Chapters "Sounds like... timberwolves..." Macintosh hummed in his sleep.
"They're back already," said Flash Sentry. He stepped closer to their crate of weapons.
Shining Armor held up his hoof at a right angle. "The shield will hold, Soldier. Do not engage."
Flash twitched. "Shouldn't we be prepared in case it doesn't hold, Captain?"
"Don't go paranoid on me, Sentry."
More howls interrupted them, closer than before. The team spun their heads in every direction, waiting to catch sight of the wolves through Shining's translucent dome.
"Zecora, can you tell how many there are?" Shining asked.
Zecora sat cross-legged and closed her eyes. "Along with those that came before, surrounding us are many more."
"Eeeyhheeehhhh..." Flash Sentry dove for the weapons and scooped up a pair of short blades in his wingtips. "What do we do without Mac?"
"The shield will hold," Shining Armor said again.
Spitfire crouched, wings poised for takeoff.
Big Macintosh stirred in his cot. "Time for... zap apple jam..."
A hundred pairs of glowing yellow eyes appeared in the snowstorm beyond the shield. They grew larger and brighter with every prowling step the winter wolves took.
"Eee-hee-heeeee!" Flash Sentry squealed. "That's a lot more than the five that took down Big Mac, Captain!"
"At ease, Soldier! We're safe in here. My shields have held off worse."
"Captain Armor, my help you're needing," Zecora said, opening her eyes from the trance. "I sense your ribcage may be bleeding."
"Huh?" Shining looked down at his stinging side. Blood was dripping through a cut in his armor. "Horseapples... I knew one of them got me."
"Captain?" Spitfire said in a worried tone.
"We're dead!" Flash croaked, bouncing on his hooves. "We're all gonna die!"
Shining Armor stopped Zecora with an outstretched hoof. "I'm fine. Let me concentrate on this shield."
Zecora gave him a stern look. "The wolves of snow will not depart before a deadly battle starts. If we are e'er to send them home, we must fight back and leave this dome."
Shining breathed deeply. Spitfire gulped. Flash Sentry almost fainted.
"All right, patch me up," Shining said. He untied and shook off his armor for Zecora to apply ointment and bandages to the cut.
"Shouldn't we wait for Big Mac?" Flash asked.
Shining Armor looked at his large, red friend drooling by fire. "He already saved us today," he said, staring down the winter wolves outside. "Time to return the favor."
"Macintosh?"
Big Mac turned around and smiled. "Eeyup."
Shining Armor beamed and thumped Macintosh in the chest. "Big Macintosh Apple! Welcome to the force, Soldier. Good to see you."
"You, too," Macintosh said. He looked around the barracks and swallowed a lump in his throat. "Uh... these ponies seem... experienced."
"That they are," Shining said, nodding proudly. "The best from every regiment."
Macintosh frowned. "Shining... er, Captain Armor... I've only been up here for a month. Why was I called up?"
Shining pursed his lips. He stepped closer to Big Mac and spoke quietly. "I'm assembling an elite team for a dangerous mission. I asked each regiment to send me their best fighters."
Macintosh shook his head. "That ain't me, Captain. I'm afraid I can't rightly call myself a good soldier. The most experience I ever had before this month was kickin' apart some timberwolves."
Shining Armor smirked. "That might be more helpful than you think, Soldier. Go on about your business, we'll get to training this afternoon."
They saluted each other, and Macintosh stumbled off.
The next day, after hours of excruciating trials and hoof-to-hoof combat training, he stood tall among several dozen soldiers facing Shining Armor, waiting for the team to be decided. He hoped, and believed, that his name would not be called. He wanted to get back to the front lines and fight the invaders.
But his attitude completely changed within seconds of Shining's speech.
"While I do have some of you in mind for this team," Shining yelled out to the troops, "there is an important detail I should share with you. Our mission will be dangerous and largely unplanned, but we have received a distress signal from farther north than ponykind has ever trod, farther than we believed could exist." He paused for a moment and had to clear his throat. "The signal was from Princess Twilight Sparkle. Four days ago, the Princess and her small tactical unit consisting of Pinkamena Diane Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity Belle, Fluttershy, and Applejack—"
Shining briefly made eye contact with Macintosh in the crowd.
"—vanished without a trace on the field of battle."
A murmur rippled through the soldiers. Macintosh felt the blood drain from his face.
"I will personally escort a small team of specialized fighters into the unknown north and gather all information necessary to retrieve them. Before I make my final decisions, are there any volunteers?"
Macintosh's hoof was the first in the air. Others he recognized were Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts, and Zecora, a fellow Ponyvillean.
Shining nodded. "I thought so. Dismissed!"
Macintosh's eyes snapped open. Sharp, glittering teeth of solid ice hung inches over his face. Behind the wolf, Flash Sentry hovered on armored wings; each of his hooves held a small blade, and each blade had pierced through one side of the winter wolf's skull.
"Close one!" Flash said, tossing the body aside. It crumbled into chunks of snow by the dying fire. "You up yet, Macintosh? We could use whatever you've got in you!"
Blearily, Macintosh turned his head.
Shining Armor lowered his head and sprinted through the body of a winter wolf. Another came at him from the side, biting into his armor. Shining used his magic to dislodge the beast's teeth, then turned and smacked it in the snout with the back of his hoof. A third wolf leapt at him from behind. He raised his hind legs and bucked, smashing the wolf's face into frozen powder.
Macintosh's vision cleared a bit and focused on Zecora. She was a whirlwind of black and white, and he couldn't tell which stripes were on her body and which were from motion blur. Naked and armed with nothing but a stick of enchanted bamboo, she spun toward, jumped on, and cracked open one wolf after another at a dizzying rate.
Flash Sentry swooped down from above. The stormy winds challenged his balance, but he managed to stab at least one wolf with every quick descent, then rose into the swirling fog just overhead. Another dive, another stab. It drew the attention of many winter wolves, nervously scanning the skies, giving Shining and Zecora the opportunity to attack.
"...Spitfire?" Macintosh groaned. His eyes swiveled weakly in their sockets. "Where's...?"
A thunderclap burst from somewhere high in the sky. Every wolf, pony, and zebra froze in place and listened. An electric buzz filled their ears, swiftly growing in volume.
"Get down!" shouted Shining Armor. He and Zecora hit the snow; Flash Sentry pumped his wings, zipping past the camp and away from the battlefield. Macintosh swung his legs, teetering off the edge of the cot and crawling underneath it.
The wolves looked toward the crackling sound. Through the clouds, a bright blue surge of lightning soared down at them. They howled and scrambled to escape, but Spitfire was too fast. She burst through the tightest pack of them at full speed. Bolts of lightning shot out from her dark trail. Dozens of wolves exploded or melted on impact. Shining Armor leapt to his hooves and quickly beheaded a couple survivors.
Spitfire and Flash Sentry looped around and regrouped. Zecora and Shining crouched hoof-to-hoof; Flash and Spitfire landed hard on either side of them, casting a flurry of snow into the wind.
Only fifteen wolves stood their ground when the flakes had settled. Their yellow eyes ignited and glowed brighter than ever. Their bodies turned to slush and rushed toward each other, joining into a massive tower of ice some fifty feet from Team Harmony.
"What's going on?" Flash shouted.
"They're... joining together!" said Spitfire.
"Timberwolves can do this, too," Zecora said. "Captain, we all look to you."
Shining Armor watched as the column of ice reformed, sprouting legs, a tail, and finally an enormous head with eyes that burned like two ferocious Suns. The gigantic creature howled into the storm, and its voice shook the ground beneath their hooves.
"I... I..." Shining stuttered.
From behind them, a deep voice rumbled, challenging the giant wolf with characteristically few words.
"I got this."
The wolf bared its icicle teeth.
Macintosh's frown deepened.
"Stay back, Macintosh, that's an order!" Shining yelled at the limping stallion. "You are in no state to face that thing!"
The great red farmer didn't listen, nor did he say a word. Macintosh's slow, steady gait continued toward the giant snow beast. Nopony else followed.
"What's the plan, Captain?" Flash Sentry asked in a high voice.
Shining Armor's teeth ground together. "Wait a moment. But be ready to get in there."
Macintosh's hind leg dragged, leaving a long line in the snow behind him. The wolf's growl shook the air and Macintosh's long mane quivered around his face.
"Captain, I think we should—" Spitfire started.
The wolf lashed out an enormous paw, bigger than all of Macintosh's body. Macintosh leapt at just the right moment, twisting around in midair and latching his forearms around the wolf's wrist. The monster sat on its haunches and tried to shake Macintosh off.
He squeezed with all his strength, the muscles in his chest contracting tighter than they ought. With a drawn out crunching sound, the tendons of ice in the wolf's paw shattered into weighty chunks. The whole paw dropped into the snow below like a sheet from the roof of the barn after a storm.
The great wolf howled in pain and smacked its stubby limb against the ground, but Macintosh held on tight. It brought him up to its mouth, but Macintosh let go during the swing and buried his hind legs into the wolf's chest. It raised up onto its hind legs with a piercing whine.
"Go!" shouted Macintosh.
His team was ready. Spitfire and Flash Sentry rocketed to the wolf's neck, slamming their shoulders into its lifted jaw and toppling the monster backward.
"Timber," Macintosh said under his breath.
Shining Armor and Zecora galloped at full speed. They jumped onto the wolf's legs and ran up the length of its body, reaching Macintosh before it hit the ground. They pulled him out of the crumbling snow and stood together over the wolf's sternum.
Just before its back smashed into the ground, all three of them jumped in the air. Spitfire and Flash joined them on the descent; under the weight of all five ponies from above, concurrent with its impact on the ground from behind, the wolf's giant chest cracked and crumbled into piles of snow. Without another sound, its glowing eyes extinguished and the monster was no more.
Team Harmony lie together in a pile of inanimate snow and, from surprise or exhaustion or the thrill of victory, laughed together between cold and painful breaths.
"Welcome back, Mac," Flash said, ruffling Macintosh's mane.
"Hello," he replied.
"You all right, Macintosh?" Spitfire asked. "That was one heck of an idea."
"Apple Bloom used to make snow ponies," he said, and shrugged.
Shining Armor wriggled out of the snow and helped Zecora to her feet. "Make sure he's all right, will you?" he asked with a grin.
"I can already tell ya, Miss Zecora," Big Mac said, pulling himself out of a pile of snow with only his upper limbs, "that my leg is plum broken."
They all looked at the same time and immediately grimaced.
"Euughhh..." Spitfire looked away.
Flash Sentry threw up.
"Your turn, Zecora," wheezed Flash Sentry. "I can't hold him up any longer."
Zecora nodded. She allowed Flash to scramble out from Macintosh's side before tucking herself under his foreleg. Flash stretched out his wings and flew a few circles in the open air. They had passed through the storm and continued marching north behind Shining Armor.
"It's thanks to you we journey yet. Your bravery we'll not forget," Zecora said, quiet enough that only Macintosh could hear.
He smiled sadly. "Thanks, Zecora. Glad you came along. Feels like there's a bit o' home out here."
Zecora blushed. "How very kind of you to tell. At times I feel a stranger still."
"In Ponyville?" Macintosh asked. He bumped her with his hip. "Nah. I heard AJ call you a staple in the community. Couldn't agree more."
Zecora bowed to hide a growing smile. She simply nodded, and that was enough.
"Now that it's clear, do I have permission to scout ahead, sir?" Spitfire asked Shining Armor.
"After that lightning trick you pulled on the winter wolves, I figure I owe you one free pass for just about anything you want, Spitfire," said Shining. "Go ahead. Be back in five or less."
Spitfire grinned and saluted in midair. She took off farther north and soon vanished from their sight. The frozen tundra seemed to stretch on forever without a mountain range in sight.
"Do you think we're almost to the Ice Dragon Craters, Captain?" asked Flash.
"No idea. I certainly hope so," Shining said. They marched on.
Spitfire returned quickly. "The Craters are just ahead, Captain," she said with tilted eyebrows, "but they're completely empty. No Ice Dragons."
Shining stomped a hoof in the snow. "Darn it. We don't really need them, but it would have been nice to understand this place a little better."
"Where do you think they went?" Flash asked Spitfire.
She shook her head. "I look around, but... there are no tracks, nothing left behind, no trace of them at all. I mean, I've never been here before, obviously, so I don't know what it's supposed to look like, but... aren't they supposed to live at the bottom of the Craters?"
"Definitely," said Shining. "Twilight asked Dragon Lord Ember all about them. I read through the reports; their ancestors made the Craters with their own fire, and over the generations they evolved into Ice Dragons. I can't think of any reason they would leave their home. Unless..."
"Unless what?"
Shining's eyes narrowed as he gazed into the north. "Unless the invaders attacked them on their way south."
All were quiet.
"So..." Flash Sentry shivered. "So the invaders are from that far north? Princess Twilight and her friends are... wherever they come from?"
"Maybe," said Shining. "We can't be sure. All we can do is press on." He looked at Spitfire hovering above him. "I'm sorry that we slow you down, but I still think its best for us to stick together."
"I agree," Spitfire said, landing. "If whatever's up there can take out an entire race of dragons... I'd rather not find it alone."
The Ice Craters were enormous and beautiful. Shining stood at the edge of one and peered into its depths. Its icy walls shone bluer than his eyes. The creatures that made it must have been gargantuan.
"How many are there, Spitfire?" Shining asked.
Spitfire flew high, tapped her hoof in the air many times, and dropped back to her team. "I count thirty," she said. "And it looks like some of them are filled with water.
"What? Which ones?"
"The closest is over there," she said, pointing northeast.
"Let's go." Shining turned back to Macintosh, still supported by Zecora. "Are you two all right?"
"For trotting some miles with three times my weight, I feel like it might be time for a break," Zecora shouted back.
Macintosh chuckled, limping alongside her.
"You two can stay here and rest for a while," Shining said with a nod. "Sentry, stay with them. Come alert us if there's trouble."
"Will do, Captain," Flash said, saluting.
Spitfire and Shining armor wove through narrow, snowy paths between the Craters. There was very little talking between them as both their eyes scanned the site for any signs of conflict or escape. There were none.
"What happened here, Captain?" Spitfire asked.
"Let's find out quickly," he answered, "and leave."
They reached a crater nearly full with steaming water.
"Incredible." Shining scanned the still surface of the perfectly circular lake. "Can you go down and touch it? How hot it is?"
Spitfire glided along the top of the water and dipped in the tip of a hoof. "Not very hot," she shouted back to him. She hovered in place and dropped all four hooves in. "Barely even warm, really."
"Then why is it steaming?"
Spitfire swung her hooves in the water. "Because it's freezing out here."
"Then why hasn't it frozen? It's stagnate."
In an instant, Spitfire disappeared with a loud splash.
Shining stepped closer to the edge. "Spitfire!" He tried to peer through the water; it was cloudy, and ripples soon blocked his view of its depths. "Spitfire !"
He took a few steps back, then ran and dove into the water. Swimming downward as fast as he could, Shining scoured the water for any sign of Spitfire. Magic from his horn lit the depths of the lake, and Shining spotted Spitfire's body dropping fast to the bottom of the crater.
Thinking fast, Shining pulled a bubble of air from the surface in a shield of magic. He wrapped the shield around his own head and took a deep breath, swimming downward as fast as his legs could move. The closer he got to the bottom, the clearer the water became, and soon he could see the artifact pulling Spitfire closer.
"Sweet Celestia..." he said to himself. "A Crystal Heart?"
An all too familiar object rotated in place at the very bottom of the lake, spinning slowly but pulsating often with a strange, localized energy.
Spitfire turned around and saw Shining Armor. She waved her hooves and wings wildly, trying to escape whatever force kept pulling her down. As soon as she reached the spinning heart and touched it with the tip of one wing, she disappeared completely.
Shocked, Shining screamed after her. "Spitfire!" He thrust his legs beneath him with all his might. As he drew nearer, he could hear a low vibration emanating from the Crystal Heart. "Aaaagh!"
He reached out and touched it. Its facets were cold to the touch: ice , not crystal. He hardly had a moment for that to register, however, before suddenly standing next to Spitfire... in the center plaza of the Crystal Empire.
Both of them were shaking, each with a hoof on the Crystal Heart suspended in air below the castle.
A group of crystal ponies were gathering to stare.
Dripping water, Spitfire turned and stared at her captain. "Do you...?"
Shining could only shake his head.
Spitfire gulped. "Horseapples."
"Get a team of pegasi up there now !" shouted Shining Armor. "I want Macintosh, Zecora, and Flash Sentry home before the week's end, do you understand?"
"Yessir!" a group of twenty pegasi responded in unison.
"Do not engage the winter wolves, fly over every storm you can," he commanded. "Go!"
They swiveled to the right, galloped single file, and took off one by one. In the sky they branched into a V formation pointed north.
Princess Cadance rested a hoof on her husband's neck. "They'll be all right, my love," she said. "You're doing everything you can."
"I've done nothing !" he shouted, and stormed back to the castle.
Cadance followed quietly, her head lowered, all the way to their suite high in the castle. Shining draped his forelegs over the edge of the balcony and watched the pegasi fly toward the northern horizon.
"Shining?" Cadance asked timidly.
He sighed. "Two months. Two months of travel into unknown lands, far from the war I should be personally leading, and all for nothing. Twilight's still out there and we're no closer to finding her. If she's even alive."
"Don't say that!" Cadance wrapped herself around her husband and closed her eyes. "Twilight and her friends are powerful. They'll be all right. And we will find them."
"I thought the pegasi scouts I sent before were incompetent," he said. "They flew back into the city confused and distraught, remember? They said they had never stopped flying north, and then suddenly ended up back here. I thought they were crazy." He grit his teeth. "Now the same thing happened to Spitfire and me. Something else is at work here. There is magic keeping us away."
"Be patient, my love," Cadance whispered. "We'll try again. There's nothing else we can do." She brushed his mane out of his eyes. "Besides, you came back alive. That matters more than anything."
Tears welled in his eyes. "More than rescuing the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony? I don't think so."
Cadance buried her face in his neck. A few tears dripped from Shining's muzzle and fell to the streets of the Empire below.
"I've decided to train some new recruits," Shining said.
Spitfire swallowed her drink and laughed. "You can't be serious. Why would you do that?"
"It's the only thing that makes sense to me right now," he said. "I've appointed generals I trust to lead the war. I've sent thirty elite teams up north, and one of them's bound to find Twily." He stirred his bowl of stew and poked at the potatoes. "All we can do at this point is wait, and the best thing I can do is support the newbies. We're drafting every last able body in Equestria now, Spitfire. They're going to need all the help they can get."
She raised her eyebrows. "Well, at least you've thought it through, even if I think you're nuts. But you have passion, Shining, and you're an outstanding soldier. If anypony can get the newbies ready for battle, it's you."
"That's what I'm hoping," he said, clinking cups with Spitfire.
The newest recruits to the effort were trained in Canterlot. Shining took a train that evening. He hugged Cadance on the platform. "At least we can write to each other while I'm down there," he said. "And I'll come back to visit as often as I can. Keep me updated on everything Flurry does."
"That would take a book a week," Cadance teased with a smile. "Help those young ponies prepare for what's out there."
Shining Armor nodded. "I will," he said, and kissed her on the cheek.
The entire train ride, Shining thought about the icy heart at the bottom of the crater's lake. Where had it come from? Why had it sent them back to the Crystal Heart? How many others like it were there?
He arrived at the Canterlot Academy early the next morning and refused to sleep before meeting the recruits. "I want the newest batch you've got," he told Sergeant Fancypants.
"Are you absolutely certain of that, Captain?" the Sergeant asked. "There are some... interesting characters in that group."
"Fine by me," Shining said. "I need something as different from the tundra as possible. Training a bunch of nitwits might be just the thing."
Fancypants led him to an open court and raised his eyebrows. "Very well, Captain. Your new recruits await." He opened a short gate and allowed Shining Armor to pass through.
There were nine ponies in the court. Most of them were very young, with the exception of an older mare and...
"Shining Armor!" cried a scratchy voice. "Well, if it isn't my favorite brother from another mother! What's goin' on, Shiny? Haven't seen you since the big wedding here in C-Town! How's the missus, hmm?"
Jaw hanging open, Shining Armor stared at the lanky aquamarine stallion with twitching eyes.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
11 - Strained and Strange
"No sirree, no kidding here, just your preemptively favorite new recruit, Zephyr Breeze !" Zephyr struck a pose, holding his helmet under his right foreleg. "Heh heh! Boy oh boy, it really is good to see you, Shiny."
"Zephyr, please don't call me that," Shining Armor grumbled.
"You really do know him?" asked a red and white mare.
"You see? I toooold you, Shiny Armorsville and I go way back!" He flashed a smile at the red and white mare. "No need to sound so exasperated."
"What are you doing here, Zephyr?" Shining Armor asked sternly.
"I volunteered to join the army, of course!" Zephyr Breeze said, slicking back his mane. "You think I'd just sit idle with my big sis out there? No way, no how. This Breeze is ready to become a hurricane if that's what it takes to save Fluttershy!" He pushed out his lips and snapped into another, if very similar, dramatic pose.
Shining Armor frowned. "Joining the ranks of the Equestrian military is a big commitment." He turned his attention to the eight other ponies in the courtyard, standing nervously in small groups. "You all have been recruited to serve your nation in the most crucial war in the last thousand years. The safety of Equestria and its ponies will be in your hooves. It's not pretty out there, believe me. Your battles will be dangerous and terrifying. If you survive, your lives will never be the same."
"Yeesh, Shiny, no need to be such a downer !" said Zephyr. "Maybe you need a new mane-style. No offense, but yours has grown out a bit too much and I bet your soul is suffering from its neglect."
"This is not a joke, Zephyr, nor a subject to be taken lightly." Shining Armor glared at the ponies. "Line up! Straight line, stand tall!"
Most of them scrambled to form a line in front of the captain. Zephyr trotted leisurely into place and stashed his helmet under the other foreleg.
Shining Armor paced in front of them. "I have fought on the front lines of this war. For the better part of a year, I have planned attacks and led defenses against the Northerners with ponies just like you, and I have watched many fall around me. They will not be forgotten. We are not winning this war, soldiers, not yet. To honor those that have given their all, and to restore harmony to our way of life, we need every brave pony to do their part. You will play a vital role in our victory." He turned at the end of the line and paced back toward Zephyr's end. "I have chosen to aid in your training to ensure that you understand how important each one of you are to turning the tides. I cannot promise that you will ever return home, but I am confident that your efforts will protect our homes and loved ones."
Shining turned his head at the end of the line and stared into Zephyr Breeze's widened, worried eyes.
"They need you up north as fast as possible," Shining Armor shouted. "We have very little time to prepare you for battle, soldiers. Can I count on your full cooperation?"
"Yessir!" shouted eight of the ponies.
Zephyr gulped. "Uhh... what exactly are we fighting up there?" he asked.
Shining's eyes narrowed. "Monsters."
12 - Only Meager Training
"They're doing well, Captain," said Fancypants. "Your methods are... unorthodox, but they seem to be improving steadily."
"I just try to be honest, General," Shining Armor said. "It's no cake walk up there. They need to be ready for the worst, because they'll probably see it." He blew a whistle around his neck. "All right, soldiers, that's enough! Back to the barracks!"
The ponies stopped their workouts and shuffled out of the gym quickly. Shining Armor looked Fancypants in the eye. "What about Zephyr? Have you found a way to send him home?"
"Not yet, Sir." Fancypants winced. "And I don't think we will. The consensus is that every able bodied recruit ought to head up north by the end of this week."
Shining gaped. "He hasn't shown up to a single drill since he arrived. Surely that's—"
Fancypants cleared his throat as a group of ponies entered the gym and headed for various machines.
Shining grunted and began to whisper harshly. "Surely that's enough reason to dismiss him. Believe me, I know him well enough to have full confidence that he will be of zero help on the battlefield."
"Maybe so, Captain, but nevertheless, he will join his unit in the north by week's end." Fancypants shrugged. "They will find use for him up there."
"Oh, like what, mane cuts?"
Fancypants ran a hoof over his own mane. "Well, he is rather gifted."
"Ugh!" Shining's brow creased. "Look, Zephyr Breeze is unfit for battle. Who do I need to talk to, who do I need to convince in order for him to leave before his unit's deployment?"
"It's just not possible, Shining," Fancypants said. "We are all aware that Zephyr Breeze is not Equestria's next great war hero, but he is Fluttershy's brother and he is clearly intent on doing his part to rescue her."
"He'll do nothing of the sort!" Shining hissed. "If I can't do anything for the Princess and her friends, what makes him think he can?"
"Obviously there is nothing he can do as an individual," Fancypants said with his eyes closed, "but Zephyr Breeze is a passionate pony, if a bit dramatic. I want to see the six saved as much as the next stallion, but my job is here. Zephyr feels that his is out there."
"And when he dies?" Shining Armor asked. "What do I tell Fluttershy when she's found, huh? That I let her half wit brother traipse into battle with two weeks of meager training?"
Fancypants' eyebrows raised. "Is there any word from the scouting parties you sent out that I should be made aware of, Captain?"
Shining looked at the ground. "No. Most of them have mysteriously returned, of course. Others we haven't heard from in weeks."
Fancypants sucked in his lower lip. "Mm. Please, let me know as soon as you hear anything."
"I will." Shining trotted toward the gym's exit.
"And about Zephyr—" said Fancypants.
Shining interrupted him. "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of Zephyr Breeze."
13 - An Unattended Toddler
The military train was darker and less colorful than its civilian counterpart. It felt colder as well, but Shining Armor acknowledged that may have been from the nerves.
"My goodness gracious, Bricken Brack, you're shaking like a leaf!"
Zephyr's voice rang out uninhibited through the silence of the train car.
"I mean, I've seen this before—I am the Breeze after all— but there's no need to be shaking in your armor. I know it can be intimidating to sit next to me, but that's what was assigned, Brickster, and we gotta follow order, y'know?"
"Zephyr!" Shining Armor shouted from the front of the car. "Shut up."
Zephyr Breeze put up his hooves. "Hey, I'm just trying to lighten the mood, Capitano. My friend Brick'n'Mortar here seems a little frightened and I wanna do my part to calm him down, that's all."
"Leave Brick Pounder alone. You aren't helping." Shining Armor trotted to the seat they shared and looked Brick Pounder in the eye. "You have every reason to feel afraid, Pounder."
"I'm sorry, Sir," said the large tan stallion. "I'm trying to be brave."
"That's good, Soldier." Shining Armor patted him on the shoulder. "But don't feel like you're doing anything wrong. I'm nervous too. I get scared every time I make this journey."
Brick Pounder's light red irises shrunk. "Y-You do?" he asked.
Shining Armor nodded. "We will not send you into battle unprepared, Soldier," he said, "and I will be fighting alongside you. I can only promise you that."
He gave the stallion's shoulder another hardy pat, then glared at Zephyr. "Follow me, Zephyr," he said, marching to the back of the car and passing through the door to the next.
Zephyr swallowed and smoothed back his hair. "Is my bun tight?" he asked Brick Pounder, pointing to the back of his head.
Brick Pounder looked down.
Zephyr frowned. "Gee, thanks, comrade. You're a real team player." He hopped into the aisle and shuffled after Shining Armor.
The next car was smaller, darker, and empty. Shining watched Zephyr poke his long head through the doorway first.
"Boy, it's sure quiet up there," he said without entering. "Heheh... it'll be nice to have a little brotherly conversation."
Shining's eyes narrowed. "Brotherly? Zephyr, I am not your brother."
Zephyr squeezed through the door and shrugged. "Weeeell, technically no, but Fluttershy and all her friends are basically sisters, which make you and I kinda like—"
Shining stomped his hoof.
Zephyr froze, eyes wide. "Uhh... cousins?" He grinned.
"I wasn't supposed to come back with you lot," Shining said in a harsh whisper. He stepped closer to Zephyr. "My plan was to stay in Canterlot for at least a year and train new recruits. Stay out of the fight, prepare the next wave."
"But you decided to come with me because you wanted to spend more time together?" Zephyr said. His rigid body melted and he laughed at the ceiling. "Oh, thank Celestia! I thought you were gonna yell at me or something."
Shining Armor started yelling. "I came to protect the rest of your unit from you, Zephyr! I know who you are. I know what kinds of messes you make, like an unattended toddler ! And I should know, I'm raising one !"
Zephyr cocked an eyebrow. "Why would you raise your toddler unattended?"
"Gaaaugh!" Shining leapt forward and stuck his face close to Zephyr's. "Listen to me, Breeze. Fluttershy is a sweet, kind, thoughtful mare and one of Twilight's best friends. You are a lazy, thoughtless, selfish colt entirely unfit for battle, but I am taking it upon myself to ensure you do not die out there, for Fluttershy 's sake, not yours. Do you understand?"
Zephyr pulled a strained smile. "You're making me kinda uncomfortable, Shiny."
"Please, please, for the love of harmony itself," Shining Armor growled, "will you promise me to do everything in your power to stay out of the way and survive till the end of this war?"
"Sure thing, Shiny." Zephyr nodded. His bun bounced floppily.
Shining Armor sat on his haunches and rubbed his temples. "Okay. Good."
14 - Luscious Crystal Locks
"Captain!"
Shining Armor helped the last of his unit off the train and turned around. Flash Sentry hovered above the Crystal Empire platform, saluting.
"Afternoon, Soldier," said Shining. He offered a brief salute in return. "At ease. How have you been?"
Flash landed and pattered his forehooves. "Uhhhh... fffffine. Ish."
Shining frowned. "What's wrong?"
Without making eye contact, Flash mumbled, "I don't think I should be the one to tell you that, Sir. It's requested that you join the princess and Team Harmony in the palace."
Shining raised an eyebrow. "What, now? I've assigned myself to this unit, Soldier, and we're headed out immediately. I'm sure the princess will understand, I wrote her about it in great detail." He glanced at Zephyr, blabbing to a mare down the platform and measuring locks of her mane.
"Bring them if you must, Sir," Flash said, taking flight, "but you're going to want to join us. Now."
He took off. Shining looked over his shoulder. Zephyr had moved on to another mare and woven three braids between her ears. The mares giggled and smiled.
Shining Armor shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "All right, everypony, listen up!" he shouted.
His companions formed a line and stood alert beside the steaming train.
"We'll stay in the city tonight, at the palace."
Some of them gasped and whispered to each other excitedly.
"I've been summoned to... a briefing of some kind," Shining continued. "First thing in the morning, we'll deploy to the northern barracks and prepare you for battle. Are we clear?"
"Yes, Sir!" they shouted in unison.
Zephyr beamed. "The Crystal Empire! Oh, I just know I'm gonna like the viiiibe of this place, yeah!" He bumped the train behind him with his hips. "I can already feel the inspiration, the motivation, the pizazz! Can you feel it, ladies?" He winked at the mares standing off to the side and puffed out his armored chest. They giggled. "Mmmm hmmm! Somethin' about the way the manes sparkle here, it's just—"
"Enough!" Shining Armor barked.
Zephyr winced. "Whaa-hat, Shiny? Can't a stallion appreciate the luscious locks of a crystal pony every now and again? Why, I betcha if we could see the flow of energy that their manes afford these lovely ponies, you might finally consider getting a decent mane-cut yourself." He pushed his lips to one side. "No offense, Cap'n."
With messy blue bangs in his eyes, Shining glared at Zephyr for a few long seconds. "Follow me," he finally said to his troop, then spun on his hooves and marched quickly toward the palace.
Macintosh smiled when Shining Armor marched through the enormous doors. He was the only one smiling.
Cadance rushed to her husband and threw her hooves around his neck. "Oh, Shining... I'm so glad you're here."
"What happened?" he asked, barely returning the hug before stepping back to stare her in the eyes.
Cadance's lip quivered. "It's... it's about Twilight."
Shining's gut tightened. He looked behind Cadance at a large table where sat Macintosh, Zecora, Spitfire, and Flash Sentry. Shining and Macintosh shared a nod. The others wouldn't look up.
"Tell me now," Shining demanded, trotting to the table. "I don't have the patience for subtlety."
"She sent another message," Spitfire said. "You won't like it."
"What did she say?"
Flash spun his forehooves over each other.
Shining looked at Cadance, then Zecora. "What did she say?" he shouted.
"We found a troupe of pegasi scouts," Zecora said, her face still and somber. "The lights of their lives had already gone out."
His brow creased. "What, you mean... dead?" he asked. "Where?"
Zecora pointed down. "Around the Heart, where you were found," she said. "We're lucky the citizens weren't around."
"It was the dead of night. They were found by the guards," Cadance explained. "There were ten of them, one of the thirty teams you—er, that were sent north."
Shining vision blurred. "I don't understand."
"Last night, ten pegasi popped up dead in a circle 'round the Crystal Heart," Macintosh said. "When the guards found 'em, they say they heard Twilight's voice come from the Heart itself."
"Twilight?" Shining repeated. His knees shook.
Macintosh nodded. His eyes were dim and tired. "She said, 'Stop trying.'"
Shining Armor's lips pursed. He shut his eyes to stop tears. "No," he said. "They must have been in shock. Must have heard wrong."
"I performed a memory spell on them," Cadance said in a shaky whisper. "They were right. It was Twilight. She said to stop trying."
"No!" Shining slammed his forehooves on the table. The room was deathly silent. "No! We will not stop! Who knows what kind of magic is behind this? Changelings could mimic voices, we have no way of knowing that was Twilight."
"Ponies are dead, Shining," Cadance said.
"Ponies are dying every damn day out there!" he screamed at her, throwing a hoof at the nearest window. "Every day! Whatever those things are, they're stronger than us! They're slaughtering us!"
"Shining..." Cadance choked.
"We have to save them! They're the only ones that can stop this. We have to get them back, no matter the cost!" Shining turned from his wife and addressed the team. "They must have found something, right? If they died, they must have gotten close. We can find them."
"Shining," Spitfire said softly, "it's been over and year, and we still have no idea what we're dealing with."
"But they're dealing with me ," Shining said. "And they have my little sister."
Lightning arced behind Spitfire. She squinted through her goggles and didn't stop flapping until the Cloudsdale skyline was in sight above the horizon. Early morning light filtered through the cloud city, emanating a spectacular glow. Spitfire sighed as she glided to the gates of the weather factory.
"Captain Spitfire," a guard greeted her as she landed, saluting.
Spitfire nodded at him. "I need in."
The guard used his magic to open the gate. Spitfire trotted through and looked up at the spires of the factory. She managed a grin, for even in these perilous times, there was an awe to the works of ponykind. She fought for that feeling, after all.
A blessedly familiar blue mare with a shocking white mane trotted out of the factory. "Spitfire!"
"Fleetfoot!" Spitfire hurried up the steps to embrace her friend. "It's been a long time."
"That it has." Fleetfoot tried to smile, but failed. "They told me you were coming last night. I'm guessing this means things are bad up north."
Spitfire frowned. "Let's head down. I'll tell you everything in the elevator."
"Uhh... right now?" Fleetfoot glanced around. "There's not much to see yet, Spitfire. I'm sorry to tell you."
"That's what I'm here to see," she said. "Take me down."
Fleetfoot gulped and nodded. They trotted together to the back of the factory where guards allowed them into a small, dark elevator. It dropped quickly into the enormous cloud-base of the city.
"Shining Armor sent me to check on the progress of Project Greatwing," Spitfire said. "You're right, Fleetfoot, things are bad up there. We can't stop the enemy. They push closer to the Crystal Empire every day. And despite sending specialized units further north, we can't figure out where they're coming from. More and more join their ranks, and we just can't keep up."
Fleetfoot shivered. "So... why the interest in Project Greatwing?"
"Captain Armor thinks we can use it on the enemy," said Spitfire, "and to get farther north than ever."
"What, soon?" Fleetfoot shook her head. "Spitfire, it's not ready. We haven't had the proper support, first of all, and the builders don't seem to think it'll work at all."
The elevator slowed to a stop and opened. The mares stepped into a gigantic hidden hanger within the clouds. Magical lights glowed brightly overhead, illuminating the shell of an enormous aircraft: like a train, it was large enough to hold many passengers in flight, but with wings and powerful engines built onto the sides, it would reach speeds unimaginable in a hot air balloon.
"That's what I'm here to tell you," Spitfire said. "Your workforce has been tripled, your budget unlimited. What do we need to do to get this thing flying by week's end?"
Fleetfoot's jaw dropped. "Uhhhh..." She grinned. "Well, we'd need a lot more unicorns, for starters."
The enormous machine grew larger in the sky. Onlooking ponies tensed up, eyes wide and lungs full. It landed with a brief screeching noise from the wheels. The engines under its wings reversed, slowing the craft as it approached the Crystal Palace along one of the modified, long, straight streets leading up to it.
"Great job on the runway!" Fleetfoot shouted to a team of unicorns behind her. Even from a distance, the machine made a great deal of noise. "For Equestria!"
"For Equestria!" they shouted back, saluting.
Fleetfoot waited until the machine had come to a complete stop before approaching it. A hatch on its belly dropped to the ground. Spitfire, accompanied by a number of other ponies dressed in military garb and two tall unicorns in the rear, descended from the ramp. Some of the soldiers looked dizzy, but Spitfire was beaming.
"So?" Fleetfoot asked.
"It's incredible!" Spitfire yelled. "We were flying over Canterlot in a matter of minutes!"
"Thirty five minutes, to be precise," said a yellow unicorn stallion with a bright, theatrical voice.
"The first flight was flawless, Miss Fleetfoot," said the other stallion, sporting a red mustache.
"Good to know, Flam," Fleetfoot said, nodding. "You two have really outdone yourselves with this."
Flim grinned. "Well, we wanted to do our part to save Equestria, of course," he said.
"What else were we going to do with all our Las Pegasus earnings, anyway?" Flam asked.
Shining Armor marched from the palace and stood beside Fleetfoot. "How many ponies can it carry?" he asked.
"I'd say two dozen, at least," said Flim.
"Three dozen, if you're desperate," added Flam.
"Standing room only, of course." Flim winked.
Spitfire walked under one of the huge engines attached to the bottom of a rigid wing. "How far can it fly?"
"Depends on the unicorns you have piloting it," Flam said with a shrug.
"We could take it all around the world!" Flim bragged.
"What about north?" Shining asked. "Will it work in the cold? Will it get through the storms?"
Flim and Flam glanced at each other. "Uhh... that's not something we're prepared to find out," said Flim with a thin smile.
"We've provided you with the technology," Flam explained, "but we are, uh... unwilling to guide our great troops into battle."
"It got sold, but we're not your soldiers." Flim tipped his hat. "In fact—"
"We've got a train to catch!" Flam said.
They galloped off together. "Au revoir!" they sang in unison.
Shining Armor frowned. "I assume they left some instructions on how to fly this thing?"
"Our unicorns have been properly trained," Fleetfoot said, nodding. "They're confident they can fly this thing as far north as we need to."
Shining Armor nodded. "Good. We leave tomorrow."
Spitfire tilted her head. "Captain? Do you mean you're riding it up north?"
He patted her on the shoulder. "So are you, Spitfire. Team Harmony is back together."
Spitfire winced. "Uh... yeah, I don't think that's gonna fly." She smiled weakly. "Pardon the pun."
"You can't stop me from going, Cadance!" Shining Armor yelled.
"Do you really expect me to let you go up there again?" the princess asked. "With all the ponies that have gone missing, not to mention your trust in that... that thing down there!" She pointed over the edge of their bedroom's balcony at the aircraft. "You're out of your mind, Shining! The ponies of Equestria look up to you. Our daughter needs you!"
"They need Twilight more," Shining said. "And I will stop at nothing to find her."
He stormed out of the room and hurried to the study. Macintosh and Spitfire were waiting for him.
"Uh oh," Spitfire said at Shining's angry expression. "Is she gonna be okay?"
"She'll have to be," Shining grumbled. "Where's Flash? And Zecora?"
"Zecora's not coming," Spitfire said. "Flash is already in the aircraft."
Shining's jaw dropped. "What do you mean Zecora's not coming?"
"She said it was too dangerous," Spitfire said with a serious expression. "That she had a bad feeling about it."
"Psh!" Shining slammed a hoof on the table. "Well, fine. Make sure we have plenty of medics coming with us, then."
"Already done."
"Macintosh," Shining said, looking into the great stallion's deep green eyes, "what do you think of all this?"
After a deep breath in and out through his nose, Macintosh said, "I'll do anything to find Applejack."
A lump grew in Shining's throat. He nodded. "Right. Let's go. There's no reason to wait around."
The three of them left the palace in silence. Waiting at its base, near the crystal heart, was the unit of new recruits Shining Armor had brought to the empire.
"Soldiers!" he said as he walked nearer.
They looked his way and stood at attention.
Shining frowned. "Where's Zephyr?"
Some of their eyes shifted, but otherwise they made no sound.
"Brick Pounder, where's Zephyr Breeze?" Shining asked.
"I don't know, Sir," said the stallion. "We haven't seen him all day."
Shining sighed and rubbed his eyes with one hoof. "Figures. Right, well, I wanted to wish you all a safe journey. I've reunited with my special operations unit for a dangerous mission to find the Princess of Friendship and her companions. They are a powerful team and have gone above and beyond for the safety of their country. Draw strength from their examples, and do the same. I'm sorry that I can't come with you to the battlefield, but I have full confidence in your loyalty and determination to protect." He saluted. "I'm proud of you, Soldiers. Report back to the imperial barracks and await orders. You'll be on a train before sundown. Dismissed!"
The ponies saluted and began to march away. Shining Armor caught Brick Pounder's attention and said, "When you see Zephyr, please tell him to be safe out there. Tell him not to forget what I said. Can you do that for me?"
Brick Pounder nodded. Shining gave him another whack on the armor and let him follow his unit through to the streets of the city.
"Zephyr Breeze?" Macintosh asked behind Shining.
He turned around and rolled his eyes. "He up and joined the army. Wanted to save Fluttershy."
"Can't blame him for that, I s'pose," Macintosh said.
Shining Armor put his head down. "Yeah. I just... I just hope he makes it. For her sake."
Macintosh was quiet.
Spitfire cleared her throat. "Right, well, I don't know who this Breeze guy is, but let's not let him distract us too much from the plan at hoof."
Shining nodded. "Right. Come on, let's meet up with Flash."
From high above, Cadance cried while watching her husband board Film and Flam's flying machine. "Please come back, Shining," she breathed. "Come back to me."
Flash Sentry gulped. "Right, I just gotta ask one more time before, uh..."
"Takeoff," said one of the unicorn pilots.
"Right, before takeoff." Flash wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "You definitely know what you're doing, right? I mean, you understand how the whole things works?" His eyes bulged. "The whole. Thing ."
"Relax, Sentry," Spitfire said, punching him in the side. "You've got wings. Even if it falls apart in the air, you'll be absolutely fine."
"But what if it starts to crash and I can't get out?" Flash asked, breathing hard.
"There's an emergency lever on the bottom level," the second pilot said, straight faced. "If for whatever reason we lose control of the crash, you can pull the lever and open the hatch at any time."
"It's all pulleys and gears down there, no magic," said the first pilot. "The hatch will open manually no matter what else is happening."
"All right... all right, that's great..." Flash's heartbeat slowed as he relaxed, nodding slowly.
Shining Armor rolled his eyes. "Right, then. Let's go."
The pilots took their positions in seats at the front curved windshield. Their horns glowed brightly and they began to twist knobs and push buttons in front of them, talking gibberish to each other between phrases like "system checks" and "emergency light".
Flash shuddered and turned to his captain. "You're sure about this, Shining? I mean, this thing was built in a week."
"Unicorns have done greater things in less time," Shining said.
"We are go!" one of the pilots shouted.
The craft lurched forward and quickly gained speed. The engines were roaring, the whine of machinery rising in pitch. Shining and Macintosh widened their stances. Spitfire crouched to lower her center of gravity. Flash laid on the ground and covered his eyes, whimpering.
Suddenly, the craft wobbled and its noise reduced by half. Everypony's stomachs dropped.
"Lift off," said one of the pilots.
Spitfire rushed to one of the small, round windows built into the walls of the craft. She watched the Crystal Empire shrink behind them. "Wow..." she said. "We're going really fast."
"That's the idea." Shining Armor joined her. His eyes widened with the scope of the horizon.
"You've never seen the world like this, have you, Captain?" asked Spitfire.
Shining shook his head. "Never. It's amazing."
"Guys, come get a look at this!" Spitfire yelled over her shoulder.
Macintosh ran to join them with a huge grin on his face. His eyes devoured the scenery below.
Shining Armor smirked. "You like flying, Macintosh?" he asked.
"Eeyup!" Macintosh beamed, unable to look away from the diminishing mountains below.
"Flash!" Spitfire shouted.
"I-I've seen it enough, thanks," the stallion stuttered. He hadn't moved, chest glued to the floor. "I think I'll j-just stay here until we've landed."
"Which will be when, exactly?" Spitfire asked, looking at Shining.
He frowned. "I'm not sure. We'll get as far north as we possibly can."
"What if we pass whatever it is we're looking for?" Spitfire asked.
Shining looked out the window. "I guess we'll just have to keep watch." He smiled at the glee in Macintosh's face. "Shouldn't be too hard a task."
"Sweet Celestia... is that us?"
Shining Armor turned from watching the unicorn pilots at work and addressed Spitfire. "Is what us?"
Spitfire beckoned him to the window. "Come here, look."
"You can see it from here as well, Sir," one of the pilots said, pointing through the windshield. "She's talking about the battle there."
Shining's stomach dropped. He took a step closer to the glass, standing in between the two pilots, to look at the ground far below.
"It is us!" Spitfire said. "Wow... I've never thought to look at it from so high up."
"There's a good reason for that!" Flash said loudly. He hadn't moved in nearly an hour. "There's no oxygen up here, you know. If we get some kind of puncture or anything in this machine, we'll all asphyxiate."
Spitfire rolled her eyes.
"Actually, there is enough oxygen to breathe, even up here," one of the pilots said.
Shining couldn't take his eyes away from the battle far below. "There are... so many soldiers," he said.
Spitfire nodded. "It looks like we're doing well. There's more color than black down there," she said. "Jeez, what are those things, Shining? Every time I see them, even from up here, I just... I can't even describe it."
"Macintosh put it well once, I remember," Shining said, tearing his eyes away from the battle. "Keep up the good work. Onward north," he said quickly to the pilots, then approached Spitfire and Macintosh at the smaller, circular windows. "What was it you said, Mac? Pieces of... er, something about shadows."
"Whispers o' living shadows," Macintosh said softly.
"But they're not shadows, really," Spitfire said, rubbing her eyes. "I get what you mean, they don't move like anything I've seen. Like liquid, almost. Liquid darkness."
"Reminds me of Sombra a bit," Shining Armor said. He made a face. "But... sharper, somehow. I don't know. Hard to explain."
"Very hard." Spitfire nodded and stared out the window. "Wow, we got to the fronts in less than an hour, Captain. At this rate, we'll be back to the Craters by Sundown."
"Even earlier than that," Shining said, then directed his voice at the pilots. "That is, if you two can manage that long?"
"We can fly till the Sun goes down, surely," said one of the pilots. "I don't know if we'll reach the Ice Dragon Craters. Never been there myself, obviously. But we'll get her as far north as we can and then land for the night someplace safe."
Shining nodded. "Sounds good enough for me."
"You look tired, Spitfire," one of the pilots yelled to her over his shoulder. "You can head down to the lower level and get some rest if you want. There are rows of cots down there, sleep anywhere you like."
Spitfire smiled. "You know, I think I'll take you up on that. I barely slept at all this week, making sure this thing got built."
"The hatch is in the back," said the pilot. "The stairs down are pretty steep. Watch yourself."
Spitfire saluted. "Anypony else?" she asked the group. "Flash? You might be more comfortable on a bed."
Flash got to his hooves shakily. "Yeah, okay. I'll follow you."
Shining chuckled and watched Flash Sentry wobble his way behind Spitfire to the back of the craft. What was he thinking, bringing that goofy pegasus along? One wrong passenger could jeopardize the entire mission.
Spitfire and Flash Sentry stared in silence for a few long seconds.
"Is she supposed to be here?" Flash asked her in a whisper.
Spitfire shook her head. "I don't think so. I don't even know who she is. Do you?"
Flash crept closer on wobbly knees. The turquoise pony, fast asleep on one of the craft's many cots, snorted loudly and flipped over.
"Oh Luna, it's a dude!" Flash hissed back at Spitfire with a nervous expression.
"What? Are you sure?"
"Yeah, come look at his face! He's got some serious stubble going on."
Spitfire inched forward, careful not to kick the Equestrian armor strewn around the occupied bed. "Whoa, it is a dude. Why is his mane done up like that?"
Flash shrugged. "I don't know, I think it's kinda cool, actually."
"Should we wake him up?" Spitfire asked.
Grimacing, Flash waved a hoof toward the snoring stallion. "Don't ask me, you make the decisions around here."
Spitfire sighed and reached out to poke the stallion. "Uh... excuse me?" she said at a normal volume.
"Fluttershy!" the stallion screamed, bolting upright.
Flash and Spitfire yelped and jumped backward.
The stallion looked all around him, shivering. "Fluttershy! Where'd she go? Is she okay!?"
"Hey, calm down, buddy," Spitfire said, holding out a hoof and approaching him slowly. "You were having a bad dream. What's your name, Soldier?"
His eyes were bulging, his breath erratic and noisy. Suddenly he sucked in an enormous amount of air, closed his eyes, and let it out slowly through puckered lips. He crossed his hind legs in front of him and held his hooves out to his sides.
Spitfire and Flash glanced at each other, but said nothing.
After several deep breaths, the stallion half-opened his eyes with a calm smile and slid off the bed. "Ahhhh... sorry about that, pony pops. Got some baaaad juju in the thinky-spot, you know what I mean? I try to live a stress free life, but sometimes it just piles up in places you don't expect and manifests itself in the most atrocious commotions, okay? Okay." His smile widened and he bowed. "Name's Zephyr Breeze, if you please, and doesn't change if you don't. Ha!"
Spitfire's eyes widened. "Zephyr... Breeze?" she asked. "Uhhh... aren't you supposed to be with the new recruits Shining Armor brought to the Crystal Empire?"
"Yes indeed, Orange Slice, and may I say I love what you're doing with your mane? But yeah, it's true, I do have the honor to be the gem of the new recruits. And don't try to deny it, because you're the one that knew my name." He winked.
"Orange Slice?" Flash Sentry asked.
Zephyr wiggled a hoof at Spitfire's mane. "Yeah, I don't know, something about it reminds me of an orange peel. Can't say it's my best work, but a just-woke-up-style nickname can't be held to the same standards."
"Do you know where you are?" Spitfire asked, peering in bewilderment at Zephyr's nonchalant expression.
Zephyr's violet eyes bounced around the room. "Uhh... some kind of experimental flying majigger, right? Sorry, I climbed up that ramp over there when it was open—" He pointed to the back of the plane. "—and figured it wouldn't be a big deal if I caught a few beauty Z's in just one of these many-many beds. If I'm wrong, I do apologize, and I'll just be on my way back to the barracks."
Spitfire's mouth almost smiled, but the possible repercussions were too serious.
"This craft has been airborne for an hour, Soldier. We're more than five hundred miles north of the Crystal Empire."
Zephyr's features fell into a look of real panic. "Excusez-moi ?" he squeaked.
Zephyr trotted in place nervously. "Well, turn the doohickey around! It can turn around, right? I mean, it's not like we're on train tracks!"
Spitfire guffawed. "We're on an extremely important rescue mission, Soldier. We're not just going to turn around because of some stowaway."
"Oohhhh boy." Zephyr shivered and looked around. "Okay, well, just let me out. I'll fly home!"
"You'll fly five hundred miles?" Spitfire asked, looking him up and down. "Doesn't look to me like you could fly for a straight five hundred feet ."
"I've been known to surprise ponies," he said. He tried to sound jovial, joking around, but the pitch of his voice was too strained and his eyes wouldn't stop darting from wall to ceiling to wall of the craft's underbelly. "Seriously, just throw me out the emergency exit, I don't care, just get me off this thing!"
"Hey, calm down," Spitfire said, holding out a hoof in Zephyr's direction. "We don't like this situation any more than you do, but because of your negligence to stay with your unit, the consequences are clear. You'll have to stay in the craft with the pilots until the Princess and her friends are rescued by us."
Zephyr perked up. "Fluttershy?" he said.
"Oh right, that's it, you're Fluttershy's brother!" Flash Sentry said, nodding slowly. "I knew I recognized you. You came to the Royal Wedding, right?"
"I most certainly did, and I was the life of an otherwise stuffy party, but this is neither the time or the place for lighthearted reminiscing!" He stepped closer to Spitfire. "You're on a mission to rescue Fluttershy?"
"Yes, she's one of six primary targets," Spitfire said. She frowned. "I probably shouldn't be telling you any of this. Just one more reason to make sure you stay on the plane."
"Oh, no, no no no no no no!" Zephyr shook his hoof wildly inches from Spitfire's snout. "I won't tell a soul, I swear on the Sun, Moon, and Stars, and you are going to let me off this thing before it flies a mile farther." His lips were pursed, his eyes held wide.
"What?" Flash made a face. "You... I thought for sure you'd want to come with us and help rescue your sister."
"Please refrain from giving Mister Breeze any more bright ideas, Sentry," Spitfire snapped. "Zephyr, sit back down on that cot and get a hold of yourself. I'm going up to let Captain Armor know that you've joined us."
Zephyr's irises shrunk. "Oh please, no! Anything but that! There's gotta be a way to open up the ramp and just let me out before he finds out, right?"
"The pilots did say something about an emergency lever..."
"Sentry!" Spitfire shouted.
"Not so loud!" Zephyr hissed, pressing a hoof over Spitfire's mouth. He looked up. "Do you think he heard us?"
Spitfire smacked his hoof away. "Sit down now , Soldier! That's an order!"
Zephyr rolled his eyes. "Pff! I don't have to obey you! What, I don't get to go back to the Crystal Empire but you get to tell me when to sit down?"
Spitfire stared incredulously. "Yes! That's how authority works! What did they even teach you in Canterlot?"
"I don't know, I wasn't paying much attention," Zephyr said. "But I did hear something about a lever!" He dove between Spitfire and Flash and bolted for the tightly closed hatch.
"No!" Spitfire glared at Flash. "Go get Shining, now !"
Shining's horn sparked. "What?" he breathed in a menacing tone.
Flash bumped his forehooves together. "Uh... you should really just hurry down and see for yourself."
Shining and Macintosh looked at each other. "Zephyr Breeze?" Shining asked.
"Nnnope," Macintosh growled.
They galloped to the back of the upper level while Flash Sentry resumed his fetal position behind the pilots.
As they thundered down the stairs, Shining tried to take in the bizarre scene revealed below. Spitfire was shouting and chasing Zephyr from one wall to the other over and over. She was much faster than him, but every time she got close he pulled her mane or threw a cot in her path.
"Shining!" Spitfire shouted. "Arrest this stallion at once!"
Shining Armor cast a quick spell with his horn, trapping Zephyr in a pink bubble of magic.
Zephyr turned his head around inside the bubble and grinned. "Oh, hey there, bro! Wh-what's going on? Heard about the rescue mission, cool, cool... cool stuff."
Shining's face turned a shade of pink much angrier than his magic. "Zephyr," he said quietly. "What are you doing here?"
Zephyr blinked innocently. "Uhhh... taking a nap?"
"Raaaurgh!" Shining charged at Zephyr from the bottom of the staircase.
Zephyr shrieked and hid his face behind his hooves.
Shining stopped just outside the bubble of magic and began shouting. "You may have jeopardized the most important rescue mission in Equestrian history! What am I supposed to do with you now? I can't trust you to do a single damn thing without being constantly supervised!" Spit flung from his lips and dotted the magic shield as Zephyr cowered. "You are immediately relieved of duty, dishonorably discharged from the Equestrian Military, and sentenced to prison without a trial until the end of the war!"
"Shining, that's a little excessive," Spitfire said, her voice hoarse.
"For him? Not at all!" Shining said. "He's lucky I didn't sentence him to death !"
"Come on, Shining, calm down." Spitfire gave him a dirty look. "We've all had our say, let's just calm down."
Shining breathed hard and sat down on his haunches. He rubbed his eyes and nodded. "Okay, okay, you're right. I'm sorry, Zephyr. I shouldn't have said that. But you are dismissed from the military, and you are not to reapply until the end of the war."
The magic vanished, and Zephyr dropped on all fours. He gulped. "Does that mean I can go home now?"
Shining stared at him. "What? No. Do you know where we are?"
Zephyr took slow steps toward the back of the craft while he said, "Yes, I do, thanks to these fine ponies informing me that we have flown five hundred miles north of the Crystal Empire, which, while I realize would be quite an undertaking, can theoretically be traversed by wing, and as I am in complete accordance with the, uh, sentence you have placed upon me, I humbly ask your permission to leave you expert ponies to your expertise and, assuming that you're all okay with that as it's clearly for the best, I bid you farewell and wish you luck rescuing the Princess."
His hoof suddenly reached up for a small lever on the wall. "Say hi to Flutter Butter for me." He winked.
Spitfire lunged forward. "Shining, don't let him—"
Zephyr pulled the lever down, and the exit ramp dropped wide open.
Somewhere in Equestria, a bluebird flew over a vast forest. He wasn't a baby bluebird anymore, but only just! His mother had begun teaching him how to fly not one week ago, and he was already getting the hang of it.
Flying was all about making sure that the forces acting on the little bluebird—forces pulling him down, pushing him forward, lifting him higher—were balanced in such a way that his wings and body allowed air to stream around him uninhibited, keeping him gently afloat. While he understood this in theory, he began to wonder what would happen if that airflow was interrupted.
Curious, the little bluebird pushed his tail feathers straight down, disrupting the air underneath his body that provided a lifting force. Almost immediately, the bluebird's slowed to a crawling pace and began to fall backwards toward the scary forest below.
Of course, the little bluebird had muscles in his neck, wings, and body that quickly allowed him to backflip, flap a few times, and regain speed and altitude, with a deeper understanding of the forces of flight than he had before the experiment.
Unfortunately, the Film Flam Brothers' military commissioned aircraft had no muscles whatsoever, and when its hatch dropped open in mid-flight much like the tail feathers of the little bluebird, the gigantic machine buckled backward, shooting its nose straight up at the sky—and then began to fall.
"Ooohhh..." Flash Sentry's vision blurred. "I knew this would happen..." As his consciousness slipped away, his body went completely limp moments before the craft and everypony on board began to freefall.
"Zephyr!" Shining Armor screamed.
Zephyr looked terrified. "Wh-what's going on?"
"You've crashed the plane, you idiot!" Spitfire screamed. Before she could say another word, she noticed Flash's body floating limply near the sideways cots. "Flash! Wake up!" She moved to his side with one flap of her wings and began to slap Flash across the face over and over.
Zephyr looked down through the open hatch at the snow covered mountains below, fast approaching. "I-I-I didn't mean—!"
Macintosh grabbed onto the staircase railing. Shining yelled to him, "Macintosh! Can you get up to the first floor? See what the pilots can do!"
Nodding, Macintosh pulled himself diagonally toward the top level of the craft. Shining, meanwhile, swam through the air to a petrified Zephyr. His flailing limbs accidentally hit the pegasus in the face.
"Ouch!" Zephyr flipped upside down and turned away. "Hey, that hurt!"
"You deserved it!" Shining yelled. "You may have just killed us all!"
Using his wings, Zephyr realigned himself with Shining and gulped. "Well, not all of us. There are pegasi aboard."
A throat-shredding roar erupted from Shining Armor. He reached out and grabbed Zephyr around the middle.
Panicked, Zephyr flapped his wings wildly. The two stallions whipped around the lopsided underbelly of the craft and then, caught by a gust of cold wind, were pulled out into the open air above the frozen north.
Mad with rage, Shining wrestled Zephyr as they plummeted farther and farther away from the craft. A loud noise from above caught both of their attentions. They looked up to see the engines under the aircraft's wings begin to glow. It stopped falling and shrunk in the sky as Shining and Zephyr continued downward. Spitfire and a wobbly Flash dove out of the bottom of the plane, but didn't come to their rescue. Instead, they flew up to the nose of the craft and slammed into it, rotating the whole thing forward.
The forces of flight were still not on their side, however, and the overpowered engines launched the craft in a rainbow-like arc. Mortified, Shining watched it nick the peak of a distant mountain and crash, sliding down the far side and out of his sight.
"Strong" was not a word that well described Zephyr Breeze. Though he wrapped his forelegs around Shining Armor's chest and pumped his wings to slow their fall, his lack of physical strength and flying expertise resulted in a rather rough—though far from deadly—landing. The deep mountain snow certainly helped.
Shining pushed Zephyr away as soon as he could and flopped onto his back, breathing hard while staring at the white sky and trying hard to gather any clear or useful thought in his mind.
Zephyr Breeze flicked snow out of his mane and looked at the distant mountain where the aircraft had crashed. "They're... probably fine, right?" he asked.
Though he tried to calm it, Shining's thumping heartbeat would not slow down. If anything, Zephyr's words somehow sped it up past the falling to my death rate.
Scrambling wildly in the deep, shifting snow, Shining twisted himself onto his hooves. His mane was wet and hanging in front of his eyes and his breath shot from his nostrils in thick vapors.
"I swear to the Sun, Moon, and Stars," Shining Armor growled, "if any of them are dead, you'll be next."
Zephyr gulped and pointed at the mountain. "Do you want me to go check, or?"
Shining dove at him. Zephyr tried to fly away, but immediately dropped into the snow with a bleating howl of pain. "Aaahhh-ha-haaa, oh, my wing!" He turned his head and regarded his right wing with a frightened, pale expression. "It's broken! Look at it! It's broken, Shiny!"
Shining Armor grabbed the strangely angled wing between his hooves. "Don't call me Shiny!" he screamed, and twisted it at the main joint.
Zephyr howled in pain and rolled around in the snow as Shining backed away. "Oh Celestia, why? Sweet, sweet Celestia, why would you do that to me?"
Shining rolled his eyes. "It was just dislocated, Zephyr. I popped it back into place."
Zephyr blinked and checked his wing again. It looked normal, if a little bruised. "Oh, yeah. Look at that."
"It's probably sprained, though. You won't be able to fly for a while." Shining closed his eyes and lit his horn, forming wide pink disks under each of his hooves. He began to trot over the snow, and while his progress was slow he didn't sink into it.
"Hey, where are you going?" Zephyr asked. "You can't leave me here at the summit, brother! I'm like a sitting duck, except ducks can still fly if they get the gumption!"
"We need to reach the crash site and regroup," Shining said. "Follow me."
Zephyr nodded. "Right, right, of course, right behind ya. Uhhh..." He lifted his lanky legs one by one and shuffled through the deep snow. "Any chance I could get some of those rad magicky snowshoes you conjured up there?"
Shining didn't answer. Shivering, Zephyr hopped along behind him.
Macintosh's eyes fluttered open. Smelling blood, he twisted his sore neck and examined his own body. Nothing seemed too irregular, aside from a pounding in his head and a general stiffness in his muscles. After struggling to his hooves, Macintosh took in his surroundings and quickly found the source of the bloody smell.
He was still inside the battered aircraft, standing between the two pilot seats. One of the pilots was lying unconscious nearby. The other had smashed through the large windshield of the cockpit. His upper half, along with the nose of the craft, was buried in a huge pile of snow, somewhat dyed red with the stallion's blood. Shards of glass poked into his skin from every angle. Macintosh stumbled forward and felt for a pulse, with no luck. The pilot was dead.
Macintosh's face screwed up in anger. He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
"Macintosh!" he heard somepony yell through the metal ceiling. "Macintosh, where are you?"
"Here!" he shouted back. Turning around, he found the aircraft's body mostly crumpled and bent.
"Oh, thank Celestia." Spitfire's voice was muffled. "Are you all right? Are the pilots with you?"
"One of 'em is," Macintosh drawled. "Other's dead."
"Dead!?" Spitfire screamed, and Macintosh heard her pound on the outside of the metal. "Damn that Zephyr! Mindless oaf!"
"Can you get out of there, Mac?" asked the voice of Flash Sentry. "This thing's mostly buried in snow. We can't even get to the windows."
"I'll figure something out," Macintosh shouted. "Where's Zephyr?"
"Flash thinks he and Shining fell out of the craft back there," Spitfire said. "I didn't see, honestly. Can you get down to the bottom level?"
"Eeyup." Macintosh went around bulge in the wall and waded through some melting snow that had poured through one of the broken circular windows.
"Come back up here as soon as you can!" Spitfire yelled.
The belly of the aircraft was mostly filled with snow, thanks to the open hatch. It looked as though the ramp had snapped off completely during the crash, and the open hole it left behind had gobbled enough snow to fill half the chamber. The cots were in disarray, but though Macintosh searched for several minutes through the mess and the snow, there was no sign of Shining Armor or Zephyr Breeze.
He said as much when he returned to where Spitfire could hear him. She sighed and rubbed a hoof against her forehead. "I guess we should go find them before they freeze to death."
"And what about us freezing to death, huh?" Flash asked, shivering. "Besides, there's a storm rolling up the mountain. See? We can't fly through that!"
Black clouds thickened, approaching the crash sight from the east. Spitfire swore, then shouted through the metal below her to Macintosh. "What's the status on the other pilot?"
"Unconscious, seems like," Macintosh responded.
"See if you can't wake him up. Instead of getting you out, I think we're going to need to come in."
"Uhh, Shining?" Zephyr Breeze lifted a shivering hoof to point at the sky. "I-I-I think there's a bit more than a b-breeze headed our way."
Shining Armor had been staring at the snow they were marching through for close to an hour. At Zephyr's remark, he looked up and gaped at the swirling, black clouds dumping out ice and lightning in equal shares two mountaintops ahead of them.
"Guess that means we'll camp here for the night," Shining said.
Zephyr looked around. "Here? R-right here?"
Shining walked back to where Zephyr stood, pale and shivering. "Yes," he said, and re-focused his magic from his hooves to the space around them, creating a translucent pink dome that shielded them from the approaching storm. "Right here."
Zephyr smiled goofily. "Ooooh-ho-ho-ho, right. Shields are, like, your 'thing', aren't they? I forgot about that." He reached out and poked Shining's flank. "When did you know you were destiny's chosen protector, huh?"
Shining swatted his hoof away. "Please don't touch me," he said.
Zephyr sat on his haunches and wrapped his wings around his quaking frame. "Yeesh, sorry. I'm only asking how you got your Cutie Mark. It's a good one, you know. Evokes power and respect."
Shining glanced at the sparkling shield on his flanks. "Thanks," he said flatly. "I got it when Twilight was just a foal. Mom knocked something off the counter—I don't even remember what it was—and I had a magic shield over Twily's head before she ever knew what was coming." He smiled, but only just. "Appeared right then and there.
"So, hold up." Zephyr tightened his bun with his eyes closed. "Why is it that you get to call the Princess of Friendship 'Twily', but I can't call you 'Shiny'? Doesn't seem super fair, you know?"
Shining instantly scowled. "The difference is, Twilight and I are brother and sister. You are a weird stranger to me that I don't particularly like."
"Oh, Shining Armor, my feelings!" Zephyr crossed his hooves over his heart and looked up dramatically. "They're hurt, the way only you can hurt them!"
"Shut up." Shining rolled his eyes.
"Dang, it gets toasty in here quick, doesn't it?" Zephyr said. He undid his mane and let the melting snow in it drip onto the shield-floor under their hooves. "Are you doing this?"
"It's a simple heating spell infused with the shield," Shining said. "Should keep up comfortably while we rest. As soon as the storm passes, we need to keep moving." He glared. "You'd better hope everypony's unharmed."
"Oh, relax!" Zephyr said, flicking his hoof at the wrist. "You already threatened me once, no need to keep at it. I got the message. Besides, ponies are a resilient bunch, if you hadn't noticed. I'm sure your Team of Harmony is juuuust fine."
29 - Sphericismal Mace Embrace
Shining Armor caught himself nodding off. The heated shield flickered like a dying candle for just a moment.
"Hey! Wake up !" Zephyr shouted, waving his forelegs around wildly. "Don't you go falling asleep and let me freeze to death, Capitano!"
"Jeez, all right," Shining Armor groaned, shifting to a less comfortable position. "No need to scream at me."
Zephyr smiled. "I figured I would take on that responsibility myself. You do your magic with that pretty horn of yours, and I keep the wizard awake with my beautiful voice."
"Don't call my horn pretty," Shining droned. "That's weird."
"What, you've never checked out another stallion's horn before?" Zephyr asked. "There's nothing wrong with a little peek now and then."
"What are you talking about?" Shining shook his head. "Zephyr, please, just shut up."
"I'm just trying to lighten the mood."
"There is no way to lighten this mood!"
"Tell you what, let's put a pin in this discussion," Zephyr said, pretending to stick a pin into the air with his hoof, "and move on to a fantastic idea I had about forty seconds ago."
Shining groaned and dropped his chin to the pink, glowing ground.
Using his hooves to draw a shape, Zephyr asked, "Is your expertise limited to dome-shaped magi-shields?"
Without lifting his head, Shining gave Zephyr an inquisitive glare. "No," he said.
"You can do cubes, too? Pyramids? Sphericisms ?"
Shining stood up. "That's not a word, but I think I'm getting your point."
"Sphericism is a word we use in the mane therapy industry," Zephyr said with a serious, half-lidded expression. "It refers to any sphere-ish or sphere-esque shape into which one, like myself, might be able to shape an especially stress-filled mane."
"You say the most pointless things."
"One such sphericismal style ," Zephyr continued loudly, "is the Mace Embrace. Would you like to take an uneducated guess as to what the Mace Embrace is, oh captain my captain?"
Shining's teeth ground together. "Something spiky," he growled.
Zephyr nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Exactly! So..." He pointed up at the shield. "Think you can make a spiky sphere we could push through the ice and snow?"
Shining's eyebrows raised. He glanced around at the pink shield and hummed to himself. "Actually..." he said. Squinting in concentration, Shining sent a flash from his horn that rounded out the bottom of the shield and applied little spikes to the outer shell. "Huh... that's not a bad idea."
"All right!" Zephyr reared up and wiggled his hooves. "Let's get pushing! We'll find the others before the storm get through, mark my words!"
"Don't curse us, please," Shining said, and aided Zephyr is turning the sphere around them, rolling their new bubble through the heavy, falling snow.
The endless expanse of churning white was all too familiar to Shining Armor.
"How far do you think it goes on, Captain?" asked Flash Sentry.
Shining peered through the glimmering shield around their small camp. "Many miles yet," he said. "Some say there's a mountain range between here and the Ice Dragon Craters. From there... who can say?" He frowned.
Spitfire sighed. "I'll fly ahead and scout it out on your orders, Captain."
"We've been over this, Spitfire." He glared at her. "Until we know what's out there, we stick together. No exceptions."
"What waits beyond, we may already know," Zecora mumbled, tightening a bandage around her own hind leg. "An evil most ancient that fell long ago."
"I think she's right, Captain," Flash said, adjusting his helmet. "What else could cause this much snow but the Wendigos?"
"Have you forgotten how far north we have traveled?" Shining snapped. "Of course it could be Wendigos, but we are farther north than any pony has ever traveled. Only the dragons speak of this place, and we passed their last settlement weeks ago." He sat on his haunches and looked each member of his team in the eyes. "My shield is enough to hold off the wolves. Once Macintosh is well enough, we will continue together and face what we find together ."
"Of course," Spitfire said, bowing her head.
"We can't take any chances," said Shining. He gazed back into the howling void. "All of Equestria is counting on us. More importantly, they're counting on us."
"Shining..." Macintosh moaned from his cot by the fire.
Shining Armor hurried to his side. "Yes, I'm here. What it is, Mac?"
"If we..." He coughed, his great green eyes wincing. "If they... aren't alive when we find them," he wheezed, "what do we do?"
The small crew was silent. They looked at their leader.
Shining Armor took a deep breath through his snout. "You're delirious, Macintosh," he said. "Keep resting. There's no hurry. The sooner you can walk, the sooner we'll find our sisters."
Macintosh nodded weakly. His eyes fluttered shut.
Flash Sentry cleared his throat. "They're alive," he said, more to himself than to anyone else. "I'm sure of it."
Zecora stood. "Of nothing can we be so sure, but with great hope we shall endure."
Shining nodded. He walked to Flash and put a hoof on his armor. "As long as there's a chance they're out there... we'll keep searching."
"No matter what's out there," Spitfire said.
Her words were accompanied by a chilling howl from somewhere beyond the shield.
Big Macintosh twitched in his cot.
"Is it true, Big Mac?" Apple Bloom asked, barreling through the front door. Her face was strained, terrified. "Did you get the letter, too?"
Macintosh tapped the envelope on the kitchen table. "Eeyup," he said.
Applejack hugged him from the side as tears welled in Granny Smith's eyes.
"No, no! Not you, too!" Apple Bloom galloped across the room and threw her forelegs around his middle. "The whole school's talking about it. Rumble's big brother got drafted last week with Caramel and Mister Cake. Diamond Tiara's daddy got his letter this morning, and I... I was hopin' you hadn't..." She broke down in tears.
"Line up, Team Harmony!" Shining Armor yelled. Big Macintosh heard his voice, distant and muffled. "Twenty five dogs for each of us. Who's hungry?"
"I thought they didn't resort to draftin' farmers 'til things got real bad," Applejack said.
"They don't," said Granny Smith. "The war must be worse than we thought."
Applejack sighed. "Well, then, I guess it's about time I headed up north as well."
"No, Applejack!" Apple Bloom yelled. "You can't do that to us!"
"I'm doing it for you, Apple Bloom," she said, pulling her little sister into a hug. "This is Equestria's worst threat yet. I know Celestia wanted us to stay out of it, but... doggone it, I can't rightly stay here and grow apples while ponies are dyin' every day, can I?"
"This is a different kinda war than you've ever fought, little Sis," Big Mac said to Applejack. His tone was low and grave. "I understand how you feel, but... it might be best for you to stay home with your friends."
"What?" Applejack blinked.
"What if we lost you?" Macintosh whispered. His green eyes shone. "Do you realize what would happen to Equestria, let alone our little family?"
"They're eyeing him," Shining Armor shouted over the swelling howls. "Protect Macintosh at all costs!"
Applejack frowned. "And you think Equestria would suffer any less if they lost you?" she asked her brother. "We don't want you to go to war, Macky. But you don't have a choice no more. And neither do I."
"Shield dropping in three—"
Apple Bloom sobbed. They held her between them.
"—two—"
Granny Smith kissed Macintosh on the cheek. "Come back to us, Macky. I can't lose another Apple stallion."
"—one—"
Macintosh nodded. "I'll come home."
"Now!"
"Nineball!" cried the bleary pilot. His eyes were red and unfocused, his mane unkempt and sweaty. "Nineball, no! Please, we have to do something!"
"He's been dead for over an hour now, Cone," Spitfire said in a raw voice. "Just come sit by the fire and stay warm. We'll tend to him when the storm passes."
"No, no, no!" Waffle Cone began sobbing, dropping to his belly near his bloodied friend. "Please, please, we have to... we have to do something ..."
Spitfire opened her mouth to yell, but Macintosh grabbed her by the foreleg and shook his head.
"Let him be," Macintosh said. "It's tough. You remember."
Spitfire closed her mouth and stared into the flames rising from one of the cots Macintosh had hauled up and ignited.
Cone's sobs grew quieter and less frequent as the minutes passed. When Spitfire next glanced at him, he looked as though he had fallen asleep, lying still on his stomach and breathing slowly with his hooves covering his eyes.
"This is insane," Flash Sentry mumbled, staring into the fire. "How could this have happened?"
"We were too eager," Spitfire said. "We should have checked the ship."
"We should have had a smaller ship with just one floor," Flash said angrily.
"And those Flippity-Flap Brothers should have warned us about the ramp," Spitfire added. "Seriously, was that some kind of malfunction or is it designed to fly open like that? Don't ponies understand how dangerous poorly designed machinery can be?"
"The Flim Flam Brothers don't," Macintosh droned.
Spitfire's face screwed up and she crossed her forelegs over her chest. "That's the last time we commission them for anything military grade."
"Do you think the Captain's all right?" asked Flash, inching closer to the fire to fight his chills.
"He knows his shield magic backwards and forwards," Spitfire said. "If he survived the fall, he'll survive the storm."
"We're gonna go look for him, right?" Flash asked. "Once the storm passes?"
Thunder shook the aircraft, and the living pilot sat bolt upright. "Nineball!" he screamed.
Spitfire closed her eyes. "Affirmative, Soldier," she said.
