“Sleep would be nice…” Luna thought aloud, looking to Arin for confirmation. Sometimes, he wondered why ponies sought his approval. He gave a shrug – let Luna decide for a change.

“We still don’t know if the attack is beginning tomorrow. It could just as well start right now-

A bell began to ring, from the southern tower of Canterlot – faintly dinging until a second, then a third, joined the call. Instantly, the once somewhat upbeat mood in the room turned to anxiety and stressful tension. The group darted to their hooves (and feet), a duo of Royal Guards galloping into the dining hall.

“Your Majesty! An Envoy of Alma Sol has appeared at Ground Zero! They wish to meet under a cease fire, immediately!”

“Fire? We haven’t even burnt anything!” Honey chirped. An immediate glower from Vapor made her recoil a bit. “Woops, sorry.”

“Well then, how bold. How many Seraphs are present?” Luna asked, her feathers settling as she adopted a more serious, regal demeanor.

“Six guards, and a large Seraph who claims himself to be King Leotoln.”

Arin gulped. Leotoln sent shivers of fear down his spine. The man was intimidating, massive and hulking – like a lion in Seraph form.

Celestia didn’t break eye contact with the guard, and spoke very calmly. “Very well. We will meet in no mare’s land – the peak of Mount Canterlot. Send for six pegasi to join us – we will be leaving immediately.” She said, dismissing the guard with a bow.

The bells soon silenced, and a deathly quiet – save the clop of hooves against the tile – filled the dining hall. Arin sat jittery in his seat, clutching Nocturne so tightly that his fingers began to strain. A couple duels and a sword fight. And now, he may have to protect Luna with his life. He was really starting to regret putting his name forward to become a Knight.

“Why right now? Couldn’t it wait until, y’know, dawn?” Vapor said, just as jittery as well. The War could start, right now, and he’d have to be ready for it.

“I may very well make it dawn right now, and keep the sun high until this battle commences.” Celestia said, nodding to her knight to join her. Luna stood up, as a small troop of six royal pegasi guards – after hearing the news – appeared, ready to stand by their side for the meeting. They trotted down the corridor, bowing to Celestia before standing by her side. For once, they’ll actually serve a purpose.

“We shall join thee, Sister. And our knight…”

Luna turned to look at Arin, after forgetting a key attribute about him. Arin… couldn’t fly.

“Arin, We do not suppose thou are afraid of heights?” She asked quietly. He gave a little nod.

“Well, unexpected heights. I can stand them if I know it’s coming.”

“Splendid! Thee shall ride upon Our back; it will be a splendid chance to see the world anew. And to face thy fears for good.”

Arin gulped again, nodding. Why was his throat so dry? His legs so shaky? It was just… a diplomatic meeting. Not a fight. Not yet.

Joining Luna’s side, he gave one last look to the comfort of the dining hall, before the group took up a furious canter to the front gate.

Umbra was left alone, with Honey Rose. “Do you mind, my friend, if I decide to take a brisk walk for some air – alone?” She asked cooly, Honey giving a sigh.

“You know, I was gonna show you my massive sponge collection tonight – but I think this is a bit more important, beautiful.” She gave a wink. “Have fun spying. I think I’ll trot on down to my room, and prepare for battle.”

---

Arin clutched tightly around Luna’s neck, unsure as she steadied him with her magic.

“At ease, my knight. We promise thee. My wings shall bare true and thy body will remain with ours, until we land.”

“Oh, sorry… I’m not worried about the flight so much as the uh… fall.” He chuckled nervously. “It’s not too often you get to face your nightmares.”

She blinked dully, nodding. Her mind stretching back to her past, for just a moment. “Indeed. It isn’t.”

A hearty flap of those elegant blue feathers, and they shot up into the air – joining Celestia’s side a moment later.

“Sister, are you sure this is a good idea?” Luna asked, worried.

“Has anything ever been a good idea for us, Sister?” Celestia countered, rolling her eyes. “At least this will buy Twilight some time to get us out of this mess. She’s become exceedingly proficient at it. At worst, we’re either killed, or kept as royal pets for the Seraphs.”

“That’s not a good thing, by the way. Being enslaved by a Seraph is torture.” Arin said above the whipping of the winds – how did ponies find this so easy? “Die fighting. That’s all you can do.”

The crunch of snow, as dozens of hooves landed firmly on the peak of the mountain. For now, they were alone – and Arin gently stepped down to the ground, finding just a hint of confidence again.

Sticking close to Luna’s side, he made a mental note to never grow wings. It was cold enough to make his fingers numb, and he held his hands beneath his arms to warm up.

Minutes passed in silence as they waited, until the heavy beats of feathers drew their sight upwards. With a whipping of the snow and wind, the heavy boots of Leotoln slammed into the crisp coolness, not more than three dozen hooves away. Joining him were six Seraph Generals – a gilded ring gleaming brightly on each hand, their tabards bearing the sign of Alma Sol. Heavy steel and gold leaf trimmed armor didn’t seem to bother them, as they landed as graceful as a swan, with gentlepumps of their powerful appendages.

“So. Princess Celestia, we meet at last. Oh! And you brought Luna as well. And… Arin.” He said flatly, tilting his massive bearded head up to look at the scrawny man before him. “How’s yer stay in Canterlot, Arin? Is it going well?”

“Better than the stay in your dungeons.” He shot back, Luna’s wing raising to shush him. He could feel the boiling pit of rage inside of him – fear now turned to anger, adrenaline pumping as he wanted nothing more than to cut this man down.

“My my, bold for a boy, aren’t ya?” He gave a crooked smile, “Maybe I underestimated ye when I sent you to Milla Serine, to be with your Mom. Well, before I had her killed.”

“You…” Arin’s arm tensed, drawing Nocturne before Luna could stop him.

“Stand down, Sir Knight. You will not die on this mountain over cruel words. The time will come when you may fight.” She hissed, Arin stopping his charge in his tracks.

“What an obedient dog! Shame I couldn’t use you.” He laughed again. “Perhaps my lesson wasn’t clear the first time.”

His hand shot forward in the blink of an eye – orange aura engulfing his palm as it surrounded Arin’s neck, lifting him several feet into the air. He gave a choking gasp, hand reaching up to grasp at nothing but his own neck.

Luna grew panicked, knowing full well that attacking now would end in their deaths.

“Drop him, Leotoln. We came here to be diplomatic, not harm my subjects.” Celestia growled, stomping a hoof in defiance to the act. Her own horn began to glow a soft gold, eyes narrowing.

“Oh? And what if I don’t? Perhaps I should be choking you, Princess. Not even a proper Queen! Pitiful.” Another harsh bark of a laugh followed, snapping his spare fingers to have his men draw arms. They held their ground with steely determination, sharp eyes glaring through their helmed visors, magic arcing from their weapons in glowing runes as blades aplenty were pointed at their enemy. Celestia hesitated, her and her own Soldier’s mortality becoming apparent.

Arin’s vision grew dark around the edges, as his struggles grew weaker by the moment. His mom… he thought she was killed in a cleansing. But to know Leotoln has her blood on his hands… The pain doubled over. A pain in his chest, fiery and burning.

He could feel the magic around his neck, drawing the very life from his lungs. It grew tighter as the Princesses below were at a stalemate. Either let him perish at Leotoln’s hand and walk away for another night, or fight – and die now.

No one was coming to save him. He fought hard against the magic around his neck… he felt it pulsing in the air around him, squeezing. Strangling. Choking. And he could feel himself touching it, pulling at it.

Leotoln’s laughing suddenly died in his throat, eyes breaking from Celestia to look at the helpless man, now struggling at the orange bind at his neck. Inhuman, near beastial grunts came from him. Leotoln tightened his grip – and then Celestia saw it.

Leotoln was struggling. Even his guards grew wary, helms tilting to look at him as the Inert above drew his limbs in, clenching his teeth.

And thus, no one saw when a lash of emerald magic slammed into Leotoln’s exposed arm, the spell breaking as Arin fell to the floor with a desperate, life saving gasp. He fell flat, barely holding on to consciousness as four black hooves stood in front of him.

Leotoln lifted his limb to his orange eyes, blood gushing from an exposed wound. It slowly began to knit itself, and within several seconds, it was hardly more than one of his many, many scars.

“You’re a brave lass, hm?” Leotoln said, popping his fingers. “Oho, a very brave one. One I know all too well. How’d it feel killing some worthless scouts in the snow?”

“How did it feel knowing your plans were bested by a lowly orphan from the wastes?” Umbra said back, as calm as ever. Leotoln’s mood returned, along with his ego.

“Oh, not calling yourself Queen now, are we? Shame. You’d have been fun to hunt down, sometime down the line, I’m sure. Shame ye chose to die today, instead.” He gave a crooked, wise smirk – raising his hands up to the sky. With a clap – he formed a portal above him, and with it came the Crystal Heart. With some… modifications.

For one, it was now situated on a spear, a heavy rune-crested head turning it partly into a mage’s battle staff. It shined brightly with crackling power, and Umbra hissed – the light from it disrupting her form. She turned herself into a cloud of smoke – vanishing down the mountain in moments.

Arin slowly made it to his feet, clutching his neck with desperate breaths.

“Now this, is what I call a weapon. Wouldn’t ye agree, Princess?” He smiled, pressing the bottom of the rune-lined steel haft into the snow. Small bolts of electricity popped free of the tip, cracking the air in deadly arcs, but avoiding Leotoln’s robes.

“You don’t know what powers you trifle with, Leotoln. The Crystal Heart isn’t a weapon! It’s a tool used for Good. You will kill only yourself.” Celestia shook her head sadly. “This doesn’t have to end like this, Leotoln. We can still make peace. Return to your land, and save the lives of your people.”

“Oh? You still think there’s a chance at peace? Niave! My heart sings at the thought that such innocence could wield such power.” He turned the tip of his spear to the south, aiming it at a distant scoutship. A familiar one. Starstruck.

Before Celestia could so much as give a desperate shout, cackling energy charged in the crystal heart – and without Leotoln even bothering to look at the wanton destruction, a beam of deafening, splintering power crashed into the wooden hull of the ship – searing through into the magic engine, forcing it to explode in a massive ball of flames. Not even a scream reached their ears, just the chaotic boom of the once proud vessel incinerated to ash.

“I’m not keen on total devastation, Princess. We can definitely have peace! Look around, all of these ships, all of your precious ponies – can go home and sleep, take a breather. If you simply surrender now, I may not even relieve that head from your shoulders. You’ll make a fine showpony, once I cut out that annoying tongue of yours.”

Celestia took a step back, weighing her options.

“Don’t… do it, Tia.” Arin spit-growled, holding Nocturne aloft before him. “He has no intention of sparing a single life here. I can’t lose you, I can’t… I can’t lose my friend.”

He chanced a glance at her, giving a weak smile. “Just hold on to hope.”

Her frightened, heavy heart grew calm, as she stepped forward. “If it’s war you want, then it’s war you shall have, Leotoln.”

“Very well then! Aye, ya can’t say I didn’t offer an easy way out.” He clapped the bottom of his polearm into the rocky mountain, raising the Crystal Heart high – the power within surging as he pointed it once more to the South. The ground began to shake, quaking beneath their very hoovesall while the air grew heavy with magical power.

The light within the heart began to shine with blinding radiance, before hot plasma erupted from the spear – punctuating the air with a shrilling cry. The very sky grew black, the atmosphere erupting around the power the heart had attained as an all too familiar sight occurred.

“No…” Celestia gasped, watching in terror as a blinding green flash split the very fabric of reality into shreds. A massive scar broke the sky, as an all too familiar sight filled the world above Ponyville.

Alma Sol loomed before them, the fabric of magic rippling in waves. Dozens of enemy Air Ships – with one the size of a small mountain – broke the cloud line into Equestria, the shuck-boom of the fiery magic finally reaching them with a gust of potent wind.

Celestia spread her wings wide, her horn blasting with golden light as she dragged her friends – and guards – close, mass teleporting them all to the safety of the castle. Six blades narrowly cleaved the empty air where they just stood, sparks of foreign magic beaming against the snow from the runes enchanting their weapons.

“Look how they scamper away, men! Like the prey the are, fleeing from the lion! Come, I wish to board the Cantis Array for the fireworks.” He said, slinging the now dull spear to his back. Only the faintest flicker of magic pulsed from within its core.

---

Celestia watched in terror of the looming air ships, as they started their assault in the one place she feared – Ponyville. It wasn’t even an assault – more like a slaughter. They dropped barrels of flame onto the buildings, roaring fires spreading across the hay-roofed homes as Twilight and her friends did their best to quell the destruction. If by some luck, they hardly cared to challenge the ponies – more intent on approaching the castle steadily in an offensive charge.

“Princess!” Thorn Bush crashed next to her, panting hard as she came to her hooves. “Orders! Do we raise anchor and move to the south, to intercept them?”

She snapped back to reality, nodding. “Move our Battleships directly south in the triangle formation, if there’s time. All scout ships need to move to Ponyville immediately, and have their crews work to stop the flames – then have them press their Western flank, mountainside – use the cover to our advantage!”

Thorn Bush nodded, dashing for the ledge before taking to the air.

“Sister, We see twenty four ships in the moonlight – and many more fast approaching. Does thou wish to raise the sun?” Luna said, holding tight to Arin with a wing. With a quick flick of her horn, both entities shared the sky – before the moon dipped below the horizon in mere seconds, at Luna’s whim.

The bright sunlight was harsh, but Vapor Cloud and Arin adjusted quickly. The sudden balance shift was a bit disorienting, regardless.

With the sun raised, it was all now a waiting game. Until…

A speck. A small speck of purple, gleaming oh so brightly in the distance.

“Is that?…” Vapor cloud gasped, while Celestia beamed.

“It’s Twilight.” The Sun Princess said. Like a flash, the Princess of Magic took to the air with an orange blob held tight in her hooves – a brilliant blue dot whizzing past her with a bundle of white on it’s back, while a second pink and yellow speck fluttered gently in the air, carrying a pink – and very erratic – definitely a Pink Pony. Next to her floated another gray dot – undoubtedly Ice Lance, but wasn’t he a Unicorn? He looked to have some kind of… colorful wings.

“What is she doing?…” Arin asked to no one in particular.

“She’s doing what she’s done best. Putting her knowledge to the test.” Celestia smiled, a hoof resting on the arm rail.

Dozens of silvery seraphs on feathered wings departed their ships, aiming to take them down. But before they could fly within shouting distance – that same blue dot zoomed above them, their wings soon tied in what appeared to be very glittery bows. They fell from the air, the next group intercepted by Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

“She’s suicidal!” Arin yelped, “She’s going to get herself – and all of her friends – killed!”

“Have faith, Arin. This isn’t her first… ‘rodeo’.” Celestia chortled, however faint it may be.

Speaking of Rodeos – one could just barely see the orange blob – undoubtedly Applejack – lasso and wrestle herself onto the back of a Seraph, the soldier flapping erratically to get her off. You could almost hear the ‘yeehaw’ from here.

Pinkie Pie – regardless of her lack of wings – was somehow managing to stay afloat… by bouncing excitedly off of clouds, Seraphs, and seemingly off nothing at all. Each one she landed on, fluttered and lost height, before quickly crashing to the forest below; wings gummed in cotton candy.

Twilight’s little blob shined as bright as the sun, as a beam of pure energy burst from her horn, aimed at the edge of the scar in the sky. Before their very eyes, she began to close the massive rip in space, her study of the previous ‘scar’ leading to this amazing discovery, for sure. Ice Lance shot bolts of freezing magic at approaching Seraphs, knocking them from the sky with precision.

“Impossible…” Vapor cloud mumbled. By now, Celestia was giddy. Luna was a bit dumbfounded. Arin simply couldn’t believe his eyes.

But even with her friend’s help, there simply was too many of them. Bolts of magic were soon narrowly deflected by the Twilight’s bubble shield, as a lasso from below just managed to pull her out of the way of a blade aimed for her throat. The spell interrupted as she had to grab Applejack and move, Ice Lance taking a critical hit to his wings – and tumbling from the sky.

Regardless, the scar began to shrink rapidly – her magic having done its job as well over one hundred vessels from Alma Sol’s armada had to drift to a stop in mid air. With a quick count – there were now fifty in Equestria, an equal numbers to Celestia’s own fleet.

But it wasn’t all cheers, as Rainbow Dash took a blast of magic to her back – Rarity soon free falling with her hooves kicking. With no choice but to save her friend, Twilight gave one last blast of magic to the scar – closing it – before diving to save their lives.

Before Fluttershy could be captured by Seraphs above, Applejack snagged her leg – just like Twilight – and tugged her free of the dozen surrounding her. Pinkie Pie began to free fall, grabbing on to the gray Unicorn in the distance – before balloons appeared above them both, drifting down to the forest floor to regroup with Twilight.

The scar vanished with a sky shattering boom. The seraphs who were knocked from the battle quickly began to recover – spells whirring to clear their wings, and fallen seraphs soon forgotten on the ground below. Left to their fate.

“So there’s a chance, then?” Honey Rose appeared on the battlements, covered in a dozen sponges. Her surprise appearance nearly gave Luna her second heart attack for the day – knocking Arin to the floor in a powerful hug. “Glad to see you didn’t get throat squished by that giant bearded dic-er… sorry, jerk!”

“How did you know-”

“Umbra.” Honey cut Arin off, pushing a sponge into his mouth. He hacked and coughed, spitting it out immediately.

“What… what the hell are you wearing?” He said, after pulling the musty cleaning implement from his teeth.

“Aha! I call it, ‘Armor de Sponge’. Er… I was never good with creative names. So it’s a work in progress, for sure.”

The scout ships managed to maneuver behind the now closed scar, using the mild cloud cover to avoid detection. Arin could just spot dozens of shapes making their way to the burning village, helping to lessen the damage and hopefully give Twilight and her friends time to regroup. Undoubtedly, her group will be here next. With the moment over, Celestia turned to her own friends, gathered here.

“The odds are against us, still. But now? I’d like to say there’s a chance.”