Of Radiance and Sacrifice

Of Radiance and Sacrifice

3 Years Ago

City of Canterlot

     The city streets were desolate. Not a pony to be seen save for the bodies of guards and civilians lying on the ground, blood pooling around their prone bodies. The sounds of terrified screams and the clanging of metal on metal echoed throughout the valley. Smokestacks could be seen from any part of Canterlot.

     Luna stood outside the castle gate alongside her Night Guard and members of the Wonderbolts, looking on in incredulity. It was a sight none of them had ever seen before. So many bodies… was the only thought Luna had. The Changelings hadn’t even shown mercy to the innocent. Celestia wouldn't take this lightly, not when the innocent were harmed and in such brutal ways.

     When the invasion began, word got out that Celestia had been badly injured by Queen Chrysalis. Her Day Guard were the only ponies protecting those inside. It remained unknown as to how Chrysalis was able to get within Canterlot undetected and remain so for this long. Despite the constant urge to retreat within the castle and help those inside, Luna held her ground. She had to wait for Frost.

     Frost; Pegasus, strategist, Luna’s personal guard and her closest friend. He left a while back and was flying over the City, surveying the area from above for Luna and her group before they made any moves. But that was twenty minutes ago.

     Luna stepped forward, eyeing the street ahead “Enough waiting. Thou must get ready to move on-”

     “There. He’s coming back” The voice that interrupted her belonged to none other than the leader of the Wonderbolts herself, Spitfire and she had a hoof pointed to the sky. Around her forelegs were a contraption that allowed a blade to pop in and out. “You really need to exercise some patience Luna.”

     “Right” Luna replied nonchalantly. The pegasus in the sky began to dive towards the assembled ponies. Pulling up last second, he slowed his pace and landed on all fours, two meters ahead of them. Dust was sprayed across his form. When said dust had settled, a pony wearing a cloak emerged.

     As the figure was walking towards Luna, a gust of wind blew the cloak atop his head back to reveal a light-grey stallion with a black and red mane and tail. He also had red irises. Lots of red. He wore a vest that covered his chest and shoulders, albeit torn, and had a bow and quiver slung across his back. The most striking part of his appearance was four pieces of metal that protruded from the tips of his hooves. Of course, the enhancements had been Luna and her research team's idea.

     Spitfire was the first to voice her opinion “What kept ya?”

     “It's good to see you too Spitfire.” Came Frost. He looked like he’d died and came back to life “There were a group of civilians trying to make their way out of the city. They were under attack, I helped.”

     It was simple but there was something else he was withdrawing from telling them. In the years Luna had known Frost, she knew how to read him like a book. And his facial expression gave it away. She decided not to press further however. “So what isth thou plan?” Luna asked.

     “This far in the city? Only a few stragglers, nothing we can’t handle. Along the main road leading to the commercial district however, there's a gathering of guards and civies holding the line to the castle. Their odds of succession are two to five” Frost expressing urgency in those last three words. “If we start traveling towards the area of conflict now, we can flank around the hostiles and hit em from behind. Sound good?”

     Luna just gave a nod of approval. At that, Frost began dishing out orders. “Spitfire, I want you and the Wonderbolts in the air overlooking us. You four -” He pointed to a huddle of guards “- are to watch our sides and rear. Understood?” They saluted at the request. “Good. Let’s move out!”

     That’s what Luna liked about him; he was reliable, no matter the situation. When she didn’t have a plan, he’d have one ready.

     The squad of ponies were moving swiftly to their target location, moving through any building or alley they could. Any resistance they came across was met with extreme prejudice and crushed in an instant. Spitfire would callout if there was a changeling and she’d dive bomb it. Frost would spot a stray and one arrow later, it was still. It amazed Luna just how efficient he was with those fingers. Combined with his bow making for a deadly mix.

     As they got closer to their objective, the cries for help and struggle against the changelings became more apparent. They were in a courtyard that led to the street behind the enemy when Frost brought his hoof up to signal everyone to stop and the Wonderbolts to fly back down. “Alright. They are right around this corner. When I give the word, we move fast and we strike hard. It’ll take them a few seconds to figure out what’s going so remember, hit em hard.”

     He turned to Luna “You going in or are you sitting this one out?”

     Luna was shocked, almost insulted at the question.  “As if thy would sit by and watch thou enter battle! We stand and fight alongside thou, not merely watch from the sidelines!”

     “I can admire that” Spitfire smiled as she glanced towards Luna. The thought of fighting along side her princess instead of said princess watching from a safe location comforted her a little. Turning to her fellow Wonderbolts, she asked “Any naysayers?” No arguments were made. “No? Good. We’ll be in the air, Bolts. See any hostiles up there, you know what to do.”

    Frost eyed Luna “I suppose that it would be fitting for you to lead the charge then. You up for it?”

     Luna just smirked in response. Unsheathing her sword with magic. She reared up on her hind legs, thrusting her sword upwards and yelled “TO BATTLE!” Everypony around her, unicorn/pegasi guards and Wonderbolts alike suddenly roared into the open air. All of them joined Luna is thrusting their swords and spears into the air. The shouts were carried throughout the whole of Canterlot.

     The screams of what sounded like a million ponies were heard amidst the battle, both ponies and changelings stopping to listen. Nothing. In an instant, those very shouts could be heard in full force from behind the changelings. A swarm of guards charging the changeling position and taking lead was none other than Princess Luna herself, brandishing a silver and blue sword.

     It was quite the sight. It looked as is the changelings had shit themselves.

Looks like we might be saved after al-

     “Vinyl Scratch?” A little filly interrupted Vinyl’s thought. Sadness was etched on her face. Her eyes were beginning to water “Are we going to die?”

     Vinyl recoiled at the question “What? No. We’re going to live through this.”

     “How do you know?”

     Vinyl leaned down, ruffled the filly’s mane and levitated her onto her back. “You see that, kid?” She gestured to the group of ponies charging the enemy “That down there is Princess Luna and her noble warriors. They’ll save us.”

     “Promise?” the filly had puppy dog eyes.

     “I promise”

     The filly wrapped her hooves tightly around Vinyl’s neck. Turning away from the battle, she walked back to where her saddle bags were located. They were filled with all types of DJ equipment. “To think I was supposed to perform tonight at the wedding. Looks like that won’t be happening” she said to herself softly. Looking at her back, she found the filly fast asleep.

     Once more, Vinyl levitated the filly off her back and placed her on one of the many chairs strewn across the floor. Finding a blanket, Vinyl wrapped it around the sleeping bundle and walked back to the balcony to watch the fight.

     The massive force that charged the changelings were running as fast as they could, some taking to the air and flying alongside the group. They were so close now, readying their weapons forward to make first contact.

     Just before reaching them, everypony in the front of the pack leapt into the air. Time seemed to slow down as Luna looked around and saw everypony lined up, in mid air and ready to fight. Time slowly began to resume and when it did, the entire street was turned into a massacre. Luna swung her sword left and right, taking on seven changelings at once. Spitfire bobbed and weaved, taking down anyone within reach. Frost was like a ghost, unloading arrow after arrow from the shadows.

     Ponies were falling but in turn more changelings were slaughtered. None were to be spared. Not after what they’d done to those poor souls at the wedding.   Changeling forelegs, wings and heads were severed in the frenzied counter attack. “KILL THEM ALL!” Rage had filled Luna and she wanted nothing more than for those who opposed her to be cleansed from the lands.

     The battle lasted for a good forty minutes before every changeling had been put down. When the dust and sand had settled, only seventeen ponies had survived. Their blades broken, their minds shattered, the bodies of the dead surrounding them. One of the bodies stirred, that of a unicorn guard.

     “On your hooves guard. We know not if they are all vanquished.” Luna ordered

     “Yes prince-”

     An arrow struck the side of his head with a resounding *crack* as his skull was indented. He fell to the ground. Looking to where the arrow came from, Luna saw Frost’s silhouette in the shadows. “Why did you-”

     “Look at him again” Frost gestured to the body.

     Instead of a guard, it was that of a changeling. “Oh…” was all Luna could let out. The changelings blood was beginning to pool.

     At that moment, a massive group of ponies were stepping out of a nearby building, the guards raising their bloody swords at them. There was fear in the eyes of both the guards and civilians. When the silence reached breaking point, a white unicorn with an electric blue mane stepped forward with a filly on her back. “Were not changelings ok?” It was Vinyl Scratch.

     Spitfire stepped forward to, drawing her blades. “Prove it” was all she responded with.

     “How can we prove it?”

     “Blood” Frost’s voice rang out across the crowd, walking next to Vinyl.

     “Frost? What… what happened to you?” It had been an entire year since she’d seen those eyes and mane. She eyed him curiously.

     The light-grey pegasus grabbed Vinyl’s foreleg with his fingers and ran a blade across it with his other fingers. Vinyl winced in pain as the dagger pierced her skin. Crimson leaked onto the blade.

     “They’re good”

     A sigh of relief from everypony later and Luna was filled in on the situation that took place before her squadron arrived.

     “Interesting. But to more pressing matters. Thou said there was what looked to be another wave of changelings gathering at the northern border?” Luna inquired

     “Yep. Dunno what they’re up to but I don’t want to stick around to find out.” Vinyl expressed her concerns to Luna who listened intently.

     Luna stood up from her position “Hear me ponies. We are to-”

     An explosion sounded from down the road they all stood on, silence followed. Everypony looked down the road only to see a massive group of changelings advancing on their position and quite quickly. Turning to face the crowd she spoke urgently “Ponies! Make haste for the castle!” Luna trotted the way all the other ponies were running. Upon turning around, she found both Spitfire and Frost standing there.

They’re going to stay and fight? No! They’ll be crushed!

     “What are you two doing!? We need to move now!” Luna yelled at them

     “They won’t make it back to the castle if we don’t try to hold them back. I know it and you know it.” Frost spoke calmly which irritated Luna. But she knew he was right “Go. Now.”

     Luna nodded, albeit reluctantly, turned and left the premises

     Spitfire turned to Frost “So. This is it huh?”

     Frost not once took his eyes off the hoard that approached, yet he looked calm and ready. “You know what? I think it might just be. At least you won’t have to fork over those twenty-five bits you owe me.” The corner of his lip arced upwards

     “And ain’t it a bitch.” Spitfire turned to face her death. “Ready?”

     “Ready”

     The changelings had reached Spitfire and Frost. Luna turned around only to see that they were immediately engulfed in a sea of black carapace. Luna felt dead inside, she’d left them both to die.

     At that moment, a bright light was being emitted from behind her. She turned around. It was coming from the castle.

What the?...

     The bright light receded back into the castle a moment later as if nothing had happened at all.

Strange. It looked li-

     A massive shock-wave came from the castle, echoing throughout the valley. It shook buildings and broke windows. It even blew Luna back a few steps. She was struggling to keep her hoofing upright but the intense waves of wind were proving her otherwise.

     Whilst being blown back, she tripped on a piece of debris and was send flying. She slammed into the side of a rock hard building, knocking her out cold and came to a rest on top an overturned lamp post.

     When Luna came to, she rubbed her head with a hoof, wincing when she touched a bruise. Getting up, she looked around finding a desolate street. “What in Celestia was that?” she asked herself

     In the distance, Luna spotted Vinyl, her guards and everypony else emerging from what she assumed to be a coffee shop. “They’re safe. Good.” Luna saw that there wasn't a changeling in sight. Not even the bodies of those who were dead.

     In the distance, she saw two bodies, one being yellow and the other being light-grey, laying on the ground, covered in rubble.

    Luna's eyes went wide “No!” She rushed to her fallen friends. “No no no no no.”

     She reached their bodies. Their breathing was very shallow. Spitfire had a piece of rebar that impaled her wing and several cuts and bruises across her body. Frost had the same, cuts and bruises, but his wing and both hind legs were crushed by the debris. Looking back at where she last saw Vinyl and the others, she yelled “Help! Anypony please!”

She turned back to her friends prone positions, levitating rubble off them.

It’s going to be alright. Everything will be fine… please…