Luna and Celestia finished with their visitations, and walked across the camp to the command tent. Shadowsky was bent over a map of Equestria, muttering curses under his breath. He was out of ideas. Even though it seemed to be going well, they were outnumbered and outgunned. He needed more brainpower, but, owing to the fact that he was still getting used to being an alicorn, he was not very skilled at focused magic. He sighed, turning to look at the Princesses, "It looks hopeless. We cannot hope to match them in a war of attrition, we have some resources, but not enough to wage a full scale war..." He tapered off, slamming his hand angrily into the table, cracking the solid oak with the force of his blow.

"Shadowsky....you cannot do this alone. We will find a way." Luna said comfortingly, wrapping a wing around Shadowsky's shoulders. The prince nodded wearily.

"We keep losing soldiers...for every four of theirs we kill, we lose one of ours...They have the sheer strength in numbers to keep up with these losses, but we cannot afford to keep taking casualties, every day the reports bring in more casualty numbers, and I cant stand it, Every. Single. Last. Soldier. I know these ponies, they are more than just soldiers..." Shadowsky broke down, tears welling up in his eyes. The silvery drops of salty liquid rolled down, flowing along his muzzle before dropping to the floor.

Luna looked at her sister for help. Celestia just walked over to them both and pulled them close with her almost-healed wings. Nothing was said for a long time. Finally, Luna suggested that they head back to the castle, so, with the small pinging noise of a teleportation spell, they disappeared, only to reappear in the situation room. Shadowsky immediately went to his and Luna's room to try and sleep, as well as cry out of sight of the troops, not wanting to ruin moral.

Luna and Celestia went to find Twilight. As they walked through the castle, guards saluted the two, and the two princesses returned the gesture. They passed the armory, where they could see the three races working together to forge weapons. The pegasus used it's wings to fan the flames, the unicorn used magic to move and manipulate the metal without getting burned, and the earth pony used it's strength to hammer the metal into shape. Nearby, Twilight was seen taking copious amounts of notes. The newest princess looked up as she was approached by the sisters. "Oh, Hi there!" Twi greeted them.

"Hello, Twilight, what are you up to?" Celestia asked her former student as the three alicorns watched the three blacksmiths turning a simple piece of steel into a razor-sharp and beautiful sword.

"I am observing how these three ponies are linked together in synchronous, they understand each other, and can anticipate the other's action. The Pegasus fans the fire to change the temperature of the metal to what is necessary for the given process, the Unicorn can use telekinetic magic to move the metal without fearing the heat, as well as literally forging spells into the metal, and the Earth pony has the strength and endurance to hammer the metal constantly to shape. They are a team, and if one of them is off, it throws everyone else off. I can sense some form of magic there, but it is not just from the unicorn, they are all linked together." Twilight said as the three smiths, Burning Coals, the Pegasus, Fearless Flame, the Unicorn, and our old friend, Hammerhoof, the Earth pony, all worked in a beautiful symphony, the ringing of the hammer against the metal, the whoosh of the fire, and the glow of magic.

"Twilight, here is a lesson in friendship, the magic here is trust. You see, each of these ponies trusts the other to do their job, and therefore can focus on their own job. Here, race and gender matter not, because their friendship is based on a trust that is forged though working together to accomplish wondrous feats." Celestia said, ever the teacher.

Twilight nodded, and her quill hastily scribbled more notes on the page. No one had noticed that Luna had slipped off to comfort Shadowsky, who was still in despair at their situation. "So, the trust they have actually forms into a tangible magic field? Does that have any effect on the objects they forge?" Twilight's curiosity caused her to almost reflexively ask follow-up questions before the first had been answered.

Celestia smiled, "There is a tangible magic field, it is similar in what allowed you and your friends to bear the Elements of Harmony, and to answer your other question, yes, the blades and objects they forge are much stronger than what an ordinary single metalworker is capable of."

Just then there was a blaring klaxon, and a gruff voice saying "MAN THE GATES, ALL HANDS TO ACTION STATIONS!" immediately there was a flurry of action, soldiers rushing to the battlements, manning ballista and bows, others bracing the gates, Celestia and Twilight rushed to the ramparts, and on the way they were joined by Luna and a red-eyed Shadowsky. They arrived on the ramparts overlooking the main gates, and looking down, they saw Discord. Discord held a small pony gently in his mismatched arms. "Hello, the gates, I mean you no harm, I have come seeking aid, please!" There was a definite air of desperation to the voice.

The pony in his arms stirred, and Twilight caught a glimpse of the apple cutie mark, "It's AppleJack!" she said, reaching out with her magic to make sure it really was her friend. "Stand down!" She called along the battlements. All the soldiers on the wall looked to Luna, who nodded.

"Do as she says, let him in." She shouted down to Discord, "But If you make one wrong step, we will blast you into oblivion!" The large creature of chaos nodded, and the gates swung open to allow Discord and his burden to enter. The big iron gates swung shut quickly, and the four alicorns rushed down to meet Discord, who was still under the watchful eyes of the soldiers.

"Take care of her, please!" Discord begged, setting AppleJack down tenderly. The orange mare's coat was ruffled and covered in scratches and welts, her eyes were closed and her breathing shallow. Immediatly Luna signaled for two medics to rush AJ to the medical bay. Then they turned to Discord.

"Why are you here?" Celestia asked the Lord of Chaos.

"Because this is wrong. I know I am supposed to be a force of Chaos, but this is far from Chaos. This is pure evil. I do not pretend to be perfect, but I know from Twilight and her friends that Chaos does not need to be evil. A little bit of Chaos is fun, but too much is a bad thing. This perversion of a relationship, of friendship, of what it means to have a meaningful relationship, something that I was lacking for a long time, makes me sick. Friendship cannot be forced. I came to offer my help in getting rid of this motherfucking perversion to all that is right. I swear on my magic that I will not harm you, and do everything I can to help rid this cancer from Equestria." Discord finished his speech, swearing the most powerful oath any magical beast could.

Twilight was the first to move, running to hug Discord around the middle, followed by Celestia, then Luna, and finally, a smiling Shadowsky. "You have no idea how much that means, welcome, sir." Shadowsky said, hope creeping back in. With the Lord of Chaos on their side, they had a much better chance at success in their guerrilla warfare.

Author's Note

Still working on Shadowsky, it is difficult not to make him too powerful, but I try. Also, some of the story is not FoE cannon, I know. But by Celestia's plot, it is called creative licence for a reason.