Rarity ran past the battling dogs. She knew nothing about how dogs fought each other, but she could recognize mortal combat when she saw it. Long Strider had opened the way and they ran, leaving Raarg and Long Strider in their wake. Some dogs began to climb sleepily from their tents, woken by the sound of the fight. The group of them simply pounded past the sleepy dogs at a full sprint. Just as Rarity, Chopper and the rest cleared the outer encampment, a sudden piercing yelp of pain could be heard. Alarms began to ring throughout the encampment. Rarity looked at Chopper as they ran side by side. He just shook his head and bent it back down into a running position.

“Thank you, Long Strider,” Rarity thought to herself. “I’ll try to make your sacrifice count.”

Two hours later they paused at a supply cache. Rarity found herself oddly energetic as Chopper passed around canteens with water, biscuits and salt tablets. He made a point of making sure Rarity actually took the tablets. Once he saw that she had taken the salt, he passed her a note. As she read it, she couldn’t but help hear Long Strider’s AJ-like twang.

Ma’am

If your reading this I guess things didn’t go quite according to plan. It means something got in our way and I put myself in it’s path. Fair enough. As long as it gets you clear it’s worth it. Me and the boys didn’t expect to all make it out. I just want you to know that all of my dogs have promised to do whatever it takes to get you to the border. Chopper and his too. Just remember me and my boys to Luna, if you get the chance. Ask her to look on our shades kindly and I’ll consider whatever you think you owe us, paid in full.

All the best,

Long Strider

Rarity was just finishing off her canteen, when the she heard the hunting howl of diamond dogs heading their way. The howl was answered, then answered again and again. Almost the entire southern arc of the compass was covered, from east to west. Rorg stood up, along with one of Long Strider’s pack.

“We go and slow them down,” he said. “We catch up when we can.” Rorg, and his partner jogged off in one direction while the rest of the group went the other.

And so it went over the next couple of hours. Rorg and his friend never did catch up. Rarity and her escort ran for all they were worth. But it wasn’t enough. They had known from the start they would be at a speed disadvantage but they had counted on having several hours head start. Instead, they had barely enjoyed a half hour lead on their pursuers. Every so often, the hunters would close in, from one direction or another. Then one or two of her escort would grimly nod to the rest and peel off to fight a delaying action aimed at slowing the literal horde of dogs chasing them.

“How many?” she had gasped once to Chopper.

“All of them,” he had panted back. “Alpha would have sent everyone. Maybe one thousand dogs.”

“I feel flattered,” she huffed. “Never had so many suitors chasing me at once.”

Chopper just smiled back at her and a few minutes later they were at their next rest stop. Rarity had wanted to keep going but Chopper had overridden her objection.

“Pony need to have salt,” Chopper said. “Remember collapse after hunt? That because you drank much water and used up all salt in you.” Rarity had grumbled a bit at that but it did make sense to her. So she sat with the others, took the salt tablets and washed them down from the canteen of water supplied. She could feel the energy flowing back into her limbs. Chopper had been right.

Of course, that was the moment when the pack that hadn’t howled out their approach landed in among the fugitive group. It was six on six and the fight was on. Two of the enemy pack focused on Rarity, hurling bolos at her. She realized there was no way to avoid them, so she deliberately took both sets of thrown weapons on her front legs. As she had planned, the cords wrapped around both legs, fusing them together. But with her rear legs still unhampered she was only slowed, not immobilized.

Growf and Old Bones, from Long Strider’s pack, fell on the distracted dogs from behind. Knocking them down and out with a few, well aimed club strikes. Chopper and the others were hard pressed though, as their foes wore armor and were better armed than their group. Rarity, Growf and Old Bones fell on their better armed foes from behind. Rarity with her bound and doubled front hooves, the other two with clubs. It was over in moments. Chopper came over to cut Rarity free. As he did so, Rarity could see he had been wounded. A long shallow cut on his rear leg.

“Chopper, you’re hurt,” Rarity said, bending to examine the wound. “Get some bandages!” Just then the group heard the howls of more dogs coming, many more.

“No time pony, no time,” said Chopper as he swept her up into a fierce hug. “Now run,” he said as he set her back down. “Grarf, Growf, go with her. Rest, with me.”

“NO! Chopper,” Rarity yelled as Chopper limped and jogged away.

“It okay,” assured Growf, leading her away. “That choke point, they can hold long time. We run, not waste that time.”

“They are so brave,” came the voice of Valiente. “They are going to die for you, you know.”

“I know, and it breaks my heart,” Rarity said to the inner mare. “Where do they find the courage?”

“Maybe they've found the courage because they've found something...or somepony, worth dying for,” Rarity could feel Valiente looking at her as she said it.

Outwardly, for no apparent reason, Rarity blushed. Inwardly she said, “Or perhaps, it is because they are good dogs and they've decided they would rather die than give another inch to the darkness. For everyone, there is a point they cannot be pushed beyond.”

“Do you, I mean we, have a point like that?” Valiente asked.

“Yes dear, I’m sorry, but I cannot allow them to capture us again,” Rarity said sadly. “If it comes to that I intend to give them no choice but to kill me. Or barring that, take my own life”

“You can’t be serious?” Valiente gasped in horror.

“Deadly serious, dogs are giving their lives so that we have this chance at freedom. I will not see it wasted. Even if it means freedom, only in death.”

“I’m sorry as well Rarity, but if you try to end us, I will have to try to stop you.”

“Understood. But for now, let’s run and keep it from coming to that.”

“Agreed...watch out on the left, that soil looks a little loose.”

~~~~~+++++~~~~~

Two hours before dawn. Two hours. That is how much Train Masters Scoot and Forge had beaten Twilight’s deadline by. It had been enough, Twilight mused as she glided on through the mid morning sky. There had been an hour needed after arrival, for Twilight to gather her supplies and have a quick meal in advance, of what promised to be a long flight. Oh, and the train’s engine had caught fire in the aftermath of their arrival at the railhead.

That had needed dealing with.

After expressing her thanks to the train crew as a whole Twilight had climbed into the dawning morning sky. Only to find herself immediately enveloped in a protective formation by a squadron of pegasi. They had escorted her to the border and had even offered to fly with her to her destination, deep within the Diamond Dogs territory. Twilight had kindly refused. She was the last, best hope for peace. Flying in with a military escort would just increase tensions.

So, at the border, the nine pegasi of her escort had reluctantly peeled away from their Ambassador. Well, not exactly at the border. They had made a point of waiting until Twilight started to order them back. Just as she opened her mouth to give the order, the lead trio in front of her had curved away as one. Then the trailing trios to either flank had curved up and away. Leaving her to fly on.

She had glided mainly. “Glide, don’t flap,” Rainbow Dash had constantly told her when it came to long flights. “Flap only when you need to get to the next thermal.”

So, she had. Gliding on thermals where she could. Actively flying when she had to toward the next. As the flight went on Twilight took the time to mentally review her lists.

“First,” she thought to herself, “Assets. I have flight, personal magic, and my status as a Princess and Ambassador. Barring anything else, those last two should keep me personally safe. Second, Goals. My number one goal is to rescue Rarity. However, if I can also determine what has caused this change in the Diamond Dogs so much the better. Finally, Liabilities. Teleportation is blocked, I’m outnumbered thousands to one and the Alpha is almost an unknown quantity.”

It was while reviewing this list yet again that she saw the movement below. Being four or five hundred feet up it was impossible to resolve any of the dots below into actual figures. But there were a lot of them, spread in a vast arc, moving roughly towards her.

Summoning a magical pair of binoculars Twilight looked toward the ground as she hovered in place. There were diamond dogs running across the terrain. Gathered in handfuls nearly everywhere and in some larger groups. The largest group, she shifted focus, seemed to closing in on a white legged figure. A white pony. RARITY!

Even as Twilight watched, she could see groups of dogs closing in from either side. She could see that Rarity had a pair of escorts with her, as she ran. Twilight saw them peel away from her friend, and move to intercept the oncoming groups on either side. Even so, it was obvious from her vantage point that the valiant sacrifice of Rarity's escorts was not going to save her friend. There were too many dogs closing in from too many directions.

There was only one thing to do. A move she had only practiced with Rainbow Dash once. Called the “Barn Swallow,” it involved a pegasus diving and doing a high-speed pickup of a target, and carrying it off. She had managed to do one in practice. One. Now the freedom of her friend depended on it. Rarity’s escorts had engaged their target groups but Twilight could see only a few more minutes of freedom remained to Rarity unless Twilight did something and did it now.

“Okay, remember the steps,” Twilight thought, “One, take up station behind the target. Two, hover.” Twilight hovered in place, “Three, drop nose and begin stoop.” Twilight nosed over and began to dive, “Four, curve and angle wings for maximum speed.” Twilight’s wings adjusted to a razor profile even as the alicorn began to gain speed, “Five, trim airframe.” Twilight tucked her legs up alongside her body.

Her speed crossed a hundred wingpower and continued to accelerate. “Six, adjust dive slope to match target movement,” Twilight shallowed out her dive slightly, to match Rarity’s running. “Seven, stay on profile,” Twilight held the slope, her body rigid in the dive. Gravity had accelerated her to her maximum speed even as Twilight's mane and tail flowed into banners behind her. She had no idea how fast she was going.

All that mattered was the dive. Her eyes locked on the target. Locked on her friend. The wind stream tore at her eyes, forcing her to narrow them to slits. It was almost time. It was time. Twilight raised her nose, raised her wings. G-forces tore at her, threatening to drive her into the ground. Every muscle and sinew strained at the force of the pullout of the dive. The pain was incredible as she pushed herself harder than she ever had before. She was Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship and her friend was depending on her. She. Would. Not. Fail.

Nor did she. Despite the incredible strain Twilight Sparkle pulled out of her dive a mere eight feet above the ground. The dive had given her incredible speed. More than enough to beat the reflexes of the dogs she overflew or passed by. But fast as she was, she could not outrun the cries of shock and amazement at her flight. Rarity turned just before Twilight reached her. Joy spreading across the unicorn’s face.

Things began to happen very quickly. As Twilight reached Rarity, a quick burst of levitation pulled the unicorn into Twilight’s waiting hooves and cushioned the shock from the impact of the catch. Then, Twilight realized she had missed a step in her dive checklist. Plan egress. She realized this only as she saw the rock wall looming in their path. It was too late to try to climb over, so Twilight went into a hard right bank to follow the wall. Directly over a group of armored diamond dogs who began firing crossbows at nearly point blank range.

“Hold on, Rarity,” she screamed.

The bridle on Rarity, obeying it’s commands, triggered at the sound of Rarity’s name. As it had, so often before. Lightning lanced out, shocking Rarity, reinforcing even further the Valiente persona and, because she was also in contact with the bridle, shocking Twilight Sparkle. This, even as a full volley of blunt tipped crossbow bolts reached the duo.

The peytral Celestia and Luna had bound to their friend, had more spells woven into it than they had admitted. Among which was a shield spell. It flared to life even as the bridle's lightning hit Twilight’s body. The shield blunted the power of the bridle’s fire, allowing Twilight enough presence of mind to hold the bank she was in, and not crash into the rock wall on her left side. Then, came the crossbow bolts. The vast majority of them were clean misses. Six struck home. Three hit Twilight’s side, but the shield spell of the peytral deflected them even as the bolts touched her flesh. Two however, hit Twilight’s forelegs, stealing their strength and causing her to drop Rarity. The last one struck Twilight’s right wing, causing it to freeze up and rolling Twilight to that side as she lost lift.

Everything seemed to slow down, like the world was moving through a thick gel. Twilight had all the time in world. She could see that Rarity would be unable to shield herself from the impact, saw that there was only time for Twilight to protect one of them from the ground’s terrible embrace. She choose her friend. As she always would. She had a whole two seconds to wrap Rarity in layer after layer of yielding force. Wrapping the unicorn in a sphere that would give with the impact, so that Rarity would not splatter against the inside of field.

Then, time brutally sped up again. Twilight hit, and bounced off the ground at terrific speed. She tumbled, all attempt at control vanishing. End over end, she rolled. At one point she distinctly heard a wing snap. Light and dark blurred, finally stopping as her momentum carried her into a huge boulder along her path. With a sickening crunch, everything stopped.

Blackness

~~~~~+++++~~~~~

In Canterlot Castle, Princesses Luna and Celestia suddenly paused in the middle of court. Both felt the immediate, deep ache within their breasts. Celestia looked over at her sister, at the tears welling up in Luna’s eyes. Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, another voice was heard through the castle.

Everything and everyone froze, as Side Slip’s anguished voice rang out, “TWILIGHT HAS FALLEN!”

Two hours later a messenger arrived at the pavilion of the Alpha of the Diamond Dogs. The runner was matted with sweat but he moved gracefully to hand the message he carried to his supreme leader. The Alpha took the message and smiled as he read it, “Oh Celestia, sometimes you are so predictable.” He passed the message to Howl, who sat nearby. "Events unfold as I have predicted," the Alpha said, pleased with himself. "Twilight has fallen, and soon will come the Night.”

Author's Note

And here we are.

It all comes down to this. All the pieces are on the board and in play. All that is left now is to reveal the gambits and plots. All that remains is the final conflict. Chapter 14 is going to be late. Not because I am putting the story aside at such a cliffhanger, but because Chapter 14 is going to be the climax.

Everything I've written since July comes down to this one chapter. All my personal growth since I began writing, all the growth of this story. I intend to take my time and give it my all. Hopefully, it will be something worthy of your attention.