too. "I cannot believe I let you guys convince me to attend this peacock party."

The mare and the two foals just snickered and giggled at his discomfort as they walked together through the large crowd going through the street. Grand Feast was dressed in a green and blue dress that fit her chocolate brown pelt and lime green mane and tail. While the little Lord Grand Music was dressed in a small black suit decorated with emblems and a knight's chain across his neck, made for his size. Happy Meal was dressed in a yellow and orange dress that made her look like a mixture between an orange and a lemon, but she did not seem to mind with how she kept jumping around in joy.

"Oh thou should not bother thee too much Ser Cross. A knight like thee should be comfortable attending such events." Grand Feast said with a grin while Golden Cross just gave her a flat stare and she just giggled at that. The old knight had told her that he had never attended events like the Grand Galloping Gala, he was a wandering Knight who sentenced criminals while fighting the dangers of the lands, not a pompous knight who attended parties.

"You knows perfectly well that I have never attended any event like this in my life. None of the members of my order were ever part of such grandiose parties." The old pony said with a snort as they entered the courtyard, Happy Meal just giggled at his frowning face and even Grand Music was finding the old warrior's discomfort amusing. He felt like he was the butt of some kind of joke but he was not sure which or even how, but decided to put that aside for much later, when he was not feeling himself being strangled by his overly tight suit of uniform.

The larger gates to the castle were spread wide open by a pair of well decorated Sun Guards, their golden plate mail shining in the available lights in the courtyard. Ponies of all manners were wandering about and enjoying themselves, and Golden Cross could practically taste the self importance radiating from some of them. He noticed how there were not many ponies outside of the nobility, not that he would even imagining them enjoying such a gathering, but it still felt a bit off.

"Wonder why so few above the ranks of nobility are in this so called gala, I thought it was supposed to be shared by many from all social standards, not just those of high status." He muttered while eyeing the crowd, Grand Feast did not say anything but she felt that things were not right either and when they spotted a pegasus stallion in highly decorated armour talking with a well dressed mare unicorn by the entrance of the gates they noticed a line of some kind at the edge of the gates, with a lot of disgruntled ponies waiting in line.

"We art telling thee, We hath been invited! We shoved thee Our letter of invitation!" The mare said in a highly frustrated voice while the pegasus guard just shook his head.

"We art sorry madame Bright Locks, but thou art not part of the Guest List-" That's when Golden Cross stepped up towards the doors, the soldier moved to intercept the large earth pony.

"Halt! We need to know thy name before entry!" Golden Cross's eyes bore into the Guard's and the pegasus felt a bit uncertain of confronting the large earth pony but he pulled out an elegant parchment with a long list of names on it and tried to not shake as the earth pony spoek to him.

"Golden Cross, Knight of the Lawbringer Order. With Grand Feast ,caretaker of Lord Grand Music, along with her daughter Happy Meal." The knight found two of those names on the list, but not Grand Feast or Happy Meal's names.

"We art sorry Ser by those commoners art not on th-" A large hoof reached out and grasped the guard by the throat and lifted him up into the air , pulling him face to face to a disgruntled old stallion whose expression spoke out of how much he cared about said list.

"Now you listen, and listen good, I know how the Princess personally invited Grand Feast and her Daughter. I was there when she and her personal adviser handed her the letter of invitation so I know this as facts. And now you are telling me, that because of a list YOU are telling us is more important then the personal invitation of your Monarch, they are not allowed entry?" The guard gasped and struggled in the powerful grip, trying to demand his release, he looked to the other guards at the entrance but they were all currently busy looking at the castle garden for unsavory ponies, that was their story and they were sticking to it.

"I think we can have this all fixed in a nice, and proper fashion, by asking the Princess herself, what is the true way of conducting invitations." As the pegasus' face grew pale was a smirk growing on Golden Cross' muzzle before he casually tossed the guard to the side. He looked down as the pegasus regained his breath and snorted.

"The next time you, or those giving you instructions, try to mix up another scheme like this, I suggest you think very, VERY, carefully before even considering it. Because unlike me, I am fairly certain that the Princess will give you a far harsher punishment then public humiliation." He then walked past the guard, who scrambled himself upright, rubbing his throat. The stallion looked ready to try and restore order and shout out orders at his fellow guards, when he got knocked unconscious by the line of ponies that had been standing outside of the entrance s they trampled him down to get inside. Too bad the other guards were too busy doing their duties or they might have been able to aid him, huh, funny how things work out in the end.

Golden Cross had a satisfied smirk on his face as they entered the large entrance hall, with Grand Feast giving him a bemused look while the two foals were giggling. "Thou art a mean old grump with the mind of a foal Golden Cross." Grand Feast finally stated with a smile on her muzzle and the old earth pony just gave her a smile and a raised eyebrow as if asking her if she just realized that. She then broke out into laughter and bumped his shoulder as they walked through the large hall with the two foals in tow.

A lone guard pony was standing guard on the castle wall grumbling to himself about the unfairness of him being stuck up on the wall rather the being inside the castle and enjoying the party. So into his bad mood was he that he never noticed a group of dark shapes climb up onto the castle wall behind him. The group looked at the disgruntled guard and raised and eyebrow at one another as if wondering if they even needed to do anything about him.

In the end they decided to continue on their way and leave the guard to his grumbling, it would be foolish to alert the ponies by killing a guard so soon into the operation. Best to keep it nice and quiet for now.

With light and silent steps the group of assassins moved across the wall towards one of the towers. As they moved across they noticed a far larger amount of guards by the tower entrance upon the walkway reaching across towards the central keep. Then one of them noticed a line of rope holding a line of banners in the air and motioned for it. The group looked at one another before nodding.

The first one tested the sturdiness of the rope and how well it would hold. He got up on the edge of the wall and pressed down one one of his clawed feet upon the rope. It held and was very firm and almost no slack in it, it must have been tied down tightly to prevent the rope from risking falling down in a gust of wind. Well it would work against the ponies this time. Hunching forward the figure grasped onto the rope with his clawed hands and slowly began to walk over the rope, and soon the rest of his brethren followed.

And so, with clawed fingers and feet they began to walk over the rope, careful to not disturb the banners too much with their body movements, it would not do to gather the attention of the guests and guards in the courtyard. Slowly but surely they crawled from the castle wall to the central keep.

Pressing themselves up against the walls and moving through the shadows, the assassins began to move towards their goal, the throne room.

Princess Celestia wanted the night to be a good and warm time for all of her subjects. It was to be a celebration for their survival and prosperity, were their worries could be forgotten for a time.

The castle was lit up by torches and crystals, chandeliers with lit candles were hanging from every ceiling in all the rooms and halls. Large tables were covered in a mountain of food and drinks all over the main hall. She was seated upon her throne enjoying the music of the musicians playing in the halls.

Several nobles had been attempting to scurry favours or conversations with her all evening, but she had politely declined, waiting for her personal guests whom she wanted to enjoy the gala with. And soon they came, out of the large open gates to the main throne room came the large form of Golden Cross with Grand Music, his mother Grand Feast and the cheerful little filly Happy Meal, with a large crowd of other ponies entering as well.

She wondered why so many arrived at once but figured she would figure that out later, for now she was going to enjoy the evening with decent food, Grand Feast's pastries were really starting to spoil her appetite, and some of her newly made friends. With a smile and a light skip in her steps the alicorn moved over to the quartet as they moved over the white marble stone floor and she eagerly hugged Grand Feast when she reached them.

"Oh We art so glad that thou came! We were starting to get traumatically bored!" Golden Cross just gave the two hugging mares a raised eyebrow, but then he looked around and took noticed of how most of the nobles in the room were acting more like this was some kind of conference or business meeting rather then a party. He could figure the reason for her boredom even at a large feast like this.

But now a fresh crowd of non-nobles had entered and the atmosphere of the dull and boring party was starting to take a turn for the better. The air was no longer tense, the music was slowly turning into a more rapid and wild theme, and the sound of laughter and sight of smiles of content, was skyrocketing.

He could feel a strange warmth as he watched his friends interact with one another. How long had it been since he had just been hanging out with some friends? How long had it been since he had felt like this? How long had it been, since he had not felt alone?

Smiling the old earth pony chuckled as Celestia scooped up Grand Music and Happy Meal into her forelegs and gave the two foals a warm hug. He could see an elderly stallion pegasus noble talking with an elderly earth pony merchant, the pair seemed to be having a grand time from their laughter. He could see some children, of all tribes and all social standards, play with one another and eating good food together. All the while the warm music played out. Truly, it was impossible to miss the change of the atmosphere of the gala.

*Huh. Fancy that. In just a few minutes this entire place feels a lot more welcome and warm. It makes feel a bit... oh what's the word... excited? No... happy? No. Hmmm... Wait. I got it! I am feeling content. Huh... content. I have never felt content at such a gathering before, this is a new situation for me. But. I do not dislike it.* As he was thinking to himself the old pony walked over to one of the food tables with the princess and his group, the scent of the tasty meals upon the table was making him feel hungry, but he felt a bit sad that it was not Grand Feast's cooking.

*That mare's cooking is seriously spoiling me.* He thought with a smile as he took a plate full with various foods and pastries when he noticed Happy Meal and Grand Music both carrying a big tray of food together over to their mother who looked both happy and concerned, possibly because they took so much food from the table.

Silently the old stallion walked over to a bench and put down his tray of food and began to eat while watching the crowd. He was enjoying this far more then he had anticipated, there was no expectations, there was no scrutiny and there was no cold ignorance. Silently he ate and watched, content, as the party progressed.

Celestia looked over at the stallion as he sat down on a bench while Grand Feast rolled her eyes at the old earth pony's behaviour. She could feel his tiredness, his tension and his regrets, she had been feeling them herself for years, only far stronger for the last few months since her sister's banishment. She felt a kind of kinship with the old knight, knowing that he had gone through many a lot of things and was not openly showing it, just like she was doing.

"We were worried that Golden Cross would be just sulking in a corner, but he seem to be enjoying Our gala, although We doest think he be a bit distant." She said with a small smile to Grand Feast, her new friend just chuckled and patted her on her left shoulder.

"He didst complain about his suit being tight, We hath to admit We were worried he would just be brooding in a corner. But, he doest seem to be enjoying himself so far. It makes us glad that he is enjoying himself, he deserves to enjoy himself just like every other pony. Sometimes We fear he doest not think himself worthy of appreciation or joy." With a sad smile Grand Feast looked at her saviour and did not take notice of how Celestia flinched at her words. The alicorn had, had experienced such things herself and it had not been pleasant of being reminded of such. But it also made her a bit glad, knowing that Grand Feast was looking out for the old stallion, who obviously needed someone to keep him from derailing into depression.

Now, if only she could find someone who like that for her own problems. She knew she was being selfish, but she wanted someone who could look out for her as well, or even care for her. But finding someone like that among her people, was not very likely, she was held in far too high a standard and she doubted any stallion would be willing to get to know her unless she began to disguise herself.

*Oh no! We shalt NOT drag ourself into such a mess! We hath been reading too many of Luna's romance novels!* She thought to herself, shaking her head as to clear out the stupid thoughts that had momentarily filled her brain. To distract herself she decided to grasp a large cupcake from the table before walking off to talk to some of her guests.

Grand Feast gave her a raised eyebrow before noticing how the musicians in the room were starting to change the mood of the party, it was growing into a steady rhythmic melody. She knew that it meant dancing on the open floor, she could already see several ponies gathering in pairs. And that's when she got an idea and a wide smile spread on her muzzle as she walked over to Golden Cross, who was finishing the last of his food, and pulled him out of his seat, making the old earth pony almost choke on his mouthful of cake.

"Come on thou silly old colt! Thou need to ask Princess Celestia to dance!" She declared with a grin and began to drag him towards the princess.

"Wait whut?!" Was all he managed to cough out after having forcefully swallowed his food. He could have struggled and pulled himself free with ease, but for some reason was the mare's grip not letting him go. Making him ponder just how it is possible for her to do so, this was not an anime or cartoon, yes he was aware of the irony. *Are women in this worlds this strong when they have decided upon something? Or am I experiencing some kind of messed up 'cartoon reality' effect?*

When Grand Feast reached Celestia, who was having a conversation with one of her Generals, she pushed Golden Cross up in front of her and spoke up with a wide grin. "Princess Celestia! Golden Cross would like to dance with thee!"

Golden Cross could only give Celestia a pleading look while Grand Feast was not letting him back away, making the Alicorn grin in humour at the scene before sealing the poor stallion's fate. "We would be most pleased."

The look of utter betrayal on his face as she reached out and lead him to the dance floor by the scuff of his suit was making her lips twitch as she suppressed the urge to laugh. She felt relaxed and at ease, it had been a great idea to have this gala.

A large area of the throne room's floor had been cleared out for the dancing ponies. And Golden Cross was being dragged by a skipping Princess towards the dance floor, many of the guests and staff staring in wonder at the Princess' behaviour and the grumpiness of the knight.

As he found himself at the center of the room he shuffled his hooves a bit in anxiety and muttered a bit, loud enough for Celestia to hear but no one else. "Errrr... I have to confess that I actually do not know how to dance."

Blinking in surprise Celestia tilted her head and looked at him in confusion. A knight who was not taught the basics of dancing? She had scarcely heard of anything like it before. "Truly? Thou must be joking. A fine knight such as thouself doest not know how to dance?"

He shook his head and tapped at the symbol upon his uniform, before explaining. "My order was less keen on formality and focused more on practicality. We spent most of our time learning how to wield weapons, survive in the wild and such matters. We rarely had events like parties and even then, few of us dances."

She pondered for a bit, this old stallion would be quite the challenge to mold into a proper dancer. But then she got an idea, one she had used herself when she went through her earlier lessons of dancing. The memories of her mother's lessons both made her happy and sad, but she did not let it bother her too much and reached out to the stallion and started to guide him as the music began to speed up, "We shall aid you Ser Cross, just follow Our lead and think of it as a spar."

A soft sigh and a grunt wad all she got in response before the old knight tried to keep up with her. He was clearly a novice of dancing, but he was a quick learned as it only took about five minutes of practice before he managed to keep up with her. It was a rather old melody and type of dancing, it had a slow waltzing momentum with two partners grasping one another with one of their forelegs and turning around with one another, shifting forelegs on every second complete turn.

As they danced Golden Cross frowned a little as the music kept playing, he was trying to keep a sparring concept into the dancing, but the music was putting him off. He could not find it in himself to get a proper sparring mindset with the medieval music, which reminded him of polka for some reason. "This music is not for me, I am not really able to get into a sparring mindset. Plus this dancing just feels... awkward."

Blinking in surprise Celestia tilted her head as they rotated around and spoke to him in confusion. "Truly? This is one of Our nations oldest dances, we know all of the tribes hath their own version upon it but the music and steps are very similar. "

He nodded and shifted his grip from his left foreleg for his right before speaking up again. "Aye, my training makes me prefer the movements of my hind legs. I am not sure if it would be proper but I do know about, mind you, know about, a dance my parents used to dance while I was younger. It is a bit more fast phased and has a more hooves on approach then this. It requires a strong spine and some proper rhythmic music but I think it would be far easier for me to do such a dance then this one."

Grinning and almost clapping her hooves in excitement, which was impossible with them dancing, Celestia spoke up with cheer and vigor. "Oh it sounds delightful! Would thou like to try it out with Us?"

Blinking a bit the old pony felt a bit awkward and wanted to rub his head in embarrassment, but unable to with his limbs occupied with dancing. "Well... I guess, but we would need to get some better music. And I cannot properly express music into notes you know. Even if I remember some of the song of my earlier years at my old home."

"No need to worry, just set thy mood and the Magic of Music shalt handle the rest." He gave her a loooooong hard stare at those words and looked at the scattered groups of musicians around them before giving her a raised eyebrow. The alicorn just grinned widely and he rolled his eyes before ruefully smiling.

"Alright, I will try to not embarrass you too much. Just do not blame me when I make us trip or accidentally step on your hooves." He then took a deep breath, before pulling away from her and took a deep breath and slowly began to concentrate, he tried to feel the rhythm of the song he had seen his mother and father dance to. It had been a wonderful song, one he had only heard from the television at home. It was in his native tongue so he had no clue if it would even be heard, but it mattered little. It was not the lyrics he was after, it was the music.

At first there was just an awkward silence, but then a strange melody began to fill the air, the musicians felt the music flow and they began to move, shifting from the slow melody, into a strange and yet exciting melody, they had never heard before,

As the music began to pick up, Golden Cross raised himself up onto is hind legs, shifting his hips as to make sure his uniform was properly fastened, before turning towards Celestia and offered a hoof.

Celestia was not sure what she had been expecting, a rapid folks melody or a form of more speedy version of the music of the court. But this, this was a music of speed and rhythm that she had never heard before, it was, quite enjoyable actually. She was eager to see just what the old colt would show her with this strange music of his and stood up on her own hind legs and accepted his stretched out foreleg with her own.

And then, Golden Cross gently stretched her hoof forward, warped her free foreleg around his back while doing the same to her, and then he smiled and said, "Just follow my lead, I think I got it.", and then he began to dance.

He used his foreleg to guide her momentum, taking strides with his own hind legs to make a sort of rotating movement, she felt small as his surprisingly strong frame was able to almost lift her off the ground. She felt their bodies press together and grew flustered as the old pony began to truly move.

Spinning both of them around before slowly letting go of her back, holding her other hoof she felt herself spin before regaining her balance, in similar pose s his own, two hooves connected, their hind legs spread out and their free forelegs held out into the open air.

He then spun her back to their original position, reconnected their hips and spun around, his movements were bit awkward but they were wild and exciting. It was the most wild and extravagant dance she had ever experienced, and she loved it! *We hath never danced like this before! Truly marvelous! It is as rapid and straining as a full combat spar, and yet far more enjoyable!*

Golden Cross, or rather Maleficus Victoria, had never danced like this before. He could barely remember a time when he had even danced with someone else before. And yet, he could feel his legs move with ease and without hesitation. It was all his anxiety and doubts had been thrown to the wind.

*When I first came to my senses in this world... I did not think I would ever experience something like this but. Heck, I never thought I would have the courage to even dance with someone. But, it is actually not that difficult, once you get into the rhythm..* He thought to himself as he shifted his waist and spun Celestia away and then back again, it was not as embarrassing as he had thought it would be, it was actually, quite enjoyable. Now if only he could keep himself from moving round in the combat stances from his training stimulation on the moon, it was messing up his movements a bit.

Grinning widely the princess began to adapt to the rapid and wild movements of the dance and Golden Cross' eyes grew a bit surprised when she started moving along with him and pushed further into the movements of the dance, speeding it up further.

The ponies around could only stare in amazement as the Lawbringer Golden Cross and Princess Celestia tore up the dance floor in a dance they had never seen before. It was wild, unrefined, nontraditional, and yet, the rapid movements, the wild speed and the exciting body grinding, was making more then one pony feel a desire to experience that same music and dance.

Ponies all around were watching, some of them even trying to imitate the two, and yet the movements and the stance of the dancers were far too straining for the ponies to handle. So after a few strained hips and spines they decided to be content watching.

As the music began to build up its finale Golden Cross lifted up Ceelestia by the waist for a short second and spun her in the air before letting her land after almost a complete 360 degree turn. The princess seemed caught of guard but kept up with the dancing and as their hearts raced further and further into the music and the dance, were several dark shapes gathering on the balconies and ledges high on the walls around the throne room.

And then as the final step ended with Golden Cross leaning Celestia back with him leaning over, almost as if to kiss, her, the shadows made their move.

Grand Feast had never seen anything like it. She knew almost every dance type in the known lands of Equestria, and yet she had never seen such a way of dancing and neither had she ever heard such rapid and wild music. It was... entrancing. Watching those two larger then life figures dance together like two forces of nature. She felt herself grow flustered when she wondered if Golden Cross would mind offering her dance lessons after the gala, she wanted to dance like that some day.

As the music ended, the ponies around her began to clap, cheer and... whistle? Wondering where that whistling came from she looked up and saw several dark shapes, one of them whistling, before pulling out various types of... weapons!? Her heart leap up into her throat and the young mother had barely the time to rush out of the crowd and tackle the pair before the shadows fired their weapons. "Assassins!"

She slammed into Golden Cross and Celestia, pushing them a decent distance with her body's velocity. Yet even if the impact was not hard, was she blackening as a sharp pain struck her body. The last thing she felt was hitting the marble floor and something warm leaking from her body, before darkness claimed her, while the cries of the ponies erupted into the room.

Golden Cross fell on his side when the smaller mare tackled him and Celestia, he quickly got up to see Grand Feast down on the ground with an arrow sticking out of her side. Next to her laid Celestia, with an arrow through her left flank. Both of them were out cold, and he could guess why. Poison. He had to act fast.

"Shit! Someone call healers, these weapons are poisoned!" The guards were rapidly pushing out the crowds of the throne room but some of them along with servants were running off to gather healers. Looking around Golden Cross tried to find something of aid before he spotted a guard approaching.

"Give me a dagger or some kind of small blade!" He barked out at the soldier.

The soldier faltered and looked at him in confusion before speaking up. "Huh? Why would thee nee-"

Not willing to handle the skittishness and stupidity of the guard Golden Cross roared out loud enough to vibrate the floor. "NOW!"

Squeaking out the guard tossed down all of his weapons on the ground before covering behind this forlegs like a foal. "Eeeeeeh! Here!"

Not sparing the pathetic whimpering fool a second glance Golden cross moved over to grand Feast and pulled out the dark from her side before pouring some wine from a bottle on the floor over the wound and onto the blade. He then carefully cut open the wound a bit and let the blood flow out. With care he then repeated this to the princess. The blood flow would leak out and thus hopefully remove the poison, or at least part of it.

"There, hopefully the bleeding will remove most of the poison." The disguised alicorn muttered as he got up on his hooves and grasped the spear that the guard had thrown on the ground. He saw a group of frantic healers approaching, carrying bags of various kinds. He took the two arrows he had pulled out and handed them to them.

"There is poison on the arrows, it may be extracted to create an antidote. Or give you a clue on how to save them. Now save them!" With a final bark at the healers Golden Cross began to move out of the throne room at a rapid phase, one of the guards shouted out at him. But the guards did not stop him, the burning eyes upon the large earth pony's eyes was like staring into the sun itself, and the way he was wielding that spear in his mouth, made them less then willing to confront him.

"Halt! Where are thou heading!?" Golden Cross ignored him and the other guards and just ran up the stairs towards the upper floor and started using his vibration based sensory magic to find the culprits. His nostrils flared and he snorted out in utter fury, his teeth were clamping down on the spear in his mouth, almost biting through the wood. While mentally muttering to himself. *I am going hunting.*

A door was rapidly approaching, yet he knew this was the way to reach the fleeing assassins. he lowered his head and slammed skull first into the door and the blue coloured wooden frame split apart before his physical strength and in a shower of splinters he burst through it and his hooves slammed down into the marble floor, cracking it as he started to speed up.

Up ahead in the corridor he could see dark robed shapes shutting a door close at the end of the hallway. His eyes narrowed and he jumped around five feet in front of the door and slammed himself into it by the shoulder. The door flew open by the force of the strike, slamming into the stone walls by the frame hard enough to fracture the walls and the doors themselves, Golden Cross flew out of the doorway and landed on his hind legs on the floor of the balcony outside, with the spear grasped in his forelegs.

Looking around he soon spotted the assassins, trying to flee by climbing down a long rope with banners. Glancing around he saw no quick way to reach the castle walls from his position. So he would have to improvise.

Reaching out he grasped the rope with his free hoof, he pressed his two hind legs against the stone fence were the rope was tied. He then took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then yanked the rope. Very, very hard.

The assassins were cackling with glee as they were sliding down the rope towards the castle's exterior wall. Their mission was a success! The Princess was poisoned, the ponies were in chaos and even the less skittish ponies had not been able to stop them escaping as they closed the doors behind them to stall them.

Their clawed hands griped their sheathed weapons as they used them like zip liners to slide down towards the exterior castle walls. But then everything went down hill, literally.

The rope they were siding down upon suddenly went rigid, making them bounce a little, the one at the rear looked back in confusion and then his eyes widened as the sight of a lone earth pony grasping the rope from the castle balcony, before yanking it, hard.

With a loud twang the entire rope went from slightly rigid to iron hard stretched in an instance as massive force was put upon its fibers. The assassins had less then five seconds to realize what was happening before a loud crack was heard in the distance and the robed killers stared in horror as the iron ring holding the rope in place on the castle wall, was torn out of the marble stone and they all fell plummeting towards the ground.

Four of the eight shapes slammed into the hard rock of the courtyard. Their soft bodies striking in a fatal velocity as bones and organs were broken and ruptured by the impact, leaving them broken like dolls on the ground. The ponies of the courtyard screamed in panic and began to flee en mass while the remaining four assassins, who landed in a large fountain, struggled to their feet.

That's when a loud crack was heard from behind them and the black robed killers turned around so see the spear wielding form of Golden Cross kneeling on the marble stone of the courtyard. Beneath his hind leg hooves was the stone cracked and splintered. It had been broken apart like a layer of ceramics and glass on soft sand from the impact of him jumping down from the balcony.

Straightening himself upwards onto his hind legs the large pony cracked his neck, left and right, popping his bones into place, before glaring at the four killers. He spun the golden spear in his right hoof and took a step forward, speaking to them with a wicked twisted smile on his muzzle in a voice that sounded both courteous and mocking. "Oh honoured guests. Do not leave just yet, we have not even gotten to the best part of this event... the entertainment."

The way the final word was growled out with his twisted smile and burning eyes glaring at them, gave the assassins chills to their cores. But they could not falter now ,they had to escape the city, they had to report their success to their leaders. The four black robed shapes drew out daggers and short sword from the shadows of the black fabric clinging to their wet bodies. And then they all screaming out in wordless battle cries before charging the unarmored knight.

They attacked as one, from different angles and different speeds to make it difficult for him to dodge or move out of the way. But instead of evading or blocking, he spun the spear between his two forelegs and slammed the wooden part of the weapon into their hood covered heads.

The assassins clutched their heads, not letting go of their weapons but pressing their clenched fists against their skulls, their assault halted. Moving forward without hesitation, Golden Cross shifted his grip on the spear and aimed the spear head at one of the smaller targets. With a swift jab with his forelegs and thrust the spear forward, the golden metal tip slipped into the shadowy hood and briefly meet a resistance before it sank into it. Before exciting in an eruption of blood and brain matter as it went through the skull and out of the back part of the hood.

There was no chance to react to the situation, the assassin barely had time to go limp before the weapon was jerked out of his skull and he collapsed on the ground. The remaining three killers decided to split up and surround him from different directions. Crouching down they shifted their grips on their weapons before rushing forward, their feet barely making any sound as they rushed over the stone pavement.

Shifting his body Golden Cross suddenly drove the wooden end of the spear into the floor and with powerful heave with his forelegs lifted his entire body up into the air, avoiding the attacks. With their attacks missing only one of the assassins managed to not stumble past their intended target area, but that would end up being his undoing. With one of the assassins directly beneath him, Golden Cross swung his hind legs down and slammed the robed creature into the pavement as the hooves of his hind legs landed on the cloth covered back of the silent killer. The impact of his heavy body landing on the robed killer's back broke the bones beneath his hooves, essentially crushing parts of the killer's torso, including parts of his lungs and heart.

Without a pause he spun the spear around in a wide arc and slammed the flat side of the spear head into the skull of one of the attackers. The flat spear head was the size of the palm are of a pony's hoof, and it was big enough to cover two thirds of the opponent's hidden face, essentially flattening it. The assassin could not evade or turn with the blow and his body essentially was flipped into the air by the force of the blow before impacting and tumbling on the ground for a decent ten meters like a rag doll before laying still. Golden Cross straightened himself from the wide swing he had just done and stepped off he corpse he had been standing in and stared hard at the remaining assassin.

Said assassin was afraid, terrified and frustrated. This strange old pony had come out of nowhere and killed everybody but him within a span of two minutes! it was infuriating for a prey species to be stronger them! a prey should know its place dammit! Charging in frustration and mindless savagery the terrified assassin flailed his two blades in a shower of attacks, but his frantic thrusts and slashes got stopped instantly when the old knight rushed forward, swiped his flailing arms aside with his spear, before shoulder bashing him into the marble column behind him.

The robed killer's body let out a loud crack as bones and stone were broken by the strength of the impact, and his entire rib cage and internal organs, were essentially crushed between the stone column and the powerful tackle of the pony. The assassin could only gurgle and gasp as he began to choke and gasp for breath, slowly dying as blood poured out of his throat from his crushed internal organs, essentially choking him on his own blood

As the final assassin collapsed on the ground as blood began to pour out of his mouth, Golden Cross snorted at him before moving away from the dying killer. But while the assassins were down, was the situation still not over and done with. Walking over to the one he had slapped in the head with the flat side of the spear, Golden Cross grasped the robed assassin's limp body and lifted him up into the air, the shifting of his body, making his hood fold back, revealing the poisoner's features.

His eyes widened at what he saw, what he had been expecting, was not this. Then his eyes narrowed and he spoke up in a calm, yet cold voice. "Well, well, well. I never thought I'd see the day I saw one of your kind, rodent."

Beneath the hood was the head of a rodent, a rat or mouse, was hard to tell with the half crushed nose, but the features were there. And the most damning thing was the cloths on him, the colours, and most of hall, the extended canines that looked like they would fit better on a vampire then a rodent, broken, but still there.

"Many have told me that things are not always as they appear to be, but I doubt that in this current circumstances. It is not often after all, that a member of one of the four Carnivore Factions, poisons a princess." The rodent twitched at his words and seemed to sputter and spit at him.

"Oh yes, I know your kind. So tell me." Pressign down his hoof upon the chest of the rodent, Golden Cross looked him deep in the eyes and spoke to him in a deep and rumbling voice. "Which faction were you part of?"

"The Civilized?" The beating of the assassin's heart was rapid yet not frantic, that was not the faction this one was part of.

"The Longcoats?" No change in its heartbeats, yet it was frantic and terrified whenever he spoke those names. Clearly was this person assuming there could be no one knowing about his origin and factions.

"The KSR?" Yet again no change in his heartbeats, yet the fear was growing and Golden Cross grinned as he drew the conclusion he had, had for the last few moments.

"Ah. A Commonfolk, a member of the Red Army." There the heartbeat jumped like crazy and the pony grinned at the captive beneath his hoof.

"Then that makes things far easier for me. Considering you are acting as an assassin are you not part of the Commonfolk no more, it is not your style to fight with skulduggery and deceit, that would be more like the Civilized and the KSR, That means the pigs failed in killing you all at the end of the Mouse Wars." There was another spike of heart beats, Golden Cross had not been certain if the lore that he knew about these people was part of this world's history, but it appeared to be partly correct.

"So. A new faction, I can only assume the remnants of the four armies managed to repel or persuade the pigs and the hogs from killing you." Yet another jolt of his prisoner's heartbeat, so the pigs had either joined or taken command of the four armies. That was not a good thing, the lore of Tooth and Tails was the opposite of the ponies and their harmonious ways, even if he had forgotten much about either of those games had he still remembered the base of it and it was not good.

But one thing in particular was bothering him, a lot. Where had the Four armies come from? Had they been sent to this world like he had been? Or had they been part of it all along? It was giving him chills since if either was true, it was nothing less then terrifying.

"Tell me, who controls you now? Is that one armed field mouse Hopper in control? Or is that vengeance filled aristicrat Bellafide still burning down homes in his rage? Maybe the Quartermaster of the former secret police has made her bid for absolute order through orderly murder. Or. The far most logical conclusion. HE is in control, like he always has been." Glaring into the eyes of the assassin he could feel the shock and terror flood from the quivering rodent's psyche as he pressed his hoof harder onto his chest.

"That silver tongued parasite of a mouse. That twisted child killing gourmet. That gut retching sick genius who invented the harvest system after the great winter. Tell me. How does Archimedes the Forefather fare?" The name made the assassin try to frantically twitch and spasm, trying to escape the pony. Even when unable to speak, this stallion was barring every secret, every hidden speck of information from him without even demanding answers! How was it possible!?

"So. Archimedes still live. And he is either in control of the pigs, the remnants of the Four Armies, or both. And by the way you have acted, he is at least in control of the Four Armies, and now he is targeting Canterlot. And I can only figure one reason as for why you twisted killers would even attempt it. Meat." The assassin was squirming like a worm on a hook. His fear was making him scream out in wordless torment as he tried to claw himself away from the terrifying pony.

"You seek to butcher the ponies just like you did to yourselves. Well I can tell you this already, you, will, fail," The old pony growled out and pressed his weight heavier upon the panicked rogue's chest, the bones groaning beneath the pressure, while the rodent just kept on screaming and flailing in utter horror.

And then, as Golden Cross glared down upon him, attempting to ask him another question The heavy beating heart, strained from physical and emotional exhaustion, gave out. And with a final gasp, the rodent died on the pavement of the courtyard. With a grim look on his face, Golden Cross pulled his hoof away from the deceased murderer. He turned and looked at the crowd of guards that had been watching him interrogate the assassin until he died of fear, and gave them a tired smile. "Canterlot, is in dire danger. I need to speak to the Generals, Princess Celestia needs to be informed as well once she recovers. But this cannot wait."

Not uttering a word the soldiers and guards let him pass, some of them rushing off to send messages to the Generals and the healers handling the wounded princess. The guards looked at corpses of the assassins sprawled out over the courtyard and shuddered a bit, the old knight was truly something else and they were extremely grateful that he was on their side.

Entering a room with a large circular table, Golden Cross handed over the bloodied spear to a guard as he entered. As he did came five ponies into the room as well, one of them in a wheel chair. As they gathered around the table, Golden Cross stepped forward to speak to them. The alicorn in disguise bowed to the well decorated officers and spoke up in a polite voice. "I am Golden Cross, Knight of the Lawbringer Order, and I bring ill news."

The ponies looked at one another before one of them motioned for Golden Cross to continued. "There is a danger approaching Canterlot, a force of meat eating animals who will ransack the city and devour everybody inside of it to sate their craving for meat. It was their assassins which attempted to kill Princess Celestia this evening."

An old pony pressed a hoof to a medal across his throat and spoke up in a monotone voice that reminded Golden Cross about about the text to speech devices used by mute people, like Stephen Hawkins. "How. Doest. Thou. Know. This. To. Be. Them?"

He tapped at the symbol of his order on his uniform. "My order's origin is a large mountain bound castle, it was upon it which we swore our oath as Lawbringers and Knights. We were near the borders of the lands of these butchers. I will first need to explain a bit about them though, it is not a pretty thing however. Could you provide me with a parchment and some kind of writing implement?"

It took a few minutes but soon he had a large scroll, one made for maps, and a collection of quills, coal and ink wells. Dipping the quill into the ink he slowly drew an simple sketch of the various creatures of the Tooth and Tail universe. And as he did so he spoke to the Generals. "The nations itself was inhabited by various kinds of animals. In the beginning it was a sort of feudal society were the herbivore worked the fields and the carnivores demanded monthly tributes in meat from the herbivores, and as in meat I mean they had them butcher their old, deformed children and all their crippled to be made into food for the carnivores."

The five Generals frowned at this information, the attendant to the one in the wheelchair gasped in horror. Yet Golden Cross was not done and continued to speak while he sketched out the snakes, the toads and other animals. "This system had been in place before my order even existed, but a few decades later, a harsh winter struck their lands and forced the herbivores into the cities. During this winter, both herbivores and carnivores volunteered to be butchered to feed their starving people. It became a holiday for meaningful sacrifice, as a consequence, all of the animals except for a few, started eating meat, even the herbivores. It was at first only a small rising of self sacrifices for their people once a year but then, the Civilized emerged."

Next the earth pony drew the head of the leader of the civilized a wizened old rat like mouse dressed in fine robes. and he glared upon the image as he spoke. "The Civilized were a group of clergies, members of faith and the feudal ruling cast, whose spiritual leader carved out the mess that followed. Archimedes the Forefather, the last remaining person to remember the Great Winter, he was the one to initiate the Lottery system. A group of random people would be picked and then butchered to feed the masses. It was his solution to make sure the Civilized would never go without a feast of meat, or morsels as he called them, while also making it so that the victims were never the same, and thus offering him more flavours to his tables. And at first it worked, but then less and less of the Civilized faction were chosen by the lottery until they were never picked again."

Then the head of the Quatermaster appeared, a feminine mouse dressed in uniform. "People began to refuse the results of the lottery as more and more of them realized that the Civilized were just picking victims to feed themselves. So to pick up their victims they formed the KSR, a secret police force which would gather those chosen by the Lottery and keep the country in order. And so the lottery kept going for years, until finally, they picked the wrong sacrifice."

Next came the crude image of Bellafide, the leader of the Longcoats. "Bellafide, a rich aristocrat and merchant who had built himself up from a simple fist fighter into one of the richest in the land. His view is that if you do not work for a better future, you are better to contribute to it with your meat. And this view came into effect very much when his son, a child of less then ten summers, was picked by the KSR when the Civilized called a harvest and when he saw his son bring eaten by the city, he went into the underground tunnel system of the nation, called the warrens, and roused up a revolution. intent to change Lottery system so that those who did not contribute or fight to succeed were butchered."

Then appeared the image of Hopper, the one armed nomad field mouse. "Coming from this is Hopper, a field mouse who sought to instigate a change into the lottery system, to change it fro ma random pick and into a democratic voting system. She had sacrificed her own arm to feed her people, and when Bellafide called to revolution, she joined him at the beginning. And together they confronted the Civilized and the KSR and brought the nation into an era of war and mindless butchery."

Then he drew the image of a pig and a boar. "At first things went well for the Revolution, until the leaders broke off from one another when their ideals started to strain their relations. But, things were not as they seemed. After several months of battle, a harsh winter came upon the land. And food was once more scarce, the armies had fought for month and feasted upon one another until almost nothing remained of either side. and then they were instigated to fight one another for one final push. And then, the pigs arrived."

He pushed the art forward, showing the crude image of the commander and the animals, surrounded by pigs wielding weapons. "The pigs were the only ones who worked the farms and ate like herbivores after the great winter, they were treated like subspecies, lesser beings, by the other animals. And the pigs, utilized this superiority complex, and drove the armies upon one another from day one of the war, making them butcher some of their own allies, weaken them until they became scattered, and then kept pushing each of the four sides against one another until they were weakened enough for the pigs to kill them all."

That was all he knew about the Tooth and Tail lore, there was nothing more after that. Now he would have to improvise a bit and hopefully not make it too unrealistic, he was certain they were doubting his words but hopefully he was able to get some of them up to speed about these factions and their ways. "That was the last I heard about the Four Armies, and that was years upon years ago. Yet it appears the final battle between the Four Armies did not end with them butchered by the pigs like we were told. Archimedes still lives and has taken control of the remnants of the Four Armies."

He looked up upon the generals and pointed out at the balcony, overlooking the city of Canterlot. "And they, are coming to Canterlot." As those final words sounded through the room, the generals began to frantically communicate with one another, while the guards in the room looked quite ill and green from the way he had described the history of Tooth and Tail, and he did not blame them.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!" Although he was not impressed when the panicked scream from one of the guards cut through the silence. Said guard started running out into the hallway screaming all the time, with other guards trying to calm him down. The sight of that made him raise an eyebrow at the Generals who tried to not take notice.

Sighing he pressed a hoof to his forehead, his impression of the Canterlot soldiers were not the best. *Things was going to get messy once the four armies arrive, hopefully things do not turn out too bad but... I seriously have my doubts.* He then vowed to the Generals, who were busy conversing and sending out messengers, and moved towards the doors.

*I hope these fuckers don't have fire arms, bombs and poison artillery like in the game, the ponies are not going to be able to handle such weapons as they are now,* Golden Cross thought to himself as he left the room. He had to find Grand Feast and Celestia, he would have to make sure they were okay, especially Grand Feast since she did not have Celestia's alicorn physiology.

It would hopefully not take too long to find them, but he was less hopeful that he would be able to speak to them.

It took him five minutes to find the room, the trail of running servants and loud shouting made it easy to find though. What he found was a large doorway with a large group of guards, with a constant rushing of servants, healers and other professionals, running in and out with various items and objects. Notes, vials, blankets, water bowls, pots and... was that a fruit bowl?

"Get Us warm water and blankets!"

"We need the Royal Alchemists!"

"Get Us a bottle of strong alcohol!"

"No! Apply the solution AFTER We use the leeches! The leeches need to suck out the poison!"

He silently watched into the room and saw how several robed ponies were surrounding two tables, both of the groups working and shouting, while servants and other robed ponies handed them things and took things in return. It was clear that most of their healing techniques involved potions and magic, but hopefully it would turn out okay. He waited for a while, around ten minutes, until a tired healer stepped out to get some air and spoke out to him.

"I am sorry if I am bothering you, but I must ask how the Princess and Grand Feast a doing." The pony was an elderly pegasus, dressed in blue robes with white runes and arrays upon the fabric. He looked upon Golden Cross and rubbed his eyelids a bit before speaking.

"Aye, the Princess is recovering, although the poison is powerful is her body fighting it. But we art working to remove it completely from her body to speed up her recover. The mare on the other hoof, she is in a serious situation, her body could give out any second if We doest not keep up our efforts. We do not know how long it may take but We shalt do our hardest to cure her." He gave the pony a bow of gratitude and left him to recover.

*This is not good. The princess is doing better but Grand Feast is in critical condition and the healers needed to work as much as possible on both of them. I should not stay here, I do not want to disturb the healers at their work. Plus, I need to find Grand Music and Happy Meal, those two must be terrified by now. I can worry about the state of the city's defenses later.* The alicorn in disguise thought to himself as he walked down the hallway towards the throne room, hopefully the foals were not too far away from where he last saw them.

Walking through the halls he soon found the familiar looking entrance to the throne room, the room was vacant of guests with only guards searching through every nook and corner to make certain no more uninvited guests were around. He looked around and tried to find the two foals, tapping his left foreleg hoof on the floor, acting as if anxious, to use his sensory spell. He soon spotted two life forms, out in the garden. Swiftly he began to run through the halls and with agility unlike someone his size, he evades servants, guards, nobles and other ponies in the hallway before reaching the main entrance.

Reaching the courtyard he looked around rapidly to where he had sensed the foals, the bodies of the assassins were gone thankfully, removed by the guards. He opened his mouth to shout out the names of the two foals when a pair of small bodies slammed into his legs, nearly knocking him over, and a pair of crying foals clung to his forelegs. "Mister Cross! We thought ye had disappeared! Is mama okay!?"

His ears folded but he smiled kindly at the crying faces of the two foals and gently lifted them up onto his back, letting them cling to him on his back rather then on his legs. "Your mother is a hero little ones, she saved me and Princess Celestia from assassins. She was injured, but the best healers in the country are helping her right now and I am certain she will be right as rain in no time."

Looking back at the castle he sighed softly, he had to get the foals back home, he needed to inform the Blue Grass Clan about the situation. *Hopefully they can take care of Grand Music and Happy Meal while Grand Feast recovers. I guess... it was a good thing I did not leave right away as I originally had planned to.* He then started walking away from the castle, both of the foals clinging to him, sniffling his uniform with snot and tear,s but he could care less about that, it was just a piece of fabric.

The sun had yet to rise as he woke up from the hectic night he had gone through, he was not certain what time it was, but it was beyond the sunrise time. He was laying on a mattress of hay stuffed linen on the floor of the bedroom of Grand Feast's home with a simple blanket over him. When he had spoken to Elder Tall Sprout he had heard that few of their clan members could take care of the two foals with how many of them were already taking care of other foals who had lost their parents during the raid on their caravan.

Thus it fell to him to handle the two foals until he could find someone who could. He had put both of the foals to bed in their home and taken to sleep on the floor on a spare mattress after having removed his uniform. What he now woke up to was a pair of foals snuggling into his neck from left and right. He was not sure if he should move, the two looked so adorable.

But then the rays of the sun rose and he felt a spark of hope, if Celestia was able to raise the sun ,then there might be a chance that Grand Feast had recovered as well. Slowly he removed the foals' gripping forelegs from his neck and stood up on all four, stretching his spine and neck as he did so.

Silently he moved into the kitchen at the bottom floor by the eatery and found some left over flower sandwiches, salads and pastries. Grabbing a bit of each along with a pitcher of water he walked up to the bedroom and put the breakfast on the table next to the small coach by the windows.

Next he gently poked the two sleeping foals on their heads and chuckled as they tried to shuffle away and bury themselves into the blanket on the bed. Gently he rubbed their heads and spoke to them softly. "Wake up you two, I have breakfast for us. And I believe we might be able to get news of your mother after you finish eating and brushing your teeth."

He pulled the blanket away and almost laughed when the foals tried to grapple the blanket from him, only to end up rolling off it when the blanket slid off the bed. Chuckling a bit he gently helped the two sleepy heads up on their hooves and lead them towards their breakfast.

The two foals were slow to wake up with some gentle pushes they were soon eating and cleaning up for the day Golden Cross watched with a sad smile as the two of them started waking up, remembering his own life as a human, he used to be a lazy morning person too. *I would have been the one to be forcefully woken up by my alarm or possibly my mother. Now I wake up on my own, feeling fresh as a daisy most of the time. Things sure have changed for me, some bad some good, I just hope it won't be more bad then good.*

"We go see Mama now!?" Happy Meal's voice rang out and he made a soft grunt as the little mar jumped up onto his back and warped her forelegs around his neck, while Grand Music quietly climbed up on his back and just tried to sit. Smiling at the two he opened the door to the bedroom and left, leaving the empty tray and plates to clean up later, it could wait.

Once outside he began to move towards the central keep. The streets were riddled with ponies of all manners like it normally was. However, a major difference was the massive amount of guards and soldiers marching around in grounds of ten to thirty. The attack on the Princess and the brave pony who tried to save her had spread like wild fire, the entire town was in a gossiping mood and he felt like he should try to not make himself too known to the people, he did not want to get hounded by panicking ponies every time he took a step outside.

So he quickly went back inside and picked up a hat left by one of the costumers he put it on his head and returned outside. The streets were brimming with active ponies and patrolling guards and thus he had a hard time coordinating through the crowd with his two passengers. It took a bit of effort but he managed to get through the streets and soon reached the central keep.

The guards were all over the place and the security was strict, but they let the trio enter without any kind of inspection, which made Cross rather confused as of why they would give them special treatment. He did not notice the nervousness of the guards as he walked past them and the sighs of relief they made when he got out of sight.

Retracing his steeps from the night before he walked across the hallways, Grand Music was looking around in curiosity while Happy Meal was oohing and aahing at different things as they rode past it. It made him smile a bit, he had always enjoyed the company of children, they could be cruel that was true, but most children were not like that, they were kind and welcoming with curiosity burning in their eyes.

His ears perked as he heard the scrambling of hooves up ahead and he sighed a bit in relief as he saw a large group of healers and other educated ponies sitting on couches, or sleeping on them, eating food and drinking cups of various drinks. Walking up to the group of resting healers he bowed his head in greeting and spoke up in a polite manner. "Greetings, I am Golden Cross, the Lawbringer, I bring the children of Grand Feast, the mare who attempted to save me and Princess Celestia last evening. How does she and the princess fare?"

The elderly healer whom he had spoken to last evening coughed a bit before spitting out some kind of black chewed mass into a napkin, reminded him of licorice, which made his spine shiver, he HATED licorice. His unpleasant memories of the taste of the candy was broken as the old pony spoke up, "Well, Our Princess hath recovered enough to once more wield her magic to lower and raise the Celestial Spheres. She hath to remain in bed for a few days but shalt recover soon. As for Lady Feast, she be asleep, We managed to purge the poison out of her body. She shalt recover, but it will be weeks until she no longer requires bed rest."

Looking at the happy teary eyes of Grand Music and Happy Meal the old earth pony smiled a bit, how own shoulders no longer burdened by anxiety and fear, and spoke up to the healer. "May we see her?"

The old pony just gave a smile and a nod and motioned for the ten guards to let the trio past the doors.

Once past the door they were set upon by the stale sterile scent of a hospital room, although only Golden Cross knew what to compare it to. The two beds were still occupied but Princess Celestia was lying on her bed, going through a report with a pencil levitating in a weak field of telekinesis, while Grand Feast was laying down on her side, sleeping soundly. The mare's body was pale and she looked rather sickly, but as Golden Cross' hooves stepped over the floor towards the bed, her eyes opened and she looked towards the doorway with a confused look on her muzzle.

"Mama!" Came the loud cheerful voice of Happy Meal as she and Grand Music scrambled off Golden Cross' back and climbed up the bed to hug their mother who was startled but then smiled an hugged her two foals as tight as she could, soothing their tears and cries with warm motherly love. Celestia dropped her pencil and looked up with a startled look on her face, which soon softened into a smile as she saw the scene of mother hugging children, feeling a slight twang of jealousy as it made her yearn for her own mother, even after more then two centuries she still wanted to be that little foal once more and be hugged by her mother.

She then noticed something, there, just a few meters away, stood Golden Cross looking at the scene with a sad smile on his face. Celestia looked at him and saw how he looked so old and lonely as he stood there a few meters away, watching the hugging family, and she felt a sort of kinship with him and smiled a sad smile herself. *We truly feel old right now, do We not Golden Cross?*

The old earth pony slowly left the room to let the foals and their mother get some alone time, and stepped out of the room. Leaving Celestia to her report as she watched Grand Feast and her two foals fall asleep together on the bed, making her smile a bit brighter.

Once outside of the room Golden Cross rubbed his head and sighed. He felt awkward and self pitying at the moment, he wanted to do nothing else but to lay down on a bed and let the day go away. As he walked past the recuperating healers he looked out through the windows and looked at the sun, when he felt a sudden pain in his chest.

Reaching up he rubbed his chest and patted it a bit. Then he suddenly lost his breath as a sudden sharp pain exploded out of his throat. He collapsed on his knees and clutched at his throat, gasping and gargling. He could hear nothing but the pounding of blood in his ears, even as the gathered healers scrambled from their seats and moved towards him he could not hear them.

He then reared back his right foreleg and punched himself in the barrel, the impact pushing down on not just his stomach but his lungs as well and he let out a loud gargling burp as a lump of blood and black ichor flew out of his throat and splattered onto the floor. Panting he slowly staggered up right and brushed aside the blood from his mouth and looked at it, ignoring the healers as they tried to make him lie down to be examined.

"Haa...haaa... I guess my time is approaching." He muttered out loud before moving away from the concerned healers as he walked away, acting as if nothing was wrong. The healers and other educated ponies were examining the blood and ichor when one of them spotted something.

"Oi fellas." The other healers looked at him and he pointed towards Golden Cross.

"That there fella's right hind leg, he got some kind of Black Cutie Pox." They looked at where he was pointing and saw how the entire hoof of Golden Cross' right hind leg was pitch black and black tendril like ink marks looked like they were stretching upwards towards the rest of his leg.

"That be no Cutie Pox there, that be da Black Mark. It only appear on ponies that be way past their prime." One of the older ponies said and the other, older ponies nodded.

"It be da disease which strikes when a ponies be reaching da end of his natural life, even if he be able to survive de side effects of it will it not matter. Once the mark reaches him there cutie mark, he will be dead." A solemn silence filled the hallway as they looked at the old earth pony as he left the halls, seemingly ignoring them.

Golden Cross would spend the rest of the day in his cart, writing on parchments and tome pages.

Sighing Golden Cross looked out at the sun, it had been a hectic time for him lately. The two foals had to be retrieved by him the following morning after they first visited Grand Feast, apparently the healers thought it to be safer for both her and the foals to not risk any remnants of the poison infecting the foals.

They had told him that they two children were fine but they wanted to be on the safe side and it would also make it so that Grand Feast could recover more as she was in need of a lot of sleep, food and water for the next couple of weeks. The problem was, Golden Cross did not have a couple of weeks left. It was not long until he would be forced back to the moon by the curse the Elements of Idiocy put on him, the blood and ichor he spat out two days ago had not repeated itself, but he was starting to get a straining sensation through out his entire body.

*I need to do something in case I cannot remain before my time on the planet ends.* He thought to himself as he looked down at the book he was finishing writing. It was a made up chronicle about the history of his order, he had used the screen which connected him to the satellite network around the planet to investigate a possible origin spot for his order, he saw a decent area with a destroyed fortress a great distance away from Canterlot, it was located a bit to the north east with a cluster of mountains and a vast region of grass and tundras.

It had taken him the better part of the last two days to write it, he had entertained the two foals by telling them stories while he was writing, it had been a rare sight, to see the two foals so silent and calm. But it was worth it to see them so enthralled by the stories he told them. Most of them were folk lore tales, cartoons and movies he had seen a a human, edited into a pony version, but it seemed like the foals did not care for the origin of the stories as long as they were entertaining.

Closing his eyes he wondered what options he had. He had not the time nor the ability to create a sort of flesh golem to control, he could not create an illusion it would not function for too long and he most certainly could not... *Wait... hmm... That could actually work, at least until my banishment is resumed.*

He fell into a state of deep thoughts as he tried to figure out the best way to make the necessary adjustments to the spell he was intending to use, it would be a bit difficult to make it up on a whim, but it was the best option he had for the moment. His ears perked up as he heard soft snoring and he looked at the couch the two foals had been sitting on and smiled a bit as he saw them sleeping against one another.

Softly and gently he carried the two to the bed of his wagon and covered them with the blanket. He smiled and ruffled their manes a bit before looking out the small window of his wagon and saw how the sun was settling. Time had flown by rather quickly, the day was already ending. But that mattered little, he had research to preform, and hopefully that research would let him keep his identity secret during the last of his days on the planet.

Carefully locking himself into the storage room of the armours and weapons, Golden Cross let go of his transformation spell and resumed the shape of Maleficus Victoria. He then sat down and began to meditate, magic flowing out of his horn, forming a complex pattern in the air. He had just barely over three days worth of time until his banishment back to the moon and he would make the best out of it.

The glowing crimson and green pentagram shifted into form and he carefully spread his forelegs while sitting kneeling on his hind legs, and spread out his fore legs, focusing the magical energies our through his entire body, shaping the array of the magical energy into its desired pattern.

It took him a decent amount of the night to fixate the pattern properly unto his body. But once he did, he managed to activate its purpose. And once it activate, he shifted into a shadow for a few seconds and left behind, a perfect copy of himself, only... dead. In essence, what he had done was creating a spell that let him 'shed' his physical form, for a lack of better words, and then reform it a distance away, leaving behind a dead empty shell.

"Well... it is not perfect, but it will just have to do." He muttered to himself as he inspected the corpse, stuck in a standing position by the rigor mortise afflicting its body instantly. The copy did not have his regenerative powers and it did not have his metallic bones either, and he also discovered that the appearance of the shell was based upon that form in which he was in when he activated the spell, which worked for him just fine.

The only drawback was that the spell made his entire body far more fragile then in its regular shape, his bones turned into normal bones and he did not regenerate like in his real body without the use of his internal magic. And he could still feel pain and his real body suffered injuries if his 'shell body' suffered injuries. So it really wasn't all that good of a spell at the moment, but it would do for the purpose he had designed it for.

It had taken him most of the night to craft the spell, but he needed to sleep so h shifted into the form of Golden Cross once more and laid down on a pile of pillows he had stacked on the floor of the kitchen and fell asleep like a rock.

In the far distance of Equestria were dark things moving once more. The news of the Princess' poisoning had reached the ears of the shadowy leaders and they were eager to prepare their move.

The War Camp was buzzing with activity. Various animals were carrying tools, materials and getting dressed in different armours, uniforms and gears. It was a mad house, and the wicked blood lust and hunger within the eyes were clear. Among their numbers were plenty of ponies, former cutthroats, pick pockets, assassins, thieves and deserters, who had joined to survive. While most of the lowlifes of the troops, were there for one purpose only, obeying their leaders to not be eaten by the pigs.

The majority of the animals were pigs and boars, each of them big, powerful, fat and drooling with an deep, dark, hunger. More then one poor sod was devoured each day by the pigs when their cravings grew too powerful to stop whatever reasoning remained in their heads. And yet the pigs were not killed in kind, for they were a group who stayed close together, and they followed only one voice among the camp or outlaws and raiders, the charismatic rodent who acts as the leader of their band of misfits. Archimedes.

Even if he was but one of the leaders of the camp was he the most devious, clever and charismatic of the lot, and it was by him that they had managed to survive the second Great Winter and become a united army and survived for so many years. He would always guide them to places of great opportunity, the amounts of meat and valuables they had ransacked through the last couple of decades had been enough to allow them to construct their secret hideout beneath the dark shadow of this vast mountain. If things had gone differently in the Mouse Wars, they might have died long ago.

Speaking of the old mouse, he was moving out of the tent from where he had his compatriots had discussed their plans, and he felt a need for a speech to the troops. After all, he had plenty of experience making speeches.

Even though it had been a long time since the Mouse Wars, was Archimedes still spry and healthy for a mouse over two centuries old. He was still as deviously clever and charismatic as he ever had been, with even more years of experience to make him even more dangerous. Dressed in fine robes decorated with golden threads and velvet he walked through the camp towards a large stack of crates, it was nearing the time for the main course and he was more then eager to savoir the taste of victory once they ransacked Canterlot to the ground.

*Aaaaaah! We can't wait!* Drool was pouring down the edge of his mouth and the rat like mouse quickly wiped away his drool before climbing up onto the crates. He then raised his arms and the entire camp went dead silent as the raiders saw their leader prepare a speech, something that always rallied their spirits.

As the old mouse lowered his arms he spoke up with a gleeful smile upon his rodent face, his voice echoing through the underground war camp like rumbling thunder as he used the echoes of their camp for the maximum effect upon his troops. "Once We were a society of scattered wretches! We hath lost Our ways and God punished Us with the Great Winter! We worked and We reclaimed Ourselves even after the second group of heretics brought the Second Great Winter upon Us! Then We were saved by God! And he brought Us here to these lands! Our Grand Crusade in the name of the Most Holy shalt soon commence! We hath been waiting for months for this opportunity. Ever since We heard about the ponies and their mythical powers We hath feared Us doomed."

His grew grew wider and he spoke up even louder. "But then We were granted salvation by God! Celestia hath been defeated in battle by His Chosen, the First Saint, and left injured. And now We hath furthered her weakness through Our assassins! With the heretic Goddess lying weakened it is Our time now! Our forces hath grown stronger and Our numbers hath risen greatly! Now be the time! With their Goddess weak and defenseless We hath the chance! And We hath the power! Now We shalt take what We desire! Let their bones and meat fill Our bellies as We go to War!"

"But first! Let Us enjoy Ourselves with these fine appetizers before the main course!" There was a confused look among some of the raiders, but then wicked grins grew on the older members and suddenly with claws and blade, were the throats of ponies slit open and the raiders began to tear apart the deserters, pickpockets, spies, assassins and other outlaw ponies who had joined their numbers.

Pony limbs were being roasted, their organs made into sausage, their bones boiled into soup, all the while the raiders feasted upon their meat.. While Archimedes, screaming out with mouth spitting out drool in his mad hunger, finished his speech. "Feast! Let Us Feast! For by noon in three days! Once Our army reaches Canterlot itself! We shalt celebrate with the meat of a Goddess! Hahahahahaha! All Praise God and his Chosen, the Saint of Feasts! All Hail Discord and Saint Maleficus!"

And as one, the remnants of the Animal Kingdom, cheered to their unknowing Saint, as they feasted upon the poor sods who had tried to join them. "Hail Discord!" "Hail Saint Maleficus!"

And out of the cavern to the War Camp, rose a black cloud with the scent of roasted meat and murder, blackening the skies around the already dark mountain, with its ill intent.

The morning was bright and shining as Golden Cross got out of his wagon, the two foals were still asleep and he did not want to disturb them. They deserved to sleep in with all that had happened. He had a purpose today, it was important that he did not let himself get too distracted, hopefully the various fruits and toys he had left for them would entertain them until he returned.

He had spent the entire day yesterday in his wagon, studying and experimenting with his magic, while the foals played outside and kept him company when he took breaks. Elder Tall Sprout had come once during the afternoon to talk with him about Grand Feast's current state of health. The old ponies had talked for a good while but had in the end come to an agreement that once Golden Cross was... gone, Tall Sprout would do his best to keep the two foals safe until grand Feast recovered.

It had been a relief to know that the foals would be safe once he was back on the moon. And so he spent the entire afternoon reading and writing the Chronicle of the Lawbringers, the decided title of his book on his order. He read to the foals while he wrote it down, them correcting him when he accidentally made mistakes, which he played off as his old memory playing tricks on him.

The entire time with the foals had been very enjoyable and he had not even realized that the two younglings had fallen asleep on the couch until late into the evening. So once he had put them to bed her began to finalize his spell that would ensure he could return to the moon without revealing his identity. But once he had slept and woken up to the sun rising, he needed to make some final physical laboring tests to complete his Chronicle, if he could not show an example of the skill, it would most likely end up being ridiculed as tall tales.

Well it was, he was making it up and he went. But the idea that he had gotten last evening, was worth trying. It was something he could find useful in many forms of combat, and hopefully it would give the ponies a way to develop their own combat arts with him giving them some foundations.

The disguised alicorn moved to the Training Grounds, with him he had his magical bag that he had crafted upon his second day back on the planet, it also was where he contained all of the crafting tomes and notes he had taken from the hut. Tossing the bag to a bench he took a deep breath before letting out slowly, he then looked around the training field and made sure that nobody wad around with his sensory magic and sight.

He then reached into the backpack and with a heave pulled out four stone cubes, he had taken from one of the construction sites, they were unusable for the construction and had been meant to be grounded up into gravel. Then he touched them, one at a time, and with some concentration, expanded them from one times one times one foot long cubes into five times five times five cubes. They were not exactly five meters on all corners, nor were they all that even in shape and form, but that was not important. As they were at the moment was enough for their purpose, which was training. Yet ,not the conventional kind of training.

Standing up on his hind legs he started a stretching routine, angling his spine, his forelegs, his hind legs and his joins, he wanted to flex his muscles before doing anything overly straining on his body. A habit he had picked up since he spent several days nonstop training on the moon, it had kind of fixated him on never feeling muscle cramps again, ever.

He shifted and stretched for a good thirty minutes. His joints cracked a bit as he stretched, angled and rotated them for maximum effect. Soon he felt ready and tapped his front hooves against each other and let out a deep breath he had been holding in.

Walking up to one of the boulders, he reached out with his hoof, he pressed it against the surface of the boulder and he focused his internal magic before he suddenly made a twist like rotation from his shoulder to his hoof, like a corkscrew punch from boxing. A loud resounding crack erupted from the boulder and the entire cube shaped boulder fractured like an egg before bursting apart into a pile of dust and gravel.

Looking down at his hoof with a frown Golden Cross tsked to himself while muttering. "Not good enough, I need more control." He then moved over to the second boulder and pressed one of his hooves against it and focused.

By now had several groups of soldiers and guards gathered for morning practice. They had been witnessing Golden Cross' stretching, several of them wincing when they saw him so many weird stretches while on two legs. And then they witnessed him reaching out to the massive piece of marble before reducing it to dust. No sound came out of their shocked mouths as they stared in astonishment at the incredible feat. And then their gaping jaws dropped to the ground when their brains registered what he had said.

*HOW IS THAT NOT GOOD ENOUGH!?* Was their collective thoughts of the guards and soldiers before yet a second resounding crack was heard and they stared, even if less surprised since the first event, as Golden Cross had, instead of reducing the boulder to gravel, cracked it apart into larger chunks.

The old earth pony kept frowning and muttering how it had been far too long since he had done something like this and went to the third boulder. By now were the soldiers and guards too busy staring to even get into formation, heck, even their Sergeants were too busy staring to berate them for their lack of discipline.

He took a deep breathe and once more pressed his hoof against the stone's surface, he focused his internal magic further, this time focusing it just outside of his hoof, rather then his entire foreleg. And then he twisted his arm. A loud boom was heard as the boulder burst apart into dust and gravel like the first, but this time, Golden Cross was smiling, as in the grip of his hoof, was a fractured but mostly intact, five meter cylinder, held at the end by his hoof.

"Wonderful, it remained intact this time, but now, for the final step." Walking over to the lat intact boulder, Golden Cross repeated what he had done, initially. He stood on his hind legs, he pressed the hoof fo his right foreleg against the surface of the boulder. But now, as he focused his magic through his limb and into the boulder, he focused it further into the boulder until it reached straight through it. And then he twisted his entire arm.

This time, a loud resounding crack was heard, along with a small cloud of dust erupting from two ends of the boulder, but other then that was the boulder completely intact. At first the soldiers wondered if the final attempt had been a failure. But by the looks of the wide grin on his muzzle was that not the case. And when he pulled back his foreleg, they saw why.

Out of the boulder, inch by inch, came a five meter smooth cylinder, around the same area as Golden Cross' hoof's curve, all around, making it a perfect circle. It was smooth and shining, as if polished. And inside of the boulder, was a blank surface that was as smooth as glass, with not a single fracture in it.

"Excellent. Now, to make sure I have gotten this right." And the soldiers and guards, still not moving, just kept staring as Golden Cross repeated his technique on the boulder and pulled out cylinder after cylinder of smooth marble. After an hour was the entire marble square lined up with several holes, shaping it almost like a massive model of an engine filter, with a line of two hundred smooth five meter long marble pillars leaning against the side of a barrack wall. The marble block looked like a massive sculpture.

Golden Cross had by now noticed his crowd, and decided to mess a little with the ponies, he had to find some enjoyment out of this charade of his right? Making a show of rotating his shoulders and complaining about cricks in his joints he muttered loudly as he began to remove the remains of the boulders he had destroyed to a pile next to the training field. "Eh I am getting old, I should have been able to finish all four of those cubes without breaking one. If my old teacher had seen how much I had slacked off he would have forced me to repeat this fifty more times."

He then left the field, unsure if he had managed to impress the ponies to improve themselves, or if he had just broken their self confidence. Either way, he hoped he had done something to aid them. The technique he had developed was meant for tearing apart armour. But, this technique could just as easily rip apart flesh, so hopefully it would be of use to them once the remnants of the armies of Tooth and Tails attacked them. He did not have time to teach them more thoroughly, but he was hopeful they would at least learn something.

The pale faces and whimpers on the guards and soldiers made his day and Golden Cross returned to his wagon with a cheerful smile as he left the shaken soldiers and guards to assume their training. All of them glancing fearfully at the line of two hundred marble pillars leaning against the wall of one of the barracks, like a testament of how easy they had it compared to others. But many of them saw this as a challenge to reach beyond the old and become better themselves, and several of the guards and soldiers would find themselves trying to imitate the technique they had just witnessed.

It would not happen instantly or even in months, but the ponies would learn from this show of power, focus, control and grace they had witnessed far more then Golden Cross might anticipate.

Unknowing about his influence upon the future military strength of the ponies, Golden Cross entered his wagon to see a pair of foals happily chasing one another with wooden swords and shields. It made his smile widen a little and he chuckled a bit before taking some of the remaining fruit on the table to eat himself. He would see about visiting Grand Feast today, hopefully she had recovered enough for the foals to see her again.

Finishing his meal he turned to the two children and said with a grin. "I will try to have you two see your mother today, hopefully she has recovered enough for you two to see her." There was a loud cheer from Happy Meal and a loud wheezing yip from Grand Music, rubbing the pair on their heads Golden Cross finished his breakfast and left for the door with the two giddy foals following him.

The streets were active as they had been when they last tried to get to the Central Keep, there were still patrols of guards and soldiers marching through the streets. But for some reason was there a distinguish lack of beggars and homeless ponies. Golden Cross had not really taken note of this before, but when he first arrived at the city were several dozens of less then well off ponies wandering the alleys and streets simply begging or robbing.

But now, there were almost no one at all. There were barely even any beggars, and even they seemed to be confused by it all. A homeless pony in Canterlot had it rather easy compared to what humans were like, they were given rations of food by the city, and offered various temporary jobs for coin and were even given temporary homes in the unused buildings of the city. Truthfully, there were less then fifty homes that were unused at the current date, yet there were more then enough ponies offering space for those who needed it.

So why were there so few of them out? It was making his head hurt as he tried to figure it out. It was giving him slight chills knowing so many people were just... gone after such a short amount of time. What was going on? *Hmmm... this is weird, well I cannot really look into it without giving myself away too much. Nor do I do not really know where to even begin. Not to mention I do not even have that much time to spend on looking. But considering the amount of soldiers marching around, it might be possible that they were either frightened or were they recruited by the army? I have no idea, but I just hope it isn't something sinister.*

Looking up at the open gates leading to the central keep he narrowed his eyes and strode past the guards who instinctively gave him a salute, something he did not take note of. *I have more important things to worry about at the moment. Grand Feast has to know, that I will not be around by the end of tomorrow. *

Once the group reached the medical wing he was glad to see that only a few healers were around, doing menial works rather then keeping a constant watch on Grand Feast, it must mean that she is getting better. Taking a deep breath he walked forward and spoke to one of the guards. "Excuse me, I am Golden Cross and I am curious if it is possible to see Lady Grand Feast, her children would like to see her if it is possible."

The guard was a bit uncertain but he walked into the medicine wing and the trio waited for about three minutes, then the door opened and a familiar looking elderly healer opened the door with a kind smile. "Lady Grand Feast is healthy enough to be visited, she is still limited to bed rest but it is safe for you and the children to visit her."

He nodded. "Thank you, also. I have a favour to ask of you." The old healer looked confused but the serious look on the old knight's face made him consider it. But when Golden Cross whispered what he wanted the old healer narrowed his eyes and made a questioning look on his face.

"I do not intend to use it on any pony. It is a last resort. For myself." A lot of understanding went into the old pony's eyes and he nodded before leaving the medical wing door open for them ,before closing it behind them and leaving to do what Golden Cross had asked of him.

Princess Celestia was still in her own hospital bed, but she now had desk to work by since she had grown strong enough to sit up in the bed to do her paperwork, but she was forbidden from leaving the room. And there, sitting up on her own bed, was Grand Feast, giving them a bright smile as they entered.

Happy Meal and Grand Music both charged over the clean marble floor and leaped up onto the bed and hugged their mother who hugged them back. Golden Cross smiled but then sighed as he remembered the most important reason for why he had come to the hospital.

"Sorry to break this moment Grand Feast, but there is something very important I have to tell you... and the children as well." The serious look on Golden Cross' face made the foals slightly worried, but their mother just gave them some gentle hugs before sitting on the bed as Golden Cross walked over to it.

She spoke up with a slightly tired but still clear voice. "What is it thou wish to tell Us Ser Cross?"

Golden Cross sighed deeply before he slowly turned his head and looked at his hind leg, where the black mark, had started to reach the lower side of his flank. It was now or never, he could not keep it silent, he needed to tell them. "I am sorry to tell you this Grand Feast, but by the end of tomorrow I will no longer be able to keep watch over Grand Music and Happy Meal."

She looked a bit concerned and sad but had a look of understanding in her eyes that made him feel even more ashamed that he was essentially lying to her face, but he had decided on this and he was not going to stop just yet. Grand Feast spoke up with a concerned voice, the two foals looking in confusion at the old earth pony. "Oh. May We ask thee why? Art thou leaving Canterlot?"

Golden Cross sighed again and slowly spoke up, trying to find the words to say, but it was tough, yet he tried. "In a manner of speaking... truth to be told. I am not long for this world. I will be dead by the end of tomorrow."

The look of surprise on the ponies in the room would normally have made him laugh, but he did not find it humorous. Yet the healers in the room did not look surprised at his declaration, although Celestia herself looked rather shocked.

"W-what doest thou mean Ser Cross? Thou can not be dying, thou art healthy!" Grand Feast's voice sounded less tired but far more frantic and sorrowful, the two foals were not yet realizing what was being said, yet.

Golden Cross just gave the kind mare a sad smile and tapped on the black part of his hind leg. "I am dying, I have been for over a year now. My Order's unique training and techniques have made it possible for me to repel the Black Mark, but it does not last forever. And at the rate it has been expanding for the last month, I am not going to survive to see the sun rise after tomorrow's eve."

The room was silent, but Golden Cross did not take heed of the silence and just kept talking. "I am sorry to say this, but, I am not going to be able to care for Grand Music and Happy Meal afterwards. So I spoke to Elder Tall Sprout, he is willing to look after them until you recover. He did not have the chance to do so a few days ago with how his family had no space, but apparently had several of his grand children recently moved out and gotten their own homes, so he can look after them until you recover. So even after I am gone, they will be-huff!"

He was interrupted by a pair of hooves hugging him and a sobbing mare's head being buried into his chest as Grand Feast sobbed into his fur. At first he looked a bit confused, but soon he just got a sad smile and rubbed her mane with his left hoof and let her cry. And soon a pair of crying foals hugged him by the sides of his neck, and he found himself stuck between two crying foals and a crying mother.

Princess Celestia looked upon the scene with a sad look on her muzzle. Truth to be told she wanted to find a way to cure the old pony, she found him pleasant company and a rather strange if inquiring stallion. She could still remember the way he had dance, having said he had never danced before she could scarcely believe it. But she had figured out just how he had been able to move as he had without knowing how to dance while resting in the medical wing. The old knight had used combat stances and movements in his dancing to not lose balance, it was rather ingenious.

She was old herself, she had already lost several friends to not just harsh and sudden death but of age as well. But to see such an old pony speaking more of concern about others surviving after his own demise, made her realize just how much this pony had lived through. Here he was, over two centuries old, and he cared more about how strangers he had known for barely a month would be able to be cared for after he was gone, rather then being concerned about his own death.

The Princess blushed a little as some rather heated thoughts started to run through her brain and shook her head clear and tried to ignore what she had just thought on. But a small line inside of her own mind betrayed her true feeling. *Hath he been younger, hath We hath the time to know him, perhaps We might have made him Our first cohort...*

Sniffling Grand Music wiped away her tears and looked at him with a determined face and spoke up with a slightly strained voice. "P-promise Us, Golden Cross, promise U-us that thou will protect Our children and let thy final hours be peaceful."

"...I cannot make that promise in its entirety. But I can swear this, even if I have to drag myself on the edge of death, I will protect them. After all, they are my family too." That final kind smile on his old face made Grand Feast smile in return, even through her tear stained eyes he could tell that he had no regrets. And so she just hugged him and slowly fell asleep, enjoying a final moment with her savior, and honorary grandfather.

Gently putting the tired mare to sleep Golden Cross walked out of the medical wing of the keep, the two foals hugging his back with teary eyes, leaving the room in awkward silence as the healers, guards and princess in the room felt a bit awkward at what they had witnessed. It had been touching but they felt like they should not have been there, it had felt too private for them to interrupt though.

As he left the healing wing, the healer he had spoken to approached him. "We art finished, We doest not know why thou wouldst want to use this rather then end in peace. But it be no business or Ours. Take care Ser. May the Gods watch over thee."

Accepting a bottle of shimmering purple liquid, the old knight just gave a nod to the healer before leaving with the two sad and hungry foals in tow.

It would be a long day for Golden Cross after that incident. The rumors about his impending death had spread like wild fire through out the city and he had to even avoid his own wagon to not get mixed up with a crowd of fans and a few so called 'miracle healers' who wanted to offer him a cure. So he spent most of the time at Grand Feast's house, taking care of the children and helping the chefs in the eatery with the cooking a bit during the rush hour when he went to cook for himself and the kids.

Although he was away a few times did he not spend much time away from the foals, he enjoyed their company and it would sooth the aching if they enjoyed the final time they had together. Even if he would not be able to enjoy their company afterwards did he hope they would be able to keep going after he was gone. But because of this devotion of time for the children did he not have time to preform research of magic or even reconnaissance with his Interface screen. Maybe if he had, he might have taken note of the large forces marching beyond the horizon.

A horde of meat craving beast like animals who seek to devour all in their path. Carving across the landscape they marched like a massive swarm of locust, those unfortunate to end up in their way and not go unnoticed, were torn apart and eaten, War machines pf various designs and purposes were being pulled by lines of strong pigs while a large strange wooden structure was being pulled by several hippos and rhinoceroses, on top of it was a group of individuals standing, their mad craving even more profane in their eyes then in the eyes of their minions.

Perhaps if they had been noticed before hand, they might not have reached Canterlot without difficulty. Maybe if they had been delayed the ponies might have constructed proper defenses of their city. But instead they fell unnoticed.

And as the army of meat eating maniacs marched over Equestria was Golden Cross asleep on the main bed of the bedroom, knowing the foals would not let him go and he did not want to let them sleep on the floor mattress, had he decided to sleep there. And as he slept, he was in ignorance of the approaching danger just like every pony in the city. But then again, even if he had known about the approaching forces of the carnivores, what could have been done about it without revealing his true self? Who knows.

The sun had barely started rising when the large horn of the Gatehouse was being sounded and a loud echoing 'braaaaaaaah' was sounded one, two, three, four and five times, signalling something every pony had been fearing since the failed assassination attempt of their Princess. The five signal sound meant one thing, Hostile Forces Approaching.

Several messengers ran across the military district, their words causing officers to slam open the doors to the barracks and shout out orders to the half awake soldiers who were not part of the night shift. "We hath received words about approaching hostile forces! All soldiers art to prepare for battle, all gear art to be put on this instance! Now go and ready thyselfs for battle!"

Those words brought life to the half asleep ponies. It was a scramble form there but they were well trained from months of training, and with the recent drills of Golden Cross they were even more prepared then they had been before. Armours were put on, belts with supplies, emergency items and possible special gear was strapped on ,and their weapons were pulled out and held in place with by strap or telekinetic grip.

In the training grounds they gathered in force, flooding out of their barracks they went from mad mobs into well formed units who were rapidly ordered to march to the city walls. The sound of marching soldiers echoed through the city and then the sound of heavy equipment being pulled out of storage followed as whatever available war machines the ponies had were being pulled out to prepare for a siege.

It took the soldiers less then thirty minutes to reach the tops of the city walls, it would take thirty more for the war machines to be pulled to position, but the stationary war machines on the wall were already prepared so those were good to go. However, once the soldiers reached the top of the walls, their high spirit and courage wavered at the sight of a veritable horde of raiders of all manners of creatures, shouting out from the hills located between Canterlot and the mountains, in which the pass leading to the quickest route to Everfree Forest is located.

If the army had entered from the mountain path, then the scouting parties were either isolated, in hiding or long since dead.

The hills were covered with the horde of hungry killers. They were lined up like a massive group of unorganized bandits. Over two thousand meat craving lunatics, the last remnants of the Animal Kingdom. Foxes, Rabbits, Squirrels, Rats, Pidgeons, Owls, Mice, Pigs, Boars, Wolves, Dogs, Hedgehogs, Skunks, Lizards, Snakes, Toads and many other species, all gathered for one purpose, to eat.

They were coloured in a mixture of blue, red, green and yellow. Some of them were wearing uniforms older then themselves, others were wearing ragtag like clothing with patched armour pieces and chain mail. It was a massive mixture of colours with no real clear organization. And yet they were coordinated. As soon as they arrived the animals started digging into the hill side, creating trenches and strange small huts.

At first they attempted to dig into Canterlot by the underside, but the ponies never noticed, nor did they need to worry, the walls were placed down to the bedrock of the mountain. The animals who had hoped to catch the equines by surprise were rather displeased by this but instead started expanding and supporting the tunnels they had made for the coming invasion.

However, such constructions are not easy to make when working beneath a moat. And the animals' diggers, the moles, had never worked with one before.

Walfred Stonebone was an old mole, he was not old enough to remember the Mouse Wars, but he was old enough to remember the day that God saved them. He could remember it even now, the sight of the misshapen avatar of divinity who brought them from cold and starvation to this bountiful land of tender meat and warm sun.

He had learned the old ways of mining from his own mother, a former member of the Longcoats who had died to let him and his family live by offering herself for them to eat during the Second Great Winter. The Engineers For Hire were long gone, but he still had the knowledge and had taught future generations. All of which were working in these tunnels for the sake of securing the future and food.

Grinning on his white wizened old face the muscular and tall mole hefted his pick axe and looked across the tunnel they had been expanding. It would take some delicate work but they would be able to expand the tunnel enough for the army to reach the bottom of the castle walls.

That was when he saw a young mole raise his pickaxe to chop into a big boulder. And then his eyes widened as the pick went straight into the boulder. It was as if it was made out of soft stone. At the point of impact the entire structure of the stone started to fracture, causing its entire frame to start crumbling. And then came a strong chill down Walfred's spine as water began to trickle out from the gaps between the metal and the rock.

Raising his head to scream for the others to get out ,he had only time to open his moth, when the entire ceiling and right wall of the tunnel exploded into rock, earth, mud and water and in a loud flush, the moles working in the underground tunnels, drowned as their entire network was flooded by the rapid waters from the deep moat above them. The sudden flood caused the ground in which they had dug to collapse and several parts of the grass fields outside of Canterlot collapsed inwards into a strange formation of lines.

This setback did not even discern Archimedes and his fellow raiders, instead he had the toads fish up the corpses of the moles, to feast on after the battle. A fitting end.

Golden Cross had woken up by the sound of the city horn, luckily were the foals still asleep. But he could not just leave them alone. Thankfully there were a few there who could keep an eye on them for a short while, He rushed down to the eatery where the morning staff were working on preparing the store, confused by the sound of the signals.

With a clack of hooves landing on wood he stood by the doorway to the outside and turned to speak to the personal. "I must see what is happening, the children are still asleep, please, care for the while I am away, I will be gone just a short while."

He then rushed out of the eatery and sprinted through the active streets of Canterlot, leaping over wagons, side stepping individuals and pushing aside crowds. Soon he reached his goal, his wagon. Swiftly he unlocked it and pulled out his bag. He then went into the armoury and put on his armour and grabbed his poleaxe. But before leaving he grabbed something off his work bench in the armoury, a necklace designed in the fashion of a shield with a carving of a scale on it. It was an improvised magical item he had made to imitate one of his favourite movies, he was not sure how effective the spell was, but it would hopefully never need to be used.

And then he moved out of the wagon, locked it, and rushed back towards the eatery, his large armoured frame making ponies part way for him as he rushed through the streets like a rhinoceros. As he reached the eatery he grabbed the handle and just as he was about to enter, his entire body seized up and he collapsed into the shop coughing and gasping as he could no longer breathe.

Unclasping his helmet he forcefully removed it with shaking hooves as he started losing focus, he loosened the straps around his neck and removed the chest plate protecting his front. And then he reared back his hoof and with an loud meaty thwack, punched himself in the chest and he coughed up a sphere of blackened meat and blood. Frantically he sucked in air into his lungs and laid on his side in the eatery as the staff moved over to help him.

He was still gasping and panting as they lead him to a chair where he could sit down and rest. They were swift to clean up the blood and meaty ichor and put it in the large oven like heater in the basement. As he panted he looked out the window and stared at the silhouette of the city walls as ponies lined up upon them and slowly closed his eyes as he tried to steady his breathing. *I guess I am of no use here. Hopefully they will be alright without me.*

The staff nor Golden Cross would explain to the children why he looked so sick when they came down to eat breakfast, the old knight just smiled and told them that he was not as young as he used to be. Then he told them about the pending siege and the staff gasped in fear while the foals, had a, different reaction.

"So cool! We wanna be out there watchin' them soldiers kick butt!" Was the cheer of Happy Meal and the agreeing nod from Grand Music. Golden Cross looked stumped for a bit, but then he smiled and rubbed the foals' heads gently.

"War is not something for foals unless there are no other options. It is not a game nor something anyone would wish to be part of once they know the consequences of it." The foals seemed a bit put off by this.

"But why? Ye fight bad ponies all da time Mister Cross!" Happy Meal's question made a sad smile emerge on Golden Cross' muzzle and he looked out at the battlements of the city.

"I am sad to say that even if I was never consciously aware of it, have I taken the lives of innocents as well. In the heat of battle, when you have enemies on every turn. When every hidden crook or canny can hold a dagger or sword... you do not often have time to think of what manner of damage your actions might cause to those not part of your struggle. Nor can you know... that throwing a torch to defeat a hiding foe... might also kill those who are hiding from not only your enemy, but you as well." There was a solemn atmosphere in the air but the sweet innocent foals just grinned at the old knight.

"Yer silly Grandpa Cross. Ye art de best knight ever, and there be no pony better!" A slight teary look come to his eye but he did not let them fall, with a sad but happy smile, Golden Cross just closed his eyes and petted the grinning foals on the head once more. That was the first time. Grandpa. Someone had called him that, even before he was called father. He had always wanted children of his own, and yet he never found someone to do so with.

And now, after less then a month with these wonderfully naive ponies... one of them called him Grandpa... and he could not express how much that meant to him. How much it touched his heart. And how much shame he was feeling. For deceiving them all.

*These ponies... they are truly special. More so then any alicorn, demigod, demon, devil, dragon or god could ever hope to be.* He thought to himself as he smiled at the foals who were trying to lift his poleaxe together, the weapon being too heavy for them to even budge, and yet they did not give up and he just enjoyed the moment. Even with the turmoil awaiting outside, he had not felt so happy in a long time.

The first siege of Canterlot was soon to happen, an event no pony had ever expected to happen within their lifetime, and yet here it was, less then a year since their city's foundation and now an army of savage beasts were preparing to lay waste to their city and their lives. Had the ponies not had developed their military so much for the last few months would the situation probably have been far worse then it was not.

Princess Celestia, weakened though she may be. Was having meeting with her Generals about the impending siege and what they knew about their forces. What little they already knew from Golden Cross' did not help them determine their strengths and weaknesses, and with the old knight dying was it less then likely that they would be able to figure something out before the siege. So they had sent out scouts, along with a lone messenger to ask for the army's intention.

The scouts had done their job well. However the messenger's fate... was just proof of Golden Cross' words about the mad craving of these monster like animals.

While bearing the white flag and asking to parley, had the messenger been grabbed by a swarm of pigs who with wicked blades and their weird monkey paw like appendages, tore the poor mare apart. The last they saw of Sweet Words was her intestines being eaten raw by a group of ten pigs. There was no chance for peace talks.

But the scouts had done their job efficiently and returned without failure. The entire army was equipped with a random mess of weapons from primitive bone and stone weapons to high quality weapons of iron and bronze. There were no gold or silver arms or armours among them. Several large and weird looking birds were equipped with strange fruits and some massive looking owls even swallowed completely equipped mice whole and alive. And their siege engines were of a different make then their own. It was too dangerous to investigate but from their word were there large ballistaes, some strange looking catapult with a net and a big pendulum like weight on it and several weird looking cubes with circular holes in them.

The entire battlefield as well as the city, was put out on a big map on the War Table in the War Room of the Central keep, with figurine marking out the ponies' forces, the civilians, important supplies and the various types of enemy forces.

In normal cases would the event of a siege be holding its strategy meetings by the castle walls in a special designed watch tower in the center of the city. But with Princess Celestia being weakened were the Generals forced to work out their plans from the Central Keep's War Room. Something Celestia would make sure to find a solution for post haste once the siege was over.

General Blood Gorger was standing on one of the table, examining the set up of the map and the figurines representing the troops while General Clever Ploy was marking down eventual weak spots in the enemy formations and the possible assault areas of the enemy forces. Their terrain advantage was obvious, but the scouts reported that there was no sign of any one wielding magic or having magical equipment except for scavenged pony gear.

This entire army was without the power of magic and if that was the case, then their ability to win this would rely on their unicorns. But in that laid a weakness. The unicorns could not cast magic too long or too powerful, most of their trained unicorns were still recuperating from injuries from the battle with Maleficus. The majority of their current magical forces were unable to handle such powerful magic, not to mention their air forces were limited as well for similar reasons.

The Generals Fearless Charge, Scorched Retreat and Certain Victory were all working on coordinating their forces to the best of their advantage. However, Fearless Charge wanted to make an attack on the enemy forces before they could properly assemble their forces. While Scorched Retreat wanted to prepare traps and wards on the inside of the city should the wall fail. And Certain Victory was trying to find a middle ground to work on, but it was difficult. with their numbers limited to just over seven hundred were they heavily outnumbered and it was not easy to place their units in a proper position when they were lacking forces.

And Celestia was still recovering from her poisoning, she had to be carried on a bed to the War Room to work with the Generals and she was not finding much of a better strategy to use then, dig in and wait out the storm. It was not easy to decide an option as limited as they were, and most of their siege weapons were being repaired after the battle with Maleficus Victoria a month ago. They had only around ten catapults and seven large ballistaes complete for usage, and their Restrictas were completely out of action. Even with their newly developed tower weapons, was it unlikely it would turn the tide of the fight for too long.

Things did not look good.

It had been hours since the army started preparing for their siege, ignoring any calls from the ponies. The stupid small horses had even sent out a messenger under a white flag, she made an excellent appetizer. As the final hour of the morning was reaching they made a final meal of the final rations of pony meat was shared along with acorn whiskey. As they feasted were the final preparations being completed out on the large cliff side at the side of the hills, facing the south western side of the city. Upon the top of the cliff stood a line of massive constructions, these were the siege weapons being prepared for the incoming battle.

As the feast ended there was a final preparation made by the ground forces. Timber and crates with material was being brought out to several groups and those who knew how to tie rope, hammer nails and shape wood and bone were put to work. Within less then an hour were very long and strong ladders of wood and bones being constructed to scale the walls. Those not working on the ladders were working on other preparations, such as maintaining gear and ammunition, while others were preparing ropes and grappling hooks.

And as the sun reached its peak, the army was ready. But before they could ravage the city of its bountiful and tender citizens, there was one final thing that had to be done by their leader. A speech.

Upon his seat on the large wooden structure sat Archimedes. He was grinning wickedly at the walls of the city, it was but a thin membrane keeping them from the tasty morsels inside. With drool leaking out of his mouth he turned to his fellow leaders and spoke up an almost mad voice. "We art soon to lay siege upon the city. Art thy forces ready?"

The group of five was various and yet each of them were a wicked and twisted being who would do almost anything for profit or meat.

"Me boyz be ready. Them ponies be no expecting them ladders an hook ropes We make." Said the second of the large beings, a large minotaur, or rather a pig with the horns of a minotaur. His name was Borgus, a pig and minotaur hybrid, the leader of the pigs. He was the biggest and strongest of them ,and thus he was the leader, after he ate the first one.

"Hmph, just try to stay out of Our way." Grumbled the largest figure, this one was a massive boar, dressed in metal and leather he wielder a strange metal contraption with a tube of some sort connected to a large metal cylinder kept on his back ,which was also connected to a hope at the end of his torn trousers.

This was Butters, or Uncle Butters as many called him, a mercenary and murderer by trade. He had spent his earlier years as a spy for the pigs in the Longcoat Faction before betraying the faction for the pigs, until God sent them to this realm. Now he was a leader of similar minded individuals, it did not matter their species, as long as they were smart, strong or clever, they could join his special forces.

"Oi vey! Why doest We hath to suffer meatheads like these art a mystery! God Why Doest We Hath to Suffer Them!?" Cried out a short black dressed blue furred female fox as she traced the curved blade of one of her daggers with her paws. Her name was Athens, she was a former member of the KSR and worked as the main leader of the assassins and scouts of their little group.

"Oh do shut yer trap, We hath bigger thing to focus on!" The one who said this rather rude comment was a grey pelted, old and muscular wolf, dressed in a worn out green military uniform with a spiked helmet on his skull. This was the Sergeant, a veteran of the Mouse Wars like Butters and Archimedes. A former member of the KSR, just like Athens, but with a distinguish difference, he follows only the commands of the KSR leadership, which Athens is the last remaining member of, since she killed them all.

However he had long since abandoned his name and just called himself Sergeant Wolf. He was the leader and trainer of the lower ranked raiders and bandits of their group, he was the bridge between the meat shields and the leaders, sort of. He was not part of the group's inner dealings, he handled the troops rather then taking part in meetings.

"Art We doing this or art thou going to just blow hot air through thou mouths?" Came the annoyed voice of a sophisticated male being, who turned out to be a skunk of all things. His name was Leroy de Champagne, former member of the Longcoats. His family had been a group of famous brewers of alcohol and perfumes before the Second Great Winter.

Now he and his kin were the main researchers and developers of weapons and equipment for the remnants of the Animal Kingdom. With the lack of resources in this world they had no way to craft the amount of black powder needed to make bullets, nor did they have the proper tools to even make mass produced cannons. It was a fight with resources and thus he became the quartermaster as well, since he managed a tight ship on both production and resource management.

Thus he too was never part of any immediate meetings, his research and works were too important to waste time on idle chatter. This would probably have made him less influential if he had not been a genius inventor and craftsman of all manners of components and gadgets, their more 'unique' siege engines were his design. He was still trying to find a substitute for gunpowder and had some success, but not much.

"Oh what a dull bunch thou art, Archimedes, darling, please resume. We art getting terribly bored." The sultry voice of a seductress is said to be far more lethal then any poison or blade. And Madame Delores was a dangerous example of this, a seductive female panther with curves and attitude to make most males and females feel weak in the knees. Her sole purpose was to handle information and torture.

This panther seductress was far from just a pretty face in a white dress, she knew how to pull out all of your vital organs and not let you die for hours, before butchering you still not cold body for the kitchen to cook. As a former member of the Civilized, she had developed this habit of torturing those who would become her meal, saying that those who suffer before they die, have far more tender and juicy meat then those who dies in other fashions.

The old rat just gave them a wide grin and motioned with his clawed hand towards the city. "As the Lady request! "

He then stood up and spread out his arms as a pair of pigs carried over a large cone of leather, constructed to let him speak out in a far louder voice then normal. As he opened his maw, his voice thundered out over the land, sending chills down the spine of the ponies. "Listen to Us oh sweet ponies of Equestria! We art the Predators! We hath come to do Our sacred right as decreed by God! To Eat Meat! As any Civilized Animal does!"

His drool was leaking at a heavy phase at the moment and his stomach was rumbling in anticipation. But he did not stop his speech, saliva and drool was flying out of his fang equipped mouth as his gleeful and mad voice crackled across the ears of all outside and within of the city. And as he spoke, his troops began to chant and sing. "Thy city shalt be the first to fall to Our hunger! We shalt take to the streets and lit it aflame to cook thy meat!"

Drums were being sounded in the background as he began to reach the finale of his speech and a strange rhythmic melody began to fill the air as the Rattenfänger troops, chanted and sang as his speech reached its crescendo. "Who art the Chosen of God!? Who decide the Fate of Animals!? Once We asked if it were the Longcoats, the Commonfolk, the KSR or the Civilized who could decide Our Fate! But then God graced Us in Our final hour of need! And decreed none of Our factions to be those who decree Our fate! And thus as Chosen by His Will! We made a new faction and art now God's Chosen! We art Rattenfänger! Our decree is chosen by God is as thus! Those who triumph shalt go hungry no more! Those who fall! Shalt! Be! Dinner!"

And at those final chilling words, the entire army of animals raised their weapons into the air and as one screamed out a battle cry out from the hills, which echoed like an avalanche over the land and made the ponies fear that the world itself was going insane. "Huuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

And then, as the sun passed the hour of Midday. The Siege for Canterlot began.

It was the Rattenfänger who acted first. They started with the siege engines, large catapults called trebuchets, with their nets and ropes holding tightly onto large groups or individually large pieces of rocks. The heavy weights on the bottom of the arms were released and with tremendous force was the payload of the siege engine flung out in a high arch towards the city. A rain of boulders falling towards its interior.

That's when the defenders made 'their' first move. Unicorns aligned their horns and several hexagon shapes of solid energy took shape as shields and while they only lasted for one blow, was that enough to send the boulders reeling backwards, away from their original trajectory. And thus away from the city, but with most of their kinetic force lost from being repelled they did not return to the siege engines that fired them. Several of the rocks still hit some of the unluckier foot soldiers of the Rattenfäger, yet none of them seemed to even care about it.

Then came the ballistaes, bolts more then three meters long were fired from the massive crossbow like structures. There was no way to shield from these projectiles efficiently. However, the ponies still had a back up plan for this. Units of pegasus soldiers were flying up in the sky and used the very wind itself to create small and temporary tornadoes, which caused the ballistae bolts to swear off and hit at most the city wall or the mountain wall behind the city.

But then came the strange tube like weapons. Their entire structures glowed with blue light before in a loud rumbling boom were large orbs of metal launched out of them. The orbs hit with such speed and power that chunks of the wall were blown out, not enough to destroy it or make a hole ,but enough to shake its very structure.

However, one of the orbs flew a bit off and struck the inside of the city ,slamming through a tall wooden building at the other side of town, making it crumble apart by the impact. There was no reason to think that any one inside would survive the power of the impact and the building collapsing. The ponies had taken first blood.

"Huaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" And with this sensation of victory the first of the foot soldiers charged down the hills and towards the city, carrying the long and heavy siege ladders over their heads in groups of ten.

Captain Glory Seeker, former member of the Sun Guard, now a lowly Captain of the Gold Army, raised his right hoof and pointed it towards the approaching beasts and shouted at his subordinated handling the catapults. Ever since his old rank had been revoked he had taken a turn for the better and become less of a self righteous noble and more of a proper military officer. "Take in the trajectory to hit them before they reach the moat! We cannot let these monsters enter the city! Fire at will!"

With a loud heavy thud swung the ten catapults up their spoon like structures and sent their payload over the wall. At first it looked like simple pebbles, but they were not. As soon as the small stone like objects reached the other side of the wall, the spell on them was released and massive boulders flew down like a meteor shower upon the invaders. The catapults were inaccurate but the spread out rain of size reduced boulders were enough to overcome that disadvantage.

The boulders fell upon the grass field and while most missed, were more then two hundred attackers crushed as the boulders struck ground and rolled forward like big balls of doom. The were not perfectly spherical, or they might start rolling back. But they were smooth enough to gain a proper momentum from the point of impact. However, the foot soldiers were not deterred by the show of brutal force.

"Gah! Thou shalt not enter Our city beast!" Screamed Sergeant Sky Spear as he used his lance to spear through a large owl as it tried to spew out a torrent of mice upon the battlement bellow. The tip of the weapon went through its entire body and as it fell downwards its stomach burst open and a group of four mice leaped out to try and attack the walls, only to splatter on the ground as the winds of the pegasi sent them tumbling away from the wall.

"Keh! Just how many of these foul things art there!?" The Sergeant growled as he had to duck beneath the razor sharp talons of a vulture and a dive bombing pigeon. Raising his lance once more he signaled his unit and they flew in a line towards a cluster of birds harassing another squad.

Up in the air above the city wall was a swarm of vultures, pigeons, owls and other birds screeching about ,slashing with talons, beaks and special made bladed weapons. While the pegasi repelled their assault with enchanted weapons and weather magic. It was like a battle between birds the weather itself from the sound of screeches and flapping wings mixed with clashing metal, sound of thunder and the screaming gale winds. The birds were far more weaker then the ponies but had the numbers. And yet the ponies had an even greater advantage, their weather magic. It took all of their strength to keep the flying ponies occupied, but that was their purpose in the siege. To occupy the winged ponies.

Meanwhile at the ground was a squad of ten animals of various types charged forward across the field. Each of them holding onto the long ladder. Bare or covered paws, claws and feet pressed into the soft soil of the grass and the soldiers moved over the field without pause. As they started to reach the moat the rear group started to angle the ladder higher from their end, while the front started to lower it and hunched down to run with their torsos almost touching the ground. The ladders were twenty meters long, this length was enough for the ladders to reach over the moat and onto the edge of the city wall's battlements.

Up on the had a young soldier taken note of the approaching ladders and shouted out to his commanding officer as he drew back the string on his bow to fire and arrow. "Sergeant! Approaching ladders! They intend to climb up the walls!"

Nodding at his subordinate's words the pale grey unicorn dressed in bronze armour called out to his unit. "Ready weapons! Those of ye lot who know how to shoot worth a spit better aim fer da ladder bearers! Ye have da order ta Fire at Will! Da rest of ye lot prepare ta break them ladders!"

A rain of projectiles flew down upon the horde. These was practically no way t miss them just shoot and someone would get hit. But even as the ponies fired arrows, stones, javelins and spells at the approaching ladder bearers, unless the ladders were broken apart would the dead bearers be replaced almost instantly. More then four hundred of the enemy had died since the start of the siege and yet none of them seemed to even care about it.

Even as a boulder slammed down upon one of their fellow ladder groups and crushed them as it rolled over them, they took no heed to the loses. Instead, when the manic animals reached the edge of the moat the front group slammed the front end of the ladder straight in the soft soil at the edge of the moat. Then the second pair ran up and climbed up onto their comrades' backs and the third climbed up on theirs and so on. It was a rapid succession of momentum that made the massive siege ladder stand upright, its wood and bone structure heaved and creaked before falling forward and slammed straight into the upper edge of the city walls.

And soon were more ladders being raised up towards the city walls, out of the fifty siege ladders would only fifteen managed to reach their goal, but that was more then enough for the foot soldiers to start climbing. But the climb would be treacherous, even though the ladders were hard and tough enough to withstand the physical blows of the ponies weapons, would five of them be destroyed by spells before any of the beasts could gain a foot hold on the walls. and even then were a never ending shower of projectiles peppering them from the walls like a rain of death.

But with their large wooden and metal shields they began to climb up the ladders, all seemed to go according to pan. Until something else began to fire upon them. A goat was about to reach the top of the wall when a loud twang was heard and a brief fluttering of air before a large thunk was heard as a large arrow speared him in the side and sent him flying off the ladder and into the moat. This made the soldiers take pause, since they had not been looking at where the attack had come from. Looking to the side they saw what had killed the goat.

Up on the walls were ponies firing without pausing. But to the side was a tower, one of the many towers located o t he city wall, and upon it was a up lifted platform with a small ballistae aiming at those climbing the ladders. The small ballistae on the tower shifted to take aim at the others climbing the ladders and the gunner started to pedaling on a strange pair of pedals on the base of the small ballistae's base. It was the latest invention of the Engineer's corps, a rapid firing ballistae, called the Manticore.

With a plain circle of glass with a cross painted on it as an aid to aim the small ballistae's bowstring was pulled back, a bolt was loaded out from a wooden box on top of the frame of the large crossbow and then as the gunner kept pedaling ,the bolt was fired and speared another climber off the ladder. And then more Manticores started firing from the towers and the foot soldiers found themselves held as they were not able to evade or block the bolts of the Manticores.

Then a horn was sounded from the Rattenfänger side and the foot soldier stopped trying to climb the ladders, confusing the ponies. Until a loud kadunk was heard as the trebuchets launched a second volley.

"Incoming Barrage! Raise the shields!" Cried out one of the soldiers to his comrades as the boulders flew towards towards them. With strained focus and magic the unicorns started crafting their hexagon shaped shields once more. However, things did not go as well as the first time.

This time the mages were only able to repel most of the rocks, several of them were too busy healing wounded or firing spells at the ladders and the invaders. And thus as the shields appeared, were two of the boulders able to clear past them and strike at the city wall. One boulder slammed into the upper portion of one of the smaller towers and made the top collapse. The second rock to hit struck at one of the towers as well, but the impact only left a dent in the lower section.

The damage could have been far worse and the ponies let out a sigh of relief. But then chills ran down their spines, they had forgotten something. The enemy had more siege engines then those catapults!

But then the ballistaes on the enemy side fired, and the ponies' air forces were occupied by the attacking birds, and thus they had no way to stop the massive projectiles from striking the towers on the walls. Out of the several shoots fired, went several into the city wall or into the distance, but several struck true, some of them aimed at the same target even. Overall were four Manticores destroyed by that volley, but fortunately enough were the tubes not firing another volley.

Sadly enough was the destruction of the Manticores enough to turn the tide and the invaders were no longer being repelled, instead they were focusing their efforts on the ladders closest to the gap were the Manticores were gone. Even as over six hundred of their numbers had been killed by now were they still not giving an inch, their determination only equal to their frantic murderous craving.

*Not good! We need to signal the Generals!* Thought the Town Guard as he watched their defence being slowly pushed back. He moved from the front edge of the gate house's top and to the rear, the part facing the city. He reared back his foreleg and struck the gong located there, three times. The powerful sound echoed through the entire city and the Generals were instantly aware that their defences were starting to fail.

By now had the sun passed to the point of noon, over three hours had gone by, and the very air of the city was tense and on edge as the sound of battle flew over the interior from the battlements on the walls.

And then, the Generals gave the order to guide the civilians to the central keep.

At the part of the wall connecting to the mountain side was a group of squirrels dressed in black robes climbing up the wall, their work was to travel to the interior of the city and take out the commanders of the pony forces. They would be free to pillage and eat as they wanted afterwards.

The smooth rock surface was easy for them to climb with their sharp claws, not to mention the nicks inserted into the stone by the spies and assassin they had sent months ago when they first infiltrated the city.

As the first assassin reached the top of the wall he looked around, dead silent and empty. Grinning he pulled himself up and signaled to his companions to get up. One after one, until a group of ten killers were on the wall.

"Hehehehe! Those stupid beasts have no idea We art coming. Those fools should hath prepared better after We poisoned their Goddess." One of them stated with a grin and chuckled which was joined by the others.

"Welp, We better take Us a break here. Those fools ain't moving anywhere and We could use a bit of a rest after climbing that wall." Said one of the older squirrels who sat down on a wooden crate and started massaging his aching claws. The other nine agreed to it and the assassins started to find spot to sit down on and take a shot rest.

After about five minutes the felt ready and one of them noticed how the older squirrel had yet to stand up. "Oi old timer, ye need ta get-" As soon as he touched the old squirrel, he fell over, dead, his face completely frozen in a closed eye moment of serenity.

"Hey! Did that old timer just kick it?" One of the younger members asked the others as they examined the old squirrel.

"Looks like it. He's got no wounds, no sign of injury anywhere, looks like he went out peacefully... So wanna eat him?" One of them asked the others. The others looked a bit conflicted, they were hungry but it would take time to prepare a meal out of the old squirrel.

"Eh. Fine. Would be a waste otherwise." And so they started stripping the old squirrel of his equipment and started skinning him and started a small fire with some coal and a metal pan and started cooking the old assassin's meat.

Drools were running down their chins as the meat was being cooked and then they eagerly started digging into the roasted meat of their dead comrade. And then as the first bite fell into their mouths, they started coughing and gagging as they found it difficult to breath.

A cool and chilling voice spoke out as they frantically clutched at their throats trying to breath. "Oh We were more then prepared for thy treacherous ways beasts."

Then the wooden box upon which the old squirrel had been sitting, was raised as a pony mare hidden within it stood up and pulled the wooden box off of her body. Beneath the crate was a mare dressed in solid black cloth and metal armour, hugging her well toned and flexible body. There was a hint of a pink lock ticking out from the face mask strapped over a helmet like hood made out of woven cloth and metal plates. Out of a hole on the armour on her flank, was a long pink pony tail of.

"We thought that doing to thee which thou foul kin did to Our Princess to be poetic justice. Thus We hath prepared several ambush spots in Our city where thy foul creatins sneaked inside. It took Us but days to track all of thou fellow assassins movements, We shalt never leave Our city weak to such attempts again." Pulling out a long and thin bladed dagger like sword with a oversize cross guard, former Sun Guard member Solid Pink glared upon them as they lay there, choking on the poison they tried to kill her nation's monarch with.

"This poison thy hath is an interesting one. It stays within the flesh of those it kill. Unless the one afflicted with it is cured, then their bodies shalt be poisonous. We pricked thou friend with this poison. But do not fear, thy end shalt not be long." he then sheathed the stiletto like blade and pulled out a curved dagger with a jagged edge and the squirrels felt chills down their spines as a cold grin grew beneath the cloth of the face mask as the creepy pony started moving towards them..

She reached out and grasped the head of one of the squirrels and gently stroked the blade against his throat. Before whispering into his ear as she slowly started cutting up his throat. The final words each of they would hear was coldly whispered to them, as cold eyes looked down at them, as a sharp jagged, and by the first kill, bloody blade split upon their throats. "We shalt make certain of it."

Golden Cross frowned as he looked out from the top floor of Grand Feast's house, the window giving him a clear view of the defenders on the walls, their pained screams echoing through his ears and shaking his very soul. The raiders were too many and there was no way for Celestia to come to the ponies' aid with her body recovering from the assassination attempt, the poison was yet purged from her body.

This was the final day of his life on the planet until the next Red Sun. He had made a promise to protect Grand Music and Happy Meal. With Grand Feast stuck in the medical wing of the keep he could not just leave them. But it was dangerous to just ignore the battle. He had made a promise to protect them. But he had to do something or that promise would not be possible, even if it meant to leave the foals, he had to do something or the entire city would be ransacked.

And most of all. He wanted to make things right, had he never injured Celestia at their fight, this would never have happened. Now was his last chance, or he would have to wait for ten years until the next Red Sun to be able to do anything, and by then it would be far too late.

Closing his eyes the old knight sighed, before standing up from his seat and walked over to the table were his helmet and poleaxe were resting. Stroking the helmet with his hoof he slowly turned towards the curious foals looking out the window, and his eyes narrowed with resolve. He could not stand by. Or those two would... he dared not even consider it.

Reaching out he grasped his poleaxe and helmet and walked over to the two, on his hind legs, he then knelled down in front of them and spoke to them as they noticed him approaching. "...I am sorry you two, but this is where I must leave you."

Two small blurs flew into his body and he felt two pairs of limbs grabbing him by the forelegs. "No! Ye promised mama!" Happy Meal cried out in tears while hugging his foreleg together with Grand Music who was also crying, yet unable to voice his sadness because of his lack of voice.

It was tearing him apart inside, but he knew what would happen to the city should the gate fall to the raiders. And that thought, terrified him far more then anything in his entire life. So he gently lifted up both of the children and hugged them softly while speaking to them gently. "I know. But if I do not act now. There will be a lot of ponies being hurt. And no matter how much I want to stay by your side and personally keep you safe, can I not do so now without leaving. If the gate falls, will there be many innocent lives at stake here, yours included, and if I am to keep not only you, but them safe as well. I must go."

Sniffling the little filly choked out as she hugged his neck while her adopted brother buried his muzzle into his fur. "But! But! Ye are dying! If ye fight ye will die!"

Gently he lowered them to the bed on the room and hushed their crying as he petted them on the heads. He smiled a warm serene smile upon them, letting all of his joy and cheer out, showing them, even if only through his face, how much they had affected him. "Shhh it is okay child. I will keep you safe through this night. And even if I may not be by your side physically afterwards, do not doubt that I will still be by your side. After all, you two and your mother, are the closest I have had to a family, in over a century. your lives, are far more precious to me then my own."

Their sad eyes looked upon him and they sniffled. Happy Meal spoke up, her voice choking a little as she tried to refrain from crying. "...Y-ye have to keep all of Us safe? Even if ye... die?"

It broke his heart to see them like this but he kept smiling and nodded, still petting their heads gently as he spoke to them. "Aye. Death is not the end child, it is but the next great adventure. And though I am old, even though I am dying, does this old body of mine still have the strength for one more fight. I will gladly take up arms, even if it means my death, I will welcome it even. As long as I am able to keep you, your brother, your mother and all other ponies within these walls, safe."

Teary eyed but with determined and fierce looks on their muzzles, Grand Music and Happy Meal, spoke out to him. Happy Meal was the voice, and Grand Music, moved his lips and tried hard to make noise, and combined, Golden Cross could have sworn, he heard them both speak to him. Even though he had never heard Grand Music's voice, he swore he could hear his as well. "Ye... Ye better kick their flanks good Grandpa Cross!"

It was a slow and silent moment, but then a wide grin grew upon his lips and raising his hoof and bopping the two foals on the noses. And then he spoke up. With a voice as warm as the summer breeze, full of life and strength, as if he was healthy and young once more. "Aye! I will!"

He walked out of the room, tall, proud and his heart aching with shame and guilt as he walked down the stairs to the eatery. The staff were gathering by a table by the door, looking out with worry at the city wall. As they saw him walk down the stairs, dressed in full armour, his movements as graceful as if he was descending from the heavens, several of the mares grew hefty blushes as he approached.

And then he spoke, a voice of solid iron, a will of steel and a vocal cord as well sharpened as a sword. "Please, keep them safe." The staff members nodded, knowing who he meant, and then he opened the door and closed it behind himself, before he started walking towards the city gates.

For the rest of their lives the workers of the eatery would tell the story of Golden Cross as he left for battle that noon, and how much of an example he was which any knight, no, any pony should strive to be.

The Walls were standing as strong as they could. But the fierce waves of Rattenfänger soldiers were overwhelming them. As the fifth hour of the battle started, were some of the foot soldiers able to get a foot hold on the walls.

The Sergeant on the wall by the Gatehouse swore as he watched a large wolf climb up onto the wall and quickly jabbed his spear at his cut. Said wolf howled in agony and fell off the wall to the moat bellow. But more were starting to limb over the edge and the Sergeant knew the situation was getting worse. So with his spear and shield ready the Sergeant screamed out for his unit. "Withdraw! We can not fight these scoundrels as scattered as We art! Withdraw, gather up in formation, trap them between your formations!"

With rapid movements and commands from all over, moved the ponies from the position of the ladders and linked their shields together and with a loud shout, slammed their shields into the stone floor of the battlement, their spears held ready as the enemy climbed up and started charging them. With their bodies braced and their stances firm, the impact of the horde of killers was halted and with a thrust of their spears, they skewered the first line of enemy foot soldiers, the enchanted bronze spears splitting through cloth, metal, bone and flesh.

With a jerk back their foes fell and blood started spraying out into the air, but even more attackers were coming up from the ladders and the unit could tell that they were moving in force towards the Gatehouse. The second charge was even more brutal, two of their members were unable to hold back and fell back, their comrades reached out to help them when claws and pas ripped the two soldiers into a mass of murderous beast and toe them apart. With rapid thrusts was the second group of attackers killed, but the two soldiers were dead even before the beasts were killed.

Now the squad could see even more enemies moving towards the gatehouse, pushing back more of their fellow soldiers. With grim faces the soldiers prepare for another mass charge at their location, while the unicorn in their group fired off a bright red energy beam into the air.

Lieutenant Weak Guts was positioned with Captain Rough Stock, both of them having received promotions after the battle with Maleficus a month ago. The pair were in command of the units of the gate house and they were quick to fortify it as the enemy started to pour up onto the eastern wall. With all manners of archers and spell casters on the top roof of the gate house they were hoping to keep off any of the attackers from reaching it.

"Sarge- Sorry Captain, there be a single signal beam sir. Red. Them beasties are attempting an assault on Us." Weak Guts said as he grasped the handle of his broad sword. Ever since he was promoted he found out that he preferred using a two hoof wielded blade over a spear and shield.

His old Sergeant, now a Captain, was still using his shield and spear combo. The veteran glared at the mass of foes which were starting to press themselves against the outer defenses by the Gatehouse. "Bucking glue sniffers better be ready fer a good beatin if they be stupid enough ta think they be getting through here!"

"Hrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!" A loud roar echoed over the city walls as suddenly a mass charge of almost a hundred foot soldiers rushed forward and slammed into the shield walls of the unit of fifty holding them back from reaching the Gatehouse. The first initial charge left the defenders staggered but still steady and more then half of the attackers dead. But then a second charge of a hundred soldiers came rushing towards them.

Captain Rough stock noticed immediately what was going on. Every time the charge failed, those who charged first moved back to sit down and rest, while a fresh group of chargers moved forward afterwards. "Oh bucking hell! They be tiring out Our defence by sending in fresh meat heads ta replace each group of chargers! We art going ta lose da Gatehouse at this rate!"

The situation was dire and the pair saw with tension how their fellow soldiers were torn apart bit by bit. Things were going to get difficult once the raiders reached the interior of the Gatehouse. Rough Stock took to action and moved down to the interior, with Weak Guts following him. He pointed out one of the guards who was guarding the large chains used to open the gates. "Hey! Ye over there! Ye name, army an rank soldier!"

With a yelp the lone guard when into a tense salute and spoke in a shaken and nervous voice. "Ah! Private Generic Guard, Sir! Canterlot Town Guard Forces, Sir!"

"Good lad! Now tell Us! How do We break da gate mechanism!" Weak Guts could almost feel the deja vu, this was an almost identical situation to when Rough Stock was Sergeant and demanded to know the best spot to destroy a bridge by asking a soldier who was a local of the area.

The guard, not yet realizing the purpose of the question ,being too much in soldier mode to even comprehend it, responded appropriately. "Yes, Sir! Thou need to break the master gear located behind the latch in the lower right of each of the internal winches, sir! Eh why would thou ask that sir?"

With a grin Rough Stock reared back his spear and slammed it through the latch and into the delicate machinery inside, and broke it all apart. "Cause We are gonna break them! Lt. Weak Guts! Do yet thing!"

With a quick salute Weak Guts rushed over to the other winch mechanic and slammed his sword through the latch. then a load groan was heard as the chains connected to the internal winches suddenly went slack. The guards in the gate house, stared in shock at what the two soldiers had done.

"W-why sir!? It shalt take weeks ta repair!" One of them shouted out in despair at how long it would take to properly fix the gatehouse mechanism.

The Captain just grinned and jerked a hoof at the horde of invaders through one of the archer windows. "Cause now those there glue sniffer can not open da gates from here! Even if we die here, We be da victors! Ahahahahaha!"

As the Captain laughed a loud crack was suddenly heard and there was a sound of several being screaming in agony. The two officers looked upon each other and rushed up the stairs to the rooftop to look out to where the sound was coming from.

"What be that noise soldier!?" The captain shouted at one of the soldiers with a spyglass, the soldier, who was staring with gaping mouth at something, wordlessly handed his Captain the spyglass and just pointed at the other end of the wall.

A bit confused Rough Stock looked through the spyglass and he nearly dropped it at what he saw. And as a second loud crack was heard he could not help mumble out loud. "Well put Us in a dress an call me a cutie pie. That be something e don't see every day..."

Having gotten his own spyglass Weak Guts looked at the scene himself and muttered some words of his own. "By Epona's Teats."

Sipping a glass of fine acorn whiskey and nibbling some nicely made mole steak, Archimedes sat on a chair watching the siege with little interest. Everything was going as planned, soon the gates would be open ,the main force would move through it, and from there, they would ransack and butcher the entire city. Even as he had a mouthful of meat he was drooling and growing steadily more hungry. *We want to taste it! The meat of a Goddess!*

His thoughts of the delicious future meal of a divine being's meat was interrupted when a messenger came to him. "What doest thy want? Sergeant Wolf shouldst be taking the gates soon."

The nervous messenger fidgeted a bit before speaking up. "Pardon Us Lord Archimedes, but... a problem hath occurred on the walls."

Raising an eyebrow the old mouse wondered just what kind of problem had come up. "Well do not be such a mule, speak up."

"It be better if thou look fer thyself Lord Archimedes." The messenger said as he handed a spyglass to the old mouse who picked it up and looked at were the messenger was pointing.

*Nothing out of the ordinary. Our troops art tearing apart the morsels. Our ladders art holding strong. Our flyers art keeping them pegasus occupied. A lone pony be wrecking Our troops. Our forces art charging at the Gateh- Wait. What!?* Swirling the spyglass to what he had just seen, and what he aw as he found the spot he had been looking at, he dropped the spyglass in shock.

"How in God's name is that pony disrupting Our entire Siege!? Who be he who defies the will of God!?"

It had taken him a decent effort, with all of the town guards evacuating the ponies to the central keep had he been forced to wait or side track to get past the large numbers of moving civilians. But he had not ever though it would take him almost two hours to reach the city wall, even if the battle was located on the other side of town was there no reason for it to have taken so long. But then again, traffic had always been a problem even in situations of emergency, back on his old world. Perhaps this was something similar?

But besides that, he had reached the city walls and he could tell that the battle was fierce, bodies of not only ponies but other animals were littering the base of the walls, most of the animals who had died on the other side of the wall were birds of various types, expected considering how they were attacking the pegasus forces in the air.

Taking a deep breath he relaxed before slowly letting it out. Then he moved through the units of ponies standing behind the walls, using their catapults, spells and ranged weapons to attack over the walls. No pony seemed to take note of him and he had to make sure he had not entered his shadow form by mistake. Soon he was marching up the stairs leading towards the corner of the city wall. This side of the wall ended with a single large tower before continuing on the other side of the tower.

Ignoring the cries of the dying and the fighting he kept on climbing the stairs, even as blood rained and the head of a pony flew down he did not react. Even as a wolf jumped over the ledge of the wall battlement and down onto the stairs, howling in delight of being first over the wall, he did not react. Instead he moved forward, using his mass to push the wolf over the side and letting him strike the ground with enough force to break apart his entire body from the impact on the stone pavement below.

Only as he reached the rear of a unit of ponies did her react. They were blocking his path as they were working in a tight formation and trying to push back their attackers. Clearing his throat he spoke up. "That is enough young ones, let an old warrior handle this."

There was a brief moment of shock from the soldiers as they turned to see the sight of Golden Cross, wearing his full armour. But before anyone of them could protest, he raise a hoof and gently pushed them aside. Not forceful, not rough or even powerful, he just, gently pushed them aside and they moved, like little foals being gently moved aside by an older pony.

The Rattenfängers were confused as of why the ponies had gone silent, and why they were looking backwards and not at them. As they considered taking advantage of the situation, the ponies moved aside, and a single, large and fully armoured pony, walked past them, like a king of old being presented.

Once the large pony emerged from the unit and stepped out to the front, he looked upon the confused beast like animals in front of him. Then, with a tired look in his eyes, he sighed and stood up on his hind legs and withdrew a large poleaxe. And then, he started to sing.

"Now as I stand here in the dark." His entire body turned and shifted as he brought the pole arm in his grasp into a full body swing. The first strike came as unexpected as it was silent, the axe was but a blur. The curved edge of the axe blade sliced through flesh, bone and armour without pause. It carved through the throat, neck and shoulder of one of the pigs, then another, and another, and another. As his body finished its momentum had a group of four pigs lost their heads.

Each of the heads flew off the necks in a geyser of blood, flying out into the air. And then, as the heads fell down to the stone pavement of the wall, erupted the headless necks into a wicked red fountain of blood as it sprayed out of the now split veins. The crimson liquid sprayed upwards like a crescendo to the rising music in the air. The ponies stood still, just watching as Golden Cross stepped past the corpses, as they slowly fell down to the ground, and kept singing.

"And I think back to the start." Yet another strike, this time the swing was made in a lower point. The edge flew through the air, streaking of blood and murder. It dug through the flesh, organs and bones of a thick burly wolf, and a thin feminine looking goat. And as they were both brutally cut in half at the waist, their upper torsos were sent flying off into the air while the lower legs kept standing even as Golden Cross moved past them. And as the upper portions of the corpses flew out into the air, trailing behind them blood, pieces of organs and a line of unfurling intestines. The Rattenfängers were starting to feel chills down their spines. This pony was not normal, he was far too brutal, far too good at killing.

"I know some things have to end." A third strike. With a sudden shift in his stance he grasped his poleaxe in a forward pointed stance and made a single thrust forward with his entire body. The spear tip flew forward and speared through the eye of a skunk, the poor sod had no time to react as the cold metal blade pierced through his brain and out of his cranium. even as the now dead skunk hung on his spear as a twitching corpse he kept pushing the spear forward. And then it slammed into the head of a second skunk, the axe blade dug into the muzzle of the first skunk's face and split it open to let the spear blade pierce out and then into the skull of the second skunk,

With this one a thrust, he had in essence pierced through the skulls of two skunks. And even as their bodies twitched and rattled on his weapon, the armoured pony lifted them up, like a hunter showing off his prey. He held them high up in the air before he tossed them off the wall and into the moat.

"For the next one to begin." He reared back his weapon with both his forelegs and swung it down in a fast and heavy strike from above. This fourth strike, a downward strike with the hammer head of the weak crush the skull of a cat. The hammer head did not as much crack and split her skull, rather, it instead crushed her entire head into paste with a single blow. The music was starting to pick up phase and so, was the pony warrior.

"I walk alone, free at last." He stepped forward, shifted his grip and while holding the spear with a forward grip he used his other hoof to thrust the spear tip forward. The spear head pierced shoulder, stomach and knee of a large bear who was trying to block is path. After he had essentially immobilized the bear he twisted around and gave the big bear a powerful kick to the gut. The hoof impacted the leather covered stomach, causing a massive ripple to appear, before it sank deep into the stomach and a loud crack followed by a fleshy pop was heard.

The bear bent over, clutching at his gut, and was lifted up off his paws by the still straightening leg. When the hoof stopped its momentum, the bear kept moving up flew up three meters into the air before falling down, impacting the ledge of the wall, before tumbling over the edge and down to certain doom. And by now were the Rattenfänger soldiers starting to fight back. And yet, he kept on singing and attacking.

A group of five foxes rushed forward, wielding curved blades and gauntlet blades they jumped forward and attacked him from all angles. Twenty blades of hardened bronze impacted his unyielding form, but even as they put all of their strength and skill behind the blows, their weapons let out loud cracks as they shattered as they impacted the powerful plate of the knight. As their claws and blades broke against his armour Golden Cross , he made a large swing and pushed five of them off the wall. "I feel the pressure letting go."

With a sudden rush he took four rapid steps forward before bending his knees and jumping up into a forward going leap, in the air he bent his left hind leg and straightened the right while holding up his pole axe above his head. The hoof impacted the skull of a bull, possibly a minotaur, the hoof fractured teeth and bone as it first hit. But as the rest of the force behind the strike was transferred, broke the nose and muzzle of the bull into paste.

The hoof then slammed into his flattened face and pushed him down to the ground as Golden Cross landed his entire body and armour weight on top of his skull. In a loud dull crunch his hooves turned the thick head beneath him into a mess of meat, bone shards and crushed crushed the head of a bull to paste. "From the very bottom of my soul."

Using the momentum of his jump he rushed forward in a shoulder tackle, his body impacted the foot soldiers who thought they could handle him. Even with a group of ten animals of various sizes using shields and weapons to brace themselves, they could but give away to the sheer strength of the on force of his attack. His tackle forced them all back and made over seven of them fall to the ground. And then he just stepped forward and made a single downward slice and cut the throats of those on the ground. Bloods sprayed over his frame as he walked past them as they were bleeding out. and as he walked past them, he swung his blade another time and with the edge of his axe head, and split the heads of the three who had not fallen to the ground, sideways from cheek to cheek. "Flesh and bone for the past."

"Like the ashes in the rain." By now were the soldiers starting to feel a mixture of fear and rage. They were being forced back, by a lone warrior, a pony of all things! A rhinoceros stomped forward into a big heavy charge. He was roaring out in utter rage and lowered his head to impale the meaty pony upon his massive horn. The pony in question spread his hind legs to brace himself and then bent his upper body forward and hefted his poleaxe, aimed downwards, as if aiming at the rhinoceros face.

At first they thought he was going to skewer him in the face, which would hopefully end up with him losing his weapon from the charge of the rhinoceros. But then he surprised them all. As the rhinoceros head reached his ranged he suddenly jammed his weapon forward, and caught the rhinoceros' horn between his spear and the blunt side of the axe head of his weapon. The rhinoceros was still charging but he just tightened his grip on the weapon and stood up straighter, pulling himself forward and avoiding the horn of the massive creature. And as he did so, he aligned his weapon with both hooves until he was standing next to the rhinoceros' head, holding his weapon like it was lever.

Then with a back going pull on his weapon, he forced the head of the rhinoceros to turn over ninety degrees, and with a loud crack, broke the chargers neck before he could even react. The big meaty body stepped forward five times, before collapsing. It all happened too quickly for the invaders to even register what they had seen right away.

Grasping the corpse with one hoof the pony lifted it, the massive muscular rhinoceros easily three times his body weight and size, and he was hefting it like it was a sack of wool. And then with a hefting motion, he threw the corpse over the edge of the wall, and a loud crack was heard. "And fade away."

The Rattenfänger soldiers stared in horror as one of their few remaining ladders, broke apart from the impact of the corpse striking it in the middle, sending even more of their numbers to their doom. And now, the song and the music was speeding up even further! "It's my funeral."

By now was the pony giving no pause nor edge, he rushed forward and with a wise right swing of his poleaxe. A rabbit got his head split open, a rat got her throat bisected, a deer got his waist cut in two and a pig got his chest sliced open by the end of the strike. "Welcome you all."

Even as they started to retreat he kept going, using his body strength to pushed or throw them over the wall if they were within his reach. He reached out, grabbed a fox by the tail and threw him off the edge. He kicked a mouse into the air and over the edge. With a tackle he forced a large pig who tried to charge him, against the ledge, crushed his throat, before pushing him off the edge. "This is the end of the line."

A thrust of his spear and he pierced through the back of a squirrel ,spraying blood forward and backwards as he jerked the weapon out of the corpse. A second thrust of the pole arm pierced the skull of a goat. With another jerk back another pay of blood was released. A third strike split through a rabbit's gut and into the skull of a lizard, they were almost impale through and into the stone of the wall's floor. With a jerk of his weapon he sent both corpses off the edge before rearing back for side swing and with the hammer end of his weapon, struck the head of a moose. The horn fracture and broke apart, before the hammer head pressed down into his skull and with a tremendous crunch, broke the entire cranium open like an overly ripe melon.

Stepping past the carnage he once more more charged forward. A large horned big was bellowing commands and charging with a massive double handed axe. The pig reminded him a bit of an oni of japanese lore, only mixed with a pig orc. Feeling a bit nostalgic he rushed forward and hefted his spear. But first he kicked the leg of the pig who cried out in agony as the hoof slammed into his knee, and crushed both muscles, flesh and bone making the entire limb break in half like it was a fruit.

Then he thrust his weapon forward, the tip pierced through the gaping screaming mouth of the pig, entered through the flesh and bone within his mouth, and erupted out the back of the pig's skull in a spray of blood and brain matter. With the pig speared like a, pig, he used the still, surprisingly enough, living and gurglingly screaming pig. He hefted the pig up with his weapon and swung forward before suddenly stopping. The horned pig's head was torn open as the blade split apart its cranium and it fell limp down over the edge and landed on the ladder there.

The fat body impacted the wood and bone frame, its weight and velocity making the entire thing bend downwards, groaning in protest. Then, with a loud snap and crunch, the entire ladder broke apart at the center and fell down with the corpse and other, still living, soldiers. The screams of the falling soldiers were loud, but they soon ended as they crashed into the moat. "So thank you for coming along."

Suddenly a large and muscular wolf dressed in uniform charged forward with a claymore, screaming bloody murder. The downward swing of the massive sword made the air scream as it passed through it. But Golden Cross stepped to the side and retaliated. He made a backward swing ,raising the weapon back away from his target, before suddenly swinging it downward and then upwards in a rising slash.

The tip of the spear sliced through cloth as it impacted the groin of the enemy and in a bloody spray, cut the wolf open from going to throat in a single motion. Without pause the warrior moved past the collapsing beast, sparingly kicking the twitching wolf over the edge of the wall as he walked past him, and cut down a pair of mice who tried to shoot him with their crossbows. His axe slicing through their thin bodies like a scythe through wheat. "My time has come."

"I don't want to leave you behind." By now were the forces of Rattnefänger on the walls in full retreat from the brutal killer of the ponies, their mad hunger was giving away for a far stronger sensation, fear. And yet as they ran he kept following, cutting down all who fell behind. A downward slash split open the skull of a deer, a punch crushed the face and broke the neck of a dog, a thrust impaled a snake through the skull and so on. Then a small screaming rat came flying towards him and he absently swatted the vermin away with his pole arm, practically batting him aside like soft ball, over the edge and down to them oat below. Some of the soldiers had seemingly taken to throwing their smaller allies at him to stall him, but he just cut them apart in mid air or swatted them off the wall, and kept following.

"But this one I'll do on my own." With a sudden leap forward he slammed into the back of a tortoise and broke the neck of the creature before suddenly flipping the corpse upside down so that the shell was resting on the ground. He then stepped back a bit before taking a running jump and slammed onto the tortoise corpse, which began to slide forward at a rapid speed forward.

He swung his halberd and the entire shell began to spin and he essentially began a circle of death as he rotated forward on on the city wall. Like a circle of death the rotating weapon sliced through the body of a boar like it was nothing, the torso of the pig impacted the rotating pole arm and bounced off by the force of the momentum.

On the floor as the shell rotating and as it rotated and moved forward, was a lizard caught by the tail, dragging her into the center of the rotating shell, and slowly grind crushed her into mush beneath it. Essentially the shell crushed whatever was unlucky to be beneath it with rotation and weight. And so it kept going with his weapon tearing apart any one in its path, while the shell he was on, crushed those who were small and too slow to run away. "Now as we stand two worlds apart."

Suddenly he jumped off the shell and gave the now mutilated tortoise corpse a brutal buck kick. It shoot forward like a cannon ball, the size, mass and weight of the mutilated corpse as it flew was lethal on its own. it impacted a pig, breaking all of the poor thing's bones in an instance before landing on top of four mice, breaking their small fragile bodies. Then it impacted a bull, breaking his spine as it hit him in the back, before rolling forward over five mice and seven lizards, breaking their bones beneath its tumbling weight. And then with a loud crack it impacted the edge of a ladder, breaking it an causing it to collapse. And then it stopped. "The time's hardened up my heart."

Rushing forward Golden Cross swung his weapon upon those who had fallen and were not dead, cutting their throats as he rushed past them. not even sparing a glance as his spear blade split through necks and his axe head sliced open throats. "From a world of no regrets."

"That I hope won't soon forget." Reaching a another ladder he raised hiss hoof and slammed it into one of the poles of the ladder. The sheer force of the blow caused the entire left side of the ladder to bend in an up going arch, the force of the bending of the ladder and the shaking caused all of the climbers on it to fall off. And then, as he released it, the entire left side of the ladder splintered and fell off, soon followed by the other part, as it could no longer support its own structure.

He rushed forward once more and the Ratttenfängers were now regrouping by the last remaining pair of ladders and were gathering in lines with shields and spears. "I walk the line on broken glass."

Without stopping he slammed into the battle line and the boars and pigs holding the shields grunted in shock as they all were knocked on their backs, before something heavy stepped on top of them and a sharp spear blade was sent down into their skulls and throats. "I let the passion take control."

"Of the very bottom of my soul." The first line of shields had fallen, so a line of archers took their place and fired a volley of projectiles at the large pony. Yet to their shock the weapons just dinged off of his frame.

The pony retaliated by lifting one of the shields and throwing it at them. It flew like a discuss, rotating as it flew through the air. Before it impacted the first of the archers, a cat, her head was torn off by the rotation and momentum of the shield, it happened almost instantly. The dog behind her had his skull torn clean off as he tried to catch the shield with his mouth. A lizard had her neck ripped part in a spray of blood and bone as the shield flew through it, and then it flew straight through the skull of a rat.

After it had split apart the skull of a rat it had lost a lot of its rotation and speed, and yet it was still able to deal one final blow to the invaders. It impacted the big stomach of a pig. A stomach covered by leather and plates of bronze. And yet the shield cut straight through metal, leather, skin, flesh and organs, until it had practically dug straight from the stomach to the spine, burying itself almost all the way through the poor pig's midsection. The pig stared at the large piece of metal embedded into its stomach before it collapsed forward, the shield pushing up through its back as it impact the stone floor of the wall. "Cross the line, fade to black."

"Hold the candle to the flame." Reaching out Golden Cross grasped a spear sent towards his visor. A fox had tried to sideline him and attack him from his blind spot. He lifted up the spear, along with the fox, and casually threw both the spear and its wielder, over the edge of the wall.

"And light the way." A group of knife wielding mice flew down from above and they tried to stab at his weak points, but with a brutal swing of his arms he used his bare hooves to strike them. The hoof impacted a stomach, the blow ripping apart parts of the cut, leaving a massive gash. Another had her throat crushed by the strike of a hoof. One had their entire rib cage crushed as the hoof impacted their torso. Some of them were lucky and had their heads crushed or necks snapped by being punched in the face. The sheer pain was making the mice who survived collapse as they clutched the parts of their bodies he had essentially crushed or torn apart with his hooves. Although their pain was ended as his hooves stomped down on their necks.

"To my funeral." A sudden shout was sounded as a group of two tigers, a wolf, a snake and four lizards tried to jump on top of him with claws and blades. Instead of evading, Golden Cross braced himself, held out his poleaxe by the shaft, wide, and caught the killers on his weapon's shaft. All eight of them struggled to break down upon him and attack him, but then they all felt a shift as their momentum was changed. And then they screamed as golden Cross judo tossed them over the ledge of the wall with some help of the staff portion of his pole arm,

Taking a running start he jumped up and slammed into a tiger who was trying to flee. He grappled the large killer kitten down, and warped his left foreleg around the big feline's throat and clenched his muscles in his foreleg and squeezed. With a twist of his foreleg, he forced the head of the tiger to turn backwards, killing it instantly. "Welcome you all."

Standing up he grabbed the large feline corpse by the tail and swung it up around in the air before throwing it at the closest ladder. "This is the end of the line."

"So thank you for coming along." With a loud crack the ladder was stuck by the corpse of the tiger, who bounced off it the ladder after the point of impact. But the ladder could not handle the sudden force and as it straightened up, it broke in half, its lower half falling into the moat while the upper half slammed into the wall before falling into the moat as well.

There was only one more ladder left and the Rattenfängers knew, that if they let the pony break the final ladder, they would be the next meal of the week. And so they mustered their strengths, they pulled out their better soldiers, with the best weapons and armour. "My time has come."

And yet even as they prepare,d even as they outnumbered the lone warrior several times over. They, could, not, stop, him! "I don't want to leave you behind."

"But this one I'll do on my own." Even as a group of five tall, powerful and heavily equipped polar bears charged him, he made no shown effort in putting them down.

The first went with a stab through the throat, then the knight spun around and used a kick to break the leg of the second before crushing his skull with a down ward strike with the hammer head of his weapon. "Ohhh, ohhh, ohhh"

"It's my funeral." Then he ducked two swings from two magical greatswords, and retaliated by grabbing both blades before they could pull them away. His powerful forelegs pulled the two swords past one another, and the sound of meat piercing flesh was heard as Golden Cross forcefully made their owners stab each other from stomach to spine and out the backs.

The final polar bear, was rather embarrassing. The big warrior had climbed up on the ledge of the wall and was roaring a challenge at him. Golden Cross just gave him a solemn tare before pushing him in the stomach with the pommel of his pole axe, making the bear fall down to the moat for a watery death. "Welcome you all."

The Rattenfängers were getting more and more desperate and terrified as the situation grew worse and worse as the pony just refused to die! But worst of all, that song, that serene, heart aching and yet heart pumping song. Even as he butchered them all, he just, kept, on singing!. "This is the end of the line."

Not even slowed down, not even panting for breathe. Not even as he punched a bull's skull hard enough to make his head break apart like a ripe tomato, he did not stop singing. "So thank you for coming along."

"My time has come." With yet another brutal tackle he pushed several of their numbers to the floor once more, and once again, slit their throats. He was fast, he was efficient, he was strong, he was brutal and he was skilled. They could only wonder, just how a pony could become so powerful.

Yet they could not speculate and wonder at a time of battle. With their numbers lessened and only one ladder remaining were other ponies gathering in force to retaliate as well! "I don't want to leave you behind."

"But this one I'll do on my own." Rushing forward, the pony spun his blade and split apart a swarm of toads, each bearing daggers and spikes on their heads and legs, the little vermin had been waiting for an opportunity for when he would reach their little hiding spot, a group of corpse. Too bad it had been wasted.

Now the Rattenfängers were getting frantic and desperate. In a last ditch effort they charge en mass at both the gatehouse and at Golden Cross. "This is the end of the line."

"So thank you for coming along." With swift agility and strength the large pony weaved away from their attacks. He parried, he blocked and he dodged. At first they thought he was getting tired, that they had a chance.

But then he broke those hopes, when he suddenly rushed right and pressed his back to the ledge of the wall before rushing forward with his pole arm held between his hooves and brutally pushed them. He forced them back, he forced them further and further. Soon the backs of those in the rear hit the ledge of the wall. But the knight did not seem to concerned about that and without stopping ,without pause, just kept on pushing and made them all, one by one, tumble off the edge. "My time has come."

No mercy, no remorse, he just pushed them off the edge. Not even sparing a glance he turned towards the remaining few and stomped his way forward with his pole axe spinning in his right hoof, still singing. "I don't want to leave you behind." (Don't want to leave you behind)

For a few seconds the entire force of Rattenfänger froze as those words were heard, and not from the pony, but from the very empty air around him. What was going on!?

He rushed forward, rapidly slicing his weapon left and right, cutting them down like wheat. And then, as a brave, but foolish, pig, rushed off the ladder he had been climbing and jumped onto the pony, trying to crush him beneath his weight, the pony just caught him and held him up by the stomach. "But this is the end of the line." (The line.)

Slowly he walked towards the edge, towards the ladder. The pig's eyes grew wide and frantic and he tried to tear and slash with his butcher knife, yet to no avail. and even as arrows, rocks and spears pelted his frame, the knight made no notice of it s he slowly hefted up the pig over his head. "It's my funeral!"

"It's my funeral!" And threw him down on the ladder. Breaking it and the spirit of the Rattenfänger foot soldiers who made their final option, with as few of them remained, and jumped off the wall, willingly committing suicide then returning as failures.

Golden Cross looked out at the battlefield from the wall were he was standing. he took a glance at the wall and took notice of how many of the smaller towers were rather destroyed and flinched a little when he saw the half eaten corpses of ponies on the floor of the battlements.

Things were force then he had feared, up above he could see the ponies fighting the flying forces of the enemy. He had never seen the vultures or some of the other birds before. But then again, for all he knew could Tooth and Tail had been waiting for an expansion or something like that, he would probably never know about it.

For now he needed to do what he could for the ponies, and stop these nightmarish animals from hurting them any further. As he pondered this, a loud rumbling horn signal was sounded from the enemy forces and the sea of animals bellow began to retreat towards their encampments, pulling with them whatever corpse they could find and carry.

*We have a moment to recollect ourselves... but for how long?* He thought before moving towards the gate house, the ponies within it cheering loudly as he walked towards them. There was more cheering from the other forces, but this cheer was special, it was cheer for him... something h had never experience before... He was not sure how to feel about it. But it did not feel bad.

As the ponies cheered, was a gong sounded from the gate house, five times. Signaling one thing, Enemy Pulling Back.

Celestia let out a sigh of relief as she heard the signal about the enemy having been pushed back. The Central keep was being filled by the civilians of the city, the lower parts of the castle essentially a massive underground complex to keep her beloved subjects safe in cases such as this invasion. Of course there some complainers but she paid them no mind, the safety of their people was far more important then luxuries and extravagant meals.

She looked out at the city wall and the gate house and gave a mental prayer to the Gods to keep her people safe. Turning towards her Generals she pointed out the enemy forces having retreated. "We doest not know how long this shalt last. Send out supplies to the City Walls. Along with materials for emergency repairs as well as ponies whom art willing to do said repairs."

Nodding the Generals sent the order. As the continued the War Plan came Certain Victory to have an idea. He pointed out the large towers on the the corners of the city. "If We could get the large ballistaes up onto the large towers, We may be able to take out the war machines. Our ballistaes art of no use for the moment, with them being behind the city walls and being prepared for the invaders to breach the gates. We can put them to better us on top of the large towers."

"How wouldst We get such heavy military equipment up there?" Asked Celestia, she did not mind the idea, but the method on how to get it here was important.

Certain Victory pointed at the Gold Army units. "We hath unicorns and skilled engineers, We shalt ask them to lighten the weight of the ballistae to make it possible to carry it up to the top of the towers. Or perhaps levitating it, We art no expert but it should be possible milady."

It was true that unicorns often used levitation to lift objects far heavier then themselves. It was actually used as a training exercise for many unicorns to develop their magical endurance and power since ancient times. Many denied its effectiveness but in the end was it still in use even after the Age of Chaos, and thus spoke of its effectiveness. So why should it not be possible for a group of unicorns to lift a two ton war machine up a forty meter tall tower? There sure was nothing Celestia could say was impossible, in fact, she found the idea rather intriguing.

Nodding Celestia looked at the other Generals who seemed to find the plan agreeable. She then nodded and pressed her own hoof onto one of the towers. "We shalt try thy plan General Certain Victory, call the engineers and the mages available, have them aid Our soldiers if they can."

As the ponies were making their own reparations and recuperation was Archimedes going through a rather hard time as his carefully made plan had ended up in failure. All because of a single pony.

The old mouse slammed his fist into the table with his war map in the tent that had been prepared for him at the beginning of their arrival. "Just who art this pony!? We hath not received any words about such a powerful knight among them!"

"We art not certain ourselves Archimedes. The last We knew, was there no words about such a powerful fighter among the ponies. God must be testing Us." Was the words from Athens as she cleaned her claws with a dagger. Around the table was also Butters, Madame Delores and Leroy.

"Where art Sergeant Wolf and Borgus?" Archimedes asked while rubbing his forehead and taking a drink of whiskey.

He almost choked on it when he got a rather blunt and unexpected answer from Butters. "Dead."

Glaring at the others he growled out. "Just how did they die?"

Athens just sighed and threw her dagger, it landed on the position of the moat. "Their bodies were found floating in the moat. Apparently they were on the wall and got killed by that big pony fellow before being thrown off the wall. Just more meat for God's banquet in the end."

Sighing in frustration the old mouse tried to think of a solution. Things were not going as planned, for now he was having more ladders being prepared. The siege engines would have to be used more heavily now that the initial charge had failed to breach the gates. They had lost over half of their forces, just under a thousand raiders remained healthy enough to fight.

"Very well. We shalt hath to make do. We want Our forces to prepare new ladders and for the Gas Cannons prepared for another volley." At those words Leroy grimaced.

"Will be difficult, them cannons art not complete, only prototype stage. We shalt need two hours to prepare them." Nodding Archimedes motioned for him to leave before resuming to look on the war map when Madame Delores murmured something.

"What should be done should that brutish fellow on the wall shows up again?" Archimedes gave her a glare and jerked out the dagger in the map and slammed it into a piece of roasted pig meat.

"He shalt die, just like the rest. No one shalt defy the will of God. If forced to, We shalt use the Horn of Destruction upon him. He shalt make the first test subject before We use it to sacrifice his Goddess to God."

"Steady now!"

"She's almost in position! Don't drop the levitation!"

"There! Now fasten it to position and levitate up the ammunition!"

For over three hours had the ponies been making preparations, their work was almost finished. The damages to the walls repaired with a new Manticores up on the recently restored towers. Just the sight of those killing machines added a lot to moral. Not to mention the fresh rations of fruit pastries, hay sandwiches and fresh water.

By the time they were finished had the sun settled beyond the horizon and the moon was rising. But dark clouds had come burrowing out from the horizon, clouding the night sky in a pitch darkness. And thus the forces of the Rattenfänger were only visible by their torches and camp fires.

And upon those campfires, even though you could not see, did every one know that loads of meat was being cooked. Some of which had once been living ponies, just like them. The scent of barbecued meat was filling the air of the city walls and most ponies were feeling slightly ill by the scent. But Golden Cross was not, instead he was feeling a craving for a big slab of grilled meat like he had never craved it before. And yet he was also repulsed by this feeling, since he knew that the meat being cooked, had been self aware beings before they were killed. It was a craving that made him feel mentally ill.

Golden Cross had spent most of the last couple of hours sitting and meditating in a single room, which was a lie. In truth had he been using his moon sand made Interface Screen to investigate the enemy forces and their preparations. He knew they were working on the war machines, their siege engines, and by that reason he would have to do something about them once the battle started, or before that.

He did not have much time left. This little rest was good for his body though, the pain he had been feeling in his throat and chest after the fight had subsided. But he knew it would return, it was a signal of sort, marking his final moments before the end of his month on the planet. And it would be ten years until the next Red Sun. He had read up about it in a local library, a period of five to ten years was normal to occur. And according to the calendar he had been checking on, would the next Red Sun not appear until ten years from now.

Sighing he closed the Interface screen by rolling it up like a glittering scroll and put it away into his side bag. He could not leave the bag of holding behind, he needed to keep it with him. He stood up and walked out of the room, his weapon and armour ready.

Outside he was greeted by Lt. Weak Guts who gave him a salute before leading him to the top roof of the Gatehouse were Captain Rough Stock was looking out at the battlefield.

"Ah old man Cross! We were starting ta worry ye were gonna miss da party. Them vermin be moving about, things art gonna be harsh fer Ye soon."

"Yes, I know. And I would have it no other way, if it is like this, then no more ponies needs to die." Golden Cross stated as he looked out at the field, he had explained his plan to the two before he left to meditate. It was a risky plan, but it was a plan that would make him the sole target of the Rattenfänger, he hoped.

Lt. Weak Guts shifted nervously and looked at the old knight who had become sort of a hero from the regular soldier. The young officer did not like what he was planning, but he did not think he would be able to stop him. But her could, at the very least, try. "Art thou certain thou wish to do this Ser Cross? We art strong, We can fight. Thou doest not need to sacrifice thyself."

Golden Cross jut started laughing and patted the young officer on the back. "You are a kind kind Lt. Guts. Do not worry, I know fully well what may happen. And I am prepared for it, I am an old pony, I have lived a long and eventful life. And yet has the month that I have lived within this city been the warmest of my life since my childhood. Not to mentions so are there three special ponies living in this city. Ponies who has made me part of their family, a kindness from strangers I have never experienced in my entire life. And if I can keep them safe, then I will defy death itself if I have to."

The old pony grinned walked past the befuddled youngster and looked out at the city behind the,. "So long explanation short. Yes, I am willing to offer my life for this city. For I have something precious to protect for the first time in a long, long time. And if I can do so before my death, if I can do so WITH my death, then I can say, that I have lived, a good life."

He then silently left the rooftop and walked down the stairs, leaving the sad but inspired ponies behind.

Once down in the interior he walked past the confused guards and out of the side doors and out onto the battlements once more. Once there he walked towards the balcony which reached out just above the edge of the solid stone bridge in front of the main gate, the area were the signal horn had been located before it was removed to prepare for the siege.

As he reached the center point of the balcony he looked out over the dark night, with only scattered campfires and torches to light the way to his foes. But he was not going to let that remain for long. He knelt down and rested his poleaxe's spear blade into the ground, holding the shaft with his left hoof, lowering his head, while reaching into his side bag and pulling out his Interface screen.

Secretly he traced the screen and began to activate some of his magical satellites. As he began his arcane work, he started chanting out a prayer. "Oh Gods of this Land, Hear my Prayer. I ask for your blessing. To protect the innocent, I shalt offer my service of this final night, until the Sun rises I shalt not fall."

His voice was being raised and the dark clouds in the sky, started to spark and rumble with white lightning, and the ponies around, began to feel like this was not something natural. And as Golden Cross' chanting prayer was heard, as if carried by the wind, they almost could feel the power of the gods bearing down upon them. "Let My Body Be Their Shield! Let My Spirit Be Their Sword! Let My Valor Be Their Light! Let My Life Be Their Hope!"

Golden Cross stood up, his voice roaring out like lightning into the sky, as he held up his poleaxe and aimed the spear up at the rumbling clouds. Each of his words, was shouted out, each a statement, each a declaration, each, a sentence. "Let! My! Death! Be! Their! Salvation! Amen!"

A bright flash erupted through the clouds and a lightning bolt of multiple colours flew down and struck his weapon. Clenching his jaws shut beneath his helmet he let the magic flow through his body and swiftly made one final stroke with his hoof on the Interface screen. A loud crack was heard through the land and the lightning stopped. His poleaxe sparked and hissed as it glowed like a beacon. And up in the sky, were once a mass of thundering clouds had once been, was a clear night sky with stars twinkling, and the moon shining.

The moon's bright night light broke the darkness upon the land as if cleansing the sinful darkness out of sight. All of the ponies had fallen down to their knees, their heads bowed, as the words of Golden Cross prayer and the sheer magnitude of the event that had just occurred, struck them.

"I leave them in your capable hooves, farewell." And with those final words, Golden Cross leaped off the edge of the balcony. Gasping in shock several of the soldiers and guards rushed forward to save the knight from his own suicidal death. Then, as they reached the edge, a loud crack was heard and as they looked over they gaped at what they saw. There upon the fracture rock of the stone bridge stood Golden Cross tall and proud, glowing halberd in hoof, unharmed.

The same could not be said for the bridge however, the entire structure was cracked from each side to the other, effevtively breaking it free of the foundation, and as Golden Cross walked over it, the ponies could tell it was not going to hold for long even if no one walked over it. When as the old knight reached the other side of the bridge, he planted the pommel of his weapon into the ground, releasing a loud crackling boom, and screamed out at the invaders.

"Hear Me! I Am Golden Cross! The Lawbringer! I Come To Bring Judgement Upon You! Your Crimes Have Been Growing Since Before The Birth of My Order! And Thus I Shalt Not Bother Reading Them Up! Instead! I Declare You Lawless! I Declare You Murderers! I Declare You Kinslayers! I Declare You Defilers! I! Declare! You! Cannibals! And As Decreed By Me, In Accordance To The Law, In Accordance To Justice, And In Accordance To Gods Your Punishment Shall Be DEATH!"

At first there was silence, then the invaders started laughing and jeering, some screaming out that he shalt taste good, other that he shalt pay for his blasphemy. In response Golden Cross turned around, and punched his hooves into the edge of the stone bridge, and there was a loud, resounding groan could be heard from the structure, as inch by inch, Golden Cross, pressing with all of his might, lifted up the entire crossing part of the bridge. There was a pair of loud crumbling cracks as the solid marble broke off at each side of the moat, leaving only the stone columns, which had been holding the stone fence in place.

And then as the massive stone slab was being pulled up right, Golden Cross straightened himself, stood up on his hind legs, and turned around, facing the Rattenfängers, with the massive piece of marble, held aloft over his head.

The laughter and jeers slowly died off and soon enough had the entire battlefield, from the city to the enemy camp, turned utterly silent. There stood a pony, a small and insignificant prey animal, lifting, the entire crossing section, of a stone bridge over his head, alone.

"Oi. Oi. Oi. Art We high?" Asked Leroy his fellow leaders, all of which had come out to witness the strange magical storm and then heard the pony's speech and then witnessed, this.

"We doest not know. If We art, We shalt have to kill the chef." Muttered Archimedes as he stared at the sight of a pony lifting several dozens of tons of stone over his body. This was a sight he had never imagined seeing before in his long, long, life. It was absolutely absurd!

He then noticed two of them being absent. "Wait, were art Delores and Athens?"

The others looked a bit confused before a loud humming sound was heard in the distance and they looked over to see a large group working by the siege weapons, especially the Gas Cannons. Aiming said weapons towards the city walls. Leroy cursed and turned towards the others. "Art they mad!? They hath no idea how to even fire those weapons! Only We, th one who designed them, can properly handle such a complex devices!"

Golden Cross knew he could not hold this thing up for too long, he had already revealed too much of his strength, but he was seriously out of options to take, and fucks to give. He reared back his spine and then with a heave he used both of his forelegs to toss the slab of curved marble stone into the air. The large white piece of stone bridge flew, rotating in a disoriented spinning, before slamming into the bottom section of the cliff, with its edge.

To his surprise the bridge sank into the cliff side rather easily. And then he noticed how the earth beneath the cliff started collapsing downwards and blinked as he saw how the cliff started pouring down into a large emptiness in the ground beneath it, and as it collapsed, along with the animals on top of it. Tumbled what looked like large primitive cannons into the sink hole, and exploded within it. As the explosions within the earth erupted, were the hills directly next to it, starting to collapse into themselves as well. It was as if the hills and cliffs next to the city were right on top of a large hollowed out section of earth! And the explosions from the cannons firing within the ground had triggered a chain reaction and was collapsing the entire section of land of hills next to the mountain pass to Canterlot!

*Wait... did the ponies just cover up the sections of earth they dug up for marble with loose dirt and stone and leave it there!? Or did they just tunnel beneath the hills and leave big going unsupported holes there!? Either of those things are just insane!* He thought to himself and looked at the city with a rather profound look on his face, hidden by his helmet. *What's even more frightening, is if they had done the same to their city, it might just have collapsed down the mountain side.*

"Darling doest thy even know what thou art doing?" Asked Delores as she sat on a crate while smoking a cigarette. In front of her was Athens giving orders for the Artillery Weapons known as the Gas Cannons to be prepared to fire upon the pony in front of the gates.

"We know what We be doing Delores. That impudent fool hath angered God with his Blasphemy! And We shalt punish him for it!" The fox snarled out in a twisted snarl on her mouth. She would not life to see such blasphemy declared in front of the army of God!

"Oh vey. We truly doest need to talk about restraint." Delores said with a sigh.

Then they felt the ground shake a bit and looked around in confusion. There was a bit of a silence before suddenly the very ground beneath them split apart. The two Rattenfänger Elites had barely the time to scream as the entire cliff began to collapse beneath them. Their bodies was swiftly dragged into the down flowing wave of dirt, rock, wood, earth and metal, crushing and mangling them in mere moments.

The earth shook for a moment as a loud crumbling sound was heard and as one the Leaders of Rattenfänger, who had been looking at each other, turned back to look at the cliff, and saw how the entire cliff side upon which their siege weapons had been located, collapsed into a large inverted landslide. A massive sink hole. Animals were screaming as they scrambled to get stable footing, but the crumbling earth and stone dragged down the siege weapons as well as those who tried to climb up on them for safety.

Then as the cannons rolled down over the edge, they fired their loads and several explosions erupted across the already crumbling cliff and soon was the entire side of the hill connected to the cliff collapsing as well. And more and more of the hills, started to collapse as well. It was domino effect of repetitive sink holes!

"Get to safety!" Screamed Archimedes as he started running away from the command tent. The others ran as well and soon was the entire army of Rattenfänger running from the collapsing hills. Even as they scrambled away were many of them unable to escape the collapsing ground and many of them were swiftly killed within the massive sink holes which were swallowing up the hills one by one.

A deer collapsed and tried to reach out for help, only to sink into the collapsing earth. Two rats tried to climb onto a tend, but the entire thing weaved and shifted before sinking into the ground, taking the rats with it. A bull and a pig rushed together, pulling a wagon each, yet the wagons wheels sank into the loosening ground, the bull asked for aid, yet the pig abandoned both the wagons and the bull and ran off, as the earth collapsed, taking both the bull and the two wagons with it.

Meanwhile up on the city walls were ponies of all manners starring in shock at the sight of what they seeing. This, truly was, in their eyes, a miracle made by the gods, and the one who had invoked their powers, Golden Cross. Completely unaware that it as their on faulty and unsafe mining techniques that had caused the collapse.

As the collapsing of the hills stopped were Archimedes and his cohorts were standing on the only solid ground remaining after the sudden collapse of the earth. The fields. Looking back at where there had once been large hills and a cliff, was a steep ravine which ended just by the road leading to Canterlot, leaving a massive gap were there had once been solid ground, effectively making it so that Canterlot was no longer at the base of a mountain, but at the upper middle of it.

Hundreds had been killed, all of their siege weapons lost, only the experimental weapon created to kill the ponies' Goddess remained. Snarling Archimedes punched his fist into a toad, crushing it, licking the smeared frog meat and blood off his fist he looked back towards the city and narrowed his eyes as he saw how the large slab of marble stone was no longer held by the knight by the gates. And he put two and two together.

Screeching out a wordless cry of utter rage he stomped his foot onto the ground and pointed with his finger while glaring with bloodshot eyes at the knight who had dared to destroy their efforts and deny the will of God. "Kill Him! He Be The Cause of Everything Collapsing! Kill Him In The Name of God! Avenge Our Fallen!"

The remaining six hundred raiders, all raised their weapons and appendages into the air and howled out their rage through the land, their eyes glowing red with utter rage. "Huaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

And then as a massive wave of murder, muscle and hunger, they charged at the city gates. and as they did Archimedes turned towards Leroy and growled out with a look of utter manic rage on his face. "Prepare the Horn of Destruction."

Heavy trampling caused the earth to shake, Golden Cross smirked as he started walking forward, spinning his still glowing halberd in one hoof as he walked to face the horde charging at him. *Here they come. Not as many as I had feared, but enough that this is not going to be easy. I am actually quite grateful for the lack of logic behind the ponies' work. Had they done a proper work, things would not have gone so well. Must have taken out more then one third of them in an instance.*

He felt his spirit sink a bit as he looked upon the Moon, once the day had gone past, he would be back on its surface, locked away for ten years until he could return. But instead of letting despair shake him he jut stepped forward, focusing, and as the sound of music started to rise through the air, he looked back towards the charging horde and raised his pole axe and narrowed his eyes. And then he spoke up, unknowingly voicing his thoughts out loud, as he moved forward. "No time for regrets, no time for what-ifs, just live with the consequences of your actions AND FIGHT!"

After saying that, he calmed down, and slowly pulled out the medallion he had tucked beneath his chest plate, and grasped onto it tightly. Before he started singing.

"The old rhymes." At first, as he sang, there was silence, but then came a smooth and calm melody, a trickling building of violins and horns. The spear tip of his halberd intensified its glow before releasing a sudden jolt of energy into the medallion in his grasp, and as he kept on singing, the medallions began to glow as the glow of the halberd grew dimmer.

The horde did not stop too lost in their madness and rage they ignored the singing and the melody. Even as the glowing of the halberd was slowly being transferred to the medallion ,they did not stop charging."They‘re on my mind."

Yet Golden Cross did not stop singing, the ponies watching from the walls were trying to see what they could, even with the song being heard all over the place, they could not see all of it. But they could see something, the constant flow of energy from the halberd in the shape of an constant lightning bolt, flowing into something being grasped by Golden Cross' hoof. "We were one tribe."

The song kept going, and now the horde were but a hundred meters away, and yet he did not stop singing. "We shared our memories."

With a final sputter the halberd was empty of its ethereal glow, and now the medallion ,was glowing like a start within Golden Cross' grasp."Clear and bright."

"We walked each as one." Removing his medallion from his neck he knelt down and held up the medallion to the sky, as if offering it to the gods.

"Our lives were bound together." The melody began to grow solemn, slower, calmer and less intense. And yet, the air was growing far more tenser, something was coming.

"We shared fate." There was a light pitch, a spark of something moving through the air, as if something touched the mind of every pony, from the city wall to the furthest land, they all felt a warm spark flow through their bodies.

"We shared one fate." One more time, the feeling flew through their bodies, and the glow of the medallion grew far more intense. And then, as if going silence, the medallion stopped glowing for just an instance.

And then, Golden Cross snapped open his his eyes, and shouted. "We shared fate!"

A bright flash illuminated the night and the charging horde of monstrous animals cried out in pain as their eyes were blinded by the bright light. But as it subsided, a great and powerful melody began to be heard through out the battlefield, as small sphere of light, swirled out of the medallion and began to dance through the air.

And Golden Cross, stood up from his knelling position, and Sang! "Voices calling, I‘m the last one."

A bright flare erupted from the small sparkles and they flew into the earth, disappearing into the soil. "A glorious vision."

A soft rumble began to fill the ground and the animals cried out in fear of yet another earth shattering event occurring, but that was not what was happening. And as Golden Cross' voice sang out over the land, "What could have come.", the land responded.

"Now let our axes sing an anthem." A series of cracks erupted around Golden Cross, and spectral hooves tore out of the earth, revealing a see through, thin and almost skeletal like limbs, each grasping, an axe based weapon.

"To the glory of all knights." The spectral figured pulled out of the soil, revealing, the armoured shapes of ponies, clad in similar armour to Golden Cross, each wielding a similar weapon. They numbered up to a hundred in total.

"Protector of the free lands." As the old knight sang the ghosts sang with him, their spectral voices echoing over the land. Their bodies stood up on their hind legs, grasping their weapons and walked forward, to stand side by side of their fellow.

"We redeemed our mission." As one, Golden Cross and all of the ghosts, knelt and bowed their heads, pressing their weapons into the soil, as if praying or bowing to a higher power.

"We were brothers, one by one." And then they stood up, the frightened eyes of the animals in front of them not making a single of the ghastly figures and their summoner flinch.

"Divine Judge‘s valiant sons." A single pony among the ghosts stepped forward, a large unicorn, bearing a mantle and a massive double edged great axe, he was almost as tall as Golden Cross, whom he was standing next to. and by then the ponies on the walls realized just who these ponies were, these were the spirits of the Lawbringers, come to aid their last member in his final hour!

"By Equestria!" As one the Lawbringers, both mortal and ghosts, got into identical stances. And as the ghosts and Golden Cross sang out once more, "It was our destiny!", they charged the horde.

"We were the chosen." Axes flew through the air and the Rattenfängers found out that even spectral weapons, could cleave through flesh. Heads were split, torsos torn apart, limbs chopped off and necks crushed! It was a rain of dismemberment.

"We were the Lawbringers." And each time they swung, they sang, as a group of professional singers and killers in one swoop. And with each swing of their weapons, the ranks of Rattenfänger, were torn apart.

"We were forged in fire." Without pause, without remorse, without hesitation, they swung their weapons like a ghastly meat grinder.

"And made of stone." Even as arrows, spears and other projectiles were sent at them ,they ignored them, even as green spectral goo splattered over the ground ,they did not falter and just kept on moving forward.

Golden Cross then broke the formation and jumped up on top of a tall bear's shoulders and stabbed him through the top of his head and into his neck. As the massive beast fell he jumped off, and just kept on singing, all of the ghosts around him singing as well. And now none of the Lawbrigners were in formation, instead they were just rushing forward and attacking anyone within their reach. "We were the guardians of the realm. From our beginning till our end."

"We would praise the Divines. Whom shall last till eternity." Spinning his poleaxe he parried a claymore sword fro ma wolf and then made a quick thrust wit the pommel to smack the wolf in the nose. And as the beast clutched his aching nose, the pony beheaded him with a swing of the blood covered pole axe.

"Forged in fire we were born." The music began to grow more solemn and slow, and the Lawbringers moved back into formation, leaving the confused animals to stare as the ghosts moved away from them.

"We were made of stone, by the Judge‘s hooves. Gave life to us, and more." And as one the Lawbringer's knelt together, and their ethereal bodies, once pale green and see through, seemed to gain a more whitish colouring, along with a more healthy appearance. They looked far less skeletal and dead now.

"Then from father to sons. He made us knights, and the guardians of the lands." Then they rose, their spectral bodies, now looking almost solid. Their eyes glowing with various colours as they glared upon the criminals ahead of them.

"Still we carried on, standing side by side." Walking forward slowly, they kept singing, readying their axes, even as the Rattenfänger forces, started fleeing.

"We would defeat the fiercest enemy." The last word was hissed out and the mortal and ghost knights began to speed up their marching steps.

"Enemies." And they kept increasing their speed, now in a fast sprint, as they snarled out the word like it was a curse.

"Enemiesssss!" Then with a final snarl they leaped up into the air and slammed into the fleeing horde. The music, once more speeding up into a rapid phase, as the combat picked up once more.

"We were the chosen. We were the Lawbringers." Golden Cross spun his entire body, his axe cleaved through whoever was unable to avoid his massive swings. The battlefield was turning into a blood bath, the ground stained with blood.

"We were forged in fire and made of stone." And yet the Lawbringers kept going ,even as their white spectral shapes were splattered with blood, they kept moving, they kept charging, they kept swinging and they kept singing!

"We were the guardians of the realm. From our beginning till our end." Blades and voices sang through the night sky and sprays of blood coloured the ground, as the spectral warriors of the Order of the Lawbringers, fought once more.

"We praise the Divines. They will last till eternity." With each sound of their song their spectral bodies seemed to gain strength and density. Once where their bodies were light and floating, they now seemed to be as solid as those thy were fighting.

"We were the chosen. We were the Lawbringers." A lucky strike from a claymore tore of the head of a ghost knight, his body stood still for a few seconds before disappearing into sparkling light. Seeing this the remaining forces of Rattenfänger regained some of their morale and tried to target the ghosts.

"We were forged in fire and made of stone." But the specters were learning and avoided many of their attacks, only with sheer numbers could they jump onto a ghost and stab and stab until it was gone.

"We were the guardians of the realm. From our beginning till our end." While they were able to take down about ten of the ghosts, the rest of the ghosts were a different story, the ghosts were avoiding their attacks and blocking them with their weapons.

"We would praise the Divines. And the old ways as We held the line!" And while they were busy focusing on attacking the ghosts, Golden Cross was focusing his effort on taking out those not occupied by his spectral aids.

The battle was no longer one sided, the ghosts were no longer able to push and massacre the Rattenfängers like they could before. But neither could the Rattenfänger forces kill the ghosts like they once could. Only twenty or so ghosts had been killed so far and the battle had gone on for a good while. But even then, the ghosts and Golden Cross, never stopped singing. "We were the chosen!" (We were the chosen ones!)

"We were the Lawbringers." As they sang, their stamina increased and their strength as well. Their blades sang through the air as they cleaved flesh, metal and leather. They could not push forward, but they were still thinning out the numbers of enemies.

"We were the Lawbringers! And we were born to be." Golden Cross decided to break the stalemate and rushed forward, his axe swung in a wide arc towards the front line of foes in front of him. Even as a line of shields tried to block him, his sharp axe blade split through the shields while the several inch long blade of his spearhead sliced through faces, throats and guts of those holding them with its sharpened side edge.

"The guardians of the realm!" And even as the wounded and dying clutched their would, he redirected his weapon for another swing, and severed their meat and bones from torso, neck and skull.

"We were the Lawbringers and we were born to be!" The music was reason a crescendo, the finale, and Golden Cross was pushing through the ranks of the enemy like a whirlwind of death. His valiant ghostly fellows followed him and once more, the balance of the fight was turned to the side of the ponies.

"The valiant guardians of the realm!" Golden Cross screamed out the final part of the lyrics of the song as he stood on top of a massive boar, piercing through his skull with his poleaxe's spearhead. As he jerked the weapon out of the skull of the beat he turned to face the rest of the army, and his eyes widened as a massive structure came rolling down the road.

It was a structure of wood and bone, it was shaped like one would think of a massive mattering ram. But instead of a mattering ram, it had a massive tube like structure, it looked like a cannon made out of bones. But it was not made out of bones, it was entirely made out of unicorn horns. The sheer amount of horns used to build it was enough to make all ponies who saw it cringe, there was over a thousand horns, all of various shapes and sizes from foals to adults.

A cackling Archimedes stood on top of the wooden frame supporting the massive structure and as he laughed he pulled back a lever, and out of a pair of clear crystal spheres held at the front and back of the tube came a storm of lightning. The scent of ozone filled the air. Golden Cross had no idea what that thing would do, but it was aimed straight for the city gates. So he took a leap and in mid air he had but a fraction of a second to react, as the entire structure lit up like a christmas tree and in a loud ear shaking bang, fired off something massive straight into his gut, his visor erupted in blood but he did not let go of his poleaxe even as the object that struck him, flew off with him still impaled upon it.

The music ended as the body of Golden Cross flew over the field and impacted the gate with a massive crack.

The entire Gatehouse shook with the force of a dragon tackling its doors. The ponies had no option but to grab onto each other or solid support to not fall over, but more then half of them were falling over at the point of impact of whatever hit the wall. Captain Rough Stock fell on his side as the gatehouse shook like a dragon was knocking on the door. Scrambling up on his legs he rushed down to the inner portion of the gatehouse and down the stairs to the inside of the city.

Once he came outside there was a crowd of soldiers and guard staring at the gates in horror. "What happened!?" Wordlessly they pointed at the gates and he looked up, there in the bright light of the moon and stars, was the curved, almost drill shaped, form of a massive iron spike, one meter of it had drilled straight through the gates and was sticking out like a bloody nail, bits of intestine and organs skewered all over its form.

"By da Gods! Prepare fer battle! Golden Cross hath fallen!" Wincing at the sight of the blood leaking through the split in the wall, the intestines and organs rolling all over the spike he almost hurled. "Bloody bucking glue! Is no way he lived through that. At least da old pony took down more then half of em bastards."

The former Sergeant then saw the look of utter despair and shock on the soldiers' faces and reached out and slapped a pegasus mare hard on the cheek and shouted straight in her face. "He took that damn thing fer Us ! So ye better offer him ye bloody thanks once We be through this! If not fer him ye all would be dead! He sacrifices himself fer this city an' US who live in it! So if ye want ta just stand and cry here, an' make his sacrifice worth nothin' then ye can bloody well go back home!"

Turning away from the now shaken soldiers Captain Rough Stock marched up the stairs towards the Gatehouse and shouted out for Weak Gusts. "Signal da bloody artillery units ta bucking shoot da bastards!"

Weak Guts rushed over to the signal gong and struck it, eight times. Signalling for Artillery support. And afterwards, he signaled ten times. Which meant one thing. Ally Has Fallen.

Celestia's ears dropped as she heard the second signal. The old pony had held out more then any pony reasonably should have. With the black mark, with his age and with the constant battling he had gone through. He had survived more then any pony should possibly have.

Sighing she looked up from her bed and stared at the horizon, soon she would need to call on the sun. But now, she needed to tell some ponies some very sad news.

She looked over to the bed of Grand Feast as she and her two foals were sitting on it together, just content with each other's company. It made the alicorn feel so vile that she had to tell them this, but it would be best to get it over with now rather then later. Gently coughing into her hoof she gained Grand Feast's attention.

"Yes Princess Celestia? Were those signals news from the battle?" Grand Feast asked, her voice no longer weak or trembling, but she was still too sick to properly walk on her own.

Celestia gave a nod before looked at them with sad eyes as her ears remained folded and spoke up. "Yes, We art sad to tell thou this but, Golden Cross hath fallen in battle. The signal we just received told Us-"

"No! Grandpa Cross would never lose now! He made a promise!" Happy Meal shouted, her eyes growing teary, making the alicorn feel even more guilty as she tried to not break the heart of the little filly by denying the promise of her adoptive grandfather.

"We would wish nothing less little one, but We can not deny the truth, or We would bury Ourselves in lies." But apparently were neither Happy Meal nor Grand Music interested in listening to this and both of them were glaring at her, something she had never witnessed before from any foal.

"No! Grandpa Cross made a promise! He said he would not even let death take him until We were safe! We shalt prove it!" An then before either Princess or mother could react, the two foals rushed out of the medical wing and disappeared out the doorway as an old healer entered, nearly knocking him over.

It took a few seconds for what had just happen to click into place and the two mares looked at one another in horror, if the two foals meant what Happy Meal had said, then. "They art heading towards the City Gate!" They cried out together and Celestia called for her personal guards as she struggled off the bed and gave support to Grand Feast, the two walked out of the medical wing together. Together they moved out to the courtyard to be received by a strange sight.

A pair of Sun Guards came running down the street and into the courtyard pulling a... cart? A very nicely designed and formed cart with... blades folded up on each side? No this was no cart, it was a chariot! A war chariot! Bowing to the Princess the two guards spoke up in perfect unison. "Where shalt We take thee Princess Celestia?"

"Two foals art foolishly running towards the city gates! We need to catch up with them before they art harmed!" Celestia shouted out as she helped Grand Feast up on the chariot, and made notice of a pair of handles for someone to stick their hooves into. She carefully helped Grand Feast grip there, which was good since when the two guards took off running the two mares almost fell off if they had not been holding onto the war chariot's inner handles.

Celestia made a note to ask why these chariots had not been used against Maleficus a month ago, when she realized that she herself had said that utilizing chariots against a single enemy would be pointless.

The two rode down the street on the chariot and Celestia had to be amazed at how fast the wagon was moving through the streets. It was not just its speed though, the way the two guards were pulling the wagon and she and Grand Feast was riding the rear, this also gave her an idea to figure out later. But she had far more important matter to care about now, she and Grand Feast had a pair of foals to save!

Happy Meal was running down the street with her brother Grand Music, the two foals had used the thin side streets of the city to move towards the city gate. The two had gotten used to moving through the streets with how Golden Cross had walked with them several times through the maze of alleys and roads in the city.

It would normally take thirty minutes to run straight for the City Gate, but by using the short cuts of the alleys the two foals managed to get there in only twenty minutes.

Scampering through crowd of soldiers the two foals were about to reach the Gatehouse itself when the crowd suddenly parted ways when a wagon pulled by a pair of guards suddenly rushed through the crowd and the two foals heard their mother's voice cry out over the crowd. "Happy Meal! Grand Music! Where art thee!? It is not safe for foals to be here!"

The two tried to sneak off, but were quickly found by one of the soldiers who held out a hoof and stopped them from sneaking off. "This be no place for foals, it be dangerous here. Ye should-"

"We art not leaving until We see Grampa Cross!" The volume of the filly's cry was heard all over the area and as one, all of the soldiers and guards flinched, not at her volume, but at what she had said. and they all turned to look at the gate. The soldier reached out to cover the foal's eyes but they scampered past his forelegs and he cried out to the, "Wait! Stop! That's not something foals should see!"

Happy Meal rushed forward, along with Grand Music, even as the curved iron spike came into view, she knew that Golden Cross was not yet dead, he had promised. Even as she saw the red dripping down the wall she still had hope. Even as he mother's forelegs caught her and her brother and hugged them to her, she cried out to the gate, unwilling to let her beloved Grandpa break his word. "Grandpa Cross! Don't die yet! Ye Promised!"

His vision was blurry as he woke up. The impact of whatever had stuck him had knocked him unconscious for a moment there. As his sight got straighter he felt an immense pain in his midsection and looked down. He groaned in pain as he saw a giant drill shaped nail, sticking straight through his midsection, the bloody thing was seven meters or so long on the end no piercing through his gut, it must be about ten or twelve meters long or something.

He tried to lift his limb. But could not, the pain was too immense, in his weakened state he could not push through the pain like he could as an alicorn, another setback in his spell he had not discovered. *Fuuuuck... this hurts... so fucking much... a rail gun... a motherfucking rail gun... made out of unicorn horns... oh those sick ass fuckers... fuuuuuck...*

Then he saw sparkling little spheres of light, each with a rather unnervingly familiar colouring and he heard whispers speak out from them. He groaned mentally as the voices of the Elements of Harmony spoke to him.

He groaned mentally as the voice of the Elements of Slavery, started speaking to hi,. *So not enjoying this right now!*

"Grandpa Cross! Don't die yet! Ye promised!" Jerking his head back he tried to look through the wooden doors were he had heard that voice, that voice of the little foal who had called him Grampa. *No! If she's here then she might die! I must get, gah!*

Maleficus Victoria, aka Golden Cross, gasped out as he looked upon the horizon, the sparkling lights around him, he ignored. "Not... yet..."

"

"Shut up. The Sun... the Sun has not yet risen. The day has not come yet. So you can go fuck yourselves. I am not leaving, until the Sun rises... You got it! Gah!" He gasped out, coughing up blood and black ichor. But his trembling forelegs reached up and grasped the base of the massive iron spike going through his chest. He then, with intense muscles power, twisted the entire thing to the left, and it broke apart. As the ten meters of iron fell to the ground with a loud clang he reached back and pushed against the gates he had been nailed to, and began to push his bloody body forward.

The ponies behind the gates gasped as the massive nail began to twitch, turn and finally, with a loud rack, was pulled out of the wooden gate. A crying Happy Meal smiled and hugged her brother as their mother hugged them both as they heard the gasping breaths behind the massive door as heavy steps walked forward.

A voice, strained but clear, spoke up from the other side. "Thank you, for everything." And then, a deep melody began to fill the air as the hoofsteps moved away from the gate and the soldiers began to scramble for the wall.

Celestia stood where she had seen the spike impaling Golden Cross through the gates disappear. She was lost, she was confused, she was down right... amazed. *Such a powerful will... Even on the brink of death he broke through because of a little filly's voice. Perhaps it was true what he said. Back then.*

Archimedes laughed and cackled as he danced on top of the masterpiece of Leroy. The ghastly specters whom had fought alongside Golden Cross had moved after their fellow and were now standing in a formation of two lines in front of the broken bridge. After the old vermin had dance so for a bit, he turned towards the remaining three hundred of his army, most of them pigs. "We hath defeated the infidel Golden Cross! now We shalt-"

Then a loud metallic crack was heard in the distance and Archimedes felt numb as he turned around to look towards the city gate where he had seen Golden Cross' body be impaled upon it. Only for his eyes to widen, as limping away from the gate, barely able to stand but still alive, walked Golden Cross, his entire mid section still impaled by a three meter fragment of the iron pike's tip, the same projectile Archimedes had shoot him with by firing the Horn of Destruction.

The pony's armour was torn and ripped apart, only barely holding together. As he stumbled across the moat he slowly climbed up the ditch and up onto the road. Once there he reached up and unclasped his helmet, and pulled it off, dropping it onto the ground. Then with the aid of his poleaxe, he heaved himself upright and began to walk down the road toward them. And as he walked past the line of ghosts, they raised their weapons with two hooves and them up in front of their faces, saluting him as he moved past then.

Then as he had walked past them all, they moved down to all four and formed a line in front of the bridge. And then the specters just stood thee, watching him as he moved down the road towards the remnants of Rattenfänger.

"How in the name of God art he still alive?" The old mouse mumbled in utter shock. But then his eyes widened, as a melody started to flow through the air and he turned towards his fellow leaders and screamed at them. "Take him out! Kill him!"

The army of Rattenfänger did not charge or even move, they were too busy staring numbly at the pony wandering towards them.

Sucking in a deep breathe the pony suddenly started screaming out lyrics as he started running over the road. To Rattenfänger his voice was less like the voice of a mortal more like the voice of God.

"How can you see into my eyes like open doors?"

With reckless abandon Golden Cross jumped into the numb troops and started to swing his weapon through them. The first strike sending a shock through the troops as four heads of pigs flew up into the air before a second strike split one down the middle from skull to groin.

"Leading you down, into my core."

In mad desperation the animals screamed out and charged him, their claws sought to tear him apart.

"Where I had become so numb, without a soul."

He evaded most of the blows, but a wolf managed to clamp down his teeth onto his left elbow and brutally tore out a chunk of his left arm's muscles before a blow to the neck killed him. Yet Golden Cross did not stop.

"Without a soul!"

The wounded pony sent a roundhouse kick into the skull of rat, snapping it. He stomped down on the clawed feet of a tiger before slicing up his gut.

"My spirit was sleeping somewhere cold."

A wild swing sent a pig tumbling backwards, before a thrust speared through the pigs belly and out his spine, before pulling back, making a mess of intestines rain out.

"Until you found it there, and lead it, back, out!."

The boar mercenary Butters roared as he jumped off the Horn of Destruction and pulled out his old flamethrower, fueled by gas produced by his own farts. He ignited the flamer an a cone of fire erupted towards the wounded pony.

"You woke me up!"

Yet Cross moved alongside the flames, evading them by an inch before reaching Butters.

"You woke me up inside!"

He brutally kicked the old boar in the leg, breaking his knee, he then used an upward swing with his poleaxe to send the flamethrower out of Butter's fingers and over his back.

"I couldn't wake up!"

Then he brutally buck kicked the flamethrower up the old boar's dung hole, in which a dupe for methane gas was already located, and without even a care, he stomped down on the flamethrower, causing it to erupt in fire. Butters screamed as his insides were caught ablaze and he rolled around trying to put himself out, dying as a big fat boar roast on the field.

"You woke me up inside!"

Golden Cross kept moving past the brutally burning Butters, he head butter a weasel, breaking his face and neck in a single strike. He then used his left hind leg to back kick the face of a pig into a broken mess before stomping down on said pig's neck, killing him.

"You saved me!"

Rushing past a group of pigs he used the blades of his pole axe to slice open their tendons. Their heavy bodies collapsed forward.

"You called out my name and saved me from the dark!"

With a back swing he beheaded the kneeling pigs with his weapon, ending their lives.

"Let my blood run dry!"

A swarm of toads jumped out at him and clawed at him from all over, but he did not care and just crushed them one by one, leaving an scratches upon his limbs, and the left side of his face almost completely thorn to shreds from lip to jaw.

"I can't let you down!"

Pushing through a bear, he stabbed the bear in the tailbone, severing his spinal nerves, and then he struck with the pommel at the bear's neck, breaking it.

"Before I come undone!"

Clawed hands tried to rake his face and throat open ,but he leaned back and thrust the shaft of his poleaxe forward, pushing his attackers back.

"For you saved me!"

Spinning around he sliced through flesh and bone of a group trying to surround him, their bodies sliced apart after his rotation spin.

"You saved me from the nothing I became!"

A fox leaped up on his back, trying to stab his neck, ended up impaling herself upon the large iron spike sticking out fo his back. He just shook her off to not have too much dead weight.

"Now that I know what I have been without!"

Leroy was working frantically to reload the Horn of Destruction, his hands pouring reagents after reagents into tubes and spinning on strange mechanical apparatus parts to transfer energy to the spheres.

"You can just leave it to me!"

Archimedes was screaming orders, demanding the head of Golden Cross, snarling out spit and saliva like a rain forest as he howled out orders in an almost insane frenzy.

"Breathe and know that you made me real!"

Most of the ponies up on the walls, along with Celestia and Grand Feast, were staring upon the spectacle in utter horror and disbelief. As the almost dead knight, fought with brutal strength and savage brutality to tear apart his opponents.

"You brought me to life!"

Happy Meal and Grand Music however, were cheering him on, unable to see properly, they still tried to cheer for him from their location at the top of the gatehouse. Weak Guts and Rough Stock also cheering him on, while keeping the children from seeing too much gore.

"You woke me up!"

Golden Cross leaped to the side to avoid the charge of a pig.

"You woke me up inside!"

He spun around to avoid the blade of a boar.

"I couldn't wake up!"

With a thrust of his poleaxe he pierced through the skull of a chicken.

"You woke me up inside!"

Spinning his poleaxe around with one hoof he deflected seven throwing daggers from a group of cats.

"You saved me!"

Impaling a rat in the gut he user her corpse as a shield from another volley of daggers.

"You called out my name and saved me from the dark!"

Rushing forward he swung his poleaxe and managed to slice through several parts of the cats as they dodged, they stumbled to the ground clutching their wounds.

"Let my blood run dry!"

Tracing his poleaxe's spearhead across the ground he slit the throat of the cats, one by one.

"I can't let you down!"

A dog bit down on his left arm an tore off meat so that the bones of his elbows were revealed before a hoof grabbed his neck and broke it by twisting it 180 degrees.

"Before I come undone!"

Golden Cross was running across areas now to reach his foe, the Rattenfängers were so few in numbers and so scattered that they were more like a several groups of skirmisher units rather then a large horde unit.

"For you saved me!"

Arrows flew towards him, he dodged most but some pierced his shoulders and midsection.

"You saved me from the nothing I became!"

Reaching an archer he speared the rat through the head and threw him like a projectile at another rat, sending them both to the ground.

"You brought me to life!"

Once more he rushed through the field, chasing another foe.

"I was alone in a lie, I was nothing inside!"

Another volley of projectiles, this time javelins, one managed to pierce through his left hind leg in the thigh.

"But then you brought me to life!"

Rushing forward he jumped and stomped down on the lizard that threw the spear, crushing his torso beneath his hooves.

"Once Frozen inside, without your care!"

He reached down, grasped a spear and chucked it at another lizard, spearing him through the stomach, when he aimed for the head.

"Without your warmth, my friends!"

Picking up his poleaxe again he reared back as a big crocodile erupted from a hole in the ground and tried to bite him in half.

"Only you have been the lights of my life!"

Instead of being bitten, Cross flipped his poleaxe upside down and inserted it into the crocodile's mouth, as it bit down, it split apart its own jaw on the metal.

"Among the dead!"

Jerking up the weapon he split open the skull of the crocodile and let the now falling corpse free of his weapon, allowing it to hit the ground.

"I've been sleeping, for a thousand years it seems!"

A pair of dogs rushed him from left and right with spears, he spun and with his crippled foreleg, slapped them in the face, making them rear back, clutching their noses.

"Got to open my eyes to everything!"

With a pair of swift thrusts he jabbed the spear tip of his weapon through both of their skulls, one at ta time.

"Don't let me die yet!"

Then it was off to running again, this time a lion was his quarry.

"I can yet do more!"

A shower of rocks were thrown by a flying pigeon carrying a rat.

"Just, keep, me, alive!"

Golden Cross ignored the rocks and just leaped up onto the lion and used his hind legs to grab hold of the lion's skull before twisting his hips left. What he did was essentially breaking the lion's neck with the strength of his hind legs.

"You woke me up!"

Impaling his poleaxe into the soil he grabbed the lion's crossbow, aimed up at the pigeon, and fired.

"You woke me up inside!"

The crossbow bolt flew through the air and impaled the bird through the neck when Cross had been aiming for a wing. With a loud thump both rat and pigeon crashed into the ground from a lethal fall of twenty meters.

"I couldn't wake up!"

Rushing forward once more he had to evade shoots of javelins and arrows this time.

"You woke me up inside!"

Reachign a lizard he impaled it up his poleaxe and started running again.

"You saved me!"

As he ran he used the body of the lizard to absorb the arrows and spears the others were shooting and throwing at him.

"You called out my name and saved me from the dark!"

The corpse became too heavily riddled with projectiles to be of use, so instead he threw the corpse of his pole axe and towards the archers and spear throwers.

"Let my blood run dry!"

Spinning and flailing wildly the body slammed into a pair of lizard and the broken bits of wood and the pointy javelin spear tips, pierced through their bodies rather effectively, making them die by bleeding out beneath their dead friend's corpse.

"I can't let you down!"

By now had Leroy managed to reload the Horn of Destruction and the skunk shouted out to Archimedes. "It be armed!"

"Before I come undone!"

Gleefully Archimedes rotated the massive rail gun made out of unicorn horns and turned to aim it at Golden Cross.

"For you saved me!"

But Golden Cross jumped up on the head of a pig and jumped into the air, breaking the pig's neck in the process, and landed on top of the Horn of Destruction.

"You saved me from the nothing I became!"

Archimedes looked down in utter rage and shouted out at the troops. "Don't let him damage the Horn!"

"You brought me to life!"

Golden Cross rushed over the surface of the Horn of Destruction, each of his steps was deliberately made into powerful stomps upon the defiled horns that made up the weapon.

"I was alone in a lie, I was nothing inside!"

Leroy screamed out in panic as the spheres began to sparkle and churn to life as Archimedes activated the Horn to try and kill Golden Cross with the voltage of the spheres. Leroy was fried as he was directly in the way of the voltage stream, essentially the high voltage of the energy flowing into the horn was enough to turn him into ash in an instance.

"But then you brought me to life!"

Golden Cross jumped off the horn and slashed through the line of pipes connecting the apparatus to the spheres and the Horn. And the entire thing started to spark and spasm.

"You brought me to life!"

Archimedes screamed out in fear as he was forced to leap off the Horn of Destruction, as it blew up, sending shrapnel of horn, wood and bone all over the area, piercing through many of the Rattenfängers with its lethal pointy load. And then the music ended.

Archimedes laid panting and cough in the ground when a powerful hoof reached out and grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up into the air. The glaring, half torn, face of Golden Cross glared at him. "I have wanted to meet you for a long time, Archimedes."

He threw the rat to the ground and stomped his left hind hoof onto his stomach, while pressing down the rat to the ground he reached into his belt bag and pulled out a vial with a certain concoction. Lowering his hoof over the rat's face he held the vial in front of him. "Do you know what this is? This is the poison your assassins used to poison not just the Princess, but a mare who has become like a daughter to me."

"At first I just intended to kill you, and kill the rest of your men by my own. But now, a more... poetic justice seems far more fitting." The cold voice and the bloody smirk of the pony made Archimedes feel chills down his spine. And then he gasped as the hoof pressed down upon him again and he suddenly found himself gagging as the hoof holding the vial, was pushed down his throat, and then hoof left his mouth, but the vial remained in his mouth. In panic he tried to cough it up, but before he could do it, had the hoof grabbed his lower jaw slammed his mouth shut, shattering the vial inside of his mouth.

As the old mouse struggled and pleaded he could not help but swallow the poison as the cold eyes of Golden Cross glared down upon him. "And now for the coup de grace."

Grabbing the gagging and twitching rat by the tail, Golden Cross held him up high and shouted out to the remaining members of Rattenfänger. "You want to eat meat!? There here! Eat your so called Leader! I bet he taste just great!"

The confused eye of the animals looked at one another, then at the dying form of their leader, whose eyes were pleading for mercy. And then wickedness grew in their eyes and life a swarm of locust the remnants of Rattenfänger swarmed upon the body of their former leader, and ripped him apart.

His legs were torn off, his hands bitten off, his intestines was ripped out, his heart gorged, his skull broken, his brain eaten, his tail torn off and so on and so on. And as the lat hundred or so members of Rattenfänger feasted upon the meat of their leader, Golden Cross walked back towards Canterlot.

He did not turn around as the first gasp was heard, nor when the gurgles began, nor when the coughs, the puking ,the twitching and the thuds were heard. Even a the entire force of Rattenfänger fell victim to their own poison, dying by their own hunger, he did not turn around.

Instead he walked, tumbling forward, the explosion of the Horn of Destruction had blown a hole in his left side, his intestines were being dragged on the ground as he used his poleaxe as support. He struggled forward and soon, reached the bridge were the specters he had summoned remained.

There he shuddered and groaned, collapsing onto one knee in front of the specters, it was no show, he was utterly exhausted and in severe pain. He looked up upon the night sky and he struggled to stand.

"The sun... I cannot die until, I see... the sun." Golden Cross muttered out loud, slowly staggering up, even as half of his intestines had pooled out of the hole in his side, he straightened himself up and stood on his hind legs, looking towards the horizon.

Up on the city walls, Celestia had rushed over to the gate house as she saw the old knight struggle back from his victory. She was weak and could barely use her magic, but she leaped off the edge of the wall and glided down to Golden Cross' side.

The white specters bowed to her, standing by his side, all of them were looking with Golden Cross towards the horizon. Celestia reached out and touched the dying knight's shoulder, it was cold as ice. "Ser Cross, thou art victorious, thou can rest." She whispered to him with a choked voice.

"Can not... need to see... the sun. One final time. One last time. With my family." Muttered the knight ,his half glazed eyes were looking, never blinking, towards the horizon, Celestia gave him a sad smile and nodded and walked a bit away, leaving him with the white specters and then, she raised her head. And her horn ignited into a sparkling bright aura of gold.

The moon lowered itself beyond the edge of the mountains, and then, a light broke through the darkness, and then, like a beacon of golden red warmth, the sun rose up and brought its warm, bright light upon the land.

Golden Cross undamaged side of his mouth, turned into a bright smile and he twisted his head a little to the left as the light meet his eyes. And he muttered out one final gasp of words. "Aaaah... it's bright..." He did not move, he did no fall, he stood there, tall, unmoving, unyielding, undefeated, to the end.

The white specters smiled upon the bright light of the sun and walked forward, disappearing like sparkling mirages into the sun light, and for a moment, it felt as if an additional form had followed them into the light as they disappeared. A form that seemed so familiar, and yet to different.

And thus, in the Seventh Month of the First Year of Canterlot's Foundation, Golden Cross, the Last of the Lawbringers, died.

"Grandpa Cross!" Came a voice from behind the city gates. Celestia smiled sad, yet happy, that Cross had kept his promise. She walked over to the old knight and sat down next to him, and looked at the sun rise, as the sun rise, resting her wing over him, hiding most of the damaged of his body from sight.

The large gates groaned open as a group of thirty earth ponies pushed and pushed the massive wooden gates open. And a crowd of soldiers, civilians came walked out of the city, stopping by the edge of the moat. All of them poked at the scene of the princess draping her wing over the still standing form of Golden Cross, who stood so tall, so proud, and yet, unmoving.

Grand Feast, with both of her foals, struggled through the crowd together and stopped by the edge of the moat as well. To the ponies of Canterlot, the moat could just as well be the marking of an unreachable goal, a path none of them could ever reach, to reach past their limitations, to ascend past their expectations. At the end of that unreachable goal, one would stand equal to those who were like gods, and with the sight of the silent, unmoving and yet proud body of Golden Cross, standing tall next to their Princess, they all felt like he had proven something. There are no limits in life, only those you put on yourself.

When the teary sob of two little foals filled the air, many started to lose the air of wonder and amazement, and an air of sorrow began to replace it. As one of the greatest ponies to ever life, had died. But then something, happened, Celestia, started singing.

Celestia's voice carried out over the streets, her voice a clarion to the rising sun, raising the spirits of those who despaired. And as their spirit rose, so did their voices, their cheer. And as one, the ponies of equestra, screamed out the name of their savior for the whole world to hear.

Their combined shoute echoed through the fields, out past the mountains and over the valleys and forests. Carried like a call of the gods, a praise to the great, it echoed through out the land. With Celestia's voice, singing.

Even as her own eyes were sorrowful she sang as she watched her nation's savior's body standing tall and proud in the face of the morning sun. And then she turned her gaze to the the sun, her wonderful sun, the bright warm light that had made this old warrior's final moment, peaceful, and kept singing.

Her voice never wavered, even as her visions turned blurry, even as drops of tears began to run down her cheeks. She smiled brightly and sand, never removing her wing from the cold, still body, of Golden Cross.

Once more, her ponies answered, her sweet wonderful ponies, cried out his name to the sky once more. As if asking the gods to join them in calling out the name with them, it echoed, so loud, and yet so wonderful.

Even as tears began to pour down their cheeks, the ponies kept cheering, they kept chanting and they kept screaming, out his name. While their princess, sang.

Even with what little could be seen of Golden Cross' body, it was clearly torn and wounded, even before the battle. He had scars older then most of them had been alive. His entire body was history of battle, valor and justice. There was no great testament, to his greatness.

The song kept going, it never seemed to stop, even as her eyes hurt, even as her heart ached. Even as her tears dripped down to her neck, she kept on, never stopping.

And just like her, even with tears and strained bodies, even as their throats hurts, the shouted it out once more to the world. His name.

Without pause, she kept singing, her voice calling out to the world. Even as her body shook from the pain of the poison, she kept on calling out to the world

Once more the city of Canterlot, shouted out his name, the name that meant something, for all of them.

With the cries of her ponies behind her she felt her spirit soar and she kept singing, the music starting to reach its ending point. She would not stop yet, she had to finish it!

One final time, they called out his name, the entire city, shaking as they shouted it out together. But even with the chaos of voices, she swore she could hear the voices of three ponies, one adult mare, one young filly, and young colt, crying out the loudest. And that, made her heart soar and she looked at his still form with a bright smile as tears kept running down her eyes. *Didst thou hear them Golden Cross? Were thy able to hear them call out thy name?*

And then, as the final crescendo of the melody reached them, Celestia cried out, standing up, both of her wings spread wide,her head held his and she shouted out the final lines to the world.

And thus the tale of Golden Cross the Lawbringer ended.

Upon the surface of the Moon the black and green flames once more covered the left half of its surface, and a flying figure streaked through the non existing atmosphere before impacting the ground next to a large rotation magical construct of floating glowing energy screens.

Groaning in pain Maleficus rolled onto his stomach and just laid there as his intestines pulled themselves back into his body while his many other wounds regenerated. As he laid there he glared at the planet above him and snorted. *Fucking Elements of Shit did not take my little lawyer attitude kindly it seems. Or am I going to be tossed around like this every single time?*

As he struggled up onto his hooves once more he wandered around his Interface structure for a bit, his head hanging low. *Fuck... why did it end up like this? I mean... I was just trying to make myself into a cool guy. To not cause too much of a fuzz. And then everything went to shit. I mean... the duel of honour was fine and all but... the fuck was an army of Tooth and Tail characters doing here?*

Sighing he laid down on a sand dune and looked up at the planet with sad eyes, his ears folding as he wondered about those three ponies he had grown so close to for the last month. *I hope they will be okay... I mean I... left them the wagon... the weapons... they should be able to use it right? I still kept the bag... and that made up chronicle is theirs to... I just... I just... Ah I can't take it... need to sleep. Yes. Sleep sounds good right about now.*

Lowering his head onto his crossed over fore legs he closed his eyes and tried to sleep. But then, a few seconds into his rest he swear he heard something, his ears perked up and he looked around. There was no atmosphere, how could sound reach him?

Then it was there again. He looked around, once more confused and a bit frightened. But then it came a final time, and he could hear it clearly, the voices of Grand Feast, Happy Meal and Grand Music, shouting together, the name he had made for himself.

Then there was silence once more, he looked up at the planet again, and felt something wet on his cheek, he reached up and touched it, tears. Guilt wracked his entire body, but he felt gratitude that they would remember him, no matter how fake his persona had been, he was still grateful. And thus Maleficus Victoria, once more sealed on the surface of the moon, laid down his head and tried to sleep, unable to stop his tears.

Author's Notes:

Staandauthursil: Okay... wow... this chapter was... insane. I am surprised I even managed to write it so long, it was... well. It was freaking insane. I have never written such a long chapter before. I must have spent the last two days writing over 20.000 words! I swear the word counter went from 20000 to 30000 in only a few hours!

Pinkie: Oh! Oh! you mean like one of meanie Discord's pranks or one friendly Discord's pranks?

Staadnauthursil: ...More like Insane Nightmare Rarity Prank.

Pinkie: ...Ooooooooooooooh... I don't get it.