Children of the Night

Chapter 17

Solar Flare

It was nighttime , when the drone had went to his post. Guard duty was one of the more boring tasks around Dodge City. He had thought that, being stationed here, would prove to be an easy deployment. The City had been taken swiftly and all the Ponies had been taken by their mindcontrol. before they had been able to fight back. But lately.... All the raids by the ponies who had broken their mindcontrol, had become a real pest. Destroying food supplies, ment for the harvesting camps, ambushing their messangers and patrols.... It was more then annoying. Only due to that fact, they had now increased the guards, by four times. Were there previously only five thousand Changelings here, so had fifteen thousand more been transfered here the previous days. Even so, they STILL hadn't caught the last of the free ponies. The drone hoped desperatly that they would find them soon. Then he could go back to take a nap in the sun, while on duty.

A giant white flash was seen in the forest outside Dodge City. It was so bright, that the drone thought for a moment he had fallen asleep and it was already time for the sunrise. Even the direction it came from would have been right. But then, a deafening sound blotted out everything else. The ground began to shake, as numerous ponies galloped down into the pit in which Dodge City had been build. The drone, momentarily stunned, tried to turn and raise the alarm, but the attackers were already on him. His comrades already came running, but for him, it was too late, for he had already been crushed under their galloping hooves.

Celestia stood at the edge of the pit of Dodge City. Just seconds ago, she had completed her teleportation spell, bringing with her, her platoon of enforcers. Half of them had immideatly began the charge, using the element of suprise that was surely on their side. On short notice, a small group of Ponies from Baltimare and Ponyville, had also joined her group. Only about a thousand Ponies all together, but every helping hoof in this would be welcome. She would have prefered to teleport right into the city, or devide her forces so they could attack from all sides, but that was the problem. Dodge City, as a seaside city, could not be attacked from behind. The city was also flanked by two rivers, that were flowing into the ocean here.

Celestia sighed. Dodge City surely was a verry well defensable position. Thinking back to it's founding days, she remembered that it was even build with that in mind. She again checked the positions of the Changelings within the city. Just as she had anticipated, they had increased the number of defenders, since the fall of Baltimare and the breaking mindcontrol. Her magic was able to pick up their effords to repell the attacking ponies. The first wave however, had suprised them utterly. They had been able to push forward up into the main square, before any kind of organized defense had been able to get started. Atleast that had worked out as she had planned. The first wave had been briefed about it, and she had not forced anypony to participate in the diversion.

Drawning out each and every Changeling in the city was their ultimate goal. Once they had taken the main square, they would defend it, and occausionaly try to push forward into the sidestreets. These attempts however, were all faints. They needed their complete and unshared attention to make her plan work. Keeping her eyes closed, her magical senses picked up every living being in the city limits and beyond. In her mind, formed a detailed map of the city. There was something wrong. About two thousand of the defenders were not acting according to her assumptions. They did not move towards the main square, but instead stayed close to the city borders, coming closer to her position by the second.

"So you are kind of enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Not really. It is just that doing something this familiar, is kind of soothing."

"Don't give me that. We have been one and the same for over a thousand years now. I know you missed this."

"Are you implying that I enjoy killing, or sending others to their death?"

"No I don't, neither do I, as you verry well know. I just say that you are enjoying the feeling of outplanning your enemy. The feeling of being always one step ahead. It's a shame you never took my advice and tried to play chess."

"I am the ruler of all of Equestria, I don't have time to endulge myself in games."

The inner discussion with her alter ego was, as always, amusing. Differently from Nightmare Moon, her alter ego had never once tried or even suggested to become the ruling persona. She was consent with staying in the background and let Celestia draw on her power. Solar Flare, was her name and she had actually been the sister of Nightmare Moon. Imprisonment in the Alicorn stone, had not completly cured the corrupted soul of Solar, but it had made her see her mistakes. Her alter ego was as calm and controlled as herself most of the time. At times, she could feel her anger about her decissions, but they had become good friends over the years.

Opening her eyes, she saw the group of Changelings closing in on her postion. She sighed. The other half of her platoon was working their way into the city in stealth, so she was alone on the hill. Celestia hated what she would have to do, but every second she delayed it, was a second her troops were without her directing hoof.

Celestia raised herself up to her full height. Pointing her horn into the direction of the approaching Changelings, she began to draw on Solars power. The Alicorn obliged and provided her with as much magical energy, as her host wanted. With a blindening flash of light, Celestia released the raw magic that had build up on her horn, shooting it right at the would be attackers.

Applecandy had charged into the city with the first wave. The red Earthpony mare had struck at Changeling left and right, before they had finally reached the main square. It was big enough to hold all of them. So far, everything had gone according to plan. As far as she saw, not a single one of them had fallen on their way here. They had not indulged in fights, instead they had just pushed on, knocking every obstacle out of their way, like a stampeede. Those of their enemies that were not able to get out of the way in time, were burried beneath their hooves. Right now, the Enforcers were bringing carts from the market that once was held here, to the entrances of the sidestreets. They had to fortify the place as good as they could, if they wanted to stand any chance to defend the place. All the while they had to do faint attempts of reaching other parts of the city, to really draw each and every Changeling to their position. She just hoped that the rebells here would not take their situation as being trapped, and try to help them. It could utterly take their plan apart.

Even so she held no grudge, nor any affection towards Celestia, she had to admit that the Alicorn was a genius. While the first wave had charged right in, not even trying to stay hidden, the second wave was sneaking into the city right now. They would work their way towards their position through sidestreets and backallyes, ambushing the Changelings from all sides. Applecandy did not expect this to go without losses on their side, but she would try to ensure, that they were kept at a minimum.

Celestia was panting a little, as she watched her handywork. Not only the place the energy had hit, but also all the way in between her position and the crater was burned to a crisp. Drawing upon Solars magic was always a little exhausting, since she had to push her Unicorn magic aside, to replace it with Solars Alicorn magic. Again she closed her eyes, and the imaginary map of the city appeared again. Just as she wanted to concentrate on planning their next move, she felt Solar begin to stirr inside her mind. This had never happend before, but the Alicorn was raging and struggeling. Something had happend to set Solar off. It wasn't rage she felt, but sorrow and remorse. Turning her attention to the struggeling passanger in her mind, she adressed Solar.

"What is going on? Please settle down, I need my concentration right now."

"She is DEAD! My sister is DEAD! I can feel it!"

Celestia froze. Nightmare Moon was dead? But since she was part of Luna...

"What about Luna?"

"SHE is the one who killed her! I saw it! It happend only moments ago..."

Celestia frowned. She sometimes forgot that the sisters were mentally linked. But for Luna to kill Nightmare Moon.... Could that mean that Luna was no more? Was she not the Princess of the night anymore?

"Do you know what became of my sister?"

"She... has been pulled out of the... symbiosis. You are the only full Alicorn now... Celestia... I am sorry for my outburst. Please continue... Nightmare had it coming sooner or later, and I tried to tell her numerous times.... But she still was my sister..."

"I do understand that you mourn her Solar... I hope you don't hold it against Moonlilly though. If she did it, then only because it was a situation in which her own life was in danger."

"I know.... Still that doesn't change the fact that part of me wants to crush her under my hooves, right now. But don't worry... I can live with it. I won't get corrupted ever again. I can rest knowing that she might now finally know peace...."

Celestia would have liked to embrace the mourning Alicorn, but that was impossible. Any kind of mental contact between their spectral bodies, would be bad, both knew that. Celestias ears perked up, as she felt something, she didn't like. The strong magic she had felt and used to locate the children of the night, was fading. Something was.... deadly wrong.

She immideatly retreated from Solar, and looked at her map again. The dots indicating the Enforcers, were fading. Many were going out completly. She had to act. Lunas seperation from Nightmare Moon, and the rebirth of Moonlilly, had caused much more then just that.

Apple Candy was feeling weak. She had already gulped down three of the manacrystals that Moonsinger had given them. Something was definitly wrong. Her spark was fading quickly, and even the magic in the crystals was fading fast. She didn't even use her gift, but was feeling weaker by the second. The Changeling she was fighting right now, was feeling her weakness, and with the accuracy of the predator, was intensifying it's attacks. Left and right she could see her brothers and sisters fall, all of them weakend by some unknown cause. But, it was not unknown....

Just as the Changelings were linked to their Queen mentally, so they were linked to their mother by magic. That was the sole reason they were even able to leave the garden. Through that connection, magic flowed into all of them, and now something had severed that connection. It could mean many things, but the first thing that came to her mind, was the most likely thing.... Their mother was dead, and all of this had become useless... Her limbs froze up, and she got hit by a strong hit by her attacker. She was sure the others felt it too, and atleast some of them had given up at the prospect.

A part of her, wanted to do so aswell. What was the meaning of this fight, if their mother as dead? Everything became meaningless... And that was when the desperation in her mind, was overwhelmed with unrelenting rage. They had KILLED her mother. Apple Candies eyes began glowing, as she drew upon the verry last reserves of her spark. Even if it would mean her own death, she would make them pay. She would not go down without a fight.

The Changeling she had been fighting came jumping at her, snarling in anticipation of his victory, but one hit from one of her forelegs knocked him into the side of a building, killing it instantly.

"FOR MOTHER!"

She screamed and charged into the Changeling masses, that were slowly overwhelming them.

"DON'T GIVE IN! MAKE THEM PAY FOR IT! SHOW THEM THAT IT IS DANGEROUS IN THE DARK!"

Her battlecry while she smashed several Changelings, encouraged more and more of her brothers and sisters. More and more eyes began to glow and more and more Changelings dropped dead on the floor. The tides of the battle were slowly turning in their favor again, even so all of them knew, that they would not survive this night. But the thought of their mothers possible death, enraged them enough to make them forget this fact.

Celestia watched her map in horror as more and more of the enforcers died. She could interfere on herself, but that would result in an arcane burnout, seeing the number of remaining enemies. Retreat was also an option, but feeling the wall of anger coming from the city, she doubted they would listen to the command. There was only one viable option left for her to persue....

"Solar.... I need your help."

".... You can draw on as much power as you need... I don't care."

"That is not what I mean. You know aswell as I do that it exhausts me if I do that."

"......"

"Solar?"

"You... can't be serious. You have never asked me to do that, not even when my sister had overwhelmed Luna. What if I decide to keep control."

"You won't, I trust you."

"...."

"Please... SAVE MY LITTLE PONIES!"

Celestia felt that there was a enormous magical energy building up inside her. It was shoving her rudely aside, pushing her to the back of her own mind.

Solar did not know if what she was doing was the right thing. She had never wanted to come forward, since she dreaded the possibility of anewed cooruption. But hearing her host and friend, including Lunas children in the plea and the group of "her little ponies", had done the trick. For the first time after over twenty thousand years, Solar began to draw magical energy into herself activly again. The energy Celestia used, was usually what she had absorbed passivly. Something that was as subconciouss to her as breathing.

Celestias body got enveloped in a glowing orb, of brilliant white light. Her eyes changed their form, to that of dragon eyes, while her crown seemed to melt, forming a golden armor on her neck, head and hooves. After several seconds, the light receeded, and Solar Flare, former queen to the Alicorn tribe, took a deep breath for the first time in centuries. It tasted sweet and intoxicating. It felt good to see through her own eyes again, and breath through her own lungs.

"Solar!"

Celestias shout from the back of her mind, brought Solars mind back into focus. Right. She was not in control permanently, and she didn't want to be so either. Sure it felt nice, but she wouldn't want to become the warmonger she had once been once again. She was several inches taller then even Celestia, and as she spread her massive wings, it became quite obvious that her residing in the back of Celestias mind, was mere courtesy of her. The power that eminated from her, showed evidence that she could have overtaken the princess in an instant, whenever she had wished to do so....

Soaring up into the sky, she soon had a good overview of the battlefield. The analytic capabilities of her host, helped her to assert the situation in mere seconds. As it had been in the days of old, the queen of all Alicorns dived down into the thick ofthe fighting, landing between several fighting Children of the night and Changelings. A quick flash of her horn, made each and every creature freeze in the tracks. Pegasi that had been flying, fell out of the sky, but were enveloped in her magic before they could hit the ground. Slowly she walked between the paralyzed contestants. She could feel the weakness in the ponies. The magic keeping them alive outside their refuge was fading, and there was nothing she could do to help them. Infusing them with her own magic, would only annihalate the magic that was already in them. No the risk was too great. Her mane and tail, flowing like blue flames, began to stretch and expand. Soon each and every creature in the city was enveloped in her flames.

But they were not burned. Instead she caressed them with it, untill each and every creature was identified. Was it a bird, a rodent, a Pony or a Changeling. She knew the exact position of each and every one of them in her mane and tail. After another flash of her horn, all those who she deemed hostile , were burned to a crisp, leaving behind only ashes. Those, who she deemed friendly, she teleported inside the barrier, that was called the garden. Soon, she was the only living being, left in Dodge City....

Memories flashed back into her mind. Memories long forgotten. She remembered the rare days off, when she had flown over the lands with her sister, hunting Ponies for relaxation. Killing them with her magic, had been no fun, it was too quick... Seeing them squirm and beg for their lives.....

Solar Flare shook her head. No. She had been a corrupted monster back then, taking pleasure in the misery of others. She would not allow herself to become that corrupted beast ever again. With a smooth spell, she teleported into the forest, and released all of the magical energy she had absorbed in a single massive blast. It was more then enough to let off some steam, and it allowed her to give over the control of their body back to Celestia.

As Celestia opend her eyes, she looked around. There, where had been a forest just moments ago, was now only a bruning wasteland as far as her eyes reached. The forest had gone on for miles, and in less then a second, Solar Flare had burned it down.

"Why did you do that?"

"As long as I am strong, I can't give you control again.... And I had to vent some of my anger.... THAT is the reason I don't want to come out... I have a hard time controling myself.... I never want to be corrupted ever again..... Please don't ask me to do that ever again... I am afraid of myself..."