Fluttershy, the Most Terrifying Mare of the Grove

Chapters

The Most Terrifying Mare of the Grove in Escape from Fillydelphia
Fresh Blood, Pure Blood, First Blood, Tainted Blood
Down Under
Free At Last
Get Out Of Jail Free
Deus Ex Equina
Morals Before Reason

The Most Terrifying Mare of the Grove in Escape from Fillydelphia

The Halfway Mark

The moon had done a splendid job of lighting the night through the thick clouds. The night was chill, silent and breezy; a perfect, relaxing evening. Dim moonlight descended on the top of the castle tower, one that had a single door guarded by a lone unicorn who, despite having a flawless field of vision telling him the night was all clear, was on edge. The war had reached new heights recently with the rumors of dragon involvement, after all. It wouldn’t do well for a dragon to get through his guard and take the castle by surprise. His hooves were steady, his muscles were taut, his mind was tense, his eyes and ears alert. Every single shadow in the moonlit sky; be it bird or bee, was a potential threat. Each passing movement or sound made him twitch slightly. Nothing escaped his scrutiny.

There were still seven hours till dawn. He had a long way to go until his shift ended and he was replaced on guard by the next pony. Boredom was his only companion, one he’d learned to throw off the balcony every time it appeared. Boredom meant lack of focus, and lack of focus could mean the lives of the entire garrison.

He let his thoughts wander the slightest bit once the clouds had cleared and enhanced his watch. Times had taken a turn for the worse, what with battles left and right, news of deaths, raids, entire populations razed to the ground. The princesses were gone, still alive, raising their charges as usual, but hidden in order to stay safe from the besiegers of ponykind. On all fronts, Equestria was beset by attacks, from outside, and from inside. The inside attacks were the worst – ponies slaughtering ponies for power. Equestria was divided without its leaders, and soon enough many factions had shown up.

Between the elitist unicorn Horncaste led by that arrogant Blueblood claiming rule by right of birth, to the pegasi of the Wings of Liberty fighting to claim Pegasus superiority, and the earth ponies of the Stonehoof Alliance fighting simply to keep their territory and independence, Equestria was most definitely shattered into many pieces. There were other factions as well, such as the Archivers, who dedicated themselves to the acquisition and preservation of as much of Equestria’s neglected knowledge, and the Blacksmith Guild, the most coveted ally of all the factions, who was still neutral. But one group was feared above all and spoken of only in the most hushed of tones. These ponies were called the Daughters of Equestria, and their goals were unknown like the rest of the group. Only a few things were certain about them – they were known for a fact to have less than twenty members, but each one was a master in her field, feared and respected by their fellows. Their methods varied wildly, but none could dispute their power. Only recently three of their number had taken an entire village from the Horncaste’s occupation and led the villagers into the wilderness where they were reported to have started a new thriving settlement. And rumors were that they had access to powers that were on par with a princess...

The guard snapped back to focus. He’d let himself drift for five minutes – almost inexcusable. Five minutes would be all that an enemy would need to open an assault on Castle Hawthorne. He surveyed the skies again. The clouds had come back thicker, that he had to squint to see properly the silhouettes in them. His hoof edged near the bow slung across his side. That bird looked oddly draconic – was it? It was flying in his general direction, and if it was a dragon, he'd need the advance warning. Better safe than sorry...

His magic drew the bow and nocked the arrow from his quiver into it. Carefully, he took aim, and loosed an ebony arrow. It flew like a sliver of shadow, unseen in the darkness of the night. He waited, and a few moments afterwards, the bird fell to the ground. Obviously a bird then. No dragon would fall that quickly. He put back his bow beside him and checked his quiver. He had plenty of arrows left, and his talent with marksmanship that had put him in this guard position would make sure that the arrows would suffice. Besides, the wards on the wall nearby would alert the whole castle the moment he activated it with his magic.

The shadows were still there, but they were normal creatures of the night. Seeing the same things over and over was starting to tax his stamina and focus. Normally, he would be able to stay on mark much longer, but he’d been forced to pull double shifts ever since the recent skirmish with nearby Wings of Liberty soldiers took several of the guards out of the action.

The imaginary clock on his head ticked. Slowly, he counted down the hours. Six and a half hours left before he could get the first bit of sleep he’d had in three days. A bird perched itself in front of him, chirped, and left. He watched it fly and envied its freedom, reminiscing about the peaceful days in the past. Six hours.

Nothing whatsoever happened, and his jaw was starting to rebel, attempting to yawn. Five hours and forty – five minutes left. He looked up and saw a bigger flock of birds fly toward him. It was migration season, so this was perfectly normal. They approached overhead. Five hours and thirty – one minutes.

The birds flew directly overhead at exactly the five and a half hour mark. He paid them no heed, and neither did he pay any attention to the black figure that they dropped behind him, the Pegasus that perched itself on top of the wall. It snuck ever closer, its hoofsteps timed perfectly to the flock of birds’ wing flaps, every sound masked. It got directly behind the guard, and in one motion, grabbed his mouth with one forehoof, the tail end of his body in the other, before rolling to the ground and kicking him off the edge of the castle tower. Just as he was about to scream, one of the birds in the overhead flock flew in his mouth, muffling his voice. Wherever he landed would be a mystery, but it was sufficient to know that he would be out of the fray for days at least. Distantly, there was a splash as though a pony had thrown a pebble into a lake.

The black figure put a hoof to its head. Grasping a lock in the cloth, it removed the head part of the body suit that covered all of it, from mane to withers, and to the tip of each wing feather. The removal of the headgear revealed an orange Pegasus with a magenta mane, who looked every which way, before peering down one side, the one facing the nearby woods. Down way below were two similarly clothed ponies, one white unicorn with a pink and purple mane, and the other a yellow earth pony with a red mane and a similarly colored bow on the back of her head. The one on top of the castle tower received a rope from the birds flying overhead, who chirped and left in unison, waiting in the nearby forest for the rest of the job. The Pegasus lowered the rope to its length, and tied it to a nearby stone crevice in the masonry. The two ponies below took hold of the rope and began to climb, the one above keeping watch for flying Pegasus patrols. So far their information was right – patrols swept the skies every hour, which gave them a solid twenty – eight minutes.

The ascent was slow, in order to not rouse any attention. The special noise – muffling suits could only mask so much, and the sight of two mares climbing up the tower would not help them in the slightest. The imaginary clock of the now – indisposed guard had manifested in the three as well. Twenty - five minutes, and they were only halfway up the tower.

Twenty minutes remaining, they finally rejoined the Pegasus on the tower top. She greeted them and took their packages from their backs, distributing its contents among them. Wristblades, wristbows, some rope for the yellow pony, and a set of maps. Weaponry was more for emergencies - subterfuge was their specialty, not murder. Even the guard that was thrown off earlier had landed in a deep lake that would leave no more than a few bruises. The equipment having been doled out to their appropriate users, the three entered the upper doors of Castle Hawthorne.

The tower was in one distant corner of the castle, some distance away from their objective – the main treasury. There were nearer towers, of course, but there were also more guards there, and they would have had a much harder time getting in through there. The interior of the castle was a dim candle and moon lit place, with dark stone and dark red carpet lining the corridors. They consulted their maps, and took a left, to the upper residential quarters. More ponies were here than in the other paths they could have taken from that tower. However, their being unconscious was more favorable than trying to sneak past the other guards who were awake.

The dimly lit path forked. One led to the dining hall, the other to the storage rooms. They took to the dining hall, consulting their maps every now and then. Few would be here at this time, and those who would be were chefs preparing breakfast, their din blocking out the very silent whispers and steps of the three. The scouts had informed them of the feast scheduled the next day, so they went away from the kitchen using the very next path they had.

Closer and closer they snuck, avoiding the guards at every turn. The watch was getting more and more vigilant and difficult to get past the closer they got to the treasury. Still, they managed to get ever nearer, until they made a right turn and faced the corridor leading to the treasury itself. It was a long one, with a wooden door in the middle, flanked by two guards. There were plenty of windows here, that they could not trust to the security of the shadows.

“You girls got a plan?” whispered the Pegasus.

“Ah don’t,” answered the earth pony.

“I’ve got an idea,” replied the unicorn. She brought out a stone from her pack. “Applebloom, when I tap your shoulder, throw this as far as you can to the opposite side of the corridor.”

“Now, wait a minute –“

“This’ll work!”

Trusting to the plan of her friend, but still not completely confident, she picked up the stone, and with a silent prayer, threw it as far as she could silently. It collided with the other side of the wall, and the very split second that the stone struck, the heads of the guards looked to their left, which Sweetie Belle took full advantage of by quickly casting her quietest invisibility spell on the three, cloaking its sound with the sound of the stone.

“Sweet,” whispered Scootaloo. “Follow my lead now.”

The three snuck closer to the two guards. As they approached, Scootaloo whispered to the others, “I’ll take the guy on the left. Applebloom, right. Sweetie, get ready with your sleep spell. We’ll silence them, and you put them out.” The other two nodded in agreement as they took their designated places; Scootaloo on the right side of the guard on the right of the door, and Applebloom on the left side of the guard on the left. Sweetie took her spot right in the doorway. The muffling of the suits and the invisibility made sure that the two guards took no notice. “Now!”

The guards barely had time to react. No sooner had they twitched on hearing the whispered word, were they muted by the hooves of their attackers. As their eyes widened from fear of their unseen enemy, they soon fell to sleep as a dim flash of magic washed over them. When they had slumped to the floor, the invisibility spell wore off, restoring some of the unicorn’s stamina. They unlocked the door and entered the treasury.

It was a room stocked full to the brim of all sorts of trinkets and coin. All of these they ignored, searching for a very specific artifact. A golden curve shape was all they were interested in, and after minutes of searching, they found it, stored within a tiny chest. Scootaloo took it and placed it in her pack, and brought out one other thing. It was a tiny piece of parchment, which she put in the shelf in place of the chest. It read:

The Daughters of Equestria shall restore this land of ours.

Equestria Prevails!

“All done.” She then motioned to the other two, and they drew to the middle of the room. “You can teleport us away now, Sweetie. And remember the instructions.”

“As noisy as possible, I know.” Her magic flared up in preparation for the modified untraceable teleportation spell she was about to cast.

“Ah still don’t get why the hay we have ta be noisy on our way out.”

“We can ask later when we get back. We just have to be.”

“Ready?” asked the unicorn, as the light grew to blinding. The two nodded, and in an explosion of white light and a rumbling sound, they were all gone. Moments later, the guards rushed to the treasury, only to find the two unconscious guards and the note of the Daughters.

“Oh, thank the heavens they’ve left!” exclaimed the leader of the castle upon seeing the note and surveying the damages. With the reputation of the Daughters of Equestria, he was glad that the castle was merely robbed. In all likelihood, they could have taken the entire castle. Such feats were not above them should necessity call for such extreme measures. He slumped on the wall relieved, for nopony that was visited in the past by the mysterious Daughters was ever visited again.

The three materialized in the woods at the corner of the castle. The flock of birds was there, silent in wait. The ponies lined up and said in unison, “Though the sun might fade and the stars might fall, the light of harmony will survive. The Daughters of Equestria will live on. Good will win, evil will lose, and as always, Equestria prevails!” Their hooves went up to their foreheads in a salute to the birds, who chirped their bird codes. In unison, the flock flew up, and went south, followed by the three ponies. The mission was a success.

Three hours of walking had gone by, and the three mares were tired. They were still following the birds, who thankfully had dropped from the skies and flew low, entering a dark cave in the middle of the grassy hill. The woods surrounded the cave from all sides. From the distance, this place was invisible, unless one had a bird’s eye view, and even then it looked simply like a massive natural monolith that was slowly being reclaimed by the forest. Grass was in its cracks and its exterior was coated thinly in some places of moss. The opening was concealed by an overhang, and into this opening the three walked in.

Six steps in, they stopped and lined up. If one attempted to walk straight ahead, the floors would open and they would fall to the depths below, magically enchanted to transport any entity falling through to the bottom of a nearby shallow lake, which they could then swim to the surface of and to relative safety. However, these three weren’t just any ponies; they knew this place’s secrets by heart. A nearby pair of large eyes opened in the darkness of the cave, and asked, “Who?”

“Applebloom.”

“Sweetie Belle.”

“Scootaloo.”

“Who.” The pair of eyes disappeared and there was a flapping of wings, the click of a stone button, and a hiss as the wall opened in some places to reveal lights, and the entire back of the cave floor flipped open to reveal a trapdoor which all three ponies plus the owl entered. It led to a staircase descending into the insides of the hill, stopping in front of a door and a small hole in the side of the walls barely big enough for a filly, let alone the three mares.

Instead of opening the door, the three faced the wall where the hole was. In single file, they stepped through the wall beside the hole, which was merely a magical illusory barrier designed to keep out the luckiest and the best of thieves and scouts. From that barrier extended a very long and narrow corridor lined with doors, which was called the Webway by the Daughters. These doors were all magical portals leading to the various exit points of the organization, and the various points through which they slipped in and out of the lands of Equestria, to procure supplies, survey enemies, and the like.

At the very end was a shimmering portal. To this portal the three walked, still in single file, the only possible formation here. When they were all directly in front of it, the one in front turned to the right and opened the door there, stepping into a massive hall of oak, lined with many things – books, potions, windows, supplies, among other things. There was a spacious dining area there, and several more doors leading to several other places. They headed to a yellow one leading to a meadow full of the chirping of birds and the buzzing of bees, and the other sounds of springtime.

“Hi, Fluttershy!” they chimed in unison, slightly startling the Pegasus. She leapt back a little, and smiled when she saw the three girls. “Hi, girls. How was the mission? I’ve heard plenty from the birds, but they didn’t know much what happened inside,” she said, offering the three a pot of tea while the animals gathered. They had come to like these three who often spent their time in the grasslands. Not even a war could break their spirits and they love of the outdoors.

“Oh, wow, it was an awesome day! A little hard, sure, but nothing we can’t handle,” said Scootaloo, sitting down in a chair with the other two beside her. “Where do we begin...”

The three recounted their tale to Fluttershy, with an audience of animals around them. Fluttershy was most relieved that the three had come out safe and sound. As much as she hated to put them in danger, they were the best at what they did, and Fluttershy couldn’t ever deny that. She trusted their abilities to the fullest, and they trusted her information as well. That was why they had become close, because they had to work together more often. Every single pony of the Daughters of Equestria was a sibling, if not by blood then by spirit. Still, there were things like favorite siblings.

“... and we teleported out so noisy, they would have to be deaf not to hear it!” exclaimed Scootaloo, her hooves in the air for emphasis.

“Oh yeah, why do we have ta go out so noisy always?” asked Applebloom.

“I think you should ask Twilight. It was her idea, of course. I – I mean I know why, but I think she can explain better,” was the reply.

“Sure, but we haven’t seen her in weeks! I know she’s probably busy and all, but she’s been missing out on our lessons!”

chimed in Sweetie Belle. “She was supposed to teach me the other day!”

“I know, Sweetie, and I’m sorry about that, but I think she really has a lot on her hooves. After all, she is managing all those portals and every single secret entrance and exit we have, plus she has to handle our atmosphere here so we can work properly. I’m honestly a little scared for her health,” said Fluttershy, putting a hoof on the mare’s mane and ruffling it. She liked doing that, because it always brought her back to the days of peace ten years ago, when the Daughters of Equestria didn’t exist yet, and when the Daughters weren’t needed at all.

“I guess you’re right. We’re just really worried ‘cause we haven’t seen her for so long.”

“Don’t you worry about her. We’re always going to be here for you, and for her as well. I think you should get inside now, it’s about to rain...”

The four headed inside as the critters went back into their dwellings that had been so painstakingly carved by Fluttershy into the surroundings of the hideout. They were cared for and supported by the Daughters, but it wasn’t completely free, what with their situation and all. Even with Twilight’s spatial magic providing them ample space and security from the outside world, the farms they had weren’t as big as the ones that sustained Ponyville in the past, so the animals had to carry their weight. They found the perfect role as the information network of the Daughters, and with them under Fluttershy’s command, there was no part of Equestria that they had no surveillance over.

The four waited in the dining hall for the rest of the ponies – at least those that stayed here – came back. There was only a hooffull of ponies that lived here in what they called The Tree, and they were usually out on jobs of their own. Tonight was scheduled to be a meeting however, and so all permanent dwellers would be there for dinner.

Dinner was delightful, with plenty of conversation over apple pies and hay salad, courtesy of one of the hold's two resident chefs, Applejack. Applejack, as always, was most relieved when the three mares were present at the dinner, as were the rest, but none were as happy as the sisters of the three. Rainbow might not be Scootaloo’s sister for real, but for all intents and purposes she was.

The meal was bright and light – hearted, although it wasn’t long until the serious tone started. Twilight entered the room, looking more exhausted than ever. If it weren’t for Rarity and Fluttershy constantly keeping watch over her health, she’d probably have collapsed long ago. Thankfully, her protection spells were now self – sustaining, and her recovery was in order.

Twilight cleared her throat to speak. Upon hearing the “ahem” of the tired mare, all fell silent and sat down, waiting for the unicorn to start her talking. She began, “Let’s get right down to business. Today, we have reached an important mark in our quest for the recovery of Equestria. We have successfully completed half of the sun icon.” There was a general applause at these words, but the three mares who had recovered the most recent piece didn’t join in. Instead, they said, “We don’t see why that’s important. We know you have a reason and all, but could you maybe at least tell us?”

“Sorry, about that. I never told you? Really?” asked Twilight, somewhat confused; perhaps the exhaustion was getting to her. When they all shook their heads, she sighed, and began to explain.

“As you know, we need the princesses to restore balance here in Equestria, and then push back the invaders in our country. But all we know about them is that they’re in hiding until we can muster up a force to protect them from the outsiders long enough until they can protect us. With that siege of the Necruus on Canterlot, and the princesses’ narrow escape; we can be assured that they won’t be appearing until we can secure them, with those things on their tails. We can handle the Necruus now, as we’ve proven, so now the problem is finding the princesses themselves. They won't have been caught, since they can handle those things on their own, but they won't be able to protect Equestria unless we protect them in turn.”

“That’s where the sun icon comes in. It wasn’t originally in that many pieces, naturally, but she broke it up just before she disappeared. It has plenty of her magic in it, but it’s useless in pieces, which was precisely her point. By breaking the sun icon, and scattering it, she ensured that no one can abuse her stored magical power. Once we reassemble this icon, the magic will reactivate, and we can trace her magic back to her, and bring her back to Equestria.”

The three mares looked up in understanding. The weight of the knowledge that Twilight had just given them was very heavy. They didn’t know that their work was so important. The others had told them that it was a rite of passage, but now they knew the truth. And it was inspiring, to say the least. However, there was one more thing they had to know.

“If what we were doin’ was so important, why didn’t ya’ll tell us in the first place?” asked Applebloom, looking around at the rest of the ponies, who were looking away, apparently trying to find a reason.

“See, the thing is, we weren’t willin’ ta let you in the operations, but we had ta, the way ya’ll insisted fer months, and with the war, we need every hoof we can get. We agreed ta not tell ya the truth so it didn’ get in yer head, and we hoped that ye’d quit when ya saw how hard it was. None of us wanted ta risk ya’ll gettin’ hurt,” said Applejack.

“Yeah, but you kept insisting, and even if we gave you unimportant but difficult missions, you still did them, so we trained you all instead as hard as we could. You were all really stubborn and refused to quit, and we figured, there was no point giving you pointless jobs if you were that willing to do them,” continued Rainbow Dash.

“We all agreed that even if we gave you our best training and our best equipment, you would still always be under our watch. For your past few missions, we had Discord tailing you, but Twilight made him search for the princesses instead, so somepony had to replace him. This most recent mission that you three girls had, you were followed and constantly watched by Rainbow Dash,” added Rarity.

“We just wanted you all to have a normal life, even with this war, which is why we objected so strongly to your trying to join our work,” ended Fluttershy.

“Which is also why the three of you are going off duty for now,” said Twilight. “I’m sorry, I know you want to help, but it’s only going to get more dangerous from now on. If ever we’re going to send you again, it’s going to be with one of us.”

“Aww... We were just getting the hang of things!” complained Scootaloo. She knew that they were right, of course. Nonetheless, she didn’t like the idea of just sitting in the sidelines.

“Don’t worry, if we do this right, we won’t be needing you to get the ‘hang of things’ anymore,” said Twilight. She closed her eyes and prayed. Hopefully she was right. However, the darkness of current times would only get darker in the near future. Still, they were allowed to hope, right? Besides, no matter what, they were always going to be together, and together they would be able to weather anything. Come what will, she thought to herself, pulling all of them in a hug. The Daughters of Equestria would win. And as always, Equestria prevails.

Fresh Blood, Pure Blood, First Blood, Tainted Blood

The Past

Green grass and olive leaves swayed peacefully in the silent breeze. Hundreds of tiny winged creatures sang a slow and relaxing daytime lullaby as the tranquility of the scene seeped in all the way to the hearts of the beholders. There they lay in the meadow, among the animals that had come out to play. For a moment the golden day was perfect, and in the fleeting instant all could be forgotten, that war had broken out throughout the world and that there was much to do, many to be found, and many more lost to the ravages of enemy after enemy.

The idea of simply isolating themselves here in this silent sanctuary until the war had ended always popped up every now and then in the minds of the Daughters. No pony would ever choose grueling war over peaceful security, after all. That realization made the war seem so much worse. There was no point to at least half of it – the internal pony – on – pony conflict. For reasons so petty so much blood had been shed. The body count would only rise, and the Daughters were constantly tested by that fact. So little was the value that life had now; that many would willingly sacrifice ten others for their own goals. Many commanders had been known to send troops to their deaths for a small plot of hill, and oftentimes for less.

Nonviolence was rare, and only two groups were known for its practice were the scholars of the Archivers and the Daughters themselves. Both would occasionally involve themselves in a scrap if necessity would require so, although the violence would be kept to a bare minimum and there would be no lethal exchange of blows, just a crippling strike, a precise spear thrust straight to the objectives. For the Archivers, this nonviolence was enforced with their own best interests in mind. A direct confrontation would crush them, so subterfuge was more recommended. But the Daughters were different. They fought in the name of Equestria, and Equestria was not a land that would be restored with bloodshed.

Still, every time that the Daughters were forced to harm, it weighed heavily on their hearts. Ponies, especially those who had not experienced a full youth, were not meant to be warriors. Only fate had determined that they be so. Something so far against their nature would slowly warp them and temper their hearts in the fires of war. And there was one who was more affected than all of them.

Twilight glanced at the missive again. She had done so every few seconds anxiously for the past four minutes, ever since it arrived. Her recently regained strength from two days of sleep was only enough to prevent her fainting in joy upon reading the very short message on it. It had little on it, barely enough to be considered a proper letter, but with enough meaning to make the entire residence buzz with anticipation.

“Coming back in three days. P.”

It had been a month and a half since Pinkie Pie had last graced the Daughter’s halls. She had left most recently in a long – term mission to recruit more allies and find the shards of the sun icon. Now she was due to return, and everypony waited eagerly.

All were gathered in the main hall of the hideout. The tables were laden with many plates of various foods in celebration of Pinkie’s relatively safe return. The hall was redecorated with balloons and streamers like the parties of older times. The decorations hadn’t been used for a long time; the grimness of the war having made parties inappropriate.

Two large doors opened, revealing a dark pink pony with a straight pink mane and blue eyes. Her expression was one of a pony who’d felt the pain of a lifetime. There were several scars on her coat, and her balloon mark showed one old burn on it. Her eyes surveyed the welcome made for her with a grim look.

“Pinkie Pie! Welcome back!” Twilight greeted warmly, with a very wide smile. Pinkie stared at her blankly, until her face lit up in recognition. As it did, her coat grew lighter and her mane puffed up, as a smile spread on her face.

“Everypony! You threw this party for me? I’m so glad! I haven’t seen everypony in so long I was just thinking we should have a party when I got back so we could talk again and have fun again!” Pinkie happily said. However, her voice was no longer as bubbly as it was in the days past, nor was her smile as wide, nor her step as bouncy. The years had been harshest on her. The intensity of the war went against her very nature, her being a creature of happiness, not one of death and despair.

While all of them had changed over the years, in none was the change as large or as drastic as it was with Pinkie. When the war first started, she remained optimistic, but each passing day taxed sapped her capacity for hope. Two years in, she fell into a very deep depression that worsened over time, until it almost caused the deaths of her friends. Seven years into the war, she had developed a very severe personality quirk that divided her in two. Her normal personality was simply a mellowed – down version of her normal self. It was her other personality that caused more complications.

Her alter – ego, the darker side of herself, could be differentiated from her normal self by some telltale signs – mainly her serious face, her darker color, and her straight mane. This side of her was the one that was cold, calculating, and remorseless. Once she had a goal while she was in this personality, it would be done – and it would be done in the most efficient way there was, even if it was the one that would harm many.

Pinkie’s unexplainable powers didn’t disappear, and they were her most valuable assets. They allowed her to take even the most stalwart defenders by surprise, and they made her capable of tackling every mission imaginable. These abilities also gave her one of the most important jobs in the organization. She was the most public face of the Daughters, from where their power came. Her demeanor, coupled with her inexplicable skills and her ability to become a seemingly polar opposite of herself was the perfect method to display the powers and the temperament of the Daughters. She was a perfect example – a cheerful and powerful ally, or a grim and even more powerful enemy. From her did Equestria first learn to fear the Daughters, and she was testament to their strength.

“How was the Salty Shores? Was Fluttershy’s information still up to date?” asked Twilight, as they seated Pinkie and began the feast. Fluttershy looked worried at the sidelines, because it was possible that her information might have endangered her friend for nothing.

“It was a little outdated, by the time I got there the beachside town was already a ruin. Corpses everywhere – if they were living or undead before, it didn’t matter because they were surely dead by then. The icon fragment was still there, but to see that graveyard...” Her mane was slowly deflating as her tale unfolded.

“What about the rest of your trip? I don’t think all the four cities you passed through were the same, unless the Necruus advanced much further than we knew and much faster,” asked Twilight, in an attempt to make the report a little less grim.

“Not much better,” she replied, her mane straight. “I was able to liberate three from various other groups, but each one cost a lot of pony. I think I’m starting to get worse at this. I mean, if I wasn’t, then why are ponies starting to die even if I’m there to protect them?” She had started to tear up. “Wh – what use is a protector of Equestria who can’t even protect a single pony?”

“Come on now, sugarcube, we’re all going to have ta lose some days. I’m sure ya’ll be doin’ better in the future.” Applejack had joined the conversation, like the others, when they noticed Pinkie crying. It wasn’t a good thing for her to cry. After all, it was her very mission to make sure that ponies didn’t do so.

“What if I don’t? What if someday I end up getting more ponies killed? What if someday...” She looked at them all and started to cry openly, and her weeping made what had crossed her mind very clear. All were around her now, trying to console she who was normally the shoulder to cry on.

“Look, Pinkie, we can handle ourselves. I mean, just look at who you’re speaking to! You have, right here, THE most awesome ponies in all of Equestria! Of course, I’m the awesomest, but these guys all come in a close second. And you don’t have to worry about us getting in trouble. Sure, Derpy’s still a little clumsy, but even she can keep herself and Dinky perfectly safe.” Rainbow hovered overhead and did a few tricks to lift her spirit up. It seemed to work a bit.

“As Rainbow said, dear, we are quite capable. You won’t have to worry about us. And my masterworks at the forge will make the job much easier. So don’t you fret, dear, you have nothing to worry about.” Rarity smiled, and Pinkie’s mane was getting a little fluffy.

“I know you can.... But what about those other ponies? We’re supposed to be protecting everypony, not just us!”

“And that’s what we’re trying to do,” said Fluttershy in her quiet voice, a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder. “But we can’t win everything, so we just have to keep trying our best to win as much as we can and save as many as we can.”

“Oh, come on! We’re supposed to be celebrating your return, not being all sad! I get it, it’s sad, but we have to try being happy at least, right?” exclaimed Sweetie Belle over the commotion of sobbing pony and somber dialogue.

“I guess you’re all right...” Pinkie sniffed, and her mane puffed up to its full volume. “Bring out the Applejack, Applejack. Let’s party!”

The ponies danced and sang around the fireplace within that abode of theirs hidden in the thick wilderness of the Everfree forest. Moments like these were what they wanted most – moments where their old selves could show up. The war had changed them all too much for their comforts, but peace would bring them back. Nothing would ever be completely the same, but it would be more or less normal then. It would be much appreciated with the way all of them had changed.

Applejack had changed from her past reassured self to a pony of doubt, and of minor lies. The war constantly tested her belief in herself, and she would lie to herself regularly – that she could continue this, that she was fine, that she was still honest. It was a necessity for her sanity, much like everything else that had changed within all of them. If she faced the truth head on, she would have lost all hope and given up entirely, even with her friends by her side. In order for this not to happen, she had blinded herself to the truth.

Rainbow Dash’s outlook on life remained the same, although she had developed a massive issue with any pony doubting her or her friends. The moment a pony would question their capabilities she would become aggressive, due to her war – spawned insecurity. In a way, it was like all of them – none of them no longer truly believed that the war would end.

Rarity put her experience in the arts to work at the forge, and her hard work put out the best equipment that the Daughters called their own. Her generosity was alive to those days. Too alive, in fact, and she attempted to help every single pony to the best of her abilities – not knowing when to stop, and every now and then going too far and hurting everypony. Well-meant were her actions even if they did do the occasional ill.

Fluttershy’s heart stayed kind even if it had grown hard, tempered in the heat of war. Her calm was easily kept and one that was hard to disturb, although it hid something behind it. Behind her kindness lay a monster of hatred – the hatred that had festered in her heart, the hatred that would never cease to tug at her. The calm she displayed was more of a defense mechanism than it was her peace of mind – she never had peace of mind. Never again since the war began, and beneath her smiles was an unrelenting struggle to keep herself in check. This state of constant unrest had also produced in her a tendency to avoid others, in order to have them avoid her monster self.

And there was Twilight, who seemed the closest to her normal self – minus the obsession with order. An observer might even say that she had matured and grown in a positive way since the war began. That observer would find out that that was not the case. Within her room was a wardrobe which was in actuality a cleverly disguised doorway to her private space. In that space laid a few things. First, that which would most likely be noticed – was a shrine dedicated to Princess Celestia. In her absence Twilight had begun to regard her as an even more important pony than before, elevating her to deity status, in an attempt to justify her faith in the kind mentor even through her disappearance. A side – effect of this was her tendency to snap in anger if any of the others questioned whether bringing back the princesses would really work as well as they hoped.

Another noticeable feature of the room would be the bookshelf, innocuous in appearance yet malignant in content. All of the books there were tomes of ageless forbidden knowledge. Spells to control minds and hearts, enchantments to resurrect the dead in a manner similar to that of the Necruus, and magic to summon horrors beyond pony comprehension. These were only some of what was stored there, and even if it would be rationalized as a necessity of the war, some were so harmful on such a large scale – like the incantation to drain the years left in a creature’s life and take it for your own – that they were better off lost to the ages. Knowledge was power, and power corrupted. It was a question of how much Twilight had been affected, not whether or not she was.

The other thing that indicated any form of instability was one that was easily missed. It was very small – just a plain, simple, leather - bound diary. It was where her obsession with order now hid, mixed with her dabbling in ancient magic. In it she detailed what her friends were thinking whenever she had interactions with them, and notes on how to subtly manipulate them into doing things she had in mind. Yes, they were for the greater good in the end, but the means – silent psychic manipulation – were unnecessary, at the very least.

All of these changes had started long ago, back on that fateful day that the war began. How heavily it weighed on all of their memories. Try as they might, it would always keep coming back.

“THE PRINCESSES ARE GONE!” screamed a royal attendant, bursting into the courtyard, inciting panic in the crowd. “I’ve checked every single corner of the castle, and they’re nowhere to be found! I... Thought you should know,” she continued before collapsing into an unconscious, scared heap face – first into the floor.

An unspoken, synchronized countdown began among the attendees of the Day Court. There was a muted chorus of “3, 2, 1,” followed by a very loud chorus of panicked screams. Many approached the unconscious pony attempting to get more answers, which she failed to supply due to her lack of knowledge on the matter and the small fact that she was unconscious and thus incapable of answering in the first place.

The news spread like wildfire, and within a day all of Equestria knew it. None doubted that they were alive as that was hinted at by the skies retaining their order and their motions. Where they were remained another matter entirely, a matter that turned the country lawless faster than parasprites in an apple orchard. A week after the news reached the edges of the land, many factions had sprouted up. The most prominent during this time was the fledgling Horncaste that brought down non – unicorns from Canterlot in a hail of magical firepower. They were led by the much misguided Blueblood who shared their blind arrogance and insatiable thirst for power. Their coup d’etat was fast and violent. Eighteen hours from the conception of the Horncaste, Canterlot had become a pure unicorn – only city.

Just as the other pony races had created their own factions in order to reclaim the seat of power from the unicorns, Equestria fell under attack from its enemies who had no doubt heard of the absence of the two princesses. From the cold northern lands came the undead Necruus, unstoppable in their advance by the few unprepared frontier towns. News of them made its way to the bigger cities who were able to sufficiently defend against the onslaught. The advance halted, but the cost was great. More than fifty cities were lost to them.

At the same time, the mystical Deeryads brought their magic to bear on the defenses in the west of Equestria, their forest homes having been burnt down by the awakening of dragons all over the world. The primal magic they employed took many more casualties, and left behind cities shattered into pieces as the very ground quaked and the skies struck down with lightning.

Suffice it to say that by the time all ponies were over the panic and in fighting form, Equestria was fragmented and its population was reduced to a scant half. Battered and bloodied, Equestrian morale was so low that the only reason they kept fighting was the cruelty of the fate that would await those who fell in battle. It was worse than death, for the Necruus would turn corpses into members of their ranks, and the Deeryads used their enemies for rituals to ancient deities. Even falling to fellow ponies usually was a dark fate – survival through slavery or death at the executioner’s hooves.

So it was that Equestria never again knew peace. Happiness was replaced by ever – worsening despair. Even the skies seemed to grow mournful, although this was mostly due to the pegasi being forced into battle instead of tending the weather. The neglected skies led to a drop in the food productivity of the farms, which, coupled with the strained relations of the tribes, became yet another conflict in the chain that simply did not want to end.

No, it would end. Soon. The Daughters would make sure of that. It was their vow, and as they drank to their temporary reunification, that vow only grew stronger. They would not forget the past. They would carry it and its memories to the future, until the day the fighting would end.

Down Under

Letter From A Friend

Rarity’s forge rang loud in the early morning silence. She had toiled two days straight, pausing only for meals, and the fruits of her labor were about to be finished. Into the molds poured a large amount of gunmetal gray steel, identical in appearance to normal iron and corundum steel, yet its properties were of such great value that she took utmost caution in the smelting of the ores that they obtained from some of the mines they controlled. The access to the mines came as a perk of their liberation of several pony towns from various colonists – usually the Horncaste, although one or two of them were under occupation by others like the Deeryads, and in one case, a Griffin mercenary group.

Rarity wiped her brow with a towel using her magic. Her focus was nearly tangible, and she stuck her tongue out slightly as she hammered out the silvered steel into the basic shapes of her new additions to the Daughters’ arsenal. There were several sets, each of them made to specifications for the pony who would receive them. Fluttershy’s, for example, was light ring armor with a full helm, offering her the greatest possible protection without encumbering her fragile frame. This was in contrast to the one she’d made specifically for Applejack – a heavy set of steel plate mail with a reinforced set of boots to maximize her leg strength, and a featureless helmet top so that she could still wear her beloved Stetson.

There were a few more pieces she had to complete. Derpy’s wristblade was nearly completed. All of her wrist blades were similar in design – a bracelet to be attached to the preferred hoof, which would then extend when swung out and retract when a hidden button was triggered. Derpy, however, had requested it to have a muffin of sorts, so Rarity had obliged and put an ornate muffin inlaid with a gem to serve as a magical focus for Twilight’s enchantments.

Lyra’s bracers and boots were sitting in the cold water, having recently been shaped. As she pulled them out and started to affix it with its layered cloth mesh framework and straps, she couldn’t help but admire her work. Lyra had a most singular equipment request – she normally moved around and did battle on her hind legs, so she’d asked for only one pair of boots and her forehooves were to be protected with gauntlets, or so she called them. They were similar to normal boots, except that she’d made Rarity make them with appendages she called fingers, which would allow her to grip and work with precision better than she could get through hooves. The concept was a good one, but only Lyra’s unique style of magic usage worked with it, and its production complexity made it a rather specific item. Even her weapon was weird – a sword, not affixed to a bracelet. Instead, it had a long handle akin to a steel twig coated in thick cotton. They worked well enough with her fingered gloves.

She worked so seriously without repose that she barely noticed the three young ponies ogling her finished works. They were all made with the utmost attention to detail, each blade inlaid with ornate carvings, and the armors studded with small gems in intricate patterns that formed empty magical matrices, to be filled up by Twilight’s enchantments later on.

“Whoah.”

“Ah want that shield right there! Look at it. It looks so awesome, don’t it?”

“Oooh.. .Shiny horn blade. I want it...”

“I knew the three of you would be here early. But old Rarity’s prepared. Your things are over there,” said Rarity, pointing to a table at the far corner of the forge without looking up or tilting her hammer. The three rushed there, and their eyes opened wide in wonder at Rarity’s best works. They were the same kinds of weapons and armors as they used currently. What set them aside was the quality – the plain grey shimmered as though it was of dim solid light, and the delicate carvings were so fine that they took to tracing them with their hooves and feeling its smoothness.

“Hey, sis, can we take them out for some practice?” asked Sweetie Belle, putting on her hornblade. She knew well enough how to use it in a melee, but Twilight would put an enchantment on it to make it amplify her magic, so the melee part would be rather pointless. Still, better to have a back – up.

“As long as you take care and be sure to bring it back once I’m finished with everything so Twilight can do her magic,” answered Rarity, and the three scooped up their gear to go spar outside in the glorious sun.

Once they had raced outside, the three started to examine their equipment in full detail. They were, as always, arguing about who had the best gear, even if it was an argument that would never be resolved due to the lack of a sensible method of comparison. Presently Scootaloo had taken to bragging about her wing armor.

“Look, they’re so much more awesome than what I already have!” she said, flexing her wings once she’d put on her armor. It took her several tries to get her feathers properly encased. Once that was done, her wings seemed as though they weren’t armored – simply colored differently, with the way they were bending naturally. “Kinda heavier, though,” she said, a little disappointed.

“That’s because you took it to early,” Sweetie said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You didn’t let Twilight make it weightless yet. Ooh! What if I made it weightless?” she said, excited at the prospect of advanced magic practice.

“No thanks. You might be good, but I’m not letting you near my wings. Maybe someday when you’re good enough,” she teased, attempting to readjust her wing armor. Sweetie looked annoyed and said, her horn glowing, “This weightless enough for you?” as she levitated and suspended Scootaloo above a nearby pond. She was flailing frantically and attempting to break the grip to no avail.

“Hey, Sweetie Belle, put her down. Ah think she’s getting’ scared,” said Applebloom, already in her full gear. “Ah can’t go sparrin' with a chicken,” she added, a grin on her face as Scootaloo’s face became one of utter irritation. “How many times do I have to tell you I’m not a chicken?”

“Ah’ll stop callin’ ya a chicken if ya stop bein’ one!” Applebloom answered, eliciting a laugh from Sweetie Belle as well. “Seriously, let her down,” she whispered to Sweetie Belle, who obliged.

“Ya think ya can take me, chicken?” said Applebloom, putting her face right in front of Scootaloo’s and pushing her back. “Of course I can,” Scootaloo replied, shoving back with her own face.

“There ya three are! Haven’t ya’ll heard the bell? We got another job ta do from Derpy’s letters, and we can’t get started if we ain’t all there,” came the voice of Applejack, promptly breaking up the ensuing scrap. “And ya’ll really got ta stop takin’ gear from Rarity before it’s completed. Twilight’s been lookin’ for ya’ll earlier wantin’ ta fix yer gear.”

“But we ain’t done practicin’ yet!”

“Ya’ll be getting time for that later. Now come on.”

They sighed, and set to work taking off their gear. They didn’t leave it out there; instead they brought it with them so that their leader could work on them. The three trudged slowly behind Applejack and made their way to the dining area.

The meal was already in full swing when they entered and took their places on the grand table. It was laden with only the best foods possible with their limited resources. Most of the meal was apple – based, as usual, but resident chef Applejack had always found ways to make the apple taste fresh with every dish. It was a boon from her more than a decade of experience, one that all of them appreciated. With a war, pickiness wasn’t an option, and so their simple dishes were twice as enjoyable.

The ponies gathered at the table ate their meals with much zeal. Perhaps the ongoing war’s miserable effects on mood simply made any satisfaction stronger, or their hunger had enhanced their tongues, or maybe some magic was placed in the food. Whatever it was, the ponies gave it no thought as they devoured the plates of food stacked in front of them to the sound of enjoyable conversation and the slushing of mugs of cider.

Twilight was done eating before any of them, and she’d started perusing Derpy’s latest piece of mail. Somehow Derpy always managed to get letters with negligible delay as though she used dragon fire, meaning that her information was more or less up – to – date. The most recent one was an urgent bit of information. A fragment that they had located using Fluttershy’s network had fallen into the hooves of a small neutral settlement. That didn’t seem problematic, if it weren’t for the Deeryad tribe headed towards them. And the dragon chasing them. And the tendency of the ponies to be too quick to take up arms against anything. And the date on the piece of mail, which left them roughly two days to get to the settlement before the Deeryads get there. Actually, that wasn’t going to be trouble – the Webway had an exit near Fillydelphia. It would take their travel time down to an hour at most.

Deciding that she’d taken in all she could from the letter, Twilight rang a bell, alerting every pony. It was time to get the ponies ready.

“Okay, listen up, gang. Derpy’s given us a new letter. She’s found one of the pieces.”

There were nods and murmurs of assent among the ponies. Twilight continued, “It has several problems with it though. One: the ponies who have it aren’t very keen on the whole – talk before attack tactic, and they aren’t keen on letting outsiders in either. Two: said ponies are on a collision course with a Deeryad tribe. And we know how troublesome those primalists can get. Plus side is, their presence might make us look like better allies to the ponies.”

“Third problem – there’s Deeryads headed to the town, right? They got there from having their homes burnt by the awakening dragon population, one member of which happens to be tailing them.” That statement got the ponies talking and looking worried. The Deeryads were usually the kind of enemies that only became hostile when attacked and were usually agreeable. A dragon might change that.

“Of course, we just can’t march into that unprepared. Or underpowered. Which is why we’re all going there.”

“A – all of us?” asked Fluttershy, trembling. Even after her ten years of war, she still feared the abilities of the Deeryad’s primal magic and now a dragon was added into the mix. She cowered under the table, shaking as badly as though she’d been doused with liquid ice.

“C’mon, Flutters, there’s a dragon! We’re going to need you there!” said Rainbow, dragging Fluttershy out from under the table to a crowd of concerned friends. “Besides, why are you scared of a dragon? You stared down one ten years ago! That was way before this war!”

“I – I’m scared of the Deeryads...”

“Fluttershy, dear, you know they don’t fight unless we fight them first.”

“B – but there’s also a dragon with them...”

“And you already beat dragons many times! You work with dragons better than all of us, which I kinda don’t like because I want to be friends with the dragons and it’s you who keeps doing that, but I can’t complain much anyway...”

“T – there’s both of them at the – the – the same time!” Fluttershy squealed and ducked lower into her own legs, her eyes closed, her body trembling. Her ears flopped, sealing off the outside world and muffling every bit of persuasion her friends threw at her.

She opened her eyes, or so she thought, since she definitely didn’t close them in a plain white room without any discernible boundaries between floor, wall and ceiling. Something was nagging her from the back of her head. It was a voice, sounding just like her own.

“Fluttershy, this is ridiculous. You’ve faced both Deeryad and dragon before. Why not do it now?”

“B – but I never faced both of them at the same time! Wh – what if they...” Fluttershy squealed again at the prospect of myriad possible misfortunes that could happen. For some reason she wasn’t surprised at her inner voice disagreeing with her.

“There is nothing to fear. You have your friends with you. They will protect you and everyone else, Deeryad or pony,” her inner voice told her comfortingly.

“I – I can’t. I just can’t.” Fluttershy sighed, her head drooping down low. There was a brief flash of magenta in the surroundings, one that she didn’t notice. Her inner voice also changed tack.

“Your friends need you. You can’t let them go alone. They need you...”

“I can’t do it!”

“You have to. Imagine what would happen if you weren’t there. Imagine if the dragon goes on a rampage.” Fluttershy froze, her eyes open wide. “Imagine if your friends were forced to fight both a dragon and a Deeryad tribe. You know they can’t handle both. Imagine if because you didn’t come all of your friends were mangled and never heard from again.”

There was another magenta flash as Fluttershy’s closed eyelids turned into a stream of images of her dead friends. “Imagine it. And remember. Remember that it wouldn’t have happened if you only agreed to go. Remember that it would be your fault!” The whiteness disappeared, leaving an entranced Fluttershy in the middle of her friends, not saying anything.

They were all staring at her – the worried cyan Pegasus, the concerned white unicorn, the panicked orange earth pony, the bouncing pink earth pony, and the tired purple alicorn. The three younger mares were at the sidelines, ogling once again their magical equipment. After what seemed like an eternity had elapsed, Fluttershy snapped back to her senses and said, trembling more than ever and yet looking infinitely more determined, “I’ll come.”

“Perfect. Now all we have to do is get our equipment ready. We’ll be off in an hour,” said Twilight, smiling to herself. All was according to plan. She left and went into her private library, where she sat down and read several books covering the primal magic of the Deeryads, and their languages, societies and cultures.

The others, meanwhile, had gone their own ways and went into their personal quarters for their preparations. With the exception of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they were all fixing up their things. The Crusaders had already procured their now – magical items and were playing around with them.

It only took around ten minutes for all of them to reconvene at the dining hall, but Twilight’s preparation of the Webway – it was self – sustaining to some degree, but it still drained her magic reserves greatly – delayed them. In order to save on energy, she had temporarily closed off many of the Webway’s gates. Leaving the stronghold always weakened Twilight since most of her power was used in sustaining it, so whenever she left, she always had to reabsorb a big part of the magic she used.

“Okay, girls. You all ready?” asked Twilight, finishing her spell, to which they all replied, “We were waiting for you!”

“Let’s hit the road then,” she said, opening the doorway leading to the Webway. It had changed in appearance noticeably. Instead of the long corridor with dozens of doors, there was a very short walkway leading to a single door, bland and innocuous. The pocket dimension containing the Webway’s numerous exits was a conjuration of Twilight using all of her power; having it in this size returned at least half of her reserves. That would have to suffice, she thought, as they all stepped through the doorway.

If a pony was watching the forest, they might have found one tree weird. It had a rectangular patch of bark that was lighter in color than the rest of the tree at its base. That pony would have found it confusing when a vertical slit appeared in the middle of the rectangular patch of bark. That same pony would have broken down in panic at what happened next. The patch of bark split open to reveal a group of armored mares. Their armors and armaments varied greatly in design, but there was a common detail. An insignia, a purple six pointed star with differently – colored gems on each point. On each side of the star there were two Pegasus wings. That symbol bore a great resemblance to that of the Elements of Harmony, a figure of hope, but this symbol made those that saw it feel fear as it approached. It was the insignia of the Daughters of Equestria. They had arrived.

The forest from which the ponies emerged was very close to their destination town. Within minutes they were at the wall, and a few minutes afterwards they were blocked by town guards, and it was obvious that they recognized them, since despite the town guard having outnumbered them and already had their weapons at the ready, they were still openly shaking.

“W – who are you and what do you want?” asked one, although his tone evidently showed that he knew them.

“You know who we are. We are here to retrieve something that has passed into your possession.” It was impossible to discern which pony spoke. Twilight had cast an enchantment on herself and her friends, as she always did to hide their identities whenever they went anywhere. They looked similar to themselves enough, but not so much as to be

recognizable. The enchanting required to disguise her friends was minimal – in fact, today she hadn’t disguised them visually at all, their armors already serving that purpose. But she herself had to be disguised. Ponies were always on the lookout for royalty, and they still remembered her somewhat. Her voice was modified to sound as threatening as possible, similar to what she did with her friends; it now sounded like the voice of a daemon – possessed pony.

Even her own friends shivered when she spoke. The guards were worse off. They were rooted in fear. After all, the Daughters never really left any concrete information about themselves, and now they were facing the group around which rumors and tales of such magnitude sprung up. To hear them sound so terrible personally reinforced whatever fears they had of them.

“O – of course. But we’re going t – to be encountering some other threats in a few hours...”

“We are aware of the Deeryads,” said Twilight in that daemonic voice of hers. “We are willing to help you with them, if you will accede to our demands. Perhaps we should discuss matters with your leader?”

“We have no leader. We town guards take care of everything.”

“Very well then. We have simple demands. First, you will not fight the Deeryads. We will negotiate a truce.”

“No! We fight to our deaths before we bend knee to those abominations!” The guards yelled in unison, and their fears had been covered up by their misguided passion.

“Then you shall die here and we shall negotiate without you.” Twilight had grown proficient with acting, as they all had, over the years, but none equaled her developed prowess in intimidation. Her horn glowed menacingly, as did her now black eyes, and the passion of the guards shattered in their faces. They shrank back in fear, and Twilight stopped the glow.

“O – O –okay, we’ll d – do what you want! J – just don’t hurt us!”

“That’s much better. Condition two: you will give us free rein of your treasuries. We are looking for a specific item, and we shall leave once we obtain it.”

“W – Whatever you wish!”

“Excellent. Now let us in.”

The guards bowed low and let the Daughters into their city. Had they done more research, they would have known that they had a non – violence philosophy, and perhaps they would have resisted a bit more before caving in.

The town was relatively simple. The grandest decoration there was a fountain in the town square, and a single tree right beside it. It was larger than the fountain, and its lack of leaves spoke of the harshness of times. Another glance at the town confirmed that theory. The ponies were glum and thin, and it was apparent that they had fallen into a famine. The forest nearby could have helped, except most of it was inedible, and there wasn’t enough decent produce there to warrant a search for food in it. It simply wasn’t worth the energy with the low return.

That only served to make the truce with the Deeryads more important. Deeryads were similar to earth ponies in terms of magical abilities – both were attuned to the earth, save for Deeryad magic being an active and conscious effect, they were identical. If the truce went well, the Deeryads coming into the town would bring forth a rebirth in the farms and in the food supplies.

That is if, and only if, the truce went as well as they hoped. If it went wrong, they were going to end up with tons of corpses on hoof. Deeryad combat magic was a bit higher up on the magnitude scale than unicorn magic. Add to that their martial skills which were on par with those of a pony, and their passive mind link granting them awareness beyond what any single pony would be able to accomplish normally, and you had the recipe of a difficult enemy.

Based on the way the ponyfolk looked at them while they were in town, it was obvious that they did not take kindly to strangers. Two emotions dominated every single pair of eyes that followed them. It was a split – either fear or anger. That meant trouble later on. Unwillingness to take in strangers would spill over to the negotiations. It would be best to keep the civilians out of the discussion.

Twilight addressed her companions. “All right, here’s the plan. Rarity, you take the girls with you and start combing for the fragment. According to Derpy’s mail, it’s still in the magic chest that the others usually were in. Rainbow, Pinkie and Applejack, you’re going to be bolstering the defenses. Even if the Deeryads don’t fight us, we still have to be ready for the dragon they’ve towed across the country. But it shouldn’t come to that. Fluttershy, you’re with me, and in case the dragon does show up, you show it who’s boss.”

The ponies nodded, and went to their assignments. Rarity led the three away, and they were noticeably let down. They wanted excitement, and being on scavenger hunt duty wasn’t that exciting. Rainbow flew up and gathered clouds for a shocking surprise defense while Pinkie started setting up cannons on the wall. Applejack simply sat there. She never did use props like the other two, and her armor was all she needed.

Predictably, their actions caused quite a commotion. While the townsponies were grateful for the additional strength, they still feared the Daughters greatly and their gratitude was mingled with doubt. The Deeryads had proved a fearsome enough threat that the ponies didn’t question the Daughters’ help, and yet they were all in hiding, not from the foreigners, but their fellow ponies.

The earth began to rumble, signaling the approach of the mystical Deeryad tribe. They couldn’t have been that far away. A cloud of smoke in the distance served as the herald of the advance, and the cloud grew bigger, and bigger, until it had covered the sun to some extent. The shaking grew stronger, as did the noise. The Deeryads had come into view, and they only started to slow down when they came within proximity to the town walls.

There was a silent standoff, the Deeryads surrounding the fortified town. All were tense, pony and non –pony alike. The two sides merely eyed each other. At the gates stood Twilight and Fluttershy, backed up by the town guard and the three other Daughters, prepared to fight. In front of them was a full tribe, numbering more than a hundred, led by one who towered over the others by a considerable height difference. His antlers were ancient, branching in all directions symmetrically, and there were visible signs of the years on them. There were places with scars and burns, and even an entire nub seemingly cut off. His very hide bore cuts and gashes, and his left eye was blind. The other was a deep green, and his gaze conveyed his years of experiencing life and its hardships.

An eternity seemed to pass in the silent staring competition. The wind blew, taking dried leaves and blades of grass with it. Not one moved, giving the illusion that time froze as the two sides surveyed each other. It seemed it would go on forever, as an infinite stalemate, until Twilight said in her daemonic voice, “Greetings. We are the dwellers of this land, and we believe a talk is in order.”

The leader of the Deeryads spoke in their language, Deerdric, to his followers. His voice was obviously aged, yet it didn’t sound tired in the slightest. “Mukhang matino ang kanilang mga ginawang pamproteksyon. Hindi natin sila madadaig sa lusuban lamang.” (It appears their protection is good. We cannot best them with a mere charge.)

Twilight replied, “Kung kaya’t dapat lamang makipagusap nalang kayo. Hindi kailangan magkaroon ng patayan.” (Which is why you should just talk. There is no need for murder.) The ponies were shocked – it was their first time to encounter their kin speaking Deerdric. But if anyone was shocked, it was the Deeryads themselves; never would they have expected this. The elder asked, “Alam mo ang aming salita? Ika’y nakakaintindi ng Deerdric?” (You know our language? You understand Deerdric?) to which she replied, “Hindi ba halata? Pero ako lang sa amin ang nakakaintindi. Bakit hindi nalang tayo magusap sa lengwaheng alam nating lahat?” (Isn’t it obvious? But I am the only one among us who can understand. Why don’t we just talk in a language we all know?”)

Applejack butted in, “Cain’t ya’ll speak something the rest of us can understand?” to the agreement of the sizable audience.

The elder nodded his head. “Forgive me. I certainly did not expect a pony to know Deerdric. We shall speak now in a tongue all know.” The ponies were still bemused, but they kept their guard up as the elder began to introduce himself. “I am Kuganil, leader of my tribe. We are a runaway tribe of Deeryads, and our past home has been destroyed – incinerated completely – by a ferocious dragon. Deeryad territory is very close to the dragon mounds of old, and their awakening has left us nomads in a strange land. We seek refuge, and if possible, a mutual alliance.”

“Impossible! This land is a land of ponies!” shouted one in the crowd. The others shouted their agreement, and the crowd turned into a noisy mob. They were aptly silenced by a spell from Twilight’s horn.

“It would appear that your kin are not as keen about the prospect of an alliance as you are. We seem to be unwelcome.”

“It’s merely the hard times speaking. This land has been struck by a famine. Food is rare enough, and they seem to think you will be reducing the supply.”

Kuganil laughed slowly. “They know nothing of us Deeryads then. Only the foolish would say that a Deeryad tribe would reduce food supplies.”

The crowd was up again. “You’re calling us foolish?”

“If you had to ask, then perhaps the word isn’t enough to describe you ponies,” chuckled Kuganil. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

“Why you –“

“Enough.”

Twilight suspended the angry ponies again. “For those of you who do not know, Deeryad magic is very similar to earth pony magic, except that it’s a consciously used magic. That means whatever earth ponies can do with the land, they can do, albeit faster.”

“Pardon me, but this discussion is going nowhere. If I may...”

“Dusk.” Twilight had picked up the name Dusk as her disguise name. It wouldn’t do well for her to show her power and have somepony recognize her name.

“Dusk, if you would allow me to speak with these friends of yours?” Twilight agreed, and the town guard sheathed their weapons. There was nothing to be gained from resisting the Deeryads at this point anyway. They just stood aside. “Perhaps you would listen if I made what we are asking for clearer. We are simply here for the shelter. The elements are taking their toll on our tribe, and we simply cannot settle in open land when a dragon is in pursuit of us. If you would be so kind, in return, we can provide what you appear to be sorely lacking – food. Our magic works faster than yours, and I believe you have no time to be taking your time.”

“And how do we know you’re not just in it to get in and throw us out?” asked a member of the angry mob. Twilight did not silence them this time – it was a discussion between the Deeryads and the town. She could only influence, not take over.

“If we wanted you out, we would have attacked from the very start.”

The crowd murmured. It appeared that they were considering the offer. The looming threat of starvation was enough to make them put aside their pride for a while. But just as they were about to accept the offer, the earth rumbled.

“They’re attacking us!”

“We are not!” The earth kept rumbling, and at the same time a mighty roar came up from overhead. The dragon had arrived, and it seemed angry. The only thing that could have made it worse was if there was another enemy, and indeed, there was. The land split open, and hordes of Necruus pushed their way up to the surface from their forgotten crypt below, to the panic of all present.

The world turned to chaos instantly. Most of the ponies fled, as they were too weak to take on Necruus, especially without equipment or energy. The town guard fought valiantly, but the Necruus were simply too powerful, and too numerous. They outnumbered all the ponies and the Deeryads put together. And the dragon was fast approaching.

“Fluttershy! Go take care of the dragon!” screamed Twilight over the din. Fluttershy responded by flying up into the skies to meet the dragon. She dodged its flaming breath, and maneuvered around its bulk, keeping it busy and simultaneously getting close to it. She managed to bait it to the ground near the forest. She leapt on its great head and stared it down, forcing it into submission, all the while admonishing it with her disfigured voice. It worked – the dragon dropped its resistance and bowed its head to Fluttershy, who began patting it. They landed in a clearing to the east of the town, where Fluttershy talked to the dragon to see if it would lend aid.

Back in town, the fight was in full swing. The Deeryads noticed the dragon being led away by Fluttershy, and so they decided to fight alongside the ponies – not those of the town who rejected them, those they paid no heed – and brought their magic to bear on the Necruus assault. The very earth trembled before their fury and one by one the Necruus were downed, not dead, for the undead never truly die, and the assault started to thin out.

Applejack bucked a Necruus warrior hard in the chest, sending it flying off the wall. It landed on the sharpened rampart surrounding the town, impaling it and putting it out of commission. For the Necruus the Daughters broke their nonviolence doctrine. There was no mercy as they hacked and blasted among the undead ranks. Rainbow dashed upwards, into the skies, disappearing. Moments later, she returned with her cloud collection and kicked it, raining lightning onto the Necruus, shattering and turning them into bloody mush by the dozen. Pinkie had turned her cannons inward to meet the threat, and in a devastating volley dozens more of the foul undead turned to gruel.

Twilight was back – to – back with Kuganil, and together they created a space none of the zombies could enter. Every single one that came with range was blasted by the air around them turning into a fiery explosion or dragged back down the earth by tarry fissures. The corpses began to pile up around them, a heap of charred flesh and disfigured bones.

The other Deeryads were fighting as well, their magic used together, overcharging them. From underneath the Necruus tiny volcanoes popped up, turning what was rotten flesh into molten soup. The ponies were not letting up either; their fury was unleashed and their cold steel struck true. Hatred for the abominations fueled each blow, carving deep into ribcages, puncturing dead hearts, and cutting off heads. The battlefield was painted a deep, dark red from the mixed blood of Necruus, Deeryad, and pony. Casualties ran ever higher for all sides. The undead took the most casualties, but they refused to relent in the slightest, and their attack was taking its toll on the living. More and more of the Deeryads and the ponies were getting killed. The endless number of the Necruus were simply too hard to take on even with the uneasy alliance.

Rarity and the three young mares with her were still searching within the storerooms. The three were understandably upset at not seeing any action. The ground rumbled and they could feel it yet were unable to do anything about it.

“Rarity, let us help! We can take care of ourselves out there!” pleaded Sweetie Belle.

“No. Twilight gave us a job. She sent us here to keep the three of you safe, and all of us agree with her thinking.”

“We ain’t little fillies no more! We can help out there. Right guys?” said Applebloom, eliciting a nod from her friends.

“I know,” said Rarity, a tear in her eye as her stern demeanor left and was replaced by a tender concern. “We all know you’ve grown up. But to us, you’ll always be our little sisters. And we just want what’s best for you. Now, please be dears and listen to your big sister.”

The Crusaders resigned. They knew that Rarity was right. They had a job to do.

The clash had boiled down into a war of attrition. The Necruus abandoned what little strategy they had and simply threw themselves at the defenses, their once relatively organized ranks now broken. The defenders had huddled up in the town square. All hostility between Deeryad and pony had dissipated in the face of the common enemy whose endless numbers made all hope seem lost.

Just as the town guard was about to be overrun, a resounding roar came from the skies, making both dead and living look up. It was the dragon, resplendent crimson, ridden by the Pegasus who had led it away an hour ago. Cheers welled up from the defenders below, as the dragon unleashed its fury fully on the undead. A flying sweep and fiery breath took out a massive chunk of the enemy horde and the tide of the battle turned in favor of those still alive.

“Fluttershy! I knew you’d do it!” said Rainbow, flying up beside the dragon and gathering more clouds for another lightning storm. She spun in the skies, enlarging the black cloud she gathered on top of the attackers. The dragon flew with her, maneuvering around the cloud and building up speed. It spiraled down and swept the undead with another pass of flame.

Fluttershy’s reinforcement brought enough firepower to completely repel the Necruus. It only took minutes to rout the attackers. The battle was won, and Deeryad ran with pony to chase down the few survivors that Rainbow Dash and the dragon didn’t catch. Two and a half hours since the beginning of the invasion, the Necruus were defeated, leaving behind a scarred town and dead Deeryad alongside dead pony.

The fighting cleared and the damages came into full view. No less than thirty ponies died, and around forty – five Deeryads were killed. None who fought escaped unscathed. Twilight now had two long gashes on her right side; Pinkie Pie had an arrow wound in her knee, Applejack’s left cutie mark had one less apple, and Rainbow Dash’s forelegs were bleeding from the attacks of a particularly large Necruus. Kuganil himself bore many wounds and had two arrows lodged in his chest, fortunately they were far from fatal. He took some of the injuries blocking attacks that would have hit his family, and as a consequence he was now crippled. Crippled, but alive to see another day dawn. He didn’t seem too pleased about it though.

“Thank you for your help, Kuganil. We couldn’t have won without your help. We certainly weren’t expecting this place to be situated above a Necruus tomb.”

“Likewise, Dusk. Perhaps your kin will now be more open to an alliance.” Kuganil’s voice was heavy with exhaustion. Impressive considering his condition; a pony would most likely have died already. Deeryads were hardier, and there was no better proof.

“Perhaps. You should probably be speaking to them now.” Twilight led Kuganil to the grateful ponies. Where others would have felt doubt upon their arrival coinciding with the awakening of the tombs, it was common knowledge to all that Necruus took no sides, only seeking to kill.

Kuganil addressed the town as Twilight went to her friends. Only Fluttershy, Rarity and the Crusaders had gone through the battle unscathed. Fluttershy had sent the dragon home with a promise that he would no longer touch the Deeryads or the ponies again. The friends gathered and started to work temporary remedies for their wounds - lasting repair would have to wait until they got home with the fragment.

“This battle has cost all of us dearly. In it we fought together, if not as one, then as an alliance with a single goal. The blood of our brothers and the blood of your brothers have mingled on the battlefield, and your help was most welcome. We would be honored to have you as our allies and friends, if you would have the same of us.” Kuganil spoke to the town. They agreed with him.

“If you would help us with the rebuilding of our town, we will gladly welcome you. It has been too long since we have had any we could consider friends, or at least non hostile acquaintances.” The town guard captain had spoken up, offering a hoof to Kuganil, who took it and shook it with his own. “Glad to have you here.”

The captain turned to face the Daughters. His jet – black mane was visible from his now shattered helmet, and his scarred white coat was marred with blood. He gave a small smile as he spoke, “You. You came here for your own purposes, and while we would normally have to refuse you a stay here, you have gone out of your way to protect us and help us gain friends when you could simply have left and come back for whatever you sought out when we were corpses. You are always welcome here in this unnamed town of ours.” He bowed low and the crowd cheered.

“Perhaps we can do something about this town’s anonymity,” suggested Kuganil, leading his tribe to mingle with the pony folk. They had a town to rebuild.

Rarity had finally appeared with the three mares. It was obvious that they found the fragment with ease. Rarity simply kept them inside to avoid danger if possible. A few stray Necruus found their way in the building at some point, and were promptly dispatched. It alleviated the mood of the three, knowing that they had helped directly in the battle.

“There you girls are!” Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief. She was worried that her flight with the dragon accidentally hit them.

“Yes, we’re all safe. These three were much more reliable in a pinch than I thought.” Rarity beamed with pride as her sister and her friends smiled.

“You found what we were looking for, right?” asked Rainbow Dash. “If you got it, let’s open it and go!”

“Now hold on, Rainbow. We have ta at least say goodbye before we go, don’t we?” Applejack bit down on Rainbow’s tail, forcing her to come back to the ground and stay in one place.

“Don’t y’all worry, we found it all right!” Applebloom was glowing with pride, even more so than her friends. She handed the ornate wooden box to Twilight. She stuck her horn in the hole on its side and lit up her magic, prompting it to open. Upon opening it, they noticed something peculiar.

There was no fragment. Instead there was a note.

“What? Where’s the fragment? Did we get the wrong box or something?” asked a worried Scootaloo.

“No, this is the right box. Somepony else must have taken the fragment and left us this note.” Twilight began to read the unsigned note aloud. The hoofwriting in it was elegant - regal even.

Who are you that collect the pieces of the sun? Whoever you are, you must have some purpose, and I would assume that it is to find the Princess. You will not succeed. Even if you recreate her last traces of magic, you will not find her. And that is only if you can complete it. I have one fragment. Without it you cannot advance. If you wish to get it, you will have to come to my halls in Canterlot. I am not one of the Horncaste, but I doubt you are, as you possess some wit. Whoever you are, you will have to find me hidden amongst them, and the unicorns are not going to be helpful to you.

“This isn’t good.”

Free At Last

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Get Out Of Jail Free

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Deus Ex Equina

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Morals Before Reason

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