Beneath the Moonlight

The sounds of magical bolts and bombs rebounded throughout the district. An midnight blue unicorn dashed through the streets under the cover of darkness. She was clothed in an old adventure uniform she had stripped from a manikin by the local bookstore. The streetlights were out due to the recent cut of electricity to the Magnus district and the roads had various bodies littering the place. The pony continued running through the streets until she stopped at the house at the very end. The roof had scorch marks from the constant fire on the street. Plants had overtaken most of the area around the path and the road had craters left and right. The air was thick with dust from the raid that had happened shortly before. Fires lit up the place as she walked up the steps into the home. The door opened with a creak and much to her surprise everything was still intact.

"Mom?" She called out. There was no response.

"Mom, you there?" She called.

"Yes, Crescent, dear. I'm in the kitchen." Crescent smiled and trotted to her mother. The wooden floor was unscathed and everything looked normal. Like it was before the 'incident'. Crescent reached the hall leading to the kitchen.

The light blue wall was covered with various moments from her childhood. She looked at the closest one which happened to be the day she was adopted. She stood next to Luna and both were smiling big. That was the day they had moved to Ponyville to begin their new lives. She put her hoof on the glass, all the memories on the wall and all the good times they had came rushing back to her. How she missed those days so much it almost hurt. She didn't realize she had zoned out until she heard her name being called.

"Crescent? Crescent? Helloooo?" Crescent turned her head and gazed into her mother's eyes.

"What? What?"

"You zoned out again. Twilight Sparkle must have rubbed off on you. As for before I asked you if you had heard anything from Poundcake." Crescent shook her head which resulted in a serious look from the princess. "This is most troubling. They should have checked in by now."

As if on cue there was a knock at the door. Three knocks with about 5 seconds in between meant a squad had returned. Crescent turned and slowly and quietly approached the door. The sentries had been capturing their fighters and using them to gain entrance to suspected hideouts. Crescent peeked up into the peep hole in the door. Poundcake was standing in front of the door waiting impatiently for entry. She smiled and opened the door for her commander. While only about a year or two older than Poundcake, Crescent had met him in Ponyville and the two had become close friends. Poundcake had joined Crescent in the Ecliptic Republic days after it was formed. His sister, on the other hand, had joined the sentry and was fighting to exterminate the ER and it's factions.

"Bout time you let me in!" Poundcake said sarcastically. Crescent rolled her eyes.

"I could have left you out there you know." She said with a smirk.

"No you wouldn't. You love me too much." He replied.

"You keep thinking that. Anyway, what did you find?"

"Well the Reginal district is still untouched. You'd be amazed, it's almost like the war never touched it."

"What else?"

"Parker district has joined the ER as well as some ponies in the Crystal Empire."

"Anything from Cadenza or Shining?"

"The princess says she's doing the best she can to eliminate the sentry stationed throughout the empire. There's going to be a riot over there."

"Good, what about the evacuation?"

"So far so good." Poundcake stepped into the living room and sat down. "The train is getting 'em out faster than we can get 'em in!"

Crescent leaned up against the door frame. "Great! Now we just have to plan our moves accordingly. Mom!"

"Yes dear?" Luna called.

"Do you still have a map of the sewers?" Crescent asked.

"Ummmm, I think so. Check upstairs in Runner's room!"

"Thank you!" Poundcake raised an eyebrow.

"Runner? Should I even ask what you've been doing at night?" Poundcake asked jokingly. Crescent felt the heat rise to her cheeks.

"Shut up. C'mon let's go search."

"Ugh! I was all comfortable too! Had a nice butt grove going." Poundcake whined.

The two ponies walked to the staircase and ascended up to the second floor. More pictures of Crescent and Luna were plastered on the wall. Each one brought back memories that Crescent cherished. There was one of the time they had their first Hearth Warming together. Crescent was smiling proudly next to Celesita who had whip cream on her face in the shape of a beard. Luna was on the floor with her mouth open laughing at her sister. Although Celestia tried to show a more serious and unamused facial expression and was failing. Crescent continued up the stairs past the other pictures while Poundcake admired the pictures.

"I never realized how much of a dork you were until now."

"Shut up, Pound."

"Just sayin. Hey, Cres." Crescent stopped at the top of the stairs.

"Yeah?"

"When this whole thing is over how about I treat you to dinner? Giving you a once in a lifetime opportunity here!" Crescent turned around with a slight smile on her face.

"Ask me again when we aren't fighting my aunt." Poundcake continued up the stairs coming face to face with Crescent on the top of the stairs. "Besides, I prefer my cakes pretty and done right." She added and flicked Poundcake's nose with the tip of her tail.

Poundcake silently laughed and followed Crescent down a hall into a room on the right. The door creaked open and the pair entered what looked like a study. Two bookcases were alongside each other with various novels and research booklets crowding their space. A desk was sitting in the middle in front of a window where the light could shine in. On the desk were documents and maps of Equestria and Equestrian legend and folklore. An inkwell was sitting atop a stack of maps with the label Canterlot on the top. An old phonograph was in the far corner with a record in place. Paintings and relics lined the walls and shelves scattered across the room and all were in perfect condition.

"Crescent, what did your father-"

"Step-Father" She corrected.

"Okay, what did your step-father do exactly?" Poundcake asked.

"He mapped out the cities and locations of Equestria, studied ancient legends and tombs, then robbed those tombs of it's contents for further study."

"So like Daring Do?"

"Kind of. Ponies referred to him as a Tomb Raider. Ponies saw his work as remarkable and a way to connect with our ancestors. He took me to map out Canterlot after I had gotten my cutie mark." Poundcake glanced down at the mare's flank. Her cutie mark was of a shield piercing a chalice. It stood out on her dark blue coat like the moon at night.

"Here's what we need. A map of Canterlot's sewer system."

"Why do we need this?" Poundcake asked,

"If we use the sewers we can get into the castle. From there we can get all sorts of information on sentry movement and the sort."

"Alrighty then. Stinky sewer infiltration it is!" Crescent rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, Poundcake. Let's get this to Mom." Crescent turned and exited the room leaving Poundcake alone with the documents and books. He walked over to a corner of the room and picked up a saddlebag. After examining it, Poundcake glanced around the room one last time.

"I'm sure Runner wouldn't mind if I borrowed a few of his maps. Maybe some of his books too." Poundcake grabbed all the maps from the desk and from it's drawers and neatly put them in the front pocket of the left bag. He then walked over to the bookshelf and searched it for anything useful.

"Ah, here we go! Ancient Temples vol.3 and let's snag Canterlot Architecture." The two books were heavy enough and Poundcake was about to leave when a stray book was left on the desk. He walked over and opened it's contents. The first page was ripped in half so only the first part of the entry was readable.

Day 24

Celestia has been hiding something from me. I don't know what but it's affecting my research around the Crystal Empire and it's connections with the Castle here in Canterlot. She has forbid me from going into the sewers or even near the depths of the Castle. I can see guards watching me when I walk the streets everyday. It's nerve wracking but only slightly. The artifact I recovered from the old castle of the royal sisters has been emanating some sort of power fluctuation whenever it is exposed to anything from the Crystal Empire itself. I fear that the mystery behind this is what is resulting in Celestia's sudden change in anger and mood swings. I cannot know for certain but

"He always was ecstatic about his research." Poundcake jumped higher at that moment than any other in his life. He turned around and came face to face with Luna. "He always found time for me and Crescent though. He was a sweet stallion." Her ears drooped and a sad smile formed on her face. "I miss him dearly. As long as I have her though, I'll always have him." Poundcake stared down at the open journal in his hooves. Luna walked over and shut it slowly. "Take good care of it." Poundcake looked Luna directly in the eyes.

"I promise." He said.

"Pinkie promise?" Luna asked.

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Poundcake recited while going through the motions.

"Thank you." Luna replied with happy eyes.

"Mom!, Poundcake. Come here!" Crescent called from the living room.

"Coming!" Luna called and motioned for Poundcake to exit the room. He trotted out and leaped down the stairs onto the first floor. Luna turned back to glance inside the old room and grabbed a necklace from the desk. It was a white crescent moon inside of a full moon. Luna shrouded the object in her navy blue glow and put it around her neck.

"Goodbye, Runner." She turned and closed the door. As Luna approached the stairway the sound of Poundcake and Crescent filled her ears.

"If we use the spell here and here we can weaken the flooring enough to where it's not noticeable on the surface but we can still get through if we need to." Luna's ears perked up and faint hoofsteps could be heard outside. There were too many for it to be a returning squad. Luna's pupils dilated and her brain was sent into panic mode.

"Let's do it. So when do we-" An explosion rocked the front of the old house knocking Poundcake off balance. A gruff voice could be heard yelling commands.

"OPEN UP! COME OUT QUIETLY AND WE WON'T HAVE TO MAKE A SCENE!"

"Sentry!" Crescent whispered. "How did they find us!?"

"Horseapples! What now!?" Poundcake whispered back.

"SUIT YOURSELF. KNOCK IT DOWN BOYS!" A very loud 'thud' emanated from where the door was.

"They're trying to break it down!" Crescent yelled.

"I know I know! Damn! What do we do!?" Poundcake yelled back.

"Crescent, Poundcake!" Both ponies looked over to the source of the noise. Luna was standing next to an opened trap door that lead into a basement. Luna was waving her hoof frantically at them signaling the pair to retreat down below.

"Mom! They'll just corner us in the basement!" Crescent exclaimed.

"Honey, it's not a basement. This leads into the sewers." Luna explained calmly.

"Sewers!?" Crescent asked.

"How'd you think your father got around this city?" Luna said with a giggle. "Now enough fooling around. Move. NOW!" Crescent and Poundcake both leaped into the hatch. Luna jumped in after them and closed the hatch just as the door was knocked down.

Sentry swarmed the house and invaded every room. A light yellow mare stepped through the door. She was dressed in a white combat suit and her orange mane was tied up in a ponytail. Her blue eyes were known for striking fear into the hearts of both Sentry and civilians alike. Two unicorn sentries closed the door and stood next to their commanding officer. A sentry guard came down from the staircase and stood before her. His face was hidden behind a helmet and the cold black visor blocked his pupils from her gaze.

"Whole place is clear commander. No sign of life anywhere."

"Then where the hell did they go?" The commander asked.

"Man does this place smell like crap!" Poundcake yelled.

"Quit your whining, Poundcake. Or would you have rather taken your chances with the sentry?" Crescent replied.

"Both of you hush! I think I see a way out up ahead." Luna said.

The Barder district of Canterlot was where all the wealthy and stuck up ponies lived. They, of course, were supporters of the sentry and of Celestia's rule. Luna popped open the drain cover and peeked up and around at the clearing. The sunlight could be seen stretching over the horizon making way for the dawn. The train station was still operating for them considering it was in the Cronus district which they controlled. The only problem with that was that they would have to cross the Barder district to reach the train in time to get to Ponyville. The street lights were all off and the district was shrouded in darkness. Shops lined the sides and restaurants were located farther down the road.

"Ok, let's move." Luna called as she resurfaced. Crescent followed after, then Poundcake bringing up the rear.

"We gotta move fast. Tia will not allow a place like this to be unguarded for long. Let us hurry."

Luna began to gallop through the streets her hooves clopping nosily against the cobblestone street. Crescent followed her mother while Poundcake took to the air. The trio went full speed through the district the sound of their hooves and the sound of wind chimes following them. The sunlight spread farther and farther as the moon began to disappear under the horizon. The bridge that lay ahead of them marked the crossing from the Barder district into the Cronus district. They crossed the bridge in no more than two steps and picked up the pace. Taking a left past an old cafe lead them to their destination. Luna came to a halt on the platform and was panting heavily. Crescent leaned up against the side of the station while Poundcake descended to a hover slightly above them.

"Okay, so where's the train?" Poundcake asked.

"It...should...be here...by now." Luna said between breaths. As the words left her mouth a hissing sound was heard throughout the district. The train bound for Ponyville came to a stop and a purple maned orange mare stepped out.

"Hey guys! Sorry to keep ya waiting, but there was this sentry outpost that had a ton of supplies! It was awesome!" The mare cried.

"Sounds like it." Crescent responded.

"Hey, Scootaloo, what did you manage to snag?" Poundcake asked.

Scootaloo grinned. "About 6 months worths of rations, 42 sets of armor, and about 3000 bits!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"Damn! You guys really did make out with loads of goods. Promise me next time you guys go on a raid I come with." Poundcake stated.

"I promise." Scootaloo replied.

"Uh, guys? Not to interrupt, but we need to get going right now. Sun won't stay down forever." Crescent said with a sense of urgency.

"Oh, right! Let's go then slowpokes!" Scootaloo yelled from atop the train. The ponies all filed into the train and took their seats. The hiss of the brakes signaled the train departing from the war zone that was once a flourishing city.

Crescent glanced down at the floor thinking about what had happened. 16 years ago she and Luna didn't have to worry about this. About Celestia hunting them down or about their people dying. The mare felt her eyelids sliding shut. She struggled to keep them open, but couldn't. Just as she was starting to drift off the train was rocked by a violent force that threw her from her seat and into Poundcake. The cars's lights flickered for a bit before returning to normal. The train was rocked again, but more forcefully. Poundcake stood Crescent up on her hooves.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Crescent simply nodded. The train was hit again.

"SENTRIES!" Scootaloo shouted from the top of the car. "Get your flanks up here now!"

Poundcake and Crescent both dashed for the door leading to the intersection between the cars. Poundcake opened the door and flew out into the open morning air while Crescent teleported up onto the top of the car. There were 7 pegasus sentries in a V formation. Spears were held at their sides and the two on the ends were slamming into the train.

"These guys just don't know when to quit do they." Poundcake said.

"No, they don't!" Scootaloo shouted back.

The first pegasus guard lunged out with his spear drawn towards Scootaloo who dodged it by mere inches. She recovered quickly and tackled the guard off the roof and into a snowbank.Another guard dove towards Crescent. Her horn charged up and she fired a bolt at the guard who dove out of the way and swiped at the unicorn. She avoided being stabbed by the blade but she was cut on the side of the face underneath her right eye. She winced and stumbled back allowing the guard the opportunity he was waiting for. Crescent took the spear from the guards holster and spun it around lodging it in the guard's chest area. A red liquid could be seen leaking from the wound and the guard toppled over. The leader signaled for the remaining four guards to move to one side of the train and ram it. Poundcake was almost knocked off the side off the train the first time but quickly recovered. Scootaloo glanced down the side of the train and her eyes widened in horror.

"They're trying to derail us!" She screamed. Panic settled into all of their minds as the train reached a cliff face.

"We can't let them! We'll be smashed!" Poundcake cried. Crescent leaped over next to Scootaloo and focused her magic on the guards.

"I'll handle this, you guys keep them off me!" Crescent yelled. Her orchid aura snatching one of the guards and sent him into the cliff.

The remaining pegasus landed in front of the other pegasus who were defending their friend. Scootaloo was the first to rush but was quickly outmaneuvered and received a hard buck in the stomach that sent her flying off the side of the car. Poundcake watched as his friend was thrown from the train, rage building inside him.

"You're gonna regret that you son of a bitch!" Poundcake yelled.

He lunged for the pony and was sidestepped again, but this time he was prepared. He quickly rolled before the pony could bring it's elbow down on his back. He turned around and gave the pony a good buck in the facial area which had removed it's helmet to reveal a grey stallion with a dark black mane and light purple eyes. Poundcake was stunned by the identity of their pursuer.

"Rumble?" He asked before receiving a hoof to the face. Poundcake was knocked to the roof of the other car.

"Poundcake? Scootatloo!? Everything alright?" Crescent asked as she threw the last guard from the train and down towards the ground.

She turned around from the side and saw a familiar face standing above Poundcake. Adrenaline surged through her body as her mind sent her into action. She jumped and tackled the stallion pushing him off her friend. He got knocked down further down the car. He stumbled to his hooves and shook his head trying to clear it. He focused his sight on the unicorn and slowly made his way over to her. He flared out his wings ready to lunge at his opponent when out of nowhere he was tackled yet again by none other than Scootaloo.

"Hey guys. What'd I miss?" Scootaloo asked in a cocky manner.

"Nothing much. Just the fact that the guy you just knocked over the edge was Rumble. Like I said though, nothing big." Poundcake replied.

""Wait!? Did you say Rumble!? What the hell is he doing with the Sentry!" Scootaloo shouted.

"We don't know Scoots." Crescent replied. "But right now we need to focus on getting our squads together. If we're ever gonna win this war we'll need all the ponies we can muster."

"Well hold on a sec." Poundcake said as he rose to his hooves. "I don't know about you guys, but I might've found a way to win this without anymore bloodshed."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Crescent asked.

"With this." Poundcake said as he drew the diary from his saddlebag.

"Uh, Pound? You do realized you could have lost that during the assault right? You never did take off your saddlebag." Scootaloo stated.

"Oh, right." Poundcake scratched the back of his head and tried to direct the attention elsewhere.

"Well let's just focus on surviving the ride to Ponyville for now." Crescent suggested.

"Agreed." The pegasus said.

Scootaloo opened the hatch leading down into the car with Poundcake close behind. He stopped when he saw Crescent still sitting on the roof. He walked over and took a seat next to her.

"Never thought it would come to this." Crescent said quietly. "Never thought I would have to fight my aunt for the safety of millions. I wish everything would go back the way it was before. When no one was afraid to leave their house. When my father was still here."

"Step-father" Poundcake corrected. Crescent shot him a playful glare and he smiled.

"I don't know how much longer I can take this." Crescent whispered. Poundcake looked up from the distraught mare next to him and stared out at the horizon.

"Things will get better. I know it. We'll get through this. We'll win this. I promise." Poundcake stated. Crescent looked at her friend.

"Don't make a girl a promise, if you know you can't keep it."

Poundcake continued to stare as the sun gently rose over the horizon and lit up the forest below covering it in all shades of green. The sky brightened up to it's normal blue and the clouds were whiter than ever. Poundcake hugged his friend and stood up. Crescent glanced down at the roof one last time before getting up as well and entering the car. Millions of thoughts rushing through her mind. Two were the most repetitive.

When will this end? When will I be free?