The sounds of a village wide construction project woke me up. I lifted my head off my chicken down pillow. Morning sunlight streamed through the open curtain.

Wait, why was I here? Didn’t I leave? Didn’t-

The golden column of soldiers underneath the banner of the Crown of Unicornia.

The memories of the previous day came flooding back.

Oh.

I hurriedly pushed the blanket, that I certainly didn’t remember covering myself with, off and jumped off my bed with uncharacteristic morning vigor.

The house was just as I had left it the previous morning, with the exception of my leather saddlebags resting on the simple table where Tia and I usually shared a meal. I gently opened the door to Tia’s room to check if she was awake yet. Inside was a room much like my own, but with simple paintings of dyes and paints made from crushed plants and flowers. But no TIa.

I didn’t know Tia painted.

Had I been that busy at the forge? Or had Tia just commissioned these from somepony?

I closed the door, letting the latch click shut, unwilling to disturb Tia’s privacy any further. Turning back to the bags on the table, I rummaged inside. I didn’t know if I would try to leave again after the attack, or if there would even be an after, but I didn’t want to further drain Ullahdmaiden’s food stocks more than I had to. I pulled out the hay-jerky in my pack and began to eat as I left the house.

Half the village had been furiously busy throughout the night. A trench had been dug around the whole village, Earth Pony farmers used to moving dirt and rock had done a minor miracle overnight. The trench was three pony lengths wide and two ponies deep, with a sharp incline on the inside side towards the village itself. The dirt removed from the ditch was used further to raise the ground on the inside. Already, the beginning of a crude palisade wall was being formed on the newly risen earth mound along the North side of the village. Additionally, a few ponies were still in the ditch, planting sharpened wooden stakes along the bottom.

The surrounding woods had also been demolished, piles of logs were stacked along the outside, being sharpened to a point before being carried over a hastily constructed bridge that had no true foundation.

While the village had changed very little over six years, it had changed drastically overnight the moment I tried to leave.

The village was digging in for a fight.

It may surprise a few ponies that this wasn’t done sooner. After all, raids were fairly common on the village. But they were just that, raids. The attacks, usually performed by Pegasi, never targeted homes or businesses. No, they solely targeted the granary. Often in the middle of the night. So they rarely, if ever, killed anypony. And since walls were totally ineffective against Pegasi, they just were never worth building. Additionally, the Earth Pony Clans made sure to keep their lands as monster free as they could with sponsored hunting parties. So monster attacks were far less common than they were in Queensford.

So there never really had been a point to.

But with Unicorns? This far South, there was no telling what they wanted. If they came to conquer or raid, I didn’t know.

But it had certainly looked like they wanted a fight.

As I wandered, looking around for Tia, I watched as tired ponies who had stayed up all night swapped places with bright eyed and bushy tailed ponies who had just woken up. I hoped they would get some good sleep, because I had a feeling we would need everypony we could find.

Speaking of, where was-? Aha!

A flash of a white coat and pink mane amongst earthy tones and hues caught my attention. I did my best to weave through the crowd of working ponies while at the same time trying not to get in their way, but I still had to mutter a few apologies as I accidently bumped into somepony.

It was strange to think I had said goodbye to these ponies just yesterday…

Tia and Mayor Treesong were in a discussion with Master Brickwork and a few volunteer builders when I arrived.

“So ye want the bridge to double as a gate?” Brickwork asked as I finally got close enough to overhear what was being said.

“Making the bridge we have retractable would allow us to keep weak points to a minimum and still give us a way to cross safely.” Tia replied. “Before Luna was born, Mom and Dad took me to the CIty of Unicornia and that was how they had their defenses. They called it a drawbridge.”

“Hm.” Brickwork thought as he stroked his mustache. “D’ye think they’d have a way around it if they use it fer their own castle?”

“Not unless they somehow contributed to its construction and laid an enchantment.”

“What about during the attack?” Brickwork asked worriedly.

“At that point, it's less enchantment and more evocation.” Tia laughed.

“... What’s the difference?”

I approached , but didn’t feel comfortable interrupting. I was curious as well.

“Unicorn magic comes in seven classical schools; Evocation, conjuration, divination, transmutation, enchantment, illusion, and abjuration.” Tia began to lecture. “Evocation is the art of evoking the elements, air, fire, earth, or water for a spell. Conjuration is the art of summoning help from beyond to fight on your behalf. Divination is the art of seeing beyond the five common senses. Transmutation is the art of transforming an object into something totally different. Enchantment is the art of modifying an existing object so it is different in some way. Illusion is the art of disguising or hiding an object. And abjuration is the art of protection.” Tia listed off.

“... That’s a lot of words for my brain.” Brickwork stated bluntly. “Ye sure ye ain’t a Loyalist?”

“Very certain.” Tia nodded. “Typically, only foals from one of the noble houses get any real magical education. Those are the ones who would be a Loyalist. But…” she trailed off, searching for the right words she wanted. “I was starting to learn from Mom. Before the hydra. She was the one who was classically trained.”

“So, yer ma was a Loyalist?” Brickwork asked conversationally.

“Goodness no. Mom was skilled. Skilled enough to have been a Warmage for a time. But she didn’t see eye to eye with her family, who were staunch supporters of the crown.”

A chill passed through the gathered ponies as Tia said the word “Warmage”.

Mom had been a Warmage?!

Any idiot with a horn could stand in a phalanx and contribute to a mass shield spell. But it took a special sort of pony to even be considered to become a Warmage. Those were the Unicorns that were the powerhouses of Unicornia’s army. They were the ones that could stand on the ground and seriously threaten the skyborn city of Pegasopolis. They were the ones that could stand on the deck of a ship and singlehoofedly sink an opposing armada. To be a Warmage was every colt and fillies dream in Unicornia.

I had only escaped having that dream because I was too small to understand what it truly meant before we left Queensford.

But to think… Mom had been a Warmage? It certainly explained why the village tended to suddenly grow quiet whenever she raised her voice.

“I- I never knew.” I said, bringing attention to myself and joining the conversation. Several of the ponies looked startled to see me there, but Tia took my appearance in stride.

“You wouldn’t’ve Lu. She didn’t like showing off her powers and she only told me about a year before we left because I was getting to be the age to be an apprentice.”

“... Did she let herself die to the hydra?” I whispered.

A sudden hush fell over the conversation.

“I- I can’t answer that.” Tia admitted. “I don’t know what she was thinking, but it has kept me up at night. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to have the same problem.”

I didn’t like the idea that Tia kept things from me. But at the same time, I would trust her with more than even my life if it came down to it.

If she had thought it best, then who was I to argue?

“I understand.” I whispered.

A thought occurred.

“Heh. Mrs. Amethyst must’ve been very brave or very stupid to keep making Mom angry.” I snickered. That seemed to break the sudden malaise in the area as Brickwork and Treesong smiled at the joke. Tia however blinked owlishly.

“Oh! Oh wow! I haven't thought about her in years!” Tia exclaimed as she was smacked with nostalgia. The group chuckled at Tia’s antics.

“I don’t suppose one of ye can do yer magic to ‘enchant’ the fortifications to our benefit?” Brickwork asked.

“Sadly no.” Tia sighed as the mood dropped again. “Other than Mom, Hoarfrost was the closest we had to a true mage. And he was only an evocation linespony. I can try to teach the other Unicorns what I know, but I only know the very basics.”

“Shame.” Brickwork admitted. “Ah well, no use crying over what we don’t have.” He turned to his volunteers. “Come on lads! We’re burning daylight and I ain’t interested in having holes in the wall!”

“Did you need anything else Mayor?” Tia asked as they left.

“No thank you.” Treesong replied. “You’ve done wonderfully. Now go fetch your kin.” she waved a hoof, shooing us away. “I get the feeling we’ll need them. If something crops up I’ll send for you.”

“I’ll keep my ears open!” Tia chirped as we left the Mayor to her own devices.

We walked in silence for a few minutes, searching for the other Unicorns. I didn’t know where they would be exactly, but I assumed Tia knew because she was assisting the Mayor by organizing the village.

“Did Mom have any other secrets?” I asked suddenly, not even consciously thinking the thought.

“I’m pretty sure she had plenty.” Tia replied seamlessly. “Like how she became a Warmage or what Noble House she was from… But she never told me those stories.”

“Oh…” I said simply. “Wait, we’re part of a Noble House?”

“If you trace your lineage far enough, everypony in Unicornia is.” Tia informed me. “But things get tricky when you account for bastards and illegitimate foals born out of wedlock. But we’re a special case, I think.” Tia paused. “I’m not certain, but I think Mom was disowned by her family. Or she disowned them. Again, I’m not certain.” she trailed off.

“I’m… I’m not sure how to feel about that.” I admitted.

“I know how you feel.” Tia laughed. “I’ve found it doesn’t matter.” she leaned over and nuzzled the top of my head. “No matter what house we’re from, you’re the only family that I count.”

“Thank you Tia.” I replied with a smile, returning the nuzzle. “I completely agree.”

The walk continued in comfortable silence.

“Violet!” Tia called suddenly. I glanced over to see Tia waving at the purple Unicorn. Violet was busy using her levitation to sharpen a few wooden stakes that would eventually find their home in the bottom of the ditch.

“Oh Celestia! Luna!” Violet greeted. “I’d ask you how you’re doing, but… Well.” She lifted the stake she was working on, indicating what was on all of our minds.

“We have you on stake duty?” Tia asked, puzzled. “I thought Heartbreak was supposed to be here.”

“Oh you know that silly mare.” Violet waved off. “We were bringing over a bundle of sticks and she thought she saw an agate.” she giggled. “Sometimes she’s too caught up in her own fluff to see the trees amongst the forest.”

“Oh.” Tia half chirped. “Well if you see her, tell her she’s got to concentrate on her job… We need you and the rest of the Queensford Unicorns to learn how to keep a shield spell up.”

“Oh.” Violet’s perky ears fell. “I never thought about that…” she trailed off. “Never thought I’d be using magic against other Unicorns…”

“No, we’re going to be focusing on covering the village itself with a shield.” Tia corrected. “If you don’t want to fire back you don’t have to. But we need as many Unicorns as we can get to power the shield.”

“R-right.” Violet stammered. The purple Unicorn set her tools down and stood up, stretching as she began to walk away “I’ll be right there… As soon as I find Heartbreak.” she called back. She soon disappeared into the crowd.

“... Do you think she’ll betray us and go join the Crown?” I asked, uncertain of where the mare’s loyalties lay.

“No.” Tia responded. “We may not be loyal citizens anymore, but none of us consider ourselves traitors. Raising your horn against the Crown itself is a commitment that I don’t think any of us really expected to actually do.” she turned back towards the way we were originally heading. “Besides;” she added as we started walking again. “We’ve all got ties to this village now. We owe nothing to the Crown.”

We went further down the road before we walked up to one of the newer houses in the village. I waited off to the side as Tia knocked.

“Who is it?” called a mare’s voice from inside.

“Firelight? Do you have a moment?” Tia called. The sounds of hooves on hardwood flooring approached the door. The door swung open with a slight creek.

“Tia! Lulu!” Firelight greeted. “What a wonderful surprise! Come in come in!” she gestured for us to join her. “Dad and I are busy making firebombs! We could use your pyromania Tia!”

“Yes, um, hmhmm.” Tia coughed awkwardly. “Actually we came to gather the Queensford Unicorns. I’m going to be teaching the shield spell to all of us.”

“Oh!” Firelight cooed. “Hey Dad!” she called behind her. “You know the shield spell?”

A voice rose from the domicile.

“Easy as falling asleep!” the voice of an older Torchwood called.

“Can you teach me?” Firelight called back.

“Sure can!”

"Do you know how to mass cast?" Tia called past Firelight.

"Hrm... Can't say I do!" Torchwood replied.

"Then you need to learn!

"Understood! We'll lay off making bombs for a second and join you!"

"Daaaad!" Firelight protested.

"No buts filly! Sometimes you need to take a break and get kindle so you can keep lighting fires!"

"Ugh! Fine!" Firelight groaned, turning back to us. "Ok we'll come in a bit. How long will it take?"

"Not long. Only what I need to share and practice a bit."

"Gotcha. Just let us finish this batch and we'll come."

“I understand.” Tia nodded, turning to leave. “Don’t blow yourself up.”

“That’s half the fun though!” Firelight giggled. Almost as if fate were waiting for the words, a bright white light flashed inside the building.

BOOM!

Smoke began to pour from the kitchen.

“I’m okay!” the voice of Torchwood cried out.

“Damnit Dad!” Firelight turned back, shouting into her home and letting the smoke clear out of the open door. “How am I supposed to prove I’m responsible if things are constantly exploding around me?!” With that, she dove back into the depths of the building.

The cackle of an old stallion was Torchwood’s only response.

“I trust them.” Tia giggled to me as she turned away.

“I’m not sure about using firebombs in a wooden settlement...” I advised.

"I suppose... But I think it'd be better to have to rebuild a few buildings rather than dig a few graves." Tia replied.

Oh. I hadn't thought about it that way... But still, the thought of using firebombs on fellow ponies, even ponies who were in an army and marching this way didn’t sit right in my stomach.

“Tia, are you sure you-”

“Well there’s the wee rascal who woke me up last night!” boomed a familiar voice. Tia and I turned to see Appleflower part through the crowd, her armor sans helmet already in place. “Don’t cha know it’s very rude ta deprive a mare of ‘er beauty sleep?” she grinned.

“Appleflower!” I called. “Couldn’t be helped I’m afraid. Can’t deprive one of my best friends of such smashable heads to cave in!”

“Hohoho!” Appleflower boomed, shaking several nearby windows in their frames. “If I’d known what a fiery whippersnapper ye’d be when ye came ta our door, I’d ‘ave letcha in no problem! An’ ta think! Ye came ta us with no tongue!”

The two of us laughed together.

“So where ye two headed?” Appleflower asked when the laughter died down. “Mighty fine day fer a fight, an’ I can’t help but notice a certain orange pony’s house is leakin’ smoke where it shouldn’t.”

“The palisades and ditch are good ideas;” Tia interjected. “But they won’t stop a line of Unicorns from launching spellfire. We were gathering the Queensford Unicorns so I could teach them how to raise a crowd cast shield.”

“Hm.” Appleflower grunted. “I ain’t got the head fer yer spellcraft, but ain’t that what makes Unicorns hard ta hit?”

“Yes.”

“I approve.” the giant mare grinned. “I’ve been in too many fights with Unicorns ta not want that on my side.”

"Oh you have experience?"

"Been around fer some time now. Fought all sorts o' things."

"I see..." Tia awkwardly trailed away.

The awkward moment seemed to stretch.

“So! I’ll let you two talk.” Tia suddenly interjected. “We’ve still got ponies to gather and we’re running out of time.”

“Alright Tia. Go ahead.” I nodded. Tia turned and vanished into the crowd towards where I knew Ocean Breeze and Star Song had lived. Although I didn’t expect Song to participate in the battle, her belly was starting to look like a ripe watermelon with the foal she carried.

“So lass, what’s this I hear about a column of the Crowns finest?” Appleflower asked conversationally.

“Plenty of helmets to dent and take as trophies.” I grinned.

“I like yer spirit lass. But ‘ave ye ever been in a proper siege yet?”

“Yes?” I responded. “Ùllahdmaiden has been attacked plenty of times. What’s going to be so different?”

“No lass, those barely count as sieges. The birds like ta get in an' get out as quick as can be. Less collateral so they ken take more later... I ain’t goin’ ta sugar coat it, with a column coming there’s a very good chance that not all of Ùllahdmaiden will make it. While the whole village is grateful fer yer warnin’, ye didn’t ‘ave ta comeback fer our sakes. We’d have pulled through somehow, and there’s no shame in savin’ yerself when death comes callin’, specially fer one as young as ye.”

“Appleflower, I’m disappointed in you.” I chastised. “I may have been leaving, but it was never my intention to abandon the village.”

“I know.” Appleflower smiled sadly. “I jus’ don’t want ye ta meet an early grave is all.”

“You know I don’t back down from what needs to be done.” I challenged.

“An’ it's one of my favorite things about ye.” she patted me on the shoulder. “But I wantcha ta know there’s more ta life than seeking death.”

“Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t. I owe Ùllahdmaiden a lot. And I couldn’t live with myself if I ran and abandoned Tia.”

Appleflower chuckled.

“Ye’d have made a good member of the Ùll Clan Luna. Ain’t no finer reason ta fight than ta protect yer kin.” the giant gently rumbled. “It’ll be an honor fightin’ alongside you Luna. I jus’ want ta make sure ye know what yer gettin’ inta.”

“Thank you Appleflower. But I would come to Ùllahdmaiden’s defense even if I had gone back to Unicornia.”

“It’s good ta know decent ponies exist everywhere.” Appleflower smiled. “Now go on! Get! Yer sister needs ya an’ I got ponies ta get in gear!”

“Yes marm!” I saluted, teasing her with her own accent. I giggled as I turned and galloped away.

“Snarky shite!” I heard Appleflower’s voice boom over the crowd. I laughed even harder, imagining her face twisted with mock outrage over the crowd.

Next Chapter: Chapter 73 The Memories Part 32 Estimated time remaining: 9 Hours, 48 Minutes