Night Skies and Butterflies

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7

Chapter 1

We are the Legion of the Night. The Watchers in the Dark. The Loyal Protectors of Equestria.

It was we few Legionaries of the Lunar Guard who stood and fought beside the True Princess.

While the rest of the Royal Guard spit upon their oaths by siding with the Sun Tyrant, we gave our lives that Equestria might be free from oppression and ruination at the hooves of a power-mad monster. Those that called us friend and comrade turned their blades upon us without mercy, but we did not yield.

No spear could pierce our honor! No sword could break our bonds! When the True Princess called, we answered. And we fought – oh how we fought! – in a war that has left its mark on the very fabric of Equestria.

And upon that glorious field of battle we were defeated.

*~*~*

Dreams of snowy clouds and warm sunlight evaporated as Fluttershy rolled over in bed, pulled awake by a constant croaking that hammered at her tufted ears. She unfurled her wings from around herself and sat up, yawning loudly and blinking to clean the sleep from her eyes. Not that it did any good in the empty darkness of her bedroom.

The croaking grew more insistent.

“Don’t worry, little ones, I’m awake,” she answered with more good cheer than she felt. Mornings might be rough, but that was no reason to take it out on her animals, even if they did wake her up early. They were at least doing it far more gently than her jangling copper monster of an alarm clock would have.

I got a little less sleep, but that just means I got a little more time to get ready, Fluttershy thought with forced positivity. It rang true. The morning sermon was at 0700 sharp, which normally gave her just an hour to take care of her chores and get properly dressed. Considering how important it was she not be late again, getting up early wasn’t too high a price. Really, they were doing her a favor by making her get up before she wanted to.

But before she could do anything she needed a little light.

Opening her mouth she let out a sharp double-chirp that echoed off the walls, crafting a sonic snapshot as if the room were illuminated by the noon sun – or at least what she imagined the noon sun to be like.

Using the mental image, she confidently reached out and flipped on the glow-pod lamp beside her bed, casting the room in a pale yellow-green light that just barely reached the stone walls. Fluttershy winced. I really should ask if they could turn it down a little. But I don’t want to be a bother.

She looked around her room as she adjusted to the illumination. Carved from the living stone centuries ago, the ceiling had been left unhewn rock while the walls and floor were smooth and unblemished, as was the style across the Citadel. Still, there wasn’t much wall to be be seen, the stone hidden behind the few precious pieces of desiccated wooden furniture she’d managed to squeeze into the room. When empty it was less than a dozen paces from one side to the other. If Fluttershy stood in the middle and stretched herself out to her limits, her hooves would only brush against opposing walls.

She shivered in indulgent delight. What luxury! Months after moving in, Fluttershy still gave thanks for such expansive accommodations daily. After all, there was no way she could have properly cared for her friends without all that extra space.

There was another croak which was joined by a series of loud, irritated clicks. “I’m sorry for waking you, Angel,” she replied as she climbed out of bed, sparing a glance up at the stalactite in the corner. A small brown bundle dangled from its perch, a pair of bleary eyes staring daggers at the mare. “But it’s time to get up. We don’t want to be late today, do we?”

He grumbled something and tucked his head back beneath his wings.

Fluttershy giggled, revealing her own fangs. Such an adorable sleepy head.

Stretching one last time, her leathery wings spread wide to shake off the last of the early-morning cobwebs, Fluttershy set about her well-practiced routine. First, she whispered her morning prayer, asking for the True Princess’ blessing for the day to come as she carefully slipped the crescent moon medallion around her neck.

Next she made her bed, tucking the sheets in beneath the moss-filled mattress and ensuring there wasn’t a single crease. No matter how faded and worn they were it was still no excuse for a messy billet. It was an axiom she’d never questioned before, and she wasn’t about to start today.

Satisfied, Fluttershy moved to the small chest she’d managed to sandwich in between her dresser and the stand holding her polished purple armor. All three were near priceless, crafted in a distant age from a tree called oak. They’d been gifts from her mother, something intended to be passed down to her own foals in time.

Fluttershy caressed the desiccated wood before undoing the latch with a flip of her hoof. She pulled out a worn leather satchel. It was still dry and rot-free, thanks be to the True Princess.

Careful not to spill any of the contents, Fluttershy flew over to the opposite side of the room and poured the scrounged mixture of fungus, gruel, and cave-wheat into a low stone bowl. She gave a fanged smiled as she announced, “Breakfast time, my precious bundles of joy!”

From out of the shadows crawled, slithered, waddled, and hopped a cavalcade of creatures, and Fluttershy greeted each of them in turn. The millipede sisters, a large blue cockroach, a translucent gecko, a family of moths, a neon slug, an eyeless snake with translucent skin, and one very tired-looking cave toad all took their places at the communal bowl.

It was the last of them that Fluttershy took the most concern with. “Are the tadpoles keeping you up at night, Mrs. Toad?”

The toad gave a tired nod.

“Well, they never said being a parent would be easy. Stay strong. I know you will make a great mommy. I just wish I could get you a bigger pool to raise them in.” She nudged the toad a little closer to the bowl as she leaned down, whispering, “I made sure to get some extra food just for you this time, so don’t feel selfish if you indulge a bit.”

There was a thankful croak as the toad shoved her head into the bowl.

Fluttershy hummed cheerfully to herself as she inspected her little friends, trying not to interrupt their feasting. The gecko’s leg looked to be healing well, but she’d need to change the snake’s bandages after her shift. I am running low on bandages, though. Maybe I could borrow a few old uniforms from the laundry? I’m sure they won’t mind if they’re… just going to… to throw them… away…

“Angel? What are you doing?”

Angel chirped back as he made another close pass in front of Fluttershy’s muzzle, his fangs nipping at her nose.

“Late? It’s not late. I just gave you breakfast.”

He rolled his eyes and took another bite at her, this time catching one of her ears with his needle-like teeth.

“Ow!” she cried out, but the bat just pulled harder, tugging the hovering pony away from the rest of the animals like a pegasus shifting a troublesome stormcloud. “Stop that, Angel! It hurts!” pleaded Fluttershy. The thought of physically removing the bat never crossed her mind.

Spitting out her ear he zoomed around to look her in the eye, chirping madly as he gestured down at the side table.

Rubbing her ear, she stared back at him blankly. “Time? Please, try to slow down, Angel, you’re speaking too fast. Are you upset about getting up this early, because I’m really sorry the rest of your friends were so loud–”

There was the soft crack as he slapped her with one wing before grabbing her muzzle and physically turned her head, forcing her to look where he had been pointing.

Fluttershy blinked as she found herself just inches from her clock.

A clock that read 0716.

“That can’t be right,” she said, picking up the battered copper clock and turning it over. “I must have done something last night when I set the…” Her eyes opened wide, the last word rising up into an unintelligible squeak.

On the back of the clock, the knob for alarm was turned to off.

“Oh no.”

*~*~*

We were impotent in the face of the Sun Tyrant’s treachery. Her magic laid waste to our brave warriors. The True Princess, with her great mercy and boundless love, was hobbled in her fight against her former sister. But the self-proclaimed Queen of the Day had no such moral compass. She banished the True Princess for a thousand years, ushering in a terrible reign that continues to this day.

But her revenge had only just begun.

For the ‘crime’ of holding onto our honor we were exterminated. Our homes were burned, our families slaughtered, our children enslaved.

But the Sun Tyrant was not content to simply kill us. No, she wanted to destroy our very history! Generations of heroism and sacrifice in the name of Equestria were erased as if they had never existed in the first place, leaving us as nothing but a faint stain on the history books.

The Sun Tyrant took heroes and made them into shadows. And in the shadows we linger on.

*~*~*

The Hall of Heroes was itself a monument to the artifice of the ponies who had first created the Citadel so long ago. A vaulted ceiling of virgin stone, stalactites bearing faded flags and moldy banners, gradually opened up into a broad hallway wide enough to allow a dozen ponies to march abreast simultaneously. The walls were criss-crossed with the scars of the picks that had bored out the tunnels, each mark smoothed away by generations of dripping water until they were just another part of the Citadel’s natural skin.

Longer than any other section of the Citadel, it cut directly through its heart and stretched on forever, leaving the grand entrances at either end to drown in shadow. Dozens, maybe hundreds of much smaller doorways opened up at uneven intervals along the great tunnel, linking a traveler to every district and major thoroughfare in the Citadel.

Interspersed between and above the tunnels were small alcoves holding the busts of long-dead Legionaries. Crafted from a gemstone that glowed a faint green in the perpetual twilight, they had a practical simplicity that suited the uniformly dour expressions they wore beneath their identical crested helmets. Rows upon rows of them, they seemed even more endless than the hall itself and lent the fine masonry a slight green hue.

Below each bust a name and a record of deeds had been chiseled into the Citadel’s flesh. A visitor with time to spare could track the fortunes of the great families by seeing which of their members had been relegated to the less noticeable alcoves above, or by studying whose deceased ancestors had warranted the most expansive biographies.

Passing bat ponies kept their voices low and their slitted eyes averted in respect. A thousand years of martial honor was on display, from the most noble lines to the smallest of families. If the Council Room was the Citadel’s brain, then the Hall of Heroes was its soul, and there was no place more sacred to any in the Legion of the Night.

The bang of wood on stone echoed like thunder down the ancient passageway, followed by the rapid staccato of hoofbeats and the pleading of a panicked bat pony trying to juggle all the accoutrements of a soldier while at full gallop.

“Oh no! Oh please oh please!” Fluttershy repeated around the helm grasped in her sharp teeth. Her muscles burned like her cheeks, anxiety etched into her soft features as she galloped down the tunnel as fast as she could manage while attaching her armor. The butt of her spear bounced against the floor again as her leathery wings finished with the straps of her cuirass, only adding to the cacophony of noise she was making.

Despite the racket, there were still ponies who seemed oblivious to the panicked soldier barreling towards them until she was right on top of them. Bat ponies leapt for safety as Fluttershy drove through the group of off-duty trainees with a desperate “Pardon me, good sirs!” She did her best to ignore the barbed curses flung after her, but she still winced at every angry syllable. “Sorry!” she shouted over her shoulder before disappearing around the corner.

What she couldn’t ignore was the mixture of shock and disapproval on the face of every pony she passed. It was her foalhood all over again, a waking nightmare that left her wishing she was back in her room, caring for her animals. Fluttershy hated being the center of attention, but she’d abandoned any chance at dignified anonymity the moment she’d realized just how late she was. She was out of time and the Hall of Heroes was the fastest way anywhere, sacrilege or not.

Finally slipping the helm over her head gave her enough leeway to lift her spear up off the ground. It lessened the racket she was making, but only by a fraction. Dressing in such a hurried and chaotic manner meant her armor jostled wildly on the loose straps, the impact of steel on steel ringing in her ears. The thought of being seen in such a state was mortifying, but it would have to do.

Pumping her legs, she tried to remember the breathing exercises that had been beaten into her – sometimes literally – at the academy, but she couldn’t focus, her educator’s words lost beneath her braying fear. Fluttershy is la-ate! Fluttershy is la-ate! it taunted in the sing-song voice of vindictive foals. The memories of her youth clawed at her. She didn’t need another anxiety attack. Not now. Not when she was so close.

Rounding the final corner, Fluttershy pushed herself until pain gripped her every limb, running to escape herself. Her legs felt leaden. Her heart was going to explode. Just ahead was the large stairwell leading down into the Grand Atrium. For a single moment, she allowed herself to believe that she might just make it in time to beat the worst of it.

The edge of her hoof clipped the roughly hewn lip of the stairwell and she was sent cartwheeling into the darkness with a scream.

*~*~*

We were once the guardians of Equestria. Now we are the unsung, the untrusted, the unwanted. We are stories told to scare fillies, rumors spread with quiet voices, legends safely locked away in myth.

The Usurper changed the past and painted herself a savior while the True Princess was banished into the long night of ignorance.

But we are the survivors. And the truth lives within us.

We do not forget. We survive. We wait. And when the True Princess returns, she will find us ready to serve once again.

We are the Legion of the Night. The Watchers in the Dark. The Loyal Protectors of Equestria

We are the Lunar Guard, and we are eternal!

All hail the True Princess! All hail Equestria!

*~*~*

The last word of the sermon had barely left the General’s lips before the doors were thrown violently open with a loud bang. She watched aghast as a spinning ball of yellow and pink chaos somersaulted into the Grand Atrium, bowling over the back row of soldiers like a set of armored dominoes before coming to a halt with a resounding crash.

The assembled bat ponies spun, weapons drawn, at the sudden violation of their prayers. Yet none of them made a move to help their fellows, each one of them regaining a modicum of self-control when no threat presented itself. Swords were sheathed and spears returned to the at-rest position.

The General stood steady at her podium, watching their muted reaction with pride. It was reassuring to know that even in the most unpredictable of circumstances her soldiers could still obey orders and without panicking like the lesser pony races surely would. They had been commanded to stand at attention throughout the sermon, and stand they did… even if most of them were busy staring at the rear of the atrium… and whispering with their compatriots… and totally, uselessly distracted.

Only a few Legionaries in the front were even aware of the growing grimace on their commanding officer’s face. They will face drills the likes of which they had not envisioned in their darkest nightmares. All of them. By the Moon I swear thusly.

Out of the pile of purple armor and limp bodies rose a familiar Legionary on unsteady hooves, using her shattered spear as a crutch. Only once the mare had managed to get all four legs beneath her without falling over did she glance around to find scores of slitted eyes trained upon her. With a squeak she dropped the spear and dove back into the pile of toppled soldiers, eliciting a pained grunt from somepony below.

The General’s eyes narrowed. The mare cowered against the floor and pulled her helm down lower like a foal trying to hide behind her own hooves. Both were equally effective, and beneath her righteous fury the General felt ice-water trickling through her veins. Of course it would be her. That also explains why everypony is so interested. She winced inwardly. She could already picture the rumors and gossip the different noble families would be spreading.

Spreading her leathery wings wide, the General leapt from the podium. Despite the heavy barding wrapped around her well-formed bulk, her graceful landing made nary a noise. Every strap was pulled taut, every link oiled to perfection. She advanced across the worn floor, taking care to note which of her Legionaries were the first to recover and mentally assigning the slackers to a punishment detail.

Those that were capable stiffened and snapped to attention as the General strode up to them. All throughout the silence was deafening, the only violations the grunts of the concussed and the metallic jitter of the shivering mare’s chainmail.

“Legionary Fluttershy!” the General barked, loud enough to sting the sensitive ears of the nearest soldiers.

To Fluttershy’s credit she did snap to attention at once, although it was all muscle memory, her limbs moving while she cowered mentally. Standing nose to nose with the General didn’t do anything to improve her emotional state. She bit on her lip to avoid an undignified squeak, her fangs drawing a trickle of blood.

The General made no move to ease the young mare’s suffering. “What is the meaning of this disturbance, Legionary? Was being late not enough for you that you had to ruin this morning’s sermon with your antics?”

“I… I… I…”

“Spit it out, Legionary!”

“I… n-no… G-General… ma’am…”

The General leaned forward, staring straight into Fluttershy’s eyes, daring her to flinch. The pink mix of sweat, tears and blood dripped off Fluttershy’s trembling chin. There was nopony in the Legion that could resist the General’s stare – a family trait she’d learned to appreciate over the long years of military command.

“What were you doing that caused you to disobey orders and arrive late?”

“I… I w-was t-t-taking care of my animals… ma’am… I… um… I’m s-sorry…”

“Sorry? Sorry?” she spat, so close she knew Fluttershy could feel her breath on her fur. “Sorry doesn’t cut it, Fluttershy. There is no excuse for this. None! Do you understand me, Legionary?”

“Y-yes m-ma’am…”

Eventually the General relented and turned her attention to the chaos Fluttershy’s impromptu entry had caused. She tallied up the casualties. Three unconscious, a broken leg, and at least three… no, four concussions. And maybe two dozen with whatever assortment of cuts and bruises are hidden from sight. Her expression darkened. By the Moon, the Sun Tyrant should have given Fluttershy a medal by now.

The General pointed at the nearest soldiers. “You there. Take the wounded to the infirmary before reporting to your morning duties.”

The selected ponies saluted and began hefting up the discombobulated soldiers, eliciting a selection of angry wagers about which of the wounded had been skipping drills and hitting the moss cakes a little too hard. A single glare from the General halted such nonsense, and she added a few more names to the punishment detail.

The General rounded back on Fluttershy, causing her to squeak and retreat back into her helmet. “As for you, Legionary, you are to report to my quarters where I shall determine just what I am going to do with you. Understood?”

“Y-yes ma’am!”

The word “Dismissed!” barely left the General’s lips before Fluttershy was scampering through the damaged doors. She tried and failed to mask her sobbing as she fled.

This isn’t going to go well with the Council, the General thought to herself, watching the mare vanish up the steps and back into the caverns. In her wake were the casualty bearers and their unconscious cargo, only underlining the absurdity of it all.

“General Nightshy?”

It took a moment for the General to realize she was being addressed by the Sergeant-at-Arms. Annoyed at her momentary lapse she turned to face him, mask of cool authority reasserting itself with practiced ease.

“Yes? What is it?”

“Ma’am, should I dismiss the Legion?”

General Nightshy swept her gaze over the assembled soldiers still facing the unoccupied podium, somewhat mollified that they had eventually remembered that they were still under orders. Oh, they would still be running drills till they passed out for their disgusting lapses, but she would at least consider letting them have dinner tonight. Maybe. Instead, the General gave the Sergeant-at-Arms a single nod.

“Right away, ma’am!” the Sergeant-At-Arms said with another salute before spinning in place and marching back up towards the head of the Atrium.

General Nightshy strode away, leaving the Sergeant-at-Arms to his task. Her thoughts turned to Fluttershy as she removed her helm and massaged her temple. She could already feel the oh so irritatingly familiar pressure building up somewhere behind her eyes, like a coiled blade in her brain. It wasn’t going away. After a few seconds she dropped her hoof in defeat, accepting her fate. Whenever her niece was involved, a headache was never far behind.

*~*~*

Fluttershy stood at attention in front of the General’s desk, trying and failing to meet the older mare’s stern gaze. She flinched when the General Nightshy slammed her helmet down onto the cavewood desk, jostling the candles that were the room’s sole source of illumination. “What have I told you about this unhealthy obsession with those damnable pests?

“They c-c-cannot interfere with my duties, ma’am.”

Seething, General Nightshy continued to pace back and forth, giving no sign she’d even heard Fluttershy’s quiet response. “I have indulged your ridiculous habits for too long. Far too long, in fact! An army is like a chain: only as strong as its weakest link. And you!” She spun around to point an accusatory hoof at Fluttershy. “You are the weakest member of my army!”

Fluttershy sniffled. “S-s-sorry…”

“At ease, Legionary,” said Nightshy as she dropped into into her chair, the fury fading from her eyes. “Clean yourself up. I won’t have you crying in front of me. Again.”

Gratefully wiping her tears away, Fluttershy gave a thankful nod. “T-thank you, ma’am.”

General Nightshy sighed, tapping a hoof against the desk. “What am I going to do with you, Fluttershy? Our clan was given the responsibility of leading these ponies by the True Princess herself. You’re supposed to be an example for them. An inspiration. But in the year since you graduated from the academy you’ve earned,” she glanced at a file spread open on the desk, “twenty-six demerits.”

“Is that… bad?”

“It’s a Legion record.”

“Oh my.”

Nightshy picked a page out of the file at random. “Last winter you were caught giving supplies to cave toads, despite our very careful rationing.”

“Well, Mrs. Toad just had tadpoles and really need the help...”

“You have misplaced your spear on twelve separate occasions.”

“That’s, um… you see…”

“Two weeks ago you refused a direct order during training to spar with Echo.”

“She was still sick, and it doesn’t seem very nice to pick on a sick pony…”

“A soldier isn’t supposed to be nice!” General Nightshy shouted as she leapt from her chair. “You’re supposed to be a loyal weapon in the service of the True Princess! When a superior officer tells you to fight another pony, you fight! You don’t ask them how they’re feeling and if they need to lie down and how many lumps they want in their tea! Do you think those traitors outside will give you that mercy? No! They will strike you down if you show even a moment of hesitation. Continue acting like this and you will get yourself and your squad-mates killed. Is that what you want?”

“No, I j-just… I… S-sorry…”

“And stop apologizing!” said General Nightshy with a snarl. “I’ve heard years of apologies and excuses out of you, but you’ve shown me nothing concrete. You’re afraid of your own weapon, you couldn’t beat a rookie in the ring, and you haven’t shown an ounce of initiative outside of nursing pathetic little creatures back to health.”

The General paused. “I used to think that if I gave you a simple job I could ease you into soldiering. Something that suited your… sensitive disposition. But even the nurses can’t use you when you faint every time you tried a bloodletting! Nowhere have you shown the progress your name demands. Your mother would be disappointed in you.”

Shame burned Fluttershy’s cheeks. She lowered her head and tucked her pink tail between her legs, fighting to hold back her tears, desperate to hold onto the last pathetic scraps of her dignity. She was failing.

Running a hoof through the dark purple of her mane, General Nightshy glanced back down at the paperwork spread across her desk. She let out another deep sigh. “You’ve put me in a difficult situation here, Fluttershy. I could excuse your obsession with lesser animals if you could pull your own weight elsewhere, maybe even ignore a few minor transgressions here and there. But I can’t go easy on you anymore. You embarrassed yourself in front of the whole Legion. I cannot be seen showing favoritism in my position. The other noble families won’t tolerate it. If you were any other soldier I would just throw you in the brig for a few weeks and let that sort you out. But you? You’re going to require something different. Something special.”

Cold dread worked it’s way up Fluttershy’s spine, her self-loathing replaced with gut-wrenching fear. It wasn’t much of an improvement. “Like w-what?” she stammered, her mind working overtime trying to concoct the worst possible response. She clenched her eyes tight, feeling ill just thinking about it.

General Nightshy sucked on her teeth. “I don’t know yet.”

Cracking open one puffy eye, Fluttershy peeked out from beneath her mane. “Ma’am?”

“Well, it’s not like I can just send you down into the caves to fight quarray eels and diamond dogs,” said General Nightshy. “They’d eat you alive – quite literally.”

Fluttershy whimpered.

“And despite all the evidence to the contrary, I do think there is a good Legionary deep down inside you. You’re your mother's daughter. You just need to find a way to tap into that reservoir of courage and strength your mother possessed.”

The General paused again, mulling something over before lifting out her quill and a blank sheet of parchment. “Until I find something suitable,” she began, scribbling something down onto the scroll, “you are to report to Captain Cache. Until further notice you will be serving on the logistical detail. A little hard labor will do you some good, help you clear your head so you can focus on what’s really important.” Rolling the paper up she sealed it with a dab of red wax before handing it over to Fluttershy. “Give him this when you arrive.”

Fluttershy saluted the other thestral before tucking the scroll into her armor. “Is… is that all, ma’am?”

“Yes. You’re dismissed, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy gave another salute and, turning in place, marched away, trying to hold her head high as she’d been trained. A firm cough brought her up short, halfway out the door. She glanced back around to find General Nightshy giving her an unreadable stare. “Y-yes?”

General Nightshy slowly pointed to the wall beside her. Fluttershy turned to find her spear resting where she’d left it. Grabbing the weapon with a combination thank you and apology, she fled through the doors, leaving Nightshy gently rubbing her forehead.

Satisfied her headache wasn’t going to get any worse she turned her attention to the far corner of her office, where the shadows seemed deepest. “Well? What’s the damage?”

A shadow pulled away from the wall to reveal a pony shrouded in midnight robes. Beneath the hood a pair of golden eyes twinkled in the candlelight, although there was no warmth in them. “The Council knows it was Fluttershy who was involved in this morning’s transgression,” the pony stated, its sibilant voice a mere whisper despite the privacy they enjoyed. It made no sound on the hard stone as it slunk towards the desk like a dark cloud. “In the shadows they gather like rats, scurrying from place to place, gnawing and plotting and scheming where no eyes can track them.”

General Nightshy rolled her eyes. “Spare me the theatrics, Antumbra.”

“I’m not Antumbra,” the other pony said with a playful smirk. “And I am not sure my brother would appreciate being mistaken for a mare. Although I do sometimes have my doubts about him...”

“Focus, Penumbra. We know they’re plotting against me. They’ve always plotted against me. They’ve plotted against our family for as long as any of them can remember. And they’ll keep plotting against us as long as we lead the Legion. It’s in their blood. What I need to know is what this fiasco with Fluttershy will cost us at the next Council meeting.”

“She surely didn’t do you any favors. They’re going to accuse you of favoritism and nepotism and perhaps a few other ‘isms’ as well. All of which are quite persuasive when trying to depict you as an incompetent in need of replacing.”

“They would try to replace me now? Silhouette and Sky Lance can plot all they want, but they don’t have the support to pull off that sort of coup. The Shades have too many enemies, whatever delusions Silhouette might have. Blue Quartz would die before he saw that selfish hag in command.”

“Your fondness for your old Ranger companion is endearing, but it is blinding you to reality. The Crystals are but one clan – a clan for which the bonds of marriage no longer apply. And the other families aren’t as loyal as they once were.”

“Loyal?” Nightshy gave a dry, humorless laugh. “A hydra is loyal too, as long as you keep feeding it. They’ve never been loyal. Just obediently selfish.”

Penumbra gave an indifferent shrug. “The fact remains that your sister was the popular one. You do not command the same respect. Using your niece as a means of tarnishing your image is feasible.”

“The other nobles won’t back a power play on the basis of one mare’s clumsy mistakes. What happened will hurt, but it’s still not enough to change the balance of power.”

Umbra’s fangs glistened in the candlelight as she leaned across the desk. “Not yet, not yet. But every cave-in begins with one rotted beam.”

“I can handle it. I will announce Fluttershy’s punishment during the Council meeting to demonstrate that I am not playing favorites, and the issue will be forgotten before the year is out. At worst I’ll have to promote someone’s idiot cousin early to keep them happy.”

“Do not be overconfident. Until you have foals, Fluttershy is still the clan heir. She is a symbol for the family, and symbols have power.”

General Nightshy hid her blush beneath a scowl. “Yes, I am fully aware. And the issue of my marriage or my future offspring is still not up for discussion.”

“Your sister knew the importance of family bonds.” Penumbra nodded knowingly. “A good marriage could secure your position. Perhaps one of the lesser houses. Or maybe even one of the Lance brood, as a way of building bridges. I have a list of suitable candidates with me, if you wish.”

“I am not going to discuss this with you again. Your fascination with my relationship status is unnerving, to say the least.”

“Tick-tock, General. Tick-tock. There are whispers across the Citadel. The rumors about the True Princess’ imminent return are growing harder to ignore. Even the old families are not immune to it. And how obedient will they be if they believe they might end up going to war behind General Fluttershy?”

“That… is a valid point. And a terrifying thought.” Nightshy shuddered.

“As your advisor, it is my job to keep you aware of every horrific possibility.”

“Which you enjoy far too much.”

Penumbra smiled back innocently. “Have you decided upon Fluttershy’s actual punishment? A few weeks of lifting crates and stocking larders will not appease them. This was far too public.”

“I know, I know. I need to find something… martial. Something to help give her the image of a soldier, just in case the worst does happen. And if I’m lucky, she might just learn to act like a soldier, too.”

Chapter 2

Captain Cache ground his teeth together as he glared down at his clipboard, triple-checking his sums. He glared at the other ponies as they carted crates and barrels around the large storeroom, none brave or stupid enough to make eye contact. Finally, he lifted his head to glare up into the shadows of the ceiling, his slitted eyes narrowing further as they found the source of his displeasure.

“Legionary Fluttershy! Get your yellow butt down here this instant!”

There was a startled gasp as the barrel in Fluttershy’s grasp slipped from her hooves, narrowly missing a crate-laden stone salamander and its handler. There was a loud crash and the sound of splintering wood as it burst apart in a shower of spilled grain.

Captain Cache made another tally on his clipboard.

Fluttershy came to a delicate landing in front of him, her cheeks burning a bright scarlet. “I’m so sorry, Captain! I didn’t mean to–”

“I have a monumental headache, Legionary Fluttershy,” he hissed through his teeth, his voice low and dangerous. “Do you know why I have a headache, Legionary Fluttershy?”

“No, Capt–”

“In the last five days we’re only moved half as many supplies as usual. We’ve lost thr- four barrels to accidents. There have been two injuries, three misplaced bags of food, a stone lizard somehow escaped from its cage, and this morning I found a claw worm trying to make a new home for itself in my desk.”

“Oh my. Well, do you need me to take care of the worm for you?”

“I squished the sun-cursed worm!” Captain Cache shouted, throwing the clipboard at her. Fluttershy yelped and stumbled back a few steps as the board clanged off her dark purple barding. Captain Cache matched her every step, standing close enough that she could feel his hot breath wash over her whenever as he exhaled through his nose. He jabbed a thick hoof into her chest. “And I am seriously considering doing the same thing to you, if you don’t shape up! In a detail full of losers, you are without a doubt the most worthless pony of them all!”

Fluttershy’s hooves were rooted to the ground, her mouth flapping up and down as her mind scrambled for something to say. When she did finally find her voice, it was barely even a whisper. “You… killed it?”

Captain Cache closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Princess give me strength. When he opened them again he saw the rest of the detail had slowed down to watch the unfolding drama. He turned his fearsome glare on them with relish. “What are you maggots smirking at? Fluttershy isn’t the only one of you dirt stains in need of a swift kick in the tail! Now get back to work!”

The rest of the punishment detail hurriedly returned to their own tasks, none risking even another glance in Fluttershy’s direction. Even the stone salamanders moved a little faster.

With a snort, Captain Cache turned his head to stare down at the cowering soldier. His scowl deepened. “Clean up all that spilled grain and give it to the salamanders. At least they’ll eat well tonight.” His eyes narrowed. “But don’t you loiter around their cages. They’re beasts of burden, not family pets. If I hear another peep out of you about not using our whips or how mean it is to keep them muzzled on the job, I will personally flay you alive. Do I make myself clear?”

Fluttershy saluted, her arm trembling. “Y-yes, Captain.”

He dismissed her without a word, leaving Fluttershy on rubber legs, her thoughts a jumbled mess of fear and shame. Eventually she remembered how to walk and stumbled away in the direction of the cleaning supplies.

Only when she was alone and out of sight did she allow herself to cry.

*~*~*

“Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy jerked awake. She reached for her spear in the darkness but found nothing but more cool stone. It took a moment for her exhausted brain to catch up to her. Her panic evaporated. She’d left the spear in her room so it didn’t get in the way while hauling supplies.

She glanced around herself. The side-annex she’d lain down in after her shift was one of her favorite hiding places, a dead-end with little traffic and even fewer lights. A perfect place for a mare to go when too exhausted and upset to face her adorable little friends.

“Where are you, Fluttershy? I know you’re around here somewhere.”

Fluttershy lifted her head and wiped away her old tears just as a familiar blue and grey mare rounded the corner. Even in the shadows there was no mistaking those inquisitive eyes or the streak of fire in the other pony’s mane.

“H-hello, Echo,” said Fluttershy.

“Fluttershy?” Bright Echo let out a chirp, illuminating the hiding place. Her face fell even further. “Oh, Fluttershy…” She hobbled over towards Fluttershy as fast as her bandaged leg would allow. She drew up short, fighting within herself, before she relented and wrapped her arms around Fluttershy, the hug making Fluttershy’s ears flatten against her head. They both pulled back with relief after a single heartbeat.

“How are you holding up?” asked Echo.

“I’m fine,” Fluttershy said, forcing a smile onto her face. It was a lie, but seeing Echo cared enough about her to endure such an uncomfortably long hug did make her feel a tiny bit better. “So you, um, heard about what happened?”

“Yeah. I would have come to see you sooner, but… well, you know.” Echo stuck out her bandage-wrapped leg and wiggled it about. “Still, I managed to escape when they weren’t looking. A hurt leg isn’t a problem when you can still fly.”

Fluttershy gasped. “It was broken in three places! That takes time to heal. You really shouldn’t have snuck out like that. You might injure it again, or make it worse! Echo, you really need to… to… Oh.” She bit her lip and glanced down at her hooves, ears drooping again. “You’re just teasing me, aren’t you?”

Echo’s loud guffaws reverberated down the halls. “Only because you make it so easy! Seriously though, my squad already chews me out enough as it is for missing all my duties. Ending up back in bed with another injury just isn’t an option. I might have a thick skull, but I’m not stupid.” She pulled a sheaf of paper from her tunic. “See? I got my discharge papers right here. And praise the night, the sawbones even gave me light duty for the next week!”

Her exuberance dragged a thin but earnest giggle out of Fluttershy. Only Echo could tease Fluttershy and still make her laugh. “I really hope they don’t make you spar until it’s fully healed. I couldn’t believe your Sergeant thought you were well enough to fight. That was… I didn’t like that.”

“I didn’t either. Rockwing is a sack of guano, and once I’m back at a hundred percent I’m gonna challenge that smug slug to a rematch. He’s more responsible than the diamond dogs. They just gave me a little hairline fracture. It was his fat flabby flank that really broke it. And the bragging!” Echo licked her fangs, her eyes narrowing on some imaginary figure only she could see. “Ooooh yes, I’m gonna enjoy a rematch so very, very much.”

“He wouldn’t have hurt you if I’d just agreed to fight with you instead…”

“Hey now, don’t you start blaming yourself for what happened. It was my nitwit of a Sergeant who thought I was bluffing. And you know the rules: no holding back when in the ring. If you’d agreed to fight me then you’d probably have broken it yourself.”

“What? Never!” said Fluttershy, looking aghast.

“You know that you have to try your hardest in the ring, period. If you ever end up in an actual life or death fight, you can’t hesitate just because your enemy has an upset tummy. You fight to kill. You fight to win.” She gave Fluttershy a fanged grin. “Well, maybe you don’t. I’d have won, even with the hurt leg.”

“But it’s still stupid that you had to fight in the first place! You were still recovering.”

Echo shrugged again. “We’re legionaries, Fluttershy. We serve the True Princess, we fight the Long War, and we obey orders. Even when they’re given by Sergeants who don’t understand what ‘still recovering’ means.”

Fluttershy kicked at the floor. “You shouldn’t have to obey dumb orders…” she mumbled.

There was a long silence, causing the hairs on the back of Fluttershy’s neck to stand on end. She glanced up, but the fear that her vaguely seditious comment had crossed a line vanished when she saw the amusement in Echo’s eyes.

“What?” said Fluttershy defensively. “I don’t like to see my friends getting hurt.”

Echo laughed. “Then you’re in the wrong line of work. We don’t get that luxury.”

“It’s not like I ever had a choice. I couldn’t muster out even if my conscription period was up. My aunt would never allow it.” Fluttershy sighed. “I’m just a terrible soldier. Sometimes I’m glad Mom didn’t live long enough to see me in uniform. I think it would have broken her heart.”

“Hey, there’s no need for that. You’re trying your best, right?”

“Yeah, but-”

“No. No buts. You do your best and that’s all that matters. Nopony can ask you to do anymore than that.”

“If doing her best means being an embarrassment and a failure, I’m worried about what her worst might look like.”

Fluttershy and Echo spun around at the new voice to find a pair of stallions strolling towards them out of the perpetual twilight. The smaller of the two wore a sharp sneer as he regarded the two mares with his striking red eyes. He nudged the other stallion. “What do you think, Iron Pick?”

The bigger stallion barely fit into his armor, the straps digging into his doughy flesh. His piggish face lit up with amusement as he looked down at his companion. “Haha, yeah. I don’t think the Legion could survive that.”

Echo stepped forward and spread her wings wide, her eyes focused on the smaller of the two. “You had better get out of here, Russet Lance, before I lose my temper and beat the snot out of you all over again.”

“Oh please, Echo. You’re just low-born scum.”

“Having a famous name doesn’t mean guano.”

Russet laughed. “Maybe you’re right about that. Fluttershy’s family commands the Legion, and she’s the worst soldier in it. She’s living proof that sometimes even the most gifted of families can produce a mewling little runt from time to time.”

Fluttershy whimpered, refusing to meet his contemptuous stare. Russet continued to draw closer despite Echo’s warning growl, brash confidence oozing from his pores.

“You take that back you smug piece of trash!” Echo shouted, stamping a hoof against the floor.

“Or what? I would seriously consider how far you’re willing to take things tonight,” he said with a wide gesture at the empty hallway around them, “because this time you don’t have your little thieving band of pisspots to back you up.”

Fluttershy reached out to put a restraining hoof on her friend’s flank. “C’mon Echo, let’s just go. It’s not worth it…”

Echo just shrugged her off and stormed forward until she was a hoof’s distance from Russet, their eyes boring into one another. “I’ll show you how special you are when I make you swallow all of your noble-born teeth!”

Russet’s smile only widened, fanning her anger. She matched his sneer with one of her own, so focused on the smirking stallion that she didn’t see Iron Pick slip a wooden cudgel from his belt.

“Echo!” Fluttershy shrieked.

Echo dropped low and tried to roll away. There was a meaty thwap as the club hit her shoulder, dragging a short bark of pain from Echo. Her infirmary tunic was no protection. Coming out of the roll she hobbled backwards as she tried to put some distance between herself and the other ponies. She bared her fangs at Iron Pick. “That was my arm, you fat slug!”

He frowned. “I was aiming for your head.”

Fluttershy imposed herself between Echo and the stallions. “Both of you b-back off!” Trembling, she lowered herself into a combat pose. “Please, just leave us, and nopony has to get hurt!”

Iron Pick and Russet looked at each other before bursting out laughing. “You actually sound like you mean it!” said Russet as he wiped a tear from his eyes.

“I do! I swear, I’ll-”

The rest of the threat went unspoken as Russet darted forward and slammed his polished horseshoes into Fluttershy’s chest in a one-two punch, the impact sending the little mare tumbling loudly across the floor.

Fluttershy stared up at the ceiling as the sound of battle echoed around her. The melee was a riot of noise, grunts and gasps and the occasional smack of wood on skin. Pain was a constant companion as she tried to shake off the shock of the sudden assault, driven on by the bitter sense of uselessness filling her body.

Russet drew his own club and the stallions rushed Echo together, attacking from either side. Iron Pick was a powerhouse, using his raw strength like a sledgehammer, forcing her to dance and weave around his wild swings. It was clumsy and elemental and Echo exploited it, landing a few blows of her own against Iron Pick’s armored chest. If they had been in the Ring together, there would have been no doubt who would have come out on top. But unarmed and with only her tunic for protection, Echo found herself on the defensive, too busy deflecting attacks to launch one of her own.

Russet was much more methodical in his approach, watching Echo’s movements before striking, each time forcing Echo to dodge and retreat right as she gained the upper hoof against Iron Pick. There was a dangerous glint in Russet’s eye, his cruel laughter filling the darkness whenever he managed to land a hit.

Lifting herself up off the floor, Fluttershy watched in growing terror as the two stallions pushed Echo back step by step. Focused on the rain of clubs and keeping herself in the fight, Echo was blind to the real threat. She was being corralled into a corner.

Fluttershy gasped and wheezed, her voice raw and trembling as she tried to alert Echo to the growing danger. “T-trap!” she coughed. “It’s a trap, Echo!” Fluttershy stumbled forward, the paralyzing fear replaced by desperation.

Her warning went unheeded, the other ponies too focused on the fight. Ducking beneath a wide swing Echo leapt backwards – and was stopped by the cold stone of the wall behind her.

Fluttershy was only yards away, but it could have been miles. There was nothing she could do.

Russet’s club cracked into the side of Echo’s head, and she dropped lifelessly to the floor.

The bulky Iron Pick stepped forward and brought his hoof down on Echo’s bandaged leg. The unmistakable sound of breaking bone brought Fluttershy to a halt.

Russet spit on Echo’s body. “Stupid filth.” Nodding to Iron Pick, the two stallions returned their clubs to their belts and turned away. Russet blinked when he found Fluttershy standing behind them. Her downturned face was hidden beneath her helm and the few curls of pink mane that poked out from beneath it. He laughed. “Fluttershy? I forgot you were still here.”

“I thought you would have run away already,” Iron Pick added with a smirk of his own.

Russet strolled over to Fluttershy, cruel amusement sparkling in his eyes as he watched tears roll off Fluttershy’s nose. “I bet she couldn’t get away even if she wanted to. Too scared to fight, too scared to run… she’s just too scared to do anything. Even help her only friend in the Citadel. Isn’t that right, Flutter-cry?”

The only answer was Fluttershy’s heavy breathing as she refused to look up.

Circling like a shark, Russet ran his tongue over his fangs. “You’re pathetic. You’re a stain on everything the Legion stands for. How far has your clan fallen that you’re the heir? You can’t even fight to defend your only friend in the world.” She trembled. Smelling the blood in the water, he leaned in closer. “Come on Fluttershy, why don’t you go ahead and beg me to leave you alone again?”

His smirk slipped when there was no response, the mare continuing to stand wide, head down low. Her hoarse breathing grew more rapid. “Hey, I’m talking to you,” he said with a huff. He reached out a hoof and grabbed her shoulder. “Answer m–”

She grabbed the hoof on her shoulder and gave a firm twist, snapping the wrist cleanly. Russet tried to scream, but Fluttershy’s other hoof slammed into his throat, sending him into a choking fit. His arm still gripped tightly, she spun around and bucked him straight in the chest, dislocating his shoulder with a wet pop.

Fluttershy released the arm as she finished her spin. It flopped uselessly at Russet’s side. He stumbled past the stunned Iron Pick, screaming in fits and bursts as he tried to fill his lungs.

The confidence drained out of the bigger stallion when she turned to face him. There were still tears on her cheeks, but her eyes were thin pinpricks of burning hate that rooted him in place. That furious stare dominated his field of vision, the shadows in the cave swallowing up everything else as those baleful eyes crushed him down into a tiny ball of nothingness. He tried to draw his club, but it slipped from his trembling hoof.

Baring her fangs, she lunged at the stallion.

*~*~*

“All hail the True Princess! All hail Equestria!”

The scraping of wood on stone underscored the final line of the pledge as the Council took their seats. General Nightshy looked over the assembled group from her position of honor at the head of the table, the polished onyx reflecting back the stern faces of thirteen ponies. All of the great clans were represented, each descended from the officers that had escaped the Sun Tyrant’s retribution so long ago. Holding themselves with the martial bearing one would expect from Legionary veterans, they were the sinew that had held the Lunar Guard together.

There was no more dangerous a place in all the Citadel.

Nightshy considered the other ponies before her, hiding her distaste with experience. At least a diamond dog will attack you from the front, Nightshy thought. That the fate of the Legion could depend upon the petty feuds and ancient rivalries of these dozen ponies was horrifying to consider.

Not for the first time she found herself wishing she was back in the ranks as a simple line officer. How her sister had managed to juggle being a mother, a general, and a politician, she had no idea.

Removing her helmet, she placed it atop the table in front of her, using the momentary distraction to collect her thoughts. Take it slow. Let them raise the issue of Fluttershy’s accident to judge where their loyalties lie. Clearing her throat, Nightshy began.

“I am glad to see everypony could make it to this Council meeting. We have plenty on our agenda tonight, including the recent reports from our Rangers on the disposition of enemy forces in the Canterlot region. The lack of a clear picture about the situation in the outlying towns is a strategic weakness we must confront, and soon.” Nightshy took a breath. “But before we begin, I wish to open the floor to any other topics of discussion first.”

She was greeted with the utter silence of an abandoned mine. Nightshy glanced around the room. Something cold wormed its way up her spine when none of the nobles would meet her gaze.

Not that they needed to say anything. The tension in the air was physical, like the change in pressure before a storm. The hair on Nightshy’s neck stood on end as memories of midnight patrols deep into enemy territory bubbled up from her subconscious. She was back there once again, lost and alone on unfamiliar terrain.

General Nightshy examined the other occupants closely, waiting for them to break the silence. Like actors on opening night, even their well-rehearsed expressions of neutrality couldn’t hide the nervous energy filling the room. Even her old companion from the Rangers, Blue Quartz, wouldn’t look up from the table, an azure hoof tracing circles on the black stone.

A few of the nobles kept casting uneasy glances at the two ponies at the far end of the table. Sitting forward in their seats, Silhouette and Sky Lance were an oasis of cool confidence. They looked at one another, and a smile threatened to spread across Silhouette’s violet face as if at some unspoken joke.

Nightshy narrowed her eyes. It’s an ambush.

Silhouette learned forward and softly cleared her throat, causing one of the nobles to nearly jump out of his seat. “Well, I have something to bring to the Council's attention, if I may.”

“Of course,” Nightshy said through her teeth.

“It’s safe to assume that everypony here is aware of the shocking disruption to our honorable General’s sermon last week, so I don’t need to repeat the details of that sickening insult done to our Legion and the True Princess,” Silhouette began, her voice as silky as a spider’s web. Ingratiating but firm, age had done nothing to dull her political acumen. “No, what is more important is to decide how we are going to punish the guilty party and ensure something like this never happens again.”

There was a smattering of sycophantic applause from a few allied nobles while the rest remained grimly silent. Standing up, Silhouette made a grand wave with her wing. “Pray tell, who amongst us knows who was responsible? What pony would dare to–”

“Save the theatrics for the stage, Silhouette,” Nightshy interrupted, scowling. “We all know it was my niece who was involved in the accident.”

“Accident? No, General, an accident is a one time occurrence. For the Council’s benefit I did some research on Fluttershy before coming to the meeting today, and what I found was most troubling.” As she spoke Silhouette lifted up a stuffed folder so everypony could see. “Ever since she was a mere cadet she has been a walking disaster. Injuries, disobeyed orders, destroyed equipment… the list goes on and on and on.”

Tossing the folder down onto the onyx table, Silhouette smirked at the seething Nightshy. “The question we have for our esteemed General is what she is going to do about this constant, troubling risk that lay at the heart of the Legion. After all, I do not need to remind the others that Fluttershy is your only heir. If something tragic were to happen to you, this canker sore of a Legionary would become our next commander.”

“That truly would be a disaster!” one of the nobles called out. Nightshy assumed it was Sky Lance, although she didn’t look away to confirm it as she met Silhouette’s challenging stare.

“Which is why I have ordered Fluttershy to receive a just and fitting punishment.”

“Lifting boxes and stocking shelves is hardly a fitting punishment for what destruction she has wrought. If you were a lesser pony, General, I might suspect you were protecting your niece by just giving her a slap on the hoof.”

“Of course that was not her actual punishment.” Nightshy leaned forward as she tried to wrest back control of the conversation. “That was a preliminary settlement before we had our meeting today to best discuss how to proceed. The very public nature of her accident during the sermon means that such a decision should be handled amongst the Council. Therefore, I propose that Legionary Fluttershy be placed in a training battalion until–”

Silhouette interrupted her, stating flatly, “What she did during the sermon was hardly her only crime.”

“Her un-soldierly behavior in the past is certainly a contributing factor in any disciplinary decision, but–”

“What about assaulting fellow Legionaries?” This time it most certainly was Sky Lance who was speaking. The stallion rose to his feet, a look of righteous anger and inconsolable sadness competing for attention on his face. It was masterful acting. “What about my son?”

“Your son?” Nightshy furrowed her brow. “What does your son have to do–”

“He is in the infirmary thanks to your beastly niece!”

Nightshy blinked. “What?”

“Fluttershy assaulted my sweet Russet late yesterday afternoon while he and another stallion were escorting a friend back to her quarters, a friend who’d only just been released from the infirmary. She gave Russet a broken wrist, a shattered jaw, a dislocated arm, and so many bruises and contusions that he can’t even bear the weight of the blankets upon his body!” Sky Lance leaned across the table. “And the wounded mare they were escorting is still unconscious after Fluttershy nearly caved in her skull with a club!”

There was a long, awkward pause as Nightshy stared back at the stallion. She blinked again. “Are we talking about the same Fluttershy?”

“Yes!” Sky Lance’s shouting shook the walls. “The same niece you have sheltered and coddled, who has never tasted proper military discipline, ruthlessly assaulted my son!”

“I can verify that what Sky Lance says is true.”

Nightshy turned to address the new speaker, his words like a knife to the spine. “Blue Quartz?”

He nodded. “My cousin, Iron Pick, was attacked as well.” Blue’s face sank. “I’m sorry, General, but this morning he confirmed Russet Lance’s story. Fluttershy attacked the three of them with a weapon. He was still quite shaken up by the whole affair.”

Nightshy ground her teeth together, confusion giving way to a seething rage that only burned hotter with every unanswered question. How is this the first I am hearing of this? Where are Penumbra and Antumbra? Why didn’t Blue Quartz talk to me before this meeting? And by the Moon, where is Fluttershy?

“You see, General, your niece is not just a poor soldier and a desecrator of sacred ceremonies, but a ruthless, violent sociopath,” Silhouette said slowly, savoring every word, taking control of the conversation once again. “Fluttershy isn’t just ill-suited for the Legion, she’s a threat to everything we are trying to accomplish, even actively acting against its rules and traditions.” She shook her head. “And the thought of a mare like that being given command of the whole Legion… well, to say I am concerned is an understatement.”

“You are not alone,” said Sky Lance, stamping his hoof in agreement. To Nightshy’s dread he was joined by other ponies, including those from the neutral clans. The ambush was sprung.

“She certainly needs more than some harsh words after attacking another soldier.

“If Fluttershy is placed in command, we are doomed.”

“How could any noble family protect a failure like that?”

Nightshy looked around the table in vain for a friendly face. Even Blue Quartz avoided her eyes. “Please, we must remain rational and look at this clearly.”

Sky Lance leveled a hoof at Nightshy. “It is you who are not looking at this clearly, General. A member of your family has assaulted another Legionary, and your response is to put her on a training detachment?”

“When I drafted those orders I was unaware that–”

“Of course you were unaware! You have mismanaged the Legion ever since you took over for your sister. If she hadn’t been so foolish as to get herself killed–”

The crack of Nightshy’s hoof striking the table silenced the whole room. Standing out of her seat and leaning forward like a dog at the end of its chain, she fixed Sky Lance with a glare that would cow a volcano. “I will not tolerate any disrespect for my sister.” Her whispers were deafening in the quiet chamber, each syllable dripping with restrained fury.

Sky Lance sat back down and swallowed loudly.

“I agree, there is nothing to be gained from bringing up the dead when we have much more pressing concerns to deal with,” Silhouette interjected gently, her tone composed and conciliatory. “We are discussing Fluttershy and what is to be done with her.”

Nightshy bit back a curse that would have made her drill instructor blush. Stiffly, she returned to her seat. “As I have already told the Council,” Nightshy spoke slowly, fighting to keep her voice as calm as possible, “I have drafted orders that will place Fluttershy in a training detachment for an extended period of time. Considering the new information that has been presented to me, an extension on her sentence is more than justified.”

Silhouette shook her head, the expression of regret on her face never reaching her eyes. “I am sorry, General, but considering your close familial relationship with the guilty party, it is unseemly to have you alone deciding her punishment.”

The nods around the table only deepened Nightshy’s grimace. “I am an officer first and an aunt second. It is my duty and right as commander of this garrison to mete out discipline as I see fit.”

“Even so, the scale of her multiple transgressions make this a special case. You should not be party to disciplinary decisions when they regard your niece and heir. How could we ever be convinced that you truly were making decisions in the best interest of the Legion and not your own blood?”

A surge of agreement filled the air.

Baring her teeth, Nightshy was about to retaliate when Blue Quartz cleared his throat and stood up. Finally meeting her gaze, he gave a polite bow in her direction. “General, if I may?”

“By all means,” Nightshy said cautiously.

“Members of the Council, General Nightshy has done sterling work as our commander in the years since her sister’s tragic passing. In that time she has not once shown any sort of favoritism for her own clan over the interests of the Legion. But Silhouette is right. This is a special case that should be left in the hooves of the Council.”

The look of surprise on Nightshy’s face was echoed in Silhouette’s, although the older mare recovered with the quick ease of experience. Silhouette gave her erstwhile adversary a nod of thanks as the other nobles stamped their hooves in agreement, although distrust lingered in her eyes. “Well said, Quartz. But I–”

Blue Quartz cut Silhouette off. “That is why I believe our esteemed General should excuse herself from the Council’s deliberations. Her martial ability is beyond reproach and her family has faithfully led the Legion for a hundred generations, so I know that she will allow us to decide this matter for ourselves.”

Sky Lance and Silhouette remained conspicuously silent as the other nobles stamped louder and voiced their support.

Only a pony who had served over a decade in the same Ranger cohort with him could see the imploring look in Blue Quartz’s eyes when he turned to face Nightshy again. “General, I believe it would be a generous display and a reassurance to this Council if you were to leave us while we consider Fluttershy’s punishment.”

The Council turned as one to face her, but Nightshy’s continued to stare at Blue Quartz, searching his face for a clue about his intentions.

“Please, General.”

Nightshy slowly nodded. “You… make a strong case, Blue Quartz. I give this Council the right to pass judgement on the defendant in my absence.” Every word was sandpaper in her throat. She had been outflanked and forced up against a wall, but instead of fighting till the end she was placing her niece’s fate in the care of selfish vipers.

Blue Quartz hid his relief well. “Thank you, General,” he said, his thanks echoed by a number of the friendlier clans.

Picking up her helmet and placing it on her head, Nightshy turned on her hooves and marched out of the room with her head held high. Only when the large doors were securely shut behind her did she take off at a full gallop, racing for her offices. She was certain the twins would be there, eagerly awaiting a debriefing on the Council meeting. There was a more important task for them.

They had to find Fluttershy.

Chapter 3

The light of the sun cocooned Fluttershy in warmth like a well-loved blanket as she soared through the air. Tilting her wing she turned into a gentle dive, spiraling through clouds of pure white. She reached out a hoof and scooped up some of the fluffy cloud, allowing it to slowly spill out of her grasp as she soared through the air.

Catching an updraft, she beat her wings hard, gaining altitude quickly and revealing more of the impossibly vast sky. Instead of a terrified squawk she shouted in exhilaration. There were no walls. There was nothing to keep her tethered any longer. The sky was open before her and she could go anywhere and do anything.

“Fluttershy.”

The voice was a whisper on the wind, almost lost in the high altitude breeze, but Fluttershy’s ears picked it up all the same. She slowed down until she was hovering in place. “Hello?”

“Fluttershy.”

“Who's there? I can’t really see you…”

“Fluttershy can hardly fly!”

She flinched. “What?

“Fluttershy! Fluttershy! Fluttershy can hardly fly!”

“S-stop saying that! I’m not a foal anymore. I can fly, just like any other mare,” she said with forced bravado, rotating in place to try and find her tormentor. The sun passed behind a dark cloud and cast her in shadow.

The voice grew louder as if drawing closer, but there was nothing around for miles but lazy clouds and desolate sky.

“Fluttershy! Fluttershy! Hit the ground and then she’ll die!”

“Stop! Stop it right now!” Fluttershy shouted, her anger quickly coming to a boil. The faces of past bullies flashed through her mind, each bearing the cruel, warped visage from her nightmares. But instead of the expected fear and anxiety, she only felt herself growing more furious as the unseen speaker taunted her endlessly. “Show yourself! I’ll show you who can’t fly after I’m done with you.”

“Fluttershy! Fluttershy! Fluttershy can hardly fly!”

The voice was right behind her. Fluttershy spun around and struck hard, throwing all her weight behind the punch.

There was the meaty thunk of an impact and the crunch of breaking bone as Echo took the blow to the side of the head, a horrible accusation in her eyes before they rolled up into her skull and she went limp. A streamer of blood trailed behind her as she fell from the sky.

“Fluttershy! Fluttershy! Hit the ground and then she’ll die!”

Fluttershy’s face went white. “Echo!” she screamed as she dived after her. The wind whistled past her ears, her eyes burning with tears. No matter how fast she pushed herself, the distance between the two of them only increased. Fluttershy called out after her in desperate futility. “Echo! Echo please! I didn’t mean it!”

She could hear voices calling to her but she ignored them, her entire being focused on reaching Echo in time. Her muscles burned as she pushed herself harder than she’d ever done in her life.

And it still wasn’t good enough.

She would never be able to protect her friends, even from herself.

“Fluttershy! Fluttershy! Fluttershy can hardly fly!”

Fluttershy gave an inarticulate scream as the ground rushed up to meet them.

“Fluttershy! Fluttershy! Hit the ground and then she’ll die!”

Everything went white.

*~*~*

“Fluttershy? Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy jerked up with a loud gasp, sending a startled nurse shuffling back a few steps. She glanced around with wide, unseeing eyes, her heart trying its best to claw its way up and out of her throat. “Echo?” croaked Fluttershy.

“It’s okay, Fluttershy. She’s here,” the nurse said in a soothing voice.

The clean white lines of the infirmary walls slowly revealed themselves as Fluttershy wiped the tears from her eyes. She blinked repeatedly as she tried to slow her breathing, forcing the large bed in front of her into focus. Atop the bed was a comatose figure swaddled in a sea of bandages.

Leaning out of her seat, Fluttershy reached out and ran a testing hoof along Echo’s leg. Echo’s coat was clean now, free from the dried blood she’d been caked in when Fluttershy had dragged her through the infirmary’s doors. Fluttershy wasn’t so lucky, a few crusty patches still clinging to her arms. She didn’t look at them, keeping her eyes on Echo. “Has… has she said anything yet?”

The nurse shook her head. “It’s only been a few hours. Head injuries are never easy to treat. Her humors are entirely out of balance, and if the bad vapors build up in her system… but we’re watching for that. Modern medicine is a wonder to behold. You just have to give it time.”

Fluttershy gave a tired nod, finally releasing her grip on Echo. “Um, is it okay if I stay here a little longer? She’ll probably want to see a friendly face if– when she finally wakes up.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not here to kick you out just yet. I just wanted to let you know that there is a pony just outside asking for you.”

“Really?” Fluttershy rubbed one of her arms as she looked at the nurse. “Who is it?”

The nurse shrugged. “They didn’t give me a name. Said it was urgent, though.”

Gnawing on her lower lip, Fluttershy eased herself out of the chair, her limbs stiff from the uncomfortable position she’d been sleeping in. Her eyes remained on the floor as she gathered up her things, donning her armor and ensuring everything was in place. She couldn’t even muster up a resigned sigh as she pushed open the door and stepped out into the hallway.

She braced herself, but after a few moments without a barked reprimand or an announcement of imminent punishment, she raised her head to look up and down the empty hallway. “Um… hello?”

“Hello.”

Fluttershy stumbled backwards with a strangled shriek. Her leg caught on the edge of a bench, and she was sent crashing into a nearby potted plant. Soil and shards of pottery poured off of Fluttershy’s head as she slowly lifted her chin off the floor. “Owie.”

From a nearby doorway strode an all too familiar black shape, the androgynous pony swathed in robes that seemed to pull the shadows around it. The pony regarded Fluttershy for a few seconds. “Still as high-strung as ever, I see. Even this far from the main infirmary, I am sure they could prescribe some sort of sedative.”

The door to Echo’s room was flung open as the nurse stuck her head out into the hallway. The moment she spotted the supine Fluttershy amidst the remains of the potted plant she exhaled sharply through her nose. “Just… Just let the desk know there is a mess to be cleaned up before you leave.” The door made a firm click behind her, leaving Fluttershy alone with the hooded pony.

Penumbra – or was it Antumbra? – made no effort to hide his or her amusement. Fluttershy’s cheeks burned beneath her helmet as she rolled over and stood up, shaking off the last of the dirt like a dog after a bath. She kept her gaze on the floor.

“You’re in a lot of trouble,” was all the robed pony said.

“It wasn’t my fault.”

“What?”

“It wasn’t my fault,” Fluttershy said, her voice just above a whisper.

“It doesn’t matter. Come with me.”

Weakly lifting a hoof, Fluttershy opened her mouth to protest, but the other pony just marched past her without another glance. Fluttershy sighed, lowering her hoof again. “Coming…”

The other pony didn’t volunteer anything else on the long walk back to General Nightshy’s office, leaving Fluttershy to stew in heavy silence. Her thoughts matched the grim, anxious expression on her face, her neck bending beneath the weight of her guilt. How could I be so stupid after everything Nightshy did for me? Abandoning my post to stay with a friend? No wonder she sent Ant… Pen… one of the twins to get me. She’s going to put me in the brig for sure.

Fluttershy’s eyes opened wide. But who will take care of my animal friends? Echo won’t be out of the hospital for weeks! They’ll starve! Fluttershy slowed as she felt herself on the verge of hyperventilating. I’ll… I’ll have to tell the General the truth about the animals. All of them. She winced. Oh, why did that stupid stallion have to be such a… a big bully!

By the time the pair reached their destination, Fluttershy felt ill enough to contemplate asking to go back to the hospital. Her escort made no effort to help her, simply joining its twin to stand quietly outside the door. Sweat dribbled off Fluttershy’s chin. Pushing open the door to the General’s office with a trembling hoof, she crept inside. “G-General Nightshy?” she squeaked.

Even seated, General Nightshy was an imposing figure. Looking up from the papers spread across her desk, her cold eyes narrowed to mere slits. Planting her hooves on the table she leaned forward. Her voice was low and dangerous, like the rumble of an imminent cave-in. “All I want from you right now is the truth.”

Fluttershy flung herself onto the floor and began to wail. “It’s alll my faaaault! I d-d-didn’t meant to s-skip my duties but Echo was really hurt and, and I had to take her to the infirmary so she didn’t die and I stayed to make sure she was okay and, and, and I’m really sorry so please don’t let my animals starve just because I messed uuuuup!”

Frozen in place, eyes wide, Nightshy stared down at the bawling mare. “I… but… huh?” She glanced at Penumbra and Antumbra as they entered silently behind Fluttershy.

The twins looked at one another. Antumbra shrugged.

“Oh for the love of…” Nightshy rubbed the bridge of her nose for a few seconds before she turned back to face the mewling bat pony. Tears poured down Fluttershy’s face as she clenched her tail tightly between her hooves. “Fluttershy.”

“... and Echo is my only f-friend and now she’s going to hate me because I got her in t-trouble…”

“Fluttershy!”

“... they depend on me and I f-failed them all ! Who is going to feed them and take c-care of them and read them bedtime stories now?”

Nightshy took a deep breath before letting loose with her best parade ground shout of “Atten-shun!”

Fluttershy leapt to her hooves, head upright, back straight, expression neutral, and stood at attention. It took a few heartbeats before she remembered she was supposed to be begging for forgiveness, but Nightshy had already rounded the desk and was standing just in front of her.

She fixed Fluttershy in place with her sternest glare. “Stop crying this instant. I’m not throwing you in the brig, your friend isn’t going to be punished, and I’m not going to starve any of your illegal pets, no matter how much I want to at this moment. Now, tell me the truth. What happened yesterday?”

Fluttershy wiped her nose with a sniffle. “There… was a fight. And it wasn’t Echo’s fault.”

“I know there was a fight. I need to know the details.”

Fluttershy obeyed. As she retold the story she watched as Nightshy’s expression shifted from impatience to concern to cold contemplation. She didn’t interrupt, content to digest Fluttershy’s words as they were. She continued to stand silently even after Fluttershy had finished, staring off at something only she could see.

Seconds became minutes. Fluttershy tentatively peeked over her shoulder at the twins, but they ignored her, busy whispering between themselves.

“So that’s their game.”

Fluttershy snapped back to attention. “G-General?”

Nodding as if agreeing with some unheard conversation, Nightshy slowly walked around her desk and settled down into her seat, the aged leather groaning in protest. She turned her gaze on Fluttershy, but the fire had burned away, leaving her expression stony and hard. “Earlier, Silhouette and Sky Lance told the Council that you attacked Echo and Russet unprovoked. One of Quartz’s distant relatives, Iron Pick, confirmed it all.”

“W-What? I… But they’re lying! He’s lying!”

“Of course they’re lying. Anypony who has said more than five words to you would know they’re lying.”

Fluttershy frowned. “I don’t understand. If they’re lying, then why don’t we just tell the nobles the truth?”

“Because the truth is irrelevant,” one of the twins said, soundlessly taking up position beside Fluttershy.

The other twin mirrored their sibling, flanking Fluttershy from the other side. “They don’t care what’s true, only what benefits them the most.”

“The lie is more convenient than the truth.”

Fluttershy swiveled her head back and forth between the twins. “But… but they should at least hear my side of the story, right? Maybe I could, um, convince them?” She turned back to Nightshy. “You said that anypony who talks to me would never believe that I attacked somepony else.”

“There is nopony who can corroborate your side of the story. It’s your word against those two stallions, and they’re the ones in bandages.” Nightshy narrowed her eyes. “And because you didn’t come to me with this information immediately, I was left defenseless this morning. They had almost a whole day to tell the nobles whatever they wanted. We were outmaneuvered, plain and simple.”

The barely restrained anger finally broke through Nightshy’s stoic mask. She slammed a hoof down onto her desk with a snarl. “Sun take them! How did they convince Blue Quartz to betray his own blood?”

Fluttershy’s ears flattened against her skull at her uncle’s name, but one look at Nightshy’s expression and she swallowed her questions.

Closing her eyes, Nightshy silently counted down from ten. When she opened them again, her mask was firmly back in place. “Fluttershy, it’s commendable that you risked so much to save a wounded compatriot. In fact, it speaks highly of your character as a bat pony and a Legionary,” said Nightshy with care, “but you cannot let emotional weakness hold you back from doing the right thing. You should have come to me as soon as Echo was in the hooves of the doctors and not stuck around waiting. That was empty sentimentality and a needless waste of time, and we are paying for it now.”

“Yes, General.” Fluttershy lowered her head. “Sorry…”

“Just remember that family is the only bond that truly matters. We learned in the War that friendship is fragile and weak, and today we both got a lesson on that fact,” said Nightshy with a scowl. “I thought the years we spent fighting beside one another meant something, but Blue Quartz threw in his lot with those leeches. It was a perfect ambush, and I fell right into their trap.”

Fluttershy swallowed the lump in her throat. “W-What are they going to do to me?” she whispered.

“Something to get you out of the way,” one twin said.

“Something dangerous,” the other added.

Nightshy caught Fluttershy’s panicked gaze and nodded sadly. “I’m sorry, but it’s out of my hooves now. If I had tried to fight them on this they would have taken command from me, and without it our family loses everything. I had to put the family first.”

The doubt and sadness in Nightshy’s eyes only deepened the guilty ache in Fluttershy’s heart. “Um, so, what do I do now?”

“We wait. I hate it, but right now all we can do is sit here until they’ve passed judgement. Whatever it is, you will have to face your fate bravely, for the good of the family.”

Fluttershy trembled. “I d-don’t know if I can…”

“You have to. I don’t plan on letting them send you down into the depths on some vindictive suicide attack, but until I can start regaining allies on the Council and reverse their decision, you will have to stand up for yourself.” A hint of warmth trickled into Nightshy’s expression. “Be the daughter your mother always knew you could be.”

Fluttershy bit her lip but, after a moment of consideration, nodded.

There was a knock at the door.

One of the twins spoke. “That would be the summons. Seems they finally made up their mind.”

“Took them long enough,” the other said.

“We’d better hurry, before they think we smuggled Fluttershy out of the Citadel.”

“Which was my original idea, I might add.”

“And it was a terrible one.”

Nightshy gave the twins a flat look as she strode past them. “There will be no more of that. We can’t betray the Council now. It would mean the end of the family.”

Throwing open the door, General Nightshy found herself staring up into the face of Blue Quartz. Her look of surprise was quickly replaced by scorn. “So, Silhouette has you acting as her messenger boy now as well.”

The stallion removed his helmet. “May I come inside, General? We have very important matters to discuss.”

Nightshy stood in the doorway so long that Fluttershy feared she was going to slam the door in Blue Quartz’s face. With a flick of her tail Nightshy relented. She spun around and marched back to her desk. “Yes, we do.” She gestured at Fluttershy as she passed her, her voice dripping with ice. “You remember your niece, Fluttershy.”

Blue Quartz gave Fluttershy a nod in greeting, earning a shy wave in return. “Of course I do.”

“That’s funny, because earlier today you were quick to believe all that claptrap Silhouette was selling about her ruthlessly assaulting a fellow soldier.” Her eyes narrowed. “So what did they promise you?”

Blue Quartz stiffened. “We can talk, but only after your spies have made themselves scarce. This is a family matter.”

Nightshy tapped her hoof on her desk rhythmically before finally waving it at the twins. “Go on. Make yourselves useful.”

“As you wish,” they said in perfect stereo, bowing deep.

Blue Quartz said nothing, meeting Nightshy’s burning glare with stoic silence until the door was firmly closed behind him. Only then did he speak.

“I’m sorry.”

Nightshy growled. “You’d better damn well be sorry, after you betrayed us like that! I know our families are no longer bound by marriage, but what you did… Apologies don’t even begin to make up for it! That was a despicable, honorless display that should shame your whole clan!”

He continued to stand in place like a statue weathering a powerful storm. “I am not sorry for what I did at the meeting. I stand by my actions, and would gladly go through it all over again.” His expression was hard and unyielding, only his eyes betraying his growing anger. “And you have no right to insult my honor.”

“No right? No right?” Nightshy reared up, planting two hooves on the desk as she leaned forward, her face contorted into a bestial snarl by rage, her fangs glinting in the candlelight. “You… you… you...” she stammered, too apoplectic to finish her sentence.

“What are they going to do to me?”

Fluttershy flinched when both ponies turned to face her at the sound of her soft voice. She swallowed her nervousness. “I m-mean, that’s why you’re here, right Uncle Quartz? To tell me what my… punishment… is.”

He gave a grave nod. “Yes, I am. That, and to apologize to you in person, Fluttershy. You don’t deserve any of this.”

“You don’t believe I did it?”

“Do I believe that you, the little filly who used to shuttle cave slugs from one side of the hall to the other so they wouldn’t get stepped on, viciously attacked her fellow soldiers out of sheer malice?” A faint smile passed over his face. “No, I think it’s obvious that you’re quite innocent.”

“Then why did you go along with rest of the nobles when Silhouette and Sky Lance brought up the charges?” asked Nightshy, her voice starting as a low grumble and ending in a bellowing shout. “You confirmed all their accusations when you mentioned your cousin and his ludicrous claims about Fluttershy!”

Once again his expression hardened as he returned his attention to Nightshy. “Because if I hadn’t, Fluttershy would be on a one-way mission into the depths of the mines to fight and die against the abominations down there.”

“You can’t know that.”

“Yes, I can. They came to me a few minutes before the meeting. All of them. Not just Silhouette and her cronies, but the neutral families too. Probably saving me for last due to our familial connections. Silhouette had gotten to them all, spent the night calling in favors and spreading the word that you were trying to protect Fluttershy from justice.”

He took a measured step forward. “You lost that battle before you ever set a hoof inside the Council room.”

The old chair croaked as Nightshy sat down heavily, some of the anger vanishing from her eyes. “How? How could they all believe that self-serving harpy?”

“They’re not fools, General. They know who Silhouette is. They could see the exaggeration for what it was, certainly, but that doesn’t exactly make it untrue, either. They don’t know Fluttershy like I do. Silhouette pulled strings and called in favors on any she couldn’t convince herself, until the doubters were entirely outnumbered. Taking a stand against her would have been a worthless gesture.”

“When up against a significant force on unfavorable ground, retreat, regroup, and rethink,” Nightshy said under her breath.

“Exactly. They were going to win no matter what you or I chose. My only chance to help my niece was to remain within the group and manipulate them from within.”

Fluttershy waited as an uncomfortable silence settled upon the room, none willing to voice the obvious question clinging to everypony’s tongue. It was too much. “What,” Fluttershy said in a hoarse whisper, “did they decide?”

Finally, Blue Quartz turned to face her. “You’ve been assigned to the Rangers.”

“What?” the others said together.

It was Nightshy who recovered first. “What do you mean she was assigned to the Rangers?”

“I suggested she be nominated for placement within the Rangers as a fitting punishment for her crimes, and the Council accepted.”

“It takes months of training to even qualify for the trials. Fluttershy doesn’t have any of that. She’s not Ranger material. They would be fools to take her in.” She looked at Fluttershy. “No offense.”

“I am not saying the Rangers wanted to accept her, only that they did. The Council ensured that.”

One of the twins raised a hoof, earning an annoyed glare from Nightshy. “I told you two to make yourselves useful.”

“That’s what we’re doing now, General,” the other said cheerfully.

The twin with its hoof up said, “So excuse my boldness, but how is getting Fluttershy into the Rangers the better option?”

Blue Quartz looked between the twins, not even trying to mask his displeasure, before pointing at the one that had spoken. “Which one are you?”

“Antumbra, sir,” he replied as his sister stifled a giggle behind a hoof.

“It’s a better choice because the Rangers are scouts first and warriors second. It’s better because Fluttershy will be out of the Citadel while passions cool and memories fade. And it’s better because it’s not what Silhouette was planning.”

“Out… outside the Citadel?” Fluttershy whispered.

“More importantly,” Blue Quartz continued, turning back to Nightshy, “the Council still respects the memory of your sister. It was easy to convince them that if the Rangers could turn your sister into such a great pony, then they should be able to do the same for her daughter.”

Although Nightshy was still tapping her hoof against the table, her expression had cooled, leaving her looking pensive as she pondered Blue Quartz’s words. “This… is far better than I had hoped,” she finally declared. “Fluttershy will be out of sight and out of mind while we work to fix this issue. They’ll certainly forget how upset they were in time. That’s good. Very good.”

“If she survives,” said Penumbra. She just smirked when the room glared at her. “I’m just doing my job. If you’re not already thinking it, then you should be. Being a Ranger is dangerous, and Fluttershy… Well, there is no way that she would have been accepted on her own.”

Antumbra nodded. “And the Rangers aren’t going to take kindly to the Council meddling in their affairs. Fluttershy isn’t going to be very popular in her new unit.”

“This is still far better than the alternatives,” said Blue Quartz. “Having Fluttershy in the Rangers appeals to the Council and will look good when presented to the other nobles.” There was a murmur of agreement. “Now, I must be on my way. The Council will want to hear of your acceptance sooner rather than later.”

“Yes, that sounds good, Blue. Keep me informed.”

He bowed. “Of course, General.”

Fluttershy stepped forward to embrace him but caught herself. She snapped off a clean salute instead. “Thanks, Uncle Quartz.”

He smiled. “You look out for yourself, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy watched him stride out of the room, only turning back to Nightshy once the doors were firmly shut behind him. “Oh, I hope he is okay…”

Nightshy arched an eyebrow. “You’re worried about him right now?”

“Well, he upset those nobles’ plans, so they might want revenge.” Fluttershy’s ears pulled back against her skull. “I don’t want anypony to get hurt because of me…”

“We served together long enough that I’m certain he can handle himself.” She pointed a hoof at Fluttershy. “And you can’t afford to be thinking about anypony but yourself right now. This is your last chance.”

“Last chance?” Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “W-What do you mean, last chance?”

Nightshy walked around to face Fluttershy. “This is your last chance to prove that you can be a proper Legionary. You can’t mess up this time. Out there,” she pointed at the wall, “is a whole world of ponies who worship the Sun Tyrant and will kill you, if they get the chance. That means you can’t afford distractions like caring for pets. You can’t afford to make the wrong choice in the name of friendship. You can’t afford to be clumsy or afraid or nervous or… well, you. Do you understand, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy snapped to attention. “Yes, ma’am!”

For a long time Nightshy just stared into Fluttershy’s eyes, as if searching for something. Eventually she nodded. “Good. Penumbra will escort you back to your room and help dispose of all the pets you’re hiding there.”

“D-Dispose?” Fluttershy gasped.

Nightshy sighed. “She will help you release the animals, that’s all. Do you remember what I just told you? You can’t afford any distractions. They’re wild vermin and can take care of themselves. When you’re out in the field, doing something ‘nice’ like caring for an injured animal could get you killed.” She stepped closer. “I mean it, Fluttershy. We’re in this mess because you let your emotions blind you to the practical, logical course of action. You can’t afford to be kind out there. It will get you killed.”

Fluttershy puffed out her chest with as much confidence as she could muster. “I promise, I’ll make you proud.”

Nightshy patted Fluttershy on the head before gesturing for Penumbra. “I know you will. You’ve got plenty of your mother in you. Just remember that this is your opportunity to prove who you really are. To your family, to your legion, and to yourself. Be strong. Be confident. Start off on the right hoof with the other Rangers. And don’t mess this up.”

Long after Penumbra had walked her back to her room and helped her through her tearful goodbyes to all her animal friends, those words continued to ring in Fluttershy’s ears. Sleep didn’t come easily.

Chapter 4

“You’re going to die. You know that, right?”

“I don’t care if she dies, I just hope she doesn’t take any of us with her.”

“Well, the sooner she gets on with it, the better.”

Standing between the circling Rangers like a wounded seal surrounded by sharks, Fluttershy did her best not to whimper too loudly. She kept her eyes firmly on the floor of the barracks. Not for the first time in her life, she wished she had been born a unicorn so she could just turn invisible and disappear.

“You hear me?” said the mare with the turquoise stripes in her mane. There was a small clink of hoof on metal as she jabbed Fluttershy in the chest. “You’re not going to have your Auntie around to save your flank when we’re on a mission.” She prodded Fluttershy again, a little harder. “I asked you if you heard me!”

Fluttershy rocked back on her hooves, trembling. “Y-yes…”

The mare leaned in closer, baring her fangs. “And if you even think of endangering any of us for a political stunt…”

“Okay, okay. Calm down, Turk,” said the dark-hued stallion, resting a hoof on the mare’s shoulder. “The only way that will happen is if we mess up too. As long as we take care of business, we don’t have anything to worry about.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that. We all saw what happened a few weeks ago during the sermon,” the second mare said before she bit down and pulled on one of her armor’s straps, her muzzle bearing noticeable scars around the nose. She was as lean and dangerous as the spear she carried. “And I asked around about her. Let’s just say you don’t want to be in the vicinity when she does screw up.”

The mare called Turk continued to glare at Fluttershy as she was reluctantly pulled away by the stallion. “You better make sure none of that happens, newbie. There are lots of accidents that can happen when we’re out in the field. I don’t care what clan you’re in. You mess up bad, and you won’t be coming back. That’s a promise.”

It was all Fluttershy could do to resist the urge to dive beneath the nearest bed. She’d been repeating General Nightshy’s final words in her mind since breakfast, searching for the confidence somewhere inside herself. Standing out in front of the barracks, she had felt good. She had felt so sure of herself. As she pushed open the doors and stepped inside, she had felt like she was ready to make something of herself and show the rest of the Legion that she wasn’t just a screw up but a strong, unique mare!

The first Ranger she’d met, Turk, had spat on the floor with a look of disgust the moment she saw Fluttershy and loudly asked her, “You know you’re a little failure who is going to get good ponies killed, right?”

It had gone downhill from there.

“Well, it’s good to see my Rangers are all getting along so well!” said a booming voice. The Rangers spun to face the door and snapped to attention. Fluttershy scrambled to emulate them.

The newcomer was a mare large enough to look a stallion in the eyes, and Fluttershy was sure that despite the eyepatch, one glance from her was enough to cow any pony. She gave each Ranger a probing stare as she marched across the barracks before finally falling upon Fluttershy. She frowned. “So our newest member is here on time. Frankly, I didn’t expect you to show up at all.”

With her best salute, Fluttershy puffed out her chest and, with as much determination as she could scrounge up, quickly said, “Sorry, Captain Vanguard.”

The Captain blinked. “Sorry?”

“I mean that, um, I’m s-sorry that I didn’t do like you expected. Wait! I’m not sorry that I’m on time, I’m just… oh, dear, um… I’m sorry that… I… that you were… wrong?”

There was a long pause. “You’re scared,” Vanguard said. It wasn’t a question.

Nightshy’s warning about confidence and first impressions repeated itself with desperation, but Fluttershy just wilted beneath that piercing gaze. “Y-yes,” she squeaked.

Behind her, one of the Rangers muttered something beneath their breath, earning a few chuckles.

“Good. That means you’re not an idiot,” said Captain Vanguard. She had to bend down to look Fluttershy in the eye. “You have been assigned to the Rangers without any training and placed in a squad set to leave on a long-range reconnaissance mission meant to actively seek out the Sun Tyrant’s soldiers in just four days. You should be terrified.”

Fluttershy’s legs began to wobble. She nodded.

“That means for the next four days your life is going to be a little slice of Tartarus. You are going to be going through the abridged version of Ranger training. If you work hard and pay attention, you might just learn enough to survive out there. Understood?”

“Y-yes, ma’am,” Fluttershy gasped.

“Good.” Straightening back up, Vanguard turned her attention to the rest of the Rangers. “That means that the three of you are going to be going through it all with her.” There was a chorus of groans and complaints. “I don’t want to hear any bellyaching from you lot. This is how it is. We are going to do everything we can to make sure our squad is in the best shape to complete the mission.” Vanguard narrowed her one-eyed gaze. “And if one of you gets a bright idea about trying to put Fluttershy onto the injured list before our mission, I will personally assign you to the next solo mission to Canterlot. Understood?”

The others saluted. “Yes, Captain.”

Vanguard pointed to the mare with the scars around her nose. “Silver Pike, take Fluttershy to the armory and get her some proper armor. I want her training in real-world conditions from now until we leave. Understood?”

Silver Pike saluted again. “Yes, Captain.”

“Dusk and Turquoise, you –”

“Just Turk, ma’am.”

“– head to the training grounds,” Vanguard continued without slowing, “and start getting things set up there. We’re going to start with the basics and work our way out from there. I want to make sure we have the best chance of getting everypony through this mission alive and intact.”

Dusk looked over at Fluttershy for a moment, sizing her up. “How basic do you want to go? Practice targets and training weapons?”

“We can skip that. Evidently she knows enough to manage to put three Legionaries into the infirmary with just her bare hooves.”

Silver Pike whistled. Fluttershy blushed furiously, too disconcerted to correct them.

“Really?” Dusk looked at Fluttershy again. “Okay Captain, will do. C’mon, Turk,” he said, elbowing the mare at his side, interrupting her almost constant glaring in Fluttershy’s direction. With a dismissive snort she turned to follow him.

Silver Pike tapped Fluttershy on the shoulder. “Let’s go,” she said. She didn’t wait for an answer and marched off, forcing Fluttershy to jog to catch up.

“Sorry for all the trouble,” Fluttershy said once they were out of earshot. “I didn’t want any of this.”

Silver Pike didn’t look at Fluttershy as she spoke. “Stop apologizing. The Captain’s right. You’re here now, so nothing else matters. The best thing is to give you all the training we can before we leave. You’ll learn quickly, or you’ll die. And to be honest, we don’t really care which, just as long as you don’t take us with you.”

The rest of the walk was done in silence.

*~*~*

As Fluttershy gingerly lowered herself down onto her cot, she groaned with relief. By the Moon, no bed in Equestria could ever be as comfortable as that one ratty cot. She’d barely had the strength to remove her armor, leaving it in a pile beside her bed. What had been fresh from the armory hours earlier was scuffed and scraped and dented from a full day of training.

“She wasn’t kidding about Tartarus,” she whispered, rubbing one of her aching legs as gingerly as possible. The bruises were going to be there for a while.

“You’ve still got enough energy to talk?” Captain Vanguard asked.

“Wha- owww!” Fluttershy shot up on reflex before moaning in pain as her back protested loudly. She tried to salute Vanguard, but her arm was jelly. “I m-mean, um, yes… ma’am?”

Vanguard pointed at the pile of darkened steel beside Fluttershy’s bed. “Then you have enough energy to put your armor away properly. Take care of your equipment, and it will save your life.” She leaned forward. “Or would you prefer to do some more laps around the training field?”

Fluttershy’s wings trembled in fear. “N-no ma’am! Right away, ma’am!” Easing out of bed as quickly as she could manage, Fluttershy scooped up her gear with aching limbs. She made sure that she fit each piece on the armor stand firmly. She didn’t need Captain Vanguard ordering her to do it all over again.

The rest of the Rangers busied themselves with their own duties. Only Turk bothered to even look in Fluttershy’s direction. Situated as she was on the cots between Dusk and Turk, Fluttershy couldn’t avoid the glare she felt burning through the back of her skull. Fluttershy kept her eyes down, focused on her task.

Captain Vanguard moved to the middle of the barracks and cleared her throat. “That was a good day, Rangers. You worked hard, and I’m proud of you. Tomorrow is going to be more of the same. You have two hours rest. Make the most of it.” The other Rangers groaned, but Vanguard silenced them with a glare. “Be thankful I don’t have you all on watch for the night instead.”

The room was plunged into darkness as the candles were blown out one by one. Fluttershy dropped onto the rough mattress with a smile. It felt like she was resting on a cloud. She wiggled like a little filly and pulled the musty sheets up to her nose. Yes, her body throbbed like it was just one giant bruise, but at that moment she was in heaven.

“So what are you really doing here, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy yelped and tugged the blanket over her head.

“Fluttershy?” Somepony prodded her. “Hey, I’m talking to you.”

Slowly, Fluttershy peeked out to find Dusk looking down at her with a befuddled expression. She blushed. “Y-yes?”

“You shouldn’t be here. You’re not Ranger material. You’re barely a Legionary.” He pointed. “I saw your best out there, and it’s just not good enough. The best ponies in the Legion want to join the Rangers and get turned down in droves. So you need to really reconsider whatever strings you pulled to get assigned here.”

Fluttershy’s lowered her eyes. “But I’m trying my best...”

“If that’s your best, then you shouldn’t have joined the Rangers.”

“I didn’t have a choice. I was assigned here. As punishment.”

Dusk cocked an eyebrow. “Punishment? What could a pony like you have done to get assigned to the Rangers as a punishment?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. If, um, that’s okay with you…”

“Whatever. You want my advice? You should do whatever you can to get out of this. Because once you’re out in the wilderness, with wild monsters on one side and enemy soldiers on the other, you’re going to wish you were in the brig.”

“Oh…” she replied. There wasn’t anything else she could say. She rolled over onto her good shoulder as Dusk returned to his cot – only to find Turk staring at her from her own bed, the Ranger’s sullen eyes piercing the darkness. Fluttershy returned to her previous position.

Clenching her eyes shut and ignoring Turk’s eyes on the back of her head, Fluttershy tried to focus on sleep. Her battered body cried out for rest, but her thoughts were a whirlwind of anxiety and dread. She’d spent a day getting her flank kicked, figuratively and literally. The thought of doing it again only heightened the tension, like trying to find sleep when haunted by a bad dream.

And above it all hung the promise of disappointment and shame at her inevitable failure.

Fluttershy scrunched up her muzzle. ‘No. You can do this. If you can save dozens of your animal friends, you can go without messing up once,’ she thought, wrapping her mind in as much confidence as she could scrounge up. ‘You’re not a failure, and you’re not gonna let the family down. Dusk is wrong. You’re not a bad soldier. You’re better than that. You’re… you’re an average soldier, and you’re gonna prove it to them!’

With that stirring affirmation reverberating in her thoughts, Fluttershy drifted off to sleep.

*~*~*

“That crafty gelding! He’s ruined everything!”

There was a crash as the cup Silhouette had been holding smashed into the wall in a shower of wine and glass. A servant darted out of the shadows with a rag at the ready, but she ignored him. She turned back to face her guest, her wrinkled face softening. “My apologies, Sky,” she said as another servant placed a new cup in her hoof. She downed the contents in a single gulp. “Please forgive my outburst. The cost of old age, I’m sorry to say.”

Sky Lance took a bite of his salad, watching Silhouette from across the lengthy dining table. “Don’t. I should be the one throwing a fit. It’s my son in the infirmary.”

“And you’re absolutely sure that she’s already with the Rangers?”

“I had someone go by Fluttershy’s room last night. It’s already empty.”

Silhouette swirled her mushroom wine around in her glass, savoring the piquant odor. “Do we know who her commanding officer is?”

“Captain Vanguard.”

“One of yours?”

Sky Lance gave a dry laugh. “Hardly. She’s a talented but unambitious career officer from a middling family. She’ll still be a Captain when they put her in her tomb.”

Glowering, Silhouette slugged back her wine. She held out an impatient hoof for a refill. “I’m not willing to give up just yet. We’ve never been closer to taking control of the Legion. It can’t be too hard to get one filly out of the picture.”

“I have good stallions who can make her… disappear.”

“Don’t be a fool,” she snapped. “You can’t kill the General’s heir and get away with it.”

He bristled. “I know my business. They could never trace any of it back to us.”

“They don’t have to trace anything. Suspicion would be enough to turn the Council against us.” Silhouette ran a hoof through her mane, her once pure black hair streaked with white. “Once they were through with us, we’d be lucky to ever see the outside of a cell again. And I don’t plan on spending the last years of my life behind bars.”

“Then what do you propose?” asked Sky Lance as he pushed his empty plate to the side. An unseen servant whisked it away as he smirked at Silhouette. “Get Fluttershy to abdicate in exchange for her own petting zoo?”

She choked on a reluctant laugh. “If only it were that easy. The mere idea of that emotional, insecure little filly being the heir to the Legion…” Silhouette shook her head. “The sooner we’re free of her, the better. You’ve heard the rumors, about the True Princess's return approaching. The portents are getting harder to ignore. And I don’t want to risk facing the Sun Tyrant while Fluttershy wields the General’s baton.”

“It’s true. Her family has grown weak. Their blood is thin.”

“So we have to keep looking. There must be someone else in the Rangers who could be called upon to arrange an accident out in the field.”

Sky Lance frowned. “I thought you said–”

She cut him off with a waved hoof as she finished her third – or was it her fourth? – glass of wine. “What I said was don’t be a fool. I don’t care how good your thugs are, you kill the heir inside the Citadel and your whole family is finished.” She pulled back her lips, revealing her fangs. “But when our brave little filly vanishes on a patrol, well, then she’s just another casualty in the Long War.”

“That still depends upon finding a pony to do the deed.”

“Just a week ago you were bragging about your connections within the Legion. Now it’s time to put them to use.”

“It will still be difficult,” Sky Lance said. “They leave on patrol in four days.”

Silhouette tutted disapprovingly, like a school teacher returning a paper buried in red ink. “Now now, stop that defeatist nonsense. Convincing ponies to do what you want is hardly difficult. It’s all a matter of leverage. It’s like we learned in training: with the right grip and enough pressure, you can snap even the strongest limb. Look into the rest of Fluttershy’s unit. Dig up everything you can on their friends and families.” Silhouette leaned forward, her voice dropping to a low growl.

“Find me my leverage.”

*~*~*

The straps of Fluttershy’s coal-blackened saddlebags dug into her raw shoulders, the fabric bulging with waterskins, food rations, a bedroll, replacement horseshoes, a saw blade, six flares, a telescope, and enough paper and ink to accurately describe every last soldier in the Sun Tyrant’s army. Atop it all were the neatly packed bundles of spare spears and armor being transported to their destination. Despite the burning welts and pains left over from four days of mind-numbingly exhausting training, Fluttershy stood firmly at attention, her spear held proudly upright as Captain Vanguard inspected the unit one by one.

The rest of the Rangers stood with her like martial sculptures as Captain Vanguard passed her discerning gaze over each of them in turn. Forcing herself to keep a neutral expression, Fluttershy couldn’t help but bask in the newfound confidence she felt standing beside the other Rangers. Internally, she exulted at her accomplishment.

I did it. I made through training, she exulted. I just might not die!

Whether it was the sleep deprivation or the deep physical fatigue that seemed to reach all the way to her very core until even walking required thorough concentration, Fluttershy found the thought reassuring. She couldn’t help but take some measure of pride in feeling like she just might not immediately get herself and her whole unit slain the moment they left the Citadel.

She ignored that snide voice pointing out that not dying was hardly an accomplishment. Fluttershy was going to continue to celebrate even the smallest of victories. She would save the introspective self-analysis for when her brain wasn’t doing its best to shut down out of sheer exhaustion.

Fluttershy focused what little willpower she had left on standing proudly at attention as Captain Vanguard stepped in front of her.

The rest of her unit hated her, she’d brought shame upon her family, and she was about to head out into the wilderness to spy upon the soldiers of the Sun Tyrant, but for the first time in her life Fluttershy felt like a proper soldier. If only Angel could see her now.

Captain Vanguard stood before Fluttershy for an eternity, her one eye silently judging the newest recruit. Her lip edged downward in a resigned frown. “Well, you’ll just have to learn the rest out in the field.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Fluttershy replied hoarsely.

Finishing her inspection, Captain Vanguard turned to address her squad. “Alright, you know the drill. Move fast, stay quiet, and hide your tracks. We can’t leave anything for the Sun Tyrant to track us back to the Citadel. Our destination is the old castle in the Everfree Forest. Turk, you’re on point. Fluttershy, you’re with me. Now move out.”

As far as speeches went it was decidedly brief and low-key, something that appealed to Fluttershy after so many years of unfortunately garrulous officers. Forming up as ordered, they set off at a quick pace, Captain Vanguard trotting at Fluttershy’s side.

Fluttershy was impressed with how quiet they were as group. The clanging, clanking Legionary armor she was used to would have made a deafening racket at such a pace, but the Ranger armor she wore moved with an oiled grace that even her tired and clumsy limbs couldn’t sabotage.

The caverns grew rougher and darker as they passed through successive gateways, and Fluttershy ignored the looks of respect and pity the Rangers received from each successive garrison. Fluttershy shivered as the last portcullis slammed down behind them. There was no turning back now.

But the surface was still a long march away. Instead of hewn walls and constructed pathways, the caverns they moved through were dark and damp, bearing no sign of occupation. The darkness strained even a bat pony’s eyes. Fluttershy edged closer to Captain Vanguard as they trotted through the caves, eying the yawning mouths of side tunnels as they passed them, fearing they might eat her whole. Long forgotten school lessons about the construction of the Citadel and its labyrinthine entrance resurfaced. One wrong turn and she’d never be seen again.

“This is your first time topside, isn’t it?” Captain Vanguard asked, the total silence turning her whisper into a shout.

Fluttershy would have nodded, if moving her head quickly didn’t blur her vision and make her skull feel like it was trapped in a vice. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Your first time is always special. You’ll never forget it. Just don’t go crazy on us. It can be frightening not having stone above your head.”

The fear and fatigue fell to the wayside as Fluttershy glanced over at Captain Vanguard. “Will… will we see the sun?”

“You’re not a sun-worshipping traitor, are you?”

Fluttershy gasped. “What? N-no! Of course not!”

“Relax. It was just a joke. Yes, you’ll get to see the sun. We should exit around sunset, giving us the whole night to travel.” She watched Fluttershy from the side of her eye. “I know you’re tired, but do your best. The first leg of our mission isn’t far. We have a cache hidden just inside the Everfree Forest. You’ll get a chance to rest up then.”

“I would like that a lot,” said Fluttershy with a smile.

“Just don’t expect us to go easy on you after that. It’s a long hike to the castle, and the Everfree Forest isn’t a friendly place to be after dark. You’ll have to pull your weight, first time or not.” As hard as she tried, Captain Vanguard couldn’t keep some of her concern from leaking into her voice.

Warmth settled over Fluttershy despite the tunnel’s sapping dampness. “Thank you, ma’am,” she whispered to Captain Vanguard’s back as the older mare moved ahead. Her thoughts drifted back to what she’d just said. “Sunset…” Despite her exhaustion, Fluttershy felt the urge to giggle like a filly. The sun! Who thought I’d ever have the chance to see it? I hope it’s as wonderful as my books described it. Echo will never believe me. When I get back…

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted when a distracted hoof caught on a stalagmite. She stumbled beneath the weight of her overloaded saddlebags, wings flapping wildly for balance. Leaning back, she began to regain control, hooves scrabbling for purchase on the stone – before she ran headlong into a low-hanging stalactite.

Her helmet struck the ancient stone like the tolling of a bell, the sound echoing down the side-tunnels and cross-caves, audible long after Fluttershy’s head had stopped ringing.

Skull throbbing, Fluttershy blinked away the tears as she struggled back to her hooves. She looked up to find the entire patrol glaring down at her. Blushing visibly even in the darkness, she tried to sink back down and hide inside her armor. “Uh… oops?”

*~*~*

Captain Vanguard hadn’t been lying. Sunset had truly been an experience Fluttershy would never forget – no matter how hard she tried.

It was accepted, even expected, that new Legionaries would be unnerved at their first glimpse of the sun’s staggering brightness when they first escaped the Citadel’s stony grasp. The anxiety, the momentary panic; it happened to them all on their first time.

Evidently that unspoken tolerance didn’t extend to collapsing onto the ground and sucking on your hoof like a foal.

Amidst a bout of heavy laughter, Fluttershy was levered up onto her hooves and driven forward, walking on automatic. By the time she had the presence of mind to even recognize the teasing for what it was, the sun had vanished beyond the horizon and they were embraced by the deep shadows of the Everfree Forest.

Fluttershy glanced above her as she marched onward, thankful that the trees masked the night. Blessed as it was, every glimpse of that open, endless void set her knees shaking until she was certain she couldn’t continue on. Only Captain Vanguard’s stern encouragement – and the desire to avoid giving the other Rangers any more ammunition to mock her – kept Fluttershy moving.

The castle turned out to be a mist-shrouded ruin in the heart of the forest. The surrounding trees looked intent on reclaiming the broken remains, hungry vines squeezing the life out of what was left. Only the stony chasm surrounding the castle kept the rest of the forest from joining in the feast, offering as it did some measure of protection for the ancient walls.

It also meant there was no easy access for the Rangers. Weighed down with gear and unable to fly across, they circled around the castle instead, searching for a rotten rope bridge that Turk whispered was never found in exactly the same position twice. Fluttershy went pale, and Turk’s mocking laughter was only cut off when Dusk cuffed her helmet.

The rest of the journey around the castle was conducted in silence. Each Ranger paid close attention to the sounds of the forest, alert for the sudden silence that could signal an imminent attack.

Still, Silver Pike happily detailed the history of the castle to Fluttershy whenever they stopped to rest or refill their canteens. From the looks the others gave one another it was a topic she’d covered before, but Fluttershy still found it an interesting diversion from her aching limbs and her anxiety about that endless abyss above.

As Silver Pike explained, it had been home to the two Princesses of Equestria long ago. The castle had been the beating heart of their kingdom, a monument to the artistry and skill of the ancient Equestrians. For ages the sisters ruled side by side, but slowly the Sun Tyrant had grown jealous of the True Princess’ beautiful nights. When she finally betrayed her sister, the resulting fight had sundered the land and left the castle a broken wreck.

The Sun Tyrant had abandoned the castle soon after her victory, allowing it to be consumed by the Everfree so as to hide her shame. Long forgotten by the traitors, it had found new purpose in serving the Legion. For centuries it had been a forward base of operation, its cellar stockpiled with weapons and armor, all carried there on the backs of Rangers like them.

When the True Princess returned, Silver Pike said with glee, it would be one of the launching points for their glorious reclamation of Equestria.

Still, it was clear they were not welcome there. The hairs on the back of Fluttershy’s neck stood on end as they crossed the rope bridge one by one. It was a deep, unsettling sensation, like static electricity that wouldn’t dissipate. Years of life in the darkness of the Citadel left every bat pony well in-tune with their other senses, and what Fluttershy’s told her was worrying.

They were being watched.

Only later, when they were wrapped safely in the thick stone walls of the castle, did Fluttershy voice her suspicions.

Captain Vanguard snorted derisively. “Of course we were being watched,” she said as she shrugged off her heavy saddlebags, dropping them beside a strange spherical statue in the middle of the room. Around it on six arms were six smaller spheres, each crafted from a pale white stone that shone in the light of the moon.

Fluttershy felt her eyes pulled to the statue, and one sphere in particular. A forgotten lullaby hummed by a familiar voice was carried in on the wind, barely audible yet warming her heart.

Captain Vanguard’s stern voice drew her back to the matter at hoof, and Fluttershy snapped to attention. “This is the Everfree. There’s always something watching you. We’re lucky it was just a pack of timberwolves. I’d hate to have your first night in the field spent fighting an angry hydra.”

Fluttershy’s face lit up. “Timberwolves? Really? Oh, can we go see them?”

Captain Vanguard gave her a flat look. “They’re predators, Fluttershy, not pets. They weren’t hungry enough to attack our squad, but they’d certainly try to make a meal out of any bat pony stupid enough to go out there alone.”

“Oh. It’s just that I’ve only read about them in books. I’ve never seen one alive before.”

“If you act around them like you did when you saw the sun, you still won’t see one alive,” Turk said from across the room, baring her teeth and making a gnawing motion. It earned a few chuckles from the other Rangers till Captain Vanguard gave a stern cough. The rest of the team returned to their work.

“There’s really not much to see. They look like a moving collection of twigs with two green eyes glued on.” Captain Vanguard pointed across the room they’d claimed as their own. “Now get back to work and finish unpacking your gear. The sooner you’re finished, the sooner you can get some sleep. Tomorrow’s hike is going to make this one seem like a short canter with your special somepony.”

Dropping off her own saddlebags, Fluttershy’s turned back to her captain. “Where are we going tomorrow?”

“There’s a town a few miles away. Not too large, but it’s in a strategic location along the major transportation arteries that lead to Canterlot. We’ll be observing the population, tracking any troop movements, counting ponies, that sort of thing.”

Fluttershy spread out her bedroll over the worn stones. “Well that doesn’t sound too bad.”

“They key is not getting spotted,” Silver Pike added as she stoked the flames of their small campfire. Shadows danced across the walls. She wasn’t preparing her bed, having been given the unenviable task of having first watch. “It’s not hard, but you have to stay alert all day. You never know when the traitors will send out a patrol. It’s a game of cat and mouse. We have to get as much information as we can without them knowing we were ever there.”

“Because if they catch you…” Turk stuck her tongue out and ran her hoof across her throat.

It was a pathetic taunt straight off the school playground. Fluttershy slipped beneath her bedding before Turk could see her shiver. “So, what’s the town called?”

Dusk gave a dry laugh. “Ponyville! There isn’t a place in Equestria with a blander, less interesting name. And trust me, I’ve checked.”

Fluttershy giggled softly as she pulled her blanket up to her chin. Her crescent moon pendant was a reassuring weight on her chest. “Heh, yeah.”

“You lucked out, newbie,” said Turk, sounding a little disappointed. “You couldn’t have asked for an easier first time. By the end of this rotation you’ll be bored out of your mind like the rest of us.

“Trust me, nothing exciting ever happens in Ponyville.”

Chapter 5

A cold tremor ran up Fluttershy’s spine as she lowered her telescope. “I can’t… I mean… is that really…”

“Yup,” Silver Pike grunted.

Flattening her ears against her skull, Fluttershy shifted a little further back into the protective canopy of the Everfree forest’s foliage, pulling the branches and bushes a little closer around her.

“They can’t see you from this distance,” Silver Pike said without looking up, her attention focused on the distant town, nestled as it was in a low valley along a small, crystal-blue river. Her own spyglass panned back and forth methodically, only pausing whenever she spotted another pony. Each time she did, the quill in her free hoof made another small mark in her notebook.

Fluttershy quickly returned to her clandestine observations. Watching the ponies moving about their day, she felt the same thrill as when she was encountering a new species back at the Citadel, but on a much grander scale. It was almost too much for her to process. Everything about the town and its occupants was wonderful, from their gingerbread houses to the rainbow of coats and manes on display. So many colors! Streamers and ribbons were everywhere, along with banners displaying the Sun Tyrant’s crest.

Safely hidden miles away and with new discoveries to be made every few seconds, Fluttershy could keep herself distracted from the frightening nothingness above her. Or worse, the warm, oppressive heat of the sun, which always seemed to be searching for her, hoping to illuminate her for some hereto unseen foes.

She blushed, trying to forget her extended panic attack when she’d first left the solid comfort of the Citadel and seen the fading sun. Turk had imitated the sound of a suckling foal during breakfast, until the Captain had made her knock it off.

Deliberately keeping her eyes below the horizon for fear of a repeat, Fluttershy kept her attention firmly on the ponies going about their lives in the distant village. She had a job to do, and despite her chaotic emotions, she was going to give it her best.

The morning briefing was still fresh in her mind. The town was called Ponyville. Situated on the river between Canterlot and the Everfree, it was a small but strategic outpost for the followers of the Sun Tyrant. Importantly, it was going to be the site of a major celebration honoring the Sun Tyrant’s rise to power. That meant the Legion needed up-to-date information on the town and its occupants.

Silver Pike, with her hard-working quill, was helping to estimate the town's population by counting the number of distinct ponies she saw moving about. The other Rangers would compare notes once safely hidden by the night, to discern whether Ponyville had significantly grown in recent months – a sign of a possible shift in their garrison or patrols.

When Fluttershy had asked what her job was, Captain Vanguard had told her to “Just look for anything unusual.” Flattered that such a role would fall to her, and ignoring the other Rangers’ jealous snickering, Fluttershy had promised she wouldn’t let the Captain down. So while Silver Pike tallied the ponies in the town, Fluttershy diligently kept her spyglass in motion, on the lookout for anything strange.

Though strange lost much of its meaning when observing a whole town of non-bat ponies who congregated beneath the open sky.

Just what the Captain had meant by “unusual” became pretty clear later that morning, when an ornate chariot flew low over the town. It was pulled by a pair of traitor pegasi in golden armor that shined bright enough in the sunlight to draw even Fluttershy’s reluctant gaze skyward.

What kind of warrior uses gold armor? It’s too soft, Fluttershy thought, the lesson from her early foalhood about smithing passingly idly through her mind. She focused her magnified gaze on the passengers instead. The first, a purple unicorn with a mildly irritated expression, stood in stark contrast to her ostentatious means of transportation. She must be somepony important. A minister, or a government–

Fluttershy squeaked, earning a sharp rebuke from Silver Pike. Fluttershy didn’t hear her. There was only one thing on her mind.

Dragon!

Fluttershy had to bite her lip to keep silent. She was looking at a dragon! A short, adorable, purple and green, absolutely real and not a picture book, honest to goodness baby dragon! Her wings flexed as she suppressed the impulse to just rush down to the town so she could talk to the dragon. She had so many questions, her head felt like it was about to burst.

Eventually Fluttershy remembered just why she was half-buried in a shrubbery so far from the Citadel and reported her discovery to Silver Pike, still refusing to lower her telescope.

Silver Pike congratulated Fluttershy before ordering her back to her job. Fluttershy obeyed at once, ears flitting from side to side with excitement.

But as the day wore on and nothing else unusual – or even particularly exciting – occurred, Fluttershy resorted to tracking individual ponies as they went about their day, just to pass the time. The infrequent appearances by the baby dragon and its unicorn handler had kept her alert, through noon, but they hadn’t left the central tree-shaped building in hours.

It was disappointing, but Turk had been right – Ponyville was a dull place once the novelty wore off. What had begun with so much anxious determination had wilted with time. Dragon or not, hours spent sitting in place and watching the archenemy shopping for groceries and getting hooficures eroded away some of the intimidation factor.

Though not all of it. Despite the reassurances from Silver Pike about how the townsfolk were all too frightened to even go into the Everfree and that no Ranger had ever been caught near Ponyville, Fluttershy could never shake her lingering anxiety.

Still, she found it hard to reconcile the smiling ponies in her telescope with the stories she’d been raised with. She considered asking Silver Pike where the soldiers were, and why none of the ponies bore any weapons, but Fluttershy dismissed the idea out of hoof. It was her first day. If there was something wrong with what they were seeing, she’d hear about it once they assembled together at the castle.

Besides, she could already picture the rolled eyes and snickering when Silver Pike repeated such a dumb question, and it was enough to keep her muzzle clamped shut. She didn’t need to invite any more social scorn from her comrades.

Focusing her thoughts back onto the mission, Fluttershy turned her gaze out over the surrounding countryside. She spotted a gold and orange mare pulling a cart loaded to the brim with similarly-shaded produce. Thinking back to the picture books she’d read as a filly, Fluttershy identified them as carrots.

Fluttershy felt a pang of envy. Even from so far away, they looked far more enticing than the enriched moss and mushroom gruel that passed for common fare in the Citadel. Her stomach gave a sympathetic grumble.

Moving her gaze further afield, she picked out meadows of carrots and cabbage and hay, before finally settling on the acres of enticing apple trees that dominated the nearby hills.

Oh, I hope we get to at least try one of those, she thought, licking her lips. It was a delicious thought, but she let it fizzle just as quickly. It would be risky and pointless – and besides, she didn’t want to steal from anypony, even the enemy.

Fluttershy easily picked out the apple farmer hard at work amongst the trees. She smiled. The big brown hat made it hard to mistake the mare for anypony else. All morning the hat-wearing mare had been hard at work, the apple farm’s relative closeness ensuring she was always within Fluttershy’s sight. It was interesting to see her on her own. Earlier, a whole herd of earth ponies had been roaming the farm, gathering up apples and filling carts with mountains of baked goods.

Well, not entirely alone. Instead of kicking loose more apples from the trees, Fluttershy found the mare in an animated conversation with a brightly colored pegasus hovering a yard or two off the ground. Fluttershy frowned. She hadn’t seen the pegasus before – but considering her deliberate refusal to look up into the terrifyingly open sky, that wasn’t surprising.

Adjusting her position, Fluttershy tried to get a better view of the two. Part of her still felt a little awkward at the voyeurism, but secretly watching the lives of the other ponies was part of her job. And they were the two closest ponies to their position.

It was obvious they were arguing about something. The pegasus continued to circle the pony in the hat, who was holding up a hoof-full of dry looking grass. Dropping the grass, the earth pony turned and pointed at something far away.

Fluttershy froze.

She was pointing right at them.

Nervously, she glanced over at Silver Pike, but her attention was firmly on the town, her quill jotting down each newly spotted pony. Biting her lip, Fluttershy looked back at the hat-wearing mare. She was just letting herself get spooked, Fluttershy reassured herself. So close to the enemies of the True Princess and so far from the Citadel, she was acting like the old, easily frightened Fluttershy.

I’m a Ranger now. I have to act like it, she thought. Fluttershy took a few deep breaths before returning the spyglass to her eye.

The pegasus was looking right at her.

Fluttershy leapt into the nearest bush with a yelp, her heartbeat racing a thousand miles an hour.

“What? What’s wrong?”

Peeking her head out of the bush, she looked up at Silver Pike. The Ranger’s eyes were darting from side to side, searching for threats. Her spyglass and quill had been tossed aside in favor of the spear she held out before her.

“I s-saw a p-p-pony…” she stammered.

Silver Pike halted. In an instant her alarm vanished, replaced with rancid irritation. “And I’ve seen,” she glanced down at her notes, “278 ponies.”

“N-no! I saw a pony and… and… and she was looking right at me!”

Silver Pike rolled her eyes and set the spear down. “Okay. Where did you see her?” she asked as she reached for her spyglass.

The bush grew a new limb as Fluttershy thrust her arm in the direction of the farm. “Over there… by those trees…” she whispered. She gnawed on her lip as Silver Pike followed her hoof, zeroing in on the offending ponies. Seconds ticked by like hours. The bush shivered in fear.

“Okay. I see an earth pony mare in a distinctive hat. Yeah, she’s a known figure. Owns the apple farm. Doesn’t seem to be doing much, though. She’s just shielding her eyes and looking up into the sky at something.” She glanced over at Fluttershy. “Please tell me you didn’t get scared by a farmer sitting a few miles away. She’s just looking after her trees.”

Fluttershy sank a little lower into the plant’s protective embrace. “I was talking about the p-pegasus…”

Silver Pike blinked. “What pegasus?”

There was the crack of thunder directly above them, the loud boom reverberating down through their bones with a physical impact. The scent of rotting flora filled Fluttershy’s nostrils as she pressed herself down into the soil. Shattered branches and leaves rained down around them as the explosion’s echo faded into the distance

Eyes wide, Fluttershy shakily peeked out from beneath her helm to find the canopy had been eviscerated, the trees left mangled and bare. A slowly-fading rainbow trail lingered in the sky above them. Fluttershy carefully lifted her head. Her voice was a trembling whisper. “S-Silver? What was that? Are we… are we under attack?”

There was no response. Left in the sudden silence and unable to find her spear, Fluttershy whimpered quietly. Checking the skies to make sure the pegasus was out of sight, she crept out of her hiding place and inched toward the pile of branches and leaves where Silver Pike had been. She pushed away the debris to reveal the Ranger face down in the dirt, a sizeable dent in the back of her helmet. Silver Pike was limp in her hooves.

She exhaled a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding when she found a pulse. “Oh thank the night,” Fluttershy said.

Her fear was still there, a chilly frost that covered her from tip to tail, but she was already removing Silver Pike’s helmet and reaching for the bandages. Years spent caring for the sick and injured critters of the Citadel kept her hooves steady. She started cleaning the cuts and scrapes, paying particular attention to the large contusion on the back of Silver Pike’s head.

It didn’t take long to finish dressing the wounds, but Silver Pike remained unresponsive. Fluttershy whispered her name as loudly as she dared to no effect. She considered Silver Pike’s ruined helmet with growing dread. Head injuries were far beyond her knowledge. There could be a skull fracture, or internal bleeding. Who knew what it would do to Silver Pike’s humors? Fluttershy glanced around, painfully aware of just how alone she was.

Slowing her breathing before she hyperventilated, Fluttershy tried to calm herself. Scared, alone, and so far out of her depth she couldn’t even remember what the surface looked like, Fluttershy focused on a simple truth: right here, right now, there was a living thing that needed her help. And if I can’t help her myself, I need to take her to somepony who can.

Preparing the larger mare for travel was a difficult task, made infinitely more challenging by the threat of the pegasus’ imminent return. Whatever she’d done to cause so much devastation had at least provided Fluttershy with plenty of branches, and with some of the rope from her saddlebags she lashed together a simple litter. She paused to catch her breath after finally managing to roll Silver Pike onto it.

A shadow passed over her just as her ears picked out the whistle of an incoming object. Fluttershy threw herself across Silver Pike as the pegasus shot through the air above. The feared explosion failed to materialize. Fluttershy looked up to find the pegasus moving much slower across the sky, pushing a massive grey cloudbank in the direction of the apple farm.

Picking up her spyglass, Fluttershy tracked the pegasus, praying they were still undiscovered. To her relief the earth pony was waiting in the same place, tapping a hoof impatiently. The pegasus corralled the clouds into position above the trees before shooting straight up into the sky at a speed that left Fluttershy breathless. Leaving a rainbow trail in her wake, the pegasus looped back around and dove straight down onto the cloud, hooves first.

The earth pony’s reaction was lost beneath a torrent of rainfall that flooded the surrounding farmland and swept her off her hooves. She vanished into the newly formed pond. Above, the pegasus laughed raucously, clutching her sides and kicking at the air.

Fluttershy covered her mouth in shock. “She… she drowned her!” She’d been raised on such stories, but to see the followers of the Sun Tyrant in action left her queasy. She tucked the spyglass into her saddlebags and turned back to Silver Pike. Whatever torments the pegasus might have in store for the other ponies were irrelevant now – but hopefully, it would keep her distracted while Fluttershy made her escape.

She loaded up the litter with the rest of their equipment, laying Silver Pike’s crumpled helmet on her stomach. Nothing could be left behind to suggest the Legion had been there. It was one of the first rules Captain Vanguard had hammered into her during training. The bat ponies of the Legion were ghost stories to the rest of Equestria – and ghosts they would remain.

Moving to the front of the litter, Fluttershy lifted the guide rope up and over her shoulders and clamped it between her teeth. It was foul tasting. She bit down hard. Silver Pike, her fellow Rangers, and her family were counting on her. She wouldn’t let them down.

Digging her hooves into the soft soil for purchase, Fluttershy gave a muffled count of “One… two… three!” and pushed forward with all her strength. Muscles burning, legs straining, she pulled and pulled and pulled before the earth reluctantly gave up its grip on the heavy litter and she stumbled forward, leaving heavy grooves in the dirt behind her.

Each step was a challenge, but Fluttershy shook off the aches and pains. She had motivation. As small as she was, Silver Pike was in danger, and she was counting on her to reach safety.

And who knew what that cruel pegasus would do if she found the pair of them, alone and defenseless?

*~*~*

The journey to the rendezvous was difficult but free from any surprises, something Fluttershy was eternally grateful for. Captain Vanguard had been sure to explain each variety of threat she might encounter on the mission, from timberwolves to cockatrices – tales the Rangers had only been happy to expand upon after last night’s journey through the forest. Under better circumstances she might have appreciated finding one of those misunderstood animals in her path. For Silver Pike’s sake, however, she was thankful the worst threat had been gnarled roots and uncooperative mud.

The sun was starting to descend when Fluttershy finally came to a halt just outside a forest clearing. Bisected by a fast-running river heading in the direction of the nearby town, the clearing was a picture of tranquility. A few butterflies performed lazy loops in the faint breeze, the scent of flowers in bloom overwhelmingly sweet.

Fluttershy wasn’t taking any chances. The tooth-marked rope fell to the ground, leaving the unconscious Silver Pike just within the protective canopy of green and purple trees. Rubbing her jaw tenderly, Fluttershy hunkered down low and crawled the last few yards. Peeking over the tall grass, she scanned the treeline carefully, as she’d been taught. She repeated the process with the sky. And, just for good measure, she did it all once again. Satisfied a patrol of traitor Guardponies wasn’t lurking nearby, she let out two inquisitive clicks, the frequency too high for non-bat ponies to hear. She waited to the count of five and repeated the signal.

Only when she heard the proper three-click response did she finally exhale. Standing up, she saw Dusk slide out into the fading afternoon light. The stallion wore a playful smile, although there was something else in his eyes, like part of him wasn’t pleased to see Fluttershy. “Looks like I owe Turk 10 bits. She said you’d chicken out and come back to the rendezvous point before your mission was finished.”

“Please, I need your help!” Fluttershy said, gesturing back behind her. “It’s Silver Pike! She’s been hurt!”

Dusk’s eyes widened, his expression instantly serious. “Silver Pike is hurt?” He darted across the field. “Quick, take me to her!”

Fluttershy did as ordered, and Dusk let out a low growl when he spotted the comatose Silver Pike. Eyes dangerous slits, he spun around and jabbed a hoof into Fluttershy’s chest. “I knew you were a risk to the rest of us. What did you do?”

“What? N-No!” protested Fluttershy, waving her hooves in front of her. “This wasn’t my fault, I swear! There was this pegasus, and she–”

Dusk turned away. “Just sit down, shut up, and don’t say anything,” he spat as he moved to Silver Pike’s side. Fluttershy plopped her rear into the dirt without question. Dusk leaned over and placed a fuzzy ear to Silver Pike’s chest, listening to her breathing. Satisfied, he set about examining Fluttershy’s bandages with an experienced eye, paying particular attention to the ones wrapped around Silver Pike’s head. His expression softened almost imperceptibly. “At least you didn’t screw up the first-aid,” he admitted reluctantly.

“Is she going to be okay?” Fluttershy whispered, gnawing her lip.

He glanced over at Fluttershy. “She’s stable. She took a nasty blow to the head, but she should make it. Now, tell me exactly what happened, and in as few words as possible.”

Verbally stumbling over herself, Fluttershy rushed through the story, unable to look Dusk in the eyes. When she reached the part about the clearing itself Dusk cut her off with a wave of his hoof. “Okay. If this pegasus wasn’t attacking you deliberately, and you didn’t mess up and leave anything behind, then the odds of her calling for reinforcements are low. She’s probably too busy with more Sun Tyrant cruelty. That means we can treat Silver Pike here while we wait for the others to come back in a few… hours...” Dusk trailed off as he stared at Fluttershy intently.

The oppressive silence became too much for Fluttershy. “D-Dusk? Are you okay?”

“Yes! Yes, I’m fine,” Dusk said stiffly. Standing up, he pointed at Silver Pike “She’s stable for now, but she… has a fever. We need to get her something to treat it.” He strode past Fluttershy, skirting along the edge of the clearing. “Come on. I saw some flowers by the river we can use.”

Fluttershy followed in his wake. She risked a smile. “I can’t tell you how glad I am you’re here, Dusk. I know how to help animals, but I’m not so good with ponies.”

“You did good. You followed orders, you didn’t panic, and you looked after your fellow Ranger. That’s what it’s all about out here. Surrounded by the enemy, you have to know you can count on the pony next to you.”

Fluttershy blushed a beet red. “Well, I just tried to do what Captain Vanguard taught me. I don’t want to let anypony down. Again.”

Halting at the edge of the river bank, Dusk looked at Fluttershy. “Well, you didn’t let anypony down this time,” he said with a smile, although a shadow seemed to pass over his face. “Now take off your armor. It will weigh you down if you fall in.”

“Fall in?”

“Yes. The herb I need grows in the water.” Dusk pointed at some strands of dark green waving beneath the surface of the river, just beyond the shallows.

Fluttershy glanced up at Dusk as she removed her helmet. “I thought you said it was by the river.”

“You heard wrong,” Dusk snapped. “Now hurry up. This river is treacherous, and the sooner we get the plants the better. Silver Pike is waiting for us.”

Fluttershy set her helmet aside and finished climbing out of her armor and dropped her saddlebags, feeling uncomfortably light after having worn them for so long. She glanced out over the river as it rushed past, cascades of white foam bubbling over the smooth rocks that broke the surface. It was far bigger up close, the bottom lost in murky shadow. Wearing nothing but her crescent moon medallion, she leaned out and planted her first hoof into the water – which was promptly swallowed up by the mud. “That’s c-cold!” she squeaked, forcing herself to take another step.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault it’s cold,” Fluttershy turned to give Dusk a weak smile. She caught a flash of movement before the butt of Dusk’s spear cracked her across the head. There was an explosion of bright pain, then oblivion.

*~*~*

Dusk stepped over Fluttershy as she lay unconscious, half-submerged on the bank of the river. Setting his spear aside, he bent down and began tossing Fluttershy’s armor into the river. They disappeared with barely a splash. Her weapons and saddlebags followed suit.

Satisfied there wasn’t anything else, Dusk retrieved his spear and moved down the bank. For a long time he simply looked at Fluttershy, watching the water pass over her. Dusk tightened his grip on the spear. He had his orders.

“She isn’t a Ranger,” he said beneath his breath. “She’s just going to end up getting somepony killed. Somepony important. Like Silver Pike.”

The spear wavered.

His scowl deepened. “You don’t have a choice, Dusk. Don’t make this more difficult than you have to. They were clear: it's you, or her. This is the only way.”

Slowly, Dusk lifted his spear up into the air. Minutes passed as he stood like a statue, spearpoint glinting like silver in the fading sunlight. He closed his eyes and, with a snarl, thrust his spear down.

Dusk released his grip on his spear, leaving it embedded in the soft mud beside Fluttershy. “I don’t care what they know. They can’t make me a murderer, too,” Dusk whispered. “I just… have to make her disappear, is all.”

Stepping into the river, he gripped Fluttershy’s unconscious body and began pushing it further out into the water. The current was strong, and as soon as Fluttershy cleared the riverbed she was tugged out of Dusk’s grip and sent careening down the river.

Dusk watched Fluttershy speed away like driftwood in the fast flowing waters, eventually slipping beneath the surface and vanishing from sight. He felt cold, far colder than the water he was standing in.

“It had to be done,” he told himself in a hoarse voice, his eyes lingering on the last spot he’d seen Fluttershy. “And she could survive. If she doesn’t, then it's her fate. I didn’t do it. It’s just fate.”

Only after the sun had finally vanished from the sky could Dusk look away.

Chapter 6

Holding the pillow tight around her ears to ward off the cacophony of noise reverberating through the library’s walls, Twilight cursed whatever ancient pony had first banged two rocks together and invented the art of music. Though even comparing that trash to music is an insult to music everywhere, she thought, regretting her decision to put the local DJ in control of the celebration’s music.

Twilight peeked out from beneath her pillow to check the clock. She groaned.

There was a bang and a surge in musical volume as the door to her new bedroom was thrown open by Spike, wearing what looked like a lampshade on his head. “Hey, Twilight!” said Spike as he strolled into the room, his new hat jostling from side to side. “Pinkie Pie’s starting ‘pin the tail on the pony’! Wanna play?”

“All the ponies in this town are crazy!” she snapped. “Do you even know what time it is?”

Spike shrugged. “It’s the eve of the Summer Sun Celebration. Everypony has to stay up, or they’ll miss the Princess raising the sun.” He arched an eyebrow. “Seriously, Twilight, you should lighten up. It’s a party!”

“It’s a party! It’s a party!” she mimed, bobbing a hoof up and down like a flapping jaw.

Rolling his eyes, Spike shut the door behind him, dropping the music down from unbearable to just extremely obnoxious.

Twilight flipped over onto her back and let out another loud groan. “Ugh! I thought I would have time to learn about the Elements of Harmony, but instead I’m harassed by crazy ponies with their ridiculous friend-making!” Again, her thoughts returned to the passages that had been haunting her mind for days. “Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year–”

There was a crash from below and the sound of shattering glass, followed by loud celebratory hooting. Impossibly, the music got even louder.

Twilight threw her pillow across the room. “That’s it! I need some fresh air,” she declared as her horn burst into life. There was a crack of displaced air, and she vanished.

In a flash of light she exploded back into the material plane a moment later, landing on the packed dirt of the street outside. Teleporting gets a little bit easier every time, she thought with pride before turning back to glare at the library. Shadows of cavorting ponies played out over the windows. Even outside, the music was irritatingly loud. Her frown deepened. “Well, I have more important things to do than waste a whole night partying. Some of us are worried about the fate of Equestria!” she ended with a shout. With an angry snort she turned away and stalked off into the night.

The flaw with her plan became apparent when she found herself hopelessly lost after only a few streets. Ponyville was hardly Canterlot, but she was still wandering around an unfamiliar town in the dark. About the only landmark she could make out was the well-lit library – and there was no way she was going back there until she’d managed to relax a little. Until then, Twilight was content to just follow her hooves, losing herself in her own thoughts.

There were few ponies out so late – Most of them are probably busy keeping me from getting any work done at the library, she thought bitterly – but those that she did encounter greeted her with broad smiles. Twilight ignored them, too deep in thought to register their looks of irritation.

In time she found herself standing atop one of the bridges in the center of town. Pausing for a moment, Twilight lifted her head to gaze up into the sky. It was an incredible view. Celestia’s nights were things of beauty, seas of twinkling diamonds and rubies that always left her in awe. Even the moon hung high in the sky, burning with a cool light that cast everything in shades of white and silver.

Twilight shivered as she considered the moon, easily picking out the dark shape of the mythical Mare in the Moon. Once again the passage from Predictions And Prophecies leapt unbidden to her lips. “Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about everlasting night.” Her ears drooped as she rested her head on the railing. “Oh Princess, I hope you are right and this is just an old ponies’ tale. But why can’t I shake the feeling like something terrible is going to… to…”

Her thoughts trailed away as she picked out a dark shape floating down the river beneath her hooves. She craned her neck over the railing to get a better look. It could have been the night playing tricks on her, but she swore it was…

“A pony!” Twilight gasped. Her hoofbeats rang out on the wood as she galloped across the bridge and, making a tight turn, raced for the river’s edge. She hadn’t been imagining things – there was a pegasus floating listlessly down the river, tangled up with some shattered branches. “Help! Somepony get help!” she shouted as arcane energy engulfed her horn. Taking hold of the dark shape with her magic, she grit her teeth and began tugging the pony out of the inky water.

The loud commotion was enough to draw the attention of the few late-night wanderers. A stallion shouted that he was going to go fetch a doctor as the others gathered nervously around Twilight. It was agonizingly slow, but Twilight didn’t relent until she’d finally pulled the pony up onto the shore. Her magic dissipated in a flash, leaving her feeling mentally and physically exhausted.

The pegasus wasn’t moving.

Any thought about her own discomfort vanished as she rushed to the pony’s side, Twilight’s mind racing through all the books she’d read, digging desperately for some nugget of useful information.

Twilight rolled the pony over onto its – no, from the shape of the muzzle it was clearly a mare – onto her back and cradled her head in her hooves. Even in the night, Twilight could see the scrapes and cuts across the pegasus’ dark coat, including one vicious cut that bisected her butterfly cutie mark. Her wings looked like they’d been mauled, her pinkish mane was a rat’s nest of twigs and leaves, and she was cold to the touch. Too cold.

“Please be okay, please be okay,” Twilight repeated desperately as she opened the mare’s mouth, looking past her broken teeth, checking for obstructions. She wasn’t breathing.

Although she’d never done it before, memorized lessons about CPR and emergency care sprang to mind – the result of her fillyhood dream of being a doctor, one of many such foalhood obsessions that had vanished as soon as she’d moved onto something new – and Twilight set to work, compressing the mare’s chest before pressing her lips to the mare’s chilled mouth and exhaling. Twilight pushed aside a silver pendant as she returned to the chest compressions, keeping count in her head. One, two, three, four...

The pegasus gasped and sputtered, forcing a stream of murky water out of her muzzle. Her eyes fluttered open for a moment before she fell back to the ground, limp. Only after Twilight had double-checked that the mare was breathing again did she realize just how fast her own heart was racing. “She’s breathing!” Twilight called out. “She’s alive!”

A ripple of relief passed through the assembled ponies.

“So, what is it?” one pony called out.

Twilight jerked her head up in surprise. “What?”

“Is it dangerous?”

“I’ll go fetch the guards!”

“Are you sure you should be so close to it?”

Twilight glanced down at the pegasus in her hooves and stiffened. With the emergency having passed, her mind could finally process what she’d mistaken for injuries.

Leathery wings lay limp in the dirt, more reptilian than equine, while the mare’s open mouth revealed sharp white fangs that seemed to glow in the moonlight. Long, tufted ears twitched fitfully as Twilight edged backwards.

What Twilight had pulled out of the river was like no pony she’d ever seen before.

*~*~*

Standing on his tiptoes, Spike peered over the edge of Twilight’s bed. “And you just found her floating in the river?” he asked.

Twilight rubbed the side of her head as she glanced up from the latest in a growing pile of books she’d been digging through. “Yes,” she repeated herself, knowing Spike would just ask her the same question in a few minutes. Again.

“Coooool…”

Shaking away her irritation, she returned her attention to the musty copy of Ancient Mythical Beasties of Olde Equestria she’d found on one of the library’s dustier, more cobweb-encrusted shelves. Twilight made a mental note to look up whoever had been librarian before she’d arrived so she could give them a piece of her mind at the sorry state of affairs in Ponyville. It had taken needless hours to locate all the reference books she’d required.

Of course, that hadn’t been the only delay to her research. Although it hadn’t taken long to transport the mare to the library and drive all the party-goers out into the night, once word had spread about the mysterious pony-thing she’d pulled out of the river, Twilight had been inundated by the curious and the frightened. Running interference for Doctor Horse while he’d examined the mare had made Twilight responsible for dealing with them all, and Spike hadn’t been the only one who had felt it their right to share their own extensive theories and beliefs with Twilight.

Twilight slugged down another cup of tea. It had been a long night.

“Is she part dragon?” Spike asked as he leaned forward.

“Ponies and dragons can’t interbreed.”

“But she’s got fangs, and dragon wings, and her eyes kinda look like mine.”

“That doesn’t mean she’s part dragon. Now come over here and stop bothering her. Doctor Horse was insistent we give her a chance to recover.”

“Well, what is she then?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out. She’s obviously a pony, but beyond that, there just isn’t anything mentioned. After a few thousand years of Equestrian history I assume that somepony would have written something about sharp-toothed, bat-winged, cat-eyed ponies before now, but there just isn’t anything to go by.” She sighed and closed the book she’d been reading. “At this point I’ve exhausted anything even remotely scholarly. Now I’m just digging through books that talk about mummies and wereponies for some kind of hint.”

Spike went pale and hurried over to Twilight’s side. “Is she a... vampire?”

“No.”

“Maybe some kind of mutant pegasus?”

“No.”

“What about some kind of freaky mutant pegasus vampire dragon hybrid?”

“No!”

Spike crossed his arms. “Well, I stand by my theory.”

Twilight gave him a flat stare before reaching for the next book. “‘Some kind of freaky mutant pegasus vampire dragon hybrid’ isn’t a proper scientific description of a new species. It’s not even accurate.”

He glanced back up at the bed and its unresponsive occupant. “Seems pretty accurate to me.”

Twilight grabbed another book at random and shoved it into his claws. “If you really want to help, then start reading. I have a dozen other books to get through before I’ve exhausted this library. And before we head to the Canterlot library, I want to make sure we didn’t miss something obvious here first.”

Spike nodded and, lying out on his belly, he cracked the book open in front of him. He began flipping through the pages. “Well, Princess Celestia has been around for a long time. I bet you she’ll know what that vampire pony is.”

“She’s not a vampire!”

“Hey, you said yourself you didn’t know what she is. That means she could be a vampire.”

Twilight’s mouth worked uselessly for a few seconds. “Just start reading,” she groaned. “I don’t need more stories about vampires and fictional monsters bouncing around when the Princess shows up later today. I heard enough in the past two hours to last me a lifetime.”

She dropped her book with a gasp. “The Princess!” she shouted, leaping to her feet. One glance at the clock confirmed her fears. “Sunrise is only a few hours away, and I’ve been so busy here I haven’t double-checked if everything is ready for her!”

“Twilight?”

“They’ve been too busy bothering me and partying, so who knows what they’ve done?” She began pacing back and forth, tail swishing nervously. “And I haven’t even finished my research into this prophecy about the Mare in the Moon!”

Spike lifted a finger. “Twilight, I–”

“It’s too late! Everypony is already meeting up at the town hall! I… I… I need to check on the others before the Princess gets here! Everything has to be perfect!”

Twilight vanished in a burst of purple magic, leaving Spike standing alone, a book dangling at his side. He dropped his upraised hand and slowly turned around, looking up at the pony resting in Twilight’s bed. He swallowed heavily. “Okay Twilight, I’ll happily miss out on the Summer Sun Celebration and just stay here for you. All alone. With the vampire pony.”

Spike sighed. “Sometimes I wish I was still an egg.”

*~*~*

Everything came rushing back at once. The pain. The cold. The nothingness.

The betrayal.

“Dusk!” Fluttershy cried out as she awoke with a start, adrenaline pumping through her veins as her memories jump-started her heart. “Noooo!” Kicking her legs wildly, she tried to escape her attacker, only entangling her limbs even further until they were cocooned tightly against her body. With a frightened squeak, she toppled backwards over the edge of the bed.

Her head struck the floor, sending a burst of raw agony through Fluttershy’s aching skull. Bound up tight, hanging upside down, head throbbing in pain, and with no idea where she was or what was going on, Fluttershy whimpered in unadulterated fear.

I’m dead, she thought to herself. This is it. Dusk killed me.I’m in the afterlife, being punished for everything I did wrong.

Trapped in place and unable to move, she was left to stare around her as more of her surroundings revealed themselves to her. Mind-numbing fear was slowly replaced with frightened confusion. Thoughts of death shriveled as she gazed around the inverted room. Even upside down she could pick out floors and bookshelves and desks and chests, all made of solid wood.

Wood! Fresh-cut wood! The sheer luxury of furnishing an entire room in it was imposing. Wherever she was, the owner was far wealthier than she could ever imagine.

Yet the ostentatious decor wasn’t matched by the banality of its contents. Rows of plain books lined the walls while stacks of parchment, scattered tomes, and the occasional potted plant offered the only flourishes of personality within the room.

Considering the incredible cost in furnishing a room full of wood, she’d expected to find piles of gems and ancient armors, not old throw rugs and a cuckoo clock. It was mildly disappointing – and certainly didn’t resemble the afterlife she’d been promised since foalhood.

No longer prey to absolute panic, Fluttershy took stock of her situation. Bent backwards at a fairly uncomfortable angle, she was hanging halfway off the bed she’d awoken in, her head resting on the floor. Glancing down – or rather, up – at herself, she was embarrassed to see her bindings were nothing more than the sheets she’d somehow managed to wrap around herself in her panic, leaving her like a fly in a spider’s web.

“Well, at least nopony was here to see me like this,” she said, laughing nervously.

The door at the far end of the room opened with a creak, and her blood turned to ice water. She stared, wide-eyed, at the door, dreading her first look at her captor. And she stared. And stared. And stared.

Eventually a small purple head peeked out around the doorframe. The two of them made eye contact. “A baby dragon?” she asked incredulously.

The dragon leaned out a little further, revealing beautiful green frills, a nervous expression, and a rolling pin grasped tightly in his adorable little claws. Maybe it was her position and all the blood rushing to her head, but Fluttershy was instantly giddy with excitement. “Oh my, it’s a real baby dragon!” Fluttershy gushed. “I've never seen a baby dragon up close before. He's sooo cute!

The dragon blushed and took a few more steps into the room, revealing a string of bulbous white vegetables hanging around his neck. “Uh… hi. I’m Spike,” he said as he lowered the rolling pin.

Fluttershy giggled. “Hello, Spike. I’m Fluttershy. Wow, a talking dragon. I can’t believe I get to see two dragons in the same day. So, what do dragons like to talk about?”

“Oh, you know. Normal stuff. Like gems and, um… doing dragon things.”

“Wow. And what is that you’re wearing around your neck?”

Spike looked down at himself. “Garlic.”

“Garlic…” Fluttershy repeated the word to herself. “Wow. How exotic. Is that a dragon custom?”

“No, not really. It’s protection.”

“Protection from what?”

His blush deepened. “From… vampires.”

Fluttershy glanced around the room, suddenly on edge. “Vampires?” she whispered. “But they’re not real… right?”

Spike laughed nervously. “No. I was just, uh, worried you might…”

“Might what?”

“... might be a vampire.” He said with a wince.

Her brow furrowed in confusion. “Why would you think I would be a vampire?”

“Well, because me and Twilight couldn’t figure out what you were. And since you’re so, um, different,” he spared a glance at Fluttershy’s fangs, “I just thought…”

Fluttershy frowned, indignant despite her predicament. “I thought dragons were familiar with ponies.”

“I’m used to ponies, just not fangy bat ones.”

“You’ve never heard of thestrals?” asked Fluttershy. “I… I can’t believe it. I know we were erased from the history of ponies, but how could dragons forget us too?” Hurt, she glanced away – or tried to, but her awkward position conspired with gravity to keep her pointed in Spike’s direction. She contented herself with a sad pout.

Looking both embarrassed and confused, Spike tossed the rolling pin and garlic aside before moving to Fluttershy’s side. “Hey, don’t be upset. I bet Twilight has heard of bat ponies before,” he said as he gripped the sheets and began prying Fluttershy lose. After a few fruitless tugs he stepped back, planting his hands on his hips. “Wow, you’re really stuck in there, huh? Okay, just stay still, and I’ll get you free in a jiffy,” he said as he lifted a claw. It looked far sharper up close.

Fluttershy gulped and squeezed her eyes shut. The claw sliced through the air above her with a swish. There was a moment of weightlessness when the sheets released their grip before she was spilled out onto the floor. She rolled over with a groan and carefully stood up. Her vision wavered, but held firm.

Checking to make sure her crescent moon pendant was still in place, she proceeded to look herself over. She noted one of her wings bore careful bandaging that didn’t mask the dull ache from a treated wound. She’d treated enough wounded animals to tell it was good work. It wasn’t the only one, as she counted around a dozen other smaller bandages across her body. Reaching up with a hoof, she felt the bump on her head, a gift from the hardwood floor to join the previous one she’d earned from… from…

Dusk! The other pony’s name slammed down on Fluttershy’s thoughts like a blacksmith’s hammer, reverberating through her soul. Dusk hit me and I remember… falling. And cold. Wet, dark, terrible cold. Shock, confusion, and fear welled up inside as the memory of Dusk’s gaze filled her mind. Beneath it all was the impossible truth that left her mouth dry and her heart racing.

Dusk tried to kill me! He actually wanted to murder me!

Something grabbed her shoulder. Fluttershy struck out on instinct, her Legionary training operating far faster than conscious thought. Spike gave an aborted shout as he was bucked across the room, bug-eyed and grasping his stomach. He hit a shelf and collapsed wordlessly, showered in falling books.

“Spike!” Fluttershy called out as she leapt forward, the despair at accidentally harming a cute and defenseless little animal enough to break her free from her memories. She tossed books aside as she desperately dug the downed dragon out, repeating his name again and again.

“What was that for?” he asked as Fluttershy helped him stand. He wheezed, clearly out of breath, but he sounded more indignant than hurt. “Do you kick every guy that tries to help you?”

Fluttershy stepped backwards and hung her head in shame. She squeaked out an apology. “I’m so sorry! It w-was an accident, I promise! I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Hurt? Please. I’ve got thick scales. It takes more than that to hurt a real dragon. Just, you know, don’t do it again.” Removing a thick almanac that had been resting on his head, he slid it into the shelf behind him, before giving Fluttershy a once over. “So what was that about?”

“What was what about?”

“You totally just froze up and started shaking like you’d seen a ghost.” He cocked his head to the side. “Maybe you should lie down again. At least until Twilight gets back.”

Fluttershy shook her head as she tried to push Dusk from her mind. Guilt at hurting an innocent little animal was a powerful recuperative aid. “Thank you, but I’d rather stay up and stretch my legs.”

“Well, if you’re feeling good enough to kick like that then I guess you’re okay. Just help me clean up first and we’ll be square.”

Still, it was little consolation for the mortified Fluttershy, who lashed out at herself. The first dragon I meet in my life, and I end up hitting him! I can’t do anything right. What if his parents had seen me? They wouldn’t… they…

Fluttershy paled. “Spike?” she asked, her voice a thin whisper.

He returned another book to the shelf. “Yeah?”

“Where are the grown up d-d-dragons?”

“There aren’t any. It’s just me and Twilight staying here.”

Fluttershy exhaled with relief. The last thing I need is a meeting with a terrifying, sharp-toothed, claw-having, pony-munching, full-grown dragon right now.

Despite the emotional exhaustion of having gone from one extreme to another and back again in mere minutes, Fluttershy’s training began to reassert itself as she turned her thoughts to the here and now. If she was going to get anywhere, she needed answers.

Picking up the nearest book, she joined Spike in reshelving them. “So it’s just you and this… Twilight living here?”

“Yup. I mean we just moved in today, and things have been just wild. A new home, a huge party, and a real life bat pony, all in one day? What are the odds of that?” Chuckling to himself, Spike picked up another book. “So, what’s with the accent?”

“Accent?”

“Yeah. You kinda sound like one of those actors in those boring plays Twilight used to take me to. Like, from olden times.”

“I didn’t know I had an accent,” she said, suddenly self-conscious. “Isn’t this how ponies talk?”

“Not really. Is that how they talk from where you’re from?”

Fluttershy coughed, suddenly on guard. “So is Twilight a baby dragon like you?” she asked, changing the topic.

Spike giggled. “Naw. She’s the pony that hatched me. I’m her assistant and help her with her studies. I dunno if you remember her, but she’s the purple unicorn who pulled you out of the river. And since she’s Princess Celestia’s personal student, that means I have plenty of work to do. Taking notes, writing letters, finding the right books; you name it and I’m in charge of it. I pretty much keep things working around here. When you meet Twilight later, you’ll see what I mean. Hopefully she… Uh, Fluttershy? Are you alright?”

Fluttershy stood frozen in place, a book halfway to the shelf, her face as white as her wide-open eyes.

“Oh not this again,” he muttered, checking there was nothing expensive behind him. Spike waved a hand in front of her face. “Hey, Fluttershy? Fluttershy?” He snapped his claws a few times in front of her muzzle.

The book she was holding trembled. “P-P-Princess C-Celestia?”

“Yeah, Princess Celestia!” Spike smiled, relieved she was responding again. Misreading her terror as awe, and desperate to keep her engaged in case she had another episode, he continued, “Twilight’s been the Princess’ student for… well, ever since I was hatched. They’re really close.”

Fluttershy gasped.

“I know it can be a little hard to believe, but I’m serious. We have a tower on the castle grounds and everything. I even use my dragon fire to send messages directly to the Princess.” His face brightened. “Hey, do you want to send a message to the Princess? It’s pretty awesome.”

“Nooooooo…” she wheezed as she retreated from the cheerful dragon. Curtains hung in front of the windows, but between them she could glimpse a familiar sliver of thatched roofs and colorful buildings light by the late night sky. A pit of ice formed in her belly as she realized just how stupid she’d been.

Spike was the same dragon she’d seen that morning.

Twilight was the important official that had arrived on the chariot.

Fluttershy was trapped in the heart of Ponyville.

With her heart trying to hammer its way out of her chest, Fluttershy began to hyperventilate. Spike works with the Sun Tyrant! I’m a prisoner and he can summon the Sun Tyrant and I have to get away before he or this Twilight send a message and she comes here and cooks me up and eats me!

Spike grew concerned as the book she’d been holding dropped to the floor. “Fluttershy? Is something wrong?” he asked gently, careful not to touch her again. “Was it something I said? I didn’t meant to offend you or anything.”

“No! Everything is f-fine!” Fluttershy said too loudly as she continued backing away. “I really need to… to go and… go,” she finished lamely before spinning around and making a dash for the library door.

She didn’t notice the discarded rolling pin until it was too late. Letting out a startled squawk as her hooves kicked out from beneath her, she was sent sailing through the open door. She hit every step as she tumbled down the stairs, and landed flat on her back with a loud “Oof!” Aching all over and too dizzy to see straight, she forced herself up onto her hooves and stumbled off blindly as Spike called out her name.

Glancing around blearily, she identified a large, partially curved door as the most likely exit and aimed herself towards it. Her legs were bruised and her hooves felt like lead, but she pushed on. She had to escape before Twilight returned and used Spike to summon the Sun Tyrant. Although torn by the desire to rescue the innocent dragon from his undoubtedly cruel servitude, self-preservation and her own sense of duty kept her aching body her in motion. She had to get away and report back to Captain Vanguard so the Rangers could–

Fluttershy came to a stop inches from the door.

Dusk will be waiting for me with the other Rangers, a dark thought whispered at the back of her mind, cutting through her terror like an obsidian knife. Dusk might not have been working alone The rest of the squad could have been in on it – including the Captain. Fluttershy winced. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t craft a convincing reply.

Trapped between two dangerous choices, she found herself frozen by indecision. Her anxiety crested. She had to act, she had to do something, but what? What?

“Fluttershy! Wait!” Spike shouted, huffing and puffing as he ran after her. The appearance of the Sun Tyrant’s associate barreling towards tipped the scales, and with a last frightened look in Spike’s direction she threw open the door and dashed out through the door – and into utter pandemonium.

Screaming ponies galloped past her without a second glance. The whole town filled the streets, screaming and shouting and moving like cattle in a stampede.

Fluttershy jumped back into the safety of the doorframe as a stream of dark starlight coursed through the air just above their heads, followed by booming laughter that seemed to drip with joyful malice. Just the sight of the thing was enough to root Fluttershy in place, everything too chaotic to even comprehend. Fear and confusion and desperation fought for control as she watched the panicked ponies flood out of the streets. Most returned to their homes and slammed the doors shut behind them, while others just took to the hills, putting as much distance between themselves and Ponyville as they could.

Right on the heels of the dark cloud was the cruel rainbow-colored pegasus Fluttershy had seen at the farm, but despite her incredible speed the apparition outpaced her easily. It's laughter lingered on even after it had slipped over the horizon and disappeared from sight.

“Night time… forever?” the pegasus said aloud, hovering above the now abandoned streets. Panting heavily, she turned away reluctantly – and spotted the clearly-illuminated Fluttershy still frozen in the library’s doorway. Her eyes narrowed into daggers. “Hey, you!”

Fluttershy bolted in the other direction, earning a loud curse from the pegasus. The empty night sky seemed so inviting, but Fluttershy had never been the strongest flier, even without a bandaged wing. There was no way she could beat the pegasus in the air. Fluttershy’s only hope was to lose her in the nearby alleyways, and fast.

Panic leant her strength. Legs pumping, heart racing, Fluttershy galloped around the corner and managed a dozen yards before she was tackled from behind. The pegasus flipped Fluttershy over onto her back. Wings flared wide, she leaned down and shouted, “Tell me what you did with the Princess!”

Too frightened to think straight, adrenaline pumping through her system like burning kerosene, Fluttershy’s training took over.

She headbutt the pegasus.

What followed was a hazy, half-remembered dream. Each movement was automatic, sheer muscle memory. Fluttershy might have graduated at the bottom of her class, but she’d still had martial arts continuously drilled into her since she was a foal. The pegasus moved like molasses. Fluttershy flowed around her pathetic defenses with ease. Sometimes she didn’t see the pegasus at all, just Russet Lance again, his leering face filling her vision, sneering at her no matter how hard she battered it.

Coming to her senses, Fluttershy found herself standing above the pegasus, her fangs bared as she gripped the other mare’s throat in her hooves. One wing bent backwards, her face and body a mask of blood and bruises, the pegasus stared up from the mud with a mixture of confusion and pain. Mostly pain.

Fluttershy could hear her old drill instructor’s voice in her ear, telling her to finish her opponent. The pegasus was the enemy. She’d attacked Fluttershy and almost killed Silver Pike, and now she was defenseless. Fluttershy stared down at the mare, her muscles wound up tight, her whole body pulsing in time with her heartbeat. All she had to do was wrench the head to the side, snap the neck at the base of the skull, and she could safely escape into the night. She was so close to freedom. She was a soldier. It was her mission. It’s what she had to do.

The pegasus gasped loudly, desperate to fill her burning lungs as Fluttershy released her grip on the mare’s neck. “Now d-don’t try and follow me, okay?” Fluttershy said as she scooted backwards, her whole body trembling in the throes of an adrenaline overdose, her mind still caught up in an emotional storm. “I’m really s-sorry. Please, just please forget I was even here.”

The world turned pink as Fluttershy was engulfed in a bubble of magic and yanked up into the air. Marching across the field, a winded Spike at her side, was a lavender unicorn whose horn burned furiously with arcane energy, reflecting the dangerous glint in her eyes.

Fluttershy whimpered and began running in the other direction. She remained in place as the bubble spun around her like she was a gerbil on a wheel. Fluttershy didn’t stop. She knew who that unicorn was, who it had to be, and she had to get away.

It was Twilight Sparkle, personal student of the Sun Tyrant, and she had Fluttershy trapped.

Chapter 7

The Ponyville library lost much of its cozy demeanor when a squad of well-armed and severe looking Royal Guards were packed in between the bookshelves. Having Princess Celestia vanish from beneath their noses left the bulky stallions in an ill mood, and they weren’t shy about expressing it.

Suspended in a sphere of magic energy in the middle of the room lay the bat-winged pony, her hooves crossed over her face to shield her eyes from the Guards’ cold stares. Her coat was damp again, this time with sweat. As soon as Twilight had transferred her to their care, she’d started running like a hamster in a wheel until she’d inevitably collapsed from fatigue. There she had remained, curled into a frightened ball and refusing to answer any of the angry questions flung at her by the Guards. Their interrogation methods, with a heavy reliance upon spittle-filled shouting, had been less than productive, but they had persisted with the blind endurance of soldiers on parade drills.

Despite knowing just how unpleasant being on the receiving end of an angry Guard could be, Twilight couldn’t scrounge up much sympathy for the mare. The metal pendant with the crescent moon marking lay on a nearby table, and Twilight glowered at the metallic reproduction of Nightmare Moon’s cutie mark. The only thing keeping her from exploding herself was the determination to do things properly and as efficiently as possible. With the Princess’ life on the line, she couldn’t afford to be angry. She couldn’t afford to feel any guilt.

Everything she did was methodical. Parchment, ink, and every reference guide she could possibly require covered the circular table beneath the levitating mare. Suitably prepared, she had proceeded to debrief Spike and – once the doctors were done – Rainbow Dash. Twilight had dug out every detail she could before they’d ushered her out of her bedroom, leaving the bandaged pegasus to sleep in the same bed Twilight had left Fluttershy in hours before.

Fluttershy. Twilight considered the name Spike had given her. Even as pathetic looking as she was, it hard to reconcile such a gentle-sounding name with how thoroughly Fluttershy had savaged Rainbow Dash.

With the sun trapped behind a permanent eclipse, it was hard to tell how long the soldiers had taken, but by the time Twilight was ready, every stallion in the Guard looked cross enough that she found herself reconsidered the wisdom in leaving them in charge of their prisoner.

Twilight moved to the center of the room. Copious notes covered the table in neat lines of ink like some bizarre wallpapering experiment gone horribly wrong. It wasn’t much as far as a ‘Twilight study session’ went, but it was a start.

She picked out the clipboard bearing the most germane notes and double-checked them out of habit. The sphere of magic shifted a shade lighter as the Guards maintaining the spell dropped the sound-dampening component. Twilight spoke slowly, her words delivered with the calm authority of a bored lecturer. “I talked to Spike. He tells me your name is Fluttershy, and that you claim to be a thestral.”

Fluttershy raised a single tufted ear, but otherwise remained motionless.

“Which is quite funny, really, as thestrals don’t exist. The universities in Canterlot will tell you that they’re just an old tribal myth. The few representations of bat-winged ponies in the oldest of illustrated manuscripts are metaphorical. Symbolic.” Twilight began to pace around the table and the magical prison, her voice growing more animated the longer she spoke. “They’re just a bored artist’s visual short-hoof to help the illiterate ponies of the age. They represent those who sided with Nightmare Moon in her assault on Equestria so long ago, in the same way all those who stood with Princess Celestia are bathed in sunlight and wear golden haloes.”

The thestral’s ear tracked Twilight as she circled the table.

“So the last few hours are particularly difficult for a scholar such as myself to really understand. First, a living impossibility arrives in Ponyville in the dead of night, half-drowned and unconscious. Hours later, the Mare in the Moon returns after a thousand years of exile to foalnap Princess Celestia and declare the beginning of an eternal night.

“Two long-forgotten myths from ancient history returning on the same night? That is no coincidence.”

She paused, hoping for some reaction, but there was nothing. No response, no rebuttal, not even a desperate plea to use the bathroom. Nothing but the one infuriating ear following her every movement.

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Even more damning is that we found you wearing Nightmare Moon’s mark around your neck – right after you assaulted one of this town’s citizens who was in pursuit of the fleeing Nightmare Moon! It’s obvious you are working together! Now tell me where Nightmare Moon took Princess Celestia!”

Fluttershy let out a pathetic squeak when Twilight slammed her hooves down on the table. Curling up even tighter, she lay at the bottom of the magic bubble, shivering uncontrollably. A small pool of tears was forming in the lower curve of the bubble.

The rest of Twilight’s angry accusations fizzled. She felt like she’d caught herself shouting at a little filly. Decidedly uncomfortable, she lowered herself down and glanced over at the Sergeant of the Guard. He just shrugged. The sphere darkened as the soundproofing spell was restored.

Casting aside the clipboard with a groan, she retreated to the far-side of the library where the few ponies not in armor lingered. Twilight didn’t know how concerned she should be for Ponyville that the only ponies who hadn’t just panicked and wildly fled back to their homes were the same crazy ponies she’d suffered with yesterday. It only made matters worse that they, like the Guards, seemed to look to her for answers. She should have sent them on their way so she could continue her research and try to find the right answer, but something held her back.

The farmer – Applejack – removed her hat as Twilight drew closer. The way the hat shook in her grip as she glared past Twilight made it clear it wasn’t out of politeness. She’d helped carry the unconscious Rainbow Dash back to the library and had remained by her side until the doctors had forced her out with Twilight. A few smudges of crimson still stained her coat. “That thing still ain’t talking.” It wasn’t a question.

“No,” Twilight admitted. “And I’m not sure how I could get her to talk, either. If I hadn’t seen her attacking Rainbow Dash myself, I could never believe that a scaredy-cat like that could be working with Nightmare Moon. I mean, look at her. She’s a mess.”

“I’m not surprised. The Guards certainly put her through the wringer,” the decorator Rarity said. “It’s obvious she’s terrified.”

“But is she scared of us, or scared of revealing something she knows?” asked Twilight.

“I can make her talk,” Applejack said as she flexed the muscles in her leg, her target never leaving her sight.

“No!” Twilight said. “We are not savages. Princess Celestia may be gone, but we’re not about to throw away our laws for the sake of revenge. She’s a criminal and will be treated as such.”

Applejack had the decency to look ashamed at Twilight’s admonishment, but her eyes soon found their way back to the thestral, her grimace not far behind it.

“Yes, one can never lose their composure, even in the most extraordinary of times,” said Rarity. Her voice dropped a few degrees. “Though I certainly can sympathize. It’s not like the little beast doesn’t deserve it.” It had been Rarity who had provided Rainbow’s first bandages.

“What if this whole crying thing is just her playing possum?” asked Applejack. “You know, to throw us off the scent and make us think she doesn’t know anything?”

“It’s possible. I’m not exactly experienced with… interrogations…” The word left a sour taste on Twilight’s tongue. “So whether she’s so petrified with fear she can’t talk, or she’s just putting on a show, we’re stuck all the same.”

Rarity tapped her chin. “She’s quite a skilled actress if this is all just a part.”

“And I sent a summons to Canterlot for assistance with our prisoner, but that is going to take some time. If Ponyville is any indication, the Royal Guards will have their hooves full keeping things from becoming a full blown panic. So until then, I’ll just have to keep asking her questions and hope something changes.”

“Can’t you use some kind of unicorn magic to, like, read her mind, or make her talk?” asked Applejack.

“No!” Twilight and Rarity said together, disgust on both their faces.

“I told you, we’re not savages,” said Twilight, earning a nod from Rarity, though she ended up giving Twilight a sideways glance when Twilight continued. “Besides, it would take days, maybe weeks, to find such a spell.”

Applejack held up a placating hoof. “Sorry I asked. It was only a thought. I just, you know, hate sitting around doing nothing.”

“I don’t like it either. I’ll resume my questioning, but if the Guards couldn’t get it out of her…” Twilight sighed, hanging her head in defeat. “I knew something was going to happen tonight,” she muttered to herself.

“Hold up.” Applejack turned her gaze on Twilight. “You knew this was gonna happen?”

Twilight swallowed the lump in her throat. “Not... exactly. During my studies I found an old prophecy saying Nightmare Moon would return on this night, and all my research suggested there was more to this than an old ponies’ tale, but…”

Rarity’s eyebrow gave a deliberate, graceful leap upwards. “But?”

“Princess Celestia wouldn’t listen to me!” said Twilight with a huff. “I told her something disastrous was about to occur! There were too many connections, too many references, all pointing to this event coming true.” She stomped her hoof. “And… and it’s all my fault! If I had just tried harder and made the Princess see what danger Equestria was in, she would never have sent me out to do something as worthless as making friends! Instead, we could have found whatever the Elements of Harmony are and banished Nightmare Moon all over again!”

Applejack and Rarity shared a glance. Rarity opened her mouth.

“Worthless?” The other two mares leapt aside as a fuzzy-pink explosion of frosting and cake batter blasted out of the kitchen. Pinkie Pie stopped in front of Twilight, shock and horror on her face, before levelling a dripping mixing spoon at Twilight like a dagger. “How can making friends be worthless? It’s the absolute opposite of worthless! It’s one of the best things ever!”

Twilight wiped a strand of the gooey batter from her face – and froze. The unshelved books that had been shunted to the walls to make way for last night’s intrusive party were spackled with batter. Dozens and dozens and dozens of them, all ruined. She looked at Pinkie Pie and croaked, “Why?”

Blinking, Pinkie Pie glanced around herself. Her cheeks grew crimson. “Oops! Oh, wow. I’m sorry, Twilight! I promise I’ll clean up everything!”

Twilight ground her teeth together. “It’s... fine.”

“Really?” Pinkie asked, leaning in closer with wide-open eyes.

“Yes. I’ll take care of them later. Right now, we have bigger issues than some... ruined books.” Just saying those words made Twilight wince. Adding another note to her list of reasons for why Ponyville was inferior to Canterlot – and permanently marking the kitchen as off-limits to Pinkie Pie – she looked at each of the mares. “We’re on a deadline. We need to find some way of getting our prisoner to talk before all of Equestria gets turns into an icicle.”

Rarity removed a speck of batter from her coat with a tendril of magic. “If you and the Royal Guard can’t get her to tell us what she knows, I dare say we won’t either.”

Applejack just snorted. “Y’all already know what I think we should do.”

“Why don’t we just talk to her?”

They all turned to stare at Pinkie Pie. Applejack spoke first. “What?”

Pinkie Pie gestured at the mare in the magic bubble with her mixing spoon. “Why don’t we just talk to her and see if she’ll help us?”

“Sugarcube, if you didn’t notice, that’s just what everypony’s been doing. And she didn’t tell us nothing.”

Pinkie’s shook her head. “That wasn’t talking. That was shouting.”

“And she deserves it!” said Applejack, anger souring her voice. “She helped kidnap the Princess and beat Rainbow Dash black and blue! I’m not gonna shed any tears just because she is having a rough time.”

“Would you want to talk to us if you were in the big bubble?”

Muttering something beneath her breath, Applejack turned away.

“I’ll admit, I lost my composure at the end there. But my inquiries were calm and reasonable.” Twilight rubbed her leg. “For the most part. But we don’t have the luxury of waiting around and hoping she decides to talk to us when she feels like it. Equestria doesn’t have that long.”

Rarity stepped forward. “Pinkie does have a point, darling. We’ve trying forcing the information out of her, but that bat pony–”

“Thestral,” interrupted Twilight.

“Pardon?”

“She’s a thestral, not a bad pony.”

The lines at the corner of Rarity’s eyes tightened. “Thestral, then. What I was trying to say is that our guest doesn’t exactly look like she’s in much shape to answer anything at all. Do you really think more shouting is going to help when she’s like… well, that?” She nodded at the unmoving Fluttershy.

“She’s a criminal who helped return Nightmare Moon and foalnapped our Princess,” said Twilight stiffly, fighting to keep the last of her patience from unravelling. “We don’t have time to play nice with her like she’s just some common criminal from a backwater town like Ponyville. If I don’t get that information out of her soon, then all of Equestria is in danger. Understand?”

“Backwater town?” Rarity let out a most unladylike snort. “Why, the nerve! I will be the first to admit this isn’t Manehattan or Canterlot, but this is still my home! And, and...”

“Hey there. Everypony take a deep breath.” Stepping between the two, Applejack calmly met Twilight’s irritable gaze. “Look, Twilight, I don’t want to see her get off easy anymore than you do. But these ponies here, they’re good friends of mine. I trust them, and as much as it pains me to admit it, I reckon they’re on to something.” The corner of her mouth turned up into a half-smile. “We’ve already tried the stick. Maybe it’s time for the carrot instead?”

Twilight’s frowned as she looked from one mare to the next. The argument was sound, rational, and she could find no flaw in their logic. Her frown deepened. “Fine!” she said loudly. Even to her own ears she sounded uncomfortably close to a petulant foal throwing a fit, eliciting a long sigh from Twilight. “Sorry. You’re absolutely right.”

“Aw, you don’t have to apologize!” Pinkie Pie declared as she leapt forward and gave Twilight an uncomfortably tight hug. “You’re just all topsy-turvy upside down because Princess Celestia is missing and there’s a big monster on the loose and you feel responsible but don’t know what to do. We’ve all been there before!”

Blinking, Twilight looked over at the other two mares. “Is she always like this?”

Applejack shrugged. “That’s just Pinkie Pie.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Rarity added. “Eventually.”

Twilight disengaged from Pinkie’s tight grip. “So… what do you recommend?” Twilight asked as she picked dried batter from her coat with a burst of magic.

“A party!” Pinkie declared as she reared back in a shower of confetti.

“No,” all three mares said as one.

Pinkie Pie dropped back down with a dejected look.

“I reckon we could start by making the Guards wait outside,” said Applejack as she rubbed her chin. “I don’t think having spears jabbed in your muzzle all night is gonna make any pony talkative.”

Rarity blanched. “Let’s not be hasty, now. I’m all for trying something new, but what if she tries to escape again? You saw what she did to Rainbow Dash.”

“Don’t remind me,” grumbled Applejack.

A dozen books flew across the room to begin circling a beaming Twilight. “I know! I’ll look up a spell on how to keep her from flying away. The differences between thestrals and pegasi shouldn’t be too hard to account for, with the proper research.”

“And how long would that take?” Rarity asked sweetly.

The books wavered in flight before dropping one by one into a neat pile.

Applejack chuckled. “Y’all are just overthinking this.” She looked at Pinkie Pie. “Rope.”

“Rope?”

“Rope.”

“Will super industrial-grade streamers work?”

“Is that the stuff you used when you suspended Rarity’s grand–”

“Yep!”

“Then yes. Yes it will.”

“Applejack, what are you…” Twilight began, but she was cut off when a couple of brightly-colored spools passed by inches from her face.

Applejack caught them, casually setting all but one to the floor. Pulling out a length of green streamer, Applejack gave it a firm tug, testing its strength. She smiled. “Perfect.”

“Hold on,” Twilight said, raising a hoof like a referee calling a foul. “You’re not seriously suggesting that we’re going to keep the only lead we have for finding Nightmare Moon and rescuing the Princess bound up with… party decorations?”

Pinkie Pie bounced up and down. “Yup!”

Twilight’s mouth flapped uselessly. When she finally recovered, all she managed was a loud, “What?” Wrenching the roll from Applejack’s hooves with a burst of magic, Twilight unspooled some and began tugging at it. “That’s a ridiculous idea! We’re not going to… hah… to trust the future of Equestria… hrrn… to a piece… nnng… of... paper?” Panting as sweat dripped from her brow, Twilight brought the streamer up close to her horrified expression. “Just what is this stuff made out of?”

“Trade secret!” Pinkie Pie said with a giggle. She pulled the roll from Twilight’s slack hooves and tossed it back to Applejack.

“Trust me, Twilight, I’ve seen Pinkie Pie suspend a piano with that stuff before,” said Rarity. She gave Pinkie a piercing gaze. “Which is something she will never, ever, do again.”

Blushing, Pinkie mumbled something between an apology and an agreement.

Twilight watched as Applejack began to unroll more of the green streamer. She chewed on her lip. “This seems so… wrong. It’s wrong! They’re streamers!”

“They’ll do the job,” Applejack said as she moved to the center of the room, drawing the attention of the guards. Their commander, Sergeant Battleaxe, stepped between her and the inert thestral.

“Can I ask what you intend to do with our the prisoner?” he asked Applejack, though his eyes were on Twilight.

“It’s okay, Sergeant,” said Twilight. “We have a theory that we want to test.”

He shifted his gaze from Twilight to Applejack to the roll of streamers and back again. “You’re going to throw her a party.”

Twilight shook her head. “No, no. We think the prisoner will respond to a softer touch, so we’re going to release her and use those streamers to bind her wings and keep her from escaping.”

He continued to stare at Twilight. “That is a ridiculous idea.”

“... and I’d like your men to go outside as well, so she doesn’t feel as threatened.” Twilight ended on a nervous high note, like she was asking a question.

There was a long silence before Sergeant Battleaxe finally spoke. “If it were anypony else asking this, I’d laugh in their face. But these sorts of things are way above my pay grade. You’re the Princess’ star pupil, so I’ll trust your judgment on this one.” He leaned forward. “Just remember that if you don’t get something from the bat pony–”

“Thestral,” Twilight corrected, but the stallion just continued over her.

“–soon, I’m taking her back to Canterlot with me and we’ll see if we can make her talk again. And if she somehow escapes from this library...” He left the threat unspoken. Waiting for Twilight to nod her understanding, he turned and barked a command at the unicorn Guards. The sphere of energy flickered, and Fluttershy gave a short gasp as she was dropped unceremoniously onto the table beneath her.

The impact broke her out of her spiral of fearful trance, and Fluttershy jerked up with a start. Twilight had to remind herself that the thestral was an intimate player in the foalnapping of Equestria’s monarch when she saw the look of wide-eyed terror on Fluttershy’s face.

Fluttershy shivered like she’d just been pulled from an ice flow. “P-Please, don’t hurt me!” she whimpered as she pressed her back against the horse-head carving in the middle of the table.

“Smile, girls,” Twilight whispered from the corner of her mouth, giving Fluttershy her toothiest grin. The other mares followed her lead. “It’s okay. Calm down, Fluttershy. We’re not going to hurt you. We just want to talk.”

“Yes you are!” Fluttershy declared with an accusatory thrust of her hoof, although it came out as a hoarse squeak. “You’re going to give me to the Sun Tyrant so she can burn me up and eat me!”

The group of mare’s glanced at one another in confusion. “Does she mean Princess Celestia?” whispered Rarity through a plastic grin, earning a slight shrug from Applejack in return. Twilight looked around. Pinkie Pie was nowhere to be seen.

Pushing the hyperactive mare from her mind, Twilight focused her attention back on Fluttershy, keeping her tone low and reassuring like she were addressing a nervous foal. “I promise, we don’t want to hurt you. We just want to ask you a few questions. Is that okay with you?”

“You c-can’t fool me! I know who you are. You’re the Tyrant’s successor!”

That drew Twilight up short. “Successor? That’s… No. I’m just Princess Celestia’s student.”

Paranoid eyes continued to dark around the room as Fluttershy tried to keep everypony in front of her. Her slitted eyes lingered on the dour guards.

“Fluttershy…” Twilight began.

Fluttershy shook her head, mouth firmly closed.

Twilight pressed on. “Fluttershy, we just want to figure out what’s going on. We’re all confused and a little scared right now. I know we’ve… been a little harsh, but look at it from our perspective. A monster from ancient history has suddenly returned, the sun is trapped behind a perpetual eclipse, and we found you attacking one of our friends. Surely you can understand why we’re nervous?”

A cold pall came over Fluttershy’s face. She looked down at the table. “Is… is she okay?”

“Who?”

“Your friend.”

“Her name is Rainbow Dash,” said Applejack, no longer smiling. “And she’s in a pretty bad state. The doctors are with her now. She’ll get better, but they don’t know when she’ll be able to fly again, much less get out of bed.”

Fluttershy’s expression continued to sink lower and lower, until she looked on the verge of crying again. She clamped her eyes shut as she took a few calming breaths. “I didn’t want to … I mean, she grabbed me and, and I was really s-scared and… and… Oh, I never wanted to hurt anypony!” Fluttershy draped her hooves over her head. “This whole week has been a nightmare...”

Stepping closer, Applejack removed her hat and gave Fluttershy a measured look. “I ain’t pretending I know what’s all going on around here, but Rainbow Dash is a good friend of mine. I won’t lie and say I’m not angry at you for what you did, but… well, I’m willing to listen to your side of the story, if’n you’ll tell me the truth.”

“But I c-can’t…”

“I’m thinking you owe us an explanation at the very least.”

“I can’t!” Fluttershy repeated. “It’s against orders to talk to the enemy and… oh, shoot.”

“Orders? Why would you have orders not to talk to us?” Rarity kept her voice gentle, digging like an archeologist trying to free a priceless artifact.

"Because then I would be a traitor to the Legion!"

"Legion?" Twilight asked.

Fluttershy winced. "Double shoot."

"What's the Legion? Is that where you're from?" continued Rarity, but Fluttershy pressed her lips firmly together and shook her head.

“We’re not in the military, if that's what you're worried about. I’m just a farmer,” Applejack pointed to her side, "and Rarity makes dresses."

Fluttershy's gaze drifted to Twilight and the Guards. "But she works with the Sun Tyrant and commands their soldiers."

"I'm just Princess Celestia's student," said Twilight again, stressing the proper name. "And I don’t command anypony. We all just want to get our Princess back. Without her, the sun will never rise again."

“Which is a good thing!” Fluttershy closed her eyes like she was repeating a school lesson. “The Sun Tyrant uses her natural control over the sun to oppress all of ponykind. Those who displease her are burned to a crisp or melted in public as a warning to others. Only in the familiar safety of darkness can ponies truly be free.”

“That… I don’t...” Twilight trailed off.

“Fluttershy. Darling. The sun doesn’t melt ponies,” said Rarity.

“Maybe not right now, but it happened before! To my ancestors and, and my friends’ ancestors.” Fluttershy replied, a little more passionately. “Besides, living in the dark isn’t so bad. You’ll like it, once you get used to it.”

Applejack met Fluttershy’s gaze. "But without the sun, I can't grow any apples. We need the sun to grow our crops. My family needs those apples to live," said Applejack.

“I mean, I don’t want anything bad to happen to your families,” admitted Fluttershy with a grimace. “We don’t want innocent ponies to suffer.”

“And we wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to your family, either,” said Twilight, taking a step closer. “Wouldn’t it be better if we found a way to resolve our differences without anypony getting hurt?”

Fluttershy pressed two hooves together. “But… how can I trust you?”

“How can we trust you?” Twilight retorted, though she softened it with a light smile. “Trust isn’t something you just possess. You have to earn it. And we can’t do that if we’re not willing to sit down and talk about it.” Fluttershy glanced at the Guards, but said nothing. “I know our introduction this morning hasn’t been the very best, and I know the guards aren’t exactly making things easier. So we have a… proposition for you.” Applejack moved forward as Twilight spoke, revealing the brightly colored streamers. “If you allow Applejack to bind your wings, the Guards will step outside and leave us alone. That means it would be just us, talking together.”

Fluttershy blinked a few times. “Why would you do that? You have superior numbers.”

“Because we’re not lying, Fluttershy. We really do want to get to know you.” Twilight had to give Rarity credit: she made it sound like Fluttershy was being invited to tea and sandwiches rather than asked to have her limbs bound like a prisoner.

“But that’s a tactical mistake. You’d be lessening your advantage for no gain.” Fluttershy blushed. “I’m sorry! Oh, that was rude of me.”

Rarity dismissed her concerns away with a nonchalant wave of her hoof. “Darling, please. We told you, we’re not soldiers. We just want to chat. And I don’t know about you, but I would feel a little more free to talk if there weren’t armed ponies around.”

Eyes moving from pony to pony before finally settling on the ribbons in Applejack’s hooves, Fluttershy’s shoulders sagged in defeat. “I don’t really have much of a choice, do I?”

“This is the best I could manage. The guard’s don’t trust you outside their magic. They want to haul you off to Canterlot tonight. But this way, you can stay here, with us.” It was an exaggeration, but under the circumstances, Twilight felt entirely justified.

“Just… no questions about anything military related. Please.”

“We told you, we’re not soldiers. We just want to get to know you as a pony and not just as an enemy.”

Surrendering to the inevitable, Fluttershy nodded and stepped down from the table. Applejack advanced carefully. There was mutual tension as they eyed one-another.

“Hold still now,” Applejack said as she unspooled a length of green streamer and began wrapping it around Fluttershy’s barrel.

As she watched Applejack bind a mythical breed of pony with high-strength party favors so they could obtain the information they needed to save Princess Celestia from an ancient monster, Twilight contemplated the long road that had lead her to this very moment.

She sighed.

“There!” Applejack stepped back to admire her work. “I reckon that there knot would hold a charging chimera.”

Fluttershy wheezed, looking a little pale. “It is certainly… tight.”

Rarity moved forward with an air of refined graciousness. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take a look at it? Fabric bindings and ribbons are part of my calling, after all.”

“I think a farmer like myself can manage a simple knot,” Applejack replied, rolling her eyes.

“Really tight…”

Twilight thanked her lucky stars when Rarity pretended not to notice Applejack’s reply. Only one day in Ponyville and she could see there was plenty of room for drama between them. If they could be friends, then maybe she really didn’t know anything about friendship.

Or maybe this friendship thing was just as confusing and worthless as she’d always maintained.

“Could someone, um, undo it just a bit? No? Okay...”

Focusing on the quietly murmuring thestral, Twilight couldn’t keep a smirk off her face. Despite her down on the farm sensibilities, Applejack couldn’t help but put a little bow in the final knot, making Fluttershy resemble a very sullen Hearth's Warming present.

Satisfied Fluttershy wasn’t going anywhere by wing in the near future, Twilight gestured for the Guards to excuse themselves. They complied slowly, barely glancing away from the bound up thestral.

As the rest of the Guard’s filed out into the late-morning darkness, Sergeant Battleaxe paused in the doorway, looking at Twilight from beneath his helm. “We’ll be right outside. Shout if you need us.”

Twilight wished she was as confident as the smile she flashed him.

Fluttershy watched them carefully. She felt her body uncoil a fraction when the last armored stallion disappeared.

“This feels so much better,” Rarity declared as she filled her lungs. She smiled at Fluttershy. “I feel like I can breathe easy again. Don’t you?”

Fluttershy tried to move her wings. “Not really.”

“So why don’t we just get to know each other?” Rarity continued over her, stretching her gleaming smile even wider. “We can just put this little disagreement behind us and start fresh.”

‘Little disagreement’ was putting it mildly, but Twilight forced another smile to her face, nodding along with Rarity’s words. “Yes! That’s a fantastic idea!” She stuck out her hoof. “Hello Fluttershy, I’m Twilight.”

“Oh.” After a moment Fluttershy returned it, though her eyes never quite met theirs. “Uh… hi. I’m Fluttershy.”

“And I’m Pinkie Pie!” the eponymous pony shouted as she leapt into the middle of the group, a mountain of food trays swaying from side to side on her back. There was an explosion of confetti as she threw her arms wide to the cry of party horns. “And welcome to Ponyville! I don’t know what bat ponies like to eat–”

“Thestrals!” said Twilight.

“–so I decided to bake a little bit of everything for your official greeting! I got cakes and pies and cupcakes and donuts and eclairs and those little swirly cinnamony sticks and cookies and muffins and brownies!” Pinkie Pie pointed out each item in turn, somehow managing to avoid sending the tower of baked goods crashing to the floor. As she spoke she laid out each tray around her until she was a cheerful island in a sea of sweet-smelling treats. “And I even have some ice cream for dessert!”

Fluttershy peeked out from around the horse-head statue she was crouched behind, eyes wide with alarm.

“So what do you want to start with? I know! How about a cupcake?” She stomped on one of the trays and launched a barrage of cupcakes into the air. As they came down she caught each one with the deft hoof of a circus pony, the stunning display only marred by Pinky’s devouring of every other cupcake until her cheeks bulged like a greedy chipmunk. Setting the survivors out across the table she gave Fluttershy a puffy grin before swallowing the whole lot.

How she managed it without choking would force Twilight to pour over her anatomy books in the coming days.

Fluttershy kept a wary eye on Pinkie Pie as she slipped out from behind her refuge. Bending low, she sniffed carefully at one of the cupcakes. She stuck out her tongue and tentatively licked the tower of multi-colored frosting. Her expression widened. “Oh my!” she gasped. She picked it up and inspected it closely before taking another nibble. A muffled moan escaped her lips. “What is this made of?” she asked, licking her lips clean. “It’s delicious!”

“Just flour and milk and eggs and butter and salt and milk and flavoring,” Pinkie Pie rattled off as she popped another in her mouth. She gave a crumb-filled smile. “And best of all, sugar!”

Applejack looked at the kitchen. “So that’s where you’ve been hiding.”

“Yup! Can’t have somepony new not get the full Pinkie Pie greeting!” she announced proudly. “Although I think I’ll save the party till after we get the Princess back. Don’t need any mopey-dopey party-poopers around, after all.”

“That sounds like a smart decision,” Twilight said. She watched Fluttershy finish off the cupcake and reach for another. “So, Fluttershy, what do you normally eat?”

“Me?” She swallowed. “Nothing special. Mushrooms and lichen soup and spore bread. Stuff like that.”

Pinkie Pie stuck out her tongue. “Ewwww! That sounds icky! What, do you live under a rock?”

“Pinkie Pie!” chided Rarity, although her face had turned a shade of green. “Don’t be so rude to our guest just because her cuisine is different. I’m sure for bat ponies like her–”

“Thestrals!”

“–that sort of food is very tasty.”

Fluttershy picked up a third cake. “It’s really not.”

Rarity deflated. “Oh.”

“So the fangs are just for show?” asked Applejack.

Fluttershy’s mouth snapped shut. She blushed. “We’re not carnivores,” she said defensively. “I don’t care what the propaganda says.”

“I wasn’t implying nothing,” Applejack added quickly. “I just, you know, never seen a pony like you before.”

Rarity nodded. “They certainly are a striking feature.”

Fluttershy glanced away, her cheeks crimson. Twilight watched her run her tongue over her teeth.

“Still, I think they’re quite impressive. Dangerous and exotic,” Rarity continued, her voice growing more excited as she paced from side to side. “I can see it now. A line of dark dresses for the adventurous mare to wear about town. Nocturna, I’ll call it! Shades of silver and midnight blue, with a night’s sky of gems sewn into the – gah!” There was a wet squish as she stepped onto an éclair, splattering cream over her leg.

There was a chorus of laughter as she danced backwards, shaking her leg wildly. Catching herself, she just gave Pinkie Pie a single burning look before lifting her nose into the air and marching away, the squish-clop-squish-clop following her all the way to the bathroom. Even Fluttershy had a faint smile on her face.

Twilight helped herself to one of the cookies, careful not to repeat Rarity’s mistake. It really was quite good. “Considering your diet, does that mean you’re a subterranean species?”

Fluttershy dropped her half-eaten cupcake, her body suddenly stiff. “No!” she almost shouted, her voice stilted. “We do not live underground or in caves or in the mountains or anywhere really dark and rocky!”

Twilight winced. “Sorry! I promise, I wasn’t prying. I just want to get to know you better. You’re the first thestral any pony has met in a thousand years, and there are a lot of blanks to be filled in.”

Fluttershy sat down again as some of the tension leaked out, leaving her looking forlorn. “Have other ponies really forgotten about us? We were… I thought you hated us?”

Applejack shrugged as she helped herself to a treat. “I can’t say I ever heard of you or your kinfolk before. And I reckon if Twilight doesn’t know anything about you bat ponies–”

“Thestrals!”

“–then nopony else does, either. She’s a pretty smart cookie.” She looked down at the half-eaten cookie in her hoof. “Uh, no pun intended.”

Twilight placed a hoof against her own breast. “Fluttershy, if there’s any questions you feel uncomfortable answering, just let me know and I won’t ask them again. We can just skip it and move on.” She glanced around the library. “Oh! What about books? What sort of books do you like to read?”

Taking a slow bite from her cupcake, Fluttershy mulled over her thoughts. The other ponies stood by as she quietly chewed her meal. She hadn’t wanted to admit it, but after so long without anything more than a hoof-full of dried rations, she was utterly famished. And whatever sugar was, it was incredible.

But it was more than just hunger gnawing at her insides now. She could feel them watching her, patiently waiting for her to continue. Everything had seemed so certain before, she thought as she took another bite. I was surrounded by guards and being interrogated by the Sun Tyrant’s own student. But now? She glanced around herself. The guards are gone, I have food in my belly, and I’m being asked what sorts of books I like to read. These are the enemy? The same ponies who pulled me from the river Dusk left me to die in?

The cupcake took an age to finish. When Fluttershy finally spoke, her voice was a dessicated whisper. “Why are you doing this to me?”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“Why are you treating me so nice?” She looked from one mare to the next, finishing on Twilight. “You’re supposed to hate us. We fought against your Princess! I’m your prisoner. You’re supposed to be torturing me for information, or using your magic to rip open my mind and taking what you want to know. Instead you’re… you’re feeding me sweets and talking to me like… like I’m just another pony… and it’s my own kind who want to hurt me!”

The others stood in shocked silence as she turned away, hiding her face behind her mane – but not before Twilight spotted more tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “It’s like everything I know is wrong! I was told all my life that we were the loyal ones, the honorable few who stood by the True Princess when she rose against the Sun Tyrant. I used to be p-proud of that. But now?” Her whole body shook as she struggled to keep talking. “My enemy is feeding me cakes while my own unit tried to… to kill me! They tried to murder me and if you hadn’t… if you hadn’t...”

The struggle was over. Sobbing, Fluttershy collapsed. She shook uncontrollably as she curled in on herself, once again reduced to a whimpering little filly in front of her people’s destroyers. Her shame scoured her throat as she wailed.

Something soft and warm grappled with Fluttershy. She stiffened, her muscles tensing as a decade of stern military training took control. Fluttershy lay there, frozen in place, as Pinkie Pie began to hum a little lullaby to her. “It’s okay,” she said as she hugged Fluttershy close, rubbing the thestral’s back. “Just let it all out.”

Attack them! They’re the enemy! her drill instructor shouted through the vast expanse of her memories, his voice overlaid across her Aunt’s. Attack! they demanded. Attack! Attack! Attack!

She felt a second, third, and then a fourth pair of arms embrace her. She was trapped. Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity had surrounded her. It was a combat threat, a gross violation of private space, and brought about by a pathetic display of sentimentality and emotion unbefitting a Legionary. Her thoughts hardened. She knew what she had to do.

Wrapping her arms around Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy hugged her back.

“What. The. Hay.”

Five pairs of shocked eyes glanced up the stairs to find Rainbow Dash standing there, balanced atop a pair of crutches halfway down the stairs, her body wrapped tight in a cocoon of bandages. She ground her teeth together. “Okay. Seriously. Just what in the name of Celestia is going on here?”