Chapter 4

The camp was very lively the next morning. The Princes and Princesses were just coming out of the medic tent when the pegasi troops ran over to see the Prince and yelled, "We’ve got Prince Swiftwind back. Hip, hip, hooray." Arcane Bolt and what was left of the unicorn mages did the same for Princess Starlight.

Rune and what was left of the earth pony forces saluted their Princess till she said, "At ease soldiers."

"Good to finally have you back, Princess Violet,” said Rune.

"Good to be out of there," She replied.

Rune then turned and walked over to the Crystal Prince, standing taller than the younger royals, and at eye level with his remaining troops. Then he said, "Good to see you again, Prince Soul Stone."

"Ah Rune, my good friend. How long has it been? Oh, by the way, where is Clear Skies? I know father would only trust her to come get me," Soul Stone said.

"I'm sorry to report that she was killed in action. The enemy was about to flank us as we made camp for the night, her and her troops ran into them on the road as they made their way to join us. They killed all those that stood in their way, but you lost half your troops and the commander. She is a war hero sir, as are all your troops that fell. I'm afraid not but one fourth of your troops stand here. We could not have won without them," Rune replied, saluting the Prince as all the troops there saluted him.

"At ease," Soul said as a single tear fell from his face. The Prince then snapped back to reality. "What happened to the field, the castle and what became of the enemies?" he queried.

Before Rune could answer, Violet asked, "And why do so few stand before us?"

Rune choked on his words as he tried to tell the royals before him what they wanted to know, but could not.

Twister replied, "The field, castle and loss of troops were caused by the enemy's Ursa Major." The royals gasped, "Furthermore, the Ursa's defeat and the full retreat of the enemy, plus the saving of the lives of what few troops still stand, is thanks to those two there." Twister pointed to the crystals by the fire.

All the royals went over and looked at the would-be heroes. "What are they, and why are they like this?" Starlight asked.

"Yes, please tell us." Swiftwind said in a commanding tone.

"Based on their appearance, I believe them to be alicorns, your highnesses. And, as for their current condition, they are resting in a defensive crystal shell to recover their powers. What we saw them do was unbelievable," Arcane Bolt replied.

"You must be joking, Arcane. Surely you don't expect us to believe them to be mythical alicorns, now do you?" Swiftwind scoffed.

"What else could they be, my young lord? I mean, just look at them! They both have a pegasus’ wings and a unicorn’s horn. Plus, they took down the once armored Ursa Major with little more than their own hooves." Arcane said in response.

"The beast was armored?" Starlight shockingly asked.

"Yes my lady, but that is not all. They traded blows with the beast as if they were ones themselves. Then, the Ursa pinned them and just as it was about to kill them, they turned into black and white orbs which smashed together, causing a blinding light and a shockwave." Twister excitedly yelled.

Rune finally found his voice again and finished the story, "Once we could clearly see again, the orbs were gone and in their place was a new alicorn. The left half of its body was white with three black wings and the right was the exact opposite. A black body with white wings. This new form blasted the armor off of the Ursa and launched it a few yards. After the Ursa and the enemy ponies all fled, they split apart, and said they needed rest. Then, these crystals grew over them."

All of the royals looked at the two alicorns in disbelief, but they could tell by the look on the faces of every soldier standing there that they were not lying.

Not long after that, the camp was packed and everyone was saying their goodbyes as they prepared to leave to their respective kingdoms. Rune, Twister and Arcane Bolt stood together talking with each other. "Well the past few days have been nuts to say the least, but we did what we came here to do. I also got to meet some amazing ponies. Twister, I see why you’re the Sky Commander. I've never seen a pegasus move as fast as you or be able to pull off those maneuvers. Your own troops could barely keep up with you." Rune said.

"Stop it. I was just doing what I do best." Twister said while blushing.

"I mean it, you were great out there. And Arcane, you are far wiser than you let on. Your power and understanding of so many spells is well beyond any unicorn I've ever met. You’re a great strategist and excellent healer to boot. My leg feels great." Rune said. Just to prove his point he smashes a rock that was near them.

"I was just doing what I could to help, and don't sell yourself short Rune." Arcane Bolt replied.

"He's right you know. You’re very strong and brave. I was one of the first to reach the forest and when I turned to see you throwing that spear at the Ursa, I was shocked. To see you risking your life to save your troops put me to shame." Twister said sheepishly.

"We all did good, didn't we? I hope to see you both again someday my friends. I was hoping to go with the crystal prince to make sure our new friends are okay, but duty calls." Rune said.

"I feel the same way." Twister and Arcane said simultaneously.

The three saluted each other and all at once said "Till we meet again." They then turned and started to walk to the group of princesses and princes. On approach, they could see that the royals were arguing about something and soon they were close enough to hear.

"They have strong magic. They should come to my realm where it can be put to good use." barked Princess Starlight.

"No, they should come with me. My troops are the most fit." Prince Swiftwind barked back at her.

"Everypony calm down, surely we can settle this without starting a fight. Prince Soul Stone, what are your thoughts? You have yet to say anything on the matter of what should be done with those two in the crystals. Since you're several years our senior, I believe you may be able to come up with a more well-thought out solution." Princess Violet said.

"I do agree with you and our men, without their aid we would still be in the dungeon and I would feel terrible if we just left them here like that. Although I think they should come with me. I have more troops at my disposal and my kingdom is just a day’s walk from here if we do not stop for anything. By the time we leave I could be home just after nightfall. Plus I only intend to keep them in my kingdom till they're fit to leave. From what the commanders said, these two like to be alone and normally don't meddle in our affairs. So if they want to leave I will let them, but if they want to stay they can. I believe the ponies of my kingdom will be more welcoming to them since I have ponies of all races living there. Though I don't know why you don't want to take them Violet." he replies.

"For the same reasons you said dear. I've the least amount of troops between the four of us and my kingdom is the farthest from here." Violet answered.

"So will you allow me to take them with me?" Soul Stone asked. The other royals replied with a small nod of their heads just as the commanders got to them.

Rune saluted before saying, "The camp is packed and everyone is ready to go. Shall I have those two hooked up to your crystal knights Soul Stone?"

"Thank you, but I will handle it Rune. You and the rest will be leaving before me. I hope to see you again and wish you a safe journey my friend." he replied before leaving to his troops. The signal was given and the three royals and their troops moved out leaving Soul Stone and his troops alone. "Okay ponies, we're going to be taking those two with us till we know they are okay. Get hooked up and move out, I want a defensive perimeter around them and me at all times. I truly doubt the invaders are gone. I want everypony on high alert, is that understood?" Soul Stone barked.

"Sir, yes sir!" the troops replied as they followed their orders. Once the two alicorns were on the stretchers, they were placed on two sets of crystal knights to carry them. With the help of a levitation spell from the unicorn troops, some of the weight was lifted off the crystal knights since both alicorns were still in the crystal cocoons. The prince stood between them and the formation he ordered was set.

"Okay troops, move out but keep on your toes. I don't want any surprises on this trip. Let’s go home." Soul Stone said with a smile.