Black Feather

by Recon777

Rating: teen
Tags: Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Dinky Hooves, Other, Nightmare Moon, Changelings, Mystery, Adventure, Rumble
Length: 59770

A young mare must discover the secret of her own nature in order to stop the destruction of ponykind while an ancient adversary with a vendetta intends to reclaim his former glory.

Special Note:

This story is currently being rewritten from the ground up.
It will be published as a separate story.
Please go to this group for ongoing chapters, news, and art on this project.

She was once the harbinger of nightmares, the bringer of eternal night. It has now been fifteen years since the failed plan to bring back Nightmare Moon and overthrow the royal sisters. Fifteen years since Equestria gained a new ally.

Now, with Equestria struggling through a prolonged war with the zebras, the mare who was once known as Nightmare Moon must walk the delicate balance between protecting the ponies she loves and losing her hard-fought identity.

Faced with a mysterious and brutal threat to Equestria, how will Nyx stand against a powerful new adversary who knows her better than she knows herself? What fate awaits her behind the dark secrets of an alicorn's true nature?

Commissioned cover art by SilFoe

Published 2015-01-13 00:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2017-05-26 02:22:02 UTC

01 - Of Friends and Nightmares.

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

02 - Life in the Battlefield

“Haha, you can’t escape!” Dusty zoomed his Equestrian SkyGuard action figure around to encircle and confront the toy zebra once more. His aerial advantage left the zebra with little chance of winning this fight. Thinking quickly, the zebra had one last option. He—

Suddenly, a shimmering, indigo-tinted bubble appeared around Dusty’s body, breaking him out of his playtime reverie. He looked up, startled. He could see that the bubble was barely wide enough for him to fit within. What was this? It—

“Ow!”

Dusty felt like something bit his ear. It hurt worse than a bee sting. Before he could put a hoof to his ear, a large, black, adult pony slammed into the ground right in front of him. A pegasus, from the looks of it.

Dusty flinched, squinting as he fought to see through the cloud of dirt and dust kicked up from the impact.

Wait, that's no pegasus.

The adult seemed panicked. As the dust settled, the colt could see that this grown-up had a horn as well. Then he saw her eyes as she opened them, locking onto his own.

No. It couldn't be.

It was! It was her. How was this possible?

A single, muffled boom echoed in the distance. It sounded like Pinkie Pie's party cannon or somepony setting off fireworks.

Nyx looked over her shoulder, focusing on the sound. She stood up and spread her magnificent, black wings, casting a shadow over him.

Dusty stared up in awe. She was amazing. Sleek, towering, and powerful. He watched the feathers of her wings fan out as she spun around and bent her knees just a little, preparing to leap into the air.

Nyx glanced back down at him for a split second, and the shield bubble around his body evaporated.

“Run!”

Dusty tensed up. He remembered what his mother had taught him. Find an adult. Get inside. Stay safe. He galloped toward the schoolhouse door, looking back at Nyx while he ran.

Nyx tore off into the sky, faster than any creature alive. Dusty watched from the school doorway until she had vanished behind the trees.

He ran inside the school, seeking his teacher. Cheerilee was sitting at her desk, grading papers.

“Miss Cheerilee! It's Nyx! She's so awesome. She plowed into the ground right next to me and put me in her shield, and she looked right at me! It was so cool! Then she stood up and it was so amazing; her wings are huge. She flew off so fast. I couldn’t believe it. You missed it; she was right outside!” Dusty let the air back into his lungs.

His teacher glanced up from her paperwork for a moment and stared at him with one of those stares grown-ups give when they aren’t really getting the message.

“Yes, Dusty, she’s a real super pony, isn’t she? Say, I’ve got to finish these up, so be a dear and take your adventures back outside, okay? I’m sure you don’t want to use up your recess just talking to me.” Her smile matched the flowers on her cutie mark.

“Miss Cheerilee, you don’t understand. She was here. It was awesome, and…”

Cheerilee looked off to the side, her ears swiveling about, listening, but clearly not to him. The ambient chatter in the playground had shifted tone. The word ‘blood’ drifted in ever so subtly. All the kids had just become focused on the same thing—and that thing was not fun and games.

Dusty watched Cheerilee looking about, unsure if she was even hearing him. She looked concerned about something. Suddenly, her head snapped back to look at him, not quite meeting his gaze. Her eyes widened. Why was she looking at him like that? Was she looking at… his ear?

Cheerilee stood up so fast her chair fell backward. Just then, two other kids came in from the playground, talking over each other and panting.

“Stay inside!” Cheerilee instructed, directing the two newcomers to sit with Dusty. She trotted to the door and looked outside.

“What’s goin’ on?” the filly next to him asked. “We saw Nyx practically land on you and put you in a shield, then fly away! We told the others, and now everypony’s talking ‘bout it.”

Cheerilee had her head outside the door and spoke with authority. “Children, come inside. Hurry!”

“I don’t know. I came in to tell Miss Cheerilee all about it, but I don’t think she heard me,” Dusty replied.

The other children came pouring in through the doorway while Cheerilee kept watching outside.

“Dusty, there’s blood running down your ear. Did Nyx do that to ya when she slammed into you?”

“She didn’t slam—” Dusty put a hoof to his ear. “Ow! That stings.” There was a fair amount of blood dripping from his ear down his jawline and dripping onto the floor. He looked at the red stain on his hoof.

The filly gave his ear a closer look. “That doesn’t look like any kinda cut or scrape I’ve ever seen. It’s like a little part of your ear is missin’.”

Cheerilee looked at Dusty from the doorway. He could see the concern on her face, and it began to frighten him. After the last of the kids finished coming in, she closed the door.

“Everypony in the center of the room,” Cheerilee said, her voice teetering on the edge of panic.

Why was she so scared? What was going on? Was this because of Nyx?

“Now, who can tell me the first thing we do in an emergency?”

Half the room raised their hooves high.

Flitter set down beside Nyx and Rumble, panting. “We’re clear; I’ve told the Ponyville garrison, and they’ll take it from… Whoa. What happened?”

Nyx was staring at the flames licking at the remains of the zebra soldiers. This wasn’t how she intended to deal with them. What had just happened? She killed them with… with what, exactly? Her emotions? Her fury? Was that even possible? She felt a brief, familiar pang of guilt. Two more lives.

But they deserved it. This was inexcusable. An outrage! Why were they targeting children? The zebras had just recently killed over seven hundred children at Brumby Ridge. They left no survivors. And now this? They were monsters!

The emotional dam that held back months of built-up stress began to crumble within her. Nyx let out a guttural scream at the burning remains. She spread her wings wide and sent the embers and ashes flying in a telekinetic outburst. Without warning, she leapt up into the air and tore across the sky toward home.

Nyx was making her bed when an exhausted Rumble and Flitter walked out of the elevator room to find her.

“Sorry it wasn’t as fun a flight as we were hoping,” Nyx said casually while her heart bled within her. She didn’t turn around but continued to make her bed, tucking the blankets in neatly along the sides. Grabbing a feather duster, she began cleaning the trinkets along the shelving.

Rumble sat down on the edge of the bed. “Nyx… are you—”

Nyx glanced over her shoulder, her voice shaky as her glistening eyes locked onto his. “Why wouldn’t I be okay, Rumble?” She looked away again and continued dusting. “It’s just war, right? I mean, what can we expect? This is just how life is now.”

Hesitating a moment, Rumble continued with caution in his voice. “Do you need—”

Her voice cracked. “Yes. Yes, please.” She held still for a moment, waiting.

“Alright. We’ll be in the living room if you want to talk.” Rumble and Flitter left her alone and closed the door.

Nyx collapsed onto the bed, taking a deep breath as she once again stared at the ceiling. Her mind couldn’t process what had just happened. She lay there motionless for two minutes before sitting up. She noticed her nightstand was a little dusty. The levitated feather duster danced across its surface before coming to a stop in midair. Nyx regarded the upper drawer, remembering what was inside. She resisted the urge to open it.

Her hoof touched the drawer. Don’t open it, don’t open it, her mind whispered to her will. She opened it anyway. Inside was a photo. It was from that silly office event at her mother’s research institute where everypony had brought their daughters to work. Her mom thought it would be fun to bring Nyx, despite her being a married mare in her early twenties. Nyx could already feel the tears forming in her eyes as she touched the photo. She lifted it up, revealing a second item in the drawer—a child’s colored pencil sketch of Nyx herself.

Investigators had recovered the items from a filly’s saddlebags after the massacre at Luna’s school for gifted unicorns in Brumby Ridge. Nyx was in the photo, along with her mother and one of her researchers. Sitting beside Nyx was a little pastel blue and yellow filly with this huge grin on her face like it was the best thing in the world. She remembered meeting the filly, who seemed to think much more of Nyx than she felt she deserved.

This one was special; she had an exceptional gift. Something to do with linking to another unicorn’s abilities. Amazing talent and potential. Nyx flipped the photo over, her breath catching in her throat as she put a hoof to her lips. On the back, Nyx herself had written a message.

For Misty,

You’ve got the makings of a real hero.

I can’t wait to see what you become when you grow up.

-Nyx Sparkle

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she held the photo to her chest with her eyes closed. This would never have happened in the world Nyx grew up in. The loss was overwhelming. When would it end?

Somepony knocked at the bedroom door. “Nyx?” It was Rumble.

She opened the door, and he saw her sitting on the edge of the bed. She felt like such a mess.

Rumble approached and saw the photo. “Nyx, come on out. It’s okay.”

She put the photo away and followed Rumble to the living room. She cuddled with him on the couch while Flitter sat in the reclining chair. There was no use hiding her feelings from her family. She leaned into him as he put a hoof around her shoulder.

“Rumble?”

“Yeah, hon?”

“I miss home.”

Rumble shifted. She knew he wondered what she meant.

“I miss Equestria. How it used to be.” There it was; he held her tighter, and she knew he understood. Her mind wandered to the dark places that she usually tried to keep hidden.

So many lives lost, she thought to herself. And for what? She thought about what life in Equestria was once like before the war—recalled what was lost.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this, Rumble. Do you remember what it was like when we were kids? What’s the most serious thing that ever happened—Discord’s pranks or the occasional monster from Everfree? Struggles of friendship? Rainbow Dash breaking the weather factory? Never an entire nation bent on our destruction. Never… Ponies aren’t warriors, Rumble. Not most of them. They’re not made for this. Thousands of years of relatively light conflict, peace and harmony, and now this. Countless families ripped apart—especially after the Crystal Empire was—”

Nyx paused, glancing at Flitter. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. She carried on, her voice trembling. “I’m trying to be strong. I really am. But I feel like we’ve all lost so much. Everything we grew up with. All the love and happiness… this isn’t the way it’s s-supposed to be.”

Rumble held his mate close. She pressed into him, burying her face into his chest, tears flowing. “I—I can’t remember the last time we could just run around and play, or dance in the street without worrying that somepony might get shot, or hearing that a pack of zebras came rushing into a school and k-killed everypony, or… or,” she sobbed.

Rumble held her tightly, letting her get it out, ignoring that his chest was soaked in snot and tears. All the pent-up stress Nyx had been holding back for months came to the surface. Each tear stabbed at her soul. Each drop, the blood of an innocent life she couldn’t save. The weight of her failure was crushing. She had promised to protect them. How could she have known there was a war coming? How could she have known that she could not save them all?

She wept until her tears ran dry, but there was still more blood on the scales. Eventually, she quieted herself, still breathing erratically. “I don’t know how much longer we can hold on. Will we ever have normal lives again?”

“Someday,” came Rumble’s comforting reply.

She lifted her face off his chest, suddenly aware of the sticky mess she had created.

“Oh my. I…”

“Shhh. Don’t worry about it.”

Flitter brought Nyx a cup of hot cinnamon tea and a box of tissues.

Despite the snot still trickling out of her nose, Nyx was feeling much better, having got all that off her chest. “Thank you,” she croaked as she grabbed a tissue, “Listen, I’m sorry about—”

“Don’t,” Flitter said as she put a hoof to Nyx’s mouth. “Listen, we all have our moments. This war is tough on everypony. You’re allowed to feel overwhelmed once in a while. You were there for me when I lost my home and my entire family. Nopony is keeping score.”

“Thanks, Flitter,” Nyx replied, relaxing a bit.

Flitter gave her a hug and joined the couple on the couch.

“You should take it easy,” Rumble said with concern. “You probably came close to burning out after… after whatever that was out there.”

Nyx’s thoughts focused on the spell matrix resting at the base of her horn. The number which appeared, floating in mid-air before them, read seventy-eight percent! Nyx did a double-take; that wasn’t possible.

“Wait, didn’t you say you were at thirty-something percent this morning?” Rumble asked.

“I—I have no idea. It was like…” Nyx had no words. What was going on? She had clearly just used a bunch of energy, but now she had more stored up than before the fight.

“Nyx, you incinerated those zebras. Not only that, but you looked like… well, you looked pretty scary.”

“I’m sorry, hon. I honestly don’t understand. I was so angry, and everything was just a blur. It felt like I had just… like I got a glimpse of something that’s beyond any description. And then it was gone.”

“Not to make light of that, guys,” Flitter interjected. “But I’m a bit worried about the fact that zebras are attacking schoolchildren in the middle of Equestria. Ponyville isn’t exactly anywhere near the front lines. What was that about?”

“No idea,” Rumble said. “Doesn’t make any sense to me. They even lost a tactical team over it.”

Nyx shook off the strangeness of her magical outburst as a sense of urgency fell upon her. She leaned forward off the couch and stood up, grabbing her saddlebags.

“We have to get to the school right away. I need to make sure that little colt is okay. I only saw him for a few seconds. I imagine he’s pretty freaked out.”

“Did you see who it was?” Flitter asked as she and Rumble joined her in the elevator room.

“I’m not sure. I’ve never seen him before. He was so cute, Flitter; you should have seen him. That cute little furry face with the big green eyes. He had no idea what was going on. He was just having fun with his toys in the schoolyard without the slightest clue that… that his life might have ended in an instant.”

Chills ran down Nyx’s back. “I’m a little worried he’ll haunt my dreams.”

“What do you mean?”

“I might see him in a nightmare as if he were killed.”

Nyx’s mind traveled to dark places for a moment as the trio left the clubhouse. “Imagine if we had failed, Flitter! Or if we hadn’t shown up at all. The colt would be dead. What would the repercussions be for his whole family? How would it affect the colt’s mother and father having discovered their precious little one had been killed and for no reason? Would his friends even understand what happened, or why? How many lives would be devastated if we had failed today?”

“Nyx!” Rumble interrupted before she could get into a full-blown panic attack.

She looked at him.

“We didn’t fail. He’s alive! Let’s just focus on that.”

“I know, I know.” She took a shuddering breath, forcing a calm over herself, “Sorry. Let’s… let’s go check up on him.” Wings spreading wide, she took flight over the trees.

After getting her class to calm down, Cheerilee turned her attention back to Dusty. He was shaking. His ear was bandaged up now, and blood had begun to soak through. She got a good look at it before patching him up; it was definitely not a normal playground injury.

Cheerilee walked over to the window and looked out. She was pretty sure Dusty had been shot. But why, and by whom? And how was Nyx involved? She peered out the window and tried to gauge the situation. Ponyville looked as normal as ever. There were no gunshots to be heard, and nopony was running around in the streets.

She sat down with Dusty again and looked over the rest of her class. Some of the children looked confused. Others, she could tell understood what had happened, and they looked frightened. Dusty was still shaking.

He looked up at her. “I almost died, didn’t I, Miss Cheerilee?”

She held him to her chest. “Shhh. You’re safe now.”

There was a knock at the front door. Finally. Cheerilee motioned for one of her students to go check who was there.

It was one of the mothers. Amethyst Star stood there, panting in the doorway. Cheerilee waved her inside.

“I was… out for a run and… saw Nyx crash into… the schoolyard.”

A little filly got up from her desk and ran to the front door. “Mom!” Amethyst took her child in her hooves.

Relief spread over Cheerilee’s face. “Amethyst, thank you so much for coming. I’ve been so worried.”

Amethyst caught her breath and noticed Cheerilee holding Dusty close. She came inside and sat next to them. “Is he alright?”

“A little stunned, but he’s okay. What’s going on out there?”

“I don’t know; I don’t think anypony else saw anything. I came as soon as I could. What happened to him?”

“I think he was—” Cheerilee caught herself and hushed her tone. “I’m pretty sure he was shot. Can you please run get the mayor? I can’t leave the kids alone here, and I can’t just let them go until I know for sure what’s going on. We’re kind of stuck until somepony gets help or has some answers.”

“Sure, I can do that. I’ll go get her now.”

“Thanks, Amethyst.”

Cheerilee watched her go, still holding onto the frightened colt.

Nyx and her friends set down outside the school where the mayor was talking with somepony. It was Amethyst Star, a longtime Ponyville resident. She had her daughter outside with her.

“Nyx! What happened? I saw you crash into the playground!” A thousand questions were lined up behind those worried eyes.

There wasn’t time for this. Nyx needed to see the colt.“No time to chat, sorry. Everypony is safe now. We’ll catch up sometime, okay?”

Amethyst didn’t seem to care for that answer, but she nodded and led her daughter into town.

“Mayor, is everypony okay?” Nyx’s heart was racing.

“Only the colt is injured if that’s what you mean. Everypony else is pretty freaked out.” She hesitated a moment. “Was it zebras?”

Nyx nodded.

“Oh my. Here in Ponyville? I don’t suppose you could set their minds at ease? I’m getting ready to lead the class to the town hall to meet up with their parents. We could use your help to keep rumors from spreading.”

Nyx sighed in resignation; she really didn’t feel like making a public appearance over this. “Fine. Let’s talk to Cheerilee first.”

The mayor seemed happy with that. She opened the door, and Nyx followed Rumble and Flitter into the school.

Every child’s eyes were glued to them.

Nyx looked around at all the little faces. “Hi, everypony.”

Three children raised their hooves high, causing Rumble to snicker.

Cheerilee cleared her throat. “Everypony wants to know what’s going on, Nyx. We know there’s some kind of threat. Are we in danger?”

“We took care of it,” Nyx said with finality in her tone. “There’s no danger now.”

The entire room seemed to release its collective breath it had been holding. “You’re sure?”

“Positive. Boooom,” Rumble said with a wide grin. His hooves gestured an explosion, causing Flitter to cringe and five or six colts in the classroom to giggle.

Cheerilee visibly relaxed and proceeded to address her students. “Alright, class, I’d like you all to go collect your bags and line up at the front door. School is canceled for the rest of the day.”

The controlled chaos of twenty-four colts and fillies erupted in the classroom as all the kids scrambled to the back of the room to collect their belongings.

Cheerilee turned to face the mayor. “Thank you for taking the children back to their parents. If you won’t be needing me, I’d like to stay and speak with our guests.” She patted Dusty on the shoulder. “I’d like this one to stay as well; please tell Rose he’s fine for me. I’ll come see her after we’re through.”

“It’s no trouble. We’ll be at the town hall. I’ll see you there.” The mayor then turned to Nyx. “Thank you for what you did today. Thank you all.” She turned and led the class out of the school.

Cheerilee sat down next to her student, who never took his eyes off Nyx. She checked his bandage, seeing that it was bleeding through.

“It was zebras, wasn’t it?” Cheerilee said. It wasn’t really a question.

Flitter approached the colt and knelt down, examining his bandage. She set her saddlebags down and pulled out some medical supplies. “Yes,” she said as she undressed the colt’s ear. His gaze was fixed firmly on Nyx the whole time. “We were flying by when we spotted the sniper. We still don’t know why, though. We’ve never seen them operate like this. But then again, there have been other attacks we never saw coming either.”

Flitter winced at the colt’s wound. There was a rounded piece of his ear missing on the outer edge where the bullet had passed through. “This is going to hurt a bit, darling.” Flitter soaked a cotton ball with alcohol and pressed it against his ear. He flinched but didn’t shy away. She dabbed his ear with blood-stop powder and sprayed on a foam protectant that sealed the wound.

Nyx waved at the colt, causing a grin along with his own wave in return. “Cheerilee, if you don’t mind, I’d like to stay here with him while you guys talk.”

Cheerilee nodded. She walked with Rumble and Flitter to the craft table on the far end of the room while Nyx approached the colt and knelt down on the mat with him.

Nyx sat motionless across from the colt, feeling an uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. Would he shrink away in fear? Her unusual eyes had a history of intimidating children.

He stared at her with a mixture of awe and disbelief.

“What’s your name?”

His eyes widened just a bit further, as if he was surprised she was addressing him directly.

“Dusty.”

Nyx studied him for a moment. This was someone’s precious little colt. Alive. Dusty, she thought to herself. Nyx felt a warming in her belly. She recalled the promise she had made nearly fifteen years ago. Her mind’s eye flashed briefly to a dark castle throne-room, her head bowed in submission before the two rulers of the land.

‘As long as there is still breath in my lungs, I will continue to protect ponies,’ she had said. She could almost feel her cutie mark tingle as she regarded the colt. This was her purpose—her identity. For that moment, the morning’s concerns about the nightmare were washed away.

She scooted close to Dusty. He did not flinch or try to keep his distance.

Nyx smiled warmly. “Hi, Dusty. I’m Nyx. And I am very happy to meet you.”

~…~

Cheerilee was overwhelmed. It was a relief that the emergency was over, but the fact that this happened at all had shattered her illusion of safety. There had been drills. There had been training. But in all her years of teaching, an attack upon her students was something she never actually believed would happen.

“Thank you all for what you did today. It was almost too horrible for words.”

Rumble and Flitter sat with Cheerilee as they watched Nyx getting to know her new friend.

Flitter pointed at Dusty, who was touching Nyx’s horn with amazement. “He’s a curious little fellow. He doesn’t seem to look at things the same way that other kids do. I’ve never patched up a wound like that on a child without them freaking out about it at least a little.”

“Yes, Dusty’s a great student. He’s been with us for two weeks now. Lively and spirited, with an interesting, courageous view of life. He idolizes Rainbow Dash and the SkyGuard, like many children his age, but he isn’t afraid of the war or the zebras.”

“That’s refreshing to see in a child. During the changeling famine, we saw so many pony kids living in fear. It was hard to find anypony whose love outshined it. But Dusty wouldn’t have known life before the war. He wouldn’t be able to compare it to how life used to be.”

“I do think that’s part of what helps him. Dusty grew up around military ponies. His dad was killed in the war a few years ago. But he’s just not the type to shrink in fear when things get bad. Some kids are paralyzed by the constant tragedy. Everything about the war terrifies them. Kids like Dusty… they respect the dangers of war but face it with bravery.”

Cheerilee showed Flitter some of the artwork hanging on the walls of the classroom. One painting depicted zebras running from a pegasus who left a rainbow streak behind her as she flew.

“I see kids like him forming sets of heroes they look up to. And thanks to Rarity and Rainbow Dash, the children have a lot of media about real-life heroes out there fighting in the war. Those toys of Dusty’s are a great example.”

Rumble watched as Dusty examined Nyx’s cutie mark up close. “He sure seems to like Nyx. How is he taking what happened today?”

“I think he took it pretty well. He was a little spooked at first, but he knows who Nyx is, and yes, he’s quite a fan. I think his reaction was at least half due to the surprise of having her show up right in front of him from out of nowhere. He wasn’t entirely sure what happened, but he understood that Nyx had just saved his life.”

Dusty was showing Nyx his Equestrian SkyGuard action figures. They giggled together while making the toys chase each other around.

Cheerilee overheard the little colt talking with excitement. “And this one’s my favorite!”

Speaking in a hushed tone, she nudged Rumble with a hoof pointed toward the pair across the room. “You’re going to want to see this.”

Dusty showed something to Nyx, and judging from her reaction, she was quite surprised. A little black action figure rested in his hooves, bearing wings, a horn, and a purple mane.

“This is Nightmare Nyx: Protector of Ponies,” the colt proclaimed. “She’s the strongest, fastest, most coolest pony in all Equestria!”

Nyx just stared with her mouth open at the little toy while tears formed in her eyes. She embraced the colt, and he squeezed his little forelegs around her neck. “Thank you for saving me, Nightmare Nyx. You’re my hero.”

Rumble sat at the kitchen table, cleaning one of his combat scatterguns which was spread out in pieces over a canvas tablecloth. It was a well crafted piece of equipment, made from the finest parts by Muzzle Talk Firearms, in addition to a few non-standard Rumble bits as well.

Sliding the last piece back into place, he glanced over to Nyx, who was lying on the couch in the living room. She was staring up at the ceiling with a content smile on her face.

“You look good,” Rumble commented.

Nyx craned her neck back enough to see him, a slight grin forming on her face. “You always say that.”

Rumble chuckled. “What I mean is that you look happy. Like you do after we visit one of your memories.”

“Yeah. It’s so wonderful how things turned out, isn’t it? As bad as it almost was, I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. Getting to know Dusty really made my day.”

Looking again toward Rumble, she did a double take toward something behind him in the kitchen.

Checking his shoulder, Rumble saw a happy, pink earth pony stirring a bowl.

“Flitter, why do you look like Pinkie?” Nyx asked with a giggle.

“Wha? Oh!” Flitter grinned, blushing just before reverting to her usual form with a flash of green fire. “Haha. Heh, yeah, I was just mixing up an extra large batch of nectar sticks, thinking about how Pinkie looooves making cupcakes and how much joy she puts into them.”

Nyx smiled and resumed looking back up at the ceiling.

“Mind if I try one of those things?” Rumble asked. “I’ve been wondering what they taste like.”

“I don’t know, Rumble… That’s not a good idea. It’s not like—”

“Oh, c’mon. Just a taste.” He stood and picked a nectar stick from the tray, giving it a sniff.

Nyx flipped over on the couch to watch, snickering.

Flitter rolled her eyes. “One lick. Don’t you dare bite it. And don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Rumble stuck the end in his mouth and sucked. Instantly, the whole world burst to life in vibrant color.

“Whoooo ponyfeathers!” A sensation like lightning exploded from his tongue and shot through his nervous system. He stumbled backward, his eyes wide as saucers. “That’s… that’s some powerful stuff right there. Why do I feel all funky?”

Flitter took the nectar stick back and helped keep him upright. “What did I say?”

The room was definitely misbehaving. Looking at his hooves, Rumble could have sworn they were somepony else’s.

Flitter leaned into him and walked him out of the kitchen. “Tell me, did you somehow think pony physiology was even the slightest bit like that of a changeling?”

“I… uh…”

“You’re having a dissociative reaction. That’s pure distilled love, my friend. Combined with… well, some other stuff. Don’t worry, though—your body will feel like it belongs to you again in a couple minutes.”

Nyx’s laugh bounced around in Rumble’s mind. “My poor hubby. Curiosity got the best of you again, my dear?” she chortled, watching him look around the room as if he’d never seen it before.

“I think I… think need lay down, I…”

A subtle glow shone from Nyx’s horn as she helped him keep from falling, guiding him to the couch. She cuddled with him, giggling and planting kisses on his face. “You always take such good care of me. Relax while I take care of you for a bit.”

Rumble looked up into her eyes. “You look byooooteeful. I feel so weird.”

“You’re high on changeling hormones and love.” She kissed him some more, holding him tight and smiling.

“If he had eaten the whole thing, you could probably saw his hoof right off and he wouldn’t care,” Flitter remarked from the kitchen. “I’m gonna make some tea. Any requests?”

“Something to clear his mind, maybe.”

Rumble shook his head, idly pawing at Nyx’s face, his hoof missing each time. “I love you, Nyxie.” He threw his forelegs around her neck and kissed her lips.

“You big goof. Next time listen. Who’s the medical pony here?”

The console by the elevator room started beeping.

~…~

Nyx’s ears perked up. Someone is topside.

Flitter and Nyx looked at one another, their eyes simultaneously asking and answering the same question: ‘Were you expecting anypony?’

Nyx gently set Rumble into a comfortable position on the couch and walked over to the console to check who it was. The monitor showed the elevator carriage interior with a very familiar pony standing on the pressure plate.

Nyx let out a squee as her apprehension vanished. “Mom!”

She hurried to activate the lift. There was a hum for a few seconds, then the door opened, revealing Twilight Sparkle. Nyx rushed up and gave her mother a tight embrace. “Mom! I’m so happy to see you.”

Twilight held her daughter close, pressing her nose into Nyx’s mane. “I’m sorry it’s been so long.”

Nyx took in her mother’s familiar scent, which dispelled her uneasiness. She wished she could pause time for a moment and just let the memories sweep over her. “Come in, come in.”

Twilight levitated her saddlebags to the end-table by the couch and sat down. “I heard what happened. I can only imagine how awful that was.”

Nyx sat next to her with joy written all over her face. “Don’t worry about me, Mom. How have you been? We haven’t talked in nearly a month.”

Flitter brought Twilight a cup of peppermint tea—her favorite. She smiled and took a sip. “Thanks, Flitter.”

Twilight set the cup down and made herself comfortable. “Things have been pretty crazy at the institute for the past few months. You know how much I like to keep organized. With so many new projects, it’s been the greatest test of those skills I’ve ever had.”

Rumble sat up and gave Twilight a hug, then slid off the couch and sprawled onto the beanbag chair beside Nyx.

“Hey, handsome. You keeping my daughter safe?”

Nyx blushed.

“You know it.” He lazily waved a hoof in the air.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Is… he alright?”

“Yeah, he’s fine, Mom. He’s just recovering from an encounter with Flitter’s happy-candy.”

“I’m alright!” Rumble interjected, still grinning.

Twilight suppressed a laugh.

“So, what brings you to town?” Nyx asked.

“Well, I was supposed to meet with the mayor at the Ponyville SMRI branch to get some paperwork done. But when I showed up, she was at the town hall holding a meeting about what happened today with the attack. You have no idea how grateful the parents are, Nyx. The mayor was working overtime on rumor control just to keep the story straight.”

A pang of guilt twitched inside Nyx’s stomach. “I probably should have been there for that.”

“No, no. Cheerilee explained all the details. Nopony expected you to be there; they know you’ve had a heck of a day and need some space. Which reminds me...”

Twilight levitated several wrapped items out of her saddlebags. “I brought dinner! I figured you guys were probably a bit too lost in thought and could use something, so I stopped at the Hayburger on my way over.”

“Oooh, thanks, Mom!” Nyx’s stomach growled as she realized how hungry she was. She and Rumble eagerly accepted the yummies.

Twilight set a pouch down on the coffee table. “I brought some sugar for you too, Flitter.”

“Hey, thanks! I just used up a bunch making these!” Flitter showed Twilight her handiwork derived from all the feels at the schoolhouse.

“Not bad, Flitter. How long will something like that last you?”

“A long time. It depends on how things go with others. With Nyx and Rumble, I don’t often go hungry.”

“Awww. That’s so sweet.”

Rumble choked and pointed at the sticks. “NOT sweet. Don’t even think of trying one of those things, Twilight!” He paused and thought for a moment. “I meant the sticks. Nyx is very sweet. Not that you’d—I mean…” Rumble looked up at Nyx, his eyes begging her for rescue.

Nyx laughed and tousled his mane. “Relax, love. Learned your lesson, I take it?”

Rumble nodded. “Reality has once again embraced my senses.”

Nyx leaned back on the couch, pressing up against her mother. They used to fit together like this much better several years ago. Didn’t matter—it was still her mom, and Nyx was a happy pony.

“Have you met Dusty, Mom? He’s the little colt we saved today. I spent some time getting to know him at the school before we came home.”

Twilight shook her head. “No, but Cheerilee says you have a permanent fan, now.”

Nyx chuckled. “Yeah, he’s something. Brave little fellow. He was showing me his toys. He had these… Say, I need to ask you something.”

Nyx levitated a small object off the coffee table to show her mother. It was a trading card which Dusty had given her at the school. On the card was an image of Nyx in combat armor. The caption read: ‘Nightmare Nyx: Protector of Ponies’. She passed the card to Twilight.

“Is Equestria Forever now making toys? I think I may need to have a little chat with Rarity about something.”

Rumble glanced at the card. “I think you look awesome.”

Twilight nodded with a mouthful of hay-fries. “Oh. Mmm, I wuf gonga tell you abou’ tat.” She paused, swallowing. “Sorry. Equestria Forever is making children’s toys to encourage the younger generation in regards to the war effort.”

“Yeah, I noticed. So, what’s up with my plastic doppelganger? I’m not a soldier.”

Twilight laughed. “Yes, that one. The action figures depicting you are particularly popular. Rarity is just… helping to nudge your public image in the right direction. In many children’s eyes, you’re like a real life superhero.”

“In some adults’ eyes too,” Flitter pointed out, winking at Rumble.

“Hey, Dusty’s gonna have to step up his game if he wants to be Nyx’s number-one fan.”

Nyx put her head in her hooves with a groan.

Twilight patted her shoulder. “It’s healthy to give them a character they can look up to. Most kids still associate Nightmare Moon with something evil and scary. You should have seen Rarity’s long spiel about how ‘fabulous’ these would be.”

Nyx rolled her eyes and shifted on the couch so she could face her mother. “You know that’s not how I see myself. I’m not a celebrity. I’ve never wanted that kind of attention.”

Twilight levitated a napkin to her lips. “It’s not about fame, Nyx. It’s more to put some tangible faces on the heroes of Equestria. It’s about inspiring the kids to grow up with a healthy, realistic outlook on the war we’re all stuck in, rather than being terrified by it.”

“I… guess that’s a good point,” Nyx replied with reluctance.

“They’re also hoping that this will help inspire more than a few older kids and young adults to enlist in the various branches of the military. We all know Equestria needs more warriors. More heroes.”

“I have to agree with that,” Rumble added. Flitter nodded as well.

Nyx munched on her hayburger, considering the idea. It did mean a lot to Dusty. Maybe it wasn’t all bad. Maybe Rarity was a marketing genius after all; that didn’t mean Nyx actually was all those things. But she did enjoy the idea of being an encouragement to the kids.

Twilight regarded Nyx for a moment. “How are you really doing, Nyx? You’ve been through so much today.”

Nyx nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay. Today’s been pretty overwhelming, but I’m feeling better now.” Her thoughts then drifted over the day’s events. “Well, actually something really strange did happen today. When I saw zebras targeting children, I just lost it. I killed two of them with nothing but fury.”

Twilight stopped eating and looked at her sideways. “What do you mean ‘nothing but fury’? That doesn’t make sense.”

“I know. I was so angry, and then they burst into flames. I didn’t mean to, it just…”

Twilight shifted into that investigative tone Nyx was all too familiar with. “Wait, so you cast a fire spell on them? Do you know any fire spells?”

“No. It wasn’t a spell, Mom. That’s what I’m saying… It just happened.”

If Twilight had a pair of lecture glasses handy, she would have put them on. “Nyx, dear, that’s not how magic works. All direct-cast magic is spells, except levitation.”

Rumble chimed in. “It’s true, Twilight. I saw it go down, and Nyx’s whole body started looking really strange. These weird patterns were shifting around on her coat like staring into eternity, just looking at her.”

Twilight just stared at Rumble like he was speaking backward or something. Nyx felt her face flush, regretting she had even brought the topic up.

“I guess you had to be there,” Rumble continued. “But it was pretty intense. Oh, and she also gained energy afterward.”

Twilight’s gaze snapped back to Nyx. “Is this true?”

With a nod, Nyx caused a translucent percentage counter to fade into view over the couch. “It was quite a bit lower this morning.”

Twilight stared at the figure for a long moment. “I’m… I’m sorry, Nyx. I didn’t mean to lecture you. I guess it’s just something I’m not familiar with. And I know magic. We should probably talk to Luna or preferably Celestia about this.”

Nyx raised an eyebrow. “What? Why?”

“When you were recovering from your burnout in the Crystal Empire, Celestia told me you might start manifesting some unusual abilities. She said they needed to find out if you had the traits of a ‘natural alicorn’. I’m not very studied on alicorn types, to be honest; there’s just not a lot of literature on the subject. But still, she did ask me to keep an eye out for something I didn’t understand, and I’d say that this probably qualifies.”

Uncertainty crept into Nyx's gut. “If you say so, Mom. You’re not upset with me, are you?”

Twilight looked Nyx in the eye. “Absolutely not. Seriously, I’m very proud of you, Nyx. You did good today. You all did.”

The Canterlot central post office was bustling with activity as conveyor belts sorted boxes and envelopes, and ponies trotted to and fro with overstuffed saddlebags.

“Mmm.” That’s some good coffee, Primrose thought to herself. It was one of the perks that came with being the shift supervisor. This was fresh-ground Baltimare coffee meant for the Palace but offered as a tip for good delivery services.

Primrose sipped her coffee, staring idly out the window of the second-floor Operations room toward the processing floor below.

To her left, several bright, star-shaped motes of magical energy appeared in the room and suddenly exploded into thousands of shimmering fragments. There was the sound of energized particles dissipating and a small gust of air which tousled her mane. Primrose took notice but did not react to the phenomenon.

A classy-looking, pretty unicorn with a lilac coat and blonde mane appeared out of thin air. She wore a cheerful smile on her face.

“Good day, Primrose! Would there be any urgent messages this morning?” The unicorn gave Primrose a hug.

Primrose accepted the gesture from the young mare. “Hi, Dinky. There’s just a couple over in the bin.”

“Thanks!” She trotted over to the priority bins, two of which were labeled: “Pony Express”.

A number of scrolls and envelopes flew out of her saddlebags as she swiftly deposited the incoming mail into the left container, exchanging them for the messages waiting for her in the right.

She turned back to Primrose. “Looks like I’m off to the Palace. We should catch up soon for tea.” She smiled, waved, and promptly vanished in a puff of flying stardust.

Princess Luna sat alone in her study, looking over war reports. Yesterday’s incident in Ponyville revealed just how vulnerable Equestria really was. There were simply not enough soldiers to guard every possible line of attack—most were stationed along the battle lines. It was an oversight she would soon have to remedy.

We are spread too thin.

This trend for the past month or so was troubling. Her soldiers were holding their own, but not by much. How long could they keep this up?

Luna stared at the latest report, which was sitting at the top of the stack. Very unusual—what were zebras doing in that area? It held no strategic significance. She got up from her desk, walked over to the map of Equestria mounted on the wall, and pushed in a red pin along the western coastline. It was west of Whitetail Woods in the vast bayou network that extended to the coast in a complex landscape of swamps, dense forest, and rivers. She couldn’t remember the last time any news had come from the settlements in that region.

Luna sat back down at her desk with a sigh. The burden of ruling alone always felt heavier when looking at war reports. It had been six months since her sister’s hiatus from the throne, leaving her in charge, but it felt like six years. Her eyes lingered on the framed photo hanging on the wall by her desk. It was a photo of herself with Celestia at a formal diplomatic event.

I miss you, Sister.

It would take a keen eye to notice that Luna was much less comfortable than her sister in that photo. Celestia had always been the more diplomatic and politically savvy ruler, adept at keeping the various noble factions in line by pandering to their egos. Nine years of war with the zebras, and still the nobles focused on putting their own interests above those of Equestria. Luna simply didn’t have the patience to deal with those pompous fools, the factions, or the bureaucracy of the previous system.

The other photo by Luna’s desk was of the six mares of Harmony. She stared at that photo for some time, reminiscing about how things were before the war had changed everything.

With their long history of coming through for Equestria, these six were among the very few ponies Luna truly trusted. Yet this war was unlike any other conflict in recent Equestrian history. It would not be solved by a half dozen virtuous Element Bearers alone, no matter how determined they might be.

No, it was up to Luna now. Celestia had entrusted her with leading Equestria through the final season of this terrible war. And it was certainly not Twilight’s burden to carry.

Luna noticed Twilight in the photo, barely able to remember a time when she did not have wings. She was probably the pony Luna trusted the most. It was understandable why Celestia often referred to her as her “most faithful student”. She and her daughter were—

There was a knock at the door.

“Yes, come in,” Luna said.

The door opened, and a guard entered. “Messenger pony to see you, Your Highness.”

“Excellent. Send her in please.”

The messenger pony entered, levitating some scrolls out of her saddlebags. “Good day, Princess Luna.” She gave the princess a warm hug. “You sent for me?”

“Hello, Dinky. I hope you are keeping well. Come. Sit. How is business?”

Dinky sat across from Luna. “Doing very well, m’Lady. I’ve been keeping quite busy in recent months, as you can imagine. The Palace has been most generous.”

“That is very good to hear. I knew you would be successful ever since you graduated. You are doing a commendable job and have exceptional talent. I look forward to seeing how you apply it in the future.”

“Perhaps, m’Lady. The Focused Talents course did help me refine the skills necessary for what I do.”

“You opened up The Pony Express soon after graduation, if I recall?”

Dinky nodded. “Straight away, yes. I’ve been quite pleased with it, and I do meet so many splendid ponies all across Equestria in this line of work. I suppose I have a fondness for it due to Mother.”

Luna smiled. She knew that of all ponies, few had ever been more cherished or shown more pure and honest love as a child than Dinky.

“I have a task for you, my little pony. May I ask for an urgent delivery?”

“Uunnggh!!” Apple Bloom grunted, putting her back into the effort of pushing the new power regulator into the control room with the help of Nyx. It was very heavy, bulky, and a bit too awkwardly shaped for the tight spaces of the Hideout, but they were making progress.

“Rotate it a little bit this—no stop, stop, the other way. Git ready to pull again,” Apple Bloom directed.

“Wait, wait. Stop a moment while I get a better grip,” Nyx panted. She had all four hooves spread apart for stability while her horn glowed with swirls of black and indigo, making the regulator mostly weightless but no less awkward. She set the heavy device down in the middle of the doorway and backed further into the control room.

Nyx focused, her horn once again glowing. She levitated the regulator off the ground and began to pull.

The console set into the wall of the control room chimed, indicating someone was at the elevator.

“Oh, for ffffrickadilly sake. I can’t move. Can you go get that? And hurry; I don’t want to be stuck in here.” Nyx sat down on the floor with her back resting against the regulator, catching her breath.

“Sure thing, Nyx,” Apple Bloom said as she trotted off.

After a few minutes of being trapped in the control room, Nyx was fighting off feelings of panic. It was such a stupid thing, really. Apple Bloom would be back soon. Wouldn’t she?

A cloud of flying stardust appeared out of nowhere around Nyx’s body. She nearly had a heart attack as a chipper unicorn popped into the room quite nearly in her lap.

“Gaaahh!!” Nyx startled. Dinky tackled her with a big hug. “Whoa, wow hi, Dinky!”

“Good day, Nyx! Wonderful to see you again.” Dinky climbed off Nyx and stood in a more dignified, but still very close position.

Nyx stood up and returned the hug. “Thanks for stopping by, Dinky. What’s the occasion?”

“We’ll get to that shortly. Apple Bloom said you were stuck in the control room and could use a hoof with this thing.” Dinky pointed at the regulator.

“Um, yeah this needs to go over in the corner and plug into the talisman output interface. It’s kinda heavy. I can do most of the lifting if you want to guide it along.”

“No need—I’ll take care of it. Just show me exactly where it goes and I’ll take it from there.”

“No kidding? I thought you could only do small objects.”

“I’ve been practicing!” Dinky let out a tiny squee of pride.

After Nyx showed her where it needed to go, Dinky faced the regulator and concentrated.

“Heavy objects are still a bit difficult. I can only move them short distances. You may want to stand back in case I miss.”

Sparks flew from her horn, its spiral fluting aglow in a brilliant, pulsating yellow. The room shimmered with starry sparkles which enveloped the power regulator. Suddenly, it vanished with a gust of wind and reappeared on the other side of the room exactly where it was meant to be. Dinky’s face was covered in sweat.

“Slick! Nice work, Dinky,” Nyx said with relief that went beyond just having the job done. She quickly made her way to the exit.

Nyx trotted upstairs and down the hall to the living quarters and found Dinky already there sharing a bag of cheesy oat puffs with Apple Bloom.

“Remind me never to enter into a race with you,” Nyx said flatly. Apple Bloom snickered.

“Y’all just put us ahead of schedule, Dinky. Thanks!”

“It’s my pleasure to help a friend, Apple Bloom.” She stood and addressed Nyx. “I would love to stay and chat, but I’m actually here on business and have to get going. Princess Luna wants you to meet with her tonight. Alone. Are you able?”

Luna? Nyx hadn’t spoken privately with Luna for nearly a year.

“Um, sure I guess. Rumble and Flitter are in Ponyville, running errands. But no, we don’t have anything important planned tonight. I can come.”

“Good. Wait here, please.” Dinky vanished in her signature light show.

“It must be nice bein’ able t’do that,” Apple Bloom noted. Nyx nodded and grabbed some oat puffs from the bag.

A few seconds later, Dinky reappeared. “Princess Luna says she will see you this evening before sundown. Take care!” And then she was gone.

Apple Bloom stood up and patted Nyx on the shoulder with a hoof. “Sounds like y’all got some stuff to think about. I’ll be down in the control room configuring some things if you need me.”

“So, she wants you to go alone?” Rumble asked as he collected dishes off the table.

“Yeah. I’m kind of excited. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Luna all year.”

Nyx passed Rumble her dinner plate. “Thanks for doing dishes, hon.” She kissed him on the cheek and went to freshen up. She wondered what Luna wanted to see her about so suddenly. While brushing her teeth, Nyx regarded her reflection in the mirror. She turned her head left and right, considering the strange fact that this was what Luna’s face once looked like.

She sometimes thought about how much her own appearance was influenced by Luna’s. To what extent was she herself Luna? She was, after all, Nightmare Moon, and Nightmare Moon was Luna. It seemed paradoxical that Nyx and Luna could exist separately and interact with one another.

Nyx shrugged it off. Such hypothetical excursions were more fun with her mother. This particular existential puzzle often made Nyx’s head hurt and could wait until a later date. For now, her focus was on seeing Luna again. It had been quite some time since their last casual visit, as Luna had been very busy in the months since becoming the primary regent of the nation.

Nyx brushed out her mane with a sigh. She missed Luna. Things were so different years ago. Nyx let her mind wander back to when she was a filly. Luna would come visit her at the library to play games with her and talk about life and how different Equestria was thousands of years ago.

It had always fascinated her to hear the stories of times long gone and the adventures Luna had with her big sister. In a way, the kinship between Luna and Nyx was strengthened by the fact that so many things about modern Equestria were new to both of them. Discovery of the new world was something they had the chance to experience together. In a way, it was like Luna herself was Nyx’s big sister.

Nyx turned away from the mirror and walked toward the elevator room to go. She felt a touch of sadness with her memories of Luna. Most of all, she missed their heart to heart talks. Luna understood very well the unique challenges Nyx had as she grew up. This bond had made that journey much more bearable for Nyx. She wondered if there would ever be a chance for them to share that sort of relationship again.

Satisfied she was ready, Nyx took the elevator to the surface and flew off toward Canterlot.

04 - No Turning Back

The heavy crate floated into position under the guidance of Nyx’s telekinesis with the words ‘Pegasus Air Freight - We Deliver Absolutely Anything’ stenciled on its sides. Nyx found herself lost in thought, tuning out the nearby chatter of her friends as she lowered the crate to settle on the farm wagon. With everything that had happened in the last two days, and especially considering what Luna had revealed to her, she found herself increasingly conflicted.

Rumble and Flitter had been thrilled to hear of the mission and of Nyx and Luna’s friendship being restored. But what of the nightmares? What of the magical outbursts? Would they get worse? Was Luna right about her? She didn’t even want to think about it, much less bring it up with her friends. Burdening them like that would be unfair.

She ought to be happy; she was one step closer to really helping Equestria. And most importantly, Luna believed in her. So why did she feel this way? Something specific that Luna had said was nagging at her. She turned to face her friends, who were wrapping up the business of the delivery outside the main door of the Sweet Apple Acres barn. How would they be affected by this? Or how would it affect all of Equestria for that matter?

Nyx finally understood why she was troubled. It was the contradiction that she just couldn’t reconcile. How could she protect others if she herself was—

She buried the thought as she noticed that it was time to go. Turning her attention to her friends, she watched as the grey pegasus mare chatted with Apple Bloom while three other pegasi gathered up the ropes and netting they had used to deliver the crate.

“Thanks for dropping this off, Derpy,” Apple Bloom said as she passed a small bag of bits to the wall-eyed mare. “Y’all are the best in the business. And fair rates, too.”

“It’s my pleasure, Apple Bloom,” Derpy beamed, putting the bits in her saddle bags. “I’m always happy to help. If you need anything else, just let Dinky know. I’ve been running flat-out with military deliveries for weeks, so I’m going with some friends up to Rainbow Falls for a few days.”

Nyx perked her ears forward at that. It had been a couple years since she and Rumble had visited the popular vacation spot. “Now that sounds like fun!”

“Maybe you guys could come with us?”

“Can’t,” Apple Bloom said flatly. “I could really use the time off, but my plate’s too full at the moment.”

Derpy stared at Apple Bloom with a puzzled look on her face. “You work way too hard, Apple Bloom.” She paused, then beamed again. “Tell you what. When I get back, we’ll get together and relax over a game of cards.”

Apple Bloom smiled. “I’d like that, thanks.” She looked over her shoulder at Nyx and Rumble. “Well, we best be goin’. Take care, Derpy.”

“You too, Apple Bloom. Thanks again for your business. I’ll see you later.” She gave Apple Bloom a quick hug then turned to signal to her crew that it was time to go. The four took off over the trees and were soon out of sight.

Nyx telekinetically tightened the harness that hitched her to the wagon as Rumble secured the cargo. Apple Bloom trotted up alongside as Nyx almost effortlessly pulled the heavy load up the incline toward the clubhouse.

“Blueberry muffin?” Rumble offered with a smug grin as he hovered alongside the mares.

“Now where did y’all get that?”

Nyx snickered at her confusion. “You’ll never get an answer to that question, Apple Bloom.”

The yellow earth pony glanced sideways at Rumble before giving Nyx a closer look. “You’re bein’ a good sport agreein’ to pull the wagon like this, Nyx. You’d be pretty good with a plow.” Apple Bloom poked at her shoulder.

“Next time, it’s your turn, country filly,” Nyx teased.

“Ugh. Don’t remind me. My big sis had me pull that darn thing more times than I can count. I’ll pass, thanks.”

Rumble touched down beside Nyx as he finished off his snack. “So, this is the crate of supplies Luna is giving us, then?”

“Yep. There’s something special in there for each of you. This is gonna really change how y’all do things. I can’t wait see the look on your faces when you open up your presents!”

Apple Bloom had Rumble’s full attention. “What kind of presents, exactly?” With a few flaps of his wings, he alighted on the crate even as Nyx pulled it along, looking it over as if doing so would reveal its contents.

“Hush, you. If I called ‘em presents, don’t you think that means it’s meant to be a surprise?”

Nyx giggled. “You should see him on his birthday!”

After a short walk through the orchard, they arrived at the clubhouse and began unloading the crate. Nyx took the first set of boxes down the elevator, placing them on the living room floor.

Flitter was lying on the couch, reading, when Nyx showed up. She propped herself up on an elbow. “Please tell me those won’t end up dumped in my bedroom like last time. Last weekend was awkward enough sharing a room with you guys.”

Nyx blushed. “Um… yeah, sorry about that. But no, these are getting unpacked right now.”

Flitter sat upright. “Need some help?”

“Sure. Maybe you can start sorting stuff while I—”

The elevator door opened, revealing Rumble’s head poking out from behind a pile of boxes.

“Hold that thought, Flitter”, Nyx said before trotting over to levitate the boxes inside.

Rumble was grinning. “This is exciting! What do you think we got?”

Nyx rolled her eyes with a smile. “Get over here, you goof.”

Apple Bloom soon joined the trio, and everypony sat in a circle on the floor. It reminded Nyx of so many Hearth’s Warming mornings growing up. She and her mother would sit alongside some of their friends in a circle amongst the countless wrapped presents, anxiously waiting for Twilight to finish reading the legend of the original tribe leaders and how they fended off the icy windigos. Soon, there would be hot chocolate, singing, and mountains of shredded wrapping paper filling the main room of the library.

“There’s gotta be some good stuff in these boxes,” Rumble commented. “Do you really think we’ll run into any zebras?”

“Luna said they’re out there somewhere,” Nyx replied. “Who knows if we’ll find them, but I’d rather be prepared than not. You know what they’re like in combat.”

“They’ve learned to be like that,” Apple Bloom added. “They were invaded by the minotaurs back when Granny Smith was a filly. Got their flanks spanked for years before their shamans developed some nasty tricks to level the playing field.”

“I heard about that,” Rumble said as he grabbed a box to open. “Minotaurs don’t use tech at all, do they?”

“Nope. No tech and no magic. They aren’t too bright, but yikes are they strong. Heard they used to dismember zebras with their bare hands and use the blood as war paint. A minotaur in proper armor is a juggernaut you do not wanna mess with.”

Flitter cringed.

“That is some serious shit right there,” Rumble said. “Remind me never to cross one of those things.”

“Oh they learned their lesson since then, Rumble. Zebras nearly pushed ’em to extinction. They’re not much of a threat these days.”

“Harsh,” Rumble said. “Where’d you learn all this stuff?”

“Zecora, mostly. You remember those amazing stories she used to tell us growing up? Weird stuff you just don’t hear about in Equestria.”

Rumble pointed to a box labeled ‘Buckington Munitions. “Pass me that one, hon.” Nyx levitated the box over to him.

He rummaged through the contents. “So, this place we’re going to tomorrow… I’ve never been out that way. What’s it like?”

Nyx shrugged. “The bayou? Apple Bloom knows; she’s the only one who’s been there.”

Apple Bloom didn’t look up and kept sorting supplies.

“Well?” Nyx prodded. “What’s it like?”

Apple Bloom hesitated. “Diff’rent.” She looked up but avoided eye contact.

“C’mon, Apple Bloom. I haven’t heard this story since we were kids. What do you remember?”

Apple Bloom paused a moment, looking like she might not answer. “I was a stupid, foolish filly. Applejack had lost her mind for some reason, and I did what any twelve-year-old does when treated like a foal. I ran off to prove myself. Never been so scared in my entire life.”

“So… not a fun place then,” Rumble commented.

“Not unless you enjoy the idea of bein’ some monster’s dinner,” Apple Bloom replied flatly.

Nyx thought about the threat. It didn’t exactly sound like something they should be deliberately walking into. “Should we be concerned?”

Apple Bloom gave Nyx a thoughtful look, like she hadn’t really considered it from that angle. She chewed on her lip for a moment before answering.

“I wanna say yes. But no… probably not. You know how everything is much more dramatic when you’re a kid? The chimera was terrifying. It could’ve eaten me for a snack. In fact, it planned to. But Applejack drove it off without much trouble. I really can’t imagine it bein’ much of a threat to military ponies. Your biggest risk is probably from gettin’ lost.”

“It did sound pretty scary when we were kids,” Nyx said. “I remember having bad dreams after you came back and told us about it. But didn’t you say that the rest of the trip was pretty uneventful? What’s on the other side of the fire swamp?”

Rumble opened another box. “Jackpot!” He started counting under his breath.

“After that, it gets all twisty-turny. The paths go every which way once you’re in the bayou. There’s a village past the fire swamp where the ponies are the friendliest bunch you’ve ever met. We spent the night and heard lots of great stories. Nyx, if the zebras are out there… Well, it’s good that Luna has y’all helpin’ them out. I just can’t figure what the zebras would want out there in the first place.”

Rumble finished counting his grenades. “Thirty!” He looked up at Apple Bloom. “Testing for a way in, no doubt. We’re undefended all the way from the coast to Ponyville from that angle.”

Flitter spoke up. “But from what you’re saying, it’s not something you can just pick a direction and hike through.”

“That’s right,” Apple Bloom said. “Without flight or a good map, someone could get lost in there for weeks. And then there’s the gators.”

Flitter stopped and stared at her. “The what, now?”

“Alligators are everywhere in the bayou. They’ll slow the zebras down for sure. The longer they stay, the more chance they have of gettin’ eaten.”

“This is sounding more fun by the minute,” Flitter remarked. “Maybe we should just wait and let the alligators do the job for us.”

“Maybe,” Nyx said with a smirk. “I think we’ll be alright, though. Think of it as an adventure! I’m actually kind of excited about the mission. It’s going to be the biggest thing we’ve ever done as a team.”

Rumble nodded. “And the most ponies we’ve ever worked with. How many did Luna say were coming with us?”

“She said there’d be enough to handle the zebras if we run into any, but she didn’t say how many exactly. There’s a lot to do with getting the local militias set up, so probably quite a few.”

Nyx’s mind drifted off to what Luna had said the night before. Many units in the military had powerful unicorns in critical roles—unicorns who would be at risk if Nyx burned out again.

“You okay, hon? You seem troubled.” The sound of Rumble’s voice startled her slightly. It was so easy for him to read her.

“Oh. I was just thinking maybe this isn’t such a good idea. If we run into zebras, they’re going to recognize me. And that would be fine if it was just us, but alongside all these pony soldiers… You know how much of a target I am. I don’t want to put others in danger like that. You and Flitter know how to manage that risk. We work well as a small team. I just… After today, so much is going to change. And as much as I’ve wished for this, it scares me more than it probably should.”

A silence fell upon the room for a moment before Flitter shuffled closer to Nyx, looking her straight in the eye.

“Nyx, it’s okay. Think about everything that has led up to this. Luna wouldn’t be sending you on this mission if she couldn’t accept the risk. Ponies die out there with or without your presence. The way I see it, they need you to be there. So where would you rather be? Testing for GTI and conducting war games for years, hoping to one day be out there making a difference? Or actually being out there making a difference?”

She was right, of course. Nyx knew she was right; it was everything they’ve been hoping for, for years. But Flitter didn’t have the whole story. She didn’t hear what Luna had said last night, and Nyx was dreading bringing it up. Doing so would shatter that illusion that Nyx was anything even close to being a normal pony. She swallowed, building up her courage.

“That’s… all true, Flitter. I’m probably just getting a little jittery. But there’s more at stake than just that. Something that really scares me. You know those nightmares I’ve been having? And what I did to the zebras a couple days ago? Luna told me what it means. She said I’m going through some kind of change having to do with being an alicorn.”

Her three companions exchanged glances for a moment. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Apple Bloom asked. “Your mom’s an alicorn. She’s been just fine for how long, now?”

“Well, Luna said that it’s because I’m a ‘natural alicorn’. She said it wouldn’t stop unless I possessed a Virtue of Harmony. I guess she and Celestia have already gone through the same thing themselves. It all seems so crazy. I’m not even sure what it all means, but Luna made sure I understood that this could go very badly.”

There it was. Nyx looked at her friends’ faces for signs of what they thought.

Apple Bloom looked rather uncomfortable. She seemed uncertain for a moment, then smiled up at Nyx. “I’m sure it’ll turn out okay. If Luna and Celestia went through it, you’ll do fine.”

Flitter’s rational support wasn’t unexpected. “Well, at least now you know what was going on, Nyx. Better to know than for it to be a mystery, don’t you think? We’ll deal with it as it comes. What’s the worst that could happen? A few more nightmares and some weird magical reactions? We’re here for you, Nyx.”

Nyx stared down at her hooves. “I’m afraid it’s a bit more serious than that. When Luna realized what was going on, her reaction told me more than she would admit herself. She was afraid… Afraid of me and what might happen. She said that the fate of the world is at stake. I can’t even imagine what that’s supposed to mean.” Nyx looked away from her friends for a moment as the shame of her past returned despite everything. She felt like curling up and hiding. “I’m just worried that Luna thinks I might turn into some kind of monster. I… I thought I was past this.”

Rumble reached a hoof out and pulled Nyx close. “You know what I think? Whatever struggles you go through, we’ll get through it together. You couldn’t change in any way that would make me love you any less.”

Nyx leaned into Rumble. “I don’t deserve you.” She nuzzled her chin into his neck and let out a sigh. “None of us have any idea how life is about to change, but you’re all the best friends anypony could ask for. I’m sorry for worrying so much about this. I’ll be fine; I just needed to get that out.”

After giving her stallion a kiss on the cheek, she straightened up and peered around Apple Bloom to notice several boxes that were saved behind her. “We should probably finish up. What’s left, Apple Bloom?”

“I’ve been saving the best for last. It’s time for presents!”

Rumble clopped his hooves together. “Here we go!” He rummaged through the contents of a box and paused, looking puzzled. “A lot of this ammo is for a weapon I don’t… Oh, wait. No way!”

Rumble stood up and approached one of the largest boxes, which had ‘Muzzle Talk Firearms - We let our guns do the talking’ written on its side. He looked back at Nyx with a sly grin. “I think I know what this is.” He looked inside and let out a squee. “Best. Day. Ever! I never imagined I’d actually own one of these. It’s just like my brother’s. Twin autoguns!” Rumble pulled out his brand new military-grade Lancer Frame harness to show everypony.

Nyx smiled. “You look like a colt on Hearth’s Warming day.”

Rumble bounced over and tackled her with a hug. “I feel like one. I can really tinker with this baby.”

Apple Bloom gathered the packing material and shoved it back in the empty box. “I knew you’d like it. This model is a favorite among the pegasi commanders, so we pulled a few strings at Muzzle Talk to get one for ya. It’s got multiple firing modes, including fully automatic. Dual belt-fed actions drawing from twin saddlebags. On-the-fly arcane trim controls so you can compensate without landing. It’s a beauty.”

“I’m… Wow! Thanks, Apple Bloom! I feel like I’m a real member of the SkyGuard now.”

Flitter leaned over to get a closer look. She gave an impressed whistle. “Rumble gets the best toys.”

Apple Bloom coughed. “Uh, actually not this time, Flitter.” She unpacked a small, black, brushed-metal box which read: ‘Sparkle Magical Research Institute’ in engraved golden letters along the top. She passed the box to Flitter.

“What’s this?”

“Open it and see.”

Flitter opened the box. Inside was a polished metal horn-ring with star shaped sparkles engraved into the sides. It was fitted with what appeared to be a large diamond that had brilliant yellow magical fire dancing around inside it. Flitter stared into the gem with wide eyes. Nyx and Rumble both leaned in close to look.

“Ooooh, fancy,” Rumble commented with fascination. “Hey! That almost looks like Nyx’s spell matrix. I’ve never seen one quite like that before.”

Apple Bloom nodded. “It is. This here’s a highly specialized spell matrix called a ‘MicroDextrous Examination Talisman’, but I just call it an XT for short. There aren’t many of these things made. Y’all are super lucky gettin’ one.”

“So… what’s it do?” Flitter asked.

“This replaces your whole surgery kit.”

Flitter stared at Apple Bloom. “What do you mean replaces?”

“Anything you do normally with a scalpel and stitches, this will do better. It lets you visually see inside somepony’s body without cuttin’ them open. You can zoom in as close as you want and fix what’s wrong with some mighty fine-tuned spells included in the matrix.”

Flitter held the XT in her hooves and took a closer look. “You’re joking.”

“You still need really good medical skills to know what you’re doin’, so it made sense to get one of these for ya. Luna wanted to get you some top of the line surgical equipment, but Tempest has used her XT for years in advanced weapon development. I told Luna you’d be better off with one of your own.”

Flitter shook her head. “Wow, if that’s true… So, why haven’t I heard of these before?”

“Probably because it’s been an engineer’s tool until just recently. This little trinket has allowed many of the advancements ponies have made in technology over the last couple years. I can’t even guess how many unicorn-hours it takes to make one. Here, let’s try it out.”

Apple Bloom produced a unicorn helmet with lots of wires, gems, dials, and switches attached to its surface. “Flitter, would you mind bein’ a unicorn for a moment? Only unicorns can use this thing.”

Flitter hesitated. “Um, I don’t really have the same kind of magical abilities as a unicorn. It’s just a disguise.”

“That’s okay; that’s what this is for.” Apple Bloom tapped the helmet. “The XT provides all the abilities. I just have to calibrate it to your brainwaves with this here helmet.”

A flash of green fire, and Flitter was a unicorn. Apple Bloom placed the helmet over Flitter’s head and turned it on, looking at the sensor readout. “Whoa. You weren’t kidding about not bein’ like a unicorn. One sec.” She adjusted a few dials and nodded her head. “Just relax now.”

Apple Bloom slid the XT onto Flitter’s horn and pushed a button on the helmet. “Okay, now just sit tight while it starts scanning. I need to give Nyx this last box, then I’ll need a few minutes workin’ these settings so the XT can recognize your brain.”

Apple Bloom pushed a large box up to Nyx and set her hoof on it. “Luna gave specific instructions to give you this box only when you were in a room all by yourself. She said you’ll know why once you open it.”

What was that supposed to mean?. Luna knew Nyx shared everything with Rumble at the very least. Her curiosity was piqued. She levitated the large box down the hall into the bedroom and closed the door. Nearly a minute went by as she stared in silence at the mysterious package. It was labeled with quill writing from Luna herself.

It read: ‘From our past - to your future’.

Nyx opened the box. The contents were covered by a purple velvet blanket. There was a note lying on top.

Dearest Nyx,

I have considered for many years at what point I should give this to you, and under what circumstances. I feel the time has now come, though I understand that this may be difficult for you to accept. My hope is that this gift will bring you to the place in your heart where you need to be for the challenges which are coming.

The last time I crafted such things, it was with the intention of wickedness and self-preservation. Now, I have crafted these with the hopes of goodness, purity, honor, and bravery. The seeds of these traits you already possess. My wish is that with this gift, you may fully realize your identity andthat you may fulfill the pledge which you made so long ago when you submitted yourself to my judgement.

Take this gift, and become that pony.

~Luna

Nyx carefully moved the velvet blanket aside. She stared down, trembling for a moment, her eyes growing wet as she fought back a torrent of emotions.

Flitter glanced down the hallway. “Nyx is taking quite a while in there.”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Luna said to just give her time.” She had just finished showing Flitter how to operate the XT. Flitter was thrilled at the potential medical applications. She was not one to squee often, but she had let out two during the demonstration.

“I feel like a unicorn filly in magic kindergarten,” Flitter said with excitement. “So how many spell functions does this thing have?”

Apple Bloom thought for a moment. “I don’t recall but maybe a dozen. Don’t quote me on that. The two you’ll use the most as a medical pony are probably the micro-telekinesis and tissue-binding spells.”

“It’s a lot to take in. Thanks, Apple Bloom. This is an amazing gift.”

Flitter felt the urge to practice on herself. She looked at the underside of her hoof and focused. The XT created an enhanced three-dimensional holographic image which appeared before her. She studied the image and concentrated, rotating and zooming in on the hoof.

Rumble stared at the image as the surface of Flitter’s hoof pad grew more and more magnified. Soon, little bumps like tightly packed stones became visible.

“Whoa! Is that…”

“Yep. Those are the grippers.” She flexed her hoof muscles a bit, and countless tiny bundles of filaments shot out from slits in the hard bumps.

“That’s creepy. I never knew it looked quite like that.”

“They work just like gecko feet. It’s the only way we’re able to hold stuff in our hooves.”

“You know what it reminds me of? Barnacles with their hard shells and the little wavy parts that come out.”

Flitter laughed. “Pretty much, yeah.” She focused on a batch of the filament bundles and cut them off with the XT’s incision spell. The precision of the instrument was incredible. She then levitated the filament stems in place and applied the tissue binding spell to reattach them.

“That didn’t hurt?” Rumble asked.

“Of course not, silly. You lose thousands of these everyday and grow them right back without even noticing.”

Rumble raised an eyebrow at Flitter. “It’s weird how you know more about pony anatomy than most ponies.”

“Changelings have these too, you know. But yes, I know all your tiny little secrets.” She gave him a teasing jab in the ribs. “I have to say though, this XT thing is any medical pony’s dream instrument. I’m impressed. Thanks again, Apple Bloom.”

Everypony looked up at the sound of hoofsteps coming from the bedroom down the hall. Nyx was dressed in exquisite combat armor. The metal plating was iridescent, shifting from blue to indigo and violet as Nyx walked. The edges were polished silver with intricate engraved patterns. The helmet fit snug to her head with horn and ear holes beveled and polished. The sturdy segmented neck piece flowed in a perfect arc along her neck as she walked, her mane spilling out the slits along the top. The chestpiece bore Nyx’s cutie mark embossed into the metal with engraved filigree lines along the edges. It was a masterpiece of precision and artistry.

Alongside Nyx, a shining battle-ready sword hovered by her side. The diphos style blade was long, slender, and mirror polished. The hilt was a pair of stylized alicorn wings outstretched with Nyx’s cutie mark at the center.

Nyx came to a stop without a word, somber eyes staring at the floor ahead of her.

Everypony just stared. Finally, Rumble stood and approached her. Their eyes met. “You look amazing.” He nuzzled her neck with his own, and she closed her eyes, leaning into him for a long moment before he motioned for her to join him with the others.

Nyx slid her sword into the magical scabbard set into her armor. It appeared as little more than a slot, but the blade appeared to vanish out of existence as it entered. She sat down next to Rumble and spoke just above a whisper. “I don’t know how to feel.”

“This is… wow, it’s quite a gift. Did Luna make this?” Flitter asked.

Nyx nodded. “She did. I haven’t worn armor like this since being Nightmare Moon. It reminds me of a very dark time in my life that I wish I could forget.”

“It wasn’t made from that armor though, was it?” Apple Bloom asked.

“No. Nightmare Moon’s armor is still in a vault beneath the Palace. This armor… it’s beautiful, yet also terrifying because of what it represents as a change in my life.”

Rumble shifted closer to Nyx and placed his wing over her shoulder. “You mean the mission and the role Luna has for you?”

“Yeah. It’s that moment when you know for sure you’ll never return to the way things were when you were growing up. When you finally realize that it’s time to take on that role you’ve always known you would one day have to do.”

“It really shows how much you mean to her, doesn’t it?”

Nyx hesitated. “There was a note from Luna in the box.” She paused to gather her thoughts. “I used to wonder if she might secretly view me as her ‘evil twin’ or some byproduct of her own poor choices. Part of me thought she was only close to me so that she could make sure I didn’t go down the same dark path she did. But I understand now, what I mean to her. She really believes I can become who I promised I’d be.”

Flitter wandered into the kitchen in a half-asleep zombie state to find Rumble and Nyx cleaning up after a meal.

“Good afternoon,” Rumble said.

“What? It can’t—”

“Just messing with ya. Good morning.”

Nyx snickered. “Coffee?”

“Yes, please. I stayed up a bit too late playing with the XT. That thing’s addicting!”

“Here, have some caffeine. That should help.” Nyx placed the steaming cup on the table.

Rumble suppressed a laugh.

The elevator console chimed. “A bit early for company.” Nyx got up to check who it was.

Flitter sat down, bleary-eyed, and sipped her coffee. She eagerly anticipated the firing of synapses which would soon come.

Rumble stared at her from across the table until she managed to lock eye contact. “Hey. Can you show me my hoof all zoomed in? I wanna see my grippy things.”

“Oh. Hey, Dinky.” Flitter barely registered Nyx’s voice from over by the elevator console. “Come on down. We’re just hanging out.”

Flitter rolled her eyes at Rumble’s request and put the XT on her horn.

Dinky materialized near the kitchen, tousling everypony’s mane with a gust of teleportation magic. “Good morning, Nyx!” Dinky gave her a hug. “Princess Luna asked me to give this to you straight away.” She levitated a scroll to Nyx.

“Thanks, Dinky. And good morning to you too!”

Dinky turned to notice what Rumble and Flitter were doing at the table. A holographic image of Rumble’s hoof floated between them. “Oh my, what’s this?”

“New toy,” Rumble said. “It’s so cool.” He flexed the gripper muscles in his hoof and snorted in laughter, watching the little grabby filaments shoot in and out.

Dinky stared at the image for a moment. “That’s… really something. You’ll have to show me how that works sometime, Flitter. It looks intriguing. Sorry I can’t stay and chat; I have a tight schedule this morning.” She waved and vanished in a shower of ethereal glitter.

Rumble stood and walked up behind Nyx, who was looking at the scroll Dinky had given her. “Those are the mission details?”

Nyx took a moment to read the mission briefing. “Yep. Looks like we depart in an hour. Luna says she will have the ‘21st Platoon, Lunar Division’ waiting for us at the Running of the Leaves starting position. We will accompany them west through Whitetail Woods and beyond. The mission is to take anywhere from three to seven days depending on what we encounter.”

“Oooh, special forces,” Rumble commented. “So they’re not sending in the REA?”

“Luna wanted to personally oversee this one,” Nyx replied. “The platoon will be mostly earth ponies.”

“Mostly earth ponies?” Rumble echoed. “So that makes us the aerial support, then. Does it say where we’re likely to find the zebras?”

“Apparently, the war report Luna received said that a local pegasus spotted a group of zebras, but they were still far from any towns and appeared to be lost. The platoon’s mission is to help the civilians form a local militia. Our mission is to escort the platoon and discover the reason behind the zebra presence if we can.”

“A mystery! You’ll enjoy that.” Rumble winked as he nudged her shoulder.

“Yeah. But it also says there’s no backup if we run into trouble. The area has no communications infrastructure, and the local population is defenseless apart from the difficult terrain they live in.”

“Probably why we’re going in with an entire platoon,” Rumble pointed out.

“That’s right. Luna said we’d have enough soldiers to handle the zebras. The platoon’s mission is priority over ours. We’re escorting and scouting for them. We need to fly overhead and keep an eye out for zebra troops, providing air cover while the ground team makes their way by hoof.”

“Wow, that’s going to be slow going. How are we going to know where to search? From what Apple Bloom was saying, the land in question is both enormous and crazy-difficult to ger around in.”

“It is. Once we meet up with the local civilians, our job is to find out as much as we can about where they spotted the zebras. Maybe do a flyover of the area while the platoon is busy. They’ll assist the settlements we find along the way and provide them with weapons, supplies, and training.”

“What do we do if we find zebras, then?” Flitter asked, still feeling groggy, but the coffee was kicking in.

“We handle the immediate threat however we have to. The most important thing is to keep the civilians safe and get them to where they can defend themselves. Once they’re armed and trained, their familiarity with the land should give them enough of an advantage.”

Nyx folded the memo and put it in her saddlebags. “Well, I think it’s time to get going. I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to get excited! Let’s get packed up.”

“I know what I’m bringing,” Rumble said with a huge grin.

Flitter rummaged through the new medical supplies while Rumble and Nyx hopped in the shower together. She regarded her new customized Meadowbrook Hospital field nurse uniform, holding it up to get a better look. It was forest camouflage kevlar with quick-release snaps so she could drop the barding in a hurry. A pair of similarly camouflaged saddlebags went with it, also bearing the Meadowbrook Hospital logo embroidered into its sides.

Meadowbrook Hospital… Fluttershy’s hospital. The Element of Kindness? Flitter scowled. She stared at the logo for a moment, trying to remember the last time she felt welcomed by the yellow pegasus. It wasn’t something she would shed tears over at this point. Not after three years and more than enough tears having long since dried. But it still stung.

Flitter sighed. Maybe it wasn’t for the best to have a logo on her barding and saddlebags reminding her of the pony she had been such good friends with in her youth. No, it wasn’t for lack of trying, but if they would ever be friends again, it was Fluttershy’s move.

She shook off the unpleasant memories; there were more pressing things to focus on. The XT would need to go someplace safe. Flitter decided to experiment with its fine manipulation spells and used it to stitch a small pocket with a clip on the inside of her saddlebags. This would serve as the XT’s home when she wasn’t using it. She looked over her handiwork. Even Rarity would be proud.

She felt ready to go. She just needed a quick shower, and… Flitter paused in her train of thought, noticing a familiar feeling in her belly and delicious taste in her mouth. Love was in the air. She rolled her eyes and walked over to the shower room door. Flitter cleared her throat and banged on the door with a hoof.

“Hey!”

No answer.

“Hey! Are you sure you guys have time for that?”

Laughs came from the shower. “Relax, Flitter, we won’t be long.”

Flitter shook her head with a smile and returned to the couch to read a book.

After her turn in the shower, everypony was pretty much ready to go. They double checked their supplies and stepped into their barding. Nyx tested her range of motion in the new armor. She drew out her sword to feel its weight and balance in the grasp of her telekinesis, then watched the blade slide back into the nothingness that was its magical scabbard.

Rumble had a wide grin on his face as he checked out his reflection in the mirror, wearing his new Lancer Frame and barding. He had already modified the LMG’s loading mechanism, saying he could probably get a five percent boost on its rate of fire.

“Looks like we’re ready,” Nyx said. Rumble walked to the terminal and put the Hideout into standby mode. The three stepped into the elevator, and moments later, walked out of the clubhouse into the warm mid-morning air to fly off toward their rendezvous point.

From the air, Nyx spotted three covered supply wagons at the outskirts of Ponyville, near the spot where the race trail entered Whitetail Woods. They were painted with a forest camouflage pattern. A crowd of military ponies was gathered nearby—all earth ponies, from the looks of it. Scratch that; there was one unicorn. No pegasi. Nyx motioned for Rumble and Flitter to set down a short distance away.

As they approached, a steel-blue mare walked up to greet them. She wore military barding made from dark-green kevlar fabric. A compound repeating crossbow was clipped to her side, and her saddlebags were customized to hold its arrow clips in easy-access pockets. On her flank was a bow-and-arrow cutie mark.

“I’m Lieutenant Archer. You must be Nyx. We were told to expect a black alicorn, but frankly, I wasn’t sure if that was a joke or not. Pleased to meet you. I’ll be second in command for this op.”

Nyx paused for two seconds, considering how to respond. She gestured toward her friends.

“This is Rumble, our weapons and tech pony. Flitter is our medical pony and covert ops specialist. I’m… well, I suppose I’ll be your alicorn for the mission.” A nervous grin played at Nyx’s lips, as she wasn’t sure if she was giving the right impression.

Archer nodded, giving the three ponies a closer inspection. Her eyes fell on Rumble’s Lancer Frame and then Nyx’s armor.

“You look quite remarkable, but my understanding is that you’re all civilians. This is a pretty basic operation, so I’m sure you’ll be just fine. I will ask that you fully respect the commander’s orders. We have a mission to do, and if you haven’t been trained, well… I don’t expect much trouble, but just watch yourselves. We’re going in where zebras have been reported.”

Nyx raised an eyebrow. “We’ve conducted quite a few war games with the SkyGuard. We’ve also had several run-ins with actual zebra combatants.”

“Is that so? Alright, then.” She gave the trio another look over. Alicorns were self-explanatory. Rumble was wearing an aerial machine gun—one of the finest the military had to offer, at that. Flitter… She regard Flitter for a moment. At a glance, Flitter was only a slender pegasus who seemed out of place going into a potentially dangerous situation. She had no special equipment and looked like a standard medical pony. Archer stared at her as if trying to reconcile what Nyx had said.

“If you don’t mind my asking, what makes you a covert ops specialist?”

Flitter looked Archer straight in the eye and gave a wry smile. There was a flash of green fire, and she instantly transformed into a perfect likeness of Archer herself.

“Holy shit!!” Archer stumbled back and fell straight on her ass. Nyx and Rumble both stifled giggles as the lieutenant’s shock gave way to understanding. Flitter returned to her default pegasus form and smiled with satisfaction while helping Archer back to her hooves.

“Okay, nevermind. I can see all sorts of uses for that. So… you’re actually a—”

“Changeling, yes.”

“Impressive. I’ve never met one before.” She composed herself. “Sorry, this is just a little unexpected. You’re obviously on our side…”

“You don’t have to worry about me, Archer. I’ve lived in Ponyville longer than you have. I do remember you as a filly, you know—before you moved away.”

“You… Uh. Wait, you were there when I was…”

Flitter nodded. “I probably foal-sat you at one point. Don’t worry about it. We’re not what most ponies think. Well, we weren’t, anyway. Now, it’s just me.” Flitter’s voice fell.

“I see. Well, it’s good to have you along. If you’ll all follow me, I’ll introduce you to our commander.”

Archer led them to where the 21st Platoon was gathered. Nyx looked them over. The troops were chatting with one another, checking weapons, and looking over inventory lists. Each held some sort of light infantry weapon such as a combat shotgun or semi-automatic rifle on a body harness. Most had one or two grenades clipped to their combat barding.

Archer approached a middle-aged earth pony mare who was talking to the platoon’s unicorn. Nyx wondered why she hadn’t noticed her from above before they had landed. Nopony in the group was that color. The mare wore custom combat barding which seemed designed to hide her pale magenta coat and lime green mane—an unfortunate color combination for any military pony.

“This is Commander Daisycutter,” Archer said with a salute to the other mare. “She’s in charge of this operation.”

“Pleased to finally meet you, Nyx,” the commander said, looking the alicorn over. “As an adult, anyway. I remember seeing you quite a bit when you were just a filly in Ponyville.”

Nyx did a double-take. “Wait… Daisy? I remember you. But you… Wow, I’m surprised to see you here.”

“It’s been a long time. A lot’s happened since I saw you last.”

Nyx completely forgot she was speaking with the platoon’s commander. “Apparently so. It’s good to see you again. It’ll be cool working together.”

“I’m looking forward to it, Nyx. And if I may say, you look fantastic in that armor. The zebras will probably run screaming if they see you.”

Nyx smirked. Judging from her own limited experience, that wasn’t too far from the truth already. “Probably. Every time I’ve run into them, they’re always rather… preoccupied with my appearance. It does get old. ‘Ahh!! Nightmare Moon!!’ and all that.”

Daisy laughed. “Understandable. The zebras have quite the superstition about you.”

Nyx looked around at the rest of the platoon. “So, what’s the situation?”

“Well, we’ve got fifteen earth pony infantry, not including Archer and myself. Windy Scarlet here is our requisite unicorn and ‘bag of tricks’. I’m told you are aware of our orders: scout for zebras and fortify the local settlements.”

Nyx nodded. “Luna filled us in.”

“Alright then. It’ll take all day to reach the first town. You can put your stuff in that wagon over there if you like. We should get going. We’re burning daylight, and we’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”

05 - Into Wilderness

“Your first tour?”

“Yep. I just finished training last month.”

“My third. Be excited! This is gonna be a cakewalk.”

“Think so?”

“You kidding? A small, easy engagement, far from the front lines? I can’t wait to kick some zebra tail and tell my buddies back home all about it.”

“You think we’ll even find zebras? I heard the locals only spotted a few and that they were out in the middle of nowhere.”

“I hope so. Worst case, we get to the villages, do our job, and go home without seeing a single one of the striped bastards.”

Nyx shook her head and smirked as she listened to the banter of the soldiers behind her. She and the commander had taken point in the convoy while the rest of the platoon and the three wagons fell into formation behind them.

The platoon headed west along the race path and into the woods. Up ahead, the dirt path darkened as patchy shadows from the trees fell upon it. Visible through the trees to the south, rolling bluffs marked the edge of the woods. Nyx had been along this path many times as an enthusiastic participant of the annual autumn race. She took a deep breath, enjoying the feel of the early-summer breeze and listening to the sound of rustling leaves in the upper branches of the tall aspen trees.

Nyx’s curiosity about the commander grew as they walked along. Her childhood memories of Daisy contrasted sharply with what she saw before her. Daisy had always seemed rather flighty and superficial, but the mare with her now was sharp and focused. And what was with the commander’s barding? The dark-green and brown camouflage was doing something she had never seen before. Apparently, not everything was as it seemed.

“Cool barding, Daisy,” Nyx probed.

Daisy cracked a smile. “You noticed its enchantment, I take it?”

Nyx nodded. “I noticed something. Not sure what I saw, though. Your mane and tail were black, and your coat was chestnut. How’d it do that?”

“Sassy Saddles puts out a nice line of enchanted barding. You only see what a pony really looks like if you’re close to them. What good is camouflage if your natural color is a neon beacon, eh?”

Nyx laughed, looking ruefully down at her own brightly polished armor. “That’s true. So… Daisycutter?”

Daisy rolled her eyes. “That’s just my callsign. I got the nickname in the Reserves when I was living in an Equestrian zebra community. My troops have no end of fun ribbing me for it.”

“Wow, you lived with the zebras? What was that like?”

“I’m not really sure how to answer that. I’ve worked extensively with them for years. Used to be a famine-relief missionary in their homelands before the war broke out. I suppose it felt… normal? You could say I’m kind of the resident zebra geek of my unit.”

“No kidding. I bet you know Zecora then, being that you’re from Ponyville originally.”

“Oh yes, we’re good friends,” Daisy said with a smile. “We go way back.”

Nyx grinned that she had guessed correctly. “I knew Zecora when I was growing up, but we haven’t talked in years. I always did find her rhyming a little unsettling.”

Daisy laughed. “Yeah, she likes to do that because it makes her seem mysterious. She does it when she’s feeling dramatic, which is fairly often. Maybe she lost a bet and has to give the impression that all zebras talk that way.”

Nyx imagined Zecora sitting at home, cursing at her dictionary of rhymes when nopony was looking. “Yeah, maybe. I haven’t had much of a chance to know what zebras are normally like, to be honest.”

Daisy’s brow furrowed. “The war hasn’t helped with that. Maybe I’ll introduce you to some of my friends one day. Maybe.”

The day had grown hot, and Nyx was thankful for the shade over the race trail as they continued westward. The platoon came to a stop where a large tree had fallen across the path. Nyx and Windy Scarlet levitated the tree enough so that three earth ponies were able to push it off to the side. The exertion felt good, giving Nyx an endorphin kick as they continued their journey.

As they resumed, Nyx thought some more about what the commander had said. She had never met a pony with so much direct experience with zebras apart from combat. Perhaps it was an opportunity to shed some light on a few things.

“So, Daisy… What do you usually do when you’re working with the Equestrian zebras?”

Daisy thought for a moment. “Well, most recently, I helped set up security training programs for the new zebra community beneath Canterlot. ~~They’re calling it ‘Zebratown’, if you can believe that.” Daisy rolled her eyes.~~

“Oh yeah, I saw that project just a couple days ago. It was something to see how hard they work. Reminds me of how they fight.”

Daisy chuckled. “Oh, they’re quite good, especially at hoof combat. Tenacious, too. There’s not much that will back them down.”

“You got that right. Every zebra soldier I’ve run across was much more concerned that I looked like Nightmare Moon than the fact that I might kill them.”

“I’m not at all surprised at that. The zebras are deeply mystical and superstitious as a culture. To them, some things—principles, usually—are more important than one’s own life. It’s a concept few ponies can relate to.”

Lunchtime had come, finally. Nyx sat with Rumble along the rocks at the edge of the riverbank, sharing a bag of apples. She looked up at the waterfall cascading over a cliff. Rainbow colors danced through the fine mist which formed near its base.

“This has always been my favorite part of the path,” she said with a smile. “Remember all the time we spent here when we were growing up?”

Rumble nodded. “I remember we used to perch on that rock up there and look over the forest. I should bring you back here someday when it’s not so crowded.”

Nyx’s heart warmed at the thought of their time here. The autumn leaves had painted a colorful vista as far as the eye could see. The picnics she and Rumble enjoyed at this particular waterfall were some of Nyx’s most treasured memories of their early courtship.

After Rumble trotted off to show some of the other soldiers his new lancer frame harness, Flitter sat in his place beside Nyx. Soon, Daisy and Lieutenant Archer joined them as well.

“Lieutenant,” Nyx said with a nod.

“Hey, Nyx. Hey, Flitter.” She paused, looking Flitter over. “I’m a little curious about something. You said you lived in Ponyville before the war?”

Flitter nodded. “I was on the weather team. I worked part time at the clinic as well. My dad was one of their doctors.”

“Is that so? Don’t take this the wrong way, but… why? Didn’t you all live in a colony or something?”

“You’re thinking of Chrysalis and her cult,” Flitter replied. “She had quite a following, but she by no means represented all the changelings. Most of us lived peacefully among ponies in plain sight.”

“Lived—past tense,” Archer said. “I remember hearing that they nearly all died. Not enough love or something. And that everyone who survived vanished with the Crystal Empire. Though clearly, the stories aren’t true; you’re still here.”

Flitter took on a pained expression. “That’s… somewhat true.” She pawed at the ground with a hoof. “It was… I…”

Nyx’s heart went out to her friend. She put a wing over her back. “You don’t have to,” she whispered.

She did anyway.

“Those of us who survived the famine migrated to the Crystal Empire a few years ago—before it vanished again. I was away, visiting friends when I was left behind. I didn’t know. And now… they’re all gone.”

Nyx hugged her tight. “You gonna be alright?” Flitter nodded.

Archer put a hoof to her lips. “I had no idea. I can’t imagine what that would be like.”

Flitter hung her head low. She lost her pony facade and appeared as a changeling for about a second before returning to her usual pegasus form as if she didn’t even notice.

“I miss them,” she squeaked.

“I’m sorry,” Archer said, just above a whisper.

Flitter looked up at her. “It’s okay. I try not to dwell on it. The war has taken loved ones from everypony.”

Archer nodded. “It has. Thanks for sharing anyway. Sorry if I was insensitive.”

She regarded Flitter for a moment, then unclipped her crossbow. “Hey, would you like to try your hoof at this? I’d be happy to show you how. We could do some target practice together.” She smiled warmly at Flitter.

Flitter looked at the strange weapon. “I’m not really a fighter.” Archer began to put the crossbow away. “But thank you. I’d like to try.”

Flitter and Archer walked off to find a good place for a crossbow lesson, leaving Nyx and Daisy behind.

“Flitter is important to you,” Daisy said after they had left.

“She’s family. Family is important.” Nyx looked up at the waterfall as it cascaded down the bluffs and fell into the river in a cloud of mist.

Daisy nodded in silence. The pair sat, eating their lunch together until Daisy spoke up.

“You’ve fought the zebras before.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yeah, a little. Lately, we’ve been testing a short-range threat detection spell. We’ve had a few unexpected encounters. I wish we could have just talked them down. I mean, I don’t have any special love for the zebras, but my belief was that I would never have to kill. I truly thought I could protect others without it.”

Daisy shook her head and spoke gently. “I’m sorry. That’s just not possible in war. Your intentions were honorable, just not very realistic.”

“Why, though? Why won’t they listen to reason?”

“It’s not their way. Remember what I said about how they would give up their own lives over a principle. They are a very stubborn people. That doesn’t make it any easier. The first time I killed one was terrible. I felt guilty for days.

Nyx stared at the ground in front of her. “I know the feeling. I went through that as well.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“I… About three years ago, I stopped a major assassination at a Royal Guard ceremony. Well, mostly stopped.”

“I remember hearing about that,” Daisy said. “What happened?”

Nyx’s voice softened. “I ended up killing a lot of zebras. Before that day, I was one hundred percent against the idea that I would ever kill anyone. All my life, I’ve protected others by using nonlethal force. That day was my turning point. Shining Armor and I had a long talk about it after the attack. I had to accept that sometimes you can’t protect others unless you kill someone.”

Daisy nodded, taking a bite from her lunch.

“It still tears me up inside, though. I know I’m meant to protect ponies. I made a promise to Luna and Celestia about it many years ago. I didn’t realize how conflicted I would feel about it.”

“A promise?”

“It’s a long story. I knew that I was physically stronger than my loved ones—that I could endure more than they could. I committed my life to protecting them. Luna believes I can. Sometimes, I’m not so sure.”

Daisy regarded Nyx with a puzzled look. “Why would you say that? Hasn’t your whole life been leading you up to this role?”

Nyx blinked. “What? No. I never wanted this. I mean, sure, I know I need to protect others, but I’m not a hero. It’s just that I can’t stand by while others get hurt or killed.”

“And yet you’re named after a children’s storybook hero. Your mother had some astounding foresight, wouldn’t you say?”

“That—wait, no, I don’t think you understand, Daisy. Nyx of the Night is about true heroism and bravery. It was about an amazing pony who fearlessly protected her local village from the monsters of the night.”

Daisy spoke softly. “Exactly.”

Nyx blushed. “I wouldn’t go that far. I do what I can, but I’m not that much of a hero.”

“Trust me, Nyx. You are.”

About a half-hour after everypony had resumed moving westward, they came upon a sign with an arrow pointing to the right. Nyx engaged her spell matrix to access its mapping function and compass. Within moments, her vision became enhanced with indicators for trails, landmarks, and some notes which Apple Bloom had put into the map, showing her sister’s old pie-delivery route.

“There, up ahead—that’s as far as the race path will take us. It heads north for a while, then loops back to Ponyville. We’ll have to keep going west. There’s an old trail that should be…”

She glanced up toward the rocky hills that bordered Whitetail’s southern edge. She then looked behind the sign. There it was—a rough trail forked with the main path and sloped down alongside the embankment, into the increasingly dense forest below.

“The map says that this eventually leads to the fire swamp, and past that, to the bayous. We should be okay; it’s not like the chimeras have guns or anything,” Nyx said with a chuckle.

“Sounds like heaps of fun,” Windy muttered sourly.

Everypony made their way off the race trail and continued westward. Windy kept glancing apprehensively around the thick forest. The ambient sounds which surrounded them gave a feeling of being a long way from civilization. The trail was not maintained. In places, it was overgrown with vines and brambles, making progress tedious.

As the platoon made their way deeper into the woods, Nyx walked alongside Archer, admiring the crossbow clipped to her barding. “That’s a nice weapon you’ve got there.”

Archer glanced over her shoulder then back to Nyx, grinning with pride. “It’s something, isn’t it? Custom made for me by my dad. He’s a weapons developer at Muzzle Talk. It fits ten arrows in the clip, and I can fire with just under two seconds between shots.”

Nyx whistled in admiration. “Not bad. Your dad is really talented!”

“Thanks. We’ve always been close. He was very supportive of my interest when I was just a filly. I was hoping to eventually compete in the Equestria Games’ ice-arrow competition, but I was too young the last time the Games were held. When the war started, I found a much more appropriate use for my skills.”

“It's a weird feeling, isn't it? Having your special talent suddenly be in demand because of the war.”

“Yeah, a little. So how about you—what’s your history? You and Rumble are pretty tight. How long you been a couple?”

“Since the war began. But we’ve been married for five years. We were pretty close friends as kids.”

“Wow, that’s awesome.”

“Thanks. He’s awesome. I couldn’t have asked for a better stallion.”

The heat of the day had finally passed, leaving behind a cool breeze coming from the west as the sun began its journey toward the horizon.

Nyx and Flitter had flown ahead to scout the trail. The mountain range to the south started to flatten out and veered off to the south-west horizon. Looking back to the east, Canterlot Mountain was no longer visible. In the distance to the west, the air was thick with a smoke-like haze, and the trees took on a darker color. Hints of a foul odor drifted in with the breeze.

“Is that the fire swamp?” Flitter asked.

“Looks like it. I’d say it’s another hour’s walk ahead of the platoon. We should probably head back.”

The pair circled around, getting the lay of the land and committing the best route to memory. Upon returning to the platoon, they found Daisy firing her rifle at some paper targets. She checked her weapon and greeted them.

“I told the troops we can stop here for a while and do some combat drills before dinner. We’re going to want to take advantage of the daylight while we have it. How’s the path looking up ahead?”

Nyx sat down on a large rock next to a supply wagon, and Daisy joined her. “The fire swamp is about an hour’s walk from here. I think we should be okay for a while; we didn’t see any signs of zebras anywhere we scouted. How are you guys doing?”

Daisy pointed at the groups of soldiers across the clearing where they had stopped. “Archer’s got a marksmanship contest going on over there. A few of the others are practicing some hoof combat. We’ll probably eat fast and hit the trail again in a half hour. We shouldn’t wait too long if we want to reach the first town before dark.

Flitter eyed the ponies that were gathered around Archer’s makeshift targeting range. An all-black mare with a white star on her forehead held a portable chalkboard with hash marks on it.

“I’ll be over there if you need me,” Flitter said, pointing toward the others. She trotted off to join them.

Rumble flew up to Daisy and Nyx, hovering for a moment before landing. “Hey, hon!” He was wearing his lancer frame. “This thing is so awesome. I’m practicing my aim.” He gave her a quick cuddle.

“Having fun?” Nyx said, leaning into him.

“You know it! I gotta run, though. I need the practice.” He kissed her cheek and flew off.

Nyx grinned affectionately, her eyes half lidded.

Daisy smirked. “That’s the look of a mare in love.”

“Hm? Of course.” She blushed, slightly.

“It’s good to see. Not enough love in the world these days, you know.”

Nyx chuckled. “You sound like Flitter; she says the exact same thing. Of course, she has a pretty good reason to be saying that.”

“A changeling… yeah, she’s really lucky to have you two.”

“We’ve been through a lot together. Like I said, she’s family.”

Daisy glanced across the clearing to where Flitter had joined the others. Nyx followed her gaze.

“Midnight’s our best shot with a rifle. That black mare over there, Archer, likes to think she is. With a bow, she’d be right.”

Nyx nodded as she watched Flitter in the distance. She was taking aim at a paper target with Midnight’s help.

“Somepony seems to be enjoying herself,” Daisy noted.

“It’s good to see. I worry about her sometimes. She’s been through so much, but she hides most of it.”

Another series of loud cracks rang through the air from Rumble’s LMGs. Nyx and Daisy looked up and smiled, watching Rumble soar past, drawing the attention of the other soldiers.

Platinum Dawn, one of the stallions who pulled the wagons, passed a ration basket to the commander. She thanked him and offered Nyx a sandwich.

“You know, I’ve got a pretty good idea what most of the ponies here can do in battle,” Daisy said. “But there’s still one pony that’s a mystery to me. I’m very interested to know what you can do, Nyx. You’re an alicorn. From what I’ve read, your abilities could be downright catastrophic. If legend is to be believed, a single alicorn can wipe out large armies or level mountains.”

Nyx nearly fell over laughing. “Wow, I haven’t heard that one in a long time, Daisy.” She wiped her eye with a hoof. “I wouldn’t put much faith in the old bedtime stories. Alicorns aren’t the titans that the ancient legends talk about. Those stories are just made up to give little colts and fillies interesting pony-tales to read. Nopony should take them seriously.”

“Hmm. Well, somepony must have had a vivid imagination then. Somepony seemed to think alicorns were terrifying.”

Nyx considered this for a moment. Luna had strongly hinted that Nyx may end up remembering further war spells which Luna had crafted in ages past. But nothing on the scale of the ancient legends. Even Luna herself had no such power.

“Well, I’m not saying we can’t do some pretty scary stuff,” Nyx conceded. “I mean, three years ago, I turned twenty-three zebras into meat confetti. It did put me in the hospital, though. It’s not something I can use in a fight just because I want to. And in a war this size, it wouldn’t tip the scales anyway.”

“So, you can’t defeat entire armies with a wave of your hoof and make my platoon famous for winning the war, then.” Daisy poked Nyx in the side with a smile. “That’s too bad. We sure could use a ‘legend’ like that right about now, wouldn’t you say?”

“I don’t know, Daisy. All the alicorns in those stories weren’t the slightest bit interested in helping out with pony concerns.”

Daisy smirked. “I suppose you’re right, but it’s fun to fantasize about it. So, what’s your story then? Got any cool tricks?”

Cool tricks. Nyx flushed, not expecting to feel so self-conscious about her lack of interesting abilities. “Well… Luna took away nearly all of my magical abilities when she turned me back into a filly. I’ve had to learn magic from scratch. Turns out I’m not multitalented like my mom.”

“How are you in combat, then?”

“I do well enough,” Nyx said after hesitating. She hated bragging, but she reminded herself that Daisy wanted to know her capabilities, not hear her stroke her own ego. “From a position of raw physical power, my body is several times stronger than most ponies. One on one, I can probably win any fight other than against Celestia or Luna. Then again, I haven’t fought a full-grown dragon yet, so don’t quote me on that.”

“I don’t know, Nyx, there are some very skilled zebras. Some of the elites can kick the tails of any Commander. I got super lucky one time when I killed one because he wasn’t paying attention and I got the first blow to the back of his neck. Even with the spinal injury, he kicked my ass before I finally got a lucky killing strike with my zebra blades. He continued to fight even while bleeding out. I nearly didn’t make it.”

Nyx paused to consider this. She had fought several zebras over the last three years, but never one with the level of skill Daisy described. “Wow. Well, I’ll have to keep an eye out for that, I guess.”

“What’s your fighting style then, Nyx?”

“I can put up a class-five shield, and I’ve got a couple types of energy beams, but they drain my power really fast. My magical capacity is… well, it’s kinda low for an alicorn. But I’m pretty good with a blade.” Nyx drew her new sword from its scabbard.

Daisy whistled in admiration. “That’s a beauty. Where were you hiding that?”

Nyx twirled the sword about for a moment. “Pocket dimension built into the armor. I love it.”

“Very cool. May I?”

Nyx passed the sword to Daisy. “It was a gift from Luna. It means a lot to me.”

Daisy examined the sword for a moment, then passed it back. “It’s beautiful. Is a blade more your style, then? I take it you don’t like firearms.”

Nyx scratched behind her ear and took a moment to think. “I’m not sure if I have a ‘style’, to be honest. I think maybe it’s just that a gun wouldn’t really add anything to my fighting ability. I have a medium-ranged weapon already.” Nyx tapped her horn with a forehoof. “I can fight up close with the sword, and I can take a beating that would kill most ponies. I’ve tried firearms: I’m not really that good of a shot, and I feel like they slow me down. You know what I mean? I don’t feel as agile when carrying one.”

Daisy chuckled. “Rumble seems to do okay. I was watching him zip through the trees with a shotgun earlier. That kid absolutely dances with his guns.”

Nyx looked affectionately across the clearing toward Rumble. “That he does.”

Daisy cleared her throat. “Well, I’m glad to have you with us, Nyx. If we run into trouble, you’ll stack the odds in our favor nicely.”

The platoon had packed up, continuing westward through the farthest reaches of Whitetail Woods. It was growing more unpleasant the further they went. Everypony was getting tired of walking along the bumpy, curvy trails.

“Do we know anything about this town we’re going to?” Flitter asked. She and Nyx were taking point with Daisy, and it was Rumble’s turn to scout ahead.

“No, not really,” Daisy said. “Just what you could guess based on where they live. Not exactly what most of us would call civilization.”

Rumble returned from his flight and set down next to the others. “Okay, the good news is that I haven’t spotted anything to worry about over the fire swamp.”

“What’s the bad news?” Nyx asked.

“The bad news is that even if there was something to worry about, I probably wouldn’t have seen it anyway. There’s so much haze over the whole area, I could barely see the ground, much less any threats.”

“We’ll just have to do without, then,” Daisy said. “Thanks for checking.”

The platoon continued along the trail for a few minutes when suddenly, most of the ambient noise of the forest faded away. Everypony slowed their pace and glanced around the eerily silent forest, looking for threats.

“Listen,” whispered Archer, drawing her bow out.

There was a rustling coming from a nearby thicket alongside a ridge. Suddenly, an enormous beast emerged and approached the ponies. It resembled a winged lion, but was probably four times as massive. The creature’s muscular tail was segmented and curled up, ending with a scorpion-like stinger. A manticore was one of the more feared creatures of the Everfree Forest. It moved slowly, getting close enough that Nyx could smell it.

“Shit, shit, shit,” whispered Windy.

“Weapons hold,” Daisy ordered. “Let’s see what it does. Stay alert, ponies.”

The manticore wandered closer and growled at them but did not attack.

“There’s blood all over its mouth and paws,” Flitter whispered. “Maybe it just killed.”

Everypony watched intently as the manticore lumbered dangerously close and let out a roar that nopony would ever forget. The piercing, otherworldly scream echoed through the trees, sending chills down Nyx’s back.

The entire platoon stood frozen with weapons trained on the beast. It paused and sniffed at the air, then seemed to lose interest, making its way past them and eventually disappearing into the woods. Everypony held their breath until it was out of sight.

“Yeah, you better run,” Rumble said in the manticore’s general direction.

“Holy shit,” Windy said. “Anypony else feel a little outclassed suddenly? Good thing it left us alone.”

“If it had attacked, we would have killed it,” Daisy said. “But a beast that size can absorb a lot of lead before falling. One unlucky swipe from a manticore’s claws can take a pony’s head clean off.”

Archer’s expression seemed quite agitated. “Excuse me, but what the fuck is a manticore doing in Whitetail Woods? Those are only found in the Everfree Forest.”

Nyx recalled how most everything living in the Everfree Forest seems to dislike ponies. Why was that, anyway? “She’s right. It isn’t normal for an Everfree creature to be this far from home. It’s worth some extra caution; we don’t know what else we might stumble into.”

The terrain had changed significantly as the platoon continued to push west beyond the edge of the forest. The grass and underbrush were gone, replaced by barren reddish-brown soil with a scattering of ferns beneath large, intimidating trees with gnarled, exposed roots. The air was thick with haze, adding to the creepy feeling of the place. Pools of sticky liquid dotted the landscape, occasionally belching flammable gas bubbles which ignited like flaming geysers as they burst.

“Cesium flecks and methane,” Windy said. “Keep your distance.”

“This is chimera territory,” Nyx warned. “Apple Bloom said they’re hostile, but they shouldn’t be much trouble for us.” The spell matrix around Nyx’s horn glowed as she fed it some magical energy. “T.E.I. shows nothing nearby.”

“Let’s still try to keep as low a profile as possible,” Flitter said in a hushed voice. “We may just get lucky and pass through undetected. I’ve got a very bad feeling about this place.”

Nyx stopped in front of her. “Like, ‘I can smell some zebras’ bad?” she whispered.

“No, not like that. The only other emotions I can pick up right now are from the other ponies. Nyx, most of them are really nervous.”

Nyx glanced around at the platoon. Everypony was taking cautious steps forward, looking all around at the intimidating landscape. “I can see that myself,” she whispered back. “What else do you feel?”

“Nothing at all. That doesn’t mean there isn’t danger. I get no early warning with animals.”

Something strange caught Nyx’s peripheral vision below on her chest.

“What’s this?”

Nyx looked down at her armor. She was surprised to find that its silver edging and shiny filigree had dulled, and the lustrous iridescent plating had become a darker matte finish, blending in with the surrounding terrain.

“Well, that’s different,” Nyx commented with a hint of curiosity. “I wonder if the armor knows something we don’t.”

“You’re nervous,” Flitter said.

Nyx shot her an annoyed look. “Of course I am.”

“That’s probably why. Nice feature.”

The haze made it impossible to navigate, and there was no longer a trail to follow. Nyx checked her compass and approached Daisy. “I’d like to scout ahead and see if I can find the best way out of here. T.E.I. isn’t showing anything nearby.”

“Good idea. I’ll have everypony advance slowly in that direction until you get back.”

Nyx nodded and took off above the trees, out of sight.

Flitter moved closer to Windy Scarlet as the platoon advanced through the fire swamp. “Are you alright? You seem a little uneasy.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Don’t feel bad; I’m nervous too.” Flitter looked into Windy’s eyes and saw a part of herself reflected back at her. “You’re not really a soldier, are you?”

Windy shook her head. “Every platoon needs a unicorn. Multitalented unicorns get a great benefits package for signing up. My family fell on hard times recently… They’ll be taken care of now.”

Flitter’s heart sank. This pony had never seen combat. She couldn’t be older than twenty. “What did you do before enlisting?”

“Entertainment. Performing tricks for school carnivals and things like that.”

“Ahh. You ever hear of Trixie?”

Windy rolled her eyes. “Yes. I tried to join up with her once. We did a couple shows together, but honestly, she’s kind of a bossy, narcissistic bitch. Great and Powerful this and that. Goodness, as big as her head was, there just wasn’t room for me in the act.”

Flitter stifled a laugh. “That does sound like Trixie.” She paused and regarded the scarlet-maned unicorn. She could taste Windy’s anxiety like a bitter spot on the back of her tongue. Her voice became soft and compassionate. “Hey, now. You’re in good company here, kid. This commander’s a good leader. And Nyx is the best pony I’ve ever met. We’ll get through this.”

Windy smiled, and Flitter could tell it was genuine. “Thanks, Flitter. Hey, you wanna see something cool?” She paused, ears swiveling about. “Wait. Do you hear that?”

A high-pitched sound came from the north and was getting louder. What disturbed Flitter was that it didn’t sound like any single thing. More like lots of somethings. Everypony looked around, trying to figure out what was happening as the sound grew louder like a rapidly approaching storm. “What is that?” somepony asked.

Suddenly, a cloud of winged creatures descended upon the troops, biting them and flying erratically. Everypony tried running for cover.

“What the… Vampire fruit bats?” Flitter couldn’t believe what she was seeing. There were dozens of bats. Everywhere she looked, somepony was swiping at them with hooves, bucking, dodging, and trying to keep their distance. Somepony fired a weapon, having no luck hitting the agile targets.

One landed on Platinum Dawn’s neck, hanging by its claws from his barding. The huge bat sank its fangs into the vulnerable underside of his neck, spraying blood. The stallion screamed in terror, bucking and kicking, yet unable to shake the creature. “Platinum! Hold still,” yelled Archer from ten canters out as she drew her bow. He didn’t respond, but kept thrashing about in a panic. A nearby soldier unclipped a dagger from his barding and impaled the bat. Platinum stumbled around in shock as blood continued to pour from his neck and stream down his chest.

Another bat was baring its fangs for the attack when suddenly, its head exploded into dozens of bloody fragments. Rumble had dropped his lancer frame in exchange for a drum-fed combat shotgun, and was swooping and dodging through the air, shredding the winged nightmares.

Daisy stood next to the supply wagon, passing shotguns to her troops. A bat landed on her flank and bit hard. She cried out in pain then bashed the creature’s head with the butt of her weapon. The sound of shotguns filled the air, and several more bats met their fate. It wasn’t enough, however. There were just too many, and more ponies were getting bitten.

Flitter flung herself toward Platinum and searched through her pack for something to stop the bleeding. He was lying on his side, blood pooling onto the dirt. Flitter twisted as she felt the impact of a bat landing on her back. She looked back and shrieked in terror just before seeing the little monster get ripped away by a bright-red levitation field.

The bat resisted, beating its wings uselessly as it was carried toward a shield bubble that floated above the ground near the center of the battle. Flitter turned to see Windy Scarlet, horn glowing and her face a combination of abject fear and focused determination. She was crouched low, hugging the base of a tree and trying not to be a target. Flitter could tell that it was taking all her telekinetic focus to maintain her hold on the elusive bats, catching them in midair, one at a time, and dragging them into the shield.

The sound of shotguns still echoed through the swamp as the number of bats gradually fell. Flitter was tending to Platinum Dawn’s neck wound, putting pressure on it to slow the bleeding. It was a bad bite that nicked an artery. She was worried that a bandage wouldn’t be enough. This pony was going to need to have that wound repaired before he could travel. She opened the small inner pocket of her saddlebags and unclipped her XT.

Eventually, the last of the bats were either shot or rounded up in Windy’s shield. At least two dozen flew around angrily within the canter-wide sphere. Nine ponies had been bitten—two seriously.

Daisy trotted around, checking on everypony. “Well, so much for keeping a low profile. Good work, Windy. That was some quick thinking with the shield!”

“What kind of shield is that?” Rumble asked as he strapped his lancer frame back on. “Any shield I’ve ever seen can’t have anything put inside after it’s already up.”

“One-way shield,” Windy replied with a smile. “A trick I learned a couple years ago. Stuff goes in, but nothing comes out.”

“Is it strong?” Rumble asked as he leaned over and put his lips to a clip on his barding.

“Yeah, I’d say so. Probably a solid class-four.”

Archer took a close look at the shield. “So, what are you going to do now with a ball full of angry, bloodthirsty bats?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll…”

One of Rumble’s grenades sailed through the air, slipped into the shield, and bounced around inside for a bit before settling at the bottom.

“Adios, fuckers!”

--BOOM!!--

The shield became an opaque red sphere with hundreds of fragments of bat guts and bone clinging to the bloody interior then sliding down into a pool.

Windy stared at the shield for a moment. “Or… that works too.” She released the shield, and the bat purée landed on the ground with a wet splat.

Archer picked herself up off the ground and gave Rumble a serious look. She then regarded the sticky mess and scratched her head with a hoof. “Okay, can I be the first to call bullshit on the vampire fruit bat attack?! Since when have fruit bats, vampire or otherwise, ever attacked ponies?”

Just then, a rustling sounded from behind a cluster of trees, causing heads to whip around as everypony startled. Flitter could taste how jumpy they all were. Several ponies chuckled, commenting on the false alarm when suddenly, three hideous creatures charged out from behind the trees. Their appearance was that of a lion with a second head like a goat. Their tails ended in snake heads.

Before anypony knew what was happening, one of the chimeras slammed its goat head hard into the side of an earth pony soldier.

Oh no, Flitter thought. It was Midnight—the mare who had helped her at the targeting range earlier.

They tumbled over one another before coming to a stop with the chimera pinning her down. She screamed as the lion head tore at her flesh.

Daisy barked out orders as she drew her rifle. “Flitter, you help Midnight. Everypony else, form a perimeter!” She then fired her rifle three times into the creature, causing it to flinch in pain and dash away, leaving a trail of blood.

Flitter galloped to where the soldier lay bleeding while chaos surrounded her. She was still wearing her XT from patching up Platinum and helping him to the supply wagon. The black mare before her was convulsing in pain, eyes wide and staring into Flitter’s. Her breath came in short gasps.

“Shhh. Try to be still—I’ve got you.” Flitter looked down at the wound. The shoulder was mauled open, the foreleg nearly ripped off.

Another chimera pounced on a nearby earth pony soldier, pinning her down on her back not ten canters from where Flitter was trying to stabilize Midnight.

Flitter took a deep breath. She brought up the holographic image and focused on the open arteries, fusing them with her cauterizing spell to stop the worst of the bleeding. “Just hold on. I know it hurts.” Flitter dug through her saddlebags. She pulled out a nectar stick and broke it in half, putting one half in her own mouth and the other in Midnight’s. Flitter maneuvered the nectar stick between the mare’s back teeth and slapped her jaw, causing the stick to shatter. Midnight shook for a moment then melted into calm putty.

The sounds of gunfire and screaming filled the air in a cacophony of madness while Flitter fought to maintain focus. She glanced up to see one of the soldiers, Radiance, pinned beneath a chimera. It was easily four times her weight and was clawing furiously at her barding, ripping deep gashes into her belly.

Two others rushed to help Radiance. The bright yellow mare cried out in pain as blood flowed down her side toward her back. The beast’s movements were violent and unpredictable, making it difficult for the new arrivals to take aim without risking hitting Radiance. Dodging a swipe from its claws, one soldier fired her rifle into the side of the creature, prompting a pair of goat horns to slam into her head. She dropped her rifle and tried to steady herself while the chimera continued to claw at Radiance.

“It’s such a pretty shade of crimson,” came the calm voice of Midnight as she looked idly at her own devastated shoulder. Flitter grabbed a clean cloth from her saddlebags and soaked up the excess blood from the wound. There were only moments to reattach the blood vessels if she was going to save the pony’s foreleg.

The sharp, percussive sound of automatic machine gun fire sailed overhead across the battle. It was Rumble filling a chimera with lead. Flitter spared a glance in the direction he was firing. The beast was trying to bite at its attackers but was too occupied with the wounds it was receiving. Daisy was crouching behind a large tree, contributing to the assault with her rifle. The chimera roared and tried to take cover, but several soldiers had it surrounded. There was nowhere to run.

The chimera clawing at Radiance became distracted and stopped mauling her long enough to snap its lion head at the stallion that had arrived to help. He slammed the butt of his shotgun into its eye, causing it to shriek. Its snake-headed tail whipped around and snapped at the stallion, but he jumped back, just out of reach. The snake head then sank its fangs into the hind leg of the rifle mare, who was trying to pull Radiance free. She cried out in pain as the tail pulled upward, lifting her off the ground with its fangs embedded in her flank.

Flitter applied her XT’s anaesthetic spell to the wound. “Midnight, when that stuff wears off, you need to hold still. Don’t try to move.” Flitter glanced at Radiance lying beneath the angry chimera. She had stopped moving. Flitter had an empty feeling in her gut. There was nothing she could do. The screaming and gunfire were unceasing. Weren’t there three chimeras? She couldn’t remember.

Flitter saw a pale pink unicorn race past her vision. “Windy!”

The unicorn stopped in her tracks and stared at Flitter with a look of terror on her face.

“I need a shield, and fast. We’re the only ones not fighting, and I don’t think it’ll be long before…”

Then she saw it. Flitter glanced to the right and saw the wounded chimera that had mauled Midnight crouching behind a bush, looking directly at her. It was creeping closer. When they locked eyes, the chimera bolted forward and leapt.

The shotgun stallion blasted the snake head clean off the tail of Radiance’s chimera, which then whipped about, spraying everypony with blood. The rifle mare fell to the ground, the severed snake head still attached to her flank. She kicked the head off her and scrabbled backward. The goat and lion heads roared in anger and pain, and the chimera refocused its efforts against the shotgun wielding pony, clawing and biting at him in a frenzy as its tail thrashed about, blood spurting everywhere.

One… two… and finally three arrows from Archer’s crossbow flew across the battlefield and into the side of the beast, causing it to stumble and shriek. The goat head reached back and bit down on one of the arrows from its side. The beast wailed in pain and snapped the shaft off, leaving the curved broadhead inside its flesh.

Flitter flinched as the leaping chimera slammed into Windy’s shield, causing a red distortion wave to radiate out along the sphere from where the beast impacted. The chimera fell to the ground, confused, and shook its heads. It roared and tried to scratch its way through the nearly transparent bubble that surrounded Flitter, Windy, and Midnight. A moment later, Flitter finally finished stabilizing Midnight, but they were trapped in a shield bubble with an angry chimera trying its best to break in.

The snake-bitten soldier managed to get a clean shot with her rifle at the back of the goat head as it reached for the second arrow, causing it to fall limp. The chimera stumbled over, losing its balance entirely as it tried to remain upright with two of its three brains missing. The lion head thrashed about, trying to find a target while the tail continued to whip blood everywhere. The shotgun stallion shoved the barrel of his gun into the lion mouth and blew the back of its head out.

Radiance was free, but still unmoving. Her rescuers were panicked, trying to get her to wake up. The remaining chimera suddenly stopped clawing at Windy’s shield, noticing easier prey nearby. It crouched low, preparing to pounce.

The chimera had barely left the ground when a beam of intense magical energy lanced across the battlefield. It struck the side of the lion head of the beast and burned straight through to penetrate the goat head as well. The creature spun in the air and crashed dead into the ground beside Radiance.

A dark shape burst onto the scene, armor gleaming a brilliant purple and silver, drawing the attention of all. Her eyes glowed with fury, full of anger and magic, aghast that her friends were being hurt when she wasn’t there to protect them. Her sword was held high, a flashing blade of unrelenting silver.

Nyx had joined the fight.

Flitter seized the opportunity. “Drop the shield now!” Windy and Flitter bolted to where Radiance lay.

Nyx landed near Daisy. “I heard gunshots and an explosion. I came as fast as I could,” Nyx panted. “This isn’t over—T.E.I. showed another pack of the damn things on their way.”

Flitter looked Radiance over. Her belly was shredded, but she was still breathing. She applied the anaesthetic spell and got to work.

“Everypony regroup by the wagons!” Daisy ordered. Within seconds, all who could still fight gathered together in a circle, facing outward.

Nyx approached Flitter. “Who’s hurt?”

“The worst are Radiance here and Midnight. Platinum is out for this fight, but he’ll be okay.”

Flitter’s ears swiveled about. Nyx heard it too—the distant sound of massive creatures thundering through the swamp and approaching fast.

Nyx checked her T.E.I. “Here they come. Five seconds—straight ahead.”

“I can put the shield back up if you want,” Windy said.

The sounds of gunfire erupted once more as the second pack of chimeras attacked from the shadows.

“Do it,” Nyx yelled above the din.

Flitter looked back at the black mare lying on the ground in the open. “Windy! Midnight is defenseless. They’ll go for her first.”

Windy turned to where Midnight lay on the ground, unmoving. She gritted her teeth and reached out with her telekinesis to gently levitate her to safety before raising her shield.

A flame geyser erupted, illuminating the terrifying figure of a chimera sneaking around a large tree. Rumble’s dual LMGs spat hot lead in the creature’s direction, fire visibly erupting from his weapon’s muzzles in the fading light. The beast held up its massive paws in front of its lion face and roared. Blood leaked from its body in several places where the bullets tore into its flesh. It tried to advance, but the hail of bullets was too much, and it fled back into the shadows.

Archer and Daisy were tracking the wounded chimera where it tried to flank the ponies and kept firing in its direction. Rumble set down on the ground in front of where it was headed. The chimera spotted him and charged.

Rumble surely knew what he was doing. What he didn’t see were the two chimeras approaching from the other direction. Nyx ran at full speed toward them with her sword at the ready. She plowed into the body of the first one, carrying it backward a couple canters and slamming it up against a tree. The second chimera followed closely behind. Nyx looked over her shoulder and kicked its lion head hard in the face. She then turned her head back to face the first chimera and ran her sword deep through its belly.

Nyx glanced back to Rumble. He unclipped a small device from his leg, set it on the ground by his hooves, and ran quickly away from the charging chimera. The creature pursued until it reached the proximity mine, and then its abdomen exploded, severing the beast in half. Rumble took flight, looking for more targets.

The second chimera’s snake tail struck at Nyx’s neck, but the fangs were unable to penetrate her armor plating. Nyx sliced the snake-headed tail clean off with her sword and fired her horn at its chest, blasting a cauterized hole straight through its body and leaving a foul smell in the air.

Nyx turned and noticed a pony standing still in the open not far from where Windy and Flitter were tending to Radiance. A wounded chimera had noticed the pony as well. Before Nyx could react, the chimera charged at the pony and ran straight through it, colliding heads-first into a large boulder.

The pony shimmered a bit, but didn’t react. Nyx saw Windy behind her shield, smiling. She disengaged the illusion spell as several soldiers descended upon the stunned chimera, shredding it with overwhelming firepower.

Nyx heard a low growl directly behind her, causing her stomach to jump into her throat. One had managed to sneak around, undetected. With no time to even turn, she pushed off the ground with all four hooves and flapped her wings downward hard. As she rose into the air, she felt a pain in her rump as chimera claws swiped at her. Nyx tucked forward, somersaulting in the air. The chimera sailed through the air below her, leaping through where she had been standing. Nyx fired three pulses of energy straight down through the creature’s back, burning through its spine. She completed her roll and spread her wings, landing gently on her hooves and panting heavily. Looking around, that was apparently the last of them.

The swamp was silent except for the occasional flame geyser. Everypony took a moment to catch their breath before regrouping by the wagons. The bodies of eight chimeras lay in the mud. One of them was burning on top of a flame geyser.

Daisy walked up to Flitter. “How are they?”

Flitter stood up and wiped the sweat off her forehead. “Radiance is gonna make it. They both need to get somewhere safe where they can recover for a few days.”

“We need to get moving then.” Daisy turned to the others. “How’s everypony else? Who’s injured?”

Just about everypony raised a hoof. Most had some sort of minor gashes or bites—some more serious than others.

Rumble noticed four red streaks on Nyx’s rump where the chimera had swiped her. His brow furrowed. Nyx turned and put a wing over his shoulder. “I’m fine. Let’s help the others.”

Flitter knelt down to check on Midnight. During the battle, Windy had helped put a dressing over her shoulder while Flitter was putting Radiance’s underside back together. The holographic image of Midnight showed several broken ribs where the chimera had slammed into her. Flitter carefully maneuvered the bones back into position and cast her XT’s tissue binding spell on them. The image showed a lot of damage where the chimera had tried to rip her foreleg off.

“It’s going to take a bit of time to stitch her shoulder back together,” Flitter said. Midnight was still in shock, not able to move.

Daisy turned to face Nyx as she approached. “Please tell me you found a way out of here.”

“I think so. When I had to turn back, I noticed a large clearing in the trees that might be a settlement. It’s not much farther to the bayou from here, but we need to hurry in case more chimeras heard us.” She looked up toward the sky, noticing the stars. “It’s getting dark pretty fast. The chimeras seem to be attracted to gunfire, so…”

Daisy nodded. “Grab some blankets out of the supply wagons and put them on top. Would you mind lifting Midnight and Radiance onto the wagon? We can’t stay here any longer.”

Everypony worked to get the pair of wounded ponies comfortable on the makeshift ambulance. Nyx then checked her compass and led the platoon through the shadowy mist.

Daisy was worried about her troops. The platoon had finally reached the edge of the fire swamp and made their way along the path which Nyx had found. Walking had become arduous with so many wounded, and the platoon was travelling at half their usual speed.

Mentally cataloging the sustained injuries and combining that with the task ahead, Daisy considered the impact it would have on their mission. She trotted to catch up with Nyx, who had taken point. “You sure this is the right way?”

A faint flash came from Nyx’s spell matrix, followed by a nod of her head. “This path winds around a river, then heads straight toward the clearing. Should be less than an hour’s walk.”

After some time, Archer spoke up. “Nyx, did you say that a little filly went through this area?”

“Yeah, she did. It was a long time ago. Clearly, things have changed since then. It wasn’t supposed to be this dangerous.”

“It’s not just that it was more dangerous,” Archer said. “Manticores are not supposed to be outside the Everfree Forest. Vampire fruit bats don’t attack ponies. And those chimeras were damn aggressive and attacked in packs. What does this mean?”

“Those questions might have to wait until we can tell Luna about it,” Nyx said. “Maybe she can have somepony look into it.”

The terrain had become a labyrinth. A canopy of trees made it difficult to navigate by moonlight. Windy provided light with her horn so the platoon could follow the path, but it was pitch black other than what was right in front of them.

After an exhausting trip through the darkness, the trees opened up into a clearing. There were houses! Strange houses built on stilts were scattered about the clearing, and lamps hung on poles giving light to the grounds.

There were several ponies who sat on their porches, talking with one another. They sat up and took notice as the battle-weary platoon stumbled into their courtyard. One of them, a middle aged charcoal earth pony with a curly black mane, approached the exhausted soldiers.

“Who might you be?” he asked.

Daisy stepped forward and tried her best to be professional despite feeling on the verge of collapse. “I’m Commander Daisycutter, 21st Platoon, Lunar division. We’re here because there have been reports of zebras making their way inland through the bayous. We were sent to prepare the local towns to deal with them. Our team was just attacked by chimeras, and we need shelter.”

The pony looked them over, taking note of the injuries suffered and the military supply wagons. “Alright, come this way. The name’s Blackberry. I’m the town elder. You folks look mighty tuckered. Come, let’s get y’all fixed up and rested.”

“We have some who are seriously injured. Do you have any place where we can treat them?”

“Yes, we have a small infirmary,” Blackberry said. “There’s some portable cots we can set up.”

Nyx levitated Midnight, along with her blankets, off the supply wagon as she and Flitter followed the elder. Several other ponies who were wounded in the battle followed along. Windy followed behind them, carrying Radiance.

Blackberry paused a moment to speak to a passerby. “Can you go fetch Willow? These folks will be needing her.” The other pony nodded and trotted off in the opposite direction.

Daisy took a deep breath, realizing that they would finally be able to recover with the help of new friends. She watched as Flitter and Nyx helped get all the injured ponies resting comfortably. After a moment, a white unicorn with a pale yellow mane showed up and began looking their injuries over.

“Willow’s our town nurse. She’ll tend to your wounded best she can.”

“Thank you for your help, Blackberry,” Daisy said. “We’re in your debt.”

“All this was caused by chimeras?” Blackberry asked incredulously.

“And bats. Don’t forget the bats,” Rumble added.

Blackberry raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? I reckon that don’t make no sense. We don’t go in there much if we can help it. Chimeras are nasty critters, although I wouldn’t have expected fightin’ ponies like yourselves t’have this much trouble with ’em.”

“We were attacked by eight chimeras,” Daisy said. “They were very aggressive.”

“Oh wow, no, they ain’t usually that bad. Normally there might be one, or at most two, but beatin’ them off with a stick or pitchfork usually gets rid of ‘em. They also don’t tend to attack at all if there’s more than say, four of us in a group.”

“We would truly appreciate it if we could stay for a short while. We need to camp here and help your town prepare for zebras anyway. We brought weapons and supplies to help you out.”

Nyx returned from the infirmary. Through the gathering locals, Daisy could see glimpses of Flitter tending to Midnight.

“How bad are they?” Daisy asked.

“Her shoulder is pretty bad. Flitter’s going to need an hour or so with her XT to mend all the tissues back together. Midnight will need several days to recover, but she should be okay. She was lucky she didn’t lose her foreleg.”

“Thanks, Nyx. How’s everypony else doing?”

“Lots of minor wounds. But not bad, considering. Willow is tending to the less serious injuries. Lots of scrapes, bruises, bites, and cuts that won’t need surgery. Radiance is in rough shape, but she’s stable. She was nearly killed by the chimera who pounced her. Willow changed her dressing, and Flitter is going to finish repairing her gashes when she has time. Platinum’s neck is doing much better too; he should be fine by tomorrow. Speaking of that, everypony is just exhausted. We’re going to need a place to crash.”

“We have some extra tents and bedding we can set up if you need ’em,” Blackberry offered. “We’re a friendly bunch, and y’all are welcome to camp in anypony’s yard. Best stick to the front yards though. Critters have been known to come wanderin’ up the back at night on occasion.”

“Thanks, Blackberry. We’re grateful,” Daisy said. She and Nyx trotted off to help get everypony bedded down comfortably.

“And folks,” Blackberry called out to them. “Welcome to Gatorton.”

Nyx and Rumble settled down in their tent, which was pitched in Willow’s front yard. The white unicorn had returned home from tending to the platoon’s injuries, and Nyx could hear the sounds from the house as they drifted through the front yard. After a moment, the lamps were extinguished, leaving Nyx’s tent in darkness. Before long, the only sounds to be heard were the rhythmic chirping of hundreds of distant frogs and crickets.

Rumble was cuddled up to Nyx from behind with his body pressed tightly against hers. She loved being held close like this. He was kissing her neck gently, and she melted like putty under his touch. Nyx savored the attention for a few minutes then flipped over to face him. She kissed him for a long moment, hugging his neck tightly.

Nyx leaned back from the embrace and formed a mischievous smile. “It’s been a while since we’ve slept in a tent,” she said playfully as she grabbed Rumble. She held him tightly to her chest, rolling onto her back and looking up into his eyes. “Do you remember?”

Rumble saw the look in Nyx’s eyes as she lay beneath him. “Oh I remember,” he said softly. “I remember that you liked when I did this…”

She began to pant as he preened her feathers with his teeth while his foreleg caressed under her wing. Rumble reached further down, and Nyx could feel his gentle touch in tender places which caused the air to briefly catch in her throat. Her eyes went wide and unfocused. It was one of the few times her claustrophobia worked to her advantage, giving her just the slightest thrill and sense of danger from the closed space while pinned beneath the body of the one pony she trusted the most.

Flitter had finally mended Midnight’s wounded shoulder. It had taken an hour and a half to repair the severed tissues and make sure all the nerves and tendons were connected properly. She was thankful for her XT’s anesthetic spell, which completely numbed sensation on the area being worked on. Midnight was finally resting comfortably on her cot after spending much of the evening in shock.

“I owe you one, Flitter,” Midnight said with a smile. “Thanks for putting me back together.”

Flitter smiled back at her. “I’m happy to help. Just take it easy, okay? Your major injuries are healed, but it’s going to take a while for your body to fix all the cellular tissue damage. You’re going to be quite sore for a few days. The healing potions should help speed that along.”

“That’s great, thanks. But I have to know, where did you get that awesome trippy stuff you gave me when I was all ripped apart?”

Flitter laughed. “I’m a changeling actually,” she said as she clipped the XT back into its pocket inside her saddlebags. She fished out a nectar stick and held it in front of Midnight. “This is what I eat if there’s not enough love in the air.”

“Oh! Really? I… I wasn’t going to say anything because I thought maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me. I could have sworn you were a pegasus when I first saw you on the path in Whitetail. That’s pretty cool.”

Flitter chuckled. “Thanks for not freaking out. Most ponies are still fairly skittish around changelings.”

“It’s okay. I guess I’d rather judge a pony for who they are rather than what they are. So where does it come from? That trippy stuff?”

“It’s secreted when I’m exposed to a lot of love and my belly’s already full.”

“Secreted? From where?”

“None of your business.” Flitter grinned.

Midnight watched as Flitter transformed back into her pegasus form. “Heh. That’s okay. I’m just glad you were there to help. Hey, I saw that thing on your horn you were using. That’s some pretty amazing tech!”

“Yeah, no kidding! I love it. You three were actually my very first patients with it if you can believe that.” Flitter chuckled. “Well, I’m gonna go tend to Radiance then take a walk and get some sleep. I’ve really got to unwind. Take care!”

“See ya, Flitter. Thanks again.”

Nyx lay on her back with beads of sweat on her forehead and Rumble at her side with his foreleg draped over her chest. He had fallen asleep first—typical, but she didn’t mind. Nyx was feeling much better now, and she could finally relax. She treasured having somepony whom she could be truly vulnerable and intimate with. It was an uncommon privilege for somepony with such a complex and often difficult life.

She listened to the crickets for a while and thought about the day’s journey. She thought about how strange everything was with the manticore, and then the bats and chimeras. Something was different, and Nyx didn’t believe in coincidences or in letting such issues go unchallenged. Her mother had always taught her to seek out clues about everything until the rational conclusions present themselves.

Nyx’s thoughts were interrupted when she thought she heard something for a moment through the background noise of the crickets. It was a faint sound which piqued her curiosity. She listened for a minute, then decided she better investigate. She rolled to her side a bit, carefully maneuvering her wing under Rumble’s foreleg to slide it off her body. She then slipped out from under the blanket and wrapped it around her sleeping stallion.

Carefully unzipping the tent, Nyx stepped out into the cool nighttime air and swiveled her ears around, trying to pick up the sound again. Nothing. Surely, her mind wasn’t playing tricks on her. She gave a mental shrug and turned to go back in, looking forward to cuddling up to her stallion’s warm body. Then, she heard it. Something wasn’t right. Nyx could barely make out the sounds of distress. Somepony was in trouble.

06 - Portents of Darkness

Somepony was in trouble. At first, it had sounded like the brief, startled cry of a child. After that, Nyx wasn’t so sure. She glanced first toward the neighboring houses, then to the slope which led down to the river, trying to catch the sound again.

Just then, Nyx heard it once more. This was a different sort of cry—one which she was much more familiar with. It was the soft weeping of a small child who was frightened or sad. Yes, she was sure of it. She felt her muscles slowly relax; this was not a cry of immediate danger.

With everything that had happened tonight, the sound had set her frayed nerves on edge. But everypony was safe now, and they had all made it through the ordeal more or less intact. The ponies of the platoon were taken care of, and the little settlement they had found themselves in was fast asleep. All except for one.

Nyx glanced over her shoulder toward the tent where her sleeping stallion lay. A subtle smile played at her lips as she considered rejoining him. A step later, she wavered. No, no… Her conscience wouldn’t let this slide. She set off into the dark to investigate and help out if she could.

The sights and sounds of the deep nighttime bayou surrounded her. It was the first time Nyx had truly noticed the beauty of the place. Countless stars filled the sky like as many subjects watching as their queen, the moon, sauntered ever so slowly in her long journey toward some hidden destination in the west. Also in attendance were living constellations of fireflies which dotted the landscape in every direction with their hypnotic yellow-green flashes. She watched as the curious insects danced to the choirs of distant tree frogs and crickets which filled the cool, humid air with their subtle harmony.

She tried to tune out the ambience so she could focus on the unseen pony, letting the soft, intermittent sobs guide her hoofsteps. Nyx stepped across the dew-covered grass toward Willow’s darkened house. She crept up the steps and along the wraparound deck, the faded wooden planks letting out the occasional creak or groan as she placed her weight on them. Her pace slowed as she approached the source of the crying—a screened window that had been opened to allow the light breeze to enter. The room was too dim to see into, but another muffled sob was plain to hear as she tilted her head to peer inside.

Nyx couldn’t help but feel concern for the filly. “Hello? Why are you crying?” she asked quietly.

A soft gasp was quickly followed by shining eyes as they opened to look toward the window, the crying tapering off quickly. “Who… Who’s there?” came a whisper from within the room, the voice tinged with fright.

“My name’s Nyx. I’m a friend,” she whispered back.

Nyx heard the rustle of sheets, followed by a soft thud and the patter of hoofs moving across the carpeted floor. A yellow unicorn face slowly rose from beneath the windowsill to look at Nyx. The little filly froze, eyes slowly widening as she saw gleaming, turquoise, dragon-like eyes staring back at her from outside her bedroom window.

“Ahhh!” the filly screamed, falling over backward and trying to scamper away.

Nyx facehoofed. “Shhh, shhh… it’s okay, I just want to—” she called after the retreating filly. But it was too late; she had already bolted out of her room and down the hall. Nyx sighed to herself and walked around to the front door.

Dim light appeared from the kitchen window, and Nyx could hear muffled voices coming from inside.

“…nothing to worry about, baby,” came Willow’s faint voice from her bedroom. Hoofsteps followed. “…not a monster.” Then more muffled voices and the sounds of a child’s protests. The kitchen light came on.

Nyx leaned her back against the wall and quietly thumped her head against the boards. So much for making things better! She waited to explain what had just happened. After a moment, Nyx heard hoofsteps drawing near. Willow cracked open the front door and peered out, bleary-eyed.

“Nyx?” Willow asked, her voice laden with tiredness and confusion.

Nyx’s hoof nervously pawed at the doormat she was standing on. “I’m sorry to bother you. I heard crying and thought maybe I could help.”

Willow rubbed her eyes and blinked, stifling a yawn as she tried to focus on Nyx. “No, it’s okay. Please, come in for a moment.”

Nyx followed Willow into the modest dining area. It was simply furnished with a small hoof-crafted wooden table and chairs. A vase of wildflowers sat in the center of the table, their vibrant colors livening the room. The familiar marks of a child’s growth chart were etched into the doorjamb. The room had a fresh scent with hints of spice.

As she finished taking in the room, Nyx found those same frightened eyes from moments earlier were now directed at her; they were nearly the only part of the trembling filly exposed from behind her mother’s legs.

Nyx knelt down to the filly’s level. “Hi, little sweetie. What’s your name?” she tried.

The filly ducked behind her mother again and said nothing. Willow then stepped aside and nudged her daughter with her nose. “Come on now. Be polite.”

“L- L- Lemondrop,” the filly managed after some effort.

“Hi, Lemondrop. I’m Nyx. Did my eyes scare you?”

Lemondrop nodded rapidly.

“Well. Let me tell you a secret. These eyes were given to me as a gift from Princess Luna herself!”

The filly seemed to calm down a bit and leaned forward to get a better look.

“It’s true. The princess has always ruled the night, as I’m sure you know. She wanted me to rule the night as well, a long time ago. She gave me these eyes so I could see better in the dark.”

Lemondrop stepped forward and studied Nyx for a moment. She looked up at her mother, who was smiling down at her, then looked back at Nyx. “I… I thought you were a monster,” she said finally.

Nyx smirked. “A lot of ponies have thought that, believe me. You know, when I was only your age, my mother gave me a special disguise so that I wouldn’t frighten ponies when they saw me.”

“Really?”

Nyx nodded. “She did. But eventually, I made lots of friends. In time, everypony got used to how I looked, and I didn’t need the disguise anymore.”

Nyx stood and ran her hoof along the filly’s cheek, smiling. “You don’t have to be afraid of me, Lemondrop. I’m here to protect you from the monsters.”

Willow turned toward her daughter. “Come, let’s get you back to bed.”

The filly glanced up at her mother and then back to Nyx. Her eyes had changed. They were no longer timid but were filled with fascination.

Willow rolled her eyes with a chuckle, placing a hoof on the little one’s shoulder to guide her out of the room. “There’s plenty of time to get to know Nyx later.”

The filly waved back to Nyx before rounding the corner down the hallway.

Willow turned for a moment to look back over her shoulder. “I’ll be right back. Make yourself comfortable.” The pair then made their way to the filly’s bedroom.

Nyx walked into the living room, her eyes wandering across the scene. The lack of modern technology was evident; it reminded her of her youth before the technology revolution, back during a simpler time. She sat down on the tattered couch, its soft cushions snugly conforming to her body. Her nerves settled as she relaxed and glanced around the room at the pleasant decorations carefully selected over the years by a loving family.

A variety of books rested upon a small bookshelf. Many were children’s books, a few of which Nyx recognized from her own childhood. Framed photos hung on the walls, depicting a family of three, with Lemondrop in various stages from a tiny foal to the child she currently was. The stallion in the photos, a brown unicorn, clearly adored the other two ponies he was with. One framed portrait showed him in a white doctor’s coat. Another showed him grinning next to a large alligator that had a rope wound several times around its mouth. Next to the photo was a blue ribbon which read: ‘1st Place, Gator Wrangler, Withersberg Spring Carnival’.

After a few minutes, Nyx heard the sound of a door shutting followed by hoofsteps approaching the living room. Willow returned and offered a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry about that. It’s been a trying day.”

“It’s no trouble,” Nyx replied. “I’m just glad she’s alright.”

Willow walked toward the kitchen with a weary gait and tired eyes. “I’m going to make some chamomile tea. Would you like some?”

“Thanks, I’d like that actually.”

“You’ve had a rough day too, from the looks of it,” Willow’s voice echoed from the kitchen along with the clatter of dishes.

“You could say that. None of us expected trouble before we even got here.”

Willow returned. She passed Nyx a steaming cup and sat down on the couch next to her.

“Listen, about earlier… I’m so sorry for the trouble,” Nyx began. “From the tent, I could hear Lemondrop crying, and I got curious. I don’t mean to intrude, but what was she upset about?”

“Oh, no, no you have nothing to be sorry for. It’s her father, Sage Root. He’s overdue to return from a trade run with a neighboring town a half day’s walk from here. Sage is our town’s doctor. He’s bartering medical services for a supply of grain and was only supposed to be gone overnight and come back the next day.”

Nyx sipped her tea. “Ah. She’s worried about her dad. How long ago was he supposed to return?”

“Two days ago. We’re all worried, but Lemondrop is taking it very hard. Right after Sage left, a pegasus courier brought news that there were zebras in the bayou. Zebras… here. I’m scared that Sage ran into them; why else would he be so late?”

Willow’s eyes were wet. Nyx’s heart went out to the mare. “I’d like to help. We’re here to scout for zebras anyway. I’ll talk to our commander about getting out there tomorrow to look for him.”

Willow put her hooves on Nyx’s. “Thank you. It would mean the world to us if you could find anything.”

Nyx finished her tea and set the cup on the coffee table. “I promise I’ll do what I can to find out where he is. It was nice to meet you and your little sweetheart,” Nyx said with a smile. “I’d better get going. It’s been a long day.”

Willow walked with Nyx to the front door, her exhaustion punctuated by a wide yawn. “I’ll see you in the morning. I hear the whole town’s putting together a welcome breakfast for you all. Blackberry loves an excuse to have a community meal.”

“That sounds great! I’m sure after today, that will be a real treat.”

Nyx smiled as her hooves guided her across the darkened lawn and back to the tent. Slipping inside, she looked down at Rumble, moments passing as she thought of the filly inside and what the future may bring. That poor mare in the house was all alone, her husband missing for days. Sighing softly, Nyx knelt down and slipped under the covers and up against Rumble. Snuggling tightly to his body, she rested her cheek on his neck, feeling his warmth and listening to his breathing. A tear of happiness came to her eye as her horn glowed softly, causing the blanket to tuck around the two of them before sleep took its gentle hold.

The bayou was a different world in the daylight, and Nyx was amazed that they had even found the town at all. The dense trees of the bayou pushed right up to the edge of the clearing where the houses sat. Everything outside the clearing was an impenetrable wall of wood and vines. Most of the ponies’ houses were on the north side of the river, their various levels of repair speaking of the perpetual fight against the damp. The south side of the river was dominated by the community buildings and the wide courtyard near the south-east trail where the platoon had arrived the previous night.

An aging wooden bridge connected the two sides of the settlement, its thick railings worn smooth by many a pony leaning over them to watch the water below. The railing’s smooth surface was occasionally marred with scratched declarations of young love. Alongside the bridge's south bank rested a well-used dock, its uneven moorings securing the small boats tied to it. To the north-west, a wide path led straight into the forest and was well-worn with pony hoofprints and wagon tracks.

The sun’s rays pierced through the gently swaying trees to the east as Nyx and Rumble headed to the community hall. Even under the weight of yesterday’s events, a smile lit her eyes as she looked over the scene. The platoon had already gathered outside and was mingling with the townsfolk, sharing the impromptu breakfast. The sounds of discussion, laughter, and colts and fillies playing filled the air. It was moments like this that Nyx was determined to protect.

Rising from his seat with a welcoming smile, the town elder beckoned the couple to join him at his table. “Word spread through the town that y’all are here to help us fend off the zebras, so everypony has pitched in what they could to help you feel welcome. Come, have some breakfast.”

The welcome sight of omelets, pancakes, grits, cinnamon buns, and orange juice encouraged Nyx and Rumble into their seats rather effectively. Rumble immediately started filling his plate and began digging in with gusto.

“Well, this sure is nice,” he said, nostrils flaring as he sampled the aroma of good country cooking. “And unexpected.”

“Wait ‘till you taste it,” Blackberry replied, the pride in his fellow townsfolk evident.

Blackberry watched for a moment, his eyes hinting of fascination and curiosity as his new guests made themselves comfortable. “Y’all showed up at a really good time,” he said.

“How so?” Nyx asked.

“We’ve been mighty worried since we heard there were zebras in the bayou. It’s been… um…” Blackberry leaned over to the pony next to him: “Four?” The other pony nodded after a moment of thought. He turned back to Nyx. “Four days since a Withersberg courier pegasus stopped by to warn us about it.”

“Withersberg…” Nyx took a long sip of her orange juice. “That’s one of the nearby towns, isn’t it?”

“That’s right,” the elder replied. “It’s the trade hub of the bayou. Takes a few hours to walk to from here. We thought maybe somepony should go see if the mayor has any news, but… well, we already got somepony out there, and he ain’t come back yet. Truth is, none of us here are fighters. We live out in the bayou because we like to be left alone to live in peace. We never figured on bein’ a target.”

“I wouldn’t say you’re a target,” Rumble said around a mouthful of omelet. He paused to swallow before continuing. “It’s just that the zebras apparently think they can sneak further into Equestria by coming in through this area—which, as you pointed out, isn’t very well defended.”

Blackberry laughed, “Y’all came in the easy route. The zebras had to be comin’ from the open sea, and… welI, I reckon they’ve never had to navigate a bayou before. My guess is that it’s been slower going for them than they expected. I wonder how many zebras done got ate by gators while they were sleepin’.”

Nyx winced. “That’s, uh... reassuring. But we do need to head out there anyway and help the town prepare. Have any of your pegasi gone to get an update?” she asked between bites of pancake.

Blackberry idly traced circles through the syrup on his plate with a fork, his eyes growing distant. “We’re a touch short on feathered ponies at the moment. Three elderly pegasi, two colts, a filly, a foal and their mother is all we got. Everypony else who can fly is either away on business or gone off to join the SkyGuard.”

Daisy approached, placing her stacked food on the table as she sat down across from Nyx, interrupting Blackberry’s ponderings. She watched as Rumble’s eyes tracked over to the new, larger plate of food that had arrived but immediately blocked his vision by waggling a hoof inches from his snout.

“I know that look, and no… My food—finish your plate, soldier.” After receiving a grumbled assent, Daisy acknowledged Blackberry with a smile.

“Mornin’, Commander,” Blackberry said with a nod to Daisy.

“Good morning. And it’s just ‘Daisy’, thanks,” she replied as she crisscrossed her pancakes with thick trails of syrup. “Remind me to thank your nurse for all her help last night. Everypony seems to be doing much better this morning.”

“Well, most of us, that is,” Lieutenant Archer commented over Daisy’s shoulder as her own heaping plate of pancakes clattered onto the tabletop next to the commander. Archer sat down and began eagerly stuffing her face with the delicious fare.

“Radiance and Midnight are still in bed,” she continued between bites. “I’m gonna bring them something to eat in a bit. After breakfast, Platinum will be selecting equipment to distribute. I was thinking of doing some basic weapons training with the locals today. There’s a good spot for a targeting range on the other side of the clearing.”

Daisy nodded. “Good idea. More than half the platoon is still exhausted from yesterday’s ‘fun’, so it might be best if we stay here for a day or two and get this town set up defensively before heading to the next one.”

“You’re welcome to stay if you need to,” Blackberry said. “When you do head out to Withersberg, you’ll need a guide. We can probably get Mint Blossom to go with ya. She’s got relatives out there anyway. She can also teach you a thing or two about gators along the way.”

Nyx’s eyes grew focused as her mind snapped back to the conversation, “I think we need to go to this town today.”

“Why’s that?” Daisy asked, her mane sliding to the side as her head tilted inquisitively.

Nyx’s voice filled with determination as her gaze rested on Daisy. “I spoke with Willow last night. Her husband has been gone for days, and this feels like more than just a late return. I’d like to take Rumble and Flitter out there this morning; I really think it’s worth checking out as soon as we can.”

“Splitting up our forces with possible hostiles in the area is a bad idea,” Daisy said, taking another bite of food and regarding Nyx with a faint furrow showing on her brow. “We need to secure this settlement first. Besides, we need you for the mission. You can’t just fly off on some side quest like—”

“I need to do this.” Nyx’s eyes searched Daisy’s face for understanding as her voice grew somber, “His family is worried sick. And really, we can still do the mission anyway, ‘cause it gives us a chance to scout for zebras while we’re at it.”

A frown grew on Blackberry’s weathered face as he nodded at Nyx’s words. “Sage is a good pony. It’s not like him to take so long comin’ back unless there was a real good reason. He’s already taken three times as long as he meant to.”

The sound of Daisy’s fork being set on the plate was accompanied by a resigned sigh and a glare which was shot in Nyx’s direction. “Okay, Nyx. I’ll trust your instincts on this one. But you’re not going in alone; I’m coming with you. We can bring Windy Scarlet with us as well. You and yours plus the guide makes six. That’s plenty for our needs. Archer and the rest of the platoon can stay here and assist in preparing the locals.”

“Works for me,” Archer said just before she shoved another cinnamon bun unceremoniously in her muzzle.

Rumble searched out Willow and Lemondrop at a nearby table as he leaned closer to Nyx. “Trouble?” he asked in a hushed voice.

Nyx nodded, speaking softly. “If he got delayed for some reason, then fine. But it doesn’t feel right to me. If he ran into zebras, then that little filly—” Nyx’s breath caught in her throat. “Rumble, I can’t just wait and see.”

“Righto. After breakfast, we grab our gear and head out. Muffin?” Rumble offered Nyx a banana-nut muffin. Nyx rolled her eyes and accepted the treat with a smile that only Rumble could produce lighting her face.

After helping to clear the dishes from her table, Daisy headed off to find their guide with Flitter and Windy Scarlet in tow. As they passed over the bridge, the staccato clopping of hooves on the sturdy planks seemed oddly muted in the humid air as it was swallowed up by the gurgling sound of the murky water below. Arriving at Mint Blossom’s house, Daisy headed to the door, it’s soft blue tone only marred by dirt splattered on the bottom from a recent rain. Giving the door three solid knocks, she waited. A series of hoofsteps from inside the house was followed by a wooden groan as the door swung open to reveal a teal earth pony, her two-tone pale green mane framing an excited face.

“Oh, hey. You’re the leader of the military ponies, right?” Mint Blossom asked.

Daisy nodded. “We—”

“Blackberry sent word you’d be coming and that you’d need a guide to get to Withersberg,” she interrupted with a smile.

Daisy regarded the mare for a moment. “That’s right. We were hoping to get going soon if—”

“I’m all packed and ready to go! This is gonna be an all-day trip.” Mint trotted out of the house, saddlebags strapped securely to her back. Weaving past the others and down into the front lawn, she stopped and turned back to the bewildered Daisy. “You coming?”

Daisy’s mouth opened and closed several times as she tried to figure out what to say. Eventually, she settled with a nod.

As the four ponies headed out into the increasingly oppressive humidity, Daisy walked up alongside their guide. “Blackberry said you have family over there?”

Mint glanced over her shoulder as they headed north through town on the sodden hoofpath, “My sister, yes. I’ve been anxious to find out if she’s okay ever since I heard there were zebras in the bayou. I would have gone myself, but what if it’s true? None of us can handle zebras.”

Mint came to an abrupt stop before turning to face the ponies following her, “So… it’s just you three?”

“Two more will be coming with us,” Daisy replied. “We’ll meet up with them at the supply wagons. Trust me, we’ll be able to hold our own out there.”

The tension that had been building on Mint’s face eased, and her smile returned. “Perfect. Lead the way.”

As they arrived, Daisy saw Nyx and Rumble near one of the supply wagons, getting equipped. Nyx’s armor shone brightly in the early morning sun; its sparkling, iridescent surface spoke of the exquisite care with which it was made. Rumble looked like he was ready for action as he refitted the feed mechanisms of his autoguns. The solid click as it locked into place raised the corners of his lips into a satisfied smile. Daisy approached the wagon to reach in and grab her own barding and combat rifle, satisfied that her squad was ready to head out.

Mint Blossom did a double-take upon seeing Nyx. “Wow. You look just like her.”

“Hm?” Nyx looked at the mare with confusion, “I look what, now?”

“Nightmare Moon,” Mint said as her eyes took in the alicorn. “I remember when she came back. I was just a filly at the time, but I was there at the Summer Sun Celebration when it happened. You don’t forget eyes like that. I heard she came back again, or somepony who looked like her, or something. I guess that’s you, then?”

Nyx paused after hearing those words, a slight crease forming on her brow, her slitted pupils sharpening at the memory. Finally, she let out a sigh and glanced again toward Mint with a soft smile. “Yeah, that’s me.”

The sound of six sets of hooves was the only thing that marked their departure into the intimidating, untamed wilderness. As the miles passed by slowly underhoof, it became clear why a guide was needed. Everywhere that Daisy looked was the same—even the constant buzzing of insects never changed. While they were loosely following the river, its twisting and meandering path sometimes caused it to disappear completely from view for long stretches. The lush trees ruled the canopy with countless vines hanging from their mighty boughs, and every trunk was adorned with a thick smattering of moss. Even the middle of the slow moving river was not exempt from growing massive trees straight out of the water, adding to the sensation that direction was a thing which did not exist in this place. Daisy was glad to have a guide but wished she didn’t have to bring a civilian along for what could potentially be a dangerous—

Ow! Daisy bit back a curse at those damn biting flies. Giving her tail a sharp swish to the side, she did her best to whip them off her flanks. Most everypony was trying to keep them at bay. Nyx seemed to be the only one immune; perhaps alicorn hides were that tough after all. The only other pony who was walking along without qualms was Windy Scarlet, a stark contrast to this morning’s vocal complaining. Now, her horn glowed dimly, and she seemed content—at least regarding the insects.

“What’s that spell you’re using, Windy?” Daisy asked.

“Trying out different pheromones. I saw some ponies back at the town burning some sort of homemade incense in their yards. I think it was their bug repellent. Finally got it down.” Windy smiled with pride.

Mint Blossom snickered. “You guessed right. That’s tree frog droppings. Thankfully, it doesn’t give an odor. Keeps the bugs away, though.”

Windy blanched. “Blegh. You didn’t have to tell me that—or rather, you could have… I mean… nevermind.”

“Well now that you have the spell down, care to share with the rest of us?” Daisy asked.

“Sure, it’s a low energy spell. I don’t mind.” Windy’s eyes closed as she focused. The brief, flickering glow of her horn was followed by sighs of relief.

“Now, since y’all are new to the swamp, there’s a few things you’re all gonna need to know about before we get too far along,” Mint Blossom warned. “Have any of y’all dealt with gators before?”

The chorus of negatives brought a sly grin to Mint’s face. “Alright, then. I’ll fill you in as we go. You have to keep your eyes peeled for them. They’re faster than they look, and a bite to the leg can crush the bone and tear it clean off.” She proceeded to smash and grind her front hooves together gleefully. “It’s best to keep your distance.”

Windy stopped in her tracks and stared wide-eyed at Mint Blossom. “Thank you for that wonderful image.”

Rolling her eyes at the others’ antics, Daisy trotted for a moment to catch up to Nyx. “That spell matrix of yours… Can it map an area like this?”

“Not full maps yet, but Trixie put in a spell to make landmarks I can find later.

“Good enough. The three of you should probably fly on ahead a bit and do some scouting. Mark all the spots that might help with navigation. If you spot trouble, come back right away and let us know. If there’s a squad of zebras on the trail ahead, alligators will be the least of our problems.”

“Got it.” Nyx’s wings began to spread, then froze at the sound of Daisy’s final words.

“Don’t get too far ahead. In this terrain, you could easily lose us. We’ll keep following the trail. If you can find where it forks, we’ll meet you there. If we get there first, Windy will send up a flare every two minutes.”

With that, Nyx, Rumble, and Flitter took off in a flurry of feathers. They quickly rose above the trees and were lost to sight within moments.

The dense tree canopy allowed but a few shafts of light to pierce downward onto the trail as Mint Blossom led everypony further into the wilderness. Off to the side, swathes of the river could be seen, lily pads dotting the surface of the slow-moving waters. Stagnant pools with thick coatings of algae were abundant, the coarse surface looking like thick green oatmeal, though its smell assured that the taste would be anything but pleasant. The ever-present chorus of frogs was accompanied by the songs of colorful birds flitting between the trees in search of a booty call.

Daisy suddenly felt the impact of Windy’s shoulder as it collided with her flank, causing the unicorn behind her to nearly trip. She glanced over her shoulder, about to tell her to watch herself when she noticed the mare’s wide eyes and outstretched, trembling hoof.

“Commander,” Windy whispered, pointing at the river toward a patch of algae. “Look.”

Daisy followed the gesture to find a pair of eyes poking through an algae patch not ten meters from the edge of the trail. In a fluid motion, Daisy drew her rifle and sighted down its length, her crosshairs resting between the eyes. “Oooh. Yeah, I see it.”

Mint Blossom snickered as she looked back at the whispering mares, “Seems you spotted one of my little friends—wasn’t sure if you’d notice. That’s just a cute little guy. You don’t have to worry about him.”

Never had Nyx realized just how much she took visible landmarks for granted. The bayou was just as directionless above the canopy as below it. Spreading out for miles, she may as well have been flying over an ocean of green with only the haze of the fire swamp in the eastern distance to give a hint of direction. The only saving grace was the river that provided a winding cut through the trees. From this view, hunting for zebras turned into a much more daunting task.

With a thought, Nyx engaged her T.E.I. to scan the area for hostiles. Only a moment passed before a growl of frustration escaped her lips. “Damn. T.E.I. is useless here.”

“Why’s that?” Rumble asked as he swooped in close to her upper left side, looking over her shoulder at the display.

“Alligators show up as hostiles, and they’re everywhere. I’ve got too many false positives, so this is going to have to be done the old fashioned way. Keep your eyes peeled. You picking up anything, Flitter?”

Flitter continued to survey the forest below from a short distance away, “Somepony was spooked shortly after we left, but based on the burst of amusement right afterward, I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. Other than that, I’ve got nothing.”

“Alright. Let’s spread out so we can cover more ground. I’ll take the right flank and follow the river.”

Banking away from her fellow flyers, Nyx dove down toward the placidly moving waters. The sound of air rushing past her ears grew as gravity encouraged her downward with ever-increasing speed. Angling her wings, the muscles in her back strained as she pulled out of the dive, skimming across the river’s surface. Gradually bleeding off her speed, she had the chance to study the areas beneath the nearby treetops, looking in from the sides for anything suspicious. The muddy strip of the hoof trail appeared near one bend in the river, letting her know she was still on course. The plan was to scout as much ground as possible, then meet up with Rumble and Flitter downstream at the only bridge crossing on the trail’s way to Withersberg.

As beautiful as the landscape was from the air, Nyx had difficulty enjoying it. The weight of the mission was a constant worry in the back of her mind. She hated this feeling of not knowing, and it was that feeling which pestered her as she searched. Was Lemondrop’s missing father going to be found in Withersberg? Did he get delayed helping somepony with a medical emergency? Did he get ambushed on the trails? Was the town already invaded by zebras? The endless questions swam around in Nyx’s mind as she tried to push them aside and focus on her task.

Daisy was surrounded by the wet squelches of hooves being pulled free of sucking mud. The additional weight on her hooves made her gait feel unnatural. Grooved wheel tracks filled with puddles gave testament to the wagons that were the primary means of trade in the area. Normally, the trail kept to the relatively dry high ground, but there were low-lying stretches such as this where they just had to power through.

“Looks like we’ve got company.” Mint Blossom pointed a muddy hoof toward some bushes that were a bit further down the path. The head of a large alligator was barely sticking out from behind them. “The most important thing is to see them before they see you,” she warned in a hushed voice.

“Yeah, well we see it. Now what?” Daisy whispered.

“Fortunately, of the several ways to handle this problem, we’ve got somepony along who lets us pick one of the easiest.” Mint gave a sly grin to Windy Scarlet, who clearly didn’t like where this was heading.

The trio walked as quietly as possible with Windy splitting her concentration between her hoofsteps and the delicate balance of forces emanating from her horn. Cautiously, they approached the gator’s position, all eyes focused on the large reptile as it serenely floated in place, slowly rotating to point away from them.

Once everypony was a safe distance past the floating killing machine, Windy gently set the creature down facing away from the path, and it just sat there as if it didn’t even notice.

“Gators are real dumb, but once they see you, they’re fast and relentless,” Mint Blossom said after they rounded the next bend in the trail, “They seem to be nearly dormant as they lie in wait. They can sit completely still for hours, contemplating the meaning of life until something comes along to be eaten.”

Some hours later, the trees opened up to where the path crossed the river. By now, Daisy was good and tired of the deep bayou and its unfortunate assortment of biting and buzzing wildlife. Windy looked as if she was about to throttle someone. Even Mint’s chipper mood had dimmed.

The wide open spaces and blue sky with its puffy, intermittent clouds brought a sense of relief and almost elation to the trio of ponies. Even the river itself looked different—gone was the dank, murky, algae-covered swamp. Here, the river looked almost normal, the water flowing deeper with a noticeable burbling current, and its sandy banks more clearly defined.

Up ahead, a sturdy wooden bridge straddled the river, becoming visible as Daisy rounded a small clump of young trees. It was constructed of thick local timbers, sanded smooth and polished with the back and forth work of many hooves. High, stylish railings on either side ensured nopony could accidentally fall into the river. Its width could easily support a cargo wagon, allowing for an important trade route connecting Gatorton with the surrounding settlements.

A wide, braced balcony was built into the center of the bridge, facing downstream. Daisy imagined that the tranquil, almost serene vista which the balcony provided had seen many a young romance budding over the years. But the most noticeable feature of this particular bridge at the moment was that it was occupied.

There, blocking the passage onto the bridge, was a fearsome creature of legend. More powerful and threatening than everything the three ponies had encountered put together. Daisy knew that any who were foolish enough to engage would not likely survive the attempt.

The predator stood before them motionless, wings outstretched. Piercing eyes spoke of menace, with lips pulled back in a threatening snarl that exposed gleaming fangs. The impressive black horn sparked with indigo fire, tiny motes of magic shedding from its spiral fluting.

The booming voice that followed was startling. “Halt! Who goes there? This path is guarded by the dreaded Nightmare Moon!”

Everypony stopped in their tracks. Mint Blossom squeaked and side-stepped behind Daisy.

Daisy chuckled. “Oh great, it’s a bridge troll. Mint, why didn’t you tell me you had these things in the swamp?”

Mint did a double take at Daisy’s comment. “What? What!”

Daisy approached Nyx and exchanged a hoofbump. “That was a long walk. I need a break.”

Nyx stepped aside as everypony walked onto the bridge. Flitter glided down from a nearby tree where she had been perched and leaned against the railing, a grin on her muzzle. Nyx and Daisy joined her to watch the water flow slowly along beneath them and under the structure. Mint still looked a bit apprehensive as she found her spot along the railing beside Daisy.

“Beautiful land once you get used to it,” Nyx said, finally. “What do you think, Windy?”

Windy glowered as she picked rocks from a hoof. “Oh yes, it’s lovely; we’ve been learning this local pastime called ‘Spin the Gator’,” she deadpanned.

Mint Blossom snerked. “It wasn’t that bad, was it?”

“Says you. You’re used to it. Where I come from, we have foxes, rabbits, and ducks, but certainly no killer reptiles.”

“I hardly notice them,” Mint replied. “I’ve been down this path solo plenty of times. Sometimes, I come here to go fishin’. Gators never seem to come up on the bridge itself.”

“Fishing…”

“Yep! Inland ponies usually think river folk are strange for eating meat, but grilled fish is great. You should try it.”

Windy and Daisy looked at one another with matching skeptical expressions. Windy’s face then scrunched up in disgust as her fake wretching sounds emphasized her disagreement.

“What… I’m serious. Maybe when we get back, we can have ourselves a barbecue, and you can try some. Anyway, fishing is mighty relaxing.”

Daisy idly kicked a stone into the river and watched the ripples fade into the current. “So, what’s the story up ahead, Nyx? Find anything?”

“We checked several paths but didn’t find anything alarming. One route had a fair number of your cold-blooded friends, though. I’m beginning to think our missing doctor is just helping the Withersberg ponies with an emergency or something.”

“Hard to say,” Mint commented. “I hope you’re right. Guess we’ll find out when we get to town. There’s a couple different ways to get to Withersberg, but once we figure out what path we’ll be taking, we can pick up the pace.”

The loud thump of a set of hooves hitting the planks of the bridge signaled Rumble’s sudden arrival. The trembling in his still-spread wings and his heavy breathing showed he had sped to get there, “Guys… Bad news. Come check this out.”

“What is it?” Nyx asked.

Rumble spoke while panting for air, “There’s… zebra, I mean… was a zebra… up river... Gah! Just... follow me.”

Peeling off the path, everypony galloped behind Rumble along the riverbank, their hooves thundering upon the sand a few paces from the water’s edge.

Approaching a bend in the river, his pace slowed to a walk under a tree’s shade. In front of them was a wide section of the river where its flow was at a crawl. The sun’s rays reflected off the gently undulating surface. And there, snagged on a branch almost completely submerged in the water, was a leg—a black and white striped foreleg, from the shoulder on down.

“Shit. Is that…” Mint Blossom began to say when she saw the severed leg.

“Oh great,” Daisy said. “It looks like we’ve found our zebras. At least part of one.”

“Gross,” Windy said.

“Yeah, but what happened to this zebra?” Nyx asked. “Remember Blackberry’s colorful comment at breakfast? Alligator, I suppose.”

Daisy picked up a fallen branch and approached the water's edge, searching for the best way to get close.

“Keep back from the water,” Mint warned. “I don’t see any gators here at the moment, but that can change very quickly.”

Daisy gave the water a wary look before cautiously leaning forward with the branch extended. She missed a couple times before finally snagging the leg and pulling it toward the water’s edge. After hooking the branch under the leg, she gave a hard yank. The leg then flopped onto the sandy soil with a wet squelch right in front of Windy.

The unicorn froze with eyes fixed on the dismembered limb.

“You alright, there?” Daisy asked.

Suddenly, Windy’s pupils became pinpoints focused on the leg, and she started to hyperventilate. She stood unmoving with her eyes still locked on the exposed flesh, tensing up before frantically scrambling backward away from the meat and bone.

Rumble stepped in front of Windy and looked her in the eye. Her vacant, unblinking stare seemed to be looking straight through him toward the leg. He gave her a light shake, trying to grab her attention. “Hey, hey, calm down for a second. What’s wrong?”

“It’s… It’s not bitten off,” she said in a hushed voice on the edge of panic. “Alligators don’t chop a leg off. Someone deliberately cut that leg off a zebra with a knife or axe or something.”

With an arched eyebrow, Rumble paused for a couple beats, letting her words sink in before speaking. “Chopped… off…”

He then slowly turned his head while still holding his gaze sideways on Windy. Another pause. Finally, he turned and lowered his head to get a better look at the leg. “Shit, she’s right. Look at this.”

Daisy walked up and flipped the leg over with her rifle. Deep, clean cuts exposed layers of muscle and sinew in several places. Slices of flesh hung from the raw end by scraps of skin, appearing to have been cut with some sort of blade. Protruding from the center, the white of a fractured bone gave contrast to the surrounding grey muscle, the blood long since drained.

“Windy’s right—it wasn’t an animal attack. Whoever did this was sadistic. I can’t imagine a pony doing this. Or zebra, for that matter. Check this out, this was definitely a warrior, not an Equestrian zebra. The hoof has the ritual paintings of a skilled hoof fighter, and these straps are for a shin-knife.”

“Great. That’s just great,” Windy said. “What the hell are we supposed to do now?”

“We need to get to Withersberg. Right now. Let’s go,” Daisy ordered. “Nyx, we need to pick up the pace. Limit scouting to areas just around our route. Don’t worry about hunting down the zebras until after we get to town.”

The central-bayou trade settlement of Withersberg had begun its life as a simple resting place for ponies during their long hauls from the small coastal towns to the mainland of Equestria. Eventually, entrepreneuring types set up shop there to service the frequent travelers. And where there were shops, it wasn’t long before houses, families, and politics followed. After a good few years, it had become the largest town in the bayou, almost half the size of the larger inland town of Ponyville. Being central to some six or seven local settlements had created the perfect place for ponies to conduct business. At any given time during daylight hours, there were at least as many visitors as there were residents within the town’s borders.

Nyx listened to Mint Blossom tell the history of their destination as they walked briskly along. She wondered idly why she had never heard of the place growing up. Judging from the condition of the trail which the platoon had taken the previous day, not to mention the difficulties with the wildlife, the route had clearly fallen out of use. The bayou settlements would have grown more isolated and self-sufficient over the years, mostly removed from the rest of Equestria, at least by hoof.

After a long and strange day making their way through the untamed wilderness, a final turn in the road revealed Withersberg spread out before them.

Encircling the town was its namesake shoulder-high fence designed to keep the native wildlife at bay. Its aged timbers were hewn and shaped by hoof. Most sections of the fence were in good repair, a credit to the local carpenter's skill and dedication. The town often joked that this would be the last bastion of Equestria if the war went badly; not only were they in the middle of nowhere but with such an impressive fence, the zebras would surely turn away in defeat upon seeing it.

The south-east gate, one of many in Withersberg, was an amalgam of works from every blacksmith the town had been home to. A tradition had been born where the first project to be undertaken by each new blacksmith was to add another decoration, addition, or feature to the gates. Ranging from old and pitted to new and sharp, the stories of the town and those who had worked its metal could be seen by all entering and leaving.

Visible from the gate, rising over the rest of the town, the two-story building of the community hall seemed to represent what mattered most to these ponies. Of all the buildings nearby, care and attention were clearly given here to provide a warm and welcoming visit. It was well-maintained with fresh yellow paint, raised cobblestone flowerbeds and walkways, and a large water fountain which several birds had taken a keen interest in. No matter what challenges their day had brought, all ponies who entered here would feel welcomed into the fellowship of helpful friends and neighbors.

Set up to the west of the community hall were the stalls and shops where many craftsponies spent their days trading goods and services. These industrious souls had managed to find the time and inclination to excel with their hooves in agriculture, construction, tool-crafting, or cooking. Stepping through the area brought the sights and smells of a variety of mercantiles. The brightly-colored cloth of a seamstress’ stall contrasted with the mostly drab common clothing of those who visited. The glint of shells, gems, and metals for adornment at the jeweler’s shop was sure to draw attention almost as much as the alluring scents of freshly baked pies and sweets coming from a nearby baker’s stand.

A short distance from the community hall, down a path worn wide by hooves of all sorts, was the medical clinic. Any traveler versed in the wonders of modern medical establishments would likely notice the absence of the ever-pervasive smell of antiseptic upon first entering this clinic. Instead, they would find the pleasant aroma of chamomile or rose hip tea, overstuffed chairs to sink into, and the enthusiastic artwork of school ponies hanging on the walls.

Opposite the medical center sat the oldest building in town, the Saddle Inn. The inn had long been a necessity for traders at this resting point in their journey. The wide, rectangular building was of an older style than those surrounding it, with an equally aged saddle in a place of honor above the main entrance. From viewing the arrangement of rooms, it was evident that this building was designed to lodge those who wandered the roads of Equestria for a living. The rooms were sparse though comfortable as if attempting to give the impression of home for those far from it. The short entryway was supervised over by the clerk’s desk, its duty seeming to be to hold up the massive ledger which kept decades of records of those who had stayed.

Further down the main road, in an area enclosed with its own smaller, much more brightly colored fence, was the school house. The squat structure seemed to radiate a warmth to many townsfolk who passed by. Memories of all residents were tied to the school house, be it running out to play after finishing a lesson, the teacher spending time to lift up those that needed the most help, or crafting decorations for the walls and large yard. Everything spoke of a place where creativity came to bloom. Various types of equipment stored under an overhang showed that the yard was also home to friendly sporting tournaments for children and adults alike.

From this inner heart of the town, its homes spread outward with an organic growth, each house placed where it had seemed best at the time. A network of paths crisscrossed the neighborhoods, revealing how the individual routes of each pony had, over time, been worn into common roads. If a city planner were to aim for laying out a new structure, there would be much hair-pulling and frustration.

Nyx’s mind wandered back to their mission. What would they find in this town? Would it be business as usual? The discovery of the zebra leg didn’t fill her with much hope in that regard, but it wasn’t long before the gates were finally before them. Mint led the way through, and the six tired ponies finally slowed their pace to a normal walk as they entered.

“This is bigger than I thought it’d be,” Nyx said as she looked at the buildings along the main road. “I had no idea something like this was out here in the middle of nowhere.”

“You know what I don’t see? Anypony looking too worried about zebras,” Flitter noted. “The town looks perfectly normal—doesn’t seem to be any emergency or panic.”

“That’s good,” Daisy said. “One less crisis to manage. So, who’s in charge here?”

“The mayor’s name is Jade Glint,” Mint Blossom said as they walked further into town. “She has an office straight ahead up the main street, but this time of day, you can usually find her in the marketplace. We’ll check there first.”

As they walked through the center of town, there were dozens of shops and kiosks set up on both sides of the street. A large variety of food, tools, crafts, and services was on display. Nyx took in the pleasant scent of freshly baked goods as she watched the bustle of ponies bartering with one another. They had just passed by what appeared to be a general food court when Nyx noticed her belly grumbling at her. She slowed down a bit and glanced longingly over her shoulder at the assorted cafes and dining outlets.

Mint Blossom chuckled. “Tell you what—why don’t you guys go grab a quick bite to eat while I go track her down?”

Everypony gave sounds of approval as they broke off and wandered through the tables where several townsfolk were seated and chatting away with one another. Nyx looked around, trying to decide what looked the most appealing. She did a double take, noticing a most unusual shop with a sign painted in thick, bright rounded letters: ‘Fish and Chips’… What in the world?

Rumble nudged her. He gestured with his head toward a dessert kiosk on the opposite side of the food court and grinned.

“Rumble’s nose comes to the rescue again!” Nyx said, mouth watering at the thought of homemade sweets. Walking over with Rumble, she stepped into the adjacent deli, which was selling fruit salads. The two she picked up helped her feel not quite so guilty about the amount of sweets she and Rumble ended up purchasing.

Everypony gathered at an empty table after making their purchases. Settling down and relaxing in a friendly atmosphere seemed to take a lot of the accumulated stress off the group. All around them, the sounds of life in a small, yet busy town filled the air. Greetings of traders long absent mixed with details of how someone’s child was doing in school or how business was doing.

“So, the ponies here seem pretty relaxed and friendly,” Flitter said as she looked around.

“I like it,” Daisy replied. “It’s quaint. Reminds me of times before the war.”

Nyx glanced at the children running around playing. “It’s refreshing, in a somewhat backwater sort of way.”

She was relieved that everything here seemed quite normal. These ponies had nothing at all to do with the war; why should they be forced to deal with such things? She sighed. There was no avoiding it, though. The platoon would come in a few days, regardless, and train them to defend themselves. Leaving even an isolated community like this to remain vulnerable and innocent wouldn’t be fair to them or wise for Equestria as a whole—especially in a location so close to the open sea where zebra ships roamed.

“I’m just glad we’re back to civilization,” Windy said as she leaned back in her chair. “Look at all the cool stuff in the market! We should stick around a while.”

“Mmmm, the eclairs are great!” Rumble said through a mouthful of white frosting.

Nyx nodded. They were great. And the fruit salad had some interesting bits she hadn’t tasted before. The bayou’s local produce had a few types of tangy melon she thought were fantastic. She licked her lips and took another bite, trying to pin down what it tasted like.

Mint Blossom walked up to the table and smiled, motioning to a pony a couple steps behind her, “This is Mayor Jade Glint.”

Taking this as her cue, the tan colored earth pony sat down at the table with a wide smile, the etched creases of her eyes deepening as her braided green mane rested on her chest. She looked over the assortment of newcomers, taking in their condition and armaments. As she nodded to Nyx, her eyes briefly gained a calculating glint before returning to their previous mirth, “Hello and welcome to our humble community.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Daisy said with a nod.

“Likewise,” the mayor replied. “So, Mint tells me you’re here to help with the zebra situation. I sent a courier to Canterlot as soon as I was told about them, so I’m glad the Palace didn’t hesitate in sending somepony to come help. We’re really not equipped to deal with zebras out here as you can probably guess. I know we’ve been lucky and all, getting this far into the war without attracting trouble, but that doesn’t make it any less distressing.”

“It was somepony here who spotted them?” Daisy asked. “Where were they seen?”

“One of our fisherponies spotted a dozen or so out in the wetlands four or five days ago. It’s about a fifteen-minute flight south-west of here.”

“Wetlands…” Rumble snickered. “Isn’t that everywhere?”

“Son, you ain’t seen wet yet,” Jade deadpanned. “The wetlands are mostly used for fishing spots and crab traps. Small patches of dry ground mixed in with a whole lotta swamp and trees growing wherever they please. No trails. It’d take days to cross it by hoof, so only pegasi go there. When we heard the zebras were trying to go straight through it, we couldn’t decide whether to worry or laugh. Maybe we shoulda gone to rescue them,” Jade quipped with a smirk.

“You haven’t seen them since?” Nyx inquired.

“Not a one. Though, we’ve been warning traders to be careful and let their hometowns know to keep a lookout for ’em. I’m just glad nopony’s been hurt or killed yet. Seems y’all came just in time.”

“We’re here a bit early actually,” Daisy said. “We’ve come looking for a missing pony—Sage Root from Gatorton. He’s late coming back, and his family is worried. Many in Gatorton are thinking maybe the zebras have already shown up here.”

“Sage? Yeah, he was here. He, uh, left rather abruptly a couple days ago. We thought maybe he went back to Gatorton, but he didn’t seem in any condition to travel. He was pretty sick when he was here. To be honest, there’s a few things that don’t—”

“Sick?” Nyx interrupted, her voice thick with concern. “Why would he be sick? And if he’s sick, why isn’t he still here? If he left, where might he have gone?”

“Not sure. Well, he could be anywhere, really. Like I said, we haven’t seen him for a couple days now. What I’m more concerned about is where those zebras are. Y’all just spent several hours on the trails. You didn’t see anything, I take it?”

“No zebras, no,” Daisy said.

“Well, there was the leg,” Rumble said under his breath.

Jade’s attention snapped to Rumble. “The leg?”

“Uh…” Daisy looked around, ensuring none of the townsponies were within earshot. “Okay, we did find something on the way over that you should probably know about. There was a zebra leg floating in the river upstream a ways.”

“Gator attack,” Jade guessed.

“Not likely. From what we can tell, it was actually hacked off. Listen, I don’t want to jump to conclusions as to exactly what happened, but you should at least be aware that something really disturbing is going on.”

Jade’s eyes were locked on Daisy, the relaxed, confident expression fading from her face. “Disturbing… I… We need to talk in private. Please follow me.”

Turning from the table, Jade set a brisk but not hurried pace as she led the others away from the market. She returned friendly waves and deflected any attempts to start a conversation with a smile and a brief mention of ‘official business’. Approaching the two-story building they had seen when entering the town, the mayor entered and led them into the open interior. Hoofsteps on the wooden floor echoed across the wide room. There were benches arrayed to focus on a raised platform where a small assortment of musical instruments rested. They made their way around the side of a stage and to a staircase that was partially recessed behind the curtains.

Leading them upstairs, she opened the door to a conference room where everypony filed in. Trade charts and timetables adorned the chalkboards that ringed the room. A long, wooden table was set up in the center of the room with space to seat a dozen ponies.

After everypony was seated, Jade spoke. “So, you found this zebra leg in the river. You’re sure it wasn’t a gator attack?”

“Definitely not,” Daisy replied. “I got a good look at it, and it wasn’t bitten or torn. The leg was removed by some type of blade—a rather large one from the looks of it.”

“Right. And you’re wanting to know more about Sage, yes?”

“That’s right,” Nyx said sharply.

“Alright, then. There are some things you should know,” she began. “Sage was here, but something was already wrong with him. He came into town on the edge of panic. Something out there had scared the hell out of him. After that, he got sick rather quickly, but not in a way I’ve seen anypony get sick before. Something really weird is going on.”

“What did he say when he got here?” Nyx asked. “What got him so worked up?”

“He wouldn’t talk about it. He just asked for a room at the inn and spent the night. By morning, he was delirious. He was sweaty and complaining about being hungry. The staff at the inn brought him some food, but he wouldn’t eat it.”

Jade had everypony’s full attention. They shifted in their seats as they listened.

“So, they decided to just let him be. When they checked back in on him later that night, he was unconscious. Nopony knew what to do. We have a town nurse who looked him over but couldn’t tell what was wrong. He seemed stable, so she recommended to just check back every few hours to see if anything changed. That evening, other guests at the inn reported hearing strange sounds coming from his room.”

Jade paused for a moment and sighed. She seemed to be searching for the right words. “The next morning, when the staff checked in on him, he was gone. At first, we thought maybe he went back to Gatorton, but his saddlebags and doctor’s kit were still in the room. Truth is, nopony has any idea where he might be.”

The room was silent as Jade’s story sunk in.

“We need to find him,” Nyx said, her brow furrowed in concern. “He didn’t say anything at all about where he might have gone?”

Jade shook her head. “I’ve asked the town to keep an eye out for him, but he managed to slip away without anyone noticing.”

“Well, that’s damn strange,” Rumble said. “He didn’t tell anypony what his problem was? Nopony managed to get him to talk?”

“Unfortunately, no. There’s also his room, I… I need to show you something. Please, follow me.”

Nyx watched in confusion as the mayor got up from her seat and then turned to walk toward the conference room door. She opened her mouth to speak, but the mayor simply waved a hoof to avert any further questions. Nyx looked to Rumble, eyebrow raised, and received a shrug in response. Shaking her head to dislodge her growing concern, she got up to follow with the others as the mayor led them downstairs and back outside.

The sounds of the peaceful town felt more muted as they walked—less innocent and more uncertain. The heavy silence from the mayor fed the anxiety that was slowly worming deeper into Nyx’s mind. Her hooves were taking steps on autopilot as her eyes flitted around, searching for answers at random.

The groan of a door opening brought Nyx back to her surroundings. The aged door to the Saddle Inn stood open before her as Jade disappeared within. With a glance over her shoulder, confirming everypony was accounted for, Nyx stepped inside. The mayor was having a hushed conversation with the clerk. Overlooking his desk, from their perch atop the key-mantle, several hula-pony figurines sat with blithe expressions on their faces, just waiting for a tap to set their hips into motion. The clerk gave an uneasy look at the mayor before he nodded and reached under the desk. A few moments of rummaging later, a light clinking accompanied a key being passed to the mayor.

Nyx moved closer to the now stationary mayor, who seemed frozen, staring at the key in her hoof. A soft cough from Nyx seemed to stir Jade into motion. Leading down the hall, she slowed until coming to a stop in front of a door. Her hoof trembled slightly as she held the key before the lock, waiting.

“The staff found this the day before yesterday. I didn’t know what to do, so I left it as it was. It’s… not pleasant,” Jade said over her shoulder, her voice wavering.

Jade took a deep breath before inserting the key. She pushed it in until the empty click of a door unlocking was heared. Her breath remained held as she walked inside, seeming to lose some of her vigor with every step before finally sitting on the bed and motioning everyone to follow.

Chills went down Nyx’s spine, and a fetid smell washed over her as she stepped into the room. Bloody hoofprints were smeared on the walls and furniture. Some appeared to be drawings, the rough shapes looking as if a deranged kindergartner had played in the room.

Flitter froze beside Nyx and pointed at the vanity. A surgical scalpel rested just below the mirror, dried blood coating the blade. On the wall beside the vanity, scrawled in blood, was written: ‘Death becomes us’.

“Fuck, me,” Rumble said quietly.

Nyx stared silently at the wall with her mouth open and her heart racing. Windy stood beside her, trembling.

“Nopony knows about this except the inn staff and those of us in this room,” Jade stated. “We didn’t want to start a panic.”

“Yeah, I can see why,” Daisy said. After a few moments of taking in the scene, she spoke again. “Is there anything else you can tell us? Any clues at all?”

“There is one thing,” Jade said. “When Sage arrived, he came from the south-west trail instead of the usual south-east like y’all came in today. Again, he was already really shaken up about something when he showed up. Hell, he may have even gone back that way. I’ve put up a sign to keep ponies off the trail for now, but it won’t be long before they start asking questions.”

“Alright. We’ll go check it out,” Daisy said. “Thanks for your help. We’ll head back to Gatorton and be back in a day or two with supplies and weapons to get you ready in case the zebras show up. I’m not sure what we’re going to tell Sage’s family.”

The mayor nodded. “I don’t envy you on that one. We’ll have some ponies keep an eye out for him as well. I’ll send a pegasus right away if we find him. But I hesitate to put the town on alert about what you found in the river. I really don’t want to cause an unnecessary panic.”

“That’s your call. Thanks for your help. If you do find Sage, it would go a long way toward solving this puzzle.”

‘Path temporarily closed due to gators.’ The well-worn sign posted on a tree next to the south-west gate had chipped edges and a dozen or so nail holes from repeated postings.

This gate was set back a fair distance from the bustle of the marketplace, closer to the schoolhouse with some of the older homes scattered nearby. The shade trees were larger and more plentiful here, casting their wide shadows over the neighborhood. Sitting in comfortable chairs on their porches, several older ponies watched in silence as the group of unknown travelers opened the gate.

Nyx caught their glances, the unspoken ‘that path is closed, you idiots’ clear in their eyes. Rumble nudged her shoulder with his own and smirked with a shake of his head as they passed through the gate. Soon, the signs of civilization had vanished behind them, and they were once again surrounded by the vast wilderness of the bayou.

“Apparently, this type of closure isn’t all that uncommon,” Rumble commented.

“You’d be right in that guess,” Mint Blossom replied.

The further they walked into the wilderness, the more Nyx felt torn up inside over what they had seen at the inn. Something serious had happened to Sage. It didn’t mean he was dead—of course not. Sick ponies don’t just up and leave. She wanted to know what the others were thinking, but it was Windy who spoke first.

“I can’t stop thinking about that creepy message on the wall,” Windy said. “You hear stuff like that in campfire stories meant to scare little fillies, but I never imagined anything like that would actually happen.”

“Well, at least we found out what we came for,” Mint Blossom replied with a hopeful smile. “The town is fine, and we know Sage was there. We just have to track him down and get him some help, right?”

“I don’t think it’s quite that simple, Mint,” Nyx said with a huff.

Watching carefully for clues as they continued down the path, Nyx became increasingly frustrated. There wasn’t so much as an alligator or even a hint of trouble to explain why the doctor was so upset when he had arrived in town.

“This can’t be a coincidence,” Rumble said, breaking the silence once more. “The zebra leg we found, plus Sage’s… whatever that was.”

“What are you suggesting?” Flitter asked. “You think he ran into the zebra who owned that leg? And that’s why he freaked out?”

“Could have been self-defense. A doctor has some pretty sharp tools, right? He could have—”

“No way,” Daisy interrupted. “You think he actually fought that zebra and hacked off its leg? Not a chance he could defeat a zebra soldier. And besides, they don’t work alone. He’d never have escaped. Sorry.”

Rumble nodded. “I guess you’re right. But if the doc didn’t do it, that only means we have bigger problems than our missing pony.”

Nyx abruptly stopped walking at Rumble’s statement. Her head drooped down as she released a shuddering breath.

“Nyx? Nyx, babe, what’s wrong?” Rumble asked as he came to a stop alongside her.

A void was building inside of Nyx, making her chest tighten and breathing difficult. “Lemondrop and Willow,” she managed to say. “What do we tell them? They’re already afraid he may have run into trouble, but this is much worse. We don’t even know if Sage is still alive! And if he is, we have no idea what’s wrong with him or if he will recover. What do we tell his family? We have to tell them something.”

Rumble held her close with a wing over her back. His touch had a grounding effect, helping defuse the knot of worry that Nyx had built, which was so much like her mother’s when under stress. “I don’t know. We’ll think of something. For now, let’s just finish looking for clues. We’ll decide what to do when we get back to town.”

Rumble knew it was a small comfort for her to be with him as they sat and rested for a moment, watching the river flow gently by where the trail followed along, very close to the water’s edge. Here, its course gently curved left as the path continued straight for some distance. Rumble looked at his mate with concern as he felt her stiffen against him. Her eyes still held remnants of her recent worries, but now they were fixed intently on the edge of the riverbank far from where the path split.

“I see something,” Nyx said, her words prompting the others to gather around her. “There’s something colorful lying on the sand along the river’s edge upstream.”

Rumble stood and stepped onto the sandy soil of the riverbank, squinting toward where Nyx had indicated. “Hmm… You’re right. I see it too. Something red and yellow.”

Nyx’s gaze was fixed on the thin, sandy beach that stretched along for some distance before veering off to the right, out of sight behind the trees. She stood abruptly and took a step forward. “It’s moving. I’m gonna check it out.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Nyx? It could be a trap.” It was Daisy. Her voice was just edgy enough for Rumble to notice that she wasn’t quite herself. In this moment, however, Rumble was in agreement with her. Something felt a bit off about the idea of going in there, and he couldn’t quite put his hoof on what it was.

Nyx went in anyway without so much as a glance over her shoulder. Everypony followed behind her, and Daisy trotted to catch up alongside.

“There’s hoofprints as well,” Daisy pointed out. “Mint, what’s up ahead? We need to know what are we dealing with.”

Mint Blossom shook her head. “There’s nothing in this area that should draw a pony off the path—just sand, mud and gators for miles.”

Proceeding cautiously, six sets of hooves walked along the edge of the river, the sand muting their steps. As they made their way forward, the continuous hum of life in the bayou began to fade into a strange silence with only the rustle of trees to break it. No wildlife could be seen; even the birds and insects were absent. The oddly sterile environment sent shivers up Rumble’s spine.

Nyx stopped in front of the object which had caught her attention. A thin leather strap was resting in the sand, its two attached feathers flopping back and forth in the breeze.

Daisy stepped forward and knelt down in the sand, bringing her muzzle down close to inspect the object. “Hmm, obviously zebra. I think this is a lieutenant’s headband. Or the zebra equivalent of a lieutenant, anyway—one red and one gold feather.”

“Why is there blood on it?” Flitter asked after taking a closer look.

“I’m not sure,” Daisy replied. “Why was there a zebra leg in the river further downstream? This has to be from the zebras that the pegasus spotted a few days ago. We need to search this area for anything else out of the ordinary.

Daisy, Windy, and Mint began searching in the undergrowth next to the sandy strip as Nyx, Rumble, and Flitter walked slowly upstream.

Flitter made a scrunchy face. “Do you guys smell that?”

Rumble sniffed a few times and blanched at the faint, foul smell. “Eww. Nasty,” he agreed. “What died?”

About fifty meters ahead, the river made a sharp curve to the right with the sandy riverbank disappearing around the bend behind the treeline. The further they walked, the more the air began to take on an oppressive, intimidating feel. Rumble felt the hackles along his spine raise up as his heart rate quickened. Though there wasn’t even a sound coming from the forest, he could have sworn that he was being watched. It was this vague—

An object appeared out of nowhere, right beside him in his peripheral vision, nearly brushing up against him. His wings quickly extended as he fought the urge to fly off. By the time he recognized that it was just Daisy, the surge of adrenaline had already pushed his flight reflex over the edge.

“Thanks for that,” Daisy deadpanned as she brushed a facefull of grey feathers aside. Rumble composed himself as Daisy motioned for everypony to stop and gather around her, though it turned out they had already herded themselves into a clump anyway.

“Okay, there’s something really strange going on up ahead. Do you all feel it too?” Daisy asked, ears swiveling for clues. There were nods all around.

Rumble felt legitimately frightened, but he couldn’t figure out what it was that he was afraid of. What was going on? He glanced at Nyx and saw her walk to the front ahead of the others, putting herself between them and whatever was up ahead. Her head was held high, and her wings were unfurled. Her eyes locked unwavering onto the edge of the river up ahead, and her nostrils flared as if she were staring down a dragon.

Windy was shaking, her eyes darting around in search of hidden threats. “This is bad. Can we go back to the trail?”

“I’m going to take a look around that bend,” Nyx said, her voice steeled with conviction. “It’s safer for me. If I run into something really dangerous, I can shield up or fly out.”

Daisy spared a nervous glance up the river once more before regarding Nyx for a moment. “Okay, I’ll trust your call on this one. You go on ahead—everypony else, stay put. Be careful, Nyx.”

Rumble reached toward Nyx in protest but then saw the familiar look in her eye which warned him that this was not an argument he would win. Resting his hoof back onto the ground, he resigned himself to staying behind.

He watched as Nyx walked cautiously down the riverbank. His nebulous fear started to swirl around thoughts of never seeing her again. Reaching the bend, her horn sparked to life as she disappeared behind the trees.

Windy started pacing, “I don’t like this. I don’t like it at all.”

“She’ll be fine,” Rumble said, more to convince himself than Windy. “She’s tougher than the rest of us put together and then some.”

Everypony kept their eyes fixed on the bend up ahead as they waited for Nyx.

It was less than thirty seconds later when she stepped back into view. Something wasn’t right. Her wings were dragging on the ground, her steps irregular. She stumbled, head pitching down toward her hooves as she vomited all over the sand.

07 - Blood and Fire

Rumble’s heart leapt into his throat. Up ahead, Nyx stumbled, head pitching down toward her hooves as she vomited all over the sand. What the hell?

In a burst of feathers and sand, he sprinted to her, his powerful wings cupping the air and throwing it behind him to aid his hooves in their speed. It was only seconds before he reached her. He skidded to a stop, hooves digging furrows through the wet sand and nearly toppling in the process. He pivoted swiftly to face Nyx, his mind racing as he searched her face for answers.

Nyx stood frozen, hooves spread wide. Her head hung low with her ears swept back. Her eyes were wide and fixed on a spot of bare earth near her hooves, and her breathing came in short gasps. It was like she didn’t even realize he was there. Even her lustrous armor had dulled to a matte grey, contrasting with her deep violet mane which spilled out the slit in her helmet along her neck.

Questions clawed at Rumble’s mind as he searched for words, until a putrid stench wafted over him. Shifting his gaze past Nyx, his mind locked up at what he saw. His head panned slowly to the left, away from Nyx, as he tried to process the scene.

The horrors of the war front would have paled in comparison to the nightmare spread out before him. Eviscerated bodies littered the site. Intestines were strewn about among tree branches like morbid party streamers. Days-old blood painted tree trunks and pooled in hoofprints on the ground. Everywhere that Rumble looked, he was inundated with the aftermath of sadistic violence.

Rumble’s usual detached wit failed him. An empty pit grew inside his gut, his mouth suddenly dry as the urge to grab Nyx and try to fly off nearly overtook him.

“What the fucking hell?” Daisy’s voice spoke from over his shoulder, causing Rumble’s heart to nearly stop. His head whipped around to face her as the rest of the ponies rounded the corner, taking in the scene.

A retching sound caused his eyes to focus on Windy, who was wide-eyed and shaking, spilling her own lunch on the ground. Mint Blossom steadied herself and placed a forehoof over Windy’s shoulder as her gaze fixed on a severed zebra head, its swollen tongue spilled out onto the sand.

Nyx began moving again, slowly, shaking her head at first before steadying herself and spitting bile out of her mouth. She shuddered and leaned into Rumble with her eyes closed, pressing her neck against his own.

It wasn’t long before Windy started to panic. She began trembling, and her face was covered in sweat. “What did this? What the fuck did this? Ponies don’t do this. Nothing does this!”

“Get a grip, soldier,” Daisy snapped. “We can panic later. Right now, we could still be in danger.”

Everypony’s attention managed to find its way onto Daisy, which was a small miracle given the situation. She began giving orders. “Nyx, Rumble, you two secure the area. Flitter, help me figure out what we’re dealing with. Windy, Mint, you watch our backs.”

Flitter walked away from the riverbank a short way, steeling herself as she looked over the dozens of bloody zebra parts which extended into the woods. It was difficult to tell how many zebras the parts would have added up to, but there were at least eight heads. Muscle and tendon showed where skin had been ripped from flesh. One female zebra had been splayed open, her organs pulled out to show the shaft of a spear that had pierced her from groin to muzzle.

Flitter fought back the rising bile in her throat as she walked forward amongst the carnage. She needed to regard this site forensically and not let it get to her. “I… I don’t know what to make of this,” she managed to say. “This is just… I don’t… What happened here?”

Rumble regarded a body with daggers protruding from its eye sockets as he and Nyx circled around the edge of the slaughter. “Whoever killed these zebras used their own weapons against them. Who would be insane enough to attack a zebra camp like this?”

The implication of Rumble’s conclusion sat in the pit of Flitter’s stomach like a stone. She stared in silence for a moment before swallowing dryly. Several bladed zebra weapons lay about, covered in blood. Simple tents sat in a scattered formation amongst the trees. Near one of the tents, an ammunition box lay on its side, one of its liquid metal pouches having spilled onto the ground.

Flitter approached the pool of silvery liquid, gazing into its yellowish mirror-like surface. The face of a terribly frightened pegasus stared back at her, the image marred by splotches of red where a few drops of blood had landed on the metal. She startled, stomping a hoof into the thin pool and causing ripples to cascade over its surface. Her reflection transformed into a wobbly pattern of light, shadow, and color. She needed to keep it together.

Next to the ammo box were several saddlebags and a box of food rations, much of which consisted of some type of dried fruit that Flitter wasn’t familiar with. She lowered her head and sniffed the rations, furrowing her brow at the unusual smell. Moving on, she poked a hoof at one of the saddlebags, noticing its many pockets and compartments. Most of the pockets had containers filled with various powders or tiny flasks of colored liquid.

A fire pit sat at the center of the campsite, its embers cold and long reduced to ash. Next to the fire pit, there was... She paused, shaking her head. It was nothing after all, she decided.

Flitter decided to poke her head into one of the tents. A sleeping mat and thin blanket lay in a heap inside, next to a canvas sack which had been stuffed with grass as a makeshift pillow. A dark-red splash of blood had soaked into the fabric. Streaks of blood were smeared along the ground toward the tent’s entrance between Flitter’s forehooves.

“The beds are strange,” Flitter said with her head still poked inside. Backing out, she motioned for Daisy to come and take a look. “Notice the blood on the beds and yet there are no bodies in them. It’s like most of the zebras were asleep when they were attacked and then dragged out.”

Daisy approached and briefly looked inside the tent. “This worries me. Who is fighting zebras in the Equestrian wilderness when nopony should even know they’re here? And why make a display of it? Look at this place.”

“Withersberg knew they were close by. Maybe some—”

“You heard the mayor. She was asking us if we knew where they might be. Apart from the mayor, nopony in town was even concerned about it. Besides, she sent us down this path to find clues about Sage, not zebras.”

Flitter glanced around at the gory scene and shook off a chill that ran up her spine. “Sage… You don’t suppose he… He couldn’t.”

“No. We talked about this. It’s just not possible. Look around—Sage couldn’t take on one zebra let alone… however many this was. A single zebra would have taken him out without even trying. Though I would wager he stumbled upon this place on his way to Withersberg. It would certainly explain his reaction.”

Daisy was right, of course. Flitter let out a sigh. She had heard stories of how profoundly outclassed most ponies were in hoof combat against a zebra. “Probably. Then who?”

“I don’t know. But I have a strong feeling we’re still in danger.”

“Look around, Daisy. This place hasn’t been touched in days. All the blood is dried. And the fire pit…”

The fire pit. She mustn’t think about it. No… There wasn’t something indescribably frightening sitting right there next to that cold, unused fire pit.

“I know,” Daisy replied. “But I can’t shake this feeling.” Pivoting away, she called out with a sharp whistle. “Nyx!”

Nyx had been walking along the perimeter with Rumble. She stopped in her tracks, her head turning to face Daisy. “Problem?”

“Check your T.E.I. We need to make sure we’re really alone.”

Nyx nodded, and a dim indigo glow flashed from her spell matrix as she glanced around into the forest. “I’m… not sure,” she replied, her voice shaky and laced with fear. “It’s the same as before—lots of contacts but nothing closer than a hundred canters. Alligators, probably. Hopefully.”

Nyx hoped they were alligators. Lovely. Flitter regarded her friend for a moment longer before Nyx’s eyes shifted, connecting with hers.

“You picking up anything, Flitter?”

Flitter had been blocking. It was almost too much to bear, but she tried to calm her mind so she could open up and search the local Lifestream for clues. Fear. It was every changeling’s nemesis. She closed her eyes and reached out. Everypony around her was nearly sick with it, making it hard for her to focus. Unable to ignore the hunger in her belly, she popped a nectar stick into her mouth.

The scene became clear after a moment, though the effort placed Flitter in an extraordinarily vulnerable position emotionally. Her mind scanned the immaterial realm of the Lifestream with the skill of a practiced empath. The physical landscape was like a faint mist overlaying the vividly-colored essence of all life which surrounded her.

Nyx and Rumble were there. Both were on edge and wanted to get away from this place if not for their responsibility of protecting everypony else. Nyx was particularly motivated by the desire to help somepony—naturally, that would be Sage’s family. Rumble was mostly concerned about Nyx, his love for her radiating out like a warm blanket, which Flitter took a moment to bask in. But he was also confused; it was like the stallion couldn’t pinpoint the source of some specific nagging fear. Flitter felt the same way, as her own nervousness threatened to blind her senses once more.

Flitter’s focus panned to the right until it fell upon Daisy. She was doing a surprisingly good job tucking her own fear away, though it was eroding her defenses by the minute. The mare also held a deep pain about somepony close to her. Somepony long lost. And tucked away, beneath layers of duty and responsibility, a deep sense of… gratitude was tied into her motivation center. Daisy was keeping something hidden—something very dear to her.

Windy and Mint Blossom were there as well, their stark terror more than evident and blasting forth like a beacon. Mint was feeling invaded and insecure, which made sense, given the fact that this was her own home turf and nothing like this had ever happened here. Her optimistic, tough-mare confidence was pretty much spent, talk of gators and whatnot holding no comparison to these horrors. Windy… she wanted desperately to connect with something familiar. Something secure. She was homesick, and it was tearing her apart. It connected strongly with Flitter’s loss of her entire species with the Crystal Empire. She hoped this mission wouldn’t last too long, for Windy’s sake.

The intensity was almost enough to break Flitter out of her deep scan before she noticed that odd blind spot. It was like a void where even the blackness itself was sucked away. She focused on Daisy again. Then on Windy. Something was… wasn’t there between them. Something she had to force herself to look toward.

Without warning, fire, death, and every predator she could imagine appeared in her mind’s eye for a split second, threatening to consume her. Flitter stumbled backward, falling on her rump as she caught herself with a forehoof. She opened her eyes, seeing the physical world once more.

“You alright?” Nyx was still standing there, along the camp’s perimeter, watching her. It had only been a few seconds.

“Yeah. Yeah, sorry—I’m fine.” She stood back up on four shaky legs, panting as her heart threatened to jump out her throat and run off on its own.

“Find anything?”

“N-No. Yes, actually. There’s something… missing. Something terrifying that isn’t here, but it’s right here with us. I… I’m sorry, I don’t quite know how to say it.”

Flitter watched, catching her breath as Nyx held eye contact with her for two beats before resuming her course. Daisy turned to walk back toward Flitter, who then held a hoof up, shaking her head.

“Daisy, stay there for a bit. Do you see Mint and Windy?”

Daisy’s eyebrow raised as she regarded Flitter. “That’s kind of a stupid q—”

The commander glanced to her right, where she thought the two mares would have been, farther back near the camp entrance. “Actually, no, I don’t. Where’d they go?”

“They’re right there.” Flitter pointed. Daisy wasn’t even looking at them. She tried to gauge where Flitter was pointing, but her gaze wasn’t lined up. Flitter huffed and walked up right next to Daisy. She pointed once more. “Right there…”

Nothing. Flitter blinked in confusion. “What the hell? Okay, something’s messing with us.”

“Wait wait wait, I think I know what this is.” Daisy facehoofed. “Why didn’t I recognize it before?”

“Recognize what?”

A voice called out from somewhere on the other side of the camp. “Commander??!” It was Windy. “Where’d you go?”

Daisy’s ears swiveled, trying to pick up where the unicorn’s voice was coming from. She closed her eyes and stepped to the side slightly.

“I’m here,” Daisy called back. “Are you still by the entrance?”

“Yeah.”

Daisy took another step to the side. “Stay put, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Flitter, look at me.” Daisy’s eyes were still closed. “Back away, slowly. Don’t turn around.”

Flitter walked backward carefully, keeping her eyes fixed on Daisy’s face. With each step, she felt a menacing presence, ever closer behind her. Something was watching… waiting to devour her.

Flitter’s nervous, pleading voice squeaked, “Daisy…”

“Trust me,” came her reply. “Keep your eyes on me.”

Flitter felt like she was backing into a huge spider web. Soon, she could feel the tendrils and claws of death itself caressing her back as her eyes remained fixed on Daisy. Step after step, the terror probed at her. Flitter’s primal instincts screamed for her to run away as fast as she could. The hot stench of some monster’s breath wafted past her nostrils. Streams of sweat ran down her cheeks. Or was it blood? It was blood. She was going to die.

Her backside connected with a solid object. She screamed and flipped around in a flurry of hooves to face her killer.

“Aahhh!!!”

It was… It was a tree trunk. What the fuck?

Before her stood an elaborate construct which was set up around a chopped tree trunk jutting out of the ground about a canter high. A series of sticks were set into carved notches around the side of the stump, and some kind of string held them upward at angles. The sticks were anchored to a metal shaft which had been pressed down into the center of the cut tree. In the middle of the metal shaft was a loop, and inside that loop, a black crystal hovered and spun slowly in place. Near the cut tree, three slender polished stone pillars rested in a triangular pattern around the stump, each about half a canter tall, with a small platform at the top. On each platform, rested a small wooden bowl filled with colored powder. Tiny motes of magic leapt from the powder bowls and made their way slowly through the air toward the black crystal, where they vanished. On the ground, surrounding the construct, were elaborate mystical circles which glowed faintly as they slowly pulsed with light. Within these circles, various zebra glyphs were written, though Flitter had no idea what they represented.

“Flitter, are you okay?” It was Daisy’s voice. She had opened her eyes, but she was no longer looking in the right direction.

“Where’d she go?” somepony’s voice asked in a hushed tone.

Flitter glanced around. She could see everypony. They had all stopped what they were doing and were looking around in confusion, but none of them directly at her.

“I’m fine,” she replied.

“Where… where are you?” It was Nyx. She had her sword drawn, and her armor was gleaming again where shafts of sunlight shone through the tree canopy to fall upon her.

“I’m by the fire pit. It’s okay—we’re safe, it’s just… I just need to show you something.”

One by one, Flitter led each pony to the strange construct, which thankfully, was no longer causing her such dread. Finally, everypony was gathered round, staring at what had been their nemesis for the past half hour.

“That’s it?” Rumble asked. “What the hell is it?”

“I’ve heard of these,” Daisy said as she examined the structure. “This explains a lot. Like why there’s no wildlife anywhere nearby or even flies on the bodies. It’s a fear altar.”

“Seriously?” Rumble sniffed at one of the bowls.

Nyx flicked his nose with a wing. “Stop that,” she whispered.

Daisy continued. “Some types of zebra magic can have persistent psychological effects. See those circles on the ground? The pedestals with bowls which were placed next to the runes are shaman bowls. This camp had a zebra shaman. They’re a secretive part of the religious caste and closely tied with the War Council.”

Nyx took a couple hoofsteps toward the altar, looking it over from several angles. “So… why?”

“Safety,” Daisy replied. “The bayou is filled with dangerous wildlife, and as much as Blackberry may think the zebras were in over their heads, they aren’t stupid. They would have found a way to sleep without the burden of alligator threats. I’d bet my right hoof that this contraption is keeping wildlife away from the site all the way back to the trail. It also probably keeps wandering ponies away.”

“It sure didn’t scare off whoever attacked them,” Nyx pointed out.

“Yeah, that thought crossed my mind too.”

“Can we just take it down?” Rumble asked, his hoof touching one of the grenades clipped to his barding. “It’s creeping me the hell out. I’m sure we’d all feel better if—”

Flitter shook her head. “Don’t. We’re lucky this thing kept all the flies and scavengers away. This place is important evidence that could help us figure out what happened to Doc Sage. It may be the only clue we get.”

“You think that’s related to all of this?” Daisy asked, gesturing a hoof toward the bodies which lay strewn about.

“I know Sage,” Mint Blossom added. It was the first time she had spoken since they found the camp. The teal mare took a small step forward with her eyes fixed on the fear altar. She still looked pretty shaken up, but at least she seemed to be holding it together. “He would have been pretty upset by what he saw here. But he’s always had a curious nature; he would have wanted to investigate.”

“That doesn’t explain his behavior after he got to town, though,” Flitter said, unconvinced. All the pieces still didn’t add up.

“The fear altar might have really messed him up,” Daisy pointed out. “All of us were about two hoofsteps from a meltdown five minutes ago.” She glanced at Windy Scarlet, who still looked ill from the whole ordeal.

“Granted. But I still can’t picture this scene causing him to lose it that badly,” Flitter replied. “I mean, I don’t know about the rest of you, but as disturbing as all this has been, I don’t feel the urge to cut myself and scrawl a creepy message on the wall with my own blood.”

Rumble winced. “You had to remind us.”

“Jade said he was sick,” Nyx added. “Like sick for real, not just upset.”

Flitter nodded. “Yeah, that’s what bothers me as well. We need to find out why because for all we know, these bodies are contagious.”

Daisy facehoofed. “You’re right. Nopony touch anything. Let’s finish what we started and get out of here.”

Everypony fanned out and returned to their previous duties. As the minutes passed, Flitter paused to examine an area between two tents, closer to the back end of the camp. Her eyes fell upon a zebra whose body was cut open, its insides entirely missing.

Flitter had to fight to keep her stomach settled as she continued to search the camp. She was thankful that the overall level of everypony’s fear had dropped dramatically after the discovery of the altar. Revulsion, agitation, and even sorrow were in the air, but nopony was in a panic at the moment. Now that she could focus much more clearly on what lay before her, Flitter could finally piece together clues, where before, she may not have noticed a small detail such as…

“Hey, come see this!” she called out to nopony in particular. Ears perked forward in Flitter’s direction from around the camp as Nyx, Rumble, and Daisy approached to see what it was that she had discovered.

“What’s odd about this body?” Flitter asked, backing away so the others could get a closer look. Not far from the tents was the body of a zebra stallion lying on a patch of thick grass with his head resting on a small log. Thick, coagulated blood matted the striped fur over most of his body. His lifeless eyes stared vacantly upward with constricted pupils, past the ponies who were circled around him.

“You mean other than the fact that he has what looks like a grin on his face?” Rumble asked.

As creepy as that was, Rumble was right. He was grinning—at least that’s what it looked like. Still, that wasn’t what had caught her eye.

“Besides that,” Flitter said flatly. “How many pieces is this body in?”

“Oooh, you’re right,” Rumble said with a nod of his head. “This one hasn’t been all hacked apart like the others. Looks like he’s been cut up pretty badly though.”

Flitter stepped closer once more and tilted her head to regard the body from several angles. “There’s at least a dozen deep cuts. This zebra bled out but not very quickly. A lot of these wounds have been cauterized by fire. He’s also drenched in blood, and I don’t think it’s his.”

“Not his…” Nyx’s posture straightened, her head shaking in surprise. “Wait wait wait, if that’s true, then doesn’t that mean that this zebra—”

Suddenly, the sound of leaves and underbrush rustling came from the far edge of the campsite. Everypony’s heads snapped to attention, staring as a single zebra emerged from the dense forest, stepping into the partial clearing that was the zebra campsite.

She was lean and fit, with a rugged, athletic build. A thin leather strap circled her front-right fetlock with several colored beads bound to its surface. Around her neck was a single strap by which were tied four sharp canine teeth from some type of unknown beast, and a single red feather was attached to a golden ear stud which pierced her right ear. Additional straps ran down her back and sides, forming what appeared to be some sort of utility harness, with a dagger clipped along the strap near her left shoulder directly in front of three tiny bottles filled with some sort of liquid. Along her right flank was a length of coiled rope.

Her eyes stared, unblinking, taking in the macabre scene. Her head panned slowly, hooves frozen in place as she was confronted by what was clearly an overwhelming situation. It took the zebra a few moments to even notice Nyx and her companions. And when she did…

“Nightmare Moon!! The Destroyer has been loosed!”

By the time Daisy and Rumble had guns trained on her, she tapped a hoof on one of her vials of liquid and threw it forcefully onto a rock, shattering the glass. Immediately, a cloud of thick white smoke billowed out, and Flitter could hear the zebra as she fled deep into the woods as fast as her hooves would allow. The smoke eventually spread through half the camp and carried with it a nasty, acrid bite, stinging everypony’s nostrils and eyes for just a moment before it dissipated. The zebra was gone.

“Well, shit,” Rumble said.

Daisy clipped her rifle back onto her barding. “We need to get out of here. She’s bound to return, perhaps with friends. We hoof it back to Withersberg right now and talk to the mayor. Let’s go, ponies.”

“What about the body?” Flitter asked with urgency.

Daisy glanced down toward the zebra for a moment before her eyes returned to Flitter. “What about it?”

“This is probably the best clue we’ve got. We need to get it back to Canterlot for examination.”

Daisy’s face scrunched up in a frustrated scowl. “There’s no time to mess with that. Besides, we shouldn’t even be touching it, remember?”

Flitter thought quickly. This was too important to just abandon. “Can we at least bury it or something? We can come back for it later.”

Daisy made eye contact with Nyx. “Can you handle the burial?”

Nyx nodded.

“Fine, do it. Just hurry.”

Daisy ran into the Withersberg mayor’s office building, panting hard. Inside, a sea-green unicorn mare sat quietly behind the reception desk, writing in a ledger of some sort. Near the edge of her desk sat a prism-shaped block of finely carved wood with the name ‘Sweet Sashay’ etched in fancy letters. Her head rose to meet Daisy’s gaze, her friendly smile wilting as she took notice of the commander.

“Hello, may I help— Oh my, are… are you alright?” she asked politely.

“Is the mayor here?” Daisy asked with urgency in her voice. “It’s important.”

“Yes, actually, she’s in her office. One moment, please.”

The aide rose from her desk and disappeared behind a door. Hoofsteps came to a halt, and Daisy could hear the muffled voices of two ponies talking, though she couldn’t make out what was being said. She took the opportunity to turn around and poke her head out the front door of the building to see her five exhausted companions waiting, each with an expectant look on their faces. All six had just galloped back to town, bursting through the southwest gate as fast as they could while drawing amused glares from the older ponies who were still sitting on their porch beneath the broad shade trees.

“Next time, read the sign, y’all!” one of them had called out with a laugh.

Daisy gave her waiting friends a nod to let them know that the mayor was here, just as the sound of somepony clearing her throat came from behind her. Daisy turned to see the unicorn sitting back at her desk.

“The mayor can see you now,” the aide indicated as she motioned with a hoof toward the interior door.

Daisy rushed through, into the mayor’s office. It was somewhat small with most of the interior consisting of a polished dark brown wood, from the floorboards, to the desk, to the window frame. The large four-pane glass window which sat behind the mayor overlooked the side street, revealing a glimpse of the distant crowded marketplace some blocks away. The mayor’s office itself was comfortable yet professional, with her desk taking up most of the center floor space. On the wall, hung several framed photos alongside a citizen’s recognition plaque, likely acknowledging some sort of governing achievement. Behind the desk, sat the mayor, Jade Glint, who was leaning back in her chair with a look of curiosity written all over her face.

Daisy sat across from the mayor on the less-plush but still comfortable visitor’s seat. Before she had the chance to say anything, the mayor spoke.

“I assume, since you’re back so soon, that you’ve found some clues about Sage?” She then leaned forward in her chair, her gaze locked squarely onto Daisy’s eyes. “What did you find?”

“Zebras.”

Jade’s face froze as she processed Daisy’s reply, barely managing to strangle out two words. “How close?”

“Dead,” Daisy said, still catching her breath as she searched for words. “We found a zebra infiltration unit. All killed.”

“What? How?” Jade scratched at the back of her neck with a hoof, and her eye twitched slightly.

“We don’t know. It wasn’t…” Daisy paused, considering how much to reveal. “Sage had a good reason to be scared out of his mind. They were butchered.”

Jade placed both forehooves on her desk, staring intently into Daisy’s eyes. “What? Who could have… How many dead?”

“We couldn’t tell. We know it happened a few days ago—before Sage came through. What’s more important for you and your town is that there was one survivor who showed up while we were there. She ran off into the forest before we could do anything.”

“How close?” the mayor pressed. She didn’t look well. Sweat had begun to appear on her face, and she scratched at the back of her neck again. A lot of lives depended on her leadership, and Daisy didn’t imagine the mare had truly considered what she would do if zebras were within a few minutes’ gallop of her gates.

“About a half hour’s walk down the trail. Near where the river comes up alongside the path. Are… you alright, Mayor?”

Jade waved a hoof dismissively with closed eyes and a slight shake of her head. She took a deep breath and paused before speaking. “One survived. So this is it, then. You’re the expert; should we be worried?”

“If it were just the one, I’d say no. She was dressed as a scout, so either she was away when the attack happened or she may have been a member of a second unit. Considering her reaction to the scene and how much time has passed, I’m guessing the latter. She freaked out and ran as soon as she saw Nyx. We didn’t stick around to see who she’d bring back.”

The mayor swallowed dryly at that. “What… what do we do, then?”

“I’m sorry, but you’re going to need to put the town on alert. Try to get a militia going for now. Do you have any firearms? Any good shield casters?”

“Maybe a few shotguns. Several ponies have gator rifles. Comes with the territory. But we don’t have anyone experienced enough to stand up to trained zebra soldiers if they do pick a fight.”

“I know, and I’m sorry. But a light resistance is much better than nothing. Besides, chances are good that you won’t get any trouble; the zebra we saw ran off in the opposite direction.”

“I’m just glad you’re here.”

Daisy let out a sigh, her ears falling back. “I’m really sorry… I need to get back to Gatorton right away to gather my platoon.”

Jade sat in silence at her desk, staring down toward her forehooves resting on its polished wooden surface. The disappointment on her face was clear. “You’re not staying tonight to help?”

Daisy shook her head. “That’s… not the best idea, really. Our supplies are all back in Gatorton. If we leave now, I’ve got over a dozen military ponies and a lot of firepower I can bring back by late morning to help you prepare.”

“I see,” the mayor said quietly.

“If it’s any comfort, I really don’t think that zebra scout is your biggest concern right now. And your town certainly isn’t hers.”

Jade’s face transitioned from disappointment to disbelief. “Not her biggest—”

Daisy continued. “Whatever happened to those zebras concerns me much more than the zebra soldiers themselves. There had to be over a dozen slaughtered. And the way… the way they were killed. Jade, whoever this is, we have a pretty good idea that the zebras butchered each other for some reason. The scout? She’s got her own problems, none of which have to do with your town. Likely, she thinks Nyx did it.

“Wait, Nyx? What?”

“Yeah, it’s a long story, but that’s our problem to deal with. If more zebras do come, they’ll probably be looking for her. She’ll be in Canterlot by tonight, though.”

The mayor let out a sigh. “I feel like I’m gonna throw up.” And she looked it. Her head bobbed a little as if she couldn’t keep her balance, and her eyes seemed to drift for a moment.

Daisy reached out across the desk and put her hooves on the mayor’s. “I know this is overwhelming. The good news is that you’ve already got a fenced town with gates. For now, tell everypony to stay inside if they can. Remember, the zebras aren’t here for you. They’re trying to get deeper inland, and it’ll probably take them a while to process what happened at their camp. So if you can make it not worth the fight, they’ll probably leave you alone.”

“We’ll try,” the mayor replied. She offered a weak smile, her body returning to a more confident posture.

“We should really get going, though. I’d like to get back to Gatorton before dark.”

Jade hesitated before nodding finally. “Alright. Please hurry back.”

“We will. Also, if I could ask a favor—we need to send our flyers back to Canterlot right away with one of the zebra bodies we found. It’s really important they go right now, but we don’t have anything to carry it with.”

The mayor seemed happy to change the topic to something other than the threat of invading zebras. “To Canterlot? That’s a long trip, even by air. You only have three flyers, right?”

Daisy nodded.

“I have an idea.” Jade tapped a hoof on a little chrome colored bell which sat on the far corner of her desk, and it responded with a brief ding. Within moments, the mayor’s aide opened the door and poked her head inside.

“Sash, could you please go fetch Chocolate Cake for me? Also, a freight saddle and a fishing net with some extra rope. Quickly if you can, thanks.”

“Certainly, Ma’am,” the unicorn replied with a single nod before retreating back out the doorway.

Jade smiled and turned her head to face Daisy once more. “He’s been wanting to take a trip to Canterlot for a while. It’ll help your flyers to have a fourth, trust me. With only three, they’d be completely exhausted by the time they got there.”

Daisy puzzled over the mayor’s odd request for cake for a moment. “Um… who’s been wanting to go to Canterlot?”

“Choc. The pegasus stallion y’all met selling desserts earlier in the marketplace.”

Daisy stared flatly at her for a moment before rubbing her face with her hooves. Chocolate. Cake. Of course. “Ah, right. And here I thought you were just really hungry.”

The mayor chuckled. “Sorry, I should have clarified. But now that you mention it, I am rather hungry. Would you like anything before you go?”

Daisy stood and adjusted her barding, which had ridden up her chest a bit. “No, I’m fine. Thank you, though. We really do need to get going.”

Jade stood as well and rounded her desk toward the door. “I understand. I wish you didn’t have to. I just…” She paused, without finishing her sentence. Her face finished it for her.

“It’ll be okay,” Daisy said with a reassuring smile. “And if you do run into trouble, don’t hesitate to send a pegasus and let us know.”

Jade nodded. “I’ll walk you out. I think your ponies will enjoy Chocolate. He’s pretty easy-going.”

Outside, Daisy and Jade found the five other ponies waiting patiently, sitting on the grass and chatting. All five heads turned skyward as a dark brown pegasus descended from above and alighted on the steps leading into the mayor’s office building.

“Hey, Jade. Sashay said you wanted to see me,” the pegasus said as he greeted the mayor. He then glanced around at the assortment of newcomers. “Did I miss a party or somethin’?”

Rumble snickered. “You definitely missed a party.”

Jade placed a hoof over Chocolate’s shoulder. “How’d you like to take a trip to Canterlot? I’ll have someone watch your kiosk while you’re away.”

The stallion’s face lit up like he just won a prize. “Would I… Absolutely. Like, when?”

“These ponies need your help carrying… a package to Canterlot. Right now. You up for it?”

“Oooh,” Rumble chimed in. “That’ll help a ton. I was thinking a dead zebra would be a bit much for the three of us to carry that far.”

Nyx rolled her eyes with a sigh.

Chocolate’s eyes darted from face to face as his mouth hung open in confusion. His gaze came to rest on Daisy.

“He’s always like that,” Daisy deadpanned.

Choc offered an uneasy smile. “Heh. I thought he was serious.”

“Oh, he was. But don’t worry, you’ll be fine. We’ll explain on the way out.”

“If you don’t need anything else, I’ve got a meeting to arrange,” the mayor said as she backed up toward the building’s entrance. “Thanks for everything, Commander. I’ll be seeing you tomorrow. Safe journey to you and your team.”

Rumble stood and gave the pegasus a closer inspection. “Wait, I know you,” he said with a wide grin. “You’re the pony from the dessert kiosk!”

Chocolate Cake smiled. “That’s me.”

“Oh, you’re gonna be my new best friend for the day!”

“Rumble’s found a new dealer,” Flitter said under her breath. Nyx snorted a laugh.

As everypony made their way toward the southwest gate, Daisy filled them in on what she and the mayor had discussed. Chocolate Cake looked like he was seriously wondering what in the world he had just agreed to, but before long, he seemed to relax about the news of the zebras, happy that the military was here to take care of it.

The gate approached, and Mint stepped forward to free the latch. While the others waited, laughs echoed from the nearby house with the wide, shaded porch. “Hey, Choc, you gonna try yer hoof wrasslin’ gators with yer friends?” More laughs followed from the group of older ponies leaning back in their comfortable chairs.

“You shut your flap, ya big ninnies,” Choc called back to them. “Now get off your lazy tails and go see the mayor. Make yourselves useful for once.”

Daisy blinked, staring at the stallion’s bravado.

“I like this guy,” Rumble declared with a chuckle as Mint finished opening the gate for everypony to make their way through. The seven then headed back into the wilderness, leaving Withersberg behind.

The heat of the day had given way into a humid, temperate late-afternoon walk with most of the trail now shaded by the surrounding trees, though the sun could still be seen poking through the upper branches off to their right. Daisy and Nyx had taken the lead, watching carefully for any signs of trouble up ahead, while Rumble and Chocolate chatted quietly, trading banter behind them. Flitter listened as the stallions went over the plan.

“So let me get this straight,” Choc said, his voice laced with skepticism. “We’re going to dig up a dead body—”

“Zebra body,” Rumble corrected.

“—a dead zebra body, among a camp full of parts of zebra bodies. Then we’ll fly it to Canterlot ‘cause it might be related to why Sage went missin’?”

“Yup. Pretty much.”

“And y'all are sayin’ that this particular zebra might’ve killed his buddies?”

“Maybe,” Rumble replied after a moment’s hesitation. “But he’s dead now. You’ll be fine.”

“No, you won’t,” Windy interrupted after trotting forward alongside the stallions. “That camp is nightmare fuel!”

Chocolate regarded Windy for a moment. “Then… to top it off, there’s a zebra scout who saw y’all snooping around the camp before getting away. And there might be more of ‘em out there.”

Windy’s head nodded slowly.

“We’ll be in and out in no time, Windy,” Rumble commented.

The unicorn let out a sigh. “I guess.”

Nyx chimed in from in front of the stallions, letting everypony know she was listening after all. “We’ll head straight to Canterlot and drop the body off at Meadowbrook Hospital. Fluttershy’s medical researchers can take it from there while we update Luna on the mission. We’ll stay the night and be back before the platoon reaches Withersberg.

“As long as we get to Gatorton before dark,” Daisy added as she glanced up toward the sun. “We’re pushing it as it is. Once we’re back, we get the platoon loaded up for an early-morning return trip.”

“What about that scout?” Chocolate asked. “She’s still in the area, right?”

Daisy shook her head. “Like I told the mayor, these zebras are almost certainly not here to cause trouble with the local towns. They don’t want to be discovered. Still, you four should do a quick sweep of the area before flying out.”

Up ahead, the trees bordering the left side of the trail thinned out, revealing the river snaking alongside it. Nyx and Daisy walked out onto the riverbank with everypony else following behind. Chocolate’s steps were less bold, his gaze shifting between the waterline and the trees as he made his way forward.

“I don’t remember this place being so creepy,” he said.

“You’ve been here before?” Rumble asked as they walked along together.

Chocolate nodded. “A few times. It’s a nice place, but I… I’m not so sure this is a good idea.”

“Trust me, you’ll be fine. Have you met my wife? She can—”

“Hold up, Rumble. We can’t take him in there,” Flitter interrupted, bringing everypony to a halt.

Nyx turned to face her. “You picking up something, Flitter?”

“I—wait, no I wasn’t talking about… I mean, Chocolate’s putting out a fair bit of anxiety all of a sudden. It’s probably the fear altar.”

Daisy turned to face Chocolate, eyeing him carefully. “You doing alright, Choc?”

Chocolate’s face contorted from being put on the spot. “Well… it’s just creepy, ya know? I get the sense somethin’s watchin’ us and maybe we best not go poking ‘round where we shouldn’t.”

Daisy paused in thought for a moment before speaking. “Yep. It’s the fear altar. Listen. There’s a zebra device in the camp that’s messing with your head. We can either take you to it, which will scare the shit out of you the closer you get until you actually see it… or a better option is to leave you here. Mint, you and Choc stay put. We won’t be long.”

The bewildered stallion stood there, awkwardly, until Mint Blossom walked up and nudged his shoulder. “Come on. You’ll feel better once we get some distance from that thing.”

As the five remaining ponies moved forward, Flitter could feel the waning interference on her senses. Chocolate’s anxiety wasn’t terrible, but it was enough of a distraction to mute her awareness of the emotional landscape. She needed to keep sharp in case that zebra scout returned before they could recover the body and get the hell out of this place.

The turn up ahead was only about a hundred canters away by the time she felt it. It wasn’t anything like the effect of the fear altar. To Flitter, it felt more like an echo of assorted negative emotions. She couldn’t be sure, but the most pronounced was like a powerful, indignant anger.

“Nyx? Something feels different up ahead,” she said, cautiously. “I think we’re in trouble.”

Nyx stopped and checked her T.E.I. She panned around before resting her vision upon the forest which ran parallel to the riverbank. The forest which contained the zebra camp.

“You’re right—we’ve got trouble. There’s definitely something hostile in the camp right now. I’ve got lots of red contacts in a clump, off in the distance.”

Daisy wasted no time. “Alright, change of plans. Windy, I want you to hang back with the civilians. They are your responsibility. Use whatever tricks you can to keep them out of trouble. Find cover and stay hidden.”

“Yes, Commander.” Windy gave a nervous salute before galloping off toward Mint Blossom and Chocolate Cake, her hooves kicking up divots of wet sand in her wake.

“We need to know what we’re dealing with,” Daisy continued. “Flitter, you fly overhead. Find out as much as you can and report back to me. Nyx, Rumble, you’re with me. We’ll cut through the forest and wait for Flitter there. Let’s go.”

Flitter turned her head to notice Windy Scarlet, having caught up with her charge. She was guiding them toward a small clump of trees and underbrush which sat alongside the river further back toward the main trail. Within moments, they settled into the thicket and out of sight.

In the opposite direction, Nyx led the way further up the riverbank, her ears forward and alert for hints of danger. Rumble and Daisy followed closely behind as they all veered off to the right, up and out of the sandy slope to where the dense tree line stood. They paused, glancing back toward Flitter, who gave a brief nod in return. At that, they vanished into the trees.

Flitter was on her own. She was accustomed to solo reconnaissance, but the quantity of unknowns of this mission didn’t help matters any. What monsters lie ahead? she wondered. What was capable of turning a trained zebra military unit into the abattoir of horrors they had witnessed earlier? With that thought, Flitter swallowed dryly, set her sights above the treetops, and leapt into the air.

00 - Prologue

Author's Note

This chapter has been rewritten. Please click on the following provided links.

It has been split into two chapters titled Catalyst and A Matter of Entanglement.

00 - Prologue

Three years ago, in the Crystal Empire

“Was I right?” Princess Luna asked her sister as a mischievous grin spread across her face. They were seated together in the third row within the audience, having arrived a half-hour earlier.

Celestia rolled her eyes at Luna’s comment until finally, a smile played at her lips. “You were right, it was fun.” She put a hoof to her mouth and chuckled.

They were supposed to be meeting with several nobles back in Canterlot. It had been Luna’s idea to cancel at the last minute—much to the nobles’ indignation—and sneak off aboard the night train bound for the Crystal Empire. They had not even told a soul where they were going, having merely left a message for the nobles, informing them that they could not attend.

The pair giggled like school fillies as they boarded the sparsely populated train of sleepy travellers, eliciting stares and nervous waves from passengers who were no doubt bewildered by their presence. Nerves gave way to awe as they witnessed Celestia raise the sun from within the passenger car just before their arrival. They had arrived in time for a leisurely stroll through the city on their way toward the vast botanical garden where the Royal Guard was holding a retirement ceremony.

Luna took in the scene around her. It was a pleasure to see the crystalline city-state again. Visiting the Crystal Empire was not something either Luna or her sister often had the luxury of, due to its remote northern location and the fact that the zebras had thus far ignored it as a potential target. Too cold a journey for them, perhaps? she mused. But here, the air was pleasant and calm, maintained by the enormous artificial weather bubble which protected the entire city from the bitter, snowy cold just outside the dome.

Luna glanced once more to her right. Celestia’s bright smile left no doubt that she was truly enjoying herself as she gazed out from within the seated audience toward the stage. She was in her element, and if for no other reason than this, Luna was happy to have convinced her to come. A special moment among friends, away from the responsibilities of ruling a nation at war. Such things were a rare commodity in recent years.

Formal events such as this were not something Luna normally enjoyed. It was not as if she had no experience with them. She simply did not… appreciate them like her sister did. Ponies in bowties and cufflinks, long, boring speeches, and small talk with important ponies she barely knew… All of these usually made her long to be somewhere else, but seeing her sister smile made none of that matter.

Three seats to her left sat Nyx. Their eyes met, and Nyx’s face brightened. She offered a small wave to Luna. It was good to see the black alicorn again; it had been some time since their paths had crossed. Nyx returned her gaze to the stage to listen to her uncle’s speech while Luna’s eyes lingered on her for a moment longer.

It was hard to believe that it had only been twelve years. Nyx was fully grown now—equal in stature to Luna herself, almost exactly between that of a typical mare and Luna’s big sister. Luna pondered for a moment. Twelve years. That would make her… about twenty-two biologically. One could never be completely sure, of course. It was not like she had come with a birth certificate. Luna’s attention shifted once more as it appeared that things were about to happen on stage.

Nearly all the senior officers of the Guard were present here in the Crystal Empire’s botanical garden. There they were, lining the edges of the stage, a meticulous collection of shining medals, badges, and ribbons. Each one stood at attention, perfectly still, facing the center of the stage. Their Captain had everypony's attention as he pinned his title badge onto the other pony’s uniform.

Shining Armor’s retirement was long overdue, and the fanfare was much deserved. Sixteen years of service as Captain of the Royal Guard was admirable for a mortal pony. Especially considering that if not for the war, he could have retired long ago, or at least transferred, devoting much more time to his wife and son than he had been permitted.

The orange pegasus standing with Shining Armor looked sharp in his uniform. He was the very image of professionalism, bowing in respect to his superior after receiving his Captain badge. He returned to attention and held his head high, his blue mane waving in the breeze as the thirty other officers saluted in unison.

The new captain’s eyes briefly darted to a certain pony in the audience. Luna knew without looking that it was directed toward none other than the former Captain’s sister, whom he fancied. And Twilight, likewise, had returned the attraction. Perhaps this was one of the reasons Shining had always held the pony to such high standards. Courting his sister was not something to be taken lightly, after all.

Still, Twilight deserved it. She had been so dedicated to serving Equestria for so many years, not to mention raising a high-profile daughter by herself; she almost never expressed how lonely she must have felt. Twilight learned long ago the price for putting duties above relationships. Her two-year courtship with the kind, attentive guardspony was the perfect balance to her otherwise busy life.

Shining Armor stepped back to face the crowd. “And now, I present to you, the Captain of the Royal Guard—”

Blood sprayed from the back of Flash Sentry’s head as a loud crack echoed through the garden. His body went limp and landed on the stage with a thud. Shining stumbled back in disbelief, instinctively forming a shield around his own body.

Shining turned, mouth opening in a shout just as a second shot was fired. A half-second later, he had fallen as well.

Within the audience, Luna pivoted around, scanning for the threat. The hedges, sculptures, and trees made it difficult to tell where the enemy might be hiding. Nyx had moved to stand behind her mother, having turned around to face where the shots had come from. Her wings were outstretched, hooves planted firmly in a wide stance. Her horn crackled with energy as deep-indigo lightning raced over its surface. Luna had not seen Nyx take a battle stance since…

Luna leapt into action, flinging herself into the air in the direction Nyx was facing. Within moments, she spotted a zebra sniper hiding behind one of the hedge sculptures. He was seeking a third target. She fell upon him with lightning speed, summoning her twin blades of midnight-blue energy. Their eyes met, and Luna saw his look of surprised terror just as she ran the razor sharp metal through his neck. The zebra fell, and Luna glanced back to the panicking crowd of ponies.

Shields began to pop up all around as unicorns tried to protect their families. Luna raced back toward the crowd in an outrage. Several black-and-white striped figures had jumped out from various hiding places within the botanical garden and were running toward the stage. There were five. No, at least ten. Twenty?

Each zebra carried a short combat staff by mouth or clipped to their barding. On each end of the staff was a long, curved blade which formed into a deadly point at its tip. Bright orange and yellow magical energy flowed along the sharpened edges like glowing syrup, dripping off the weapons and leaving trails of tiny embers on the ground as the zebras ran.

No… Luna recognized the enchantment. No one on the ground was safe.

Only seconds had passed. Luna spared a glance toward the stage where some of the officers of the Royal Guard had already rushed to the center. Several had raised their own shields over where their leaders lay unmoving. No doubt by design, Luna thought to herself.

A half dozen pegasus officers had taken flight with their swords and were trying to engage the enemy from above. The zebras held their own with the skill and agility of highly trained assassins. One zebra leapt into the air while his partner planted front hooves firmly on the ground, bucking upward with his hind legs. Their hind hooves connected in the air, and each pushed against the other, thrusting the first zebra even higher. He swung upward with his bladed staff, slicing through a pegasus officer’s formal uniform and cutting a deep gash in his chest. The pony cried out in pain, retreating to land nearby.

The zebra blade soldiers charged in quickly from several directions. One reached a unicorn mare who had her shield raised. The zebra slashed twice with her enchanted blade, creating a rip in the pony’s shield which spread until it collapsed. The zebra slit the helpless mare’s throat and continued toward the stage.

Celestia was holding her own, protecting perhaps two dozen civilians who were huddled close to her. There were four blade soldiers slashing away at her shield, but the white alicorn easily had the casting strength of ten unicorns and the capacity of fifty. Still, she could only protect so many; the loss of life was going to be tremendous this day.

Luna noticed Nyx, still standing between her mother and the charging zebras. Twilight had turned by now, preparing to take flight. Nyx hadn’t moved at all, but her horn looked like it was bursting with energy. Luna arced her flight path to pass in front of Nyx.

“Move, young one! You are not ready for this,” she yelled as she raced past, barely above the ground. As she darted past them, Luna spotted a pale-orange filly in the path of one of the zebras. She shot toward the child, hoping to get there in time.

Suddenly, Luna felt a painful force squeezing at her mind. She reflexively shook her head, trying to resist. She could feel the magical energy being wrung from her body like a sponge. Her strength failed, and she crashed into the ground before she could reach the filly.

Luna could make out the screams of dozens of ponies around her. Pegasi had taken flight in all directions, some of them carrying children. All the shields were down. Cadence was in the crowd, screaming, trying her best to restrain a ten-year-old alicorn colt from running toward the stage. Luna struggled to her hooves, trying to stand, only to collapse a moment later. She looked over the crowd. A full third of the civilians were down, unconscious on the ground. Wait… It was just the unicorns!

Luna spared a quick glance at Nyx. Her horn shone like the sun, but she had still not moved. Luna snapped her attention back to the charging zebra that was almost upon her. Perhaps the zebra would be distracted by a better target and spare the child. She tried casting her blades again, but nothing happened. The zebra leapt into the air, somersaulting while drawing his bladed staff.

Then, the zebra was gone. Luna heard what sounded like something being ripped apart. There was the sound of wet splashes, and she felt warm liquid land on her flank. But what she saw… that was something she had not witnessed in thousands of years.

Off to the side, her eye caught sight of something else exploding. A crackling energy thread arced like lightning to a nearby zebra with the same result, then another and another. Within seconds, the surrounding hedges, trees, and half the stage were coated crimson. Chunks of shredded flesh were strewn everywhere. Nothing remained of the attackers that was larger than an apple.

The pain had stopped, and Luna forced herself to focus as clarity began to return to her mind. She stood up and turned toward Nyx. The black alicorn had fallen just as all the unicorns through the park began to move again, trying to stand. Luna rushed in a panic over to where Nyx lay unmoving on the ground. Twilight was just getting her own bearings and desperately trying to get her daughter to wake up. She was not responding.

Darkness.

Nyx could hear the sounds of muffled voices from all around her. She was dreaming, surely. The voices faded in and out in fragments as she struggled to grab hold of consciousness.

Luna’s voice, nearby, an upset whisper. “…told you this might happen.”

Twilight’s voice, some distance away. Crying.

Celestia’s stern, quiet voice, nearby. “…is much more serious than…”

Luna’s voice. “…least she did not tap the Aether. There is still hope that…”

Nyx drifted back into the deep dark. She had no idea how much time had passed, but she could hear Luna’s voice again, speaking in a hushed tone from farther away than before.

“…not have known how to cast Death Blossom.”

Celestia’s voice, faintly. “She has perhaps remembered more than you anticipated, sister. Obviously, she…”

Nyx struggled against the fatigue. What were they whispering about? She needed to… Needed to. Sleep.

Luna’s voice again, nearer than before. “…to be watched carefully for further signs.” Nyx could feel her ear twitch.

Celestia’s voice, very close. “Agreed. She cannot participate in the war. It’s just—” Her voice did not fade away this time. She had abruptly stopped speaking.

Nyx slowly opened her eyes and blinked several times. She was lying on her back in a bed. The first thing she saw was the face of a white pony with a pastel striped mane, eyes wide and bright, looking straight into hers. She was smiling.

“Celestia?” Nyx croaked.

The princess turned toward the others. “She’s awake.”

Twilight practically knocked Celestia over to get at Nyx. Her eyes were puffy from crying. She hugged Nyx’s neck and kissed her cheeks and forehead.

“Mom?”

“I’m right here, baby. I’m right here. I thought I might have lost you. You’ve been asleep for a day and a half.”

Nyx hugged her mother back. She tried to sit up, looking around the room for the one pony she needed to see the most just then.

“Where’s—”

“He’s asleep in the visitor’s lounge. He stayed with you almost the whole time. I finally told him to get some rest. He’s going to be so thrilled that you’re awake!”

A look of panic fell across Nyx’s face. “Mom! There were zebras! What happened? Flash and Uncle Shining. They—”

Twilight didn’t answer. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she looked away. Luna walked up and put her wing over Twilight’s shoulder as she wept.

Nyx sat up, confused. She looked to Celestia.

The princess’ voice was steady and soothing. “You saved many lives yesterday, Nyx.”

“What? I don’t understand. What did I do? Is Mom upset with me?” Nyx felt like somepony was playing a cruel joke on her. She hadn’t saved anypony’s life in nearly twelve years.

“You burned out, Nyx. It’s very dangerous for alicorns. Don’t worry about that now; I think somepony would like to have a word with you.” Celestia telekinetically slid the curtain back to reveal the bed next to her own. A white unicorn stallion lay in the bed, resting. His head was wrapped with a bandage. He turned toward Nyx and smiled.

“Hey, Nyxie.”

Nyx’s face beamed with delight. “Uncle Shining! I thought… I saw… You were shot!”

“Shh.” Her uncle pulled the curtain back a bit further, revealing a little powder-blue alicorn colt curled up on the bed with him. “He’s still asleep.”

Nyx’s eyes went wide. She hushed her voice to a whisper, looking back to her uncle. “You were shot.”

Shining nodded. “Shield deflected the bullet. Not as much as I would have liked, though.” He gently touched the side of his head where the bandage was. The colt at his side stirred, stretching for a moment and curling back up.

Her little cousin was incurably adorable. “Aww. He’s bigger every time I see him. Bigger now than I was when Mom found me, I think.”

Shining affectionately ran his hoof down his sleeping son’s mane. “Cadence thinks he’ll be as tall as Celestia when he’s grown.”

There was a knock at the door, and the nurse walked into the room. “I see our patient is finally awake. I’m afraid I’ll have to ask all visitors to leave for now. I need to check on her condition.”

“Of course,” Celestia said. She and the others filed out of the room, leaving Nyx and Shining Armor behind.

“Do you mind if he stays?” Shining asked the nurse.

She looked at the sleeping alicorn colt pressed up against his chest. “He can stay. I won’t be long.”

A half hour after the nurse had left, Nyx was staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought. “Uncle Shining? Are you awake?” The nurse had dimmed the lights to help them rest and told them that they could have visitors again in the morning, leaving Nyx alone with her troubled thoughts.

“Uncle Shining?” she tried again, just a bit louder, hoping she wouldn’t wake her cousin.

Shining Armor stirred. “Hm? Oh. Sorry, I dozed off. What is it, Nyx?”

Nyx turned her head to the side to face him. “What happened yesterday? I feel like I… Like I killed somepony.”

Shining Armor did not respond right away. He shifted a little bit so he could face Nyx comfortably while lying down. “Not any pony, Nyxie. But quite a few zebras, I’m told.”

Nyx felt her insides tighten up. “What?! I don’t even— Are you serious?” She tried to remember what had happened, but the thought evaded her like a cockroach skittering out of the light. It felt like a bad dream. Nyx knew it was inevitable that this would happen at some point. She had actually killed. Why? How? It didn’t make sense.

“Uncle Shining, how… how did it happen? I don’t remember anything.” Nyx wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer.

“Um… well, they told me it was a couple dozen zebras. They were all running toward the stage. They had it all planned out with shield cutting blades. They knew we’d be on the stage with shields raised… I think they killed several civilians.”

Nyx knew he was dodging. Her voice was quiet—almost a whisper. “You know that’s not what I was asking.”

Shining formed one of those looks a parent gets when their child asks where foals come from.

“You just kinda… It happened suddenly. Honestly, I don’t think anypony really knows what happened. But from what I hear, Park Sanitation will be picking bits of them out of the trees for weeks.”

Nyx’s jaw dropped. This couldn’t be right. How could she have done this? It’s bad enough she had killed for the first time. Protecting ponies was one thing, but this isn’t what she ever imagined it would be like. She let out a choked groan and buried her face in her pillow.

“Listen, Nyxie. You probably saved half the ponies at the ceremony. If you hadn’t been there, the Guard would have been lost, along with countless families. The zebras weren’t playing around.”

Nyx’s voice was muffled as she spoke into the pillow. “I’m not a butcher.”

“This doesn’t change who you are, Nyx. For hundreds of little colts and fillies, now you’re their hero.”

Nyx didn’t respond. Shining Armor sighed, pausing a moment before speaking. “Nyx?”

Her face was still buried in her pillow. “Yeah?”

“Thank you for saving my wife and son.”

Nyx lifted her head and looked over to him. She glanced at her little cousin and let out a sigh. She managed a smile while inwardly cursing the war for what it had made her do.

“I thought I’d find you in here.” Cadence closed the door after entering the visitor’s lounge. Twilight was there by herself, resting on the couch. She was staring at a blank wall, and her mane was a mess. Cadence’s heart sank as she sat down beside her.

Twilight didn’t make eye contact. “How’s Shining?”

“He’s improving. The doctor said he should stay a few more days while he heals. Valiant is with him.”

Twilight looked up. “Thank goodness. At least there’s… Well, Nyx is okay too. The princesses are safe. Even the Guard is okay, apart from—” Twilight’s breath caught. She looked away.

Cadence put a hoof to her lips. The poor dear—how easily that could have been her own tragedy as well. She shifted closer and held Twilight. “I… I’m sorry for your loss. I know you were close.”

Twilight wetly sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Thanks. It’s just hard to feel happy when—”

Cadence leaned back and looked directly at her. “No one is blaming you for how you feel, Twilight. In fact, I think you and Nyx should stay here for a couple weeks. Take some time off.”

Twilight blew her nose on a tissue. “Oh, I couldn’t; I don’t want to impose. You’ve got so much work ahead of you, reaching out to the people about what happened. I feel like we’d be in the way.”

Cadence’s tone softened. “I’d really appreciate it if you did. We haven’t caught up in a long time.”

“Maybe. I’ll talk to Nyx about it. I’m not sure if they’re heading back right away or not.” She paused a moment before continuing. “But I meant what I said. Don’t you have a lot more important things to be focusing on right now?”

“That’s not fair, Twilight. Family is very important.”

“I didn’t mean— I’m sorry, I just meant we could catch up later or something. After the crisis is handled. I imagine everypony wants to know what to make of the attack.”

Cadence stared at the floor for a moment. “Yes, actually, they do. A lot of them are really shaken up about it. They want to know what I’m going to do to protect them. That’s another reason I want you to stay; I really need your help with something.”

“My help?”

Cadence nodded. “I almost lost my husband—your brother. Two crystal ponies were found dead where the zebras snuck into the city. We nearly lost a huge number of citizens, not to mention the loss to Canterlot if the Guard had been taken out. Or the princesses for that matter! Fear has gripped the city. Even the changelings are noticing a strain on the Crystal Heart.”

Cadence’s voice was rising. “I can’t risk my people, Twilight. The zebras have never directly attacked a large city like this before. They could kill so many, so quickly. If Nyx hadn’t been there to— I won’t have my people killed in this war, Twilight! I have to protect them!”

Twilight regarded her. She spoke softly. “I see your point. But I still don’t know how I can help.”

Cadence looked her straight in the eye. “Do you remember that artifact we tested at the Palace last year?”

Twilight sat straight up and stared hard at her. She shook her head with her mouth open. “No. You can’t be serious.”

“Think about it, Twilight. It’s not getting any better. If things keep going the way they have, we might lose everything. We’re not equipped to handle an invasion. The Equestrian military would never get here in time.”

Twilight glowered. “You can’t just… We barely know anything about it. You have no idea what it would—”

“I do know what would happen if five-thousand zebras showed up instead of twenty-four.”

“No, this is ridiculous, Cadence. You’ve got what, a quarter-million ponies here? Not to mention all the changelings? Don’t you think something of this magnitude should be put to a vote or something? How would the rest of Equestria react if an entire city just—”

Cadence stood and began pacing. “A vote? If Equestria falls, then who is going to care anyway? If anything, they might envy us. I’m just asking for a means of defense as a last resort. We have almost nothing to contribute in terms of military. We’re just a target. Think of your brother. Your nephew. Wouldn’t you want this for them?”

Twilight paused, eyes darting. Her voice softened. “You don’t even know how far it would take you. I… I can’t imagine not ever—”

Cadence sat once more next to her sister-in-law. “I know. But you know we wouldn’t be ready if they came back with a whole army. It would be a slaughter. Please. I know it’s asking a lot.”

Twilight took a deep breath. “Fine. But only as a last resort. And only because I love you all and want you to be safe.”

03 - Ruling by Moonlight

Nyx flew high over the meadows, forests, and rolling foothills of the Equestrian countryside on her way toward Canterlot. The familiar flight was one she had taken with Luna many times growing up. Their first flight together was when Nyx was only thirteen and couldn’t fly the distance herself. She had fluttered along until she got tired, then clung to Luna’s back for most of the journey.

The memory of that flight washed over Nyx as she watched birds soaring in flocks below, unaware of her presence. She had wrapped all four legs tightly around Luna’s frame, feeling the warmth of her body contrasting with the cold breeze flowing around her. Luna’s powerful muscles moved in rhythm with her wings as they cut through the air together. On occasion, she would look back and smile at Nyx, asking if she was doing alright. Nyx would nod and smile back. Despite the nervous twitch in her stomach, the closeness she felt with her royal friend brought a warmth she would treasure forever.

Nyx’s eye caught the sight of smoke billowing from the tall brick chimney of the Buckington Munitions factory below, breaking her reverie. It was a grim reminder of what had changed since those innocent years. She shook her head. What had happened to Equestria? What had happened with Luna, her friend?

Oh, that one she had never lived down with those two brats at school. “You’re friends with the Princess?! What makes you think you deserve to even be in her presence, Nightmare Moon?” Make that two things she never lived down. They never spoke like that when Luna was around, of course. But when was the last time Luna was around in that way?

This damn war was what happened, of course. Only two weeks after Nyx’s sweet-sixteen birthday, the zebras openly attacked southern Equestria. And over what? They were fanatics, raving about prophecy and superstition, and the princesses have always been tight-lipped about the details. Once war was declared, Canterlot went nuts with rumors and speculation. The panic of an entire nation kept the royal sisters busy as the illusion of peace and safety crumbled around them.

Things had never been the same with Luna after that. Eventually, she didn’t even write, and Nyx moved on to other things. Mentally stimulating things like studying with her mother. Pleasant, dreamy things like Rumble. Then, her academic studies in Canterlot five months later.

Nyx flew along, watching the farmers far below tending their fields and noticing the merchant convoys roaming between the small hamlets with their wagons. Of course, it wasn’t merely cider and produce in those carts. Ponies had recently begun trading weapons and medical supplies as well. A small shiver ran down Nyx’s spine as she considered how close the war was coming to destroying their way of life.

The Friendship Express paced her for a moment along the track of the Ponyville Line, and she glanced down at the heavily laden train. The cars were split evenly between passenger and military cargo and marked with the distinctive colors of the Royal Equestrian Army. Many of the passengers would be new recruits heading to the capital for enlistment and training, gathered from the towns and hamlets further down the line.

Up ahead, the massive bulk of Canterlot Mountain took up most of her view. The majestic balcony-city of Canterlot itself jutted from its side, streaming waterfalls down onto the landscape far below. Nyx swallowed dryly, an empty feeling creeping into her gut. She had flown this approach over a hundred times. Why did she feel like a filly on a first date? She chided herself; Luna was probably just catching up with her. It had been just over six months since everything went crazy from the school massacre. She was probably just way too busy to deal with Nyx and her activities.

As she drew closer, the opulent alabaster spires and towers gleamed with regal beauty. The entire city seemed to cast off an essence of luxury, power, and prestige. Nyx let out a sigh. What was she even doing here? In the past, she had felt at home at the Palace. Welcome. Now… with Luna on ‘professional’ terms for years, that feeling had faded.

Looking around at the Canterlot scenery, Nyx felt very out of place among one of the few remnants of high society that the war had left untouched. The gardens were perfectly manicured, and the fountains sprayed water in varying patterns into pools along the walkways. Ponies walked about every which way—some with the hurried air of important business, some with the casual stroll and turning head of an eager tourist. Others sat in the park reading or toured the grounds herding along their excited children, some of whom looked skyward, waving. Well, at least some things were better than they had been in the past; at one time, the sight of Nightmare Moon flying overhead would have sent such ponies running for cover.

Nyx approached the Palace, its many ornate stained-glass windows glinting in the sun. She caught a glimpse of the one depicting her mother’s ascension right next to the one depicting Luna passing judgment on Night—on her, ending one phase of Nyx’s life and beginning another. How appropriate. She circled around the largest tower and landed on the upper balcony next to a guard who was waiting for her.

“Princess Luna is expecting you.”

“Thank you, sir.” She walked past the guard into the immense hallway, looking up at the high arched ceilings. The sun shone through the detailed imagery of each delicately crafted stained-glass window, spreading a rainbow of colors on the plush carpet that covered the walkway.

Nyx turned to walk down a smaller hallway leading to Luna’s study. Her stomach twitched as she reached the door distinguished by a crescent moon emblem in the center. The guard outside the door stood unmoving until she came to a stop. He then opened the door for her, revealing Luna on the other side, standing near the far wall of the study. Nyx entered, closing the door behind her.

Luna’s study was small as far as Palace rooms go but plenty big enough for its purpose. There was a notable lack of opulence. The main desk sat up against the lengthwise wall. Its dark cherry finish was old and worn. Each of its drawers had polished brass hoof clasps. On the desk were piles of papers in disarray, save for the large writing area in the center which had a map resting on it. A small coffee table sat adjacent to the desk. It too had stacks of papers in addition to a dinner plate with a half-eaten salad on it. On the opposite side of the desk, Luna’s bookshelf was filled with books of all sizes, some of which were lying on their sides.

Luna glanced at Nyx as she placed a book on the shelf where she was standing. She turned to face her visitor. Nyx trotted a couple quick steps forward out of reflex, then straightened, remembering herself. “It’s good to see you, Luna.”

“It has been too long,” Luna said with a smile. “Please, sit. Make yourself comfortable.”

Nyx knelt down on a fine, plush floor-cushion next to a large bookshelf.

“I appreciate you coming so swiftly at my request,” Luna said, kneeling down on the cushion directly adjacent Nyx. She hesitated, appearing unsure which words to choose. “Have you been well?” she asked finally.

“There’s tough times. But together, we get through it.”

“Indeed.” Luna fell silent for a moment, her somber gaze locked onto a distant, unseen point through the floor. Taking a breath, her eyes returned contact. “Nyx, I am sorry for how things turned out. I know I have not… You- You have a good family.”

Nyx’s ear twitched. “Thanks.”

“You still field-test for GTI, yes?”

“Quite a bit, actually,” Nyx replied, happy leave the awkward moment behind. “We do a lot of war game scenarios, sometimes with the SkyGuard. We don’t go looking for trouble, but once in a while, we end up in a live zebra encounter.”

“Yes, I heard about what happened yesterday in Ponyville. I am very impressed, Nyx. That was exemplary, saving the child from assassins.”

Nyx blushed, her hoof fidgeting with the cushion’s decorative edging. “Thank you.” She wondered if Luna would still think it was exemplary if she knew what Nyx had done to those two zebras. Just thinking about them caused her to become agitated.

“Why were they even there? It’s Ponyville. We almost never get incursions that far inland.”

“I wish I knew. I believe it will likely get worse.”

“Worse than this?” That was the last thing Nyx wanted to hear.

“The zebras are pushing in harder now than ever before. Many things are changing in the war, Nyx. I have called you here to ask for your help with some things.”

“We’re always glad to help, Luna. What do you need?”

Luna levitated a map of Equestria off her desk and spread it across the floor between them.

“There is a situation in the west coast bayous. Are you familiar with the region?”

Nyx chuckled. “Only that Apple Bloom went out there by herself when she was a filly just to prove to her sister that she could handle it. Nearly got herself eaten by—”

Luna blinked, her face unreadable.

Clearing her throat, Nyx lowered her voice. “Um, no actually, I haven’t been out there myself.”

“I see. We hear very little from this area, but yesterday, I received a report of a group of zebras making their way inland through the labyrinth of paths and waterways. I am concerned for the local settlements. There are good families living out that way who prefer a peaceful, isolated, rural life, and I want to ensure they do not fall prey to zebra military forces.”

Nyx studied the map. “Sounds like something for the military to be doing.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “That… is correct.”

An awkward feeling formed in Nyx’s stomach, her ear twitching again. “Um… Luna, I’m barred from combat apart from the occasional private encounter. I’m not allowed to fight alongside the military, per your orders.”

“I know, Nyx. There was a good reason. When you stopped the zebra attack in the Crystal Empire, do you remember what happened?”

“Not really. It was three years ago. I… I remember seeing uncle Shining get shot. Everypony freaked out. I wanted to protect Mom, but I didn’t know what was happening. I couldn’t see the threat. I don’t remember what happened next—just waking up in the hospital.”

Luna appeared to be struggling with whether or not to say something. After a moment of thought, she spoke.

“The reason you burned out is because you cast a spell which required probably twenty times as much magic as you were capable of holding. It is an old war spell I developed some three thousand years ago called Death Blossom. It was designed to eliminate all nearby enemies, wherever they might be hiding. Even I can only cast it once without recharging.”

Nyx’s mind raced. War spell? She didn’t know any war spells. “Luna, how… But you took—”

“I know. My sister and I asked one another the same question. It would appear that taking away somepony’s history is not as easy as I had once believed. I know many war magic spells, Nyx.”

So that’s why. Nyx somehow still had some of Luna’s past knowledge. “And this is why I wasn’t allowed to fight.”

Luna nodded. “When an alicorn casts a spell, the energy is found to complete it. If we burn out, the energy is forcibly taken from other sources. You are strong, Nyx. But your magic capacity is very low for an alicorn. It will grow with time, of course, but you are still quite young, which makes burning out very easy to do. This puts yourself and any nearby friendly forces at serious risk. Imagine if something like that happened near one of our unicorn shielded positions.”

“What happened three years ago was an accident. How can I be sure it won’t happen again? I’m careful to watch my energy storage.” Nyx tapped a hoof at the spell matrix resting at the base of her horn. “I only use high-drain abilities when absolutely necessary.”

A gentle smile formed on Luna’s face. “You have grown much, and your discipline has improved in recent years. It is a risk, yes. But a risk we must accept, which is why I am rescinding the decision. That, plus priorities have shifted over the past six months. We need all the help we can get, so I hereby allow you to participate in the war but only under supervision, and only on the missions I personally choose for you.”

Wow. After three years. It was too good to be true! “Thank you, Luna. This means a lot,” Nyx beamed. “But I still don’t understand something. Why do you need our involvement on this mission if you’re sending the military in anyway?”

Luna thought for a moment before standing up and placing the map back on her desk. She turned to Nyx with a warm smile. “Would you like to get some air with me? I have been cooped up in this room for most of the day and could use a change of scenery.”

Nyx wasn’t sure why Luna avoided her question. She returned a weak smile and nodded. “Sure, sounds good to me.”

Luna opened the door and stepped out of the room. The two dark alicorns walked down the hallway to the upper balcony. The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the city as they approached the railing.

“Follow me.” Luna winked at Nyx, then leapt off the balcony, flipped backward in a three-quarters loop, and dived straight down with a full-spin, arcing just past the edge of Canterlot. She sped alongside the main waterfall, which flowed to the land below, casting rainbows through the clouds of mist that surrounded them.

Nyx pushed herself to keep up. It never got old to see the princess’s agility, speed, and aerobatic prowess. The two plummeted for several seconds as the ground rushed up at them, then broke with wings suddenly outstretched. They flew a short distance away and alighted on the top of a small hill within sight of a massive construction project.

There were many zebras working below on the scaffolds, building an aqueduct at the base of the main waterfall. Off to the side, more zebras were building an array of simple houses and digging tunnels to channel water beneath them. Not far from the residential area, zebras were busy plowing land for farming. Workers were laying pipes that ran from the main aqueduct into the new fields for irrigation.

“I sometimes come here after a long day,” Luna said, catching her breath. “I find it gives me perspective.”

Nyx took in the scene. “I saw this place on the flight over. This is the new zebra village, isn’t it?

“The Underfall,” Luna confirmed with a nod. “I felt it best to give this place to them. Equestrian zebras have been requesting a more central community for some years now.”

Nyx kept her eye on the zebras. Several had noticed the pair of alicorns on the nearby hill but kept working. A small part of her was surprised that they weren’t attacking.

“A lot of ponies think they should just go back home.”

Luna turned to face her. “And where is home, Nyx? How many of them grew up in Equestria? Would they not be viewed as traitors by their own people even if they did try to return? This war is not inconvenient only for us; it has put the many good zebra citizens of Equestria in a difficult situation. A great number, especially in the south, even fear for their safety.”

An uneasy feeling fell over Nyx as she recalled her recent conviction about zebras being monsters. She understood the importance of not prejudging others. Her entire childhood was a battlefield of social conflict centered on this very concept. How could she have allowed herself to forget this?

“I… imagine these zebras are feeling like they don’t really belong anywhere. That they have no place in the world. It must be terrifying.”

“Indeed,” Luna replied, her voice soft. “So I have ordered the construction of this place where they can live in peace among their own kind, largely unbothered by potentially angry or vindictive ponies who cannot tell the difference between a citizen and an invader simply because they share stripes. Unfortunately, I will likely be criticized for this as well. I am already somewhat unpopular among the zebras as it is, given my… our legacy as Nightmare Moon. You, perhaps even more, likewise share in this.”

“That’s an understatement,” Nyx said flatly, eyes still on the zebras. They were hard workers and rarely caused trouble. While they still made her a little nervous, they weren’t the enemy.

“Why have you shown me this?” Nyx asked.

“A test,” Luna said simply, turning to face her. “And a lesson. Nyx, it is very likely that you will become a champion in this war in the near future, no doubt attracting considerable attention from the zebra government. You just witnessed three zebras attempting to murder an innocent child. I needed to know if you could still feel compassion for them as people. That you will not allow yourself to simply become a zebra killing machine. I need you to have the right perspective regarding who your enemy is. And why.”

Nyx was taken aback. Did Luna really see her as a champion of the war one day?

“I see. I think I understand, Luna. But my question remains about the mission. Why send us if you’re sending the military in anyway?”

“Your heroism yesterday convinced me that you were ready. But it would be unwise to throw you into a large operation as your first mission. You need a chance to prove yourself. This mission is a milk run; it is low profile, and you are unlikely to see actual combat. And if you do, I will be sending more than enough soldiers with you to handle this little incursion into the swamps. My goal is to ease you into your new role, not to get you killed on your first mission.”

“Well, hopefully I won’t be killed on any of my missions.”

Luna poked her shoulder. “Fear not, young one. I say that tongue in cheek.” Luna shot her a wink.

“I know,” Nyx chuckled. “I’m actually pretty excited about it!”

“This mission is important, Nyx. It may be uneventful, but the zebras are up to something strange. I want somepony I can trust out there to figure it out if possible—somepony smart enough, with a natural curiosity, to get to the root of the matter. I cannot have them discovering how vulnerable we are.”

“What do you mean, vulnerable?”

“The reason I’ve been promoting militia groups in recent weeks is because we do not have enough soldiers to cover the outlying areas. This problem in the bayou region is a good example because it is undefended. If the zebras learn of this, there will be strategic consequences.”

Nyx considered this for a moment. The pair watched in silence as the zebras worked in the distance, the sun sinking below the horizon. Dozens of lanterns were being lit across the new village as dusk fell over them like a blanket. Zebra children were playing in the streets and had begun to file into their homes, most of which were makeshift temporary shacks. Nyx could just make out the soft percussive sounds of strange, unfamiliar music coming from a central campfire, which had several zebras gathered around it. Nyx shook her head. They were so very different.

“I need to ask you something, Luna. If I’m going to be active in the war going forward, what kinds of things would I be doing? I’ve wondered for a long time now how I might be able to help. Where do I fit in?”

“One moment, Nyx…” Luna turned her attention to the east and stared off into the distance, her eyes flashing white and her horn flaring for a second as subtle, detailed patterns raced across her coat for just a moment. Nyx’s mane was tousled by a gust of wind, and the air around Luna felt electric as the moon peeked above the horizon. She turned back to Nyx.

“As an alicorn, you can bring very mobile, concentrated strength to a fight. There are certain missions where having you along could mean the difference between success and failure. As your skills grow, I would like you to work with some of my officers and assist them in these missions. Eventually, you would act as a special operative or a commander, depending on what suits you.”

Nyx’s mind was spinning. She stared off to the horizon, the soft light of the rising moon shining in her eyes.

“One step at a time, Nyx. Do not stress over the future; that is my job. For now, there are preparations to make. First, you will need to be properly equipped. You have been getting by on very little from what I understand.”

Nyx snapped back into focus. “Um, we scavenge what we can if we encounter zebras. Sometimes, we come in and clean up after the military has pushed a zebra position back. GTI also gives us some fun toys. My spell matrix is pretty cool.”

Luna smiled. “I want to open the doors a bit wider and give you greater access to weapons and medical supplies.”

Nyx’s ears shot up. “Seriously?”

“Also, if you want to bring in new ponies to your team, you can—but please run it by me so I am aware.”

“Hmm, I can’t see that happening anytime soon.”

“I can. But that is a topic for another day. I need to send you out on this assignment as soon as I organize some ground forces to accompany you. They will rely on your team’s hunting skills and aerial advantage.”

Nyx laughed. “Hunting skills? I guess.”

“It is true, is it not?” Luna smirked. “I have heard stories.”

“Somepony leaking our tactical secrets, now? No seriously, we actually had a crazy-lucky example just yesterday. Between Flitter’s weird changeling emotion detector and my T.E.I. it’s hard for them to hide.”

Luna grinned. “As I said. Hunting skills. Do not question your princess’s choice of words.” She poked Nyx in the side with a chuckle.

Nyx felt a nostalgic warmth at Luna’s demeanor. She had missed moments like this.

“Come. Let us return.” Luna looked at Nyx; a mischievous spark began in her eyes and blossomed into a grin. “I will race you to the top!” Luna took flight, flapping hard to quickly gain altitude.

Nyx grinned and leapt into the air, recalling the moments from her youth when they would play together. Luna had often given her a head start with Nyx giggling as she raced on ahead. She would squeal in mock terror as Luna passed her then performed some aerial stunt which slowed her down. Those moments would end in occasional victories which turned into hugs, cuddles, and laughter, followed by tea and chatting.

Tonight, there was no such head start. But Nyx had grown much in strength since those days. She pushed her muscles to their limit and worked to catch up to the princess. Luna glanced to her left, noticing Nyx just over her shoulder. The brief look of surprise etched on her face was priceless. Luna then fixed her gaze forward and redoubled her efforts.

The two returned to the upper balcony feeling winded but alive. “You know,” Luna said between breaths, “You really made me work for that victory.”

Nyx worked to catch her breath. “That was great,” she wheezed. “I forgot what a strong flier you are. Not bad for a… how old are you again?”

Luna chuckled. “It is not polite to ask a mare her age.” She winked, then regarded Nyx with a thoughtful gaze. “Please, come join me inside.” Luna walked into the palace as Nyx stood alone on the balcony for a moment letting her trembling muscles calm down.

Nyx trotted to catch up, following Luna through the Palace down a different hallway than before. They stopped in front of a doorway which had a black disk made of polished onyx mounted on the wall. In the center of the circle was a gold crescent moon. Three clear crystals were embedded near the edges of the stone disk surrounding the moon. Luna leaned forward, bringing her horn close to the lock, causing the crystals to glow. With a click, the door unlocked and opened. She then led Nyx into her private chambers.

The air felt warm and inviting despite the cool colors which surrounded them. The room was decorated in deep violet hues with midnight blue curtains held in place by golden silk ropes. Framed paintings of the night sky hung from the walls, and a large, central carpet spread in front of the marble fireplace. A plush, purple floor couch sat on the carpet along the left wall perpendicular to the fireplace.

Along the opposite wall from the couch was a dark, wooden, intricately carved writing desk which held blank scrolls, a quill, and an inkwell. It looked very worn, and the sides had engravings which might have been writing nopony would have used for thousands of years. Among the engravings were several symbols. Both Luna’s and Celestia’s cutie marks could be seen alongside two others which Nyx did not recognize.

On the floor, along the left side of the desk, sat a wooden lock-box with metal edging and gems set into the corners. This, too, looked ancient. To the right of the writing desk was a refreshment cabinet containing a variety of drinks and fruits held in magical stasis.

An arched cutout in the wall led to Luna’s private balcony. The framed glass double doors were shut, yet allowed airflow through two adjustable panes. Nyx could see the light of the rising moon shining through the thin white curtains moving in the breeze in front of the doors.

A fire crackled beneath the mantel’s golden crescent moon emblem, radiating warmth into the room. The smell of lavender incense filled the air, giving Nyx a sense of comfort and calming her nerves. Luna walked over to the couch and sat, making herself comfortable. Nyx looked around the room, taking in the style which Luna preferred to call her own.

"I love your room!" She glanced at Luna, who was watching her intently.

Luna smiled and appeared to relax a bit. “Thank you. I am pleased to hear that.”

Nyx sat down beside her, feeling her body sink into the soft velvet cushion. She situated herself and regarded Luna. She looked tired, and not because of the race.

“Luna, how have you been?” Nyx asked. It was a genuine question. Nyx disliked small talk, and if memory served, Luna did as well.

A pause lingered in the air for a moment as the princess considered her response. Glancing downward with ears tilted back, she let out a sigh. “A bit stressed, to be honest. These past several months have not come easy. I have had many challenges.”

“Do you get much chance to talk to Celestia about things?” Nyx asked.

Shifting a bit on the couch, Luna continued looking downward and said nothing.

“Well… you can share your worries with me if you like. I don’t mind,” Nyx offered with a kind smile.

Eyes glancing briefly toward Nyx, a bittersweet smile played at her lips. Her expression softened as she turned to her guest. “Thank you, Nyx. I feel… To be honest, it has been a long time since there was somepony with whom I could…”

Before Luna could retreat, Nyx leaned forward, placing a hoof on her hind leg. “It’s okay,” she said, gently.

Her defenses fading, Luna met her eyes directly. “You have no idea how restrained I must be with most ponies, Nyx. There has been no one with whom I can be candid with. I have become the princess of war; I cannot appear uncertain in my resolve. I cannot show how much it affects—”

Eyes falling once more, Luna looked as if she were carrying the weight of the world. And it was not lost on Nyx that perhaps, in fact, she truly was.

“I have had to turn Equestria upside-down these past six months,” she continued. “You must understand, Nyx, it is necessary if we are to end this war. The increased focus on advancing technology and conducting military campaigns have not come easy for many. Peace advocates have protested my decisions and, in fact, my very rule. I have had to be firm. In the process, I have almost completely alienated the old Noble Houses of Equestria. I do not have room to entertain their outdated prattle. They have not taken it well.”

Nyx stifled a chuckle. She herself was no fan of the nobles and their ways.

Meeting Nyx’s gaze again, Luna leaned in closer. “But what is more distressing, I feel that this year’s burdens have distracted me from more important things which life used to allow.” After a moment’s pause, she reached for Nyx, pulling her close in an embrace. “I have missed you.”

Eyes shooting wide for a second, Nyx put her hooves around Luna’s shoulders, pressing into her neck. Memories flooded her mind as she held tight to the one pony who had most been like an older sister to her.

Pulling back gently, Luna forced a weak smile as she looked upon Nyx afresh. “So much has happened since we spent any real time together. You have grown so much, Nyx, despite my absence. I am very proud of you.”

Her cheeks heating up a bit, Nyx shook her head slightly. “I know you’ve been busy. It’s alright. And this year has been no picnic for any of us. I think you’ve been handling things pretty well, to be honest. Ruling the nation by yourself can’t be easy.”

Her body stiffening slightly, a subtle huff escaped Luna’s nostrils. “Celestia’s hiatus was… necessary,” she said, her tone growing serious. “Though I bear the burden willingly, I admit it has caused me to question myself more than a few times.”

Nyx’s curiosity internally poked at her. “But why? Surely, both of you can—”

Holding up a hoof, Luna cut off Nyx’s train of thought. “My sister knew the changes Equestria must face, and she knew that I must do it alone. It is now my duty to bring the nation out of the defensive position we have been in for nine years. To not only end the war, but to ensure that the zebras will not pose a threat to Equestria in the future.”

Luna’s words rang in Nyx’s mind. “But… alone?”

“Celestia has kept her distance,” Luna replied with a nod. “It is not as if she does not support my decisions, Nyx. She does, fully, but she wants to avoid micromanaging my efforts. Though it is a tremendous struggle for me, I understand why she must remain silent. It only… I only wish…”

Luna’s eyes had closed, her expression pained.

“What is it?” Nyx asked, gently, as she leaned forward a bit, trying to read the princess’s expression.

“Having nopony to share my feelings with has been more difficult than I expected. There are times when my burdens are too much to bear. Especially thoughts of…”

It was then that Nyx understood. “Brumby Ridge,” she said, quietly. Of all the countless concerns which burdened the princess, this was the one which would have stood out above the rest. For Nyx herself had shared this burden, the tragedy having robbed her of many nights’ sleep.

“It weighs heavily on my heart, even after all these months,” Luna admitted.

Nyx recalled the horror of that day. “I… Yes, when we heard about what happened, I couldn’t believe it. I must have wept all night for the families and children.”

Luna sighed. “All the families are still grief-stricken. I visited as many as I could. After only a few, I could not bear it.”

Her brow furrowing, Luna paused as if wrestling with her thoughts. Her eyes grew wet and the air felt charged as a faint whiff of ozone drifted through Nyx’s nostrils.

“Those were my students!” she snapped, suddenly. “Those were my teachers and staff! I personally chose them!”

It was short lived. Clearly spent, Luna’s voice fell to a whimper. “Loving, dedicated, incredibly talented ponies doing what they could to raise up the next generation of—”

Luna paused, composing herself. Nyx’s ears fell as she shifted in her seat, her heart aching. She could not recall ever seeing the princess so vulnerable.

“So much has been lost, Nyx,” she said softly before clearing her throat. “It was going to be such a momentous day. We were on the verge of a breakthrough. All the tests had worked perfectly, and the children were so excited about their project. Celestia and I were there at CSGU, along with many of the parents, ready to welcome my students through the portal.”

Nyx had heard this story from her mother after the tragedy. Twilight had been there in Brumby Ridge, on the LSGU side of the experiment, monitoring events from the research institute and ensuring they were provided with sufficient power.

Luna’s head hung low as she continued. “When the portal failed to manifest, we assumed the students were running a bit behind. Surely, it would only be a moment. After fifteen minutes, Celestia powered down the target zone. We all stood there, wondering what happened. I remember a mare approached me, asking where her daughter was. I… I assured her that they—”

Luna’s breath caught, her voice cracking. “That they would be okay.” A tear ran down her cheek, and she looked up toward the ceiling in anguish as if petitioning fate to reverse its decision.

Nyx knew the rest of the story. When dozens of zebra civilians fell through the portal, the Brumby Ridge defenses sprang to life. There was a reason it was known as the most well-defended town in Southern Equestria. Twilight had watched helplessly from her window at the institute as it unfolded. The blood. There was so much blood. When the REA finally managed to shut down the defenses, the only sound was the odd hum of the misaligned portal as it remained open to the zebra capital on the other side.

Of course, their response was predictably brutal.

“Celestia still blames herself, at least in part,” Luna said after drying her eyes. “She tried for so many years to negotiate with the zebras through diplomacy. Her belief is that if she had only abandoned this effort and pushed to end the war sooner, then over seven hundred children would still be alive.”

Nyx put a hoof to her mouth. “Surely, she can’t actually believe this.”

“Nyx, she is not wrong. Celestia did everything she thought was right when dealing with the enemy nation. She tried for years to reason with them—to not give them a reason to fight or to hate. She asked me to stay out of it as well because my presence only riles the zebras up.

“But why won’t they listen?” Nyx asked sharply, finding herself growing agitated. “What do they want, anyway?”

Luna’s silence at that question only served to irritate her further. “Well?”

“Nyx, you mustn’t—” Luna stopped herself, only causing Nyx’s question to burn within her. What did the zebras want? Why couldn’t they be talked down?

Voice raised, Luna spoke with barely-contained fury. “After what they did to my children, do you really think these are the types of people who listen to reason?! Should we honestly be surprised that after nine years of trying to talk to them, things have only gotten worse?”

Leaning forward, Luna stood up from her position on the couch. She walked over to the fireplace a few steps away before sitting on the carpet, facing away from Nyx. A midnight-blue levitation field poked at the burning logs, through the flames, sending glowing sparks up the flue.

“You do not understand what Celestia has chosen to unleash upon the zebras, Nyx,” Luna said as she stared into the flames. “Over an hour had passed before an exhausted pegasus arrived from Brumby Ridge to tell us what had become of my students.”

As Luna continued, she poked again at the flaming logs, turning them over in the fire. Nyx swallowed dryly as she noticed the room appear to grow much darker despite the increased intensity of the flames.

“Seven hundred twenty three beautiful souls, Nyx. When we found out, I left Canterlot immediately. The entire flight there, I kept telling myself that it could not be true. It must have been a mistake. Then, when I saw them with my own eyes…”

A hollow formed in Nyx’s gut as Luna fell silent for a moment, the flames growing in strength. The fireplace was now the only thing she could see apart from Luna’s silhouette as it eclipsed a portion of the flames.

“That evening, I flew south, beyond the border. I was out all night.” Luna dropped a hovering log into the fire, sending a burst of embers up the flue before turning to face Nyx.

“By morning, there were… far fewer zebras in the world.”

Luna’s words hung in the air like the spectre of death for several seconds before she continued. Nyx had no words.

Standing up, Luna approached the couch where Nyx sat. “Do you want to know why Celestia gave me the throne?”

Sitting motionless, Nyx said nothing, her eyes remaining locked onto Luna’s as the princess softened her expression at last. She then sat beside Nyx, the room becoming brighter as her emotional tide ebbed.

“Because… Because she knew I would kill them,” Luna said, the pain still evident in her voice. “All of them, if necessary. She said to do whatever I have to do. And I did, Nyx. I have turned Equestria into an engine of war. One day, my sister will be able to return to the throne. When it is done.”

“So that’s why it had to be you,” Nyx said.

“It was something Celestia could never do,” Luna replied with a nod and a note of sadness. “Celestia and I have always brought balance to Equestria. You must understand, in ancient times, ponykind was never like how you remember growing up. But in my thousand-year absence, the nation has grown soft. I do not blame my sister; it is her way and her strength. Benevolence is her virtue.”

“What will you do now?” Nyx almost didn’t want to hear the answer.

“Equestria does not need balance at this time,” she replied. “Ponykind has benefitted much during my sister’s solo rule, but I will bring back Equestria’s strength. It is well underway, but again, the task is often more than I can bear.”

Nyx shifted closer to Luna as her voice drifted into silence. She reached out to touch a hoof to Luna’s shoulder. “How can I help?”

“With Celestia mostly absent as of late, I… I have nopony to talk to. She has always been there. We… we could talk about anything. You do not understand, Nyx. For thousands of years, this is how it was. I cannot…”

“I’m here now. If you want—”

Luna put her hooves around Nyx once more. “You have been like a younger sister to me, Nyx. It would mean a lot to me if we spent time together again like we used to.”

Nyx’s heart leapt. “I’d like that a lot. I’ve missed you too.”

Luna straightened herself and smiled. “I need something to drink.” She got up and walked over to the refreshment cabinet. Looking back at Nyx, she hovered a pair of cups, shaking them just a bit. “Tea?”

“Yes, please.”

Luna poured two cups of tea and levitated them over to the couch along with a plate of peach slices before returning to where she had been sitting.

“When my sister first gave me the throne, I was full of fire and energy. Then, when the implications settled in my mind, I was terrified! I had become accustomed to ruling with my sister. The added responsibilities, especially during the war, have been a tremendous pressure.”

“I can’t imagine trying to manage a war,” Nyx commented, taking a cup in her own telekinetic grip.

Luna sipped her tea. “It is not so much that. I tend to think I understand wartime strategy quite well. After all, I have seen many in my lifetime. However, it is all the more difficult with the absence of Celestia. I miss her and long for the day when she can return to the throne. Thankfully, she still raises the sun in the morning, although many days, I do not even know where she is.”

Luna’s brow furrowed. “You know, I once coveted the throne so much that I attempted to destroy my sister and take rulership entirely for myself! Now that I have it, I find it is not nearly so attractive.”

Nyx nodded, recalling her own experiences. “Sometimes things seem like a really good idea until they actually happen.”

“Indeed,” Luna said, failing to mask her irritation.

Nyx considered her thoughts while watching Luna silently cool her emotional momentum. “You know, I’ve also experienced some cruel irony in recent weeks.”

“How so?”

Nyx became self-conscious, her voice taking on a quiet tone. “I’ve been having nightmares.”

Luna’s eyes widened. “Oh my. Really?”

Nyx nodded.

“You know, I can probably come in and help with them if they are too irritating.” Luna took another sip.

“It’s more than just bad dreams. I feel like they are… temptations to embrace Nightmare Moon once again.”

Luna nearly spilled her tea. She tensed slightly, eyes fixed on Nyx. “Please explain.”

“I’ve had maybe four now over the past few weeks. Something will be chasing me, but I can’t shake it. Then, I’ll see sanctuary. The only way out. The last one was Nightmare Moon’s castle. I jumped right in, not knowing it would be a trap.”

Luna closed her eyes and rubbed her face with her hooves. “Mmmmm…” She shook her head and sighed. “That was not a trap.” She looked back up at Nyx. “Have you had any strange magical outbursts? Other than what happened at the Guard ceremony.”

“Uh, yeah. I was just telling Mom about that yesterday.”

“What happened?”

“It was during the zebra attack on Ponyville Elementary. I… I incinerated two zebras with my mind when we caught up with them. I was really angry. I didn’t mean to…”

Luna fidgeted like she was worried about something. “You were outraged, but setting them ablaze was not your intention. You cast no spell—it just happened. In your mind, you felt the matter in their bodies shift at your will. You wielded tremendous forces like a tool or extension of yourself. Is this correct?”

Nyx thought for a moment. “I… didn’t think about it quite like that, but now that you mention it, yeah that was kind of how it felt. Mom didn’t believe me when I told her. She said that’s not how magic works. And it isn’t; I wouldn’t have believed me either.”

“Twilight is not aware of this type of magic, Nyx. It does not operate by the same rules as unicorn magic. If I were to guess, your device showed no loss of stored magic after the event?” Luna pointed at Nyx’s Spell Matrix.

Nyx engaged the indicator, showing the figure floating in the air before her so that Luna could see it. It read one-hundred percent. “Actually, it went up. I thought maybe it was a glitch. When I talked to Mom about all this, she said that Celestia had asked her to look out for that kind of thing. She seemed worried that it might mean I was a different kind of alicorn or something. What does that even mean?”

Luna regarded Nyx for a long moment before speaking. A drop of sweat ran down her cheek. She sighed again. “Nyx, what your mother said is true. Your origin was rather unusual. Celestia and I thought maybe you would be spared the… maybe you would turn out like your mother. At this point, however, I suspect that you are indeed a natural alicorn like we are.”

Nyx was confused. “Does it matter?”

“It does. Your nightmares are caused by it.”

“Can you help? You’re a dream-warden after all.”

“No. This is beyond my ability—you are dealing with forces much more powerful than I can contain.”

What?! Adrenaline shot through Nyx’s body, and she could feel her face heat up. “What can I do about it?”

“It seems you have yet to acquire a Virtue of Harmony.”

“A virtue of… What do you mean?”

“There are many Effects of Harmony which ponies exhibit. Possessing one of these traits far in excess of most ponies is known as having a Virtue of Harmony. When you discover yours, you need not fear returning to your past sins. I cannot overstate how important this is, Nyx. I do not exaggerate when I say that the fate of the world is at stake.”

Nyx nearly fainted. She couldn’t be serious. “What! If it’s that important, can’t I just pick something? This is something I have to decide to do, right? Well I decide, then. I don’t want to be a threat to others.”

Luna shook her head. “It is not that simple, Nyx. Virtues of Harmony are not decided. They are discovered through actions and character traits. You must live it out first, and only then will it stop what is coming.”

Nyx felt herself trembling. “What is coming, Luna? I don’t understand.”

“Terrible things.”

Nyx swallowed dryly. “I can’t go on this mission, Luna. I can’t be a danger to other ponies!”

The princess shook her head. “Look at your cutie mark, Nyx. Look at the promise you made to me fifteen years ago. I wager your virtue is very likely linked to these things. It is actually more important now that you go on this mission—that you begin to realize what constitutes Nyx Sparkle. Perhaps then, your virtue will be unveiled.”

Nyx became overwhelmed with uncertainty. She spoke quietly. “But how will I know one trait that stands out among the rest?”

Luna put her hoof on Nyx’s and smiled. “Your character is very strong. The love your mother raised you with has planted the seeds of your true identity. Looking back at the adversity you have faced even as a young filly, you have accomplished more to resist your darkest temptations than I ever have. I am confident you will find it.”

Nyx blushed. “You flatter me.”

“There are no words of flattery here, young Nyx. Only the truth.”

Luna stood. “I do not wish to keep you too late. You should get back to your family.” She walked with Nyx back to the upper balcony.

“I want to tell you how much it means to me to have another alicorn to talk to. Celestia and I were always quite close, enjoying each other’s company and talking about whatever was on our minds. I hope you will seriously consider my offer to renew our old friendship. You and I still have many things in common and similar struggles.”

Nyx offered a warm smile. “I’d like that very much. Thank you. And not just for your support—thanks for your trust and friendship.”

“And Nyx, you must keep me privy to your identity struggles. I want to know when you continue to have the nightmares or are further tempted toward darkness in your waking thoughts. Remember what I said about finding your virtue. And do not hesitate to come to me if you need help understanding the changes you will be going through.”

Nyx nodded.

“You better get going. We both have much to think about. Take care, Nyx.”

Nyx gave Luna a tight embrace. She then took off from the balcony into the starry sky toward Ponyville.

A half-hour later, exhausted and excited, Nyx stepped out of the lift to find Rumble and Flitter playing cards at the table.

Rumble got up to greet her with a kiss. “Hey, hon. How’d it go?”

Nyx grabbed him and collapsed onto the couch, pulling him along to land on top of her. She laughed and squeezed him tight.

“I take it you had a good talk, then?”

“It was fantastic. I got my friend back! And we have a mission!”