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.”