“Okay. Now, you just got done telling me that it would be bad if you weren't around to control the sun and the moon.” Sam tucked his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans. “Now you're telling me that whatever that lightshow up there is, it's cut you off from them. So what consequences are we lookin' at?”

“Catastrophic.” Celestia was leaning against the wall of the hallway they stood in, apparently needing to catch her breath; judging by the ponies' thinly-veiled expressions of horror at this show of weakness, this was a sign of a serious problem. “Due to... problems that occured millenia ago, the sun and moon of Equus require magical guidance to maintain their orbits. Before my sister and I came to power, this was handled by an exceptionally large and talented group of unicorns. When that became... infeasible, Luna and I took to the task.”

Sam was about to call the entire scenario a pile of bullshit when NETRICSA helpfully supplied the results of a scan. Celestia wasn't lying- the sun actually did orbit around the planet... and already there was a very slight but detectable change in the star's movement. “And without you two giving them a good nudge every morning and evening... they're going to come closer, aren't they?” he asked.

“Yes. The danger is slight now, but if we can't correct their paths soon- perhaps within a few weeks- their orbits will be too degraded for us to correct. Equus itself would become an inhospitable, sun-roasted wasteland within a hundred years- and would see the moon impact its surface within two hundred more.”

“Nothing like an end-of-the-world scenario to spice things up.” This complicated things. Ending an invasion of this magnitude wasn't something accomplished over a three-day weekend- even with a modernized, mobile and decent-sized armed force, the timeline for merely reversing the sort of gains these demons had already made would be months at best, let alone pushing them back and making inroads towards destroying whatever the demons were using to project that strange magic field. With iron-age ponies, skilled with magic but unused to using it offensively? That'd run through a calendar or two.

How fortunate it was that this also fell right in Sam's strongest suit. “So then Job One is to find out how the demons are blocking you from the sun and moon, locate whatever assets they're using to do it, and destroy them.”

Luna blinked. “And how, pray tell, would you coordinate a military force of the size required to accomplish such a task, let alone deal with the inevitable attacks it would draw?”

“We won't be fielding an entire force. We'll do it my way- guerilla warfare. Hit critical locations, learn what you can, move on before the enemy can retaliate. I could do the job myself, but I'd rather have somebody along who knows the lay of the land, and who's mobile and okay with being cut off from civilization for a while.”

“I see.” Celestia took on what seemed to be a thoughtful look, moving away from the wall she'd been leaning against to resume their walk; next to her, Luna flicked her tail. “The demons will not sit idly by and observe whilst some small number of us go traipsing about the countryside,” she said, “of this I am certain. Something must be done to repel, or at least forestall, their advance.”

“Agreed.” Celestia nodded slowly. “But those are concerns best addressed with clear minds and filled stomachs.” She reached her destination, and motioned for everyone else to head inside; the room turned out to be a fairly luxurious lounge or waiting room of some kind, with lots of chairs and small tables. As everyone else settled in, the princess practically flopped down on an overstuffed couch, resting her head on one of its arms. Luna looked no less exhausted as she tried at least a somewhat more regal ascent on the other side. “Food will be provided shortly,” Celestia said, “and in the meantime, we can at least rest and talk.”

“Do you guys have coffee?” Sam asked. “Haven't had a decent cup in weeks.”

Celestia nodded. “Of course. I'll have the server take drink orders when the food arrives. And you, Lara?”

“Well, to be honest, I wouldn't object to some tea. Or a warm compress.” The woman fingered a faint but nasty-looking bruise on her arm.

“Oh my goodness!” The little yellow pegasus- Fluttershy, Sam remembered- immediately broke out of her diffident demeanor and flapped over. “Please let me see, Miss Croft. What happened? Doesn't this hurt?”

“She took on a demon all by herself!” Derpy exclaimed. “I mean, she even saved me from it! It roughed her up pretty bad, but she wasn't gonna let that stop her.”

Sam's eyebrow raised. “You took on one of those fuckers hand-to-hand?”

“Not to the degree of success Derpy is implying.” Lara chuckled. “And it was one of those satyr-looking creatures, not the really large ones. But you know what they say, you do what you must.”

“Well, I don't mind admitting I'm impressed.” And honestly, he was. Obviously, despite her cultured appearance, Lara was anything but sheltered.

“As am I,” Celestia said. “We'll have our staff doctor look you over as soon as possible. In the meantime- Fluttershy? What would you recommend?”

The yellow pony was still fussing over Lara, much to the woman's bemusement. “We should definitely get that warm compress. And some tea would probably help- do you like echinacea, Miss Croft?”

“I'm not partial to it, but I don't mind it.”

“Okay, good. Can you hold your arm out for me?”

While the pegasus gave the injured arm a range-of-motion test, the food arrived. Orders were taken for drinks, the staff physician was sent for, and the ponies did their best to relax- aside from Fluttershy, who couldn't seem to stop fretting over Lara, and Twilight, who was having the same issue with the Princesses. Sam didn't really find himself surprised by the lack of meat options in the food; he probably would've been more shocked if there had been any. “Okay, I got a question for you,” he said, pointing a finger towards Twilight. “I heard Zecora and Derpy both call you 'Princess'. Now I don't know how many royals you guys have strolling around here, but out of four I've seen, you're the only one who doesn't wear some kind of crown, or have wings to go with that horn. What's the deal?”

Twilight seemed to consider for a moment, then turned towards Celestia. “Princess? May I?”

The reclining regent, seemingly half-asleep, raised her head slightly. “Hm? Oh... yes. The castle is still warded. Only do it for a short while, though.”

Twilight nodded at that, and then concentrated. A dim purple aura covered her body for a moment- and then, materalizing from seemingly nothing, a pair of broad feathered wings, a bit larger than those on the two pegasi, flared out. Once the glow had faded, Twilight let out a long sigh. “Ugh, I thought I'd never get used to having them, and now being without them feels weird!” she muttered.

Lara raised an eyebrow. “A disguise? What for?”

“Well....” Another sigh escaped the unicorn- or was it alicorn now?- as she frowned. “There's... a complication.”

“An' by 'complication', she means assassins are tryin'a kill 'er,” Applejack helpfully explained.

This was unexpected; Sam sat up in his chair. “What intel have you got on 'em?”

“Not much,” came Twilight's reply. “They call themselves 'the Ashen'. They're small for demons, not much taller than Lara, and not nearly as strong as some of the others. But they're incredibly good at infiltration... and they seem to be able to find me a lot more easily when I'm an alicorn.”

“So they've made a try on you before? Did you manage to capture one?”

“Two, actually, out of four attacks from them. Both times... they dissolved into ash before we could get much information out of them. Apparently they can self-destruct through sheer force of will.”

“It seems their name is quite- oof!- apt.” Lara winced slightly as Fluttershy seemed to find an especially sore spot; the pegasus blushed and stammered out an apology. “Twilight, is there any sort of drawback to maintaining your unicorn form, aside from the lack of wings?”

“Yes. It seriously limits the amount of magic I can use. Thankfully not all the way down to the point where most regular unicorns are- um, no offense, Rarity.”

Rarity smiled and waved a hoof. “None taken, darling.”

“Thanks. But still, there's a pretty low ceiling to how much thaumatic output I can manage while still being able to maintain the form.”

“Even with those limitations, Twilight Sparkle, you may still be the most powerful mage Equestria has seen in a generation.” Luna raised her head to look at the purple alicorn. “And as you are now? Ten generations, easily.” She paused for a moment, seeming to consider her words. “And at this moment, I would dare say that you are likely the most powerful being on Equus.”

Twilight seemed to be the only one who grasped that, as her chin dropped in shock. “Please tell me you're joking,” she begged.

“I would not make such a statement in jest. Without our links to the moon and sun-” Luna glanced over at her sister, who had actually fallen asleep there on the couch, still in full armor- “we have scarcely more magical potential than any reasonably skilled unicorn, nor the speed or strength to match a talented pegasus or earth pony. Rainbow Dash may take comfort in the fact that she is now indisputably the fastest living creature in the world.”

Dash blinked at that, then shook her head. “Not that I don't love the title, Princess, but this seriously is the worst way to get it.”

“Hmh.” Luna's attention was caught by two more ponies entering the room; one of them, dressed up in a typical doctor's white coat, immediately made a beeline towards Lara and Fluttershy, while the other brought in a cart with a variety of drinks and cups. Sam found his mouth watering at the smell of what promised to be some strong coffee. “Sister, awaken,” Luna said quietly, gently prodding Celestia's hind leg.

The sun princess groaned and shifted slightly. “Five more minutes,” she murmured.

A playful smirk spread across the face of the dark-coated alicorn as she leaned in closer. “Tia, thou'rt tardy for class,” she stage-whispered.

“Muh- wha'...?!” Celestia's head jerked up. “Mother will kill me if I'm late again-” She blinked, apparently realizing where she was, then fixed her eyes on her sister. “Not funny, Lulu,” she grumbled.

Sam let himself crack just a bit of a smile while the ponies and Lara let out various laughs and giggles. “I could not resist,” Luna replied. “But perhaps you should partake in a... 'cup of joe', I believe they call it these days? We've still much to discuss.”

Celestia let out a long yawn. “Yes, perhaps that would be for the best,” she agreed, stretching her forelegs. Her horn flared, and- after a long moment- one of the coffee pots lifted up, along with a mug; Sam watched with veiled interest as she seemed to struggle to remotely make herself a cup. “Princess?” Applejack asked hesitantly. “Ya... ya want any help with that?”

“No. No... I can manage this, but thank you.” Celestia's brow furrowed in concentration as she finally finished preparing her drink and brought it to herself. “I'm... just not used to feeling so... powerless.”

“Yeah. About that.” Sam put his mug down. “If word about this gets out- and it's probably gonna, what with all the witnesses we had outside- the odds of you two becoming targets for the demons are gonna go up real fast. And if you're havin' trouble just pouring coffee....”

“He's right, Princess.” Shining Armor spoke for the first time since they'd entered the room, from where he'd sat next to his wife. “You and Princess Luna are high-value targets- and not just for assassins. I don't even want to think what they'd do if they managed to capture you.”

“Yeah, it wouldn't be anything nice, like a 'We're Invading Equus But Just So We Can Bring You Presents' party.” Pinkie scratched her head. “But they didn't send out invitations beforehoof anyway, so I guess that's right out. Unless they got lost in the mail....”

Sam found it almost disturbingly easy to tune out the pink mare's prattle. “Yeah, anyway. Whatever the demons have in mind, best thing to do is get the both of you out of this castle.”

“I could not agree more.” Celestia took a long drink from her mug. “And I have a proposition which could solve both this problem and the issue Luna mentioned.”

“What do you have in mind, Princess?” Lara asked.

“Canterlot is not the only repository of magical artifacts for our nation. Long before this castle was built, the seat of government of Equestria was in another castle- in what is now known as the Everfree Forest. Due to... complications, the castle was abandoned in haste, and many objects of historical and magical value were left behind in vaults even more well-hidden than the ones here. Included in these objects... were weapons of ancient wars, some predating even Luna and I. Unfortunately, the castle lies in ruins, but the vaults- and the traps that protected them- are most likely still intact.”

“Well. That sounds like something down my alley.” Lara was leaning forward as the doctor applied a poultice of some kind to her arm. “What sort of hazards would be waiting along the way, I wonder?”

“The Everfree is dangerous to those who don't use care,” Zecora said. “If you wish to reach the castle, I could guide you there.”

“Your expertise regarding the Everfree Forest would be very welcome, my dear Zecora,” Celestia told her. “But the castle itself is another matter.” She turned her head towards Luna. “Sister, you still remember the layout of the castle quite well, do you not?”

“I... I believe so.” The lunar princess's eyebrow quirked. “Sister, are you suggesting what I am beginning to believe you are?”

“Yes.” Celestia turned back towards Sam. “Sam, you said that you would prefer a travelling companion who could match your pace and knew the lay of the land. I suggest myself. And Lara, Luna would be an invaluable guide once you reached the castle; she oversaw much of its construction, especially the underground areas, after all.”

“Whoa.” Sam raised a hand. “No offense, Princess, but you think you can keep up with me, let alone handle getting your hooves dirty? I think you probably know by now that I tend to make a mess wherever I go.”

She locked her eyes onto his, and for one of the few times in his life he regretted letting his mouth run ahead of his brain. But it was only a mild irritation she betrayed in her voice. “Yes, Sam. You may trust that I am not completely ignorant of conflict.”

“Huh.” He considered the proposal. Much as he really didn't like company while taking the fight to the enemy, he knew pretty much squat-all nothing about this place, and even NETRICSA's enormous database didn't really help; he couldn't hope to do much better for a guide than a ruler who'd literally watched hundreds of generations come and go. It also solved the problem of how to keep her one step ahead of any assassins- while he wouldn't discount the castle guards, these demons were playing on an entirely different level. The only question was... could he tolerate spending so much time travelling with a frou-frou pony princess?

He decided that he'd have to. “Yeah. Okay, I'm seein' the benefits to that. What about you, Lara?”

The woman looked up from the doctor, who was just finishing casting a healing spell to supplement the salves he'd applied to her bruises. “Absolutely. I'd be honored to have you along, Princess Luna.”

Sam heard a quiet choking sound and turned to find Shining staring at the princesses, his face aghast. Celestia let out a quiet sigh. “I take it you have objections to this course of action, Captain?”

“I don't think 'objections' begins to cover it!” he belted out, before obviously remembering himself. “...I'm sorry, Princess, but even before that strange energy covered the sky I would've been against this. Now? The two of you could very well die out there! Right now I wouldn't declare a single square inch of Equestria outside these walls 'safe'!”

“Your concern is both understandable and welcome, Captain, but the situation has changed. I'd go so far to say that not even this castle is 'safe' any longer.” The solar princess raised her head. “Unless this situation is remedied in very short order, it will no longer matter if Equestria has its Princesses, or if Equus its deities. We are now all expendable for the greater cause- Luna and myself included.”

“Remember that we are your Princesses,” Luna added, “and that it is our sacred duty to do all that we must in order to protect our ponies and the peoples of our world. How else would you have us contribute, Captain Armor? Whom would you send in our stead?”

“I... I'm sure I could come up with somepony....” Shining looked almost frantic now, and Sam honestly understood how he felt; this had to be a nightmare scenario for somebody in his position. “There's... um....” He struggled for a moment, then apparently abandoned that argument altogether for a different tack. “But who'll run the government while you're gone? The country is in a state of panic; we need strong leadership more than ever!”

Celestia's eyebrows lowered. “The majority of government work, as always, is being handled by Parliament. Guard movements through Equestria are in control of the Staff Generals. I know for a fact that you and Cadence made similar preparations for the Crystal Empire before travelling to Canterlot... do you think the same cannot be done here?”

The stallon's face flushed, and he looked away, his expression caught somewhere between anger and shame; Celestia's own expression immediately softened. “Forgive me, Shining Armor,” she said quietly. “But there is honestly very little my sister and I can do here now aside from be figureheads. At this moment Equus does not need figureheads- it needs help.”

Shining practically deflated, lowering his head in defeat, as Cadence gently nuzzled him. “...alright, I withdraw my objection,” he said quietly. “But under protest.”

“That will do.” Slowly, Celestia pulled herself off of the couch. “Please, all of you, remain here for the time being. I would like to get this armor off and wash up. Luna?”

The lunar princess glanced up at her sister. “I shall do likewise, upon your return. Until then, I would remain, should our guests have any questions.”

Celestia nodded. “Very well,” she said, before trotting out, followed closely by the physician. Once the door closed behind her, Applejack took off her hat. “This can't be easy on 'er,” the orange mare said. “Um... or on you, I guess, Princess Luna.”

“Nay. Though I daresay this... condition disturbs her even more than I.” After a moment, Luna levitated her helmet off and tossed it carelessly onto the couch. “I have been held powerless before, since our ascension. She has not. Several thousand years is ample time to forget the disadvantages of a mortal body.”

Things went quiet for a few moments, and then Shining- as if hit by inspiration, or desperate for a change of subject- spoke up. “Sam? That thing you use to store your weapons... you said it used magic, didn't you?”

“Huh? Oh... yeah.” He unclipped the technomagic quantum matter compressor- or, as he liked to call it, the Magic Gun Rack- from the back of his belt and laid it on the table next to him; with a mental command translated by NETRICSA into a wireless transmission, it spat up the assault rifle. “That's amazing,” Shining murmured.

This seemed as good a time as any to strip down the gun for cleaning, so he began disassembling it with practiced hands. “Yeah, it basically reduces the amount of space betwen the molecules of whatever you put in it. Only inorganic stuff, though- organics don't come through the process very well, and living things... generally stop living.”

“But... how does it use magic?” Lara asked. “I mean, I've seen some interesting magical artifacts in my time, but since when has humanity started manufacturing things that use it?”

“It's reverse-engineered from alien technology. I suppose it's story-time, huh?” He glanced around, seeing a lot of expectant faces, all but one of them equine. “Okay. In the year 2050, scientists found the remains of an alien installation buried under one of the pyramids in Egypt. It turns out that a bunch of travelers from the planet Sirius came to visit there back when humanity was still figuring out how to make bronze and farm, wound up being worshipped as gods for a while, and built a bunch of things. Unfortunately for them, the rest of their civilzation got wiped out by a creature called 'Mental'.

“So for whatever reason, the Sirians left here on Earth started dying off- probably went crazy from the loss of their civilization. They told the ancient Egyptians stories about what happened to them and how to use their greatest invention- a time-travel machine called the Time-Lock, set to bring anyone back to the instant it was first armed. Then they died off, history turned their stories into myths and legends, and mankind wandered around the Earth for a couple of millenia until we found that chamber.

“We barely understood anything about their technology, but what we learned pushed us forward about three hundred years in the space of twenty. Interstellar travel, energy production, computers and communication- we were living the high life for fifty years or so, spreading across the stars, terraforming worlds to live on. Once we could unlock all the secrets of Sirian tech, humanity was gonna hit a golden age unlike anything we'd ever known.”

“But something went wrong,” Cadence guessed.

“You got that right. I was heading up an expedition to the Sirius system to start up a corporate venture- moisture farms, mining, theme parks for the kids, so on. But there was an asteroid belt around the star that wasn't supposed to be there. I wanted to leave it be, but the head honchos bankrolling the survey pushed me into doing a flythrough. Turned out it was a trap set by Mental to let him know if anybody was doing something stupid like 'not being destroyed'.

“First contact with Mental's forces was three months later. In eight days we lost as many outposts, and within a year seven of the twelve planets we'd colonized were wiped clean. Two and a half years? Ten colonized planets gone, the eleventh in trouble, and Earth right in the crosshairs. Seventy percent of our species exterminated like bugs- that's eight billion people gone. Best projections show us lasting another year before Earth is overrun.” He glanced around again, seeing that the expectant gazes had become horrified, and shrugged. “Hey, I didn't say it was a happy story.”

“H- how....” Luna cleared her throat. “How... could they have overwhelmed you so quickly, when you have such technology at your disposal?”

“Numbers. At the early stages of the war, we were seeing kill counts of sixteen thousand enemy units per soldier... and yet we were still just losing to attrition. Mental's forces are pretty much limitless.”

“Oh my goodness... I'm so sorry to hear that....” Fluttershy made to fly over to him, but he stopped her with a raised hand. “Look, sweetheart, I appreciate the sentiment, but let's not get all mushy, okay?” he said. “Oh, and keep away from the gun, it's dangerous.”

“Oh... um... that's okay, I know that.” She spared the half-disassembled weapon an uncomfortable glance. “The girls and I have seen guns before.”

“...you have?” Lara looked back at her in shock. “But I didn't think you had that sort of technology here.”

“We don't.” Shining's eyes narrowed as he turned towards his sister. “Twily? What's this about?”

Twilight turned towards Luna. “Princess, can we tell them now?” she asked. “I really think it can't hurt anything after all this.”

With a nod of assent from the elder alicorn, Twilight began to tell her own story. And what a whopper it was- even coming from a talking magical pony, it almost seemed unbelievable. “So your first contact with humans,” Sam said once she'd finished, “was getting sucked into some alternate dimension with two of them, having to survive a bunch of nightmare versions of your own world, and then convincing some creature that spanned hundreds of timelines not to kill everyone and everything off?”

“That about covers it, yes,” Rarity answered.

“Hold on.” Lara raised a hand. “Indiana Jones... do you mean Dr. Henry Jones, Jr.?”

The girls immediately perked up. “That's him!” Applejack exclaimed. “Ya know 'bout 'im?”

“Dr. Jones's papers are what inspired me to take up archaeology, actually. Reading about his adventures back when I was a young girl... it made me want to see the world, discover long-lost treasures myself.”

“Ohmigosh!” Rainbow practically flew into her face, stopping just shy of her. “Did you ever get to meet him? How's he doing? Is he still going on those crazy adventures of his?”

Lara's expression fell. “Dash... I'm sorry, but Dr. Jones... passed away, fifteen years ago.”

“...oh.” The pegasus landed, her jaw left hanging open and her lip trembling just a little. “Oh. I... I didn't think of that....”

Applejack had taken off her hat. “How... how did he...?” she asked in a wavering voice.

“Old age.” Lara offered a comforting smile. “He lived a long and exciting life, I understand. I'm actually quite envious that the six of you got to meet him.”

“You would have liked him,” Rarity replied. “He was a true gentleman, dashing and brave. And Jack! Such a stalwart warrior, fearless, and always so polite.”

“Yeah, they were true friends, both of 'em.” Applejack slowly put her hat back on.

“Friends that I never heard about until today. And this happened a year and a half ago?” Shining gave Twilight a critical look. “Why the secrecy, sis?”

“The secrecy was at the behest of myself and Celestia,” Luna answered. “No offense is meant, Captain, but is this tale of extra-Equusian beings and pan-dimensional threats one you would have revealed to the common, everyday pony?”

Shining opened his mouth to speak... then considered for a moment, and sighed. “I suppose I see the logic there, Princess.”

“But now there's not much of a point to trying to hide the existence of life beyond Equus,” Cadence added with a frown. “We have it stomping around in our front yards.”

Everyone went quiet for a moment after that, but Sam's mind was working, as once again he found himself re-evaluating these ponies. The six colorful mares in front of him certainly didn't look so formidable, but if they'd survived an experience as insane that one... well, he absolutely had to admit, that took some serious toughness. Maybe less of this problem was going to ride on his and Lara's shoulders than he'd originally thought....

The door opened, revealing Celestia, who re-entered the room without her armor and looking much more alert. “Luna, there's a hot bath waiting for you when you're ready,” she announced.

“One moment, afore.” Luna gestured her sister closer, and they held a whispered conversation. Sam caught a muffled gasp from Celestia, and saw her mouth the words “eight billion” before giving him an almost imperceptible glance filled with sympathy. A few more words and a subtle nod were exchanged between the two diarchs before Luna trotted out and Celestia resumed her place on the couch. Sam chose not to have NETRICSA fill him in on the conversation- he was here to do a job, not be the guest of honor at a pity party.

He was suddenly aware of Derpy hovering to his right. “Hey, what kind of weird cutie mark is this?” she asked, peering at his tattoo, visible now under the sleeve of his T-shirt that had been ruined by the demon's ambush back in the flower shop.

He gave her a flat look. “ 'Cutie mark'?”

“Yeah, like mine!” Suddenly a storm-grey pony butt was in his face, showing him in great detail the seven bubbles that decorated her flank.

“That's- could you not have your back end in my face? Thanks- not a 'cutie mark'.” He glanced up at the pegasus, who was looking at him- and the table- with a confused expression. “Derpy, humans don't have cutie marks,” Twilight called over to her. “That's probably a tattoo, like some zebras have. Right, Zecora?”

Zecora nodded. “Though my herd did not do so, there are others I have seen. But if I may inquire, Sam... what does that symbol mean?”

“It means I'm angry and always ready to go off.” For the second time that afternoon, he regretted saying something- this time because his face was now plastered against gray horsehair, as Derpy practically wrapped herself around him in a hug. “But you don't have to be angry all the time,” she murmured, patting his back with a hoof.

He had absolutely no idea what to do about the situation, and was grateful to hear another pair of wings flap up to him. “Derpy,” Dash said quietly, “the guy doesn't really like hugs... so could you give him a little personal space?”

“Oh! Oops... sorry.” Derpy backed off, giving him a sheepish apologetic grin, and despite himself he chuckled. The lazy-eyed mare was annoying at times, but there was something about that bubbly exuberance of hers that was endearing.

Things went quiet for a little while, until Luna returned to the room, likewise without her armor and with a fluffy navy-blue towel hung over her neck. The relaxed look she bore, and the look of her mane hanging down in still-drying clumps, could only be described as “adorable”; he could only wonder how he hadn't already contracted diabetes from the relentless cuteness this whole world seemed to ooze from every pore.

“Now that we are all back together,” Celestia said, as her sister returned to her side, “let us begin planning for our journey. We will need to decide where to go, and when, and what our exact goals are to be.”

Everyone had just started murmuring in agreement when the door slammed open again, with an out-of-breath pegasus guard standing behind it. “Princess Twilight,” he panted.

Sam immediately got to his feet. He didn't recognize this pony, but the guards didn't go kicking in doors like that without good reason. “What is it?” Twilight urged, likewise standing.

“Ponyville... is under attack.”

(-)

The first thing Celestia smelled was smoke. Even before Twilight's teleport sphere had completely dissipated, the acrid scent of burning wood and straw reached her nostrils; as her vision cleared, the light from several fires graced her eyes and reflected off the armor she had- reluctantly- re-donned. Thankfully, none of the blazes was very large, and a couple were being tended to by ponies in a bucket brigade. That was a good sign, in her estimation; that meant the attackers had been driven off, or at least forestalled- the second being likely, as she saw signs of barricades set up near the edges of the town. She was just about to speak a reminder to Twilight when she saw her faithful student close her eyes for a moment and once more hide her wings.

“Oh no,” she heard Derpy whimper. “My girls... where are my girls?!”

“Princess Celestia! What should we do?!” Twilight half-shouted.

“You are more familar with Ponyville now than I, Twilight,” she replied, with all the calmness she could muster. “Advise us.”

Her former student's eyes went wide for a moment- and then narrowed in concentration. “We need to secure the town borders and account for all the citizens. Princess Celestia, Sam, go with Derpy to the schoolhouse- all the school-age foals are likely to be there. Princess Luna, Lara, Applejack- head out to the eastern edge of town to make sure we're not vulnerable there, and then check on Sweet Apple Acres. Pinkie, Rarity and Zecora, swing north, check on the Cakes and their foals and then have a look at the northern outskirts; Rainbow Dash, go with Fluttershy to the south, make sure we're secure there and then swing out to Fluttershy's cottage to check on her animals. Cadence, Shiny, you're with me- we're going to check on the library, then find the Mayor and see what she can tell us.”

Celestia nodded in approval. It was a good plan, after all, and she was proud at the way Twilight developed it on-the-spot; it seemed her insecure, indecisive pupil had learned quiet a bit over the years since she'd sent the young mare to Ponyville. So she and Derpy Hooves took to the air, heading towards the western edge of the town, keeping pace with Sam's loping run on the ground beneath them. She would have offered to carry him, but with her magic so weakened, she wasn't sure she could have even managed... fortunately, the human was in good physical condition, and kept up a respectable speed the entire way.

Still, it wasn't nearly soon enough for her tastes when they reached the schoolyard. She let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding when she saw the building- it was untouched, though it looked like the door and windows had been blocked off from the inside. Still, to be on the safe side, she did a quick aerial sweep of the area, while Sam checked on places she couldn't see into easily; once she was satisfied that there were no demons nearby, she and Derpy landed and knocked on the front door while Sam hung back a little, on an unspoken agreement not to spook anyone inside.

After a moment, a pair of terrified-looking green eyes peeked out through a gap in the makeshift barricade- then blinked, then disappeared. A moment later the items blocking the entrance were pushed aside, and the door swung open. “Princess Celestia...?” came a quiet, exhausted voice. “Is that you?”

Celestia managed a smile, though inwardly the fear and fatigue in that familiar voice made her heart ache. “Yes, Cheerilee,” she answered. “We've come to check on you and the foals. May we enter?”

“Y- yes, certainly.” The schoolteacher backed away from the entrance, and the trio entered. Cheerilee was just registering Sam's appearance when Derpy almost ran into her in an effort to get further into the building. “Dinky? Sparkler? Are you in here?” she called out.

“Mama!” A blonde-maned head poked up from a crowd of foals huddled near the back of the schoolhouse; a moment later, a light-grey blur streaked out, colliding into the pegasus at high speed. “Mama, where have you been?!” the filly wailed, clinging to her mother, tears streaming down her face. “We've been so scared!”

“Mom!” Another foal, this one older and colored a dark pink, came rushing up as well. “Thank Celestia you're here! We were so worried! Where were you?!”

“Mama had to help a lot of other ponies who were in trouble, muffins.” Derpy buried her face in the younger filly's mane, crying as well. “If I'd know Ponyville was in danger I would've been right here.”

Celestia stepped forward. “Your mother is a very brave mare, little ones,” she said quietly. “She helped save many lives today; you should be quite proud of her.”

The younger foal- Dinky, if Celestia remembered correctly, with the older filly being Sparkler- sniffled. “It... it's okay, Mama. We know you always want to help others. We were just so worried about you.”

“Well, Mama's here now. My little muffins will be safe.” As the mailmare embraced her two adopted daughters, Celestia took a moment to look over the rest of the schoolhouse. Desks had been overturned to form a small semicircular barricade around the group of three dozen or so foals huddled near the rear of the building. Most seemed asleep, and the few who were awake and paying attention didn't even spare her a second glance; she couldn't blame them- between her unenchanted mane and her full suit of platemail, it was amazing that even Cheerilee had guessed her identity. Sam got a few more confused looks, but the foals seemed content to trust their teacher's calm demeanor around him.

Her ears pricked at a commotion behind that barricade; a small group of five fillies were engaged in an argument- though it looked more like the pink one was doing most of the talking, the orange, yellow and white ones were scowling at her, and the gray one just looked extremely tired and morose. Eventually, after a moment, the gray filly seemed to hit her limit and turned to her pink companion. “Okay, that's it!” she shouted. “Diamond Tiara, what is wrong with you?! We're trapped in the school with monsters tearing up the town, our parents are still somewhere out there, and all you can think to do is make fun of the blank-flanks?! Just get over yourself already!”

The filly- Celestia remembered who she was now; Silver Spoon, daughter of Sterling Silver and Gold Lamé- cantered away with tears in her eyes; the group of three fillies followed after her, the orange one shooting Diamond Tiara a dirty look along the way. Tiara frowned and scuffed at the floor with a hoof before raising her head and marching indignantly in the other direction.

“Hang on, I'll settle this.” Sam strode forward, his sneakers deceptively quiet in a room full of nervous hoof-clops; Tiara didn't see him coming until he was pretty much right on top of her. She barely managed a terrified squeak before his massive hand covered her mouth.

Then Sam spoke, in a voice so low that any ordinary pony would struggle to hear it from more than ten feet away. But even without her magic, Celestia was no ordinary pony, and her sharp ears caught every word from across the schoolhouse. “Okay, listen up, kid,” the human murmured, his tone grabbing the filly's full attention immediately. “We don't have time for your little schoolyard drama schtick. Things are bad enough without you going around and pushing the buttons of little ponies that are already scared half to death. So you're going to knock that off and play nice- you understand?”

He removed his hand, and Tiara's expression immediately went from horror to anger. “Who do you think you are-” she began.

“I think I'm the guy your Princess brought here to help protect all of you.” His voice had gone even lower, and held just a slight growl to it; Tiara's protest and burst of bravery both died in an instant. “And you? You're making my job harder. Now, I gave my word to Celestia I'd do everything I could to keep her ponies safe- but right now I can come up with at least a dozen excuses to tell her how you somehow managed to blunder your way out of this building and in-between the teeth of one of those demons out there.” He leaned in closer to her and lowered his shades, revealing ice-blue eyes as hard as enchanted steel. “So get with the program, or go on the menu. Your call.”

With that, he stood and walked away, leaving an absolutely horrified Diamond Tiara behind him. The pink filly shivered for a moment, then- seeing the three girls she'd been bullying before coming back towards her- practically threw herself at their hooves begging for forgiveness. The trio were just as shocked as Cheerilee was. “Um... may I ask what that was all about?” the schoolteacher nervously asked.

“Just givin' the girl a lecture on the importance of cooperation during times of crisis.” The human's expression was perfectly flat, a deadpan mask even Celestia would be proud of; she actually had to fight off a giggle and force her own face into its usual serene composure as Cheerilee gave her a glance. After a moment, the overwhelmed earth pony simply shrugged and let out a sigh. “Okay, if you say so,” she murmured. “Princess, what happens now?”

“I'd like to get the young ones out of here and to someplace more defensible, but we need to know that the town is secure before I'll risk it.” She glanced down at where one very brave mailmare was still embracing her adopted daughters. “Derpy, I must ask a favor of you once again,” she said.

“You need me to go find Twilight and get her to tell me what's going on, huh?” One golden eye peeked up from between the heads of the two fillies. “Girls, the Princess needs me to help again. I promise I'll be right back, okay?”

“O- okay, Mama.” Dinky reluctantly let go of Derpy, followed by Sparkler a moment later. “But- but you be careful!”

“Yeah, Mom,” Sparkler added. “Be safe. Please.”

“You kids don't have to worry about your mom.” Sam knelt down and ruffled Derpy's mane. “I've seen her do some pretty amazing stuff. She'll be fine.”

Derpy gave the human an appreciative smile. “Sam, watch my girls for me, please? I know you can keep anything bad from happening to them.” At his affirmative nod, she glanced back down at her daughters. “Girls, Sam is a friend of mine. He's really strong and brave and isn't afraid of any nasty demons, so you stay with him and do what he tells you to, okay? And be sure to mind what Princess Celestia tells you, too.”

“Yes, Mama.” “Okay, Mom.” With that, the mailmare stood and trotted to the door, gave one more backward glance to her daughters, then stepped outside, closed the door behind her and took to the late-afternoon skies. Both fillies let out a sigh and sat themselves down near Sam's feet as the human looked around. “So who did the barricade job?” he asked.

“Um... that was just me.” Cheerilee blushed. “I was in a hurry. We didn't get a lot of warning.”

“Actually, I was gonna say it's pretty good work, all things considered. You did it by yourself?”

“Y- yes. I was the only one who could, really. I had to protect the foals.”

“Huh. Not bad, not bad at all.” To Celestia's surprise, Sam gave the teacher an honest smile. “Just glad it didn't get put to the test.”

“Why... why thank you.” Cheerilee actually blushed a little. “I... where are my manners? We haven't even been introduced. I'm Cheerilee.”

“Sam Stone.” He reached down with one hand; after a second or two, the violet pony caught the meaning and raised a hoof to shake it. “Mr. Stone? Princess?” she asked after a moment. “Are... are things as bad as I'm hearing?”

Celestia chose her words carefully. “This is a dark time for our nation, Cheerilee, and indeed our world... but ponies are not helpless beasts; these demons will not find us as easy to dominate as they might think.”

Cheerilee seemed to roll that around in her head for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Well, I'll do what I can to help, Princess. But these foals are my number-one priority. I have to make sure they stay safe.”

Celestia smiled; that was just the reply she was expecting. “I entrust them to your care, my dear Cheerilee. I hope to have them moved to a safer location further south- would you go with them? I'm certain a familiar, trusted adult will make the journey easier for them. We'll do what we can to have all your necessary effects brought with you.”

The teacher nodded immediately. “Of course! But what about the adults?”

“As the Royal Guard is stretched extremely thin, we will need a number of able-bodied ponies to remain as a defensive force against further demonic attacks while all others are evacuated. The elderly and infirm will be moved after the foals, and then the rest as it proves feasible. As much as I would rather see everyone moved to safety as soon as possible, I won't risk another attack catching our flanks.”

“You mean... we're going to just abandon Ponyville?”

“Cheerilee, I understand that this place is your home. But these buildings, and the things within them, can be replaced. I would trade it all away in a heartbeat to protect the life of a single pony.”

The teacher lowered her head. “Of course, Princess. I'm sorry.”

Celestia smiled, reaching out with one hoof to lift Cheerilee's chin in order to look into her eyes. “You need not apologize, my little pony. I am fond of Ponyville as well.” She glanced over to where the foals were huddled together. “You should reassure the young ones. Once Derpy returns, Sam and I will decide on a course of action.”

Cheerilee nodded and trotted off, putting on a calm expression for the foals. With that handled, Celestia turned towards Sam, leaning over to whisper into his ear. “You didn't actually mean what you told Diamond Tiara, did you?”

“Course not,” came the reply. “Hey, I'll admit I'm an asshole, but even I've got my limits. But sometimes the only way to deal with a bully is to be a bigger one.”

She gave a slight nod, not entirely sure what to say in response to that. Then she decided to broach a different subject. “You seem to respect Miss Cheerilee.”

“Yeah, I've got a soft spot for teachers, I guess.” He shrugged. “Especially teachers who can turn a schoolhouse into a practical hard point all by themselves.”

She couldn't help but smile proudly. “My ponies can be quite resourceful and inventive when pressed.”

“I'm seein' that, yeah.” He approached one of the windows and took a glance outside. “Wonder what's going on out there. I don't like it when it's this quiet... makes me feel like something's building up, waiting to happen.”

Celestia nodded slowly in agreement, also taking a look outside; things seemed almost peaceful from this angle. She only hoped the illusion would hold just a bit longer. “Winds speed your wings, Derpy Hooves,” she murmured, “and bring you back to us with good news.”

(-)

“We've got wounded here!”

Applejack's head jerked up at the human's call. “If'n that weren't the last thing I wanted to hear,” she muttered beneath her breath, pushing herself into a gallop towards the building Lara was standing in front of. What she found flabbergasted her- the woman was standing at the doorway to a bowling alley of all places, her hands raised in supplication, talking quietly to a pegasus in silver armor who had both of his wing-blades extended in a threatening gesture. “...not one of them, I'm only here to help,” Lara was saying.

“What the hay is goin' on here?!” Applejack demanded as soon as she was close enough to be heard, giving the guard a stern glare. “Put them things down afore ya hurt someone!”

“Ma'am, you need to step away from that creature!” the guard replied, his voice wavering despite his show of bravery. “I saw it lurking around outside looking in at our wounded! Obviously it's in league with those demons!”

“This woman is here to help us, Sergeant,” came a low, calm voice. Applejack couldn't help but grin as the pegasus's eyes bulged in shock at the sight of Princess Luna approaching. “At the request of your Princesses, in fact. Please allow her to pass.”

“I....” The guard's wings drooped, and shame crept over his face. “I'm so sorry, Princess. I just....”

“It's alright.” Lara knelt down, offering him a friendly smile. “I don't blame you for being cautious. What's your name, Sergeant?”

“I- I'm Stratus Skimmer... um. Ma'am.”

“Call me Lara, Sergeant Skimmer. We need to know what's been going on and what the status of your wounded is.” She stood up to allow room for Applejack and Luna to enter the building, then closed the door behind. Inside the building were dozens of ponies laid out on blankets, tablecloths, even piles of towels; each was wounded in some way, and most had makeshift bandages applied to them. “What's been going on?”

“My flight group received orders to fly here and retrieve Dinky and Sparkler Hooves for temporary relocation to Fort Latigo. On arrival, we found the town under attack, partially barricaded, with citizens actively combating the invading demons. I made the decision to send our fastest flier, Aircolt True North, back to Canterlot to report while myself and Aircolts Daisy Cutter and Streamline supplimented the town's defense. While there were numerous civilian casualties, the town was held and the attackers driven off. I volunteered to help put together a makeshift triage, and guard it while the casualties were treated.”

“Wisely done, Sergeant.” Luna gave the stallion a brief but full smile. “You say that there were already barricades when you arrived? Were the citizens taking precautions?”

“I was told that somepony had alerted them ahead of time. They're over here if you'd like to talk to them, Princess.” At her nod, the Sergeant led them all towards the back of the hall, where two heavily-bandaged stallions still wearing incredibly familiar hats lay, conversing quietly. A faint gasp escaped Applejack's throat. “Flim? Flam?”

The unicorn brothers glanced up at her with looks of exhaustion and discomfort so overwhelming that she felt her heart sink. “Well, hello, Miss Apple,” Flam said. “Would that we could've had this reunion under better circumstances....”

“...but it seems the times we live in now have little to offer in the way of such niceties,” finished Flim.

Applejack sat down next to the twins. “Sweet merciful Goddesses... what happened t' you two?”

In their usual back-and-forth way, the two brothers related a brief version of their tale- how they were testing a newer version of their cider machine in the easternmost edges of the Whitetail Forest when they caught sight of a demonic scout force approaching the town. Rather than flee for their own lives, they rode their machine out to warn Ponyville... only to nearly be captured, and forced to destroy their creation to effect an escape. That explosion had alerted the town, and the brothers' warning had mobilized its citizens into action; there hadn't been quite enough time to secure the town's borders, but the hastily-prepared defense was enough to drive the attacking demons off.

“Well, that was awful brave of the two'a ya,” Applejack told them. “Y'all gonna be okay? Y' look like ya went through yer ol' Cider Squeezy machine a time 'r two.”

“It looks worse than it is,” answered Flim. “There were plenty of other ponies hurt worse than us. Speaking of- how is your brother doing?”

The blood in her veins seemed to turn to ice. “What happened to m' brother?!”

Flam held up a hoof. “It's okay!” he insisted. “Flim obviously thought you would've seen him first. He's... well, he took one heck of a beating while fighting off an onrush of those horrible creatures. But I've heard that he's expected to recover.” He pointed towads one corner of the hall. “I believe he's over there. If he's awake, tell him the brothers Flim and Flam thank him for the timely rescue.”

“Y- yeah, I'll do that....” Her entire body felt numb as she stood and made her way across the hall, with Lara close behind and Luna choosing to stay and speak to the twins more. Applejack's heart thudded in her chest, and while she'd never admit it to anyone, she was terrified to find out what had happened to her brother. And what about Granny Smith? She both needed and dreaded to find out what had become of her family.

The breath she hadn't known she was holding came out in a relieved sigh when she saw her grand-dam unharmed and asleep, sitting uncomfortably in a bright-orange chair next to a big red form underneath a heavy blanket and a veritable pile of bandages and wrappings. Gingerly she approached, holding back the impulse to charge up and hug them both so as to not disturb Granny.

Big Mac was awake, though, and he raised his head slightly at her approach. “Hey, sis,” he murmured, his expression and voice both muddled; whoever was handing the medical care here probably had him on something for pain. “Glad t' see yer okay.”

“You too, Mac,” she said, trying her best and failing to keep tears from falling from her eyes. “I heard you put up a real fight earlier.”

“Eeyup. Weren't gonna let no demons hurt innocent ponies in mah hometown.”

“Well, I'm glad you two'r okay.” Applejack lowered her head to nuzzle her brother gently- something she hadn't done in years, but she couldn't help herself.

“Ya... ya seen Applebloom?”

“I ain't, but she oughta be over at the schoolhouse... Princess Celestia and a couple other friends were headed over there. Truth be told I'm worried somethin' fierce about 'er, but the schoolhouse would be one'a th' safest places in town, and I know Cheerliee wouldn't let nothin' happen to th' foals.”

She heard Lara kneel down next to her. “Who's Applebloom?” she asked.

“Our li'l sis.” AJ saw her brother's eyes widen at the sight of the human. “Relax, Big Mac, she's a friend,” she told him. “She's here t' help us fight th' demons.”

“Oh. Well... uh... hi.” Mac laid his head back down on the pillow. “Sure wish I knew fer sure if'n Applebloom was okay.”

“Maybe I can help.” Lara pulled something off of her belt and fiddled with it a bit. “It's likely they made it to the schoolhouse by now- I'll call Sam and check on your sister for you.” She held the little device up to her head, and to Applejack's wonderment she heard Sam's voice come out of it. “What's up, Lara?”

“Sam, are you at the schoolhouse?”

“Sure am.”

“What's the situation there?”

“All quiet. The kids are scared but otherwise fine.” Applejack felt like she'd just had a ton of bricks lifted off her back at the news. “How's things on your end?”

“We have some wounded here. One of them would like to talk to his sister. Could you put Applebloom on?”

“Yeah, sure, just a sec, I'll find her.” There were a few muted noises from the woman's device, then a familiar voice came from it. “Uhhh... hello?”

“Applebloom!” Applejack had to keep herself from snatching the device from Lara's hand, settling for leaning in closer when the woman held it out for them to hear better. “Thank Celestia yer awright!”

“Applejack? Izzat really you?!”

“It sure as shucks is, sugarcube. I been worried sick about'cha.”

“I'm so glad yer okay, sis! But where're Big Mac and Granny?”

“They're both right here, dun you fret none. Big Mac... got a little banged up, but he'll be right as rain in no time.”

“Can I talk t' 'im?”

“Sure y' can.” Even despite his condition, there was an undertone of humor to her brother's voice. “You behavin' over there, Applebloom?”

“Yeah. We're all pretty scared but we're gettin' by. We got this 'human' guy here protectin' us... lemme tell ya, if'n I was a demon, I'd be plenty scared of 'im!”

Applejack chuckled. “Well, sugarcube, we're tyin' up some other folks' time when they got important things t' do, so we'll cut this talk short. You stay safe, Applebloom.”

“You too, sis. And bro, and Granny.”

There was a quiet beep sound from the gadget, and Lara put it away again. Applejack let out a long sigh of relief. “That is a load offa mah mind,” she said quietly. “Thankya kindly fer lettin' us use your thingamabobber there to talk to 'er, Lara.”

Big Mac nodded in agreement. “Much obliged.”

“Pleased to help.” She smiled as she stood. “Will you be alright, Applejack? I'm going to have a look at the other wounded, see if there's anything I can do to help.”

“Sure. 'Preciate it, sugarcube.” Applejack watched the human leave, then turned back towards her brother and lowered her head. “I'm so glad you two are okay. Th' whole time I was in Canterlot, I kept thinkin' I oughta be here, defendin' home an' family, not gallivantin' around.”

“Never you mind that, little missy.” She practically jumped at the sound of Granny Smith's voice; the elderly mare hadn't moved a muscle aside from her slow, steady breathing since AJ had gotten there. “Yer onna them there Bearers; that means y' got duties beyond th' rest of us. You were where y' needed t' be.”

“I know, Granny, I know, it's just....” She looked back down at her wounded brother. “Sometimes it's hard t' remember that, 'specially when yer seein' yer kin wrapped up like onna them mummies from th' old storybooks.”

“Dearie, this is about more'n jes our family. This is about our whole world. We all gotta do what we can.” The green mare gave her granddaughter a smile. “I ain't never been so prouda mah kin than today, knowin' that y' both went out there t' protect everypony.”

“Your pride is entirely justified, Madame Apple.” Luna followed her words up to the three ponies, giving a smile and a dip of her head towards them. “How fare thee, Macintosh?”

“Oh... um... Princess?” It was a rare sight indeed to see her brother completely shocked; as wide as his mouth was hanging open, he could've caught a thrown Baldwin apple between his teeth. “I, uh... I guess I'm okay. Got a little roughed up, is all.”

“More so than you let on. I spoke to the pony handling triage. Even given the legendary endurance of earth ponies, you withstood considerable injury to help protect this town. The brothers Flim and Flam Shadetree praised you highly for your efforts.”

“I just did what I had t' do, same as them boys.” His expression fell as a frown crossed his face. “Princess... did we... lose anypony?”

Luna went silent for a moment. “There have been... reports of fatalities, I regret to say. And a number of our ponies are missing and unaccounted for.”

“Do... d'ya know who...?”

“I will not speculate, Macintosh Apple. I would neither raise hopes nor crush them with unfounded guesswork. My primary concern now is to see those ponies still with us away from this place, to somewhere safer.”

“Y' want us t' evacuate, Princess?” Applejack glanced up at the lunar deity. “That don't sit right with me, givin' up our home like that.”

“Nonsense, youngin'. It's th' right thing t' do.” Granny opened her eyes to fix them on her granddaughter. “Family afore all else. I'll plant roots in any valley, field or plain y' point to and start all over from scratch afore I put mah kin in danger. An' that goes fer all th' folks in this town, too- they're all honorary kin in mah eyes.”

“I applaud your wisdom, Madame Apple.” Luna smiled. “Our primary course of action is to transport the elderly, the very young and those too wounded to fight to the south, towards more easily-defended areas, while those still hale and combat-capable remain here to guard their flanks.”

“Are we expectin' another attack here, Princess?” AJ asked.

“I would expect anything at this juncture, Applejack. Complacency could prove disastrous.”

She sighed and nodded in reluctant agreement. “Yeah, I see th' wisdom there. Well, y'know I'm stayin'... but the rest of the Apple family is gonna have to head on out fer safer pastures.”

Big Mac frowned. “I don't like th' idea of leavin' ya here, AJ.”

“You ain't gotta choice, big bro. 'Sides, you done yer part. Y'know what they say about 'live t' fight another day', an' that's jes what we're gonna do.” She leaned down to nuzzle him again. “So you focus on healin' and gettin' back on yer hooves, and protectin' Granny and Applebloom. I know I'll feel better knowin' yer all together and okay.”

“I unnerstand.” He nodded slowly. “And I ain't gotta tell you to be safe too, I hope?”

“ 'Course not. I still got th' girls to rely on, an' they got me too. Come what may, we'll be ready.”

“Okay.” He visibly relaxed, almost seeming to shrink before her, his eyes half-closing. It hurt her deep inside to see him so wounded, so exhausted- but there was also a fierce sense of pride that he'd held out so well, done so much, in defense of kin and neighbor. “Princess,” he murmured, already seeming half-asleep, “Flim an' Flam- how're they doin'?”

“Well enough, it seems,” Luna replied. “Though their wounds necessitate evacuation as well- they are in no condition to fight.”

“Heh, they owe you somethin' fierce fer savin' their flanks, I reckon, big bro,” AJ chuckled.

To her surprise, Big Mac shook his head. “You got them boys figgered wrong, sis. They didn't get that hurt jes' gettin' to Ponyville- they was right up at the barricade, helpin' reinforce it while I kept the demons from breakin' through. They got tore up because summa them demons managed t' slip by me.”

“They were...?” Applejack spared a glance back towards where the two unicorn brothers lay; it looked like they were asleep, or at least simply resting. “I guess Dad was right... ya really don't know a pony 'til ya see what they do in a crisis.”

“Eeyup.” Mac's eyes were closed now, his breathing becoming slow and deep; he was already falling asleep. She gave him one last nuzzle before looking up to see that Granny Smith had dozed off once more as well. “Princess,” she said quietly, “I reckon we oughta go catch up with Lara an' check up on th' other ponies while we're here.”

“A capital idea.” Luna turned to follow her, but both of them paused as Granny spoke up. “ 'ey, Princess?” she called out.

“Yes, Madame Apple?”

“That new manestyle 'a yers? Really suits ya, Yer Highness. Makes ya look pretty.”

“Oh. Um... yes, thank you.” It was a rare thing to see a princess blush, Applejack noted.