The Order of the Celestial Sun

Chapters

Brother Blaze, The Knight Errant
Sister Singe, The Monster Hunter
Brother Burn, The Crusader
Sister Scorch, The Inquisitor
Father Fire, The Ascendant

Brother Blaze, The Knight Errant

Amidst the rolling plains of the Western Equestrian frontier, a lone Earth Pony stallion stood facing the Eastern horizon. He was clad from head to hoof in full plate armor of white and gold, and a gilded gladius hung on his side. His name was Brother Blazing “Blaze” Hearth, Knight of the Order of the Celestial Sun, and he awaited the rise of his sovereign.

The sun peeked out over the horizon as Princess Celestia brought forth another day. Its rays pierced through the light morning mist and revealed the untamed beauty of the Equestrian landscape. As the world awoke around Blaze, he closed his eyes and knelt in prayer.

As Your day banishes the dark of night
So too does it banish my doubt and fear
As Your sun maketh Equestria’s light
So too does it maketh my mission clear

I am armed with the testament of Your truth
And a sword anointed in Your name
The hurts of the righteous shall they soothe
The sins of the wicked shall they purge in flame

Gloriam Celestia, Sol Invictus

“Praise the sun, the one true light,” Blaze concluded. He took a long deep breath of the crisp morning air and let out a satisfied sigh. Today would be another glorious day, as all days in Her service were.

His morning ritual completed, Blaze turned towards the West and began to trot. He kept a steady pace, his polished armor clanking rhythmically as he went. Though the scent of the fresh grass around him and the sound of the small stream nearby were enticing, he did not stop to eat or drink. He had journeyed far on this mission, and now that he was so close to its completion, he would not delay a moment longer. His body yearned for sustenance, but he pressed on, confident that his faith would sustain him until his holy task was done.

Ignoring the complaints of his stomach, Blaze reviewed his mission. Word had reached the Order that a band of brigands was terrorizing travellers and settlements along the Western frontier. The bandits were too numerous for local law enforcement to handle, and with the rising tensions among the nations to the East, the already understaffed Equestrian military were stretched too thin to send a detachment to deal with the relatively small and distant threat. Thus, the bandits had been allowed to flourish under Celestia’s own sun, in Celestia’s own lands.

Blaze let out a disgusted snort. “No longer,” he said, picking up his pace as he neared his destination.

Blaze had already spotted the brigands’ encampment the previous night, but it was unfitting of one in Celestia’s service to strike from the darkness, so he had held back and watched from a distance until dawn. There were, by his count, roughly three score of the foe, and it appeared as though they still had some prisoners captured from prior raids. To meet such a threat, the Royal Army would need to send a platoon of soldiers, perhaps more, but Blaze marched on undeterred and unafraid. Despite appearances, he knew he was not alone. Celestia was with him, and she would guide his blade and shield his body, so long as his faith was strong. And he would prove that it was.

“Judgement comes,” he said as he crested the final hill.

~~~~~

In the center of the bandits’ encampment, three prisoners - two Earth Ponies and a Pegasus - slept in a large iron cage.

Clay Pot, a brown Earth Pony stallion with a cutie mark matching his name, was rudely awoken by the sound of shattering clay. He turned his head to the source of the sound to see that the bandit jailer had thrown a clay bowl filled with oats into the cage. The bowl had shattered upon hitting the ground, spilling its contents all over the floor.

Clay grimaced at the waste of perfectly good food and pottery. “What was that for?” he asked the jailer angrily.

“Breakfast,” the jailer replied curtly.

“Well you didn’t have to throw it on the ground! You broke the bowl!” Clay exclaimed. His loud voice woke his fellow prisoners.

“You’re a potter, ain’tcha? Fix it,” the jailer said with a cruel smile before walking away.

Clay made to move towards the bars, but was stopped by the other Earth Pony, an old grey mare with a cutie mark of a steaming bowl of soup named Willow Sticks.

“Don’t waste your breath, Clay. You’ll only make it worse,” she said as she stood. “At least they gave us food. Means we’re still worth keepin’ alive.”

Willow moved towards the scattered oats and lapped some up. “It ain’t rotten either,” she continued. “I’ve had worse slop down at Brick’s tavern.”

“Are you serious?” Night Flight, the young purple Pegasus mare prisoner with a cutie mark of a gust of wind blowing between three stars, asked.

“Oh, you’d be surprised what they’ll serve good payin’ ponies down at that trash heap, filly,” Willow said with a chuckle. “Why one time, I -”

“I wasn’t talking about that, as disgusting as it is,” Flight interjected. “I meant the first part - the part about us being worth keeping alive.”

“What about it?” Willow asked.

“Just that...we’re not particularly important, are we? I mean, I just transferred in as a junior weathermare, Clay’s just a potter, and you’re just some kooky old pony! None of us are rich or important or know lots of ponies. What’s the point in capturing us?” Flight asked, a hint of suppressed panic in her voice.

“If that jailer came back and told you to eat these oats off the ground, or he’d cut the kooky old pony’s hoof off, would you?” Willow countered.

“What? I - that’s horrible!” Flight stammered.

“Would you?” Willow asked again.

“Yes, of course I would! But why would you say something like that?” Flight asked.

Clay spoke up, “To get you to do something you normally wouldn’t. Something you can live with...to prevent something you can't.”

Willow nodded. “Nopony wants blood on their hooves, even if it is the blood of somepony they don’t know that well.”

Clay began picking through the oats looking for shards of the bowl that once carried it. “Somepony they know, but not well. Somepony they’ve met, but never got to know. Somepony worth worrying about, but not worth risking everything for,” he added dryly as he cradled the shattered pieces of the bowl like an injured child. He’d always gotten along better with pots than with ponies.

Willow gave a rueful laugh. “Somepony that could easily be replaced by somepony close to you, unless you do as you’re told.”

Flight’s heart sank. “You mean they took me because...I’m nopony?” she muttered. She sniffed as her eyes began to tear up.

“Oh, chin up, filly,” Willow said. “They took us because we’re noponies. They took a sweet young thing like you because you could be somepony. You just haven’t had your chance yet. It’s more tragic like that.”

Clay yelped as a broken shard cut into his foreleg, causing him to drop all the shards he had gathered. Anger flashed across his face. “Whoever leads this band is a sick pony,” he said.

“Aye, but a smart one. You have to give him that,” Willow commented. She turned back to Flight and asked, “Are you sure you don’t want any of these oats, filly? Clay’s been nice enough to get all the sharp bits out. If I was you, I’d take this chance to eat while the eating’s good. There’s no telling when they’ll feed us again. There’s alive and there’s well, and they only need us alive.”

Flight sniffed again and rubbed her eyes. “I...I guess so,” she said. She walked over to where the oats had spilled on the floor and hesitated. “Thanks -”

“HEATHENS!” Brother Blaze’s deep voice suddenly boomed from atop a nearby hill.

~~~~~

All throughout the camp, heads turned to face Blaze. The rising sun shone behind him and reflected brilliantly off of his polished white and gold armor, making it difficult to look directly at him.

“I am Brother Blaze, Knight of the Order of the Celestial Sun, and arbiter of your sins!” Blaze exclaimed.

The bandit jailer reappeared next to the prisoners’ cage. “Who the hell is this nutjob?” he asked aloud as he looked up at the literally shining knight.

“He just introduced himself, idiot,” Clay spat.

“Shut it, you,” the jailer spat back.

Atop the hill, Blaze continued his monologue. “The light of Celestia’s judgement shines this day, and has revealed the shadow within your souls. Following promises of power and riches, you have turned from Her light and embraced the Traitor’s darkness - spurning your sacred place amongst Celestia’s children. You are rightfully damned, but Our Lady’s compassion is nearly as boundless as Her power. As Her sworn servant, it is my honor and my duty to offer you the chance to purify yourselves and find peace in Her presence. Fall now upon your swords in penance and you may yet be allowed the mercy to burn forever for Her glory. Refuse, and you shall cast your lot with the damned in the darkest depths of Tartarus, where night reigns eternal and no light ever shines. The last light you shall ever see shall be the glint of my blade as it sends you to your chosen kin. This is your only warning!”

Blaze fell silent and looked down upon the bandits, allowing them time to make peace with Celestia, to turn from darkness and embrace the light. He saw several speaking amongst themselves. A few shuffled back to their bedrolls or makeshift tents. One drew a sword and looked at it, eyes wide in epiphany, until the bandit next to him smacked him upside the head.

An arrow pinged off of Blaze’s armor. There was scattered laughter from the bandits below.

“So be it,” Blaze said. “If thou shalt not take the offered flame in hoof, then thou shalt burn as it is thrust upon you!” He took his gladius into his mouth and charged down the hill.

~~~~~

A mocking cheer went up among the bandits at the sight of the lone pony charging down the hill into their encampment. To them, the sight was ridiculous. A single pony against sixty? It was comically mad.

Among the prisoners, the sentiment was much the same. Although they would like to see the knight succeed, Clay and Willow did not hold much hope for his chances. Flight, however, looked at the knight’s resplendent charge and dared to dream.

Celestia, please...if you really are watching over us, make it just like the stories, she prayed silently.

Several bandits trained their bows at the charging knight while their peers began placing bets on how many arrows it would take to bring Blaze down.

“Eight arrows!” the jailer called out, tossing a few bits into the growing pile.

Inside the cage, Willow decided take a guess as well. “His armor’s pretty thick, and these colts don’t have any of those fancy magic arrows, I’ll bet,” she said. “Probably fifteen arrows at least. Or one if the first shot’s lucky. How many arrows do you think, Clay? Flight?”

Clay just shook his head. “I’ll not watch this foolishness,” he said as the closed his eyes and looked away.

Flight, however, had her eyes locked on Blaze. “More than they have,” she whispered.

Willow heard the hope in Flight’s voice and fell silent.

Still so young, Willow thought to herself. Oh, child...try not to be too disappointed.

~~~~~

The bandit archers let fly their arrows, but they were untrained and undisciplined - the very opposite of their target. Most of the arrows went wide, and Blaze easily dodged the few that were on target. Frustrated curses broke out amongst the archers and the onlookers threw jeers at them for their poor aim.

The archers let fly a second volley. Many more shots landed closer to their target this time, but still Blaze was unscathed. The bandits were starting to feel the pressure, so they let loose a third and fourth volley in quick succession. This time Blaze was unable to dodge all the arrows and several managed to hit him. Most bounced uselessly off of his armor, but one lucky shot managed to hit a gap in the outer plates and punch through the chainmail into his back. Blaze did not even stagger. The bandits knew that Blaze was approaching too fast for them to safely fire a fifth volley.

There was another round of cursing as the bandits drew their melee weapons. They did not even have time to consider the gravity of their situation - a ragtag group of untrained and lightly armored brigands facing a highly trained and heavily armored knight in melee - before Blaze reached them.

Blaze veered left just before impacting with the first bandit, avoiding the bandit’s outstretched sword and letting his own gladius cut through the unfortunate pony as he passed by. He ended his charge with an armored headbutt against the skull of the next bandit he saw. As the bandit crumpled before him, he bit down hard on his gladius and pivoted on his hind legs, throwing the front half of his body hard to the right and ramming his gladius into a third bandit.

To Blaze’s left, a bandit let out a yell and charged with an axe held high in one hoof. Blaze switched his gladius from his mouth to his right forehoof and spun to face his attacker. He batted aside the bandit’s axe hoof with his armored left forehoof then thrust with his gladius. Blaze followed the axe bandit’s body down, evading a wild sword swing from another bandit. He then surged back up, hitting the bandit in the chin with his armored head and following through with an upward slash of his gladius.

Before Blaze could recover his balance, a knife-wielding bandit slammed into him, throwing them both to the ground. The bandit frantically stabbed at Blaze’s belly, but the dull blade could not pierce the knight’s armor. At the same time, Blaze repeatedly slammed the hilt of his gladius into the side of the bandit’s head to much greater effect. In moments, the bandit’s struggling ceased and Blaze threw aside his assailant and stood once more.

By now, the other bandits had backed away from Blaze, with some running towards the tents to call for help from their allies. Their expressions no longer held any mirth or mockery, only anger.

“Not good enough,” muttered Blaze. He picked out a group and charged again, yelling “You will fear the light!”

~~~~~

Willow watched silent and slack-jawed as Blaze fell upon another group of ten bandits. She could not believe what she was seeing. One pony should not be able to stand up to so many. It was impossible, and yet…

“Sweet Celestia, he’s doing it. I don’t know how, but he’s actually doing it,” Clay commented. He had looked away at first, but as the fighting had dragged on, his curiosity had gotten the better of him. Now, he couldn’t look away.

Flight had gone up to the bars and gripped them tight. She turned back to Clay, her eyes filled with desperate hope, “He’s a hero! A knight sent by Celestia Herself!” she said. She turned back to the fighting and shouted, “Save us, hero! Save us!”

Willow closed her mouth and tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry.

That don’t look like no hero, she thought to herself. Just a killer.

~~~~~

The whole camp was on alert now, and the bandit leader, a giant Earth Pony named Clyde, had stormed out of his tent and now watched in anger as his subordinates fell before the lone knight.

“What are you idiots doing?!” he bellowed. “He’s just one pony - an Earth Pony! A good number of you lot got wings and horns, so buckin’ use ‘em! Form up like I taught you, stay out of his reach, and tear him apart!”

At their leader’s command, the mob of bandits surrounding Blaze quickly backed off and reorganized. Earth Ponies gathered in front of the new formation while Unicorns moved back. Numerous weapons floated up in the space around Blaze while several Pegasi shot into the air, all wielding bows.

Blaze surveyed the situation. The bandits had been close to breaking, he had seen it in their eyes: the fear, the realization that their end was at hoof, that there would be a reckoning for their sins. With the appearance of their leader, that had changed. Their faces were now set in grim determination. There was still fear in their eyes, not the fear of Celestia’s judgement, but rather the silent fear of slaves in the presence of a cruel overseer. They feared Clyde more than they feared the Sol Invictus.

Blaze sheathed his gladius, and let out a low growl. This was absolutely unacceptable. His course of action was clear: the leader would die last. As long as their leader lived, the bandits would hold their ground. Blaze would use this to his advantage. He would show them the full terror of Celestia’s fury, let them know their leader’s powerlessness to save them from the light, and then send them to their damnation. None would escape. Not. One.

Clyde broke the tense silence. “Well, what are you waiting for? Kill him!”

Arrows rained down on Blaze from above as floating weapons began to swing in his general direction. Neither the Pegasi nor the Unicorns were skilled enough to accurately attack from a great distance or move about as they did, so a great many of them missed. While the Unicorns could do little to adjust their aim from where they were positioned behind the Earth Pony line, the Pegasi hovered closer to the ground to help them get a better shot.

Blaze ignored the arrows pelting his armor and grabbed hold of an axe that swung at him, breaking the telekinetic grip surrounding it. He rolled to evade the clunky swings of the other floating weapons and threw the axe at an archer hovering nearby. The archer dropped to the ground with a cry of pain, and Blaze rushed forward to retrieve the fallen bow and quiver.

Blaze nocked an arrow, took aim, and shot down another archer. He repeated this twice more in quick succession before the other Pegasi stopped firing to fly upward to where they hoped Blaze could not hit them. As they did, Blaze shifted his aim and shoot a Unicorn. Several floating weapons dropped as the Unicorns controlling them ducked for cover. A few arguments broke out as Unicorns tried to use Earth Ponies as living shields. The arguments turned to struggles as Blaze shot an Earth Pony followed by the Unicorn that had been hiding behind it.

The Pegasi began firing again. Blaze aimed upwards, but before he could return fire, a floating hammer slammed into the side of his head. The bandits saw Blaze stagger from the blow and redoubled their efforts. Blaze ducked his head as he was struck from all sides. His armor, now battered and riddled with arrows, could not stop all of the attacks, and several times he felt the sharp pain of an arrow piercing through his chainmail or an edged weapon slicing through a gap. A mace struck his hind leg and his knees buckled. Two hammers rocketed into his right side and he was thrown to the ground.

~~~~~

The bandits cheered as Blaze fell.

“And that’s how you do it, boys!” Clyde yelled. “Now somepony get over there and finish the job!”

There was a small scuffle as the bandits argued over who should finish the knight. Eventually, a scrawny Earth Pony armed with a knife was pushed forward. The Earth Pony looked over to Clyde, who gestured angrily at Blaze’s prone form.

“Get to it, Runt,” Clyde commanded.

In the prisoners’ cage, Flight began quivering as she watched Runt walk slowly towards Blaze’s prone form. “No…” she said weakly.

Willow put her hoof on Flight’s back. “I’m sorry, filly. He...he put up a good fight,” she said.

Flight shook her head violently. “No!” she exclaimed. “It isn’t over. He’s just...he...he’ll get back up! Heroes always do! He’ll get up and he’ll save us, right, Clay?”

Clay looked away, unable to meet Flight’s gaze.

“Flight…” Willow began.

“He’ll get up,” Flight insisted, pushing away Willow’s hoof and turning back to where Blaze lie. “He’ll get up, you’ll see. He has to. He’ll save me. He’ll save me...”

Willow sighed. “If you say so, filly. If you say so.”

~~~~~

The fight had taken its toll on Blaze. His helmet had been damaged during the assault and now obscured his vision. His armor had caved in from the last blow and now dug painfully into his barrel. He felt thirsty, and hungry, and tired. He felt a dull throbbing in his head emanating from where the hammer had struck. He felt countless aches and pains throughout his body as it complained of the abuse it had been made to take. But more than any of that, he felt the fury rising in his heart, the righteous indignation at having been brought so low. His skill was great, but it had failed him. His armor was the best, but it had broken.

~~~~~

Runt reached Blaze and crouched down. He could hear the knight breathing, but couldn’t see anywhere he could stick his knife to properly finish the job.

“Why does it always have to be me?” Runt muttered to himself.

Seeing no other option, Runt reached down and grasped Blaze’s helmet. He took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and pulled the helmet off. He expected Blaze to burst into motion and kill him then and there, but instead, Blaze’s head just hit the ground with a light thud.

Curious, Runt examined the injured knight’s features. Run had expected the face of somepony ruggedly handsome or obviously heroic underneath the helmet, perhaps with some wicked battle scar or something of the sort, but Blaze looked...ordinary. He wasn’t ugly or unpleasant, but he wasn’t anything special either. His coat was beige, his matted mane was reddish-brown, and besides the blood trickling down the side of his head, he didn’t seem to have any obvious battle scars. He had golden eyes, but instead of burning with fiery intensity, they seemed to be gazing off into the distance.

“Ain’t so special after all, now are you?” Runt said, his confidence rising.

“Oi!” Clyde called out. “Quit screwing around and kill him already!”

“Right. Good night, knight,” Runt said with a chuckle. He raised his knife to strike the killing blow.

~~~~~

The sun was in Blaze’s eyes.

The bright light hurt to look at, but he didn’t look away. Even here, even now, the sun shined undeterred. Celestia’s gift to all the world. The fire of life. The fire of passion. The fire of rage. He was not alone. Celestia was with him. His steps may falter, but Hers would not. He need not fight, only deliver Her judgement.

Celestia forgive your humble servant, he prayed silently. Deliver not your servant from the foe, but allow him the honor of delivering your justice. My body is weak, but my faith is strong. I shall not fail you, Lady. Not now, nor ever.

Runt’s knife came down, but Blaze jerked his head out of the way. The knight got to his hooves, the fire of his rage giving strength to his limbs and burning brightly through his eyes. Runt raised his knife, but he knew he was doomed.

“I was wrong,” Runt said in the calm voice of a pony that had accepted his fate. “That’s a hero’s look alright.”

Blaze drew his gladius and thrust it into Runt. Without bothering to withdraw the blade, he turned towards the center of the bandit line and charged.

“I am Celestia’s Earth Pony, Her most stalwart servant!” Blaze bellowed.

The Pegasi shot at him, but could not land any hits before he got too close to their allies. The Earth Ponies and Unicorns brought up their weapons, but Blaze did not slow down. As he reached the line of Earth Ponies, Blaze leaped into the air, sailing over their weapons. He crashed down among them, crushing one unfortunate bandit beneath him. He hopped off of his victim and bucked, taking out two Unicorns.

“I am the earth beneath Her hooves!” Blaze exclaimed.

Blaze sidestepped one bandit’s thrust and redirected him into another attacking bandit, bringing both down. He punched a bandit with a sword in it’s mouth and took the sword. Blaze slashed at a bandit to the left and to the right before thrusting the sword back to its owner, point-first.

“I am the fuel of Her eternal flame!” Blaze continued.

A floating axe swung at Blaze’s head. He ducked and the swing hit another bandit. Blaze picked up a fallen knife before coming back up and stabbing a bandit with it. He pulled the knife back out and ducked another swing from the axe. Again, the swing hit another bandit. Blaze came back up and threw the knife at a Unicorn with a glowing horn. Both the Unicorn and the axe dropped. Blaze caught the axe before it hit the ground and hurled it at a Pegasus archer aiming down at him. As the archer fell, his arrow flew and hit the bandit behind Blaze.

“With Her, I am unbreakable!” Blaze shouted.

With none of them being able to take a clear shot, the rest of the Pegasi turned to land and join the melee. The last Pegasus to land tried to dive at Blaze from above, dagger in hoof, but Blaze grabbed his outstretched hoof at the last moment and threw him into three other bandits. Without wasting a moment, Blaze leapt upon them and stomped down with his armored hooves.

“By Her, I am unrelenting!” Blaze cried.

Two Pegasi charged Blaze head-on while a Unicorn raised a mace behind him with magic from a distance. Blaze turned and yanked the mace out of the Unicorn’s magical grip, then bucked the charging Pegasi. Seeing a pair of Unicorns behind an Earth Pony, Blaze leapt forward and smashed the mace into the Earth Pony and then the first Unicorn. The second Unicorn managed to parry Blaze’s strike with a hammer held with both hooves and magic. Instead of pressing the attack, Blaze let the mace drop and punched the Unicorn’s horn, snapping it. As the Unicorn recoiled in pain, Blaze took up the hammer and swung it into the Unicorn’s jaw.

“Through Her, I am unstoppable!” Blaze yelled.

The remaining fourteen bandits backed away from the berserking Blaze. One Earth Pony turned and ran, and the last remaining Pegasus flew up and away. Both were shot with arrows before they could escape, but not by Blaze.

“Anyone else wanna run?” Clyde asked, nocking another arrow on his bow.

None of the bandits moved.

“Didn’t think so,” Clyde said.

Clyde locked eyes with Blaze and frowned. He aimed the bow at Blaze and fired two arrows in quick succession.

“Rush him!” he commanded.

Blaze deflected the first arrow away from his head with a swipe of his armored hoof, but the second punched into his left shoulder, staggering him. A bandit appeared before him, sword raised. Blaze grabbed hold of the bandit and dragged him down at an angle. The two rolled a short distance - the bandit losing his sword, several more bandits getting tripped up, and several of the arrows protruding from Blaze’s armor snapping in the process - then Blaze kicked the bandit away and rolled to his hooves. As the bandit tried to get up, Blaze finished him with a swift one-legged buck to the head.

The roll had broken the bandits’ charge. Blaze was about to counter charge when another arrow punched through a gap in his armor and slammed into his flank.

“How’s that feel, you bastard?” Clyde called out.

Blaze let out a frightening cry of rage as the bandits fell upon him again. He batted aside a sword and punched its wielder in the throat. He redirected an axe blow to the staggering bandit, then back-hoofed the axe wielder and took the axe. Thus armed, Blaze cut down the axe’s owner and proceeded to rampage through the remaining bandits.

Abandoning all finesse, Blaze brutally swung the axe again and again and again.

“This is the might of Celestia’s chosen!" he screamed as he attacked. “Witness Her power through me!"

Eight bandits fell, leaving only one left alive. The last bandit dropped his weapon and turned to flee. Blaze roared and tackled the bandit to the ground.

“I. Bring. Her. Justice!" Blaze said, punctuating each word with a heavy blow to the bandit’s head.

When Blaze had finished his beating, there were no bandits left alive, save Clyde. Blaze got to his hooves and began walking towards Clyde.

“You're insane, you know that?” Clyde commented.

“I serve the light,” Blaze replied. "You serve the dark. You need not understand. You need only burn.”

“Yeah, no,” Clyde said, nocking an arrow and aiming at Blaze.

Seeing this, Blaze stopped his advance and sat on his haunches. He began working the straps of dented chest armor.

Clyde kept his aim steady on Blaze, but did not fire. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“Removing my armor,” Blaze replied.

There were a few moments of silence as Clyde tried and failed to see the logic behind Blaze’s actions. “Why?” he finally asked.

Blaze undid one final buckle and the last of the metal plates surrounding his barrel fell to the ground with a thud. “It is damaged and no longer necessary,” Blaze replied as he worked on removing the plates around his hooves.

Clyde considered shooting Blaze right then and there, but decided to wait. Blaze was still wearing his chainmail, and while Clyde was confident his bow was strong enough to pierce it, there was always a chance the Blaze might get lucky. If the knight really was crazy enough to remove all of his armor, then Clyde figured it could only work to his advantage.

“What makes you say that?” Clyde asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Blaze had finished removing all of his plate armor and now reached up to the arrow still sticking out of his shoulder. It was keeping him from removing his chainmail, so he snapped the shaft, leaving the arrow head still embedded in his shoulder.

“Because that -” Blaze pulled his chainmail off and let it fall to the ground “- is your last arrow.”

So he noticed, Clyde thought to himself. Then it dawned on him. “The armor was weighing you down. Now you can move faster and use the plates as a shield. Clever,” he said aloud. And I bucking let you do it, Clyde chided himself silently.

Blaze closed his eyes and took a deep breath, savoring the feel of the morning sun on his coat. He opened his eyes and met Clyde’s gaze. His expression was serene.

“So long as I bear the burden for Her sake, my strength has no limit, and I shall bear it with ease. So long as I stand against foes of Her grace, my faith is my shield, and I shall stand without fear,” Blaze stated. “Take your shot, heretic. You are already damned.”

In the face of such stubborn certainty, doubt blossomed within Clyde, and he hesitated.

What if…

He grit his teeth and cut off the thought. “Here’s what I think of your bloody superstition!” he said in a voice much louder than necessary right before he fired.

The arrow sailed towards Blaze. There was no gust of wind to turn it off course, or shining light to skew Clyde’s aim. No divine bolt fell from the heavens to strike the arrow down, and Blaze made no move to dodge or catch it.

The arrow flew past Blaze, passing within an inch of his face, and landed harmlessly on the ground behind him. For the first time that day, while aiming for the easiest target, Clyde had missed. It was a fairly good shot, and he had come close, but he had missed. Clyde stood frozen in shock, his mouth agape.

“Celestia protects,” Blaze said. He stood and resumed walking towards Clyde.

~~~~~

Clyde felt his pulse quicken. Beads of sweat formed on his brow. He could accept Blaze being able to overcome his entire band of outlaws. The bandits had been mostly half-starved incompetent idiots anyway. Clyde knew that, if pressed, he could have done the same thing. He had been responsible for more than sixty deaths in his life. But he was having trouble reconciling what had just happened with what he knew of the world. The world was a hard place. It was kill or be killed. Do or die. Ponies had to look out for themselves because no one else was going to do it for them. Miracles didn’t happen.

And yet the arrow missing Blaze by that margin was nothing short of miraculous. Was Celestia really looking out for Blaze?

All of Clyde’s instincts were screaming at him to run. But his pride would not allow it. Clyde was almost twice the size of Blaze. He was neither tired nor injured while Blaze was surely both. To flee now would be an act of supreme cowardice, and Clyde was no coward. Perhaps Blaze had been blessed with divine protection; perhaps not. It didn’t matter, Clyde would not run. Not when the odds were stacked so high in his favor. No, he could beat Blaze. He would beat Blaze. Celestia be damned.

He’d always liked the night sky better anyway.

~~~~~

Blaze stopped in front of Clyde. He looked up at the larger Earth Pony and asked, “Have you accepted your fate?”

In response, Clyde swung one muscled foreleg at Blaze’s head. Blaze ducked under the leg and made a swift uppercut at Clyde’s elbow, but Clyde didn’t seem to feel the blow.

Clyde reared up on his hind legs and tried to stomp Blaze, but Blaze moved back to evade. Clyde tried two more times with similar results. When he reared up the fourth time, Blaze darted forward, grabbed his hind legs, and pulled, causing Clyde to lose his balance and fall over.

Blaze attacked immediately after Clyde hit the ground, using his hind legs to deliver two swift bucks to Clyde’s belly. Clyde tried to kick Blaze away, but Blaze moved towards the larger pony’s head. Blaze tried to stomp down on Clyde’s head, but never got the chance. Clyde knocked Blaze back with a powerful sweep of his neck and got to his hooves.

“I’ll kill you!” Clyde bellowed. He rammed into Blaze and sent the smaller pony tumbling a short distance. Clyde charged forward, aiming to trample Blaze underhoof.

Blaze rolled out of the way and onto his hooves. Clyde’s momentum carried him forward further before he could stop. As Clyde tried to turn back around, Blaze leapt onto his back. Blaze grabbed Clyde’s mane with one forehoof, pulled Clyde’s head back, and then hammered a blow into Clyde’s eye. Blaze tried to repeat the maneuver three more times, but Clyde began struggling to throw him off, and Blaze only managed to hit Clyde’s ear, jaw, and muzzle.

Clyde managed to throw Blaze off of his back and onto the floor. Again he tried to stomp Blaze, and again Blaze managed to roll away.

“Stop squirming, you pest! Can’t Celestia protect you from my hooves?” Clyde taunted.

Anger flashed across Blaze’s face. “You are not worthy to speak Her name!” he cried, then launched himself into the air to strike at Clyde’s head. The attack was bold, and left him wide open.

Clyde reared up and used his superior reach to punch Blaze in mid-air. Blaze was sent flying head over hooves by the force of the blow, and crashed into the ground rolling. He came to a stop on top of the body of Runt, the scrawny Earth Pony that had been sent to finish him. Blaze tried to get to his hooves, but his legs gave out from under him.

Seeing this, Clyde let out a terrible battle cry and charged.

As Blaze willed himself to overcome the almost overwhelming pain all throughout his body, he noticed a glint of gold from beneath him. It was his gladius, still thrust into Runt’s body. He felt a surge of emotion as his faith was renewed.

“So long as I struggle against the darkness, Celestia lights my path,” he said softly.

The thunder of Clyde’s heavy hoofsteps grew louder as he approached. “It’s over!” Clyde exclaimed.

Just before Blaze was trampled underhoof, he surged upwards and thrust his gladius into Clyde’s neck. Clyde’s face contorted in shock and pain as his legs gave out mid-charge. The giant Earth Pony crashed into the ground, and Blaze was dragged down with him.

~~~~~

The camp was silent. Hours had passed since the end of the battle, and the midday sun burned bright in the cloudless sky, its light shining down on all of the fallen. In the iron cage, Clay Pot, Willow Sticks, and Night Flight still lived. Their jailers had been slain, but they were still trapped.

Flight had spent over an hour calling out to Brother Blaze, beseeching him to rise and set them free, but the knight still lay unmoving, pinned underneath Clyde’s body. She was now huddled up in one corner of the cage, her body quivering and her head hidden in her hooves.

Clay had paced the length of the cage for the entire morning, desperately seeking some way out of their predicament. Having found nothing, he now lay on floor and stared blankly into space.

Willow felt she should strike up some conversation, should say something, anything, to take their minds off of their hopeless situation, but words escaped her. She just kept replaying the battle over and over in her mind, trying to comprehend everything that had happened.

Blaze had done the impossible. He’d stood against the band of outlaws alone and struck them down with faith and fury. He’d kept his word and succeeded in delivering Celestia’s justice, but he himself had fallen in the process. He had died a hero’s death, but he had left the prisoners trapped in their prison. With nopony left alive to give them food or water, they were doomed.

Not a hero, then, Willow thought. Just a killer. Sometimes I hate being right.

Clay spoke, breaking the silence, “I almost believed him. About Celestia.”

Willow looked over at Clay, who still lay prone on the floor.

“All that talk of faith and protection. Just all talk in the end,” Clay said.

Silence followed as Clay trailed off. Willow agreed, but she couldn’t stand to just sit in silence again. “Celestia’s real, though,” she found herself saying in a flat tone.

“Doesn’t matter,” Clay replied. “She can’t do what he said. Protect and empower and all that. She just puts up a big light in the sky.”

Willow thought back to all the things she’d just seen Blaze do, and couldn’t help but wonder. If Blaze was right, Celestia had blessed him with the strength to do unbelievable things, but had abandoned them to die. If Blaze was wrong, then the Princess could not protect ponies from the evils of the world, and those like Clyde would continue to thrive unopposed. “There’s can’t and there’s won’t,” she said. “Honestly, I’m not sure which one scares me more.”

“I miss the days when Princess Luna was still around,” Night Flight suddenly said. “Back then, there wasn’t any reason to be afraid. We were protected. We were safe.”

“No more than now,” Clay said.

Willow shook her head and said, “No, she’s right. The Two Sisters together did so much. They overcame. With both of them around, there was no need for Protective Pony Platoons. Day and night were always watched. Even if it was just by reputation, they kept us safe. Now…”

Willow trailed off and silence filled the cage once more. Clay sat up and began idly poking the shattered pieces of a bowl. It took a moment for Willow to remember that it was the bowl their jailer had thrown into the cage just that morning. It seemed like so long ago now.

This time it was Flight that broke the silence. “Most ponies were scared of the dark, even back then,” she said. “They say it was why Princess Luna...well, you know. But my mom loved flying at night. That’s why she named me after it. She used to take me flying with her on weekends. We’d go out, feel the cool night breeze, and look up at all the stars in the empty sky. It was so...peaceful. We even met Princess Luna once.”

“A rare thing,” Willow commented. “She never was seen much. What was she like?”

Clay snorted. “Crazy, I’ll bet,” he said.

Flight shook her head. “She was...beautiful. The prettiest pony I’d ever seen. I’ve never laid eyes on her sister, but it’s hard to imagine anypony being more magnificent. When she spoke, she sounded so formal and aloof, but she was also very polite. She asked what we were doing and if we were alright or if there was trouble...things like that. She offered to fly with us for the night, but my mother said it was time for me to go to bed. Looking back, she seemed so...sad. I think she was lonely.”

Flight lay her head against the bars and sighed. “We should’ve flown with her. It was a Saturday, so I could’ve stayed up longer. Maybe if we had, she wouldn’t have…No, that’s stupid. Forget I said anything.”

“Flight...” Willow began, but she stopped speaking as Clay suddenly bolted to his hooves.

Clay’s squinted at something in the distance then his eyes went wide. He pointed and said, “Look!”

Among the fallen, Clyde’s body was shifting.

~~~~~

Blaze felt the heat of the sun on his face, and knew that his work was not yet complete. He opened his eyes and saw Her sun high in the sky above him, rousing him so that he may continue his service. And he would do so gladly.

Blaze pushed against Clyde’s massive body. Pain shot through him, and he stopped with a gasp. Now fully conscious, Blaze realized the condition his body was in. He was covered in cuts and bruises, several arrow heads were still buried in his flesh, and he could feel the all-too-familiar pain of broken bones in several places. It was only by Celestia’s mercy that he still lived. He knew that it was by Her intervention that none of his wounds had been fatal or permanently debilitating. He had acted as the instrument of Her will, and She had kept him whole.

His current state, however, left him feeling a burning shame greater than any pain. He was meant to be Her shining sword against the darkness, as swift and deadly as Her judgement, yet here he lay, battered and broken by mere bandits. How would he fare against the demons of the night? How could he serve the light if he must beg it for aid?

“Forgive me, Celestia, for I am weak,” Blaze said as he gathered his strength. “I swear by my honor that I will -” he forced his muscles to push “- be -” he lifted Clyde’s body up “- stronger!” he yelled as tossed Clyde’s body aside.

Blaze lay in the sun, panting from the exertion. After a few moments, he shakily rose to his hooves. He heard voices calling out to him and turned to see the three prisoners up against the bars of their cage, beckoning to him.

~~~~~

“Do you serve the light?” Blaze asked as he reached the cage.

For a moment, nopony responded, then Willow spoke, “Yes, my lord, we are faithful subjects of Celestia.”

Blaze nodded, satisfied with the answer. “Then we are the same, brothers and sisters in Celestia’s light. There is no need to call me lord. I am Brother Blaze, Knight of the Order of the Celestial Sun. As a fellow servant of the light, you may call me brother. How is it that you have come to be here?” he asked.

The other two prisoners looked to Willow, silently appointing her their spokespony. Willow sighed inwardly, then said, “We were taken from our village during the bandits’ last raid, uh, brother. We think they meant to use us as hostages, but we don’t know for sure. They never told us.”

“And now they never shall,” Blaze said. “Tell me, how may I free you?”

Willow pointed to the jailer’s corpse. “He was our jailer. He should have the keys.”

Blaze walked over to the body and began searching for the keys. In the cage, Flight had begun hovering in place, a beaming smile on her face.

“I told you!” she said excitedly. “I told you he would save us!”

“Quiet down, and show some respect, filly!” Willow snapped. “I’d rather not risk provoking him out of some slight.”

“Just let him free us and then let’s be on our way,” Clay agreed. “The less interaction, the better. There’s no telling what’ll set that mad pony off.”

Flight shook her head. “I can’t believe you two! Just look at what he did to save us!” she exclaimed.

“Yes, filly, look at what he did,” Willow said, gesturing to the field of dead.

“And something tells me it wasn’t specifically to save us,” Clay added.

Flight swallowed, but didn’t look at the fallen. “They...they were bad ponies,” she said flatly. “What happened to them was Celestia’s will.”

Clay snorted, but didn’t say anything. Willow just shook her head and sighed.

“Sure,” Willow said. Whatever helps you come to terms with it, she added mentally.

Blaze returned with the keys. As he opened the cage, he said, “You are free now. Go, return to your village, and share what you have witnessed here, so that they may know Celestia’s glory.”

“Yes, brother. We shall,” Willow said, stepping out of the cage.

Clay nodded to Blaze and followed Willow out. Flight flew over to Blaze and hugged him. Willow and Clay froze.

“Thank you, Sir Blaze,” Flight said, tears of joy in her eyes. “I’ll never forget what you did today.”

To Willow and Clay’s shock, Blaze returned the gesture, wrapping his hooves around Flight’s neck.

“Tell me, what is your name?” Blaze asked without breaking the hug.

“My name is Night Flight, Sir. I -” Flight’s words were cut off as Blaze snapped her neck.

Willow gasped in shock as the young mare’s body fell to the ground.

“What the - you - why?” Clay sputtered.

“We must be ever watchful, brother,” Blaze replied calmly. “For the servants of the night wear many guises. It seems this one was sent to hide among you.”

“She was just a weathermare!” Clay exclaimed.

“I understand your concern, brother. It is not easy to accept that there are those among us who would shun the light, especially those who seem so innocent. But think on this: how well did you know this Night Flight? Why does she bear the mark of the traitor’s stars upon her flank?”

“I...I…” Clay trailed off. He didn’t believe what Blaze was saying, but he knew his words could doom him too. He knew he should say something, do something, but he couldn’t. He just couldn’t.

Blaze nodded and said, “Sometimes the truth is hard, my friends, but to live in the light is to accept no falsehoods, even the ones that would be sweeter to hear.”

Clay opened his mouth then closed it again. Not trusting himself to speak, he just closed his eyes and nodded slowly.

Willow laid a quivering hoof on Clay’s shoulder. “Will...will that be all, brother?” she asked Blaze, her voice shaky.

“Indeed, sister,” Blaze replied. He turned and surveyed the battlefield. “Go with the light. I shall not be joining you, for I have many offerings to burn.”

Without another word, Willow turned to leave, bringing the still speechless Clay with her. She cast one last glance at Flight’s body, and felt her heart break.

I am so sorry, filly, she thought. I am so so sorry.

~~~~~

Celestia stood from her desk and looked out the window and across Canterlot. She could still scarcely believe that the Canterlot royals had ceded their castle and their court to her. Though she suspected it had been more out of a desire to make their city, and by extension, themselves, more prestigious and important, it was still a grand gesture of generosity from the normally snobbish and aloof Canterlot ponies.

Still, the grandness of her new home did little to lift her spirits. She put on a brave face for her little ponies, of course. They tried so hard for her. She still remembered that wonderful show General Firefly had arranged on the anniversary of her “victory” over Nightmare Moon. She had smiled for them that day and every day since. Though the wounds in her heart still felt fresh, she knew that Equestria needed her now more than ever.

The ponies did not know how much Luna did for them, and how difficult it was for Celestia to take all that responsibility for herself. She was always tired now, and she suspected that wouldn’t change anytime soon.

Celestia turned back to the reports on her desk. Tensions in the East. The griffins were now contesting every treaty they could remember and arguing for renegotiations across the board. The dragons, like true predators, now looked at Equestria like weakened prey, and the Dragon Lord had been forced to close off his borders and forbid contact with Equestrians to prevent a conflict that would be disastrous for both sides. The Saddle Arabian Sultan was not so discerning. It seemed he was preparing to send a small army on a punitive expedition to test the weakened Equestrian state.

The rest of Equestria wasn’t faring much better either. Without the watchful eyes of Luna to keep them in check, monsters had begun terrorizing the villages near their lairs. The Everfree, once the seat of power in Equestria, had become an untamed wilderness too dangerous for normal ponies to traverse. An aura of fear had fallen upon Equestria, and ponies no longer felt as safe as they once did.

There were now stories spreading that blamed Nightmare Moon and her “servants of darkness” for the changing times. Celestia had also heard of some ponies turning to worship her as some form of goddess. Both claims were equally ridiculous, but they were starting to gain traction, and Celestia knew why. Ponies needed something to cling to in these troubled times. They needed somepony to blame and somepony to believe in, and her and Luna’s story just fit too well.

Celestia sighed. “Oh Luna, if you could see how much we need you now. How much we’ve always needed you,” she said sadly.

There was a knock on the door.

“Princess?” called a voice from the other side. “General Stone of the E.U.P. is here to see you.”

“Let him in,” Celestia said.

Grey Stone, Earth Pony general of the E.U.P. Guard, walked in, and the doors closed behind him. As always, the general was wearing his full suit of armor, and moved with the measured efficiency of a highly trained warrior. He removed his helmet and bowed deeply before Celestia.

“Good afternoon, Princess,” he said.

“Rise, Grey. There’s no need to be so formal now. We’re not at court,” Celestia said.

“Yes, Princess,” Grey said, then stood at attention.

Celestia groaned inwardly and suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She briefly wondered if there were any pranks she could play on Grey that would break his composure. Probably not. Celestia had never seen the stallion show any emotion in the fifteen years he had been in her service. At this point, she wasn’t even sure if he could.

“To what do I owe this visit?” Celestia asked.

“I am here to report that the bandits on the Western frontier have been dealt with,” Grey said.

“Already?” Celestia asked, surprised. The report of their activities had just been brought to her attention that morning. Her generals had assured her that the bandits posed only a minor localized threat, and would be dealt with in due time once resources were available to do so. She had demanded that they send a detachment to deal with the bandits at once. They had tried to argue at first, but when she threatened to fly out and resolve the situation herself, they had acquiesced. She had expected a swift response after that, but just a few hours? That was only a little more time than it took a swift pegasus to fly out that far and back.

“Yes, Princess,” Grey replied.

Celestia waited for the general to continue. When it became clear he would not, she asked, “How? I would like the full report, please.”

Grey somehow managed to stand even stiffer, though both his face and tone of voice remained unchanged. “Yes, Princess. My apologies. The Pegasi scouts reported a total decimation of the bandit forces, with no survivors, as carried out by a single Earth Pony. Said pony was on premises as they arrived, and was in the process of burning the bandits' remains and reducing their camp to, and I quote, ‘scorched earth and ash’ as an offering to the sun and to you.”

Celestia raised her eyebrows. If she remembered the report correctly, the bandits had been a relatively sizeable group, numbering around three score. Had anypony but Grey told her that they had been wiped out in less than a day by a single Earth Pony, she would have thought they were either joking or exaggerating. But she knew that Grey Stone did neither of those things.

“That seems...rather extreme. An offering to me, you say? Did I hear that right?” she asked.

“Yes, Princess. The pony introduced himself as Brother Blaze of the Order of the Celestial Sun. We have had our ponies look into this Order, and it appears that they are a relatively new militant religious sect that worship you as a goddess of the light and decry Princess Luna as a demon of the darkness. They are a small order with only a hoofful of members. We know of only five as of this moment, two Earth Ponies, two Pegasi, and a Unicorn. They do not appear to be actively recruiting new members, but they do appear to be interested in enforcing what they perceive to be your will. There have been scattered reports of vigilante work being carried out in areas with little to no local law enforcement that we have traced to this Order, but they have, up until now, been relatively minor incidents. That said, they have always ended in the death of the offender. These self-styled knights do not appear to be interested in taking prisoners,” Grey said.

Celestia took a moment to process this information. Even if there were only five members, this Order sounded like trouble. She did not underestimate the effect a small group of ponies could have on the rest of the world.

“You said this Brother Blaze killed all of the bandits; how dangerous does that make him? Does this reflect on the rest of the order?” Celestia asked.

“From what we can gather, Blaze was able to kill all sixty bandits as well as their leader, a dangerous wanted criminal known as Clyde the killer, in a single head-on engagement with no tactical advantage that we know of. He did not walk away from the battle unscathed, but the fact that he was able to walk away at all speaks volumes. This is one incredibly dangerous pony, Princess, among the most dangerous that I know of. We have little in the way of reliable intelligence regarding his background or those of his colleagues at this time, but given their limited number, I believe we should assume that all of the members of the Order of the Celestial Sun are similarly skilled,” Grey said.

“That is troubling indeed,” Celestia said. “Grey, begin an in-depth investigation of every known member of this Order. I want to know who they are, where they come from, what they can do, what they are doing, and what drives them to do it. If worse comes to worst, I also need to know what it’ll take for us to stop them.”

“As you command, Princess, but, with your permission, I believe I can answer that final question. I know what it will take to stop them,” Grey said.

“Go on,” Celestia said.

“You, Princess,” Grey replied. “As dangerous as these zealots may be, they are, above all, subservient to the will of their goddess, and that goddess is you. This greatly minimizes the threat they pose to Equestria, and may, in fact, allow them to become an asset instead. Our forces, as you know, are not quite up to the tasks currently set before them. If you were to -”

“That’s enough of that, Grey,” Celestia interrupted. “I’ll not entertain the notion of manipulating the Order’s members for our own ends. No matter how potentially useful they may be in the right circumstances, their methods and their doctrine go against everything Equestria stands for. I’ll not have my little ponies looking to these killers for their salvation. Not as long as I can help it.”

“Forgive me, Princess, I spoke out of turn,” Grey said, bowing.

Celestia waved her hoof. “You are forgiven, Grey. Please rise,” she said. “Is there anything else you wish to add?”

Grey hesitated for a moment, then said, “I request permission to speak plainly, Princess.”

“Permission granted, Grey. As long as you don’t mean to suggest manipulating the Order again,” Celestia said.

“It you wish to stop the Order from influencing the ponies, then they must be stopped soon. The ponies of Equestria are afraid, Princess. The times are more uncertain than they have been since the defeat of Discord, and once the Saddle Arabians attack, things will only get worse. If they continue to escalate their activities, as I believe they will, the members of the Order will be seen as heroes, not just in spite of the harshness of their methods, but because of it. They will be seen as Celestia’s invincible knights, sent to destroy evil. It is the stuff of stories and legends, and the ponies will believe it because they will want to believe it,” Grey said.

“I know, Grey,” Celestia said. “The last thing Equestria needs right now is hope offered through the promise of death. And the last thing I want is for my sister to be reviled as a demon while I am built up as a goddess. But the question remains, what will it take to stop them?”

“I cannot answer that question yet, Princess. It is unlikely that five ponies, however skilled, could stand against the full might of the Equestrian military, but I can say with certainty that if we fight them, it will cost us. Perhaps more than we can afford right now,” Grey said.

“I am afraid you may be right,” Celestia said, sighing.

With another bow, Grey excused himself, placed his helmet on his head, and walked out of the room.

After Grey left, Celestia turned back to the window and watched as the ponies of Canterlot went about their business, blissfully unaware of the troubles facing their nation. Celestia knew that would not last for much longer. She looked up at her shining sun as it continued along the path across the sky that she had set for it, and knew that somewhere out there, somepony was burning bodies in her name.

A shiver ran down her spine.

Sister Singe, The Monster Hunter

Princess Celestia stood on the balcony of her chambers in Canterlot Castle, gently coaxing the sun to set. After countless years of practice, the act had become second nature to her, and as she reached out to send the sun on its way, so too did the sun reach back to her, replenishing her strength. When the last ray of sunshine disappeared over the horizon, Celestia set her jaw and steadied her stance. Now came the hard part.

Celestia cast her magic out into the ether, probing blindly until she found what she sought. As she felt her magic wrap around the alien entity, she pulled. By now, she had come to expect the sudden surge of resistance, but still it threatened to drag her down. The glow around her horn intensified as she poured more strength into the connection. Her wings flared and she leaned backwards as she set her entire being to her task. Finally, a white light peeked out over the horizon.

“Not yet,” Celestia murmured through gritted teeth. “You...need to...rise!”

Celestia gave one last great pull, and the light jerked upwards, clearing the horizon. Celestia looked at the light as it hung low in the sky, breathing heavily from exertion. She had done it. The moon, her sister’s prison, was once more in the sky. Another night had begun.

Celestia’s eyes lingered on the silhouette on the face of the moon. “It is your charge, sister, not mine,” she whispered. “And it reminds me every day. As heavy to my horn as it is to my heart.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath. The moon would be easier to move now that it was in the sky. She need not linger on it any longer, at least not until it was time for it to set.

There was a knock at the door.

“Princess?” a mare’s voice called out from behind the door. “It’s me, Fire - uh - General Firefly. You asked to see me?”

“Yes, I did. Come in, General. The door’s unlocked,” Celestia said as she walked into her chambers and settled down on the rug by the fireplace.

The door creaked open and Firefly’s pink head poked inside. Her blue mane was a mess, as it usually was, and her purple eyes were wide with trepidation.

“Is this a bad time?” she asked quickly. “‘Cause, you know, I can totally come back if it is. No big deal. Call me any time. I’ll be right over. I’m always good to go. This is a bad time. I’ll just come ba -”

“Firefly,” Celestia said gently. “Now is perfect. I called you, remember?”

Firefly let out a nervous chuckle. “Yeah...right,” she said, rubbing the back of her head with one hoof.

Firefly hovered into the room and closed the door behind her. She wasn’t wearing any armor, or any kind of clothing at all, for that matter. At first glance, most would find it hard to believe that she was the founder and current leader of the Wonderbolts, not to mention an actively serving general of the E.U.P. Guard. But despite appearances, Firefly was one of the best soldiers, and arguably the best flier, in all of Equestria. A fact that Princess Celestia was well aware of. Celestia was never one to judge a book by its cover, anyway.

“Is this about that window I broke the other day?” Firefly asked. “Because I can pay for it! I don’t care what those Canterlot snobs say about me, I’m still a general of the E.U.P. Guard. And that comes with some perks. Though it doesn’t seem to come with the noble-ponies’ respect. Wait...I am still a general, aren’t I? You didn’t call me here to fire me, did you? I need this job! I’ll shape up, I promise! I’ll even wear that dumb uniform they gave me! Even though it’s really itchy. And doesn’t breathe well. Not to mention it’s really hard to fly in. Seriously, half of the Wonderbolts’ time in training is spent just trying to compensate for having to wear those things. But I’ll wear it everyday if it means I get to stay general!”

Celestia gave Firefly a reassuring smile. “Relax, Firefly. You’re not in trouble. And you’re certainly not in danger of losing your job. I just called you here to ask about something,” she said.

Firefly visibly relaxed. She let out a sigh of relief and said, “Oh, alright then! Whatever you need, I’m here for you, Princess! Though, since I already mentioned it and everything...could we do something about those uniforms? They really are a bother to fly in.”

Celestia chuckled. “Alright. I’ll see what I can do about getting them redesigned,” she said.

“Woohoo!” Firefly exclaimed while doing a single twirl in the air. “I promise you won’t regret it, Princess. If you think the Wonderbolts are good now, wait till’ you see us when we can fly in something that doesn’t feel like a sack of bricks! We’ll knock your socks off! Not that you usually wear socks. Just those gold slipper thingies. You should wear socks when you see us! So we can knock ‘em off!”

Despite herself, Celestia could feel her mood lightening. It was hard to stay somber when Firefly was around. “I’ll be sure to do that the next time you have a show,” she said with a genuine smile on her face. She meant it too. Maybe she’d get some of those long striped ones. The fashion-minded nobles would have a fit!

“Speaking of the next show, Princess, I’ve got this awesome idea for a new routine I’ve been working on with the rest of the Wonderbolts…” Firefly began.

Celestia let Firefly go off on another tangent and allowed herself to relax. Sometimes it was nice to just have somepony around, somepony who wasn’t too hung-up on being around a...the Princess of Equestria. For all the myriad things being a princess had brought Celestia, friendship was not among them. Her status as well as her agelessness made friendship a rare and fleeting thing. True, she had made her fair share of friends over the years, but it always ended the same way. Candles in the wind, were her little ponies, while she was the blazing sun. Bonding with them was always bittersweet. There have been centuries when Luna had been her only confidant, the one constant in a world that was ever-changing, and now…

Celestia did not complete that thought. Instead, she let her eyes fall upon the phoenix egg sitting in the fireplace, unharmed by the fire burning merrily around it. The egg had been a gift, given willingly by its own mother, a phoenix of the Everfree that Celestia had met a few times over the centuries. The phoenix had known of Celestia’s loss, and had presented her with the egg on her last day at the old castle. Celestia had been moved to tears by the gesture, which had come at a point when she thought all her tears had dried up. The phoenix was willing to give up one of her own precious eggs to give Celestia that which she needed most: not a pet, but a friend. A companion that would last for as long as she did.

Hurry along, little Philomena, Celestia said silently. I can’t wait to meet you.

Celestia turned her eyes from the egg to the blazing hearth in which it sat, and she was reminded of the dossier she had read earlier that day. It had contained all that General Stone’s investigation had managed to find on the Earth Pony named Blazing Hearth, or as he was now known, Brother Blaze.

Unsurprisingly, Blaze had been a member of the Equestrian Royal Army. He had shown outstanding skill and valor during the last Yakyakistan war, but had also shown a penchant for brutality and excessive force. Those violent tendencies had culminated in his dishonorable discharge after an incident regarding the deaths of several yak civilians. He had then performed shady, but strictly speaking, legal, contract work for around a year before being heavily injured during a job and disappearing from record. Until now.

“- and then I told him to do a barrel roll, but then he goes and does an Aileron roll instead! I mean c’mon! How do you even make that mistake? This is basic flight school stuff!” Firefly said, wrapping up her story. Her eyes went wide as she realized how long she had been talking and she added, “Uhh, anyway...you said you wanted to ask me about something, Princess?”

Celestia pulled her thoughts back to the present and said, “Yes. About somepony, actually. I understand this pony is something of a skilled aerial combatant, so I was hoping you might be able to tell me more about her.”

Firefly grinned. “A skilled flier, eh? Well, you came to the right pony, Princess! I know everything there is to know about every flier worth knowing. I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but it’s how I know that I’m the best. Can’t make that claim without sizing up the competition, and let me tell ya, they just don’t compare,” she said, landing and flaring her wings proudly. “So, who do you need to know about?”

“A pony by the name of Singed Wings," Celestia replied.

Firefly’s face lost its enthusiasm. "Oh… her. Yeah, I know her. We go back a ways,” she said flatly.

Noticing the change in Firefly’s mood, Celestia quickly added, “I'm sorry. I didn't know you two had history together. If you’d rather not talk about it, I understand. There are other ways for me to get this information.”

“No, I can tell you what you need to know, Princess. It’s just that, well, ” - Firefly looked away - “It’s not a nice story.”

“Oftentimes, what’s important isn’t exactly what we’d like to hear,” Celestia said.

Firefly nodded. “Yeah, that’s true… So where should I start?” she asked.

Celestia gestured to a pile of cushions, urging Firefly to take a seat. Once Firefly had settled, Celestia told her, “I’d like to know as much as I can about Singed Wings. Where she’s from, what she’s like, what she can do; any information of that nature would help tremendously. Right now, I know little of her besides her name, and the fact that she is a member of the Order of the Celestial Sun.”

“That’s the group that guy Blaze is part of, isn’t it? I saw the report on what he did with the bandits. Crazy stuff. Like, actually crazy. If Singe is mixed in with them...Well, I can see why you’d want to know more about her,” Firefly said.

Celestia nodded. “The Order may be small, but if Blaze is any indication, I believe they pose a serious threat to Equestria in more ways than one. Given that, you can start with anything you deem appropriate.”

Firefly idly tapped a hoof to her chin. “Well, what she can do is an easy one,” Firefly said. “She’s a spear fighter. One of the best, no question. That mare can use a spear better than most Pegasi can use their wings. And she’s no slouch when it comes to using those, either. Wings, I mean.”

“Is she fast?” Celestia asked.

“Yeah, but not record-breaking fast. There are plenty of fliers that could beat her top speed no problem. What really makes her stand out is her agility. Singe moves less like a Pegasus and more like those annoying little flies that you can never seem to catch no matter what you do. You know the ones. Perfectly still on a table one moment, then buzzing around your ear the next. That might not sound like a compliment, but believe me, it is.

“Singe can twist and turn so fast that you could lose sight of her just by blinking. I once saw a minotaur try to punch her, only to have her zip out of the way, fly up to his head, and kick him in the ear - all before he had fully extended his arm! And the scary part is that she can keep that pace up for hours because she’s not actually moving all that much. I could fly circles around some of the other Wonderbolts in my sleep, but in a match against Singe? I know I’d have to wake up and get some practice in beforehoof. I mean, I’d still win, but that’s saying something,” Firefly said.

“And yet, she isn’t in the Wonderbolts. As I understand it, she doesn’t even have a service record. Why?” Celestia asked.

“See, that’s where it gets a little more complicated…”

~~~~~

As Princess Celestia and General Firefly spoke in the safety of Celestia’s chambers, high up in a tower of Canterlot Castle, the pony they spoke of walked through the darkness of the Everfree Forest far below.

In stark contrast to the natural colors of the forest at night, Sister Singe wore tight-fitting red and gold leather armor. She had no helmet on her orange head, and her red mane was cropped short, leaving nothing to obscure the vision of her sharp blue eyes. Two plain-looking daggers hung at her sides and a white spear with a ring of red gems where its shaft connected to its head lay across her back.

The sun had set before Singe had found her quarry, but still she continued her hunt. Occasionally, the sounds of monsters and wild beasts emanated from the forest around her, but she paid them no heed. Most ponies would be gripped by fear upon hearing the roars and growls of the shadowy predators lying just out of sight; Singe, however, felt only disgust.

Clearly, the demons still thought that the night was theirs to command, that while the sun slept, they could roam free and unopposed as they have in centuries past. They were fools. With the banishment of the Betrayer, Celestia had taken her rightful place as sole sovereign of the sky and all beneath it. Both night and day now belonged to the Princess of Light, and so Her servants were never beyond the safety of Her intercession, and Her foes had no refuge from the fires of Her judgement.

A pity that I don’t have the time to purge this forest of the filth that calls it home, Singe lamented to herself. It would be so satisfying to see these demons burn. Alas, my mission takes priority.

It was common knowledge now that the dragons had left Equestria, and it was no mystery to the Order why. Corrupt though they may be, the dragons were a clever lot. They surely knew that while the Night Mare had tolerated their excesses in exchange for their passivity, the Sol Invictus would accept no such extortion. Had they stayed, they would have been forced to face Her judgement, to pit their vaunted dragon fire against the might of the sun. And so in the face of certain doom, all the dragons abandoned their lairs and fled to their own lands, leaving Equestria in peace. All but one.

The Dragon of the Everfree had remained in her forest, defying the wisdom of her Dragon Lord and taunting the fury of the light. While the dragon’s very presence within Equestria’s borders was an affront to Celestia, the proximity of her lair to both site of the Sacred Banishment and Celestia’s new castle in Canterlot was nothing short of a direct challenge. And now the Order would answer that challenge.

“I’ll bet you thought you were safe, dragon, that a worm like you was beneath the notice of Our Lady,” Singe said aloud into the night. “Ha! Your race may be clever, but you are a fool. All creatures face Her judgement in due time.”

A pack of seven timberwolves, attracted by Singe’s voice, leapt out of the bushes and surrounded her.

“Some sooner than others,” Singe finished.

She smiled as she observed the growling monsters that Celestia had seen fit to array before her. It seemed her Princess would allow her to cleanse this forest after all, even if only in part. And instead of flesh, the beasts were made of wood, ready to burn. This was almost too perfect.

“Praise Celestia, for she provides,” Singe said.

A timberwolf in front of her howled. A distraction. Singe shot upwards in a blur of motion, evading the timberwolf pouncing towards her from behind. The pouncing timberwolf landed and looked around for its prey, confused.

“Up here!” Singe called out.

The timberwolf looked up just as Singe skewered it with her spear, causing burst into pieces. Two more timberwolves leapt up at her, and with two quick flicks of Singe’s spear, they too exploded. The other timberwolves growled and eyed her wearily, but hung back.

Singe frowned. “Is that all? Pitiful,” she said.

The scattered wood beneath Singe began to move. Curious, she looked down and watched the pieces of wood begin to connect. Another timberwolf tried to take advantage of the opening and lunged at her from the left. Singe knocked it aside with the butt of her spear and thrust the spearhead at the timberwolf attacking from the right. She twirled left, evading another lunge, and thrust at the timberwolf she had knocked aside. She looked back to the moving wood to find that it had reassembled itself into a timberwolf. The other timberwolves she had struck down were reassembling as well.

“Ah, so that is your gift from the darkness, is it? You reform after being struck down? How arrogant that must make you,” Singe commented.

With several bursts of movement, Singe zigzagged through all seven timberwolves, dealing a lethal blow to each as she passed. She hovered above the beasts’ wooden remains and watched with disdain as they began to piece themselves together.

“The darkness has cheated you, beasts. You traded your souls in exchange for strength, but your newfound tenacity has not made you strong, merely annoying,” she said.

Instead of reforming into seven timberwolves as Singe expected, the wooden pieces all combined to form a single giant timberwolf. The massive beast now stood tall enough to strike at Singe as she hovered without having to jump. The first thing it did upon its completion, however, was let out a mighty threatening roar. Unfortunately for the combined timberwolf, its first act was also its last.

Singe darted beneath the massive wolf’s throat as it roared and thrust her spear upwards. The beast’s roar cut off abruptly and it once again burst into a shower of wooden pieces. Almost as soon as the pieces landed on the ground, they started to form together again.

“Alright, enough games. You’re starting to bore me,” Singe said. She held her spear upright before her, closed her eyes, and prayed.

The sight of my brandished spear

All monsters shall come to fear

For tis’ lifted in Her name

Not for money nor for fame

For my faith, I swear to fight

All foul creatures of the night

By Her grace, I’ll never tire

All Her foes, I’ll slay with fire

Gloriam Celestia, Sol Invictus!

As she spoke those final words, she activated a hidden switch on the shaft of her spear. The gems on the spear glowed and its head began to burn with a flame so intense, one could no longer see the steel beneath it. At the same time, the giant timberwolf finished reforming. This time, it did not roar. Instead, it immediately swiped at Singe with its claws.

Singe shot downwards beneath the swipe. She flew between the timberwolf’s legs and shot back up behind it. Before the wolf could figure out where she went, she let out a battle cry and dived, impaling her flaming spear into the back of its head.

This time, the timberwolf did not explode. Its glowing eyes flickered then went dark, and its head caught fire. Singe yanked out her spear and hovered above the timberwolf as it collapsed. She watched as the fire spread unnaturally quickly, burning the enchanted wood to ash in seconds.

“What a waste of time,” Singe commented.

~~~~~

After a short pause, Firefly continued her tale.

“Nopony ever taught Singe how to fight. She was just naturally good at it - scary good - and improved her own techniques over time,” Firefly said. “The same goes for her flying. The way she moves? Bursting from point to point? They don’t teach that stuff at flight camp. Even if they did, you’d have a hard time finding a Pegasus that could actually do it. The amount of control that kind of flying requires, the strain it puts on your wings to stop and turn and go so much and so fast...it’s too much. Most ponies would just hurt themselves, and those good enough to actually pull it off wouldn’t see the point. Flying like that won’t win you a race. It won’t even win you an acrobatics competition. Too much stop and go to be impressive to watch. It’s also impractical to use when setting up the weather. Can’t properly roundup clouds if you’re too busy flitting around and between them. Even soldiers don’t need to move like that. You wouldn’t be able to fly in formation or fight as a group.”

“If it’s so ineffective, why does Singe do it?” Celestia asked.

“Oh, I never said it wasn’t effective,” Firefly said with a smile.

For a moment, Firefly remained seated still on the cushions. Then, there was the sound of three quick bursts of air, and Firefly seemed to materialize right in front of Celestia’s muzzle. She was also upside down.

“I just meant that most ponies wouldn’t have a use for it,” Firefly said. “Did you see what I just did, Princess?”

“Yes. You accelerated straight up, halted in mid-air, twisted with a kick, then dived downwards and halted again in front of me,” Celestia replied.

“Wow, you actually did,” Firefly said, impressed. She righted herself, floated back to the cushions and settled down again.

“I think I see what you mean about that kind of movement,” Celestia added. “It is very disorienting for both the flier and the observer, and it also seems to complicate what should be a simple maneuver. There are much easier ways to go from those cushions to right in front of me, even if you did want to end up upside down.”

“Yup,” Firefly agreed. “But that’s the whole point. Moving like that is unnatural. It’s unpredictable. Singe didn’t develop that kind of flying to compete or to show off or even just to move. She developed it because it was the best way to survive when you’re all alone and being hunted, or to catch your prey off guard when you’re the one doing the hunting.”

“Both situations Equestrian Pegasi don’t find themselves in very often, if at all,” Celestia noted. “I take it that means she’s not Equestrian?”

“Hit the nail right on the head, Princess” Firefly replied. “Singe comes from a place far South past the border. She told me once what it was called, but I don’t remember. The way she told it, down there, monsters were a part of life, usually the part that ended it. The environment made for mean living and meaner ponies, so you couldn’t really rely on anypony but yourself most of the time. Apparently, Singe made it pretty big down there. She hunted monsters for bits. I’m pretty sure she hunted ponies too, given how much she knows about fighting other ponies, but she never mentioned it. Didn’t like to talk about her past much.”

“How did you come to meet her? Did she leave that life behind and come to Equestria?” Celestia asked.

“Yeah, she came to Equestria,” Firefly replied. “Although I guess ‘ran’ is a better word. I don’t know the details, but she mentioned something about a botched job and crossing the wrong ponies. Whatever happened, she managed to make it all the way up through the badlands and into Dodge City, where I was living at the time. The first time I saw her, the poor filly was on the verge of collapse. I don’t know how far or for how long she flew, but with the state she was in, she must not have stopped at all along the way. So I did what any decent Equestrian would do, I took her in, and helped her recover.”

Firefly smiled as she replayed the memories in her mind. “You should have seen her face! She couldn’t believe that somepony was helping her just because it was the right thing to do. She kept trying to figure out what my angle was, what I stood to gain. Eventually, I just told her that I was doing my sworn duty as a servicemare in Celestia’s military. She asked who Celestia was. Can you imagine that? Not knowing you, of all ponies!”

“It is not as uncommon as you might imagine, Firefly. It has been a long time since I involved myself in matters outside of those that directly affect Equestria,” Celestia said.

“I guess,” Firefly said. “It’s still weird to me, though, somepony not knowing who raised the sun, and now the moon, every day. Anyway, I told her about you, about what you’ve done in the past and how you raise the sun and all of that stuff. Nothing major, just some basic foal-level facts. It really seemed to shock Singe, though. Something just clicked in her head then, and she kept pestering me for more details about you and your sister and Equestria in general. It was pretty funny, actually. I’m not usually the one ponies turn to for information. That stuff’s for eggheads. Totally not my speed. But there I was, going on like some sort of history teacher.”

“Kind of like now?” Celestia asked with a grin.

“I-uh...huh, I guess so,” Firefly said with a laugh.

“Don’t sell yourself short, Firefly. You have a sharp mind, and you are an excellent storyteller,” Celestia said.

Firefly blushed slightly. “I-if you say so, Princess. Uh, I mean, thanks. Princess. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, so she stayed with me for a while after that, and we swapped stories with each other pretty much every day. She taught me how to fly like her, and I showed her some of my tricks too. She was a fast learner, and...well, we got along. I know Singe wasn’t exactly the nicest of ponies - heck, she was downright mean sometimes and really full of herself too - but she wasn’t all bad. Deep down, underneath the haughtiness and bravado, she just wanted to be safe, to not have to be scared anymore. It’s not that she wasn’t brave - that mare had courage in spades. It’s just that she had been forced to be brave and strong for so long already, and she just...didn’t want to need to be anymore, you know? She’d never show it, and definitely never admit it, but she was tired. She was, in a weird way, vulnerable. I didn’t want to be just another random stranger that she had to watch her back for. She’d had enough of those in her life. Call me crazy, but I wanted to be her friend. Because she needed a friend. Am I making sense?”

Celestia nodded. “Don’t worry, Firefly. I understand.”

“Thanks, Princess,” Firefly said. She sighed and added, “I just wish Singe did too.”

~~~~~

Singe was in the process of crossing a river when the rock beneath her suddenly twisted and attacked. Singe quickly took to the air and zipped to the other side of the river, away from the jaws of the cragodile she had just been standing on.

“This place is truly infested,” she said, drawing her spear. “What I would give for the time to cleanse it in fire.”

Since burning down the giant timberwolf, Singe had encountered and slain two more packs of timberwolves, a cockatrice, and a crazed bear. Now, she would add a cragodile to that list.

“Come on, then, filth! Show me what you can do!” she taunted.

The cragodile rushed Singe, and she thrust at it with her spear. The cragodile jerked its head at the last moment and let the spear bounce off its rocky hide. A second cragodile burst from the water to Singe’s left and snapped its jaws at her. She burst to the right then immediately shot upwards as a third cragodile attacked from that side.

Safely out of reach of their snapping jaws, Singe looked down on the cragodiles. She could easily leave them be and return to her mission. Their tough hides and penchant for diving beneath the dark water would make them difficult to slay quickly, and she was already much delayed this night.

Singe narrowed her eyes and set her spear ablaze. “No,” she said as the fire lit up the area. “You pathetic beasts will not drive me off. Do you have any idea who I am? I am Sister Singe! By my hoof, you will die for your transgressions!”

Singe dived downwards and thrust her spear at the middle cragodile, which dived underwater. The flaming spear hit the water and let out a cloud of steam. Singe pulled back the spear, put out the magical flame and vanished into the mist.

There was a blur and Singe reappeared atop the right cragodile. The cragodile roared in pain as Singe stabbed it in the eye with one of her daggers. It started to roll to throw Singe off, but she had already taken off again. As soon as the cragodile’s roll brought its soft underbelly up, Singe attacked again, this time with her spear. The spear went through the cragodile’s belly with ease. Singe pulled her spear back and the cragodile began to drift downstream, dead.

The steam had dissipated now, and the third cragodile eyed Singe wearily. Singe hovered tantalizingly close to the surface of the water, tempting the beast with an easy target. After a few moments, the first cragodile took the bait and resurfaced with a snap of its jaws, but again Singe was too fast. Singe burst to the side to evade the closing jaws, then curved around and thrust her spear into the cragodile’s neck before it could sink beneath the surface again, killing it.

The last cragodile, having witnessed the deaths of its companions, dived underwater, no longer interested in pursuing Singe.

“And just where do you think you’re going?” Singe asked.

She set her spear ablaze once more and threw it at where the cragodile had been. Then, she drew her daggers and dived towards the water. She knew the flaming spear would not hit the cragodile, but it would give Singe a small amount of visibility in the dark water. However, it would not last for long. By the time Singe hit the water, the spear was already floating back upwards in a cloud of bubbles. Singe was not worried, she had already seen her prey, and it was coming straight for her.

Above the water, the cragodile moved fast, but Singe moved much faster. Underwater, the cragodile held the advantage in speed. Singe, however, still moved fast enough. With a stroke of her powerful wings, Singe dived deeper just before the cragodile caught her in its jaws, letting it pass above her. She thrust upwards with her daggers, piercing the cragodile’s underbelly. The cragodile began thrashing about, wriggling its body and beating its legs against Singe’s leather armor while Singe struggled to hold on. She wrapped her hind legs around the cragodile’s belly and forced her daggers in deeper, hoping to hit something vital and hasten the beast’s death.

The cragodile, sensing its imminent demise, decided that if it could not throw Singe off, it would drown her instead. It wrapped its legs around Single and dived down deeper into the river, using the last of its failing strength to reach the riverbed in the hopes of pinning Singe beneath it long enough for her to drown.

Singe realized what the cragodile was attempting and tried to break away, but the cragodile’s grip held firm. She pulled her daggers free and tried to cut at the cragodile’s legs, but as she was pinned facing its belly, she could not slash with enough leverage to do any significant damage. She felt a slight thud as the cragodile managed to push her down against the riverbed, where it promptly stopped swimming and died.

The cragodile began to drift downstream. It was dead, but its death grip on Singe did not slacken. Anger flared within Singe as her lungs began to burn for air. She squirmed desperately, trying to point them upwards, but the cragodile’s heavy rock body, while still buoyant, floated upwards at a snail’s pace. The burning in Singe’s lungs intensified, and her anger gave way to panic, and then, slowly, despair. There was no escape. She would not reach the surface in time.

Celestia, forgive me, for in my arrogance, I have failed you, Singe prayed silently as she surrendered to her fate.

~~~~~

“This must be difficult for you to share,” Princess Celestia said. “We can stop here now, if you’d prefer. You’ve already told me more than enough.”

Firefly shook her head. “No, it’s alright. I’ve come this far, so I might as well give the full story. Besides, I’ve never told this to anypony before, and...I think I need to let it out. For my own sake.”

Celestia nodded. “Alright, then, my dear. You may continue, but if at any point you’d prefer to stop, then do so. I won’t think any less of you for it.”

Firefly smiled at Celestia. “Thanks, Princess, but I’m made of tougher stuff than that. I’ll see this through to the end, no sweat. Now, where was I?”

Celestia returned Firefly’s confident smile with a reassuring one. “I believe you were briefly recounting the time you spent together. How long did you two know each other?”

“Oh, right. Well, she stayed with me for a few moons before taking on some work as a freelance monster hunter. Dodge city is right at the edge of the badlands, so that kind of work was well in demand. I kept telling her to enlist instead, but she just wasn’t having it. Not the type that takes orders very well, I figure. Not much of a team player, either. That might have changed once she felt what it was like to work with ponies you could trust, but I guess we’ll never know for sure. When she had enough bits, she got a place of her own, but we still saw each other just about every day. We even got to work together a few times when a monster situation got particularly bad.

“It was like that for a few years until I got promoted and transferred out to Canterlot. I asked if she wanted to come with me, but she said she’d gotten used to life in Dodge, and didn’t want to make the move. Especially not to a city where monster sightings were, and still are, just about non-existent - she’d be out of a job! So I moved away, and she stayed in Dodge. We kept in touch for a while, exchanging letters and whatnot, but it wasn’t really the same as the old days. Singe wasn’t much of a writer, and while I’d tell her all sorts of things about what’s been happening in my life, the letters I got back from her were usually short and low on details.”

Firefly shook her head. “Then at one point, the letters just stopped coming. I didn’t think anything of it at the time - I’d just gotten another promotion, and life was getting pretty busy - but looking back, I know that it should’ve set off some alarms in my head. Singe wasn’t the social type. She just didn’t get along with other ponies. It had been years, but I was still just about the only pony she trusted. I was still her only real friend. When she stopped sending letters, I should’ve known something was wrong, but I guess...I guess with so much time apart and with her not really being a regular part of my life anymore, I just didn’t think about her as much, and not hearing from her just didn’t have the impact it should have.

“A few moons later, I was sent out as part of a special task force to deal with a situation in Dodge. Apparently, there’d been a series of crimes committed throughout the city by a gang of ponies that had come up from far to the South. When I heard the news, I remembered Singe, and how I hadn’t heard from her in a while. I felt guilty about not checking up on her earlier, or visiting more, and I was worried for her safety. Another stupid mistake. I should’ve made the connection the moment I heard the gang was from beyond the Southern border.”

Celestia considered interrupting Firefly’s tale to comfort or reassure her, but she held her silence. That wasn’t what Firefly needed, and she wouldn’t appreciate it. A look at the determined expression on Firefly’s face confirmed this. She really was, as she had put it, made of tougher stuff than that.

Oblivious to Celestia’s thoughts, Firefly continued her story. “When we got to Dodge, the first thing I did was try to check up on Singe. I didn’t have a lot of time to look, or a lot of leads to follow, so I hit a dead end pretty quickly. She’d disappeared around the same time her letters stopped coming. Last anypony had seen of her, she had rushed out of her house with a crumpled piece of paper in her hoof one afternoon and had just never come back. Most of the ponies around didn’t really know much about her, or even see her that often, so nopony made a fuss about it, and pretty soon they all just forgot about it.

“It...hit me pretty hard that I couldn’t find my friend. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d let her down. Left her hanging. I kept telling myself that I should’ve been there for her more. Even when the raid on the gang’s hideout was well under way, all that was going through my mind were the things that I could have - should have - done differently. Going in unfocused like that, it isn’t really surprising that I got taken out pretty quickly. I remember there was a loud bang as my squad burst in through the door and then I blacked out.

“When I came to, the whole place was in chaos. There was fighting everywhere. Our soldiers should have been able to clean up any kind of ‘gang’ in short order, but they weren’t up against your regular, run-of-the-mill thugs. No, these ponies were professionals, and it showed. Their equipment was top notch and they actually had the skills to put it to good use. Still, the battle probably would’ve been won by the time I woke up if it wasn’t for a single Pegasus Pony zigzagging through our fighters, wreaking havoc.

“All I knew at first glance was that the biggest threat to my teammates was that pegasus, and that when it came to out-performing pegasi, I was the best there was. Naturally, that made the pegasus my first priority. The pegasus was right there in the thick of it, moving like a whirlwind. Our guys just couldn’t keep up. But I could. I came up on the pegasus’ flank and made to strike, but then I realized what should have been obvious to me right from the get go. Right from the way she flew. It was Singe.

“I hesitated for a fraction of a second. That was all Singe needed. She twisted in mid-air, grabbed hold of me from behind, and stuck a knife to my throat. It happened so fast that I didn’t even resist. I was still in shock. Earlier that day, I was worried sick over losing my friend to who-knows-what, and then there she was, holding a knife to my throat in front of my team.

“Before I could even think of pleading with her or telling her just who she was holding hostage, she shouted out, ‘Stop, or Colonel Firefly dies!’”

Firefly trailed off, her expression distant. Her ears were down, and she had gripped the end of her tail without noticing. Her mouth opened several times as if to continue, but then closed again without making a sound. Celestia said nothing, deeming it wiser to give Firefly time to sort through her own thoughts. For a while the only sound in the room was the soft crackle emanating from the fireplace. Eventually, Firefly spoke up again, although her expression did not change.

“She’d been reading my letters. Right up until the last one. The one where all I did was talk about me hitting colonel and how great everything was going without once asking about what was happening to her. Without offering to come visit. To celebrate, or hang out, or just fly, or...something. She still read it. Even if she was in trouble. Maybe she didn’t want to drag me into it. Maybe she didn’t trust me anymore. Maybe…”

Firefly’s expression fell. She worked her jaw as she shifted through her own thoughts and feelings. It had been years since she’d gone over this story, and it was the first time she had ever shared it. She never would again.

“They did stop,” she continued. “The rest of what happened is...a bit hazy for me. I-I wasn’t really paying attention anymore after that. I just know that at some point, the remaining gangsters ran out to the badlands, dragging me along with them. Singe...she offered me up to them. Trade for her own freedom, or something like that. I don’t really remember. I remember…I remember her telling them what they could use me for, what they could do to me. If you could have seen their faces when...No, it’s not important. The only thing that really matters, really hurt, was that Singe didn’t care. She wanted out. She wanted her shot at a better life, and she would abandon me to get it...like she thought I did to her.”

Singe’s face, angry and hurt, flashed in Firefly’s mind. No need to send me a letter about how they’re treating you. I’m sure it won’t bother me. It never bothered you.

Firefly took a slow, deep breath before continuing. “Singe got what she wanted. She tossed me to the gang, and turned around to fly off. Left me there, knowing what those monsters planned to do to me. No hint of regret. Not even a goodbye. She didn’t even look back once. She should have, though, Princess. She really should have.”

Firefly trailed off again. Celestia, having been addressed, decided to respond. If only to remind Firefly that she was not alone in this telling. “Why is that, Firefly?” she asked.

Firefly, her expression flat, looked Celestia in the eye and said, “Because then she could’ve dodged that crossbow bolt.”

~~~~~

Singe gasped as she regained consciousness, then immediately began violently coughing out water. For a long while she remained where she was, shivering, wet, and panting heavily.

Alive! she thought as her mind cleared. Still alive. By Celestia’s mercy. Praise Her. Praise the sun.

When she had sufficiently regained her strength, Singe shakily rose to her hooves and took stock of her surroundings. She was on the riverbank much further downstream from where she had been trying to cross, but by Celestia’s grace, on the side she wanted to get to. The cragodile’s body was nowhere to be seen. Her leather armor was intact, but she had lost both her daggers and -

“My spear!” Singe exclaimed.

She looked around the riverbank and out over the dark water, desperately trying to find some sign of the white weapon. Finding nothing, she let out a heavy sigh. Celestia had saved her from certain death, but in punishment for her folly, had also taken away her most potent weapon against the night. Without it, she could not hope to complete her mission. She would be forced to return to the Order in shame.

Singe was about to sink down to her knees and pray for forgiveness when she heard a rustling sound from behind her. She turned and saw a manticore walk out from the bushes. It cradled a small assortment of fruits in one paw and its tail was wrapped around Singe’s white spear.

Singe froze. In all her years of monster hunting, she had never fought a beast as dangerous as a manticore unarmed. Manticores were not just strong, they were smart. They could think and plan and build. Singe’s experience told her that she stood little chance of defeating the manticore as she was. The manticore could not be tricked as easily as a more common beast, and it would easily shred her leather armor, while her own hooves could do little to harm it in return. Despite her pride, she wanted to run. She had just barely survived her encounter with the cragodiles. She did not want to throw away her good fortune by fighting a hopeless battle against a manticore.

The manticore noticed Singe standing stock still on the riverbank and began to walk towards her. Singe would have taken flight right then and there, but her eyes lingered on her spear, and she could not bring herself to flee. That the manticore would appear at this very moment, carrying the one item she needed most, could not be a coincidence. It had to be a test of faith.

Singe was no longer the faithless rogue that relied on nothing but her weapons and her will. She was no longer the weak, lonely mare that fled whenever the tide turned against her. She was now a knight sworn in Celestia’s service - an instrument of the sun’s divine light. She had found her place in this world and her purpose in life. With those things came a responsibility to see her missions through to the end, or die attempting to. She needed to retrieve her spear. She had no choice.

Only in death does duty end, Brother Blaze’s voice echoed in her mind.

Of all her brothers and sisters in the order, Blaze was the most zealous. As such, his words were, at times, the most unbelievable. Many times, Singe had disregarded them as the loud boasting of a weak pony among the strong. She had never heeded them before. Her pride would not allow it. She was strong and she was skilled. She served Celestia without need of intercession. This made her a better servant than Blaze could ever be.

Blaze was weak, and yet he seemed to survive a thousand wounds. He always stood fearlessly against Celestia’s foes. He never once fled in the face of impossible odds. Singe felt ashamed at how she had regarded her brother. He had proven himself greater than her from the very beginning. She had just been too blind to see it.

Oblivious to Singe’s internal struggles, the manticore casually examined her, tilting its head around the stationary pony and giving a few curious sniffs. It raised the paw that wasn’t holding the fruit and pushed Singe lightly. Singe jumped into the air in response, ready to engage.

“Even the mare who has nothing can still have faith,” Singe said aloud. “I am a knight in Celestia’s service. I will not fall, for she stands with me!”

Instead of the threatening roar Singe had been expecting, the manticore merely tilted its head, confused at her words. A few moments passed as the two looked at each other. Singe, weary of a trap, and still uncertain of how best to strike at the manticore, did not attack. The manticore, for its part, did not even seem prepared to fight.

Eventually, the manticore shrugged and put down its fruits. It reached back towards its tail and took Singe’s spear in its paws.

“That is a holy weapon of the light, beast! Sanctified in Celestia’s name and gifted to me by Father Fire himself! It will not aid you against me!” Singe exclaimed. She was nowhere near as confident as she sounded, but she forced herself to believe in her own words.

The manticore rolled its eyes and laid the spear down next to the fruits. Then it stepped back, gestured to the items, sat down, and yawned.

Singe did not know how to react to this. She examined the manticore, hoping to find some clue to its intentions. The beast was just sitting there. It did not look ready to pounce. Its muscles appeared to be relaxed. It was too far away to swipe at Singe should she land and take the spear. Then Singe realized that the beast’s fur was damp, as if it had just recently taken a swim. She looked down at the fruits next to her spear, and it hit her.

“You...you saved me?” Singe asked incredulously as she slowly landed.

The manticore nodded.

“...Why?” Singe asked.

The manticore raised one eyebrow and gave Singe a look that she interpreted to mean, “Really, pony?” Then it pointed to its throat and shook its head.

“You can’t speak Equestrian,” Singe said.

The manticore nodded.

“But you can understand it,” Singe added.

The manticore rolled its eyes, which Singe took to mean, “Obviously.”

“How…” Singe trailed off as she saw the manticore’s expression. “Right, yes and no only. Like charades. Okay, Firefly taught me...I know this game.”

Singe took a moment to think about her next question. Her stomach grumbled loudly, and she remembered the fruits.

“Are these for me?” she asked, pointing to the fruit.

The manticore nodded.

Singe reached down and took an oddly rainbow-colored apple. She hesitated before she put it into her mouth. What if they’re poisoned? she thought.

The manticore let out a sigh and got up. Singe immediately dropped the fruit and took up her spear. The manticore stopped and put up its paws, signaling that it meant no harm. It slowly approached the pile of fruit in front of Singe, then picked one up and ate it. After it swallowed, it slowly backed off until it was back to its previous position and sat down again.

“Okay, not poisoned,” Singe said aloud. At least that one wasn’t, she added mentally as she placed her spear on her back.

Her stomach grumbled again, and she decided to risk it. “Fear denies faith,” she muttered, quoting Brother Blaze.

The rainbow apple was without a doubt the best tasting fruit Singe had ever eaten. Her appetite swelled and soon, she was attacking the fruits with more ferocity than she had attacked the timberwolves. There were only a few of the rainbow apples in the pile, but the rest of the fruits were still fresh and just as good to eat, if not quite as good to taste.

Some time later, Singe was surprised when she reached down to take another fruit and found that there were none left. She didn’t usually eat that much. She was a little disappointed, but could not deny that she had already eaten more than enough. She turned back to the manticore and found that it had drifted off to sleep.

Singe considered her options. The Night Mare was known to have consorted with manticores in the past, but then again, she had once ruled over ponies as well. The Betrayer was a crafty witch, and the promises of the darkness were tempting indeed. To this day, some ponies still believed those lies. No doubt, some manticores did as well. Singe did not believe that it was damning of an entire race for some of its members to have sworn themselves to the darkness. There was, however, a condition for salvation.

“Manticore!” Singe said loudly.

The manticore awoke with a yawn and looked at Singe groggily.

“Do you know of Celestia?” Singe asked.

The manticore nodded.

“Do you accept Her as the light bringer, the ruler of Equestria, and the sole sovereign of the sky?” Singe asked.

The manticore tilted its head at the question. It seemed to consider its response. Singe resisted the urge to reach for her spear. She did not know whether the creature hesitated out of loyalty to the night or simple stupidity. It may be smart for a beast, but it was still just a beast.

Slowly, the manticore nodded. It did not find anything factually wrong with Celestia’s fancy new titles. Though, personally, it considered them excessive. What was wrong with simply “Princess” as she was called before? Things had certainly changed since the Two Sisters’ quarrel at the old castle.

Singe decided to accept the manticore’s answer. Regardless of whether or not the beast said that simply to save its own skin, she did not need to fight it. Not yet, anyway. There was just one more thing to check.

“Did you save me from the river because you knew what I was?” she asked.

The manticore nodded. It mentally noted that this was a very strange pony. Of course it knew what she was. She was a pony. A Pegasus Pony, to be precise. And of course it had saved her because of it. That was what you were supposed to do when you saw a pony in trouble. The rest of the forest may have forgotten Luna’s commands, but it had not. Besides, letting a freshly dead cragodile just float past uneaten would have been a crime in and of itself.

The manticore remembered a time, many years ago, when it had helped a lost pony messenger get to the Castle of the Two Sisters. Luna had given it a cake as a reward. That had been a very good cake. It wondered if Celestia would give it cake if she found out about it helping this pony. Probably not. Celestia never shared her cake.

“I see. In that case, you have my thanks, noble manticore,” Singe said. The manticore’s response had confirmed her suspicions: it had saved her because she was a servant of Celestia. That meant that it had delivered her spear because Celestia wished her to complete her mission. The manticore was not a test of faith, as she had thought, but more aid from on high. Never again would she doubt her sovereign.

The manticore merely nodded. It wished its throat could make the sounds needed to speak Equestrian. Then it could have asked what the pony wanted to do out in the middle of the forest. At night. All alone. It may not know much about pony culture, but it knew enough to know that this was not normal pony behavior.

A loud roar echoed out into the night. A dragon’s roar.

The manticore groaned internally. The dragoness was up again. And cranky. Probably her hatchling giving her trouble. Why did she have to roar now, of all times? She would scare the pony.

“That sounded close. Do you know which direction that came from?” Singe asked with an eager smile on her face.

Or not, the manticore thought. This really is a very strange pony.

The manticore nodded to Singe and pointed in the direction of the dragoness’ cave.

“Can you lead me there?" Singe asked.

The manticore shook its head. The dragoness was hard enough to deal with on her best days. Barging in on her in the middle of the night right after she’d been rudely awakened? There was no way the manticore was getting involved with that.

“I understand,” Singe said. "This is my mission, and I must complete it alone. And so I shall. This is where we part ways, manticore. Thank you for your aid. May you walk ever in Her light.”

Without another word, Singe took off in the direction the manticore had pointed. The manticore watched her disappear into the darkness, and contemplated going after her. The pony was sure to get into trouble again if she ran into the dragoness.

No, the manticore thought. I've done my part. Let someone else deal with the crazy pony.

The manticore got up, stretched, and turned to head back towards its own cave. There was still some time left until sunrise. More than enough time to catch up on some sleep. Maybe it would get lucky and dream of cake. Good dreams were so hard to come by now that Luna was gone.

~~~~~

Firefly leaned back into the cushions. “It was one heck of a shot,” she said. “Singe took off pretty fast after the deal was done, but it still hit her. Hard. It was like throwing a rock at a floating piece of paper. She just crumpled and dropped.

“The gangsters started laughing and cheering when Singe hit the ground. They thought she was dead. I knew better. Singe wasn’t the toughest pony around, and she didn’t take pain very well, but you don’t get to make a living hunting dangerous monsters without being able to take a hit. She was hurt bad, sure, but dead? I didn’t believe that for a second.

“I didn’t say a word, though. I let them cheer. In fact, when one of them suggested going to make sure, I told them that it didn’t matter because my troops would round them all up soon anyway, dead or alive. They hit me for that, but it got them going. They left Singe there, wounded in the middle of nowhere, and dragged me along as they made a break for the other side of the badlands. They moved fast, but it didn’t matter. They got caught. I got saved. You could ask some of the other ponies involved about the rescue. I’m sure it’d make a great story - it was pretty dramatic. I don’t think I’d be able to tell it right, though. I wasn’t myself anymore at that point. Too much had already happened.

“When I got free from both the gangsters and all the post-mission-slash-kidnapping stuff, I just went home. Took some time off after, too. I felt...numb I guess is the best word. I needed time. Fortunately, I wasn’t alone. Not all the time, anyway. I went to visit my family. Spent time with my other friends. I never told anyone about what happened, though. Not the full story. Eventually, I let it slip from my mind. Every now and then my mind still wanders back, and I’d think things like, 'What if?' or 'Why didn’t I?'”

Firefly shook her head and looked at Celestia. “Do you know the weirdest thing? I could never bring myself to hate Singe. Not even after all of that. I felt sorry for her...still do. It’s myself I kept beating up over what happened.”

Celestia moved closer to Firefly and brought her into a hug. Firefly did not resist. Despite looking and sounding relaxed, Celestia felt Firefly’s body trembling slightly with suppressed emotion.

“It’s not your fault, child,” Celestia said gently. “She chose her own path. Mistakes were made, but that is the way of life. Do not burden yourself with the blame. The weight of your loss is burden enough.”

Celestia released Firefly and looked into her eyes. “Keep yours eyes forward and your head high. No one cannot undo the mistakes of the past, and only some are blessed with the opportunity to atone for them, but all can ensure that they are never made again.”

Firefly stared back into Celestia’s eyes and saw in them a sorrow much deeper than her own, but along with that sorrow, there was also strength. They were the eyes of a mare that had suffered so much, been forced to bend so far, and yet simply refused to break. And now, those eyes looked upon her with the care and understanding of a mother unto her child.

Firefly pulled Celestia into another hug. She closed her eyes and fought back tears. Not for herself, but for her princess.

You would know, wouldn’t you? she asked silently. More than anypony else, you would know. And here you are, comforting me. Oh, Princess, I am so sorry.

When Firefly pulled away, she sniffed and forced out a weak laugh. “Thanks, mom,” she said, smiling. “I’m grown mare, you know? Almost an old mare at this point. I can’t remember the last time somepony called me child.”

Celestia chuckled and Firefly laughed again, genuinely this time.

“I was already old when your mother’s mother was born,” Celestia said lightly. “You’re all children compared to me. And so small. My little ponies.” Celestia playfully petted Firefly’s head.

Firefly snickered and pushed Celestia’s hoof away. “Hey, I’m a general, you know! I’ve been in battles and everything! I’m as big and tough as a pony can get! You’re just...really really big.”

Celestia mercilessly assaulted Firefly’s barrel with a series of tickles. “And really really tough!” she added.

Firefly was laughing so hard that she was gasping for breath. “Okay! Okay! I give! I giiiive!”

Celestia pulled away with a smirk. “That’ll show you not to talk back to your princess, General.”

Firefly, still recovering from Celestia’s attack, gave a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am!”

Celestia stood and moved towards one of the shelves. “That was quite the lengthy story, General Firefly. You must be parched. Would you like something to drink? Perhaps some tea? I know it’s late, but -”

Celestia was interrupted by a knock on the door. “General Stone, requesting permission to enter, Princess,” Grey Stone said from outside.

Celestia’s mirth faded. General Stone’s visits were always serious business, but for him to come this late in the night…

“Permission granted, General. Come in,” Celestia replied.

General Stone walked into the room and bowed to Celestia. Despite the hour, Stone still wore his full set of plate armor, except for his helmet which he carried on one hoof. Unlike usual, he rose of his own accord instead of waiting for Celestia’s command.

Firefly noticed this and straightened. This can't be good, she thought.

“My apologies for the lateness of my visit, Princess, but I am afraid this is urgent,” Stone said. He turned to Firefly and asked, “May I interrupt your report, General?”

Firefly nodded. “By all means, Grey. I just finished anyway.”

“You seem troubled, Stone. What is it?” Celestia asked, worried.

Stone nodded and turned back to Celestia, his face somehow managing to be more solemn than usual. “Saddle Arabian ships are attacking Baltimare.”

Firefly shot into the air. “They’re what!?” she exclaimed. “Princess! I’ll gather the Wonderbolts and head out right now! If we scramble, we can make it there in -”

“No, Firefly,” Celestia interrupted. “You’ve had a long day, and while I don’t doubt your or your fliers’ abilities, you’d likely arrive at Baltimare too tired to turn the tide. Assuming you make it there in time to affect the battle at all. Either way, I won’t risk losing some of my best ponies to such a careless action.”

“But, Princess...we have to do something!” Firefly said.

“And we will,” Celestia replied. She turned back to General Stone. “How did you receive this news?”

“Magical missive. Secure, reliable, and instantaneous. There is no doubt that the report is accurate,” Stone replied.

Celestia nodded. “So it is confirmed, then. I trust additional reserves were stationed near Baltimare?”

“Yes, Princess. As per your command, additional troops were stationed near all port cities at high risk of attack, Baltimare included. As we speak, the Baltimare reserves are en route to engage the enemy forces and reinforce the city’s defenses. Given our lack of intelligence on the enemy, I cannot say for certain if the reserves will be enough to secure victory, but they should be able to hold until additional troops can arrive,” Stone said.

“Do we even have any more troops to send?” Firefly asked. “The Protective Pony Platoons are stretched to their breaking point. I didn't even know we had enough ponies for reserves.”

“We didn’t,” Stone replied. “The reserves are a mix of military troops, mercenaries, and free agents. As for sending more, if we divert the reserves stationed near Manehattan, they should be able to -”

“That would leave the Manehattan area exposed,” Celestia said. “If the Saddle Arabians attack it, then they'll be able to take the city before we can send our troops back to defend. That is a risk that I am unwilling to take.”

“I understand, Princess, but the risk of Baltimare falling is even greater if we don't send reinforcements, and there isn't anypony else to send. At least, not any pony that can make it in time,” Stone said.

“Baltimare will not fall. I will not allow it,” Celestia said.

Firefly’s eyes widened. “Princess, you don't mean…”

“My first and foremost duty as princess is to protect my ponies from danger. I intend to do just that,” Celestia said. “Stone, who leads the Baltimore defenders?”

“The primary garrison is lead by Commander Jack Fruit, Princess,” Stone replied. “The reserves are under the command of a mercenary guild leader known as Packed Lunch.”

“You gotta be kidding me!” Firefly exclaimed. “We’re leaving the fate of Baltimare in the hooves of those two maniacs? Please don't tell me Cross is with them too.”

“Actually, the swordspony Cross Roads is in fact one of the free agents among the reserves, ” Stone said. “He even volunteered to work free of charge.”

Firefly facehoofed. “This won't end well.”

“Perhaps not for the Saddle Arabians,” Stone said, unfazed by Firefly’s reaction. “Those three have an impeccable combat record.”

Celestia smiled. Firefly was right to be concerned. Cross, Jack, and Pack were capable, although somewhat eccentric, individuals. The three childhood friends no longer met up very often, but when they did, they were a serious, if inadvertent, threat to life and limb. Normally, that made them a major headache for local law enforcement, but under the circumstances, they may be exactly what local law enforcement needed.

“If that’s the case, then I am confident that Baltimare will hold. At least until the Saddle Arabian forces can be properly defeated,” Celestia said. “Stone, prepare the relief efforts for Baltimare. The battle will be over soon, but I expect even victory will not come without a cost. Firefly, tell Alexander to gather his cadre and rendezvous with me on the battlefield. I will not be difficult to find.”

Firefly was momentarily confused. “Alexander? Ohhh, you mean Archmagus Caduceus the Magnificent. For a moment there, I actually forgot his original name was Alexander.”

Celestia scrunched up her muzzle. “He’s still going by that ridiculous alias?”

“Yes, Princess,” Stone replied. “I believe he has legally changed his name to reflect his preference.”

Celestia huffed. “Honestly, that boy...Well, nevermind. Relay my message to Caduceus. Be sure to let him know that I expect him to be there within the hour.”

Firefly saluted. “Yes, ma’am!”

Celestia nodded then glanced up at the moon. Firefly’s story had taken up most of the night, but dawn was still a little over an hour away.

I suppose I’ll just have to change that, Celestia thought to herself.

She turned back to her generals. “One more thing, Stone: please let the relevant ponies know that dawn will be coming early today. It would not do to cause unnecessary panic. Oh, and also inform the head steward that the solar court is indefinitely postponed.”

Stone bowed. “Yes, Princess. It will be done.”

Celestia gently lifted Stone’s head. “I’m sorry to reduce you to a mere messenger, General, but you're the best pony for the job right now. Although that doesn’t mean you have to act so servile. Orders aside, you are still an Equestrian general. A salute would have sufficed,” she said teasingly.

“Yes, Princess,” Stone said, saluting. “You needn’t concern yourself with the nature of my orders. It is both my duty and my pleasure to serve.”

“Thank you very much, old friend,” Celestia said. “And you as well, Firefly. Now, generals, you have your orders, so if you’ll excuse me, I have some business to attend to.”

Both Stone and Firefly saluted and left the chambers to fulfill their duties. Celestia stepped out onto her balcony and once more looked up at the moon. A long day had turned into a long night, which now promised to turn into an even longer day. She had not gotten any sleep, but it was hardly the first time for that, and it certainly would not be the last. No, Celestia, like Equestria, would carry on past this day, and there was nothing Saddle Arabia or its overly ambitious Sultan could do to change that.

“Alright, moon, it is time to set,” Celestia said, her horn glowing with power. “The sun rises to meet its foes.”

~~~~~

The dragon’s lair had been easy to find. Singe had merely followed the load sounds of a baby’s crying to a large cave. Excited by the prospect of finally completing her mission, Singe entered without hesitation and found a large green dragoness fretting over a small green hatchling.

The dragoness groaned as her hatchling began to wail even louder. When she roared, the walls of her cave shook from the force of it, and the denizens of the forest trembled in fear. It was usually enough for her to get her way, but this child simply refused to let up its incessant crying.

“Okay! Okay! I’m sorry I roared at you!” she said. “It was just a reaction. I didn’t mean it. What will it take to shut you up, so I can get some sleep for one night?”

“I can grant you sleep, dragon,” Singe said from where she stood at the mouth of the cave. “The kind of sleep from which none awaken. The sleep of death.”

The dragoness’ irritation rose, and she almost roared again. Instead, she grit her teeth and let out a puff of smoke from her nostrils. She pushed her hatchling onto a pile of gems and turned to face Singe.

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a little busy right now,” the dragoness said upon spotting the pony. “Come back tomorrow and I’ll gladly kill you then, but for now, leave me in peace!”

Singe hovered in the air and pointed her spear at the dragon. “You will not live to see another of Celestia’s dawns, dragon. You have had that pleasure too many times already.”

The dragoness groaned again. It was just one thing after another tonight. “Being up to see the sun rise is hardly a pleasure. I’d much rather sleep until noon, at least. In fact, I didn’t see the sunrise for a fifty-seven years until -” she cut herself off when she realized that the cave had gotten quieter.

The dragoness turned back to her hatchling and found that it had stopped crying. It was now sucking on a large gem half as big as itself and making satisfied baby noises.

“Huh,” the dragoness said. “Why didn’t I try that earlier?”

“Because you’re a dim-witted fool,” Singe said.

The dragoness suddenly twisted and snapped her jaws at Singe. Singe flew backwards to evade.

“What is your problem, pony?” the dragoness asked. “Why are you even here? I can’t remember the last time I raided a village. I haven’t been letting out any large clouds of smoke. I haven’t even gone into Celestia and Luna’s old castle! I’ve followed the rules, so it can’t have been me. Do you just want to die? Or are you one of those crazy glory seekers that comes around every few hundred years?”

Singe scowled. “Such audacity, worm. You have remained in Equestria when all others have fled. You have made your lair between the the site of the Sacred Banishment and the new royal castle. Your choices are tantamount to a direct challenge to Celestia herself! A challenge that I, as a member of the Order of the Celestial Sun, am here to answer! What rules could you possibly have followed?”

“Luna’s rules!” the dragoness snapped indignantly. “The rules of peaceful coexistence.”

“And so you confess,” Singe said. “Prepare to die, servant of darkness!”

The dragon turned her head back to her hatchling and narrowed her eyes. “This is your fault, you know? I only stayed because of you.”

The hatchling spat out the gem and started making spit bubbles, spilling drool over priceless ancient treasures.

The dragoness was about to reach out and move her hatchling when Singe attacked.

“Burn in the light, slave of darkness!” Singe cried. She lit her spear aflame and shot straight towards the dragoness’ head.

The dragoness leaned back and Singe shot straight past her. “A flaming stick?” she asked upon seeing Singe’s burning spear. “You’re trying to kill a dragon with a flaming stick? And you call me stupid!”

Singe twisted in mid-air and shot towards the dragoness again.

“The fire is but a symbol!” Singe cried.

Singe turned sharply mid-dive, anticipating the dragoness’ evasion and aiming for the throat. The dragoness snorted a large cloud of smoke to try and blow Singe away, but Singe pulled up hard and stopped above it.

“The spear itself, but a token,” Singe continued.

The dragoness snapped her jaws at Singe again, but again, Singe evaded. Singe tried to counter with a thrust to the dragoness’ eye, but was blown back by the wind from a single flap of the dragoness’ wings.

Singe righted herself and flew up immediately, narrowly evading a swipe from the dragoness’ claw. “Both are as toys compared to my true weapon!” she cried as she reached the top of the cave and hovered.

“Then show me this weapon,” the dragoness said. “I will break it like I will break you!”

Singe laughed. “Truly a fool! My true weapon is my faith, and my faith is unbreakable!” Singe said as she dived.

The dragoness leaned back to evade the dive. Singe turned sharply to compensate, but the dragoness was prepared. Singe’s turn sent her flying straight into a column of dragon fire.

Singe, however, was undeterred. She flew straight through the fire towards the dragoness’ open mouth. The dragoness quickly cut off her attack and ducked. Singe turned again and thrust her spear into the back of the dragoness’ head.

The resulting wound was shallow. The dragoness’ scales were too tough and Singe’s momentum too low. Still, the dragoness roared and tried to bat Singe away from her head with a claw. Singe flew upwards, easily evading the attack. Upon hearing its mother’s roar, the hatchling began crying again.

The dragoness, however, was too preoccupied to fret over her child. “How?” she asked. “That should have killed you!”

Singe, her body smoking, but otherwise unharmed, puffed up her chest proudly. “I am a servant of Celestia, Princess of the Sun! I cannot be burned!”

The dragoness noticed magical runes fading from the surface of Singe’s armor. “No, Celestia cannot be burned. You’re just wearing some fancy armor,” she said.

Singe did not reply. Instead, she dived again, not at the dragoness, but straight down. She turned at a right angle just above the ground and flew towards the dragoness. The dragoness turned to swipe at Singe with her tail, but Singe flew upwards to evade. Singe then turned down again to evade a backhand from the dragoness’ claw, and then shot forward to thrust her spear into the dragoness’ underbelly.

The dragoness roared in pain and tried to swat Singe with her claw. Singe evaded, but was caught in a blast of smoke and disoriented. The dragoness followed through with another swipe of her claw and this time the blow connected. Singe was knocked into the wall of the cave and fell to the floor with a cry of pain.

The dragoness clutched her wound with a claw and groaned. The wound hurt. It hurt far more than it should have, considering its size. She felt a burning sensation slowly spreading outwards from it. She looked at the crumpled form of Singe and, in her anger, let loose a long gout of her strongest flame. As she did, her hatchling’s cries grew louder, and her head began to throb. She cut off the flames and found Singe shakily rising to her hooves.

“It hurts, doesn’t it?” Singe asked through gritted teeth. She could feel that several of her bones had been broken by the blow, including one of her wings. She knew that she would no longer be able to fly, but she also knew that she no longer had to.

“What...what did you do?!” the dragoness asked. Bit by bit, she could feel her strength leaving her. She tried to reach out and grab Singe in a claw, but her vision blurred and she scraped the rock around the pony instead. “What’s happening to me?!”

Singe picked up her spear and leaned against it. “I have set upon you Celestia’s judgement. The fires of the sun now burn within you. You should thank me, for you are being cleansed.”

The dragoness crashed to the ground, her head landing in front of Singe. “Please…” she murmured.

“Don’t bother to beg, worm. Celestia’s mercy does not extend to the Betrayer’s slaves,” Singe said.

The dragoness managed to shake her head. The action sent the whole world spinning and she stopped. “Please...my baby. Don’t…”

Singe huffed. “As the darkness’ depravity does not diminish the light, so are the sins of one’s family not the sins of oneself. All servants of Celestia know this. I will not harm your child, worm.”

The dragoness saw Singe slowly approaching the side of her face. “Thank y -”

Singe stabbed her spear into the dragoness’ eye, and watched as the once proud beast let out its last breath. The dragoness’ hatchling stopped crying. It saw its mother’s prone form and waddled towards it. Singe watched it approach its mother’s face and began pawing at it. When its mother did not awaken with her irritated roars as it expected, it looked to Singe and began tearing up.

Singe leaned down and looked the tiny hatchling in the eye. It tried to hold her face, but she pushed it away.

“I will not harm you, child,” Singe told the hatchling as she held it back. “But I will not care for you either. By Celestia’s grace you will live...or die.”

The cave lit up as the first rays of sunshine broke out over the horizon.

Brother Burn, The Crusader

Saddle Arabians are different from Equestrians in many ways, and not just culturally. Among their ponies, there are no Unicorns, or Pegasi, or even cutie marks. What they do have, however, is black powder. And they were currently using it to great effect, much to the dismay of Baltimare’s defending forces.

In an impromptu command center set up in Baltimare city hall, Commander Jack Fruit, a sand-colored pegasus in full standard-issue pegasus combat armor, alternated between drinking from a bottle of rum and angrily shouting vague commands the the soldiers around him.

“What the hell?!” Commander Jack Fruit exclaimed as a nearby explosion shook the building.

Jack tried to take another drink from his bottle of rum, found it was empty, and threw it over his shoulder in disgust. There was the sound of shattering glass followed closely by that of a pony crying out in pain. Jack turned in the general direction of his troops, who were scrambling from one place to another. They looked like they were doing their jobs, but Jack knew better. The ingrates were useless without him, and only barely competent even with his commands to guide them.

“Unicorns!” he shouted out to no one in particular. “I needed that barrier up literally yesterday! The sun’s up, and we’re still getting our flanks handed to us on a Saddle Arabian platter! You’re magic’s the only edge we’ve got over their cannons, bucking use it! Pegasi! What in the hay have you been doing? I thought I told you to bombard their position with everything you’ve got! You can fly, and they can’t. What are you afraid of? Earth Ponies! You have one job and one job only, hold the damn line! I haven’t checked, but I know that line’s been moving closer! What the buck is everyone doing? Fight, you idiots!”

Lieutenant Apple, a green Earth Pony currently covered in bits of shattered glass, walked up to Jack and saluted. “We’re doing all we can, Sir, but there’s only so much we can do against their numbers and their firepower.”

“What the hell happened to you, Lieutenant Apple?” Jack asked. “This is a war zone, not a bar fight. Attack them with weapons not shattered glass! Wait, didn’t I send you out to get me another rum fifteen minutes ago? That better not be my rum shattered all over your coat!”

Not for the first time, Lieutenant Apple suppressed the urge to punch his commanding officer in the face. “I’m sorry, Sir,” he said flatly. “I got side tracked. I have no idea whose bottle slammed into my head a minute ago.”

“Son, you’ve really got to work on your focus,” Jack said, shaking his head. “Shape up or you’ll never be promoted. I mean, seriously, Apple. Get on my level.”

Another explosion shook the building. It was closer this time.

“Come on!” Jack exclaimed. “Again? Really? Whose job is it to stop those cannons? Don’t make me get out there! Because I will! And I’ll whoop both you and the Saddle Arabians, I swear to the sun!”

Cross Roads, an ash colored Unicorn wearing a black coat with a longsword on his belt, and Packed Lunch, a chocolate brown Earth Pony in mismatched pieces of armor armed with both a hoof-mounted crossbow and a short sword, approached Jack.

“That might not be a bad idea,” Pack said. “I know you need to be the leader the troops need, and all that, but you’re running out to troops to lead. It might be time to get out there and lead from the front. My mercs are tough fighters, but they’re still just mercs. Your line breaks, and we turn tail. No promise of bits is worth losing your life over.”

“I’d just like to point out that I said we should charge from the very beginning,” Cross said. “It’s us or them either way. Might as well find out in one big engagement. Why drag it out?”

“Because that’s not how war works, Cross!” Jack said. “It’s not just about who can kill who first. We have to consider tactics and strategy and...long term stuff! This isn’t like the small scale combat that you’re used to. This isn’t even like fighting outnumbered. We’re talking about armies here, Cross. Small armies, but still armies. And armies are too big to be dealt with your way.”

Despite his words, Jack was just making this up as he went along. He didn’t really remember much of what he’d been taught of “tactics and strategy and long term stuff”. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t really remember how he had made it to commander in the first place. How long had he even been in the military? It didn’t seem like all that long ago when he had woken up in boot camp with no idea where he was or how he got there.

“Then we make it small scale. Kill them all one by one until we win,” Cross said.

Lieutenant Apple examined Cross, looking for any sign that he was joking, but found none. Cross was being completely serious.

“Wait,” Pack said before Jack could reply. “Cross isn’t wrong. Not completely. The Saddle Arabians have us backed into a corner here, but they’re not just throwing ponies at us. They’re playing it smart. Whittling us down. That’s not a battle that we can win. We’re not going to get reinforcements any time soon.”

“What are you saying?” Jack asked.

“I’m saying that we stop playing their game,” Pack replied. “They want us on the back hoof - defending. So we attack. Not with every pony, of course, but with small strike teams. Hit key targets. Their commanders, their backline, their cannons - something anything important. And before you bring up any military jargon like I know you want to, keep in mind that most of our ponies are like Cross here. They’re fighters, but they’re not military. They work best in small scale.”

“Better than the Saddle Arabians do, I guarantee it,” Cross added.

Jack sighed. He hated to admit it, but his old friends were right. He wasn’t really cut out for this commanding stuff. Maybe it was time to retire, hang up his uniform, and go back to the old days when he just wandered from place to place with no real direction in his life. It sounded like more fun than being chained to all these rules and responsibilities, but...nah. If nothing else, the retirement benefits were too good to pass up. Besides, he was getting to that point in life where he wanted to settle down and be a family stallion. The wanderer’s life was not for him. Not anymore.

“Well, Jack?” Pack asked.

What were we talking about? Jack thought silently. When he remembered, he said, “Right. Well, it was stupid and crazy when you first brought it up, and it's stupid and crazy now. But it just might be crazy enough to work, and I’m just stupid enough to go for it. Let’s do it, boys. Us three against the world, like when we were colts.”

“Ha! Finally!” Cross exclaimed with a manic grin.

“Whoa, hold on there,” Pack said. “I never said it would be me. I’m not getting paid enough to go on that kind of suicide mission.”

“If it helps, you can have my pay when this is done,” Cross said.

“You volunteered!” Pack exclaimed. “You’re not getting paid at all!”

Cross shrugged. “So?” he asked.

Before Pack could respond, Jack put a hoof on his back and said, “Shut up, Pack. We’re going in. Just give me a moment to grab my bow. Lieutenant Apple, you’re in charge. Try not to lose this battle without me.”

Lieutenant Apple saluted. “Sir, yes, Sir!” he said aloud. Internally, he thought Thank the stars. Maybe now we have a chance of surviving this. If we’re lucky, the idiot will even get himself killed out there.

As Jack, Cross, and Pack went out into the battlefield, morale in the command center rose exponentially. This directly affected the troops fighting across the city as more sensible, coherent, and tactically sound commands began being relayed to them. For the first time since the Battle of Baltimare began, things were looking up for the Equestrians.

~~~~~

As he crouched down behind a pile of debris next to Pack and Cross, Jack missed his rum. He wasn’t nearly drunk enough for this. In fact, he wasn’t drunk at all. He silently cursed the tolerance he’d built up over the years.

I never thought I’d pine for the days when I was a lightweight, Jack thought.

The three ponies had somehow managed to make their way down to the port without too much trouble. Cross had wanted to charge straight down the front lines and either push the Saddle Arabians back or go down in a blaze of glory, but Jack and Pack had overruled him. Instead, they’d gone around the majority of the fighting and snuck past the Saddle Arabian lines. Jack had taken the lead then. Of the three, he had always been the best at getting out of trouble and moving without being seen.

“So what’s the plan?” Pack asked.

“There is no plan,” Cross replied. “There’s a ship right there firing cannons into the city. I say we take it out.”

“There’s a fleet of ships right there firing cannons into the city,” Pack pointed out. “Not to mention the soldiers on the ships, the rear guard standing between us and the ships, and, oh yeah, the giant, heavily guarded flag ship out in the harbor.”

“So?” Cross asked.

Jack motioned for the two to be quiet. “Okay, it looks bad, but we knew it would be. Doesn’t change anything. I say we sneak onto the ship closest to us, blow the black powder, and get out in the resulting chaos. Cross, you still know those fire spells?”

Cross grinned. “Fire and swords are all I know, Jack.”

“Some things never change,” Pack commented.

“Good,” Jack said. “Now, on my signal, we make a break for those crates over there and -”

Jack was interrupted by the sudden explosion of the ship they were planning to board. He looked to Cross.

“Wasn’t me,” Cross said.

Jack frowned. “Then who…”

“HONOR! GLORY! CELESTIA!” a loud voice boomed from the wreckage.

The three ponies looked in the direction of the sound and saw a colossal, muscular Pegasus Pony with a gold coat and a white mane, tail, and beard burst out from the flaming wreckage. The pony carried a massive battleaxe with butterfly shaped blades and wore no armor except for a single steel greave embedded with a large red gem on his left forehoof.

The pegasus hovered above the flaming wreckage, each flap of his large wings pushing smoke away from him and making a clearly audible sound. The Saddle Arabian officers began shouting in their foreign tongue, and their archers began to fire at the pegasus. The pegasus brought up his armored hoof, and a large, red rectangular shield emanated from the gem, blocking the Saddle Arabians’ arrows.

“Hahahaha! Is that all?” the pegasus boomed. “Let me show you how a real stallion fights!”

The pegasus dived down towards the Saddle Arabians and landed right in their midst, crushing a pony beneath him. He began tearing through their lines with surprising skill and efficiency, laughing as he went along. With each swing of his massive axe, two or three ponies were felled. Whenever it seemed as though he would be overwhelmed or taken out from afar, he would leap upwards or forwards with the aid of his large wings, repositioning himself and crushing a pony each time he did. Soon, the Saddle Arabian forces broke and began to scatter. The pegasus did not pursue them.

“Cowards! Finished already?” he called out after them. “I’m not even close to done! Ahahahaha! Onward to the next!”

The pegasus leapt upwards again and flew straight towards the next ship, which immediately began firing its cannons in his direction.

“That was the most glorious thing I’ve ever seen,” Pack commented.

“Was that just a naked old stallion with an axe?” Jack asked.

“Yes, yes it was,” Cross replied.

“I reiterate: the most glorious thing I’ve ever seen,” Pack said.

“We should go after him,” Cross said.

“Yes, yes we should,” Pack agreed.

“Wait, shouldn’t we - guys!” Jack called out, but Pack and Cross were already running off. Jack shook his head. “Saddle Arabians invading, naked old guys fighting, what’s next, Celestia herself coming down to save us? I am definitely not drunk enough for this,” he said to himself as he took off after his friends.

~~~~~

In the middle of the command center, Princess Celestia appeared in a brilliant flash of golden light. Instead of her usual regalia, she wore a full set of ornate golden plate armor, but carried no weapons with her. The ponies around her immediately stopped what they were doing in shock. Moments later, they began to bow.

“Rise, ponies,” Celestia said. “There is much still left to do. Where is Commander Jack Fruit?”

Lieutenant Apple approached Celestia. “He’s, uh...out fighting, Princess. I’m Lieutenant Apple. Commander Jack left me in charge of running the command center.”

“He’s leading from the front lines? How courageous,” Celestia said.

“Yes...courageous,” Apple said.

Celestia noticed the hesitation in Apple’s voice, but decided to ignore it. “If that is the case, then I’ll ask you, Lieutenant. What is the situation here in Baltimare? I need a full report on the battle so far.”

Apple snapped to attention and switched to his best report-giving voice, the one he saved for when he had to report to officers that actually had some idea of what they were doing. Given his current commanding officer, he didn’t get to use it much these days, so he was out of practice. He hoped the princess wasn’t the strict protocol kind.

“The situation is not ideal, Princess, but we are holding for now,” Apple said. “The Saddle Arabians attacked with a fleet of ships about two hours ago, catching us all by surprise. They overwhelmed our initial defenses and pushed us back into the city, allowing them to freely set up a staging area on the port. It was nothing short of a miracle that we were able to evacuate the civilians from the dangerzone in time, and even as we speak, our troops' first priority is to ensure that the citizens of Baltimare get out of danger.

“The Saddle Arabians would have easily taken the city by now if not for the timely arrival of Packed Lunch’s reserve units. Mr. Lunch’s forces allowed us to stop the Saddle Arabians’ initial momentum and turned our near-rout into a proper, if desperate, defense. The Saddle Arabians still have us heavily outnumbered, and all but dictate our movements through the use of their ships’ heavy cannons, but our ponies are too tough for them to crack without incurring heavy losses. Those mercenaries and free agents may not have any proper military training, but they fight like rabid dogs.

“That said, it’s only a matter of time until the Saddle Arabians overwhelm us. They seem to know that we don’t have any reinforcements within two days travel of here, so they’ve decided to turn this into a war of attrition. They’re whittling down our troops little by little until they can safely take us out, and there isn’t anything we can do about it. That’s about all the information I can give you right now, Princess. If you’d like details on specific sections of the city, I can contact the relevant officers and get it to you at a moment’s notice. Just say the word.”

As Apple wrapped up his report, he mentally kicked himself. That was the worst report he’d ever given. It didn’t sound military at all. He hadn’t even used any of those fancy jargon words he always heard the scouts use. And he called her princess! Was that bad? Should he have used ma'am instead? He wasn’t ready for this! All that time spent under Jack had made his knowledge of proper protocol almost non-existent. Oh, he was in for it now.

Celestia, however, merely nodded. “Thank you, Lieutenant, but that will not be necessary,” she said. “I will survey the battlefield myself and provide aid to our troops wherever it is needed.”

Apple’s heart began racing. “You’re going out there?! No, you can’t!”

Celestia smiled down at Apple. “Is that an order, Lieutenant?”

Apple’s heart nearly stopped dead. “N-no! I would never...it’s just so dangerous, Princess! If something happens to you -”

“I will be fine, Apple. Thank you for your concern,” Celestia said gently. “It is not the first time I have faced an invading army, and I have faced much more dangerous things besides. My presence on the battlefield will lift the morale of our soldiers and cause hesitation in our enemies. That alone is reason enough for me to go out there. The fact that I may help turn the tide only reinforces this.”

Apple opened his mouth to reply, but found he could not refute Celestia’s logic. He looked left and right to the other ponies in the command center, but everyone was suddenly preoccupied doing something else.

“Ma’am...yes, ma’am,” Apple said with resignation.

Celestia smiled warmly at him, and despite himself, his spirits lifted. “Chin up, Apple. We haven’t lost this battle yet. In fact, I’m sure that it’s about to turn around. A cadre of mages from Canterlot should be arriving here shortly. Once they do, we will be ready to launch a counterattack on the Saddle Arabian forces. In the meantime, tell your ponies to stand fast and prepare to bring the fight to the enemy.”

Apple saluted. “Yes, ma’am!” he said with more enthusiasm.

Celestia turned to go, but then stopped and turned back to Apple. “One more thing, Apple,” she said. “What are Commander Jack Fruit and Guild Master Packed Lunch’s current positions? I’d like to coordinate our attack with each of them.”

Apple began to sweat nervously. “Uhh…”

~~~~~

Cross, Jack, and Pack were making a break for the ship the large pegasus flew towards when they were spotted by a single Saddle Arabian scout. Cross immediately drew his sword and slashed, killing the scout before it could react to their sudden appearance.

“Damn it, Cross, we talked about this!” Jack said as the trio stopped before the dead scout.

“What?” Cross asked while sheathing his sword.

“You can’t just randomly kill ponies out of the blue like that!” Jack exclaimed.

“It was a Saddle Arabian!” Cross said.

“That’s racist and you know it,” Jack accused.

“No, that’s war, and you know it!” Cross countered. “We’re in the middle of a Saddle Arabian invasion, Jack. They’re the enemy!”

“You could’ve at least given that guy a chance. He might have surrendered or something,” Jack said.

“You don’t know that,” Cross said.

“You don’t either. And now no one will. The poor sod’s dead!” Jack said.

“Look, if it makes you feel any better, let’s just say that I rejected his surrender. Lethally,” Cross said.

“Wouldn’t that make you a war criminal?” Pack asked.

“Wait, would it?” Cross asked.

Both Cross and Pack looked to Jack.

Jack shrugged. “I...honestly, I don’t know. I never paid much attention during the classroom portions of training.”

Cross sighed. “Look, he’s dead. It’s done. Let’s just drop the issue and move on.”

“You’re not even gonna apologize or anything?” Pack asked.

“I am not apologizing to a dead Saddle Arabian!” Cross exclaimed.

“There. Right there. Racist,” Jack said.

Cross scrunched up his muzzle. “That’s not even - it’s what he is!”

“Yeah, but there really wasn’t any need to point that out, now, was there?” Jack asked.

“He’s got you there, Cross,” Pack commented.

Cross stomped a hoof. “For the last time, I was just stating facts. I am not racist. I can’t believe we’re even having this discussion.”

“Prove it,” Pack said.

“How?” Cross asked, irritated.

“Kiss the next Saddle Arabian we see,” Pack said. His face twitched as he held back a smile. It had been so long since he’d had a chance to mess with Cross. He glanced over to Jack and saw that he was stopping himself from grinning as well.

“...There are so many things wrong with that idea that I don’t even know where to start,” Cross said flatly.

“So you won’t do it?” Pack asked.

“No!” Cross exclaimed. “If nothing else, I just don’t swing that way.”

“Swing what way? I never said it had to be a stallion,” Pack said.

“Wait, so Cross is sexist now too?” Jack added. “Dude, you’ve got issues.”

Cross scowled. “Not racist. Not sexist. And not stupid, either, because that’s what that idea is. And Pack, there are no mares in the Saddle Arabian military, so of course the next Saddle Arabian we see would be a stallion.”

“So the Saddle Arabians are sexist?” Jack asked.

Cross groaned. “Would you just let that shit go?”

“Is it racist to not like Saddle Arabians because they’re sexist?” Pack asked.

Before Jack could respond, the ship they were originally heading to exploded, and the large pegasus flew up from the wreckage.

“I AM UNSTOPPABLE!” the pegasus cried out as he dived into the Saddle Arabians once more.

“I have a better question,” Jack said, drawing his bow and nocking an arrow. “We’re not letting him fight alone this time, are we?”

“After running all this way? Not a chance,” Cross said, drawing his sword. The previous conversation had already slipped from his mind.

“Since I’m still not getting paid for this, I’d be more than happy to watch,” Pack said. He then aimed his crossbow and shot a Saddle Arabian. “But something about that stallion sets a fire in my heart, so let’s get to it!”

Cross needed no further prompting. He let out a cry and charged into the melee with reckless abandon. Jack and Pack, however, were more prudent.

“Take out the archers first,” Jack said. “If you see a sapper, call it out.”

“Right,” Pack replied. “Try not to fall out of the sky like last time, you drunk bastard!”

Jack smiled. “No promises,” he said as he took off.

Pack shook his head and smiled. “Some things never change.”

Once the battle was joined, Cross let his mind wander free and his body sink into the familiar rhythm of cut, thrust, parry, and riposte. He felt a surge of joy as pony after pony fell before his blade. He had always hated large crowds. He had always hated the complications of proper social interaction. So many rules to tie him down. Be polite to a pony you wanted to punch. Be respectful to a blithering idiot in fancy dress. Don’t kill anyone because that’s illegal, even if we’d all be better off. In battle, none of that mattered. In battle, he could be honest; he could be free. Battle - real battle, not that nasty business with traps and snipers and devilish tricks - was simple. Brutal, yes, but simple. And, oh, how he loved it.

Up above, Jack had fallen into step as well. He let Cross rampage freely below, drawing the enemy’s attention in the process, and instead focused on taking out the most dangerous threats that Cross couldn’t reach. He spotted an officer rallying a squad.

Tango spotted. Jack fired an arrow and quickly nocked another. Tango down.

Over on the left, an archer was repositioning to get a better shot at Cross.

Tango spotted. Tango down.

The archer’s squadmate saw him go down and looked up at Jack. His eyes went wide as he opened his mouth to shout out a warning.

Tango spotted. Tango down.

How long has it been since I’ve fought like this? Jack thought to himself as he methodically shot down target after target.

There was a time when almost every day was spent in situations like this. Covering Cross as he rushed in without a plan. Trusting in Pack to see what they missed. Fighting with his friends and trying desperately to make a difference in the wild parts of the world. Or earn enough bits to survive for another week. Whichever was more pressing. Now it was all petty crimes and paperwork. He hadn’t realized how much he missed being out in the field.

Then again, there’s no good rum out in the wilds, Jack thought. Pros and cons.

“Far side! By the barrels!” Pack called out.

Jack shifted his aim immediately and shot the sapper. The sapper crumpled, the black powder grenade in his hoof falling to the floor and detonating. The barrels the sapper was next to exploded as well, and the Saddle Arabians near it were caught in the blast.

“Tango down! Good call!” Jack yelled even has he repositioned and found another target.

Pack galloped around and behind the mass of fighting ponies, ignoring the common soldiers and staying unnoticed. Cross could handle the brunt of the fighting, and Jack could take out what Cross couldn’t reach, but in the thick of battle, it was hard for either of them to notice the ponies that truly affected the flow.

There you are! Pack thought as he spotted a Saddle Arabian in the middle of the crowd with a horn on his belt.

The Saddle Arabian was standing next to an officer and surrounded by the last cohesive unit in the skirmish. The officer barked something, and the Saddle Arabian reached for his horn.

Changing formation? Sounding the retreat? Pack wondered as he leveled his crossbow. Either way, can’t have that.

The Saddle Arabian went down with a crossbow bolt to his neck. The officer hadn’t noticed and barked his order again.

Looks like you’re the last pin holding this thing together. Take a break, buddy. Everyone’s doing it, Pack commented silently. He put his short sword into his mouth and ran towards the group.

As the officer finally noticed the death of his horn bearer, Pack leapt into the group. Pack jumped across the backs of two ponies and fell upon the officer with a lethal slash. The surrounding ponies turned to Pack in surprise and made to attack him. Instead of moving, Pack sheathed his sword.

“Good morning, boys! Nice weather we’re having, eh?” Pack said conversationally.

Before the Saddle Arabians could react, Cross fell upon them from the right, and the large pegasus crashed down on the left. Pack watched as the two ponies made quick work of the remaining Saddle Arabians.

When the last Saddle Arabian fell, Cross sheathed his sword and looked to the large pegasus with a wide smile on his face. He was breathing hard from the exertion, but the pegasus, who had been fighting for much longer, was not even slightly winded.

“You...you’re something else, old stallion” Cross said in between breaths.

The pegasus smiled back at Cross. “You’re not so bad yourself, colt,” he replied.

Jack landed next to Cross and Pack walked up after swiping a few valuables off of the dead Saddle Arabian officer. The three ponies and the pegasus looked at each other for a moment.

Pack coughed. “So...hi.”

“Greetings!” the pegasus replied with a wave of his hoof.

Since no one else was doing it, Jack decided to take charge of the conversation. “I’m Commander Jack Fruit of the Baltimare garrison. This is Guild Master Packed Lunch -”

“Just Pack will do,” Pack added.

“- and that’s Cross Roads.”

Cross nodded.

“We’re here as part of the Baltimare defense. And, err, who might you be?” Jack finished.

“Ahhh, comrades!” the pegasus boomed. It was as though he was incapable of speaking in a normal volume. “We all fight on the same side. I am Burning Brand of the Order of the Celestial Sun, but you may call me Brother Burn. Or just Burn! No need for formalities! Hahahaha!”

They were standing in the middle of a warzone, deep behind enemy lines, but for some reason, Burn’s loud, friendly tone and positive aura managed to put them at ease.

“He’s like some jolly old grandpa,” Cross murmured.

“The size of Celestia,” Jack added.

“With rippling muscles and an axe bigger than me,” Pack concluded.

“I like you,” Cross said to Burn.

“And I, you! All of you!” Burn exclaimed. “I saw you fight out there. Ah, but it feels good to fight alongside proper heroes!”

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far. You haven’t seen these two on their days off,” Pack said, motioning towards Jack and Cross.

“Shut up, Pack,” Jack said. He turned back to Burn. “So, Burn. I don’t remember you being part of the reserves. How’d you get out here? What’s your objective?”

“Ha! That is quite the tale, Jack! One best shared in full when this is over. With mugs of cider!” Burn replied. “But the long and short of it is that I was sent by the Order to stop the Saddle Arabian invasion by any means necessary. And so that is exactly what I am doing! One heathen ship at a time!”

Cross grinned widely. “Yes! See? That is how it’s done!”

Jack narrowed his eyes. “The attack started only a few hours ago. How could your order have sent you here in time?”

Burn began scratching the back of his head. “Well, the Order didn’t send me here exactly. They sent me to intercept the Saddle Arabian ships as soon as we received word that they were launching. I tried to sail out to intercept them, but I am not an, ah, experienced sailor. My boat sank yesterday before I could properly engage the Saddle Arabian ships. I swam after them as fast as I could, but I am not as young as I used to be, and my strength gave out! I thought I was dead for sure, so imagine my surprise when I woke up washed up on the shoreline right over there, in the middle of the Saddle Arabian attack! It could only have been the work of Celestia herself! I’m not one to waste an opportunity, so I looked to the first ship I found and attacked! Then, I did it again, and now, here we are, standing around when there’s glory to be won!”

Jack was visibly confused. He tried to process what he had heard, but it sounded altogether too...macho for him to believe. “Wait, you swam after their ships? For a day? In the middle of the ocean? Carrying that axe? That’s…”

“Good enough for me,” Cross said. “Shall we attack the next ship?”

“Of course! Come, my new friends, and join me in glory!” Burn exclaimed. He opened his wings and took off in the direction of the next ship in the line.

Cross drew his sword and pointed it forward. “ATTACK!” he cried, charging towards the Saddle Arabians in the distance.

“Am I the only one who thinks this is crazy?!” Jack asked.

“No,” Pack replied. “But you have to admit that it’s also working.”

~~~~~

Celestia flew high above the battlefield and surveyed the Saddle Arabian fleet. The Saddle Arabians had sent around two dozen ships as well as the flagship of the Sultan’s youngest son, Prince Ali. She saw that two of the ships were already smoldering wrecks. They must have been destroyed during the Saddle Arabians’ initial push. Strange how Lieutenant Apple hadn’t mentioned that. All-in-all, it was a sizeable force, bigger than she had expected, but also much smaller than she knew the Saddle Arabians could muster.

You want to try for the sun, Sultan, but you are afraid to get burned, Celestia noted. As you should be.

Celestia began to descend. She would deal with the ships as soon as Caduceus and his cadre arrived. She could do so now, but her troops risked sustaining devastating losses once they began to press their attack. No, better to wait until the mages could give the Equestrians the protection they needed to charge in relative safety. A single overwhelming push backed by the cadre would be enough to break the Saddle Arabians and force a surrender - minimizing casualties on both sides. For now, the best course of action was to find Commander Jack and ensure that he was prepared for -

*BOOM*

Celestia looked back to the port and saw that a third Saddle Arabian ship had exploded. It was the one next in line from the two that were already destroyed. Celestia’s horn glowed as she enhanced her senses and took a closer look at the damage. She spotted heavy fighting around the remains of the ship. Three Equestrians against a mass of Saddle Arabians. She recognized them immediately.

What do you think you’re doing, colts? You cannot win against those numbers! One ship is not worth your lives!

Celestia changed direction and flew towards the burning ship. She would save Jack, Cross, and Pack and bring them back to the Equestrian line. She was already thinking of how she would berate them for their foolishness when she noticed a fourth pony diving out of the wreckage.

“ARE YOU READY, HERETICS? HERE I COME!” the pony boomed. Celestia did not even need to enhance her senses to hear it.

And that must be a knight of the Order. I should have known.

Celestia charged her horn for a teleport, but then shook her head and released the spell. It was too dangerous to teleport straight into a chaotic battle. Caduceus would never let her hear the end of it if he learned that she had even considered it. Celestia beat her wings faster and picked up speed, lamenting at how much her armor slowed her down. She did not know how the knight would act in her presence, or how she should treat him given the circumstances, but she did know that she had to make it to the port now if she wanted to contain the situation before it got out of hoof.

Hold on, my little ponies. I am on my way.

~~~~~

Cross fought back to back with Burn right in the middle of the Saddle Arabian troops. As before, Jack covered them from above while Pack weaved behind the enemy lines. Cross whipped his sword around and another pony went down. Then another. Then another. He could feel the exhaustion slowing down his reactions, but he refused to stop now. Not while Burn was still going so strong.

“IS THAT ALL?” Burn taunted. “COME! BRING MORE! I WILL TAKE YOU ALL ON! HAHAHAHA!”

Cross parried a swing from a pony to his right and followed up with a solid buck to the pony’s face. He brought his sword back up to defend from another attack, but was blown off of his hooves by an explosion to his left.

“Cross!” Jack called out from above. He tried to shoot at the sapper that had thrown the bomb, but the sapper had ducked down into cover. “Pack, get that sapper before he throws another bomb! I’m going to help Cross!”

“I could use a little help myself!” Pack called back.

Jack turned and saw that Pack was backed up into a corner and fighting for his life.

“Shit! Wait, I’m coming!” Jack nocked an arrow and dived towards Pack’s location, but another explosion came from directly beneath him, twisting him around and sending him crashing towards the ground.

Jack hit the ground hard and rolled to a stop. He opened his eyes to see a Saddle Arabian about to plunge a sword into him. Time seemed to slow as the blade came down.

So this is it, Jack thought. This is the end of the great Jack Fruit. Killed by some nameless soldier before he could even meet the love of his life. Or break open that bottle of Johnny Trotter he’d stored under his bed for a special occasion. What a way to go.

Before the sword came down, however, a massive axe came into view. It batted aside the sword and a mailed hoof crashed into the face of the sword’s wielder. Burn’s shaggy white mane filled Jack’s vision.

“Get up, my friend!” Burn cried. “We are not beaten yet! We can still win this!”

Burn brought up his red rectangular shield to protect Jack as he got to his hooves. Jack saw Cross draped across Burn’s back, and immediately remembered the danger his other friend was in.

“Pack!” Jack cried. He made to move towards Pack’s position, but Burn’s hoof stopped him.

“Wait, my friend! Charge with me, and we will throw them back together!” Burn said.

Jack nodded. He realized that he had lost his bow, so he picked up the sword that had almost ended his life just moments ago. “Alright, Burn. Together!”

Still holding his shield up, Burn narrowed his gaze as he watched the Saddle Arabians regroup. Several explosions crashed into the shield and cracks began to appear on it.

“Burn!” Jack said.

“Wait for it,” Burn replied. The Saddle Arabians were almost clumped together close enough. “Wait for it…”

Jack saw Pack take a hit and go down. “Burn we have to go -”

“NOW!” Burn boomed, dropping his shield. With a single flap of his wings, he dove forward. “GO! GO!”

Jack needed no further urging. He followed behind Burn as closely as he could. Burn’s sheer mass crushed ponies under his hooves and knocked several more aside. Some of those knocked aside met their end by his axe, others by Jack’s sword. The two carved a straight line through to Pack’s position. Upon arriving, Burn quickly dispatched the Saddle Arabians with a few wide swings of his axe and set up his shield again. Jack helped Pack up to his hooves.

“Thanks, that was close,” Pack said. “I thought I was a goner.”

“Did your life flash before your eyes?” Jack asked. “Any deep regrets come bubbling to the surface in your final moments?”

Pack shook his head. “I just kept thinking, Did I leave the oven on?”

“Get ready, my friends! They are coming again!” Burn warned.

“There’s too many of them,” Jack said. “We might as well surrender.”

“What!?” Burn exclaimed. “My friends, now is not the time to give up! Now is the time when the most glory is won! Stand with me, and we shall show them our mettle!”

Pack sighed. “I get what you’re saying, Burn, but...I hate to say it, but Jack’s right. We’ve done what we can. It might be time to give it a rest.”

Burn raised his voice again. “Rest? Rest!? I will rest when Celestia’s justice has been done! I will rest when the sun shines unconquered and unopposed! I will rest when all shadows are gone and all ponies are free to bask in Her radiance! I will rest when those heretics have been sent to the deepest depths of Tartarus! Until then, I will not rest! I will not stop! And, by Her grace, I will need no rest! I will never be stopped! Pick yourself up, comrade, for our work is not yet done! We have Saddle Arabians to kill!”

Burn reached back and dropped Cross on the ground. Then he dropped his shield and leapt into the foe once again. As he cut down pony after pony, he prayed:

As the sun is unconquered

So too shall I be

As I stand before Her foes

So too shall they see

Her light and Her grace

Bless all who bow before Her

Her unyielding fire

Burn all who stand against Her

Gloriam Celestia, Sol Invictus!

Although they would never admit it, Jack and Pack were invigorated by Burn’s dedication. They were about to join him in one last glorious stand when a bright beam of light traced across the enemy, leaving destruction in its wake.

Celestia had arrived.

~~~~~

Celestia landed in front of Jack and Pack. She spread her wings protectively in front of them, and her horn glowed brilliantly.

“Flee before the sun, or die by its fires!” she shouted in the Saddle Arabians’ tongue.

The Saddle Arabian forces understood the message and fled. Even in their distant country, the Light Bringer played a role in many legends, and none of them were prepared to face her wrath.

Celestia looked at Burn, who had frozen mid-swing. The knight’s mouth was agape, and he was struck speechless. Celestia arched an eyebrow at him, her expression still fierce.

Burn dropped his axe and immediately bowed low. “Princess Celestia! You honor me with your presence!”

“I am not here for you, but for them,” Celestia said, turning to Jack, Pack, and Cross, who was only now rising to his hooves.

“What...what happened? Are we dead?” Cross asked. He looked up and saw Celestia. “Whoa, is that Death? She's...she's beautiful.”

Jack smacked Cross upside the head. “We’re not dead! Princess Celestia just saved us! Show some damn respect!”

“Ow! Watch it, my head’s still ringing!” Cross said, rubbing his head. He looked at Celestia again, then back to his friends. “That’s Princess Celestia? Dude, why didn’t anyone tell me? I would have joined the royal guard in a heartbeat!”

“It’s not that easy to qualify for the guard,” Pack said. “I know. I tried. They have a lechery examination.”

“Seriously?” Cross asked.

“Why do you think I’m in the military instead?” Jack replied.

“Ahem,” Celestia said to get the three’s attention. “What exactly were the three of you hoping to accomplish all the way out here? This is hardly the place for two commanding officers, or anypony for that matter. Abandoning your posts so that the three of you could attempt to take on the entire Saddle Arabian fleet? I’ve never seen such irresponsible behavior from my soldiers in my life! What do you have to say for yourselves?”

At that moment, the three ponies looked nothing like the battle-hardened fighters that they were. Instead, they more closely resembled forlorn children being scolded by their mother after getting caught doing something they shouldn’t. Cross was actually starting to tear up.

Burn suddenly spoke up. “Spare them, Your Majesty! They fought valiantly against Your foes, and did not plan to make a frontal assault as I did. Yes, the blame lies with me! I brought them into my quest, and yet I could not be their shield from the enemy. Forgive me, Your Grace! I was a fool!”

Celestia turned back to Burn, who was still grovelling on the ground and refusing to look up at her. “Yes, you are a fool, that much is certain, but I know that the blame does not lie solely with you. Why try to take it?”

“I did not mean to try to deceive you, Princess,” Burn said. “It is just that...a stallion does not leave his battle brothers to suffer alone the fury of fate. Even if that fury emanates from his own goddess.”

Pack now began to tear up. “Bro...” he sniffled.

Celestia did not know what to make of the situation. She had expected the knight to be a merciless killer, or a mad zealot, but here he was, actually daring to defy her in an attempt to earn compassion for these three ponies.

“You are a knight of the Order of the Celestial Sun, correct?” Celestia asked. “What is your name and your...quest?”

“My name is Burning Brand, Your Grace. Though I am mostly known as Brother Burn. Father Fire sent me here to bring Your justice to the Saddle Arabian invaders - to be the instrument of Your divine will. If I have displeased You in any way, say the word and I will atone by any means necessary. My life is Yours. Do with it as You see fit.”

Celestia considered her options. Burn was most certainly delusional, but he seemed to be an honorable sort. She had also seen him fight. He was an absolute terror on the battlefield. One that was made even more terrifying by the fact that he seemed to genuinely enjoy what he did. There was no doubt that he would be a valuable asset to the defending forces, but could she risk having him among her troops? This was, after all, a pony that revered her as a goddess, and reviled her sister as a demon. He fought here and now only because he did not view the Saddle Arabians as a force of ponies to be defeated, but as a band of demon-worshipers to be destroyed. If anything, his charisma only made him more dangerous. Ponies may be more easily persuaded to agree with the Order’s views if they felt comfortable around one of its members. And then there were the implications of her allowing him to serve. Ponies may think that she supported such zealotry.

Celestia’s thoughts were interrupted when a signal flare shot up from the Saddle Arabians’ flagship. In response to the signal, the Saddle Arabian forces began pouring out from their ships and encampments and into the city.

“What are they doing?” Cross asked, wiping away his tears.

“They’re attacking with everything that they’ve got,” Jack replied.

“I was afraid of this,” Celestia said. “It appears that word of my attack has reached their commanding officers. They are afraid that I will tear their forces apart before they have a chance to secure the city, so they are rushing forward now before they sustain too much damage.”

Pack gave one last sniff and recovered his composure. “Our boys will be slaughtered.”

“I’m afraid you’re right,” Celestia said. “Alright, all of you, to me! I will teleport us to the command center. Rally the troops to me and we can break their charge.”

Burn finally got up off the ground. “Wait, Princess! This could be our moment! Let us seize it!”

“What do you mean?” Celestia asked.

“Look! All of their ships have made port, and all of their soldiers are marching towards the city. They have left their flagship undefended! Allow me to raid the flagship and cut off the serpent’s head while you destroy its body! It would be my greatest honor! I shall not fail you, my lady!”

“He’s right, Princess,” Pack said. “With the main force advancing, the flagship is vulnerable. Now would be the perfect time to strike at it.”

“If the flagship falls, the Saddle Arabians are that much more likely to give up,” Jack noted. “At the very least, they’ll lose a lot of cohesion. Either way, it could decide the battle.”

“Even I can see the tactical advantages,” Cross said. “But I don’t think Burn should be going in alone. Send me in with him. Those Saddle Arabians nearly took me and my friends out today. I aim to pay them back for that tenfold.”

“Spoken like a true warrior of light, my friend!” Burn commented.

Already, it begins, Celestia noted. But she could not deny that the stallions had a point. This was Equestria's best chance for a swift, decisive victory with minimal casualties. The odds that four ordinary ponies would be able to take the flagship, even with it as exposed as it was, were slim, but then again, these four were hardly ordinary ponies.

“Very well, colts,” Celestia conceded. “We will follow your plan.”

Burn’s face lit up. “Haha! And so it is settled! Come, my friends, follow me to GLORY!”

Celestia shook her head. What have I done?

“Princess?” Pack said.

“Hmm?” Celestia replied.

“Wouldn’t it be faster if you simply teleported us onto the ship?” Pack asked.

“Yes, but it would also be incredibly dangerous. There’s no telling what would await you once you materialized,” Celestia said.

“What’s that?” Burn asked, somehow managing to get even more excited. “A chance to ride into battle upon the sun’s own light?! HAHAHAHA! LET US TAKE IT! With Celestia’s blessing, WE WILL BE INVINCIBLE!”

Jack smiled. “I think we can handle it, Princess. Wouldn’t be the first crazy stupid thing we did today.”

Celestia had to admit that Burn’s almost childlike exuberance and unfaltering confidence was uplifting. She decided that there was no point in arguing.

“Very well,” Celestia said. “Gather together, and I will send you on your way.”
The stallions gathered their weapons - Burn took up his axe, Cross looted two Saddle Arabian swords, Jack found a discarded bow and dagger, while Pack still had his own short sword and crossbow - and stood together.

“Victory is so close, I can taste it!” Burn exclaimed just before Celestia sent them on their way in a flash of golden light.

If I could protect you, I would, Celestia said silently as the stallions disappeared. Stay safe, my little ponies.

~~~~~

After the light of the teleportation spell faded, the four stallions only had a few moments to gather their bearings before they were under fire. Burn brought up his shield immediately, and Saddle Arabian arrows and swords began crashing against it. The shield could only cover the group from the front, but fortunately, Celestia had teleported them right at the edge of the ship, so behind them there was only water.

“So what’s the plan?” Pack asked.

“Like I said before, Pack,” Cross said, his manic grin returning. “There is no plan.”

Jack nocked an arrow and hovered above the deck. “I’ll circle the ship and take out their archers.”

Pack nodded. “I’ve managed to loot a few of those nifty black powder bombs. I guess I’ll try to make my way below deck and blow this hunk of driftwood.”

Cross sighed. His horn glowed brighter and the swords he was levitating caught fire. “Fine, then. If we’re doing this smart, I’ll go with Pack. Even if we can’t find a cache of black powder to blow, I can set this ship on fire myself.”

“Prepare yourselves, friends!” Burn yelled. “My barrier is about to fall! In five...four...three...two...one...PRAISE THE SUN!”

Burn charged forward and knocked aside the Saddle Arabians directly in front of his shield. Jack took off over the water and began strafing around the ship, targeting anypony with a ranged weapon. Pack and Cross made a beeline for the door leading below deck, cutting down anypony directly in their way and leaving the rest for Burn.

Burn swung his massive axe at the gathered Saddle Arabians, using his strength to punch right through their defenses. The Saddle Arabians tried to flank him, but he twisted and turned as he swung, cleaving foes in every direction.

There were, however, too many for even him to beat back, and with the smaller space of the deck, he had no room to leap and charge like he did before. It was not long before a Saddle Arabian managed to slip through his defenses and ram a sword into his side. Burn cried out in pain, but did not falter. He took his attacker’s neck in one hoof, lifted him up, and slammed him into the deck, splintering the wood with the force of his blow.

Burn felt a sword slash at his flank, and he turned and dispatched the pony with one swipe of his axe. Two more ponies rushed him, swinging their swords wildly and cutting him several times. Burn dropped his axe down on one and uppercut the other with his mailed hoof, sending him flying off the deck and into the water. Despite his ferocity, the Saddle Arabians refused to let up their attack.

“BRING. IT. ON,” Burn boomed as he beat back his attackers, trading his wounds for their deaths. “I LIVE FOR THIS!”

~~~~~

Below the deck, Cross and Pack dashed blindly through corridor after corridor, cutting down anypony in their way, but, to Cross’ irritation, not bothering to stand and fight.

“How big is this blasted thing?” Cross asked as they found stairs leading down into yet another floor.

“Well it is a flagship. I’d expect it to be pretty damn big,” Pack replied.

The two ponies went down the stairs and found themselves in a large cargo room filled with stacks upon stacks of crates and barrels.

“Is this what we’re looking for?” Cross asked. He idly twirled his flaming swords. “I really want to get back to the action.”

“Probably not,” Pack replied. “This looks like the kind of place you’d store cargo or foodstuffs. We’re looking for wherever it is they stored the black power for their bombs and cannons. Still, doesn’t hurt to check. Look into those crates over there. I’ll check the ones over here.”

Pack strode purposefully over to a large crate and began yanking at the lid while Cross lazily walked towards a random barrel on the other side of the room. Pack managed to get the lid off of his crate and look inside before Cross reached his destination.

“Shit! Cross, cut the flames!” Pack shouted.

Cross stopped and immediately cut off his magic. The swords lost their fire and dropped to the ground.

“What is it?” Cross asked, suddenly alert.

“Bombs,” Pack said. He rushed over to a barrel and pried open the lid. “Powder.” He did the same to two more crates and a barrel and found similar results.

“Sweet heavens, this entire room is packed with explosives! That’s not just unsafe...it’s insane! Who does that?” Pack asked, bewildered.

A brown Saddle Arabian stallion dressed in expensive silks with an ornate dagger at his belt walked down the stairway. “A pony that wishes to ensure his enemies are not just defeated, but annihilated,” he said in an accented voice.

Cross picked up his swords with his magic and stood in front of the stairs. “Finally, somepony that I can properly insult before they die.”

“Spare me your crude curses, Equestrian, for they will serve no purpose but to embarrass you before your inevitable defeat,” the pony said.

“You seem pretty sure of yourself, considering there are two of us and only one of you,” Pack commented. “That some kind of magic dagger you got there? ‘Cause it’ll take more than casual insults and self confidence to stop us. Trust me, we’re friends with Jack.”

“Do you not know who I am, fool? I am Prince Ali, youngest son of the royal house of Saddle Arabia!” Ali said.

“So?” Cross asked.

Ali’s face twitched in irritation. “So as a royal, I never stand alone! Now bow before me, you insolent wretches, or die!”

“Yeah, no,” Cross said. “Pack, do something crafty and rig this place to blow. I’ll take care of prissy pants over here.”

“You had your chance, Equestrian. Let none say the royal house is without mercy,” Ali said. “Shadow Guard, kill them!”

Several black-robed ponies armed with hoof-mounted blades suddenly appeared in the room. Some jumped down from the ceiling, others leapt out from behind crates, and a few simply ran in from the stairs behind Ali.

“Okay,” Cross said. “Now it’s a party.”

“You hate parties,” Pack said.

“Only when I can’t kill everyone involved,” Cross shot back.

The Shadow Guard attacked. Cross ducked beneath a hoof-blade swipe and telekinetically swung his sword to counter, but his attacker rolled away. Cross spotted movement out of the corner of his eye, and only just managed to parry a stab at his barrel with his second sword. He tried to riposte, but again his assailant moved away. A floorboard creaked. Cross blindly kicked behind him and caught a Shadow Guard in the leg. He spun a sword around him without turning and was rewarded with a grunt of pain.

Pack, for his part, was having much more difficulty tracking his opponents. Pack rolled and dived to avoid his assailants, but could not pin down their locations long enough to fire his crossbow, or safely close the distance to stab at them with his short sword.

“How many are there?” Cross asked as he struggled to fend off the Shadow Guard. Thanks to his skill controlling swords freely with his magic, he was holding them back, but while they could not hit him, he could not hit them either.

“I don’t know!” Pack cried. He ducked another swipe and tried to shoot his attacker, but the pony just seemed to vanish and the crossbow bolt slammed harmlessly into a crate. “I can’t keep up!”

“Then I guess it’s time to get crazy!” Cross exclaimed. He lit his swords on fire and charged towards Ali, who was still standing at the bottom of the stairs.

Shadow Guards appeared to block his path and he rolled to the left to avoid their blades. Instead of continuing towards Ali, Cross swung one of his flaming swords at a nearby crate. A Shadow Guard quickly appeared to parry his blow. Cross impaled the pony with his second blade and pushed forward with it, trying to pin the body to the crate. A second Shadow Guard kicked the body away and a third leapt at Cross from behind. Cross dropped to the ground and angled his remaining sword. The leaping Shadow Guard could not change his trajectory in time and impaled himself on the blade. Cross pulled his blades back towards him with his magic and resumed a defensive stance. The Shadow Guard now had him surrounded.

Prince Ali was stupefied. “Flaming swords? In here? You’ll kill us all!”

“It’s either all of us, or just me and my friend, and as we say here in Equestria, the more the merrier! Right, Pack?” Cross said.

No amount of bits... Pack thought. “Right, Cross!” he said, pulling out a black powder bomb. But for a friend? Why not?

One of the Shadow Guards shouted something, and two of them broke off to quickly escort their prince away from danger.

A Shadow Guard lunged at Pack, blades extended, but Pack tossed the bomb at him, and the Shadow Guard frantically withdrew his hooves and caught the bomb. Pack easily sidestepped the distracted Shadow Guard, who then crashed into a stack of barrels. The barrels opened and black powder spilled all over the floor.

“The floor is lava!” Pack called out.

Cross smiled. “Then let’s play!”

Cross let go of one of his swords, and a Shadow Guard dove to catch it. Cross flipped the sword up at the last moment and skewered the Shadow Guard. Cross retrieved the sword then threw both swords high into the air. Without turning to look at where he threw the swords, he stepped onto the dead Shadow Guard and jumped towards the stairs.

The Shadow Guards ignored Cross and dove for the swords. Pack, now free to move, drew his sword into his mouth and rushed the distracted guards. Pack made quick work of the Shadow Guards, and Cross caught the swords with his magic inches before they hit the ground.

“Every time I’m with you guys, something crazy happens, and we almost die!” Pack complained.

“Almost, yeah, but we never do,” Cross replied with a smile.

The Shadow Guard that had crashed into the barrels suddenly got up, shouted something neither Cross nor Pack could understand, and threw the bomb he had caught at them. Cross easily caught the bomb in mid-air with his magic and Pack casually finished off the dumbstruck guard with a shot from his crossbow.

“Almost,” Pack said.

“But never,” Cross added.

Cross tossed the bomb back to Pack. “Now let’s blow this joint for real.”

~~~~~

Jack dove down and slammed his dagger into the last archer. He took the arrows from the archer’s quiver, flew up again, and began firing at the ponies attacking Burn. The large pegasus was finally starting to slow down. He had been wounded multiple times and was breathing hard.

“Fly up and take a break, old timer!” Jack called out to Burn. “Let me handle the rest!”

“Never!” Burn yelled with another swing of his axe. “I will fight to my last breath!”

Exactly what I’m afraid of, Jack thought. The deck was now littered with bodies, but somehow, the Saddle Arabians kept coming up from below deck. There must have been hundreds of them on the large ship. There was no way Burn would be able to cut them all down. Even if the Saddle Arabians didn’t get the old stallion, Jack was sure Burn's heart would give out on him or something.

The doors of the deck opened again and another group of Saddle Arabians came out, but this time the group was small, and two specific ponies in it caught Jack’s eye. One was dressed in expensive silks and flanked by two guards in black robes, while the other was wearing - on a ship, of all things - a full set of plate armor and had a long chain coiled at his side.

You look important, Jack thought. He fired a shot towards the pony in silks, and one of the black-robed guards caught the arrow in mid-flight. Jack whistled, impressed.

“Who dares fire at Prince Ali?” the pony in silks asked.

“I dares, you pompous bastard,” Jack yelled down. “Commander Jack Fruit of the Baltimare Garrison. And damn, does it feel good to finally be able to curse at somepony who’ll understand it.”

Ali frowned. “The suicidal Equestrian below deck said much the same thing. I take it you are comrades?”

“Suicidal? You must mean Cross,” Jack replied. “Yeah, we go way back.”

“Then you will meet the same fate as he did,” Ali said. He switched to his native tongue and turned to the armored pony. “Admiral, end these ingrates, and throw their bodies off my ship!”

“As you command, my prince,” the admiral replied. “Shadow Guard, throw a knife at him.”

The Shadow Guard took a knife from a nearby soldier’s corpse and threw it at Jack. The throw was accurate, but Jack easily evaded the slow projectile. The admiral’s chain then wrapped around Jack’s body.

“What the he - aaaaaahhhhhhh!” Jack cried as the admiral pulled him down.

Jack crashed hard into the deck and dropped his bow. The admiral walked up to Jack and tried to crush him with a steel boot, but Burn’s axe knocked the admiral aside.

“Do I have your attention yet?” Burn asked.

The admiral pulled back his chain, but Jack had already wriggled free and flown up again.

“Yes,” the admiral replied. “You must be the mad warrior that destroyed three of my ships.”

“I prefer the term crusader,” Burn said.

“Very well. Your rampage ends here, crusader,” the admiral spat. “My ponies’ reports painted you as some form of unstoppable demon, but I see now that you are just an old stallion. You may have been able to cut down my soldiers with ease, but now you face Admiral Azhar, one of the seven Desert Dragons!”

“HA!” Burn laughed “I am a knight! I slay dragons!”

Azhar growled and threw his chain. The chain wrapped around the shaft of Burn’s axe. Azhar pulled, but Burn held fast to his weapon, flapping his wings to counter Azhar’s surprising strength.

Azhar then shifted his footing and pulled, causing him to slide across the deck towards Burn at high speed. As soon as Azhar was in range, Burn slammed his axe down at him. Azhar, however, kicked at the deck and shot to Burn’s right. Before Burn could readjust his grip on his axe, Azhar followed through with his maneuver by twisting several times while pulling on his chain. Burn’s axe was yanked from his grip, and sent flying above and behind Azhar, where it embedded itself on the ship’s steering wheel.

“Not bad, heretic,” Burn commented.

Azhar did not reply. Instead, he quickly retrieved his chain and whipped it towards Burn’s face. Burn brought up his red shield to block the blow. The shield held, but it cracked from the force of that one strike.

“Shadow Guard, flank him!” Azhar called back in his native tongue without breaking eye contact with Burn. When nothing happened, he risked a glance backwards at the Shadow Guard.

The two remaining members of the Shadow Guard were dead. In their place next to Prince Ali, stood Cross and Pack.

“If you were talking to these black-robed freaks, I don’t think they heard you,” Pack said.

“I’m afraid they’ve moved on, but we can send you along with them, if you’d like,” Cross added.

Jack landed next to Ali and stuck a knife to the prince’s throat. “No sudden movements, now. Unless you want the prince here to get hurt.”

“Cowards!” Azhar spat.

“He is right, comrades,” Burn said. “Release your hostage and let us fight with honor!”

“Can’t do it, Burn. We don’t have the time,” Pack said. “This whole ship’s about to blow sky-high. It’s time to cut and run.”

“I don’t like it either,” Cross said. “But we need to get out right now. Any chance we can settle this on the shoreline instead?”

“Release the prince, and I will do as you ask,” Azhar said.

“No,” Jack said. “I don’t know much about Equestrian military procedure, but I do know that we prefer prisoners to fatalities. Princess Celestia will want a word with this prince, and with him, I’m sure we can end the battle.”

“Ah, of course...how could I have been so blind?” Burn said. “This time, judgement is not mine to give. Celestia herself awaits on the shore! That is why we take him prisoner!”

Now confident that the Equestrians would not kill the prince, Azhar whipped his chain towards Jack. Jack ducked down and the chain passed right through where his head had been, shattering the wood behind him.

Burn immediately dropped his shield and charged Azhar, pinning the admiral down to the ground.

“Go, my friends! Leave this to me!” Burn cried out.

Cross brought forth his flaming swords. “Not a chance! I’ll cut through that armor like -”

Pack grabbed Cross. “Can’t risk it, Cross! If we want to clear the blast radius in time, we have to go now!”

Jack, not bothering to wait for his friends, had taken off with the prince and was already flying towards the shore.

Azhar momentarily broke free of Burn’s grip and threw his chain at Jack. Burn grabbed the chain and yanked it back before it could reach its target. Azhar punched Burn in the face and the old stallion staggered back.

“Damn it!” Cross cursed. He knew what he had to do. And then he decided to do the opposite of that.

Cross lunged towards Azhar with his flaming swords spinning around him. Azhar whipped his chain towards Cross and Cross brought his swords up to stop the attack, but the blades shattered and the chain struck Cross in the chest, knocking him back.

Burn let out a bestial cry and grabbed Azhar in a bear hug. “GO! NOW!” he shouted.

Without hesitating, Pack grabbed Cross and dived into the water.

“Your friends may escape, but you will not,” Azhar said as he struggled against Burn’s grip. He slammed the back of his armored head against Burn’s chin three times and then broke free.

Burn recovered almost instantly and punched Azhar with his armored left forehoof. Azhar staggered from the blow, and Burn tackled him to the ground.

“It is useless!” Azhar shouted. “The explosion will kill us both! You fight in vain!”

“I serve Celestia!” Burn exclaimed as he spread his wings. “And no pony that fights in Her service fights in vain!”

Burn beat his wings and took off with Azhar still gripped in his hooves. He barely made it above the ship when the bombs Pack had set detonated, and the entire area was consumed by a massive explosion.

~~~~~

The battle ended shortly after the destruction of the flagship. Jack, flying ahead of Cross and Pack, delivered Prince Ali into the custody of Celestia and the newly arrived Archmage Caduceus. Jack had then flown back to fish Cross and Pack out of the water while Celestia demanded that the Saddle Arabians throw down their arms and surrender. Without their leadership, and with most of their fighting force still afraid of facing off against the Light Bringer, the Saddle Arabians had complied.

Cross, Jack, and Pack now sat at one of the piers, staring out over the water as the battle wrapped up around them. The three all sported relatively minor injuries, barring Cross, whose last reckless attack against Azhar had left him with some broken ribs, but they were all too exhausted and too lazy to seek out medical attention for their wounds. Jack didn’t even feel like asking for any rum. Instead, the trio just sat and talked, like they did in days gone by.

“General sentiment among the troops is that it all wrapped up pretty anti-climatically,” Jack said.

“Yeah, well, most of the troops didn’t have to partake in a four-pony raid on the enemy flagship,” Pack said.

“I dunno,” Jack said. “I think that’s pretty standard fare for us at this point. Do something crazy. Almost die. Heck, if I stayed with you guys instead of joining the military, this would probably be just routine at this point.”

“Almost die, but never do...” Cross said. “Guess that just goes for us three, eh?”

The three ponies fell silent. They’d all done some searching and asking around immediately after the battle. Nopony had seen any sign of Burn.

“Hard to believe he’s really gone,” Pack said. “Only knew him for a few hours, but he just seemed…”

“Invincible?” Cross asked.

“Unstoppable?” Jack asked at the same time.

“Yeah,” Pack said. “That.”

There was another long silence as each of the three remembered Burn in their own way.

“You know, now that I think about it, he might not be dead,” Cross said.

“Wishful thinking, Cross,” Jack said. “Just let it go. It’ll hurt less.”

“No, hear me out. Nopony’s seen him since the explosion, right? But then again, nopony saw him before the battle either. The only ones who ever saw him were us three and Celestia,” Cross argued.

“And all those Saddle Arabians,” Pack added.

“I see your point, but...it still seems pretty far-fetched to me,” Jack said.

“But not impossible,” Pack added.

“Call me crazy, but a guy like that...I don’t think his story’s over just yet, you know?” Cross said.

“Maybe you’re right, Cross. Or maybe Celestia saved him. Who knows?” Jack conceded.

“He did seem pretty hung up on that Celestia worship,” Pack pointed out. “It’s got to have been good for something, right?”

“Well, you can’t really blame the guy,” Cross said. “I mean, you’ve seen Celestia, right? What a mare! And with so much power? I’m not talking political, but actual raw power? That’s just...Well, let’s just say I know I’d worship her.”

Pack looked to Cross. “You know, Cross this is the first time in all the years I’ve known you that I’ve ever seen you interested in a mare. Seriously.”

Jack nodded “Yeah, I always figured you were just into swords, know what I mean?”

Cross snorted. “Yeah, well, I did dedicate most of my life to - wait a minute...what are you saying?”

Jack and Pack laughed as Cross’ temper flared.

Sister Scorch, The Inquisitor

The day after the Battle of Baltimare, Brother Burn lay in a bed in a small cottage on the outskirts of the city, wrapped in bandages and gesturing wildly with his hooves as he re-told the tale of his survival to a small white Earth Pony mare with blonde hair. Despite his injuries, Burn was as enthusiastic as ever.

“- and then, the ship exploded in the largest fireball I have ever seen! It was magnificent! It would have been perfect, even, were it not for the fact that I was still caught in the blast! Though all seemed lost...I managed to bring my shield up in time to block the worst of the flames!” Burn said, jerking his left hoof in front of him to recreate the action. The sudden motion tore the stitching on a wound on his side, which began to bleed into his bandages.

“I am not stitching that a fourth time,” the white mare said, irritated.

“Yes, yes. Fine, Scorch. Just listen!” Burn said. “The blast was so intense that it blew through my shield in a second! But a second was all it took for the shockwave to throw me out of harm’s way. I crashed into the water, the ‘Desert Dragon’ still trapped in my grasp, but not for long! He struggled, but this time, I did not hold on to him. I let him go, and - this is the best part - the heretic sank like a stone! HAHAHAHA!”

Burn was laughing so hard there were tears in his eyes. Sister Scorch looked unimpressed.

“It...it was...his armor!” Burn struggled to say as he gasped for breath. “It was too heavy! You...you should have seen him struggling!” - Burn made swimming motions coupled with mock gurgling noises - “HAHAHAHA!”

“Quiet down, you old fool!” Scorch scolded. “Do you want your enemies to know that you are here, injured and vulnerable?”

Burn wiped the tears from his eyes as regained his composure. “Ah, Scorched Earth, you worry far too much! The battle is over! Celestia herself presides over the Saddle Arabians’ surrender. There is nothing to fear! Have a little faith.”

“My faith is why I worry, Burning Brand,” Scorch said. “It tells me that the heathens cannot be trusted, and that they would be better off roasting in flames than back in their country, free to plot against us once more.”

Burn’s face turned serious. “You have hit the nail on the head, but missed the board completely. The Saddle Arabians would be better off burning in atonement than back in the sun-burnt wasteland they call home. That is precisely why Celestia is sending them back there. They do not deserve the redeeming fires. No, they will live out their pathetic lives ever assailed by the heat of the sun, but never truly blessed by its light.”

Scorch considered her brother’s words. Burn was a boisterous fool, but he did have his moments.

“Forgive me, Brother,” Scorch said. “You are right. It is not my place to question Celestia’s will.”

Burn smiled widely again. “Better! But still far too grim. Smile, Sister! We have won a great battle this day, and the sun is closer to us than ever before! This is cause for celebration! Break out the cider! Hahahaha!”

Scorch shook her head. “No, you need to rest and heal, Burn. You are no use to the light as you are. As for me, I have work to do. While your mission is finished, mine still awaits.”

Burn pouted. “You’re right, I know, but...not even a little bit of cider?”

“No.”

“Pleeeeeeeeease?”

“No!”

~~~~~

Archmage Caduceus the Magnificent was standing on the roof of the town hall and alternating between looking out over the city and looking down at a map he held in his magic. He had a frown on his face and was constantly scribbling notes into a scroll that he was levitating right next to the map. He heard the sound of Princess Celestia’s armored hooves landing on the roof behind him, but he did not turn to face her.

“And what might you be doing, Alexander?” Celestia asked.

“Caduceus the Magnificent is assessing the extent of the damage done to Baltimare,” Caduceus replied. “And it is absolutely atrocious. Caduceus hopes that we are billing the Saddle Arabians for this foolishness.”

“You know, the damage would not have been so bad had you and your cadre not been late, Alexander,” Celestia said.

“Then go tell that to this ‘Alexander’,” Caduceus said. “Caduceus the Magnificent is a powerful wizard, and it is common knowledge that a wizard is never late, nor is he ever early, he always arrives precisely when he means to.”

“That is a bold-faced lie initially thought up by the mages’ council one thousand seven hundred and thirty-two years ago,” Celestia said. “Wizards have always had a nasty habit of getting too absorbed in their research and losing track of time. Of course, they would be too proud to admit it, so when they finally did arrive, they would pretend that it was their intention to arrive at that exact moment all along, and categorically deny all evidence to the contrary. The more accomplished the wizard, the worse their punctuality, until at some point they just decide to stop coming out at all. Star Swirl tried to find a way around this with time travel spells, but ultimately failed. Most wizards aren’t nearly as considerate, and just put on airs to make it part of their ‘mystique’.

“One Caduceus the Magnanimous, for instance, was late for the grand wizard council’s meetings three hundred and eighty-seven times, which was rather impressive considering those only happened around once a month, and the council’s meeting hall was quite literally across the street from his laboratory. Predictably, he began to insist that it was all part of his grand design, and that none of them would understand the complexities of his plans even were he to explain them in full. The council accepted that, and Caduceus never received another invitation to afternoon tea for the rest of his life.”

Caduceus looked away from his scribblings and turned to face Celestia, his expression baffled. “I...was not aware of that.”

Celestia smirked. “An alicorn’s memory is long and detailed, Alexander. We do not easily forget, though sometimes we may want to. You would do well to remember that.”

“You’re really not letting me have this Caduceus thing, are you?” Caduceus asked.

“Nope,” Celestia replied.

Caduceus sighed. “You know that now I’m going to have to look all of that up just to be sure, right? It’ll probably set my research back days just trying to find the relevant tomes.”

“Yup,” Celestia replied.

“Look, Auntie, I just wanted ponies to see me as someone other than the bumbling little Prince Alexander who used to play at being court wizard and had to go for a nap after he tried to cast big spells,” Caduceus said testily. “I know I’m incredibly young for an archmage, but I earned this position. I’m not playing anymore.”

Celestia’s smile softened and she lay a hoof around Caduceus. “I understand that, dear, but changing your name changes nothing about you. I know that you earned your place, even if others think you only got it through royal favor. Give them time, and eventually they’ll recognize you for the wizard you are, and not the boy you used to be. But you have to understand that whether you accomplish nothing or surpass Star Swirl himself, I’ll always see you as Alexander Blueblood, my favorite nephew.”

Caduceus couldn’t help but snicker as Celestia ruffled his mane like she had countless times before. “I’m your only nephew!” he pointed out.

“All the more reason not to forget you,” Celestia said, her smile brightening as she pulled him into a hug.

“Alright! Alright! Let me go already!” Caduceus said. He pushed Celestia away in mock dismay, but he was smiling widely himself. “You can call me Alexander if you want, Auntie, but please do it when it’s just the two of us. To everyone else, I’m still Archmagus Caduceus the Magnificent. I already filed the paperwork, so it's officially my name now anyway.”

“If you insist, Caduceus,” Celestia conceded.

“Okay, when you say it, it sounds weird,” Caduceus said.

Celestia giggled.

“What was it you came up here for, anyway, Auntie?” Caduceus asked. “Don’t tell me it was just to make fun of my name.”

Back to business, then, Celestia thought sadly. Aloud, she said, “I’m afraid not. Prince Ali has conceded to our demands and formalized his surrender. We’ve already signed a new treaty and come to an agreement on Saddle Arabia’s reparations for their hostilities. I won’t bother going into the details, but before you ask, I was merciful. Saddle Arabia will be walking away from this engagement with little more than a slap on the wrist. More importantly, Equestria and Saddle Arabia are no longer at war, and the prince has assured me that there will be no further hostilities.”

“Can we trust him to keep his word?” Caduceus asked.

“Ali is a snake, but in this case, I believe he is telling the truth,” Celestia replied. “His attack was nothing more than a test of Equestria’s resolve. The Sultan wanted to see if Equestria could still stand strong even with only one Princess at the helm. Now he has his answer. And it only cost us both a few hundred ponies’ lives each. A mere pittance by his standards.” Celestia scowled.

Caduceus knew how strongly his aunt felt about senseless loss of life, and while he did not value every pony quite as much as she did, he agreed with her sentiments. This entire exercise had been wasteful and senselessly tragic. How many homes had been destroyed today? How many families broken apart? And for what? An experiment? Even as a dedicated researcher, Caduceus knew that he would never go that far for answers.

Celestia continued, “In any case, Ali will be embarking on his return journey to Saddle Arabia tomorrow. A small band of Equestrian emissaries will be going with him. They will take one of the undamaged Saddle Arabian ships - stripped of all weapons and valuables - on their journey. It will be the only ship the Saddle Arabians regain from this endeavour. The rest will remain here as part of our agreement. The soldiers will be ferried back on Equestrian ships at a later date.”

Caduceus gave Celestia a questioning look. “If the ship to be taken will remain in Saddle Arabia’s possession, how will the emissaries -” Caduceus’ eyes went wide “- Oh...Oh no. No! Absolutely not! The sheer amount of time such a journey would take...and dealing with the Sultan? Forget it!”

Celestia was smirking again. “We need to send somepony immediately. And on such short notice, Caduceus the Magnificent is the best and most qualified pony for the job.”

Caduceus’ mind raced as he analyzed the situation, desperately trying to find a way out. “I left my work this morning expecting to be back by noon at the latest. I’m not prepared for an international mission! Plus, there’s no telling how long this trip could take. What if a storm blows us off course? What if calm winds slow the ship? What if the Sultan demands a renegotiation, or, worse, attempts to hold the emissaries hostage?”

“All possible scenarios, true,” Celestia said. “And all the more reason to send the Archmagus and his cadre instead of a normal group of diplomats. They, more than anypony, would be best equipped to handle all of those unfortunate circumstances and any other unexpected dangers.”

Caduceus put on his best puppy dog look and pleaded, “Auntie, please, don’t send me on this mission!”

Celestia looked sternly at him, but there was a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “I’m sorry, Caduceus, but Alexander is my favorite nephew. I would never consider granting favors to anypony but him. Besides, I doubt you need to worry about your research being delayed or late. After all, I have it on good authority that a wizard is never late, nor even early, they accomplish everything precisely when they mean to.”

Caduceus realized that his aunt simply would not budge. “I hate you so much,” he said.

“And I love you too, my dear,” Celestia replied with a smile.

~~~~~

The next morning, Caduceus stood waiting at the Baltimare port in front of the ship that would be taking him to Saddle Arabia. Remembering Celestia’s words from the day before, he had made the effort to actually arrive on time for the ship’s scheduled departure. Unfortunately, it seemed as though he had been the only one of the ship’s passengers, barring its Saddle Arabian crew, to do so.

None of the four other members of his cadre that he had selected to join him on the trip had shown up yet. Not even Prince Ali, around which the entire trip revolved, had arrived. This left Caduceus with little to do but go over his own thoughts. He hadn’t had the time to pack any useful equipment or interesting reading material, so all he had in his bags were a few changes of clothes and the stack of papers detailing the agreements Celestia had made with Ali.

Caduceus tried to go over each article of the agreement in his head, but found that it was far too boring, even for him. Desperate for something to pass the time, he looked around the port. Even in this early hour, Baltimare port should have been bustling with activity, but due to the recent battle, it was mostly empty. A few ponies scurried to and fro, but for the most part, the port was a ghost town. The only real sounds and movements came from the empty Saddle Arabian ships bobbing up and down in the gentle waves.

Caduceus felt himself getting lulled to sleep by the rhythmic cadence when a mare’s excited squeal jolted him awake. He - and several of the sailors - looked towards the direction of the sound to see three Earth Pony mares approaching the ship. Two wore nurse caps and one was in a doctor’s coat. All three shared the same color scheme, white coats with blonde manes, but one of the nurses was running excitedly towards the ship while the other two approached at a more reasonable pace.

The excited mare reached the ship first and stopped in front of Caduceus to gape at it with wide eyes.

“Wow…” she said. Noticing Caduceus, she turned to him and smiled. “Hi there! I’m Star Fruit! But you can call me Star! Everypony calls me Star. Except for my boss. She calls me Ms. Fruit. Which I guess I am, but I’m also totally not. It’s weird having two names, don’t you think? Of course, not that you would know! I’m one of the medical experts assigned to the ship heading to Saddle Arabia! Are you going on the ship too?”

Caduceus blinked. “Yes, I -”

“That’s great!” Star exclaimed. “You must be so excited! I know I am! Ever since I got this assignment last night, I’ve been bouncing off the walls! I’ve never been on a ship before, or out at sea, and then suddenly here I am, about to go on a warship as a medical expert on a national mission to Saddle Arabia!”

“Calm down, Ms. Fruit!” the mare in the doctor’s coat exclaimed. “Can’t you see you are bothering the archmage?” The mare turned to Caduceus and bowed apologetically, “My apologies, Master Caduceus, that one can be quite...excitable. By the way, I would just like to point out that she is not actually the designated medical practitioner on this mission. She is just an assistant. If you have any injuries or other health-related concerns, you may approach me instead.”

Star’s eyes somehow managed to grow even wider. “You’re the archmage?! Sweet Celestia, I’ve met the archmage!”

The other nurse began shepherding Star away from Caduceus and onto the ship. “Come on, Star. We should probably go...set up medical things somewhere. Got to get this stuff done before the others arrive, right? We’re already late as it is.”

“But Garden Blossom, he’s the archmage! One of the greatest wizards in Equestria is right there!” Star exclaimed as she was dragged away.

“Yes, yes, so I’ve heard,” Garden replied.

“I’m gonna ask him to do a magic trick!” Star yelled.

“You are not asking the archmage to do a magic trick!” Garden yelled back.

“But he’s the archmage!” Star cried.

The two nurses were soon on the ship and out of sight, if not quite out of earshot.

The doctor cleared her throat. “I feel I must apologize again for the behavior of my nurse. And I apologize in advance for any foolishness that she may end up being a part of. I assure you that she is more competent than she seems.”

Caduceus nodded. “That’s, uh, quite alright, doctor…?”

The doctor’s eyes widened in surprise. “Ah, how rude of me! Humblest apologies, Archmage. I am Doctor Golden Orchard, but please, simply ‘Doctor’ or ‘Orchard’ will suffice.”

The nickname is usually ‘Goldie’, but I suppose that’s too unprofessional, Caduceus commented silently. “A pleasure to meet you, Doctor,” he said.

“Likewise, Archmage,” Orchard replied. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must be getting to my nurses. There’s no telling what sort of trouble she - er - they might get up to if left unsupervised.”

The sound of crashing came from somewhere on the deck, followed closely by the sound of shattering glass.

“I CAN FIX IT!” Star shouted.

Orchard let out a deep, tired sigh and walked up onto the ship, muttering as she went.

I guess I should be getting on the ship as well. No point in staying out here, Caduceus thought.

As he turned to walk up to the ship, two Unicorns appeared in front of him in separate flashes of light. Both Unicorns were dressed in gold-trimmed black robes with their hoods up and also had shadow spells active to obscure their features, making them virtually indistinguishable from each other. Caduceus, however, identified both of them immediately. Only two ponies from his cadre dressed like that, and he had already had a lot of practice telling them apart.

“Hah! Beat ‘cha here,” said one in an accented voice.

“Did not!” replied the other.

“Did too! Don’t deny et! Alexander saw the ‘ole thing! Tell ‘im, boss!” said the first.

Caduceus let out an irritated snort. “Kyle. Larry. You’re late.”

“A wizard is never late,” Kyle began.

“Can it, Kyle, I know the spiel,” Caduceus interrupted. “You’re late.”

“But aym less late than ‘e is, roit?” Larry asked.

“Late is late,” Caduceus said with finality. “Where are the others?”

“Yeah...they’re not coming, boss,” Kyle said. “Calling in sick today.”

“Calling in sick?” Caduceus asked incredulously. “You can’t be serious! They were fine yesterday! Besides, they’re high wizards, for Harmony’s sake, what could happen to them?”

“Prob’ly fakin’ et since they ‘eard where we were ‘eadin’,” Larry commented. “Be that as et may, ya can’t do a thing ‘bout et.”

“Cadre’s contract Article 17, Subsection 3, Addendums A and B,” Kyle recited. “A member of the cadre is entitled to a set of leaves of absence in case of sickness or other emergency which is to be generated at a rate of 1.5 days per month served and stockpiled up to a maximum of 30. No explanation or proof of illness need be submitted for leaves taken in this manner provided the leave lasts two days or less.”

Caduceus rubbed between his eyes with a hoof. Damned inconvenient workers’ rights, he thought. He quickly retracted the mental statement. Whoa, sounded like my father for a moment there. I’m sorry, Auntie, I didn’t mean it.

While Caduceus had always found Celestia to be disturbingly adept at reading other ponies, he was pretty sure that she couldn't actually read minds. But he was not completely sure. So he always watched his words whether they be spoken or thought. One did not become an archmage without obtaining a healthy respect for the mystical arts’ infinite possibilities.

“Fine. Whatever. So it’s just us three, then?” Caduceus asked.

“Looks like it,” Kyle replied.

“Well, not necessarily,” Larry said. “We could always drag out some o’ the others ef we really need to.”

Caduceus shook his head. “No. No need for that. It’s just a diplomatic mission, after all. Us three will suffice. Although it will be a bit harder to teleport our contingent all the way back to Equestria with just the three of us.”

“Oh, I’m sure we can do it,” Kyle said optimistically. “And if we can’t do it, then we’ll just sort of do it. Multiple times. Until it adds up to us actually doing it.”

“Wut mah enahrticuhlate friend es tryin’ to say is that we could always port halfway back, take a break, then port again,” Larry explained.

“Yeah, thanks, I got that,” Caduceus said. “Oh and Larry, do me a favor, would you?”

“Wut’dya need, boss?” Larry asked.

“Never use the word ‘inarticulate’ again.”

~~~~~

By the time Prince Ali arrived, flanked by a small contingent of ordinary Saddle Arabian soldiers, it was already noon. Despite his recent ordeals, the prince had lost none of his snobbish poise, and had even somehow procured a new set of silk clothing. How he had done so was anypony’s guess. Around his waist hung an ornate dagger, but Caduceus seriously doubted the weapon was for anything other than show.

Caduceus, flanked by Kyle and Larry, stepped forward to greet the prince as he set hoof on the ship.

“About teym he showed up,” Larry whispered to Kyle.

“Maybe he has a good reason. Like diarrhea,” Kyle whispered back.

“Greetings, Prince Ali!” Caduceus said loudly, hoping that the prince had not heard anything his companions had said.

Ali walked past the trio without a word and headed to the door leading below deck. “I have arrived! You may set sail!” he called out to no one in particular.

The ship’s crew, which had been lazing around up until that point, burst into action. Caduceus quickly trotted up to Ali before he could disappear below deck.

“Prince, I am Archmage Caduceus. I will be representing Equestria on this mission and I was hoping we could -” Caduceus began.

“Negotiations have already been completed, Archmage,” Ali interrupted. “I will speak no more on the matter. Deal with my father if you have concerns.”

“Hi!” Star said merrily as she appeared next to Ali. “I’m -”

“And I will not waste my time conversing with plebeians,” Ali interrupted. “I have had quite enough of you uncultured Equestrian rabble. I will remain in my quarters for the remainder of the trip. Disturb me only for matters of great importance. And please have the decency of sending someone with class.”

Ali then promptly descended the stairs leading below deck without so much as a glance at either Caduceus or Star.

“Wow, he wasn’t anything like Princess Celestia at all!” Star exclaimed.

Caduceus raised an eyebrow. “You’ve met Au - Princess Celestia?”

“Nope! But I just know that she’s super great, and that guy was pretty much the opposite of that!” Star said. She trotted off before Caduceus could reply.

“Huh...well, she’s certainly an odd one,” Caduceus commented.

“Tell me about it,” Garden said.

Caduceus turned with a start. He hadn’t noticed Garden standing there. He also hadn’t realized that he had said that comment aloud. I need to watch out for those slips. They could get me into trouble someday, Caduceus thought silently.

Aloud, he said, “You’re...Garden Blossom, right?”

Garden’s eyes widened in surprise. “Yes, I am, but I don’t remember introducing myself. Did you read my mind?”

Caduceus grinned. “No, I merely overheard Star mention your name earlier.”

Garden looked relieved. “Oh, that’s good.”

Caduceus cocked his head. “Good? That’s an interesting reaction. Hiding any deep dark secrets in there?” he teased.

Garden blushed slightly and shook her head. “No no! Nothing like that! I just prefer my thoughts to stay private. Okay, that sounds creepy. Uh...oh, how do I put this?”

Caduceus chuckled. “Don’t worry, I understand. I feel much the same way.”

“Thanks,” Garden said with a small smile. “I’m not so great at this conversation thing.”

“You chose an odd occupation, then, Ms. Blossom,” Caduceus said. “I was under the impression that a nurse was expected to interact with all sorts of ponies. You were even selected to be a part of this mission. You must have some skill in socializing.”

Garden shook her head again. “This was just...the only job I could get at the time. I’m still pretty new. And they choose which nurses would go by drawing lots, so I’m nothing special or anything. You might not believe this, but Star’s the real, well...star. She’s a bit off, but it’s like she knows everything!”

Caduceus looked across the deck to where Star was chatting with Kyle and Larry.

“Oh, I believe you. As Archmage, I learned early on that ponies’ personalities are often not accurate representations of their capabilities,” Caduceus said. Just look at Kyle and Larry.

Garden’s head snapped towards Caduceus as she was reminded of who she was chatting with. “R-right, Archmage. I’m sorry for taking up your time. Ishouldgonowbye.”

Garden trotted off, trying and failing to look casual as she did so.

Caduceus sighed. See, this. This is why ranking mages go for the whole ‘mysterious and aloof’ thing. We just can't have normal conversations anymore.

~~~~~

The ship left Baltimare port and the rest of the day passed uneventfully. With nothing better to do, Caduceus retired to his chambers and tried to read the documents containing the agreements with Saddle Arabia again. He was an old hoof at reading boring, absurdly lengthy texts, but he found that he just could not properly absorb these particular documents. Perhaps it was because they contained no references to magic or research or anything worth learning. Perhaps it was because they were written in both Equestrian and Saddle Arabian. Or perhaps it was because whoever had written them had decided to use so much redundancy that every sentence felt like it repeated itself three times over without actually saying much of anything at all. Whatever the case, Caduceus soon drifted off to sleep on his desk.

He awoke to the sound of knocking on his door. He looked out the window of his cabin and found that night had fallen. He pulled himself up, accidentally spilling the papers he had been attempting to read all over the floor in the process, and went to open the door.

On the other side of the door was one of the Saddle Arabian crew members carrying a tray with food on it. The crew member silently offered the tray to Caduceus, who stared at it groggily for a few moments before realizing it was supposed to be his dinner and accepting it. The crew member then turned and left without a word.

I know that keeping the crew Saddle Arabian was necessary since we’re leaving this ship behind with them, but boy is the lack of communication getting old fast, Caduceus thought. Well, at least it looks like we get room service. That's something.

Caduceus examined the dinner of bread, salad, and, surprisingly, fried potatoes. Then he turned to his empty room and the mess of papers scattered on the desk and the floor. He would have to clean at least some of it up before settling down to eat, unless he ate on the bed.

Don’t really feel like eating alone, anyway, Caduceus thought. I wonder what Kyle and Larry are doing?

Caduceus left his room and walked down the hall looking for the room Kyle and Larry shared. They didn’t have to share a room - the ship was minimally crewed and provisioned, so it was mostly empty - but they had insisted on it. He took a wrong turn and ended up near Prince Ali’s room. He could tell it was Ali’s room by the solitary guard posted outside it, and by how Star was currently calling out Ali’s name from in front of the guard.

“Come on, Prince Ali! It’s still food!” Star called over the expressionless guard’s shoulder. “The kitchen ponies worked hard and gave you extra portions and everything!”

Caduceus glanced at the tray Star was holding. It did seem to contain more food than his own tray. There was even a muffin on one side.

The door to the room opened and Ali’s angry face came into view. “For the last time, peasant, leave me be! I will not partake of the same food as you commoners like some beggar at a public trough. I have made alternate arrangements. Now, depart before I order my guard to throw you overboard!”

The door slammed shut and Star stuck out her tongue at it. She turned to the guard and handed him the tray.

“Here, you can have this, I guess,” she said. “No use in letting it go to waste.”

The guard did not react, but he did take the tray.

Star turned and started walking away, looking uncharacteristically irritated. She turned back to the guard suddenly, and the guard quickly replaced the muffin he was about to eat on the tray and stood at attention.

“And you can tell that prissy Ali that he better watch his attitude or I’ll send my cousin Jack after him again!” she said then turned with a huff and nearly walked right into Caduceus.

“Oh, Archmage!” she said, surprised. “Sorry you had to see that. Something about that guy just...ugh! I can't believe he calls himself a prince!”

“That's how it is with most royalty, I'm afraid,” Caduceus said.

“But Celestia isn't like that!” Star said.

“Well, like with most things, Princess Celestia is the exception,” Caduceus said.

“She's the only one that truly deserves to be called a princess. Everypony else is just a…a phony!” Star said angrily.

Caduceus decided it would be best to steer the conversation in a different direction. “Who did you say your cousin was just now? Jack? That wouldn't happen to be Jack Fruit, would it?”

“Oh, you know him?” Star asked, her irritation fading.

“Commander of the Baltimare garrison? Something of an alcoholic? Friends with those maniacs Pack and Cross?” Caduceus asked.

“Yup, that's him!” Star said, regaining some of her enthusiasm. “Did you know he also hoof delivered that nasty Ali to the princess?”

Caduceus chuckled. “Yes, I was there when he did. He rushed off right after, though, so I didn't get to speak with him.”

“Don't worry, you didn't miss much. Jack doesn't usually have much to say worth listening to, anyway,” Star said.

“Speaking of deliveries, why were you the one delivering Ali’s food anyway?” Caduceus asked. “It was one of the crew that delivered mine.”

At that, Star fully brightened up again. “Oh, I volunteered! It was the least I could do. See, Garden and I were helping out in the kitchen, but actually, it was mostly Garden - I didn’t even know she could cook! - because they wouldn’t let me near the any of the knives or fires. I can’t imagine why!”

Caduceus thought back to Star’s accident earlier that morning. It had resulted in a smashed barrel, several broken bottles, and a small hole in the deck that she had then hastily patched over with a spare plank from the smashed barrel.

“Indeed. Truly a mystery,” Caduceus said dryly.

“What about you, Archmage?” Star asked. “What are you doing out here with your tray? It doesn’t look like you’ve eaten anything yet! Did you not like it? Are you allergic to something?”

Caduceus shook his head. “No, none of that. I just wanted to eat along with Kyle and Larry. I was looking for their room, but I took a wrong turn.”

“Ohhh,” Star said. “Well, their room is back that way. Take a left, then a right, and it’s the first door on your right.”

“Thanks, Star,” Caduceus said.

“No problem, Mr. Archmage, Sir! Enjoy your meal!” Star said merrily before trotting off.

Caduceus let Star go on her way and followed her directions to Kyle and Larry’s room. He entered without knocking and found Larry sitting on Kyle’s back while both of them were levitating a few feet above the floor.

“There es a perfectly reasonable explanation fer this,” Larry said as soon as Caduceus walked in.

Caduceus waved his hoof dismissively. “I don’t want to hear it. I’m just here to have some company for dinner. Have you two eaten yet?”

“No,” Kyle said. “Our food’s over there on the floor by the desk.”

Caduceus saw the trays on the floor next to the empty desk. “Why are they on the floor and not on the desk?”

Larry spoke up. “There es a perfectly reasonable explanation fer tha’. See the desk was -”

“You know what? Forget I asked. You mind if I use the desk?” Caduceus asked.

“No, go right ahead. It should be fine now. Probably,” Kyle replied.

“If at any point, ya feel a tinglin’ sensation at the back of yer throat, then fer the love of Harmony, DO. NOT. MOVE,” Larry warned.

Caduceus just nodded and sat down. “You boys about done with...whatever it is you’re doing there?”

“Aye, ah suppose tha’s enough for one night,” Larry said. “Let’s eat Kyle.”

The two slowly dropped back down to the floor and Larry got off of Kyle’s back.

“Heh, see that’s funny, Larry,” Kyle said. “The way you said that almost made it sound like you were suggesting to eat me.”

“Wasn’t a suggestion,” Larry said.

“Wait, what?” Kyle asked.

“Grammatically, ya twit,” Larry clarified. “Et’d only be a suggestion ef ah said -”

The door to the room burst open, revealing a panicked Doctor Orchard. She frantically scanned the room, spotted Caduceus with a slice of bread stopped halfway to his mouth, and rushed forward to slap the bread away.

“Hey!” Caduceus said. “I was going to -”

“POISONED!” Orchard exclaimed. “The food’s all been poisoned!”

~~~~~

The three wizards followed Doctor Orchard as she ran throughout the ship, desperately trying to warn anypony that hadn’t eaten yet not to touch the food. So far, they had been able to reach Prince Ali in his room and Star in the hallway. They sent both ponies up to the deck, where Orchard said Garden was already waiting. Ali had been indignant, but he cooperated upon seeing his dead guard. Star had been stunned into silence, and followed their instructions without comment. Everywhere else they looked, however, they only found bodies.

“This is horrible…” Kyle said softly as they stumbled upon yet another group of dead crew members.

“Dun dwell on et, Kyle,” Larry said. “Not while there’s still ponies we could save.”

“This is no ordinary poison,” Caduceus said as they started running again. “Some of these ponies look as though they had taken a bite less than a minute before we arrived, and yet they’re already dead. Doctor, do you have any idea what we are dealing with?”

“I examined the body of the first victim I saw,” Orchard replied. “He died in front of my eyes after I - I - gave him my bread because I’m allergic to wheat. I wish I hadn’t! If I had just ran out that very moment, some of these ponies might still be alive!”

Orchard slowed to a stop as they reached the stairs leading above deck. Her knees went weak and she leaned against the nearby wall. That was it. They had gone through every room on the ship. There was nopony left to save. The entire crew was dead.

“This is my fault,” Orchard said, sobbing. “All my fault. I’m the medical expert. I should have prioritized the living first. Should have...should have checked the food. Instead I...I…”

Caduceus kneeled down and laid a hoof on Orchard’s back. “It’s not your fault, Orchard. Nopony could have seen this coming. You did all you could. Don’t forget you saved me, and I’m the archmage. If anypony should have detected this poison, it was me. It’s magical, isn’t it?”

Orchard nodded. She sniffed as she fought to contain her tears. “Iudicium per Ignem...Trial by Fire. It burns away at the victim’s internal organs moments after entering the body. Literally burns. I looked inside that first victim’s body and saw his heart burn to ash in front of my eyes. No other poison behaves that way. None that I know.”

“Tha’s some heavy stuff,” Larry commented.

“No way that’s legal,” Kyle added.

“It isn’t,” Caduceus confirmed. “Though that hardly matters. Knowledge on how to create Iudicium per Ignem has been lost for centuries. On purpose, I might add. Princess Luna herself destroyed the last known samples and records. And even attempting to recreate it is grounds for life imprisonment.”

Caduceus' eyes narrowed in suspicion. “How do you even know of it, Doctor?”

“This is not the first time I have encountered a victim of Iudicium per Ignem,” Orchard replied. Her eyes were still red with tears and she wiped at her muzzle with the back of her coat sleeve, but she had mostly regained her composure. “The first time was about a week ago. One of my colleagues at the Baltimare hospital, Doctor Moonbeam, just suddenly dropped dead. On the surface, he looked fine, but the autopsy revealed that his internal organs had all been burned away. Nopony could figure out how it could have happened until I found some old medical texts describing the poison and its effect on the body.”

“Did you ever find out who poisoned Doctor Moonbeam, or why?” Caduceus asked.

Orchard shook her head. “No. The investigation was still ongoing. They police ponies said they had a few leads, but then the battle happened and...I suppose we’ll never know now.”

There’s a connection here, I know it, Caduceus thought. But what?

“We should probably go join the others up on the deck,” Kyle said.

Caduceus nodded his head. He stood and helped Orchard to her hooves. Orchard thanked Caduceus and the four ponies made their way up onto the deck of the ship.

The deck was eerily empty, even for the time of night. There were no lamps or fires illuminating it, but it was a clear night and the moonlight was enough for everypony to see clearly.

As Orchard and the wizards approached, Ali stomped his hoof and said, “There you are! I demand to know what has happened to my ship!”

“Ah think tha’s fairly obvious by now, innit?” Larry asked. “Somepony went and tried ta kill us all.”

“And mostly succeeded, too,” Kyle added.

“And who is this pony?” Ali asked. “Has the perpetrator been caught?”

“No,” Caduceus said. “But I think it’s safe to say that whoever it is is standing among us right now.”

The mares gasped. Ali turned sharply, placing his back to the water and trying to keep everypony within view. Kyle and Larry formed up behind Caduceus.

“What...how can you say that?” Orchard asked.

“Simple deduction,” Caduceus replied. “We’ve looked thoroughly through every room of this ship. You with your eyes and I with my magic. The only ponies left alive are standing right here. Therefore, the pony responsible must be standing among us as well.”

Garden spoke up. “But...but what if the poisoner took their own life too?”

Star nodded her head repeatedly. “Yeah! I can’t believe that any of us could do something so...so horrible! Well, except Ali. He’s pretty much always horrible, but - hey wait a minute!” Star’s eyes went wide and she took a step back, away from Ali. “He’s the only one who had a different meal! He must have known this would happen!”

“Silence, you imbecilic plebeian,” Ali scoffed. “Ask yourself for a moment, why would I do this? True, I would have no qualms with poisoning my enemies, if that is what it took, but all of the victims so far have been my servants. And Saddle Arabian, I might add. It would be ridiculous to assume that I am responsible for their deaths. What possible reason could I have to poison my entire crew and leave the Equestrians alive?”

“Except we weren’t supposed to be alive,” Kyle pointed out.

“Aye, me and the lads ‘ere woulda been dead ef et weren’t fer tha Doc’s warning,” Larry added.

“My point still stands,” Ali insisted. “Why would I leave myself stranded on a ship of corpses in the middle of the ocean? I would have to be mad to even consider such an action!”

“Maybe you are crazy!” Garden exclaimed suddenly. “After all, what sane pony would poison so many? And you just admitted that you would have done it if you had a good reason!”

“Which, as I just finished saying, I do not!” Ali retorted.

“Caduceus, please,” Orchard pleaded. “There must be some other explanation.”

Caduceus shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Doctor. It may not be pleasant to consider, but the killer is most definitely among us.”

“But...none of us have any reason to do this!” Orchard exclaimed. “Perhaps Ms. Blossom is right. Perhaps the killer took his own life too! Perhaps he didn’t expect anypony to survive the poison!”

“I won’t deny that that scenario is certainly possible, but in this case, it is also highly unlikely,” Caduceus said.

“What makes you say that?” Orchard asked.

“Your own words, Doctor,” Caduceus replied. “A colleague of yours was killed by Iudicium per Ignem, a poison lost to time, in Baltimare a week ago. That same poison then just so happens to be used to kill everypony on this ship. That suggests to me that the pony responsible for both events is one and the same. Following that logic, and considering how quickly the poison kills its victims, we can rule out anypony that could not possibly have been in Baltimare during your colleague’s murder, which just so happens to include both Prince Ali and every Saddle Arabian currently dead below deck.”

“So it is one of you Equestrians,” Ali sneered. “I should have known. Dishonorable scum!”

“Insults aside, Ali is correct,” Caduceus said. “The killer must indeed be one of us. There is no question that Doctor Orchard, Nurse Star Fruit, and Nurse Garden Blossom were all residing in Baltimare at the time, and my cadre and I could have easily teleported to Baltimare and back if we wanted to.”

Star frantically looked back and forth between the other two mares. “I...I don’t like this!” she exclaimed, tears in her eyes. “Not me...not my friends! It’s gotta be Ali! it’s just gotta!”

“Sorry, lass, but he’s ennocent,” Larry said. “We can narrow tha list down even furtha.”

Kyle picked up where Larry left off. “Given the fast acting nature of the poison, whoever poisoned the food has to have had a hoof in preparing the food. Otherwise, they would have run the risk of somepony getting poisoned too early, and causing undue panic.”

“Ah’ll admit et, ah snatched a few loaves o’ bread from the storeroom thes afternoon,” Larry said. “Seein’ as ah’m still alive, ah can confirm tha' tha food wasn’t poisoned before dinnah. Ef ye’ll take mah word for et, anyway.”

“You don’t have to,” Caduceus said. “All the food supplies were screened for rot, poison, and other abnormalities before being loaded onto the ship. It’s standard procedure. That means that the food was poisoned only after it had all been loaded. And before you ask, everypony involved in loading the food is now dead.”

Orchard’s eyes went wide. “But that would mean…”

“NO!” Garden screamed. “You’re crazy! You’re ALL crazy! Some crazy Saddle Arabian poisoned the crew and themselves! It’s the only explanation!”

Star was now openly weeping.

“Ms. Fruit and Ms. Blossom both helped prepared the food tonight, but...No! I...I can’t believe it!” Orchard exclaimed. “I won’t believe it! Neither of my nurses would ever -”

“Just how long have you known both Star and Garden, Doctor?” Caduceus asked.

Orchard stammered. “N-not that long, I’ll admit, but -”

“How long, exactly?” Caduceus pressed.

“Ms. Fruit’s been working at the hospital for about a moon, and Ms. Blossom for -” Orchard turned away “- a little over a week. She joined just before Doctor Moonbeam died.”

“NO! Nonononononono!” Garden cried, shaking her head and stamping her hooves. “I did not do this! I would never do this!”

Star turned to Garden, her expression anguished. “Garden? You? Oh Celestia above, how could you?!” She ran away from Garden and threw herself onto Caduceus. “Archmage! Do something, please!”

“I SAID NO!” Garden screamed at the top of her lungs.

Ali drew his dagger and approached Garden. “We shall see what song you sing when I cut your heart out and feed it to you, you treacherous wench!”

Garden began backing away from Ali, but she tripped on the patched plank that Star had used to fix the hole in the deck. She curled up, closed her eyes and let out a long, high-pitched screech.

Caduceus’ mind was racing, reviewing everything he knew. Something wasn't right here. He was missing something, but what?

Wait, did she say ‘Celestia above’? Caduceus thought. Then it hit him. “ALI, WAIT!”

But it was too late. Ali lunged at the screaming Garden, dagger outstretched with the intent to kill. His hoof stepped over the patched plank, and then there was a sudden explosion of light. Caduceus shielded his eyes. When he looked again, both Garden and Ali were dead.

“Tha’ was a bloody fyre rune mine!” Larry exclaimed.

“Don’t those have to be manually detonated?” Kyle asked.

Caduceus snapped his head towards Star, but she knocked him down and rolled towards Orchard. When she came out of her roll, she held a knife next to Orchard’s eye.

“Star! What are you doing?!” Orchard exclaimed.

Caduceus tried to stand, but found that he suddenly lacked the strength. There was pulsating pain in his chest. He looked down and saw a glowing runestone stuck to him.

“Draining...rune...clever girl,” Caduceus said through gritted teeth.

“Star is the killer? What the hay is going on?” Kyle asked.

“Figure it out later, Kyle,” Larry said. He crouched down and examined Caduceus. “Are you alright, Caduceus?”

Caduceus now looked more confused than ever. “Larry?...Accent?” he managed to say.

“Fake,” Larry said. “Nopony actually talks like that.”

“But...years, Larry!” Caduceus ground out.

“Not as long as you think,” Larry said. “We switch it up a lot.”

“Whicheva’ one wit da accent’s Larry,” Kyle said, adopting the accent.

“And whichever one without it’s Kyle,” Larry said.

“But…” Caduceus stopped himself and focused on his breathing. He was close to blacking out. Later! Think about it later! Focus on what’s important! “Rune!” Caduceus groaned.

“It’s on there pretty tight,” Larry said.

“Think you can dispel it without killing him?” Kyle asked.

Orchard suddenly screamed. All three wizards looked up and saw that Star had stuck her knife into Orchard’s leg.

“There, better!” Star said. “You were ignoring me for a while there. And I hate being ignored!”

“Let her go, Star, you can’t win,” Kyle said. “Even without Caduceus, you’re still up against two high wizards with nothing more than a knife.”

In response, Star smiled widely and recited:

I am here amongst the corrupted

But I alone remain pure

She has thrown me to the unwanted

But all I am is a lure

Traitors and heathens will welcome me

Smiling at me as a friend

But as I draw closer, they will see

The fire that bringeth their end

Gloriam Celestia, Sol Invictus!

“The...Order!” Caduceus managed to say. “Careful!...don’t...underestimate…” He broke into panting, unable to finish his sentence.

The pony they had known as Star Fruit laughed lightly and said, “That’s right! How clever of you, Archmage. I am Sister Scorch of the Order of the Celestial Sun, and you all are traitors to Her divine will. Consorts of the enemy and allies of the faithless. This can only end one way, really.”

“You’re nuts,” Larry said. “Traitors to Celestia’s will? Celestia sent us on this mission!”

Scorch stabbed Orchard again, and the doctor cried out in pain. “Now, now, there’s no point in lying, you know. I won’t fall for it. In fact, the only purposeful thing you can really do at this point is to LAY DOWN AND DIE! You know, to save us all the trouble.”

“Please, Star, let me go!” Orchard cried, her face a mixture of anguish and pain.

Scorch stabbed Orchard a third time. “I told you, it’s Sister Scorch! As in Scorched Earth. As in ‘not a chance’! ‘Star’ is such a blasphemous name! A name of the night! I hated it! Besides, I don’t really need to hold you hostage, you know. I just think it’s fun to see you squirm, boss!”

“Wow, she really is crazy,” Kyle said.

“That’s it, I’m sick of this crackpot,” Larry said as he stood. “Let’s take her down, brother!”

Scorch tried to stab Orchard again, but Larry held her knife back with his magic. Kyle then shot a beam at the knife, turning it into a rubber duck. While Scorch looked at the rubber duck incredulously, Larry teleported behind her and fired a stun spell at her back.

Scorch rolled away from the spell, dropping Orchard, and bounced back up, leaping towards Larry. Kyle fired a freeze spell at her while she was mid-leap, but instead of freezing, she simply faded away before suddenly appearing behind Larry.

“Duplication, invisibility, and my personal favorite -” she stuck a glowing runestone behind Larry’s head “- fire!” Scorch said, giggling. “Aren’t Father Fire’s runes fun?”

Scorch tried to leap backwards, but Larry projected a bubble around them both.

“Ye think so, eh?” Larry said, adopting his accent again. He made the bubble smaller, forcing them both face-to-face. “Then why dun we both play?”

“Hee-hee! Sure!” Scorch said with a smile.

Scorch detonated the fire rune and there was another flash of light as both she and Larry were caught in the explosion. Larry was blown apart, but Scorch remained unharmed.

“LARRY!” Kyle shouted.

“Aw, didn’t have a rune of fire-shielding?” Scorch asked in a mocking tone as she held out the glowing rune. “That’s just too bad. Better luck next time!”

“I’LL KILL YOU FOR THAT!” Kyle yelled.

Kyle fired bolt after bolt of magic at Scorch. Unlike his previous spells, each bolt packed enough energy to maim or kill. Scorch, however, playfully dodged each attack, and Kyle’s spells ended up blasting apart pieces of the ship instead of her.

“STAND STILL YOU MONSTER!” Kyle shouted in frustration.

Scorch just giggled in response. Caduceus looked up and noticed that Scorch was leaving behind a rune every time she jumped or rolled. He mustered his strength and tried to warn Kyle.

“Kyle….Kyle!” he cried out weakly, but Kyle couldn’t hear him.

Scorch landed on top of the still prone Orchard, crushing the doctor’s neck. Then she rolled forward, evading another beam, and kicked Kyle’s legs out from under him. When Kyle hit the ground, she pounced on top of his stomach.

“You know...you seem upset,” Scorch said playfully.

Kyle let out a bestial scream and lashed his hooves at her, but she leapt away again.

“YOU KILLED MY BROTHER!” Kyle yelled as he got back to his hooves.

“Technically, he killed himself,” Scorch said with a grin. “Just. Like. You.”

Kyle fired again and Scorch jumped off the ship. Kyle’s beam hit a rune behind where Scorch was standing, detonating it. The rest of the runes Scorch had planted around the ship then detonated in quick succession, including the two she had left on Kyle’s stomach.

Caduceus was knocked overboard by one of the blasts and struggled in vain as he sank beneath the water. Debris from the ship began falling around him as the ship sank. A large chunk of wood crashed into the water and hit him in the head. His vision darkened again, and he almost blacked out, but a glint of moonlight caught his eye. It was Ali’s dagger.

Caduceus grabbed the blade and desperately stabbed it at the draining rune, but he did not have the strength to break it. Feeling himself slipping away and with no other options, Caduceus jammed the dagger into his chest right next to the rune.

The pain jolted him awake and he cried out in pain. His lungs began to fill with water, but the blow had loosened the draining rune. He reached down and yanked it off. His strength returned almost immediately, and he cast a protective bubble of air around himself.

Caduceus lay within his magic bubble, coughing up water. When he could breathe again, he removed the dagger from his chest and cast another spell to stop both his internal and external bleeding. It was no cure, but it would keep him alive until he could get proper medical attention. He looked up towards the surface and saw the ship sinking all around him, along with a few bodies floating to the surface. There was no sign of Sister Scorch.

Caduceus laid back in his bubble and let out an exhausted breath. The mad mare had gotten away. There was nothing he could do about that now. Even if he could somehow find her, he did not have the strength left in him to take her down. What he needed to do now was rest, keep himself alive, and slowly propel his bubble back towards Baltimare.

The Order...must be stopped, he thought to himself. I know that for sure now.

That, however, would come later. As Caduceus lay there in his bubble under the light of the moon and stars, he let all thoughts of the Order, his duties, and his desire for vengeance slip away.

And then he grieved for the loss of his friends.

~~~~~

Back in Canterlot Castle, Celestia poured over the files General Stone had given her on the Order’s members. She focused on the ones she knew the least about.

She picked up the one on Burning Brand, or Brother Burn. He was apparently a renowned war hero from Eastern Germane. He had fought in every campaign against the Saddle Arabians for the last forty years and was thought to have died in battle, sacrificing himself for the good of his fellow soldiers and turning the tide in their favor. He was beloved by his comrades and given a hero’s burial. Stone had even managed to procure a painting of the monument raised in Burn’s honor.

So he has a history of heroic sacrifice then, Celestia noted. That makes it even more unlikely that he perished at the Battle of Baltimare.

Celestia turned her attention to the next file. It was on an Earth Pony named Scorched Earth, or as she was now known, Sister Scorch. It mentioned that she had been a brilliant honor student at Canterlot University. While her test scores were always superb, she was often the target of bullying and discrimination due to her race and low birth. One night, she just disappeared, never to return. A few nights later, two dozen young Unicorns and three professors were found dead at an exclusive party. No connection between the two events has ever been established, but Stone included it because he now suspected otherwise. Of all the members of the Order, save one, Scorch was the most elusive. She did not announce her presence like the others, at least not until after her mission had been completed.

Oh young filly, if only I had known...how many more ponies suffer like you? How many more might still fall to the same fate? Celestia asked herself.

She made a note to look further into the issue of bullying and discrimination once all this was over. Equestria was no place for either of those things, and she swore that she would do all that she could to eliminate them. She knew that she would not be able to succeed, not completely, but that would not deter her.

I will not stand idly by while good ponies are driven to the brink of madness by the careless words and deeds of those around them, Celestia thought. She looked out the window and up at the moon. Not again.

She picked up the last file. This one was the thinnest of them all. In it was only a name, a vague description, a folded map, and a sealed letter.

“Flash Fire, now known as Father Fire,” Celestia read aloud. “Red unicorn stallion with a black mane gone grey with age. Origins unknown. Founder, leader, and most elusive member of the Order. Only known public appearance was in Vanhoover, where he used his magic to incinerate a sea serpent and...boil the river said serpent was dwelling in? For five miles in either direction?”

Celestia read the line again. No, she had not read that wrong.

“Currently residing in the Order’s headquarters in the Smokey Mountains, location marked on enclosed map,” Celestia finished.

She ignored the map and picked up the sealed letter. The letter was addressed to her and was purportedly from Father Fire himself. There was a note attached to it from General Stone indicating that it had arrived at sunset by regular courier. The note also said that the letter had been magically scanned by eighteen different Unicorn mages and three Earth Pony alchemists for any traps or poisons and was found to be clean.

Celestia opened the letter and began reading. “Dear Princess Celestia, Sol Invictus, Guardian of the Light, Sole Sovereign of the Sky, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera…”

She skipped ahead past an entire paragraph of flowery titles until she hit the purpose of the letter itself.

“It’s an invitation,” she murmured. “For dinner, of all things”

The date was set for one moon from that day, and the location was set as the Order’s headquarters. Father Fire expressed confidence that Celestia already knew where that was. Apparently, every member of the Order would be in attendance. Father Fire noted that this was so that she could learn their histories straight from the source.

“So, he knows that I’ve been asking about them then,” Celestia commented.

The letter also said that she may bring guests of her own if she wished. However, it asked that she keep the number small because it claimed that the Order’s humble home could only entertain so many. It then went on to suggest several names.

“Grey Stone, Firefly, and Caduceus the Magnificent. Additionally, Brother Burn would like to request the attendance of his friends Jack Fruit, Cross Roads, and Packed Lunch,” Celestia read. “The officers most involved in my inquiries, plus those three from the Battle of Baltimare.”

The letter concluded cordially and stated that no response was required. The Order would simply be expecting her. Or, as with every reference to Celestia in the letter, Her. With a capital H.

Celestia looked behind the letter. There was nothing. She examined the paper from all angles with both her eyes and her magic. Nothing. She even smelled the letter, but the paper had no scent. She read the letter two more times. The words did not change. It was an invitation, nothing more.

Celestia got up from her desk and went out to her balcony. Her eyes passed over Canterlot City and across Equestria to the distant Smokey Mountains. Even from this high vantage point, most ponies would not have been able to make them out from such a distance, but Celestia could, if only just.

She breathed in the cool night air and considered her options. It was a trap, of that much she was certain. The members of the Order may worship her as a goddess, but she doubted that was all there was to it. No, this Father Fire had his own agenda. The question was, what?

She could refuse to go, of course, but what would that accomplish? At one point or another the issue of the Order would have to be addressed. The longer she delayed, the more their influence would spread, and she doubted she would have another opportunity to confront them all at once like this. True, it may be easier or more prudent to take them down one by one, but she still hoped that their deaths would not be the only recourse. Celestia sighed. In the end, there was really only one option.

It was time to face the Order.

Father Fire, The Ascendant

Contrary to what their name implied, the Smokey Mountains were not, in fact, surrounded by smoke. They were instead surrounded by a near perpetual mist. It would perhaps be more apt to label them the Misty Mountains, and indeed, the explorer who discovered them had initially planned to do just that, but his application for the name had been denied. Apparently, that name had already been taken. So he went ahead and submitted the name he considered to be the next best thing to the Misty Mountains: the Smoky Mountains. Of course, it was just his luck that that name had been taken as well. Unwilling to compromise any further, he simply changed the spelling of ‘smoky’ to the archaic ‘smokey’ and called it a day.

General Grey Stone had known all of that going into this adventure, of course, but he still found the lack of smoke mildly irritating. It seemed dishonest. As if the entire mountain range was misrepresenting itself in some grand act of conceit. Deep down, Stone knew this was ridiculous - and also that mist was exponentially better for the environment than smoke - but it did not change his feelings on the matter. Not that any of this showed on his face, which remained as passive as ever as Princess Celestia led the group consisting of himself, General Firefly, Archmage Caduceus, Jack Fruit, Cross Roads, and Packed Lunch up the path to the Order of the Celestial Sun’s headquarters that evening.

“You know, that Stone guy’s expression reminds me a little of you, Cross,” Jack said.

“What?” Cross asked.

“Yeah, don’t you remember? You had that exact same expression pretty much all the time back in high school,” Jack said.

“Except for lunchtime,” Pack added.

“I did?” Cross asked again.

“Yeah. You always looked like you hated everything,” Jack said.

“That’s not how I would put it,” Pack said. “It was more like you didn’t care about anything. Like you wouldn’t give two bucks if a bomb went off during a school assembly and killed a hundred ponies as long as it meant you could go home again.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Cross said.

“What? Seriously?” Firefly asked, joining the conversation. “You hated school that much?”

“Must’ve been terrible at it,” Caduceus murmured.

Pack heard him. “You’d think so, but no. Cross here was a star student. Always near the top of the class. Got a few awards during graduation and everything.”

Cross groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

“Why not?” Firefly asked. “Seems like something to be proud of! Like getting a medal...or getting promoted to Captain! Right, Jack?”

“Damn right!” Jack said.

“Up top!” Firefly called, extending a hoof. Jack flew up and bumped his hoof against hers enthusiastically.

“Man, I still vividly remember the taste of all that sweet booze from the promotion party,” Jack said with a distant look.

“I can’t remember anything from the promotion party!” Firefly said.

“I remember that you weren’t invited,” Caduceus said. “But you showed up anyway because you wanted to meet the heroes of Baltimare.”

“So did all of you! Even Stone showed up!” Firefly countered.

Stone chimed in for the first time. “I would like to point out, Captain Jack, that none of the booze at that party was sweet. It was all fairly bitter, if memory serves.”

“Ah, just hearing it makes me feel good,” Jack said with a small shiver of pleasure. “Captain Jack. It sounds...right, you know?”

“Sounds like a pirate, actually,” Cross said. “And given your affinity for rum, I guess that’s not too far off.”

“I would never raid innocent ponies for bits!” Jack scoffed. He would have joined along with the pirate jokes, but as he was in the presence of two generals, the Archmage of Equestria, and Princess Celestia herself, it just didn’t seem appropriate. “It’s Pack you should watch out for. He’s the one that works for money.”

“I’d take offense at that if it wasn’t true,” Pack said. “Heck, I wouldn’t be here now if I wasn’t getting paid.”

“Where does all that money go, anyway?” Jack asked. “I mean you don’t seem much richer than Cross, and he’s about as broke as a pony can get!”

“Hey!” Cross reacted.

“I’ll never tell,” Pack replied. “But I will say that I still don’t have enough.”

Princess Celestia spoke up. “We have arrived, my little ponies.”

Everypony stopped and examined their surroundings. The mountain path they were on ended abruptly at a large steel gate. On the other side of the gate, there was a large mansion of stone built into the side of the mountain. The Smokey Mountains’ characteristic mist blanketed the area, and, combined with the pale evening moonlight, gave the place a foreboding appearance.

Cross let out a low whistle.

“Well that doesn’t look like an evil lair at all,” Pack commented sarcastically.

“I’m glad we came armed,” Jack said.

The rest of the party said nothing, but they agreed with the three ponies’ sentiments. At that moment, everypony made a quick check of their equipment.

General Stone, as always, wore his full suit of unadorned steel plate armor. A steel shield was strapped to his left forehoof and a round-headed mace hung from his belt.

General Firefly and Captain Jack both wore standard-issue Equestrian pegasus combat armor. But where Jack carried a bow, Firefly had a set of hoof-mounted blades.

Both Cross and Pack were equipped in the same way they had been during the Battle of Baltimare - Cross with his black coat and longsword, and Pack with his mismatched armor pieces, hoof-mounted crossbow, and short sword.

Archmage Caduceus the Magnificent carried no weapons with him but his mind, and wore no armor but his robes. Both, however, were loaded with enough spells and enchantments to battle an army of ponies, or stop a rampaging dragon. For a little while, at least.

Lastly, Princess Celestia wore her ornate set of golden armor. After being reminded of its flaws during the Battle of Baltimare, she had made adjustments - both magical and mundane - to the ancient suit, bringing it up to the standards of the current era. It no longer inhibited her movement and she was now able to channel her own magic through the armor and into her body, as opposed to having it block all enchantments as it did before. Of weapons, she had none, for none were needed.

Before anypony could ask how they were supposed to get in, the doors of the mansion opened and an unassuming red Unicorn with greying hair dressed in white robes stepped out to meet them. He opened the gates with his magic and bowed low.

“Welcome, oh Glorious Goddess of Light!” he said to Celestia. He rose and nodded to the ponies behind Celestia. “And welcome to you as well, fellow servants of the sun. It is an honor to have you all here at our humble abode.”

Celestia spoke, taking the lead. “It is a pleasure to finally be here. You must be Father Fire, correct?”

Fire smiled. “As astute as you are wise, my lady. I am indeed the one known as Father Fire, but please, just Fire will suffice.” He chuckled lightly. “I am hardly a father to you, after all. Ah, forgive me. We should be conversing inside. Follow me, please.”

Fire walked back towards the mansion, and the rest of the ponies followed him.

“How did you come by the moniker of father, anyway, Fire?” Celestia asked as they walked.

“It was something of an accident, actually,” Fire replied. “All the members of the Order were once lost or abandoned ponies. Ponies on the brink of death or despair. It was I who found them and pulled each of them back into the light. I cared for them like I would my own children, and taught them to give proper worship to you and to regard each other as brothers and sisters in your service. It took them quite a while to take to it, but as soon as they did, they started calling me father as well. Even Burn, and he is older than me!”

Fire laughed. It was a light, infectious thing. The kind of laugh that belonged to a pony who could do no harm - a pony who cared. It was a very clever lie. Celestia wondered how long he had practiced it.

“As embarrassing as the moniker was, it stuck, and so now here I am, as Father Fire. Coincidentally, here we are, at the dining hall,” he said.

The party had walked into the mansion and through a few sets of doors as Fire spoke. They now stood before a large set of double doors which Fire opened to reveal a long room with an almost equally long wooden table at its center. The room was in the part of the mansion built into the mountain, and was surrounded by carved stone walls with no windows. Several large, sun-themed torches hung from its high stone ceiling, bathing the room in a warm, cozy light. The table was already set with a great feast’s worth of foods along its entire length.

Celestia remembered the letter Fire had sent the moon before and how it had claimed that the Order’s ‘humble home’ would only be able to entertain so many.

‘So many’ indeed, Celestia thought.

“I hope you do not mind, but we have taken the liberty of setting the table beforehoof,” Fire said. “We do not have any servants here, you see, and bringing out this much food as we all settled to eat would have taken far too long. I assure you, however, that it is all quite fresh. Sister Scorch only just finished preparing these delights a short time before you arrived.”

At the mention of Scorch preparing meals, Caduceus’ stomach turned. He still remembered how the last meal she had prepared turned out for those unfortunate enough to have eaten it. He glanced at Celestia. She returned his glance and gave a slight nod indicating that she understood. The entire group had already been warned about Scorch’s actions on the Saddle Arabian ship as part of their briefings on the Order's members. Each of them knew that this was no mere cordial visit, and they were all prepared to fight should the need arise.

“Where are the other members of the Order?” Celestia asked.

“Completing their evening prayers,” Fire replied. “They will be along shortly. In the meantime, might I suggest you all take your seats? There are many of them, but we do not have any designated seating arrangement, so you may sit wherever you please.”

After a moment of hesitation, everypony began moving towards the table. When Celestia moved, however, Fire raised up a hoof to stop her.

“Forgive me, Great One, but we have prepared a separate dinner for you and myself,” Fire said. “As You have no doubt guessed, I had hoped that this was to be more than a simple breaking of bread between us. There were some matters - matters of no small import - that I wished to discuss with you. With no disrespect to your companions, I feel that it would be best if we discussed these matters in private.”

General Stone overheard Fire talking and felt the urge to draw his mace and smash the pretentious unicorn’s face in right then and there. However, he restrained himself. There was no doubt that Fire was plotting something, but it was not his place to decide how this evening would play out.

So it begins, Celestia thought to herself. Aloud, she said, “Very well then, Fire. I shall hear what you have to say. Lead on.”

Fire led Celestia out of the room and shut the doors behind him, leaving the rest of the party in the dining hall. The ponies all chose to take seats next to each other along one side of the long table. None of them, however, touched the food, and it was not simply out of respect for their hosts.

“So are they expecting us to just kill ourselves by eating poisoned food?” Jack asked. “That seems...pretty weak.”

“Too obvious by far,” Stone said.

“Yeah, they’ve probably got something else cooked up. Figuratively, I mean,” Firefly said. “What do you think, Caduceus?”

Caduceus’ horn pulsed several times. When it stopped glowing, he said, “The food isn’t poisoned, at least not in any manner that I can detect, so yes, they most definitely have something else planned.”

“So you mean it’s safe to eat this stuff?” Pack asked.

Caduceus shrugged. “As far as I can tell, but nothing’s ever one hundred percent. There’s still the remote chance that...”

Caduceus trailed off as he noticed that Pack was already eating some of the food on the table. There were a few tense moments as everypony on the table waited for something to happen. Nothing did. Pack reached over to get more food.

“Well I’m not dead,” Pack pointed out before popping another morsel in his mouth. “And this stuff is actually pretty good.”

“Thanks! It’s so nice to hear that my cooking’s being appreciated!” Scorch said merrily.

Caduceus’ entire body tensed and he looked to where Scorch’s voice had come from. Scorch was casually walking towards the table from a small side entrance. She locked eyes with Caduceus and gave a big, friendly smile.

“Hi there, Archmage!” she said. “I see you made it off of that awful boat after all!”

“Yes,” Caduceus said in a low tone. “I did.”

Scorch turned to the other ponies at the table. “And hello there, everypony else! I already know who you all are, and you probably already know who I am, but just in case you don’t, I’m Sister Scorch. Let me just say that it is such an absolute joy to have you all here tonight!”

With that, she sat down across from Pack and began piling her plate high with various food items. “No need to hold back!” she told the other ponies. “There’s plenty for everypony! And don’t worry about waiting for the others. They’re already here!”

Heads turned to see the other members of the Order entering from the same side entrance Scorch had used. Blaze walked in silence and sat down opposite Stone. Singe fluttered to the seat opposite Caduceus and pointedly refused to meet Firefly’s gaze. Burn smiled warmly and sat opposite Cross.

Caduceus noted that each of the Order’s members was armed and armored in their own way. Blaze was in full plate armor of white and gold and had a gladius hanging from his belt. Singe was wearing red and gold leather armor and had a white spear across her back. Burn wore a single greave on his left hoof, and carried his massive battleaxe with him. Scorch alone appeared to be wearing nothing, but Caduceus knew that she was hiding those deadly magical runes somewhere on her body.

So heavily armed and armored just to eat diner? Doubtful, Caduceus thought, mentally steeling himself for whatever was to come.

“Ahhh, my friends! It is so good to see you again!” Burn boomed.

Burn seems genuinely friendly. Then again, so does Scorch, most of the time, Caduceus thought. He remembered his words to Garden: ponies’ personalities are often not accurate representations of their capabilities.

“I knew you weren’t dead,” Cross said to Burn with a smile. He turned to Pack and Jack. “Pay up!”

“I never agreed to that bet,” Pack said.

“Hey, you’re getting paid just to be here,” Jack pointed out. “Don’t push your luck.”

Unable to keep her silence any longer, Firefly flew up over the table and hovered in front of Singe.

“Singe, it’s me, Firefly,” she said. “I know you know it’s me.”

Singe did not reply. Even with Firefly hovering directly in front of her, she refused to look at her former friend. Instead, she reached for some food and began to eat in silence.

“Don’t ignore me!” Firefly demanded.

Singe continued to ignore her.

“Singe!” Firefly said loudly. She hesitated, then lowered her voice and softened her expression. “I...I’m not mad, okay? I just...wanna talk. Please, Singe. We need to talk.”

Singe looked up at Firefly, her expression one of disdain. “The pony you think you are talking to is dead. She died in the badlands, abandoned and alone. And that pony’s only friend? She was cast aside like the useless, uncaring, selfish witch that she was. So, no, we don’t need to talk. We have never even met, General Firefly.”

Firefly was visibly taken aback. “Singe I...I…” She tried to find the right words to say, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t bring herself to give up on her friend either, though, so she stayed there, hovering over Singe with a sorrowful look on her face.

The table was silent as everypony looked at the two former friends and waited for something to happen. Everypony except for Blaze and Stone, who were currently staring intently at one another through their helmets. Each armored Earth Pony was sizing up the other, silently analyzing and judging every aspect that they could discern. Both were equally unimpressed.

After a few more moments of tense silence, Burn leaned back in his chair and shook his head. “You could cut the tension in here with a spoon!”

“I know, right?” Scorch said in her usual chipper tone. “Isn’t it great?”

“You would think so, wouldn’t you, you psychotic murderer?” Caduceus said dryly.

Scorch smiled widely and fluttered her eyelids at Caduceus. “Oh, Ducie, you know me so well!”

Caduceus’ eye twitched.

Pack let out an exasperated sigh. “Look, clearly some ponies here have some history with each other. Maybe we should all just step out and work through our differences individually and, preferably, diplomatically?”

No one reacted to Pack’s suggestion.

Cross let the silence hang in the air for a little while longer before breaking it. “Or, you know, we could just start killing each other right now, and save us all some time.”

All eyes then turned to Cross.

Cross shrugged. “What? We all know that’s what it’s going to come down to eventually, right?”

Jack shook his head. “Damn it, Cross! We talked about this!”

~~~~~

Celestia sat seated across a small table from Fire in a much smaller, mostly empty room. Despite Fire’s earlier words, they had yet to discuss anything of importance, and had instead passed the time exchanging meaningless pleasantries as they ate.

“Equestria is such a beautiful country, wouldn’t you agree?” Fire asked as he cut an apple.

“Yes, quite,” Celestia agreed. She had yet to figure out what Fire’s game was, so she forced herself to continue playing along. “This land is rich in many ways.”

Fire smiled. “Very true. But the richness of the land stems from the diligence of the ponies that keep it. And the diligence of the ponies is a credit to the princess that watches over them.”

We have already discussed the weather, our attire, and the food before us. Each time he has turned it into some compliment to me and then moved on to another topic, Celestia thought to herself. This is going nowhere. It is time to make a move.

“I am glad you see it that way, Fire,” Celestia said. “But I must confess that I have found that task to be more difficult of late.”

Fire raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What is it that troubles you, Princess? Tell me, and perhaps there is something that we of the Order, your faithful servants, may do to aid you.”

“I am sure that there is,” Celestia said. “For the actions of the Order itself are what trouble me.”

“Oh my,” Fire said, though he seemed largely unperturbed. “Then I beg you for your forgiveness, Princess. But pray, tell me, how have we wronged you? We have only ever acted in the best interests of Equestria.”

“I am merciful, Fire, but in this case, my mercy must be earned,” Celestia said, adopting some of the god-like authority that Fire seemed to eager to push upon her. “Your Order’s actions have endangered Equestria and brought us to the brink of war. In the deserts to the East, the Royals of Saddle Arabia are outraged at the assassination of their youngest prince, and in the Dragon Lands, the elders roar in rage at their Dragon Lord over the Dragoness of the Everfree’s demise. Both groups cry out for vengeance, for retribution. They demand blood in payment for blood. The heads of your knights in exchange for the deaths of their kin. That, or war between our nations. Tell me, Fire, were you in my place, what would you do?”

For only a moment, irritation flashed across Fire’s features. When he spoke, his face was once more serene, “You honor me, Princess, by asking my opinion. In truth, however, I do not see the cause of your distress. What difference does it make if we cleanse our lands of these lesser creatures?

“The dragons, for all their treasures and their pride, are nothing more than overgrown worms. Parasites feeding off of the life of more productive beings. Every one of Equestria's Earth Ponies accomplish more in their short lives than any dragon ever has in all of the thousands of years that they live through.

“And the Saddle Arabians? To call them ponies is an insult to us all. They have no magic, no flight, and no destiny. They are waifs puffing out their chests in false bravado. Never have they grown a seed or moved a cloud or refined the arts - all that they have is cleverly stolen or crudely copied. All that they are is scum upon this earth.

“You wish to know what I would do in your place, Princess? Simple, I would destroy them all. Not even for their myriad faults, but only for the mere suggestion that one of their own, or even a thousand of their own, would equal the life of a single Equestrian pony.”

Celestia was stunned. Not just by what Fire had said, but also by how he had said it. What he suggested was genocide - an indiscriminate ethnic cleansing of two of the world’s oldest races - and yet he spoke of it with the same calm casualness that one might speak of the time of day.

“Do you truly believe that?” Celestia asked.

Fire ate a little bit more before he replied. “You should try the muffins, Princess, they are almost as divine as yourself. Sister Scorch has truly outdone herself this night. And yes, of course I believe it. Because it is true.

“I love the ponies of the land, my lady. In my long life, I have traveled the length and breadth of the known world and have found none that are their equal. Just look to the wonders that they have accomplished in our land. Where else in the world have the forces of nature been brought to heel? Where else in the world does the storm bend to a guiding hoof? Or the land undergo a season’s worth of growth in a day? Or reality itself shift to do so little as lift a pony’s teacup? Only in Equestria are these things true because only Equestrian ponies can make them true.”

Celestia had had enough of dancing around the issue. She would not play along with this madness any further. “Why have you brought me here, Fire?” she asked directly.

Fire sighed and levitated his utensils back onto the table. He wiped his mouth with a napkin then said, “I had hoped our dinner would last a little longer, Celestia. I find that I do honestly enjoy your company. Quite surprising. I was not expecting to.”

“I’m afraid I cannot say the same for you,” Celestia said coldly. “Now, speak.”

“As you wish, Your Highness,” Fire said. “But first, let me ask you this: do you know what it means to be a god?”

Celestia stared intently at Fire, but did not reply.

Undeterred, Fire continued speaking. “Many ponies would say that to be a god is to be an all-powerful force. That a god must bear divine, ineffable will and speak words both beautiful and true. But they are wrong. Gods do not need strength. They do not need will. They do not need words. Those things are the realm of the servants and the prophets - all those who act in a god’s name - not the god itself.

“The purpose of a god, Princess, is simple: to be the foundation of faith. For faith is what all creatures need to thrive. Faith grants purpose. It grants hope. In a pony’s darkest hour, what is it that lights the way? When a pony is crushed by the weight of failure, what is it that lifts him back up again? His god? No! His god does nothing. Says nothing. Is nothing. It is his faith in that god, that allows him to see himself through. In this way, Faith is the most precious and the most powerful resource, as well as the most resilient. You can take a pony’s life, his livelihood, his very sanity...but so long as he knows the name of his god, you cannot take his faith.”

“Where are you going with this?” Celestia asked.

“Dearest Celestia, you are as blind as I once was,” Fire said. “I have told you of my love for the ponies of this land. Of all that those ponies can do. With all of their gifts, I ask you, do these ponies need a god? No, of course not. For what could a god do for them that they could not already do for themselves? Think on it. You will find that the answer is clearly nothing. Nothing at all. What they need, Celestia, the one thing that they, in all of their brilliance, still lack, is faith.

“The one flaw of Equestrian ponies, the one thing keeping them from attaining perfection, is that they do not, as a race, believe in their own superiority. They do not see it! They have bound themselves to the creed of harmony, of tolerance, and bent to the wills of lesser species! And what is the reward for their tolerance? Treachery and betrayal! By treating these lowly creatures as equals, we have encouraged them to fool themselves into thinking that they actually are. Why else would they dare to do what they do? To argue and bargain and make war with their betters?

“For years, I asked myself, as you no doubt do, how? How could this happen to these Equestrians? How could these magnificent creatures allow themselves to suffer such travesties? But now I understand it all in full. If the ponies of Equestria are to rise up and take their rightful place as the rulers and masters of this world, they must first have faith. Unfortunately, for them to have faith, they must first have a god. For to return to my original question, that is what it means to be a god. A god is a symbol, nothing more. And the best symbols do not speak, but are interpreted. These interpreters must be as farmers tending the crop, planting the seed so that it will flourish, and uprooting the weeds of doubt that would stunt the growth of the harvest. They must be as my Order: enduring, quick, strong, clever, wise, and above all, faithful.

“But of course, one cannot simply make a god. No, a god must be known. Must be loved. Must be trusted and perceived to have all the qualities that the interpreters will one day have. But beyond that? A god needs nothing more. For to have more is to have flaws, and to be flawed is to undermine the faith. And so, while a god must at one point live, so too must they inevitably die.

“Have you figured it out yet, Celestia? Why I have brought you here? If not, then let me make it plain: I have brought you here because I need a god. And as of now, you are only halfway there.”

“You’re insane!” Celestia exclaimed, rising to her hooves.

Fire smiled. “Yes, and you are blind! Thus, together we are perfect for this duty. For in an hour of darkness, what better an idol than the blind mare? And in this age of insanity, where such scum as griffons and yaks and Saddle Arabians dare to rise up against the masters of the world, who better than a pony touched by madness to show the way?”

“I have heard enough,” Celestia said, her horn glowing. “Your mad scheme ends here, Fire. Surrender now or I will be forced to bring you down.”

“Surrender?” Fire asked. He laughed and then said, “My dear goddess, I would never do such a thing. For I am a pony of faith.”

Celestia shot a beam from her horn towards Fire. Fire shielded himself against it, then countered with a blast of flame. Celestia easily blocked the attack, but the fire from the blast spread throughout the room around her. Although the heat did not bother her, the smoke got in her eyes and lungs. By the time Celestia had cleared it the smoke with her magic, Fire was gone. Celestia left the burning room and ran back towards the dinning hall.

What have I gotten my ponies into? she asked herself.

~~~~~

Despite Cross’ suggestion, nopony attacked.

Burn looked seriously at Cross. “Friend, you cannot mean what you say. We are, all of us, brothers and sisters in Celestia’s service. Yes, we have our differences, and even our fights, but it is unseemly to suggest that we would ever resort to killing each other out of spite. That would be a betrayal of all that Celestia stands for.”

“Unless, of course, somepony betrays Celestia first,” Scorch said darkly. “Then no pain shall be to great, and no retribution too extreme.”

Stone spoke, “You do not find it at all ironic that in the performance of your so-called duties, you perform acts abhorrent to the Princess who’s will you claim to serve?”

“We spread Celestia’s righteousness through the application of extreme martial violence,” Blaze said. “The servants of the darkness understand no other communication.”

“That is your excuse?” Caduceus scoffed. “That has to be one of the stupidest justifications I have ever heard in my life!”

“Zeal is its own excuse,” Blaze said.

“Hey, dude, do you have a booklet of these lines lying around somewhere, or are you just making them up as you go along?” Jack asked.

“Do not insult Brother Blaze!” Singe said loudly. “He is the most worthy of us all!”

“More like the most crazy,” Firefly said.

Singe glared at Firefly. “You would never understand Celestia’s salvation, for you have never known despair.”

“Not even close to true,” Firefly scoffed. “Get off your high cloud and open your eyes. And not understand Celestia’s salvation? What the hay are you even on about? I work for Celestia! I see her almost every day!”

“You stand so close to the sun that you are blinded by it!” Singe accused.

Firefly landed on the table and looked Singe in the eye. “Alright, I’ve had just about enough of your -”

The door to the dining hall burst open, and Fire staggered in. His robes were torn and singed at the edges, and he coughed smoke before collapsing on the ground.

“Father Fire!” all of the members of the Order shouted at once. They rushed to Fire’s side. Scorch pushed her way forward, her usual smile replaced with genuine concern, and tried to determine the extent of Fire’s injuries, but Fire pushed her away.

“There is no time, my children,” he said weakly. “You must prepare...the Night Mare has returned! She struck down Our Lady, and now comes for us all!”

The members of the Order gasped, but their surprise quickly gave way to resolution. As one, they lifted Fire onto the table and then formed up in front of the doorway.

“A great evil comes, but we will throw it back!” Burn boomed. He turned to the ponies still seated at the table. “Come, my friends, JOIN ME IN GLORY ONCE AGAIN!”

The rest of the Order’s members turned as well.

“He who stands with me shall be my brother,” Blaze said.

“Even together, we are weak compared to the strength of the foe,” Singe said. “But we are servants of Celestia, and we will crush our weakness with the weight of our pride.”

“Though all of us may die, only cowards die in shame,” Scorch said.

Stone was the first to act. He stood and drew his mace. “It is my duty to protect Celestia. Any that would harm her must answer to me.”

“And me!” Firefly said.

“I doubt this is true, but there’s only one way to find out,” Caduceus said, also rising.

Cross looked to his friends and gave them an eager smile. “So, guys, up for killing a god tonight?”

Jack shrugged. “As long as it’s not our god.”

“I’m charging extra for this,” Pack said.

The ponies formed up next to the Order’s knights. Both groups faced the door and waited, weapons drawn. The sound of running hooves came from the hallway, and soon a tall, dark mare came into view. A mare that was easily recognizable from the stories. Nightmare Moon.

Nightmare Moon entered the dining hall and stopped before the armed ponies. “What is the meaning of this?” she asked?

“WAIT!” Caduceus shouted. His companions did not move, but the members of the Order charged without hesitation.

Why do I keep thinking that shouting 'wait' will work? Caduceus thought to himself.

Nightmare Moon cast a golden barrier around herself and the members of the Order were briefly blown back.

“That voice...that magic,” Stone said.

“It’s Celestia!” Firefly yelled.

Caduceus identified the illusion spell, and cast a spell to counter it. The image of Nightmare Moon faded away, and in her place stood a very angry Princess Celestia.

“It’s a trick!” Fire shouted immediately. “Do not be deceived! They are agents of the Night Mare!”

“No mercy for the traitors!” Blaze cried out, changing the direction of his attack and charging towards Stone.

“Dark magic and foul illusions!” Burn yelled. He leapt upwards, ready to bring his axe down. “Fight hoof-to-hoof, you cowards!”

“Sisters! Do not lose sight of the true enemy!” Fire exclaimed. He rose from the table and joined Singe and Scorch. “I shall fight with you!”

“Yes, Father!” they replied.

~~~~~

Stone intercepted Blaze’s charge with a shield bash. Blaze absorbed the hit and punched Stone’s helmeted head with his armored hoof. Stone recoiled and Blaze moved forward to slash with his gladius. Stone brought up his shield in time to block the blow and countered with an upward swing of his mace. Blaze rolled away from the blow and suddenly switched targets, bucking Caduceus in the chest as he was about to cast a spell.

The air around Caduceus seemed to shatter as the invisible barrier around his robes broke from the lethal force of the blow. Though he was not harmed by the buck itself, Caduceus was sent flying and crashed onto the table, scattering food and silverware every which way.

Before Caduceus even landed, Blaze returned his attention to Stone and parried the general’s mace with his gladius. The two Earth Ponies traded blow after blow until Stone was able to use his shield to deflect Blaze’s gladius and counter with a solid mace blow to the knight’s shoulder.

The knight staggered, but recovered before Stone could press his advantage and rolled away. “Burn!” he called out.

~~~~~

“Dark magic and foul illusions!” Burn yelled. He leapt upwards, ready to bring his axe down. “Fight hoof-to-hoof, you cowards!”

Burn brought his axe crashing down on Cross’ position, but Cross dived to safety. Pack fired his crossbow from Burn’s left and Jack fired his bow from Burn’s right. Burn leapt upwards again, avoiding both shots. Jack followed suit.

Jack fired arrow after arrow at Burn while he was in mid air. Burn activated his red shield and blocked every shot. Jack tried to maneuver around Burn, but Burn slammed his shield into Jack, sending him spinning out of control.

A crossbow bolt slammed into Burn’s side and he cried out - more in anger than in pain.

“Got him!” Pack said, lowering his crossbow.

“It will take more than that to stop me!” Burn shouted.

“Nah, you just pissed him off,” Cross commented from beside Pack.

Burn dived straight down towards the two, axe held high.

Cross and Pack dived in opposite directions, and Burn slammed into the floor where they were, cracking the stone with the sheer force of his landing. Cross and Pack attacked immediately after.

“Your mother’s a whore!” Cross said as he slashed high.

“Your wife’s a colt!” Pack said as he slashed low.

Burn took the injuries without flinching and tried to use the opportunity to cleave both ponies, but Jack intervened.

“Your sister’s both!” Jack cried as crashed into Burn’s back and restrained Burn’s hooves.

Burn dropped his axe and rolled, in an attempt to both crush Jack and escape Cross and Pack. Jack leapt off at the last moment and quickly fired another arrow. Burn’s shield was up faster.

“Burn!” Blaze called out.

Blaze slammed into Pack from behind, thrusting with his gladius as he did so. Pack went down, but his armor deflected the hasty thrust. Cross and Jack moved to assist. With his opponents distracted, Burn charged, shield first. Jack was knocked aside again and crashed to the floor. Cross was knocked down and nearly trampled by Burn’s hooves, but he managed to bring his sword up in a stop thrust in time. Burn flapped his wings to stop himself from being impaled and sailed over Cross towards Stone.

Half of the dining table was destroyed in a fiery explosion.

~~~~~

Fire shot a beam of energy at Celestia. Celestia conjured a shield to block it. Singe shot up and around the shield, and thrust her flaming spear at Celestia’s back. Firefly zoomed in, knocked the spear aside with her hoof blades, then kicked at Singe.

Singe darted back. She narrowed her eyes at Firefly then darted behind her with three bursts of speed - first left, then up, then behind. Firefly, however, would not be outdone. As Singe appeared behind her, Firefly shot straight up then right. Singe darted straight after her, stopped just outside the range of Firefly’s hoof blades, then dived downward at an angle, twisting to swing her spear at Firefly. Firefly avoided the blow then dived down after Singe, blades extended. Singe blocked the blades with her spear, threw Firefly off and shot up again. Firefly gave chase.

Celestia locked eyes with Caduceus as he rose from where he had crashed on the table and nodded, trusting him to cover her. She dropped her shield and shot a beam at Scorch, who was trying to flank her. Scorch danced out of the way of the attack and threw a rune at Celestia. Celestia teleported the rune back to Scorch right before it detonated.

Fire tried to shoot at Celestia again, but Caduceus shielded her. Fire turned to face Caduceus and managed to shield himself from Caduceus’ attack. Caduceus released a slow moving orb of energy from his horn and teleported between Fire and Celestia. Fire turned back around to keep Caduceus in his sights and quickly blocked another beam. Caduceus conjured a box of energy around Fire and held it. To Caduceus’ surprise, Fire unleashed a torrent of flames within the box. The amount of energy was too much for Caduceus to contain and he dropped the spell. Fire stood unharmed as the flames fell away.

“I am Fire!” he boasted. Then Caduceus orb of energy exploded into the back of his head.

Singe and Firefly locked weapons in mid air again.

“You’ve gotten better,” Firefly said with a grin.

Scorch scowled. “Do not -”

“But I’m still the best!” Firefly interrupted, breaking the lock with a kick.

Singe was knocked back but recovered instantly. She brought her spear up defensively, but Firefly was nowhere in sight.

“Peek-a-boo!” Firefly said as her hind hoof collided with the back of Singe’s head.

Singe staggered, but stayed aloft. Firefly pressed her advantage, landing blow after blow on Singe, but refusing to use her hoof blades.

“Give up!” Firefly insisted in the midst of her flurry. “Give! Up!”

“NEVER!” Singe cried.

Singe trapped Firefly’s hoof between her body and her spear then twisted, throwing Firefly through the air. Singe shot after Firefly and thrust her spear. Just before Firefly was impaled, Singe was shot by a golden beam. Runes glowed on Singe’s armor, protecting her from the blast, but she was still knocked out of the sky.

“Firefly! Focus!” Celestia called out.

Firefly recovered and took a moment to catch her breath. “But -”

“Do what you must, General. They will not surrender,” Celestia said sternly.

“No, we won’t! We will win!” Scorch said, leaping at Celestia.

Caduceus let out an angry cry and grabbed Scorch with his magic, slamming her down to the ground. “Like Tartarus, you will!”

Caduceus threw Scorch towards Fire, who was getting to his hooves. Both slammed into the side of the dining table. “Auntie!”

Celestia fired a fast moving energy ball at the pair. The ball hit its target and half of the dining table was destroyed in a fiery explosion.

~~~~~

Burn sailed over Cross and continued his charge, this time towards Stone. Unlike the others, Stone did not evade the massive pegasus. Instead, he counter charged. The two ponies’ shields collided and they stopped abruptly, neither able to overpower the other. The stone beneath their hooves cracked from the force of their struggle.

“Ha! You are...strong! At last...a worthy foe!” Burn said with a smile.

Stone’s face was still hidden behind his helmet, but it made little difference for his expression behind it remained as impassive as steel. “No...you are...just old…fool.”

Using Burn’s greater size against him, Stone purposely buckled his hind hooves, grabbed Burn’s hoof, and threw Burn to the ground. Burn grunted and tried to rise, but Stone leapt on him immediately and began relentlessly striking mace blow after mace blow.

Burn tried desperately to put up his shield or to block with his hooves - anything to defend himself from Stone’s assault - but Stone was too close, and his blows too precise. Burn’s grunts turned to cries of rage, then soon after, cries of pain. Great pain. Still, Stone did not relent, for he knew that if given the chance, Burn could and would reverse their situations. At last, Burn could take no more and went limp, beaten to within an inch of his life, but not dead.

Stone let his mace fall and rose to his hooves, panting heavily. “Battle is not glorious,” he said to the unconscious Burn. “Merely brutal.”

~~~~~

Cross got to his hooves as soon as Burn was past him. He saw Pack engaged in a struggle with Blaze - a struggle that Pack was losing.

Blaze knocked aside Pack’s short sword and raised his own gladius. Pack grabbed Blaze’s hoof and fired a crossbow bolt at an armor joint. The bolt penetrated the armor and Blaze dropped his gladius in pain, but managed to headbutt Pack before they separated. Blaze grabbed hold of Pack’s foreleg and twisted, breaking it. Pack cried out in pain and Blaze struck him again.

Cross felt it then. A familiar sensation beginning in the depths of his chest and ending in a pounding right behind his eyes. It was a feeling he had felt many times before, and one of the things that had allowed him and his friends to pull through certain death time and time again. It was pure, simple, murderous rage.

“GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY FRIEND, YOU BURNT DICKED BASTARD!” he cried.

Blaze landed one more punch on Pack, breaking the mercenary’s ribs through his armor. Pack groaned, but smiled.

“Yeah...you're pretty much done,” Pack said.

Cross charged, sword held high and burning brightly. Blaze dropped Pack to meet the greater threat.

“I am a servant of Celestia,” he said as Cross reached him.

Cross thrust, but Blaze sidestepped.

“I fear neither fire nor darkness,” Blaze said.

Cross slashed, but Blaze ducked.

Blaze moved forward to strike at Cross. “I am invincible, for faith is my - UGH!”

Cross punched Blaze’s helmet so hard he broke his hoof and dented the steel into Blaze’s face. Cross ignored the pain and pressed his advantage. He was a unicorn. He didn't need his hoof to fight.

“EAT SHIT!” Cross exclaimed.

The flames around Cross’ sword burned white hot as he slashed again. And again. And again. With each slash, Cross forced his blade through Blaze’s armor. The metal burned and melted and gave way just enough for Cross to cut into Blaze’s hide, but not enough for Cross to strike a killing blow.

Blaze remained standing, but the bones of his face had cracked and his helmet obscured his vision. The pain from the crossbow bolt Pack had fired into his elbow only got worse as he was forced to put his weight onto that leg. He had stopped fighting. He had stopped being able to fight. But still he remained standing, and so Cross continued his assault. Until at last, Blaze’s strength gave way and fell to the ground.

Cross raised his blade once more and made to finish the job, but Pack intervened.

“That’s enough, Cross. He’s down,” Pack said, laying a hoof on Cross’ shoulder.

“He’s down, but not dead,” Cross said darkly.

“Look at me, Cross. Look at me,” Pack commanded, turning Cross’ head. “I’m tired, hungry, and beaten half to death, but that’s okay. I’m okay. Let it go.”

Cross let out a long breath and closed his eyes. The flames surrounding his sword faded away, and with them, his rage. Without the rage clouding his mind, Cross suddenly felt very tired. And his hoof hurt immensely.

“Ah, crap,” Cross said as he sat down. “I broke my hoof on that guy’s face...why did I do that? Damn it, I have a sword!”

Pack chuckled and sat down next to his friend, “I dunno, man. You get crazy sometimes.”

~~~~~

Jack and Singe got to their hooves. They had both lost their weapons and crash landed next to each other at around the same time. As they stood, their gazes met and they froze. There was an awkward moment of silence as they both realized who they were next to.

“Hey,” Jack said.

Singe punched Jack in the face and took to the air. She immediately dived back down, aiming a kick at Jack’s head. In the few brief moments Singe was diving down at him, Jack’s mind raced as it considered his options. None of them were particularly good. There was no way around it, he was outclassed. He just wasn’t pegasus enough to do this dance.

“Fuck it,” Jack said.

Instead of trying to dodge, he just shifted slightly, letting Singe’s kick hit his barrel instead of his head. He felt his ribs break, and he staggered, but stayed on his hooves.

If I can keep standing after hitting fifteen bars in a single night, I can damn well keep standing after taking one measly kick! he thought to himself.

Singe shot up then right then down to Jack’s other side. She punched him and shot up again. Jack’s vision began to blur.

Come on, Jack. Focus. You’ve fought tipsy before and won. This is nothing! Jack told himself.

Singe appeared in front of Jack and uppercut him. She disappeared again. Jack no longer knew how.

Wait a minute, yes I do, Jack thought in a moment of clarity through the pain. Up, down. Up, right, down. Up, forward, down. Up...whatever...then…

Singe dived straight for Jack’s back, aiming to break it with a single blow, but Jack staggered to the left and she had to correct her course. Then he staggered to the right, and she had to shift again. He staggered one last time as she was about to impact and, to her shock, grabbed her hoof.

“DOWN!” Jack yelled as he fell down with Singe locked in his grasp.

“Let me go, you stupid - AHH!”

Firefly dive tackled the momentarily trapped Singe from behind. This time, her blades were extended. Singe felt the blades slice through her armor and into her back, but they pulled back before going too deep. Firefly released Singe and hovered over her with a sad look on her face.

“You should have killed me, heretic!” Singe exclaimed. “Even wounded, I am - AHH! What...what?!”

Singe felt pain shoot through her every time she tried to move her wings, and her hind hooves no longer obeyed her commands.

“What is this? Celestia! Help me!” Singe cried out, confused.

Firefly looked away from Singe, leaving her wriggling on the floor. Firefly’s attack had damaged Singe’s wings beyond repair and left the monster hunter partially paralyzed. Singe was no longer any threat to anyone.

Firefly landed next to Jack and looked over his wounds.

“Got banged up pretty bad there, Jack,” she said.

“Captain...Jack…” Jack managed to say.

Behind Firefly, Singe screamed again, and Firefly forced herself to smile to fight back the tears.

“Right...hang in there, Captain. I won’t lose any more friends today.”

~~~~~

Caduceus and Celestia approached the prone forms of Fire and Scorch. Fire managed to roll and was attempting to get to his hooves. Scorch remained on the ground, twitching next to the shattered remains of all her runestones. In a twist of irony, her white coat had been scorched black like her namesake.

Caduceus stopped above Scorch. The mare was crying and mumbling incoherently. He charged his horn and fired one more bolt into her, and she went still. He looked up and found Celestia looking at him.

“She is not dead, Auntie,” Caduceus said. “Though she deserves to be.”

Celestia nodded and approached Fire, who had successfully managed to get to his hooves.

“I shall say it again, Flash Fire: surrender,” Celestia said. “Your Order is beaten. Your mad scheme has failed.”

Fire coughed repeatedly. It took Celestia a moment to realize that he was actually laughing. Or trying to.

“And I shall say it again, my goddess: never,” Fire replied.

Caduceus approached. “Your refusal to accept defeat does not change the fact that you have been defeated. It only makes you look pathetic.”

“You have broken my Order, beaten my body, and ruined my plans, but you have forgotten one important thing: I am a pony of faith. And faith alone can overturn the world,” Fire said. His horn glowed and a book appeared in front of him.

Caduceus’ eyes widened in shock. “That is Star Swirl’s tome! Where did you -”

From one to another, another to one.

A mark of one’s destiny singled out alone,

fulfilled by faith and thus made done!

Fire was suddenly surrounded by an orb of light and lifted high into the air. The bodies of the Order’s knights glowed and streams of energy flowed from them to the orb. The knights all screamed in agony as their very essence was stripped away. The orb glowed brighter as the knights’ glow faded, and when their glow went dark, each knight was left a shriveled corpse. The orb then broke open, revealing a rejuvenated Fire. His eyes glowed pure white and he remained aloft on burning wings.

Behold Flash Fire, The Sun Ascendant!

Caduceus gaped. “Is he...has he...become an alicorn?”

Celestia scowled. “No, merely a monster. Already the power bleeds from him. He will not remain that way for very long.”

“Indeed,” Fire said, his voice now possessing its own slight echo. “The transformation is not yet complete. For my full ascension I require the blood of a god!”

“That’s not how it works, Fire!” Celestia shouted. “You could have all the power in the world and yet still feel it slip through your hooves. The spell was incomplete, and you have failed to finish it!”

“Then I shall simply try again,” Fire said with a smile. “Eventually, I will succeed. I have faith. But let us try my original proposition first, shall we?”

Fire launched an intense beam of fiery energy at Celestia. Celestia brought up her barrier to block it, but the barrier held for only a moment before being shattered. Caduceus then teleported them both across the room and out of harm’s way.

“None can flee the judgement of the light!” Fire declared as he turned his attention to the other ponies. He fired on the closest pair: Firefly and Jack.

Firefly made to pick up Jack and fly, but Celestia reacted quicker. With a burst of golden light, all of her ponies were teleported to her side. Fire, meanwhile, seemed to be overtaken by madness. He blasted the walls of the hall in every direction, reciting:

I wield the fires of the sun

I burn truth into my foes

See me cloaked in radiance

As I banish the shadows

Behold Flash Fire, The Sun Ascendant!

While Fire was distracted, Caduceus looked at the ponies around him, assessing those that might aid in the fight. Stone was strong, but he could not withstand such overwhelming force. Firefly was fast, but how could she harm a foe wreathed in flames? Jack and Pack were too injured to help, but even if they were not, there was little they could do. That left…

“Cross!” Caduceus said. “You’re a unicorn. Can you teleport?”

“No,” Cross replied.

“Transfigure?” Caduceus asked.

“Nope,” Cross replied.

“Conjure a shield?” Caduceus asked, sweating now.

“Never did get the hang of that,” Cross said casually.

“Do you at least know Accelero?” Caduceus asked with a hint of frustration.

“That’s the speed one, right?” Cross asked.

“Yes! So can you cast it?” Caduceus asked, hopeful. Of course he can! He’s a swordspony! That spell would be infinitely useful for -

“No,” Cross replied flatly.

Caduceus stomped his hoof in frustration. “Then what can you do!?”

“I can set my sword on fire,” Cross replied.

Caduceus rolled his eyes. “Oh, yes. I’m sure that will be very helpful in our current situation!”

Pack tapped Cross’ shoulder and gave him two small, hoof-sized pouches. Cross smiled and tied the pouches to the blade of his sword.

“Get to safety, my little ponies,” Celestia said. “I will fight him alone.”

“Just let me thank our host, Princess,” Cross said.

“HEY, JACKASS! LIGHT THIS!” Cross yelled as he launched his sword towards Fire.

Fire turned just in time to see Cross light his sword on fire, igniting the two pouches of Saddle Arabian black powder. The powder exploded, shattering the blade and bombarding Fire with bits of flaming shrapnel. Fire recoiled and cried out in pain as the shrapnel pierced his skin.

“All yours, Princess,” Cross said.

Cross, Pack, and Jack looked expectantly at Caduceus.

“What?” Caduceus asked, flustered. “I said it would be helpful, didn’t I?”

~~~~~

Celestia flew towards Fire as Caduceus teleported the rest of the ponies out of the mansion, taking Star Swirl's tome - which Fire had tossed aside - with him.

“Where is that insolent whelp? Show him to me!” Fire demanded as he recovered from Cross’ attack. His body had healed, but the glow surrounding him had diminished. The pupils of his eyes were also now visible again.

“Your opponent is me, Fire,” Celestia said. “I suggest you focus because this time, I will offer you no mercy.”

Fire laughed. “I never needed your mercy, Celestia! Only your name, and, now, your life! How kind of you to stay and offer it to me!”

Celestia raised her head high. “Not kindness. Judgement. The ponies of your Order once claimed to be emissaries of my justice. They claimed to deliver my judgement to the unworthy. Those claims were made in arrogance and error. I need nopony to deliver my judgement, for I withhold it until all other options have been exhausted. And when I do see fit to bring it down upon a lost soul, I do so myself.”

“Not the finest speech I’ve ever heard,” Fire commented. “Are you certain you want those to be your last words?”

Celestia’s horn glowed a golden red. Her mane shifted to an ethereal fire. Her eyes glowed with a power more intense than that which filled Fire’s but moments ago.

“You used my name, but did not understand it,” Celestia said, her own voice adapting an echoing effect. “So let me show you why they once called me the Sol Invictus!”

Fire attacked Celestia with a beam of energy, but Celestia moved unbelievably quickly. She both dodged the beam and closed the gap between them in the blink of an eye, then slammed her armored hoof into Fire’s neck.

“Accelero for speed,” Celestia said as Fire choked.

Fire gasped through his crushed throat and grabbed Celestia with his magic to hold her in place. He poured a large amount of his magic into the spell, but Celestia casually waved a hoof and shattered his hold.

“Roboro for strength,” Celestia said as Fire recoiled.

Fire was on the verge of panic now. He had greatly underestimated Celestia’s power, but she was right now underestimating his. He gathered all of his remaining strength within him and flew at Celestia, horn first. Celestia stopped him in mid air, but he knew that she had let him get too close. He unleashed all of his pent up magic in one final blast, incinerating everything in the room around them. He was confident that his flames would not hurt him. He was wrong.

There was a spark of golden magic from Celestia's horn, and the flames in the room flew back into Fire. Fire screamed in agony as his entire body burned. His wings disappeared and he fell to the stone ground, breaking his leg as he crashed. Celestia watched impassively as Fire rolled across the ground, still screaming in pain, trying to extinguish the flames that were consuming him. He eventually succeeded, and now lay on the floor, gasping for breath. His body was burned beyond all hope of repair.

“And now, Reciproco for turning your spells against you,” Celestia said, landing next to him. “Three simple enchantments, backed only by the strength of my displeasure. That was all it took to best you.”

Fire groaned pitifully, and Celestia looked down upon him.

“You have not survived long enough to feel more than a fraction of my power. To see me wield the magics of my race - spells, ancient and terrible. In fact, it is not even day time. Had the sun shone down upon us, I could have blasted this mountain apart and buried you beneath it. I could have ripped the very magic from your body and left you an empty husk. I could have ended you, in every essence of the word. In every way imaginable. So let me ask you this, Father Fire…

“What does it mean to be a god?”

~~~~~

One week later, Cross, Jack, and Pack sat at a bar in Canterlot in the middle of the day. They had each been well compensated for their part in the mission against the Order, and Jack had even been given a medal for valor and allowed a moon off to recuperate. Additionally, they had been allowed to stay at Canterlot Castle indefinitely. In short, life was good.

Pack, mindful of the hour, drank sparingly. Cross didn’t drink at all - he never had. Jack, of course, thought his friends were committing some unholy crime, and so drank enough for all three of them combined.

“You know, guys, I’ve been thinking,” Cross said.

“I warned you about that,” Jack said.

“No, seriously, hear me out,” Cross said.

“Just get on with it, Cross,” Pack said. “Before Jack passes out and we have to drag his sorry flank back to the castle.”

“Okay, well, it’s just...Celestia,” Cross began.

“Oh, here he goes again with his crush on the Princess!” Jack said way too loud. Fortunately, the bar was empty at this time of day, so there wasn’t really any harm done.

“Not that!” Cross said, blushing slightly. “What I mean is...she’s pretty great, isn’t she?”

“I thought you said this wasn’t about your crush on the Princess,” Pack said.

“No! No, damn it! Well, yes, I’ll admit it, but that’s not what I’m talking about right now!” Cross said.

“Then what are you talking about, dude?” Jack asked, irritated.

Cross sighed. “Celestia...she’s really strong, and she’s really kind, and she’s really wise. We never seem to see her at her full potential, and even when it looks like she’s in trouble, it somehow always works out.”

“Still not seeing your point,” Pack said.

“I guess what I’m saying is...I get it,” Cross said. “Why the Order worshiped her. Why ponies would worship her. There’s just so much that we don’t know. She’s just so different from everypony else. And she brings us so much without asking for anything in return. Then there’s the whole day and night thing too. I mean, I know she isn’t really a god, but I’m just saying...she’s pretty god-like isn’t she?”

“I think she’s pretty damn scary,” Pack said.

“Yeah, totally scary,” Cross said, nodding.

“I’ll drink to that!” Jack cried. He poured back another bottle, slammed it down on the table when it was empty, and then collapsed on the floor.

“Told you it would happen,” Pack said, putting down his drink and paying the bartender.

“Alright, let’s take him back to the castle. Hospital wing. He’ll want to wake up and see that nurse later on,” Cross said.

“Maybe that’s why he’s been drinking himself under so much lately,” Pack commented. “Alright I’ll take the hind legs, you take the fore. Watch his head.”

Cross bent down to pick up his friend, who just then burped into Cross’ open mouth.

“Agh!” Cross exclaimed. “Sweet Celestia, that’s nasty!”