The Bridge: The Eclipse Times

Chapters

Total Eclipse
Waning Totality
Eve of Light

Total Eclipse

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Timbucktu

The city was dead quiet, the only noise filtering down from above and between the fire-scorched marble pillars and rooftops was a stale, dank wind. The air was bogged down by the horrific stench of deceased fires and the cold of high altitude air. Unmanaged, some of the clouds supporting the buildings had crumbled under their wounds and began to falter. Silence was interrupted, at first by the steady clip-clop of hooves on paving stones and then by the groaning roar of a fractured cloud breaking up, the pillared structure atop it crumbling as it tore itself in two and plummeted to the ground.

The figure walked down what had once been the main street, practically able to see what once was. Bustles of happy pegasus ponies and visitors going about their businesses. Selling, eating, flying along; and talking to one another about mundane affairs while their city drifted along. It was a sobering thought, to not see this ghost town when it was so full of life. Nothing was where it should have been. Lamp posts had been torn down or thrown about, scattering their now dead coals across the ground. Personal artifacts of worth were uprooted even if they were affixed down, weapons and armor from the battle looted while those broken in battle were embedded in the street or walls. Anything seen as worthless was discarded. She saw them all as she walked past, almost speculating as to whom they once belonged to. A pair of broken spectacles, from a jeweler who didn’t fly fast enough. A spoiled dinner for two that had spilled out over the street, untouched, by a couple who refused to leave one another. A broken spear rolling back and forth in the breeze, by a soldier who was outnumbered.

Her hoofsteps stopped and she stared at what was before her. The silvery moonlight lit up the drained husk of a city. Her legs shook and she fell upon them, falling to her knees with widening eyes. It was her. She held it up closer to confirm it, hooves beginning to rattle. It was a tiny toy of a white alicorn with a pink mane, so small and simple it was clearly meant for a young foal. Yet Celestia heard no foals, she heard no pony. And she didn’t have the heart to look at the shadowed patches of the city to see what dried husks were left.

In her mind, this was her fault.

Celestia began to tremble, the rising moon drowning her in moonbeams. She looked to the visage of an alicorn embossed upon the moon, a new feature those in the city must have been confused by in their last months.

In her mind, that was her fault.

She could sense it now. The dark magic coming from Trot even though it was kilometers away. They were fighting it now. If they died, it would be her fault.

Lips which hadn’t spoken in months quivered. Eyes which hadn’t gone a day without crying shut. Tirek was imprisoned. Sombra was gone. Discord was entombed. The world was supposed to have gotten better, but it didn’t. Celestia felt the world clamp down on her. When she lost Amore and the Crystal Ponies, she’d felt it close in. When she lost her home, she felt it grab her. And when she lost her sister, she felt it crush down upon her after she’d torn part of herself away and sent her to the moon.

She was weak and cursed herself for it. She was too weak to save the Empire. She was too oblivious to help Luna. She was too inept to try and find a way to save Nightmare Moon. And her weakness had rendered her mute and a burden upon all those around her while scaring all those beyond Canterlot Castle’s walls. Leaving was an appealing thought, just about the only one she had. So many would be better off with her gone that it seemed like the best choice. But, leaving would just mean leaving them to the same lustful terror that strickened them now. She didn’t know what to pick and that left her mind spiraling even more.

Stay, shake off the weakness, and assume more control? She’d vindicate fears.

Leave, let others stop wasting time worrying for her? She’d only abandon those who’d need her.

She wasn’t a normal pony, but she was expected to have the morals of one.

She wasn’t a normal pony, because nopony treated her like one. They saw only a creature masquerading as one or a beaten flower who needed to be tended to.

Celestia knew any decision presented was one she had to make herself, but a part of her mind only reminded her of how weak she’d been this time. And this decision was an adult one and she wasn’t one. She just looked like one. The young alicorn clutched the toy to her regalia-less chest, gritting her teeth as she tried and failed to hold in a sob.

But she was too weak to even do that.

======

Earlier

Celestia gasped, choking on her own breath. Her shut vision focused on the source of the burning pulses, the spirals upon her horn. Gritting her jaw the alicorn nearly stumbled over as another wave of magic burst out of her in tandem with her heartbeat. The telekinesis rattled the chamber like an earthquake with several tiles cracking under her hooves. The young alicorn winced, hanging on to another pulse of magic and practically shoving it back into her horn. It gave her a splitting migraine of a headache upon her success. Celestia finally breathed out, panting and dropping to one knee while looking at the room around her with saddened eyes. The bed Princess Platinum had so generously given her was blown to bits, the wooden frame cracked open and the sheets burned or knocked across the room. The windows were all cracked into the frames, dressers knocked over; and a table was currently lodged in the ceiling. It had been two months since Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna’s manic new persona, had been banished. The Everfree Castle had been torn apart during the conflict and Celestia, who’d been an emotional and physical wreck since then, couldn’t bear to return to the place that had been home. Princess Platinum, an old friend of Celestia, had moved her to stay in Canterlot with her. Near everypony that knew Celestia had been trying to help her.

Smart Cookie and Puddinghead baked her hordes of her favorite sweets that largely went uneaten or didn’t stay down.

Commander Hurricane and Colonel Pansy took time off from Timbucktu to see to it personally that the days be clear and the moon be blocked out by overcast at night.

Clover frequently dropped in to reread the alicorn many of her favorite stories, and Princess Platinum completely dropped her usual haughtiness to make sure Celestia always had a soft bed and plenty of quiet.

So far, Celestia’s out of control magic had cost Platinum seven rooms. Starswirl, whom hadn’t left a two kilometer radius around Celestia all this time, hypothesized her magic was in flux due to using the Elements of Harmony all by herself against the other bearer. Not only had the whiplash severed her connection to them, turning them to stone, but the blowback had visibly affected her as indicative of how her once gold and pink mane was stained with the same rainbow that banished her sister. The fact she was now away from her sister for the first time in her life wasn’t doing any favors based off how the two’s power played off each other. So far the only thing Celestia had managed to will herself to do was raise the sun and, with effort that was either magically or emotionally based, struggle to shift the moon.

Waiting for the rumbling to finally subside, the mare outside the door finally cracked it open; though she had to shove an overturned chair out of the way. Princess Platinum poked her head through, frowning solemnly before entering.

“I’ll call the staff up for repair. You can change rooms again.”

The unicorn muttered, sighing and putting on a slightly pleasant demeanor while trotting up to her old friend with a tray of pastries and tea. Celestia slowly lifted her head up to look at her friend as the unicorn sat beside her. Platinum sighed, cooing softly while holding Celestia’s muzzle and dabbing her cheek with a napkin. The once regal alicorn looked like a wreck. The magic bursts had singed her fur in a few places, dirtying the white with black blotches. Celestia’s eyes were puffy, half bloodshot, and the patches beneath them showed both she hadn’t been sleeping well and had been crying frequently again. Devoid of her regalia, Princess Celestia looked anything but royal right now. A younger Platinum would have jeered and held her nose at such a sight, but the years had matured the unicorn leader. She only finished wiping the smudges and tears off Celestia’s face before hugging the alicorn gently around the neck. She could feel a shaking hoof wrap around her shoulders and meekly return the gesture, earning a smile as she broke away.

“Now, feel like talking yet? Smart Cookie wants to know if you like the new recipe.”

Princess Celestia stared at tray of delicious looking foods. She opened her mouth and for a moment Platinum almost thought she was about to speak. Despite worries to the contrary, Starswirl had assured them he heard her speak and the Element backlash or trauma hadn’t rendered her mute. But aside from half whispered, mostly incomprehensible speech in her sleep, no one had heard the young mare say a single word since her arrival to Canterlot. Shrugging, Platinum pulled out a newsprint from her cloak and flipped through it.

“I see. It’s okay. You can talk when you want. Wanna see the news from the east? Setting up a lovely port city called Manehattan. Your old friend King Leo and the Seaponies are-”

Platinum felt the newspaper get stiff in her grip. Looking at it’s edges she could see the telltale sign of a magical aura freezing it in place. Celestia, eyes locked on the paper, held it in her golden telekinesis and turned the page back around. Upon its title card was inscribed a single piece.

“Lower Canterlot Music Trials to be Redone after “Siren” Interference.”

Celestia forced the page to her muzzle, despite the wide eyed Platinum’s attempts to snatch it away once she realized what gears were working in the alicorn’s head. Celestia speed-read through the whole article in a span of seconds. Three beings resembling mermares, called Sirens, had come to Canterlot. They’d been hexing crowds at a music competition for days, feeding off the populace’s magic until Starswirl had stepped in. After a few days of trial, he managed to use what Celestia immediately recognized based off the description as one of the warp mirrors he and she had designed. But it wasn’t Starswirl’s victory that left Celestia shaking. It was his struggle and the fact she hadn’t known of it.

Shaking all over, Celestia looked to Platinum with a clearly stressed and likely a bit agitated look crossing her twitching face. The air around them began to heat up and Platinum swore she could have seen smoke coming out of Celestia’s mane. Celestia sucked in her breath, closed her eyes, and counted to twenty at least twice. In her blurred mind she wasn’t quite sure how long it been. Taking the newspaper, she pulled it over to herself and nudged the pastry tray over to Platinum; silently apologizing the best she could. Despite her roaring stomach and how much it plagued her conscience knowing the effort Smart Cookie must have gone to making the set and Platinum’s kindness to bring it to her, there was far more important matters at mind.

Before any other second could tick by, Celestia teleported out of the room and reappeared in the portion of the library converted into Starswirl’s study. The unicorn, clad in his trademark bell-bearing hat atop his gray mane and fur, had his back to where Celestia had materialized. Working on some notes he was writing down with a particular magical portal mirror beside him, the old stallion need not turn his head to know whom had visited him. Starswirl the Bearded paused, letting out a tired sigh.

“Thought this would occur soon enough. I take it you found out about the sirens? You should know the issue was dealt with.”

The newspaper was thrown onto the desk to his side, flopping open to the page in question though the edges of which looked slightly blackened and burnt. Starswirl adjusted his reading glasses, shrugging and turning around. He expected Celestia to appear livid, maybe even furious he’d kept such information from her, both by his own accord and by his own demand to the council. Instead he could only glimpse a broken, frowning face when the white alicorn rushed into and pulled the much smaller stallion into a tight hug. He knew something was wrong with her magic, she was practically burning hot to the touch and her tears on his shoulder felt like they’d come from a steaming tea kettle. Swallowing back the heat, Starswirl sighed and gently patted at the alicorn’s back.

“I know… I know, you’d have wanted to know. But Princes-... Tia, listen to me.”

Starswirl pushed back and looked up to the alicorn as she slowly craned her head around to look upon him.

“You are very sick right now. A sickness in here-”

He muttered, gently tapping at the alicorn’s forehead where it met the base of her horn. He then did the same on her chest, just above where her heart was.

“-and here. Nopony blames you for it. You aren’t sleeping enough, you’re not eating enough. Pah, your magic is so out of control I can’t find nor craft an inhibitor horn ring strong enough to contain it. But most of all, I know you’re grieving… I miss her too and I know this-…”

His words momentarily died and the old stallion closed his eyes on contemplation before resuming with saddened breath.

“-this is going to be an adjustment period for all of us. And while you do the most adjusting, I went and took care of a problem before it became a big one. The sirens were potent, but not outright malevolent. If I felt they were so I’d have gotten help, you don’t need to worry about me.”

Celestia’s eyes and jaw quivered while she looked upon the closest thing she had to a father in this world. Some of his words sunk in, but others just bounced off. Be it from actual biology or the sourness of the subject, her eyes were left gaping at how old he looked. The whitening of his beard, the lines in his face, bags of skin forming at his eyes and joints, and the muting of the color within his eyes; they all made him look ancient. Her mind buzzed with thought of this physically poor old stallion having to deal with what she had for the past few years.

-Those sirens could have been far worse than he could have anticipated, especially if he had to use the mirror! What if he lost? What if the mirror didn’t work? What if he got hurt?!-

Celestia quickly averted her eyes to the window overlooking the city beyond.

-What if anypony out there got hurt?! Hurt because I’ve been wallowing in myself and can’t stop?! Hurt because I’m being so weak?! What if-!...-

“Sorry, excuse me?”

A voice piped up from the hall. Starswirl diverted his attention from the thousand-yard staring Celestia and to the newcomer, a youthful but still mature pegasus mare with a blue mane and burnt gold coat. The Hurricane guard, a captain based off her rank, saluted until Starswirl nodded to her.

“Ah, Captain- Ardent Sentry was it? To what do I owe your visit to?”

“S-Summon by the council, Sir. There’s been an ordeal they request your presence in.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Starswirl muttered, nodding the captain to get her to stop saluting. Adjusting his hat, Starswirl glanced over to Celestia, whom still had her back turned to door, and reached out to her. He seemed like he was about to say something in the same old authority the alicorn knew since she was a toddler, but no word came from his opened mouth. Expression softening, he just gently patted her on the shoulders and walked by. As he passed by the young captain however, he let a tiny whisper peak out his lips.

“Try not to let her leave the room and don’t tell her. I’ll be back when this is done.”

As Starswirl left, Captain Ardent Sentry looked back at the alicorn and was instantly frozen in her tracks. Princess Celestia had silently looked back and was staring directly at her. The alicorn slowly got up to her hooves and paced over to the mare she towered over despite being half her age. Despite the princess’ typically pleasant appearance, her raggedness, imposing stature, piercing and unblinking eyes; along with her seeming to be looking through her as much she was at her left caused Ardent Sentry’s pulse to chill. She might have been the wedlock daughter of a tavern mare, but she was a soldier. And as a soldier she would recollect the look Celestia gave her for years to come. Though she’d never state it verbally, out of respect when Celestia was acting like herself and out of fear for how she was now; the alicorn looked terrifying.

Ardent Sentry’s eyes widened and sweat rolled down her face when the realization hit her.

-Ooooh buck, she heard him.-

“P-Princess-”

Ardent Sentry stammered, internal panic increasing more so when Celestia very slowly tilted her head at her with a stoic, uncanny look on her face.

“-There have been certain, developments. I can see that you... might have, maybe, been kept out of the loop. Starswirl and the council must have wanted you to recover before you knew. It was for your own safety and good. Sooo, let’s… let’s just calm down and stay here. Yooou like reading? Lots of stuff in this study.”

Having briefly looked away to find something, anything to distract the alicorn, Ardent Sentry had to feel Celestia’s eyes no longer upon her to realize something else had the princess’ attention. Celestia stepped away from the guardsmare, looking out through a window at the city below. Down the hall, the shouting voice of Starswirl the Bearded could be overheard roaring to several other guards about the object of Celestia’s attention.

“She’s out of her room, she can’t see this! Disperse them in haste, go go go!”

Multiple guards both from Commander Hurricane’s entourage filed past the room in a speedy march. Celestia tilted her head at the crowd accumulating in the townsquare just outside the castle’s large gate. Before Captain Sentry could do anything, be it join her fellow guards or try and distract Celestia; the latter disappeared in a burst of light as she teleported out of the library.

=======================

“History is written by the victors, but I say unto you, truth is found by those who seek it! Open your eyes my little ponies, evil was not vanquished that fateful night in the Everfree but freedom was quashed!”

The booming tone belted out across the sizable crowd of both curious onlookers and avid supporters, some in the former category slowly being worked into the cheering latter. Banners with various lunar symbols were strewn about, some held aloft on standards and some thrown onto the front gates leading to the castle in a form of protest. The speaker was a bat-winged stallion named Knight Shroud, grey-azure fur coat with a dull purple mane kept back in a ponytail. Many other ponies in the crowd were also of Luna's affinity, either also sporting bat wings and or of a similar coloration, evidently from dye potions some were passing such around.

“We know of an attack shortly after Celestia confronted Princess Luna, we know how Princess Luna evidently had been distraught by her treatment as of late; and we know this encounter ended in anything but a sisterly communion. It ended in that!”

Knight Shroud shouted, pointing a hoof up to the night sky and directly at the emblem of an alicorn embossed onto the moon.

“Banishment!”

He sneered.

“Banishment of her own baby sister! And what has the usurper said for herself? NOTHING! Oh yes, others have spoken for her. Officials who arrived after the fact, someponies who claim they saw signs of the battle from a distance. Tell me, my dear little ponies, whom among them could possibly speak against someone who could do that-”

He punctuated his word with another gesture towards the moon.

“-to an Element Bearer, to an alicorn who was strong enough to fight dragons and all the other heinous beasts in and outside of our dreams? Give me one valid reason we shouldn’t think they’d be what we all are of Celestia, terrified!”

Some of those not won over in the crowd were slowly mulling through their thoughts. Some curiosity seekers groaned, shrugged off the words and went back to their evening business. Others however, slowly started to nod subtly at what was making logical sense.

“All I ask is you question everything. Follow what the dreams tell you because one’s subconscious doesn’t lie! We know next to nothing about the being sitting in that castle. We don’t know where she came from, we don’t know why she and Princess Luna fought, we don’t see her offering any clarity. What we do know is she was strong enough to cow a dragon by shouting at it, that she’s aged at a rapid rate, that some think she may be immortal; and that the one being left in our beloved realm who could oppose her is now out of the picture after they fought... “

Knight Shroud shrugged, shaking his head slowly while motioning to the castle behind him.

“My little ponies, something like that does not sound like you or I. Something like that sounds like something I personally wouldn’t trust in any seat of power. Not until we have the full picture. And if those in charge insist she stand amongst them without public review, well… Maybe a rising night, might be needed. We need unity to truth, not blind acceptance of word.”

It was at that moment Knight Shroud and near everypony else was momentarily blinded by a flash of light shooting off in the middle of the crowd. In an instant it ceased and there was an uproar of gasps. Celestia stood at the front row in the middle portion of the audience, slowly swaying her head to and fro to take in everything around her. Ponies were left agape, many quickly backing up or fidgeting as they indecisively tried to pick between turning tail and fleeing or bowing. Many of the bat ponies and those colored like them were tensing up, eyes wide with surprise and fear. Some cautiously put their hooves over a sheathed weapon, mentally debating if it would do any good. Celestia herself was still as roughed up as she looked before, puffy eyes, stoic expression, and lack of regalia making her look almost as much unlike herself as her flowing, rainbow hued mane did. Casting her view to the front of the crowd, she slowly approached Knight Shroud. One could hear a pin drop as the slow clip-clop of her hooves on the cobblestone was the only noise on the street aside from hushed whispers.

“Is that.. Celestia?”

“What happened to her mane?”

“The tyrant is here?!”

“Oh Faust, no.“

“I think we need to run!”

Celestia heard them all, unflinching as she strode up to the stallion who admittedly was showing remarkable courage in not budging from his spot despite how scared he was. Celestia stopped directly before him and a breeze blew by as their eyes locked. Knight Shroud steeled himself, old military training, nerves, and dedication to a cause holding him together even under the piercing look in the alicorn’s eyes.

“Yes, I am afraid of you… So are they.”

He muttered, not even opting to try and lie.

“I want to believe the best. You’re not one of us, but talk in a way we can understand….”

Holding his breath, Knight Shroud narrowed his eyes, raising up as much as he could even if the alicorn was still easily twice his height.

“Why?”

Celestia knew the words he was going to speak even before he did. It was one she’d begged the Elements of Harmony, begged herself, many times before. She saw the Mare in the Moon reflecting in Knight Shroud’s eyes and tensed up slightly.

“Why did you banish your own sister? If she really attacked you, why couldn’t you have done a thousand different things to stop her? And if she didn’t tell the truth.”

Celestia’s body trembled from hooves to horn. The burning headache returned and struck her like a punch from Tirek. The air began to heat up all around her, Knight Shroud managing to hold his ground against the searing air currents coming off her. Many in the crowd shouted for him to get back, someponies grabbing others to flee while other bolder ponies actually charged the alicorn they were sure was about to smite their friend.

“What are you, and why are you here?”

Celestia’s face briefly contorted into an agonizing frown, the world itself feeling like it was crushing in on her. And to avoid being crushed, she pushed back…

When Commander Hurricane’s forces arrived what they found was the street turned inside out by what looked like a massive blastwave. Most onlookers were too scared to speak. Knight Shroud, while alive, was concussed from the same wave having apparently thrown him through a fruit stand.

===========================

Earlier in the day, at the border

Timbucktu, the jewel of the skies. In the modern day the city would be virtually legendary to pegasi and other ponykind alike. This was the place the pegasi called their capital before the unification, a megalithic city built onto clouds and the first of it’s kind. While the military held the most power in their race, hence why Commander Hurricane went out to establish new lands; their original rule was technically an oligarchy. The chief commander in charge of the flight teams and military, and a king acting as the ceremonial and civic ruler of the city and it’s domain. With the unification of the races, the decision to move Timbucktu to the new realm was one long debated, especially after the chaos of a year prior at Equestria and the Crystal Empire. But now that things had died down, it was a decision that was well received. The Equestrian land claim was filled with workable airspace and while Timbucktu would be the grandest and first of the sky cities, King Orion was already planning on making sure it wasn’t the only one. And with now two more pony races for clients and his old friend Grover having unified Gryphonstone, it seemed Timbucktu’s economic future in trade and industry was more than assured between the pegasi, unicorn, earth ponies; and some gryphon trade. With Hurricane finally off his literal high horse and shutting off the embargo, there was plenty of new expansions to make, ponies to experience the Timbucktu hoofdiwork; and the capital would be as rich as their sparkly jewel-like eyes were!

But, despite much of their ambition, it wouldn’t just be the sparkling eyes, expansive palace, military, or Romane architectural wonders Timbucktu would go down in history for. The true claim to the pegasi capital’s legendary status would arrive not in flocking riches or a thriving populace, but how all of that would leave on insectoid wings when a changeling horde burst out of the forest below and came upon the city in a buzzing, dark cloud. All across Timbucktu, screams of panic and confusion rang out. A green inferno of dark magic fire scorched the polished marble and limestone. Changelings were chasing any civilians they encountered while they overwhelmed the remaining military who’d stayed behind after Hurricane’s leave, the insectoid monstrosities smashing through the clouds and morphing into duplicates of the populace to throw the defenders off guard. A tall, powerful form watched the mayhem with laughing applause. A hissing chuckle spewed out of lips curling into an evil smile once eyes locked on to King Orion and his guard joining the fray to protect a fleeing crowd. The last remaining student of Grogar, the dark magical embodiment of lust, Chrysalis; looked upon the monarch with with hungry eyes. Green fire flashed across her form as she took the visage of one guard and flew in close.

Author's Note

Proofreading by Lance-Omikron and Faith-Wolff
Art to come soon by Faith-Wolff

Next Time on The Eclipse Times:
Darkest just before sunrise... Partial Eclipse

Waning Totality

“What do you mean she’s gone?!”

The roaring voice of Commander Hurricane could have given Celestia or Luna’s royal voice a run for it’s money, magic or not, as it shook the castle and practically deafened the captain marching down the halls and out the main gate beside him. Captain Ardent Sentry hurried along to keep pace with the stallion twice her age, trying not to shout but the effort was in vain due to how badly her ears were ringing.

“I had no means of following her except on wing and she got away from me!”

“She’s a giant white mare with a horn, wings, and a rainbow mane that moves under its own power; how could she blend into a crowd?!”

“She teleported out of the city limits and flew off!”

“And you didn’t fly after her?! Captain Sentry, she’s potentially the most powerful being on the continent, she’s a hormonal teenager, and she’s distressed to the point of being mentally unfit for anything! Look out there!”

Commander Hurricane bellowed, pointing out to the horizon and the distant mountains to the north Celestia was last seen flying towards.

“There are hundreds of thousands of ponies terrified of her out there! Some of which might be scared enough to try something really bold.”

“With respect sir, commander, sir. You’re the one who taught her to fly, you know what she’s capable of! Even if she was airborne and not using magic you know how few of us can keep pace with her! And if she’s so powerful why are you so scared she’ll get hurt?”

Commander Hurricane let a snarl seep out of his throat and he looked to the large mare with a glare that could bend steel. On instant Ardent Sentry was struck with such terror she went stiff as a board, as many would when they had the legendary old soldier bearing down on them.

“Do not mistake my worry, captain. I’m worried somepony will be stupid enough to try something after your mistak-”

Salvation soon came from the one pony in the continent who could speak up to the pegasus leader. Corporal Pansy Shy was still as cowardly as ever, being more a tactician than a leader or soldier, but the years had given her more guile with her commander’s sway. She poked a hoof up from behind Ardent Sentry and cleared her throat.

“Ehm, it’s true Commander. Captain Sentry here tried to keep pace with her but it wasn’t possible. She was one of the first hooves on the ground at the square and by then Princess Celestia had already vanished. The main reason she couldn’t try to pursue, if she even could keep pace considering her lack of speed talent, was that she was helping the other guards gather up the dazed and wounded from the shockwave attack. By the time they landed, Princess Celestia had already gotten so far away that she vanished soon after.”

Pansy and Sentry both gulped as Commander Hurricane visibly fumed with a reddening throat and twitching lip. Sucking in his breath, the dark blue stallion held it and counted down before releasing. Rolling his shoulders, Hurricane shrugged with much less edge in his tone as his demeanor shifted from enraged to stoically somber.

“My apologies for the outburst, Captain, Corporal. But we must find her, immediately. Starswirl is already breathing down my nape about this and I’m not a young stallion anymore.”

Captain Sentry sighed through her nose and absentmindedly nodded. Commander Hurricane was a legend amongst all three races and he still kept a fit, muscular build. But he was clearly past his prime at mid-late middle age, with more wrinkles on his face and graying on his mane and fur visible the more Ardent Sentry and Pansy looked at him. His anger spiralling down, Hurricane sounded more… tired, than anything else. It was a sobering thought and realization to see or hear someone so mighty being lowered by age and worry. One of these days if he kept pushing himself as hard as he used to he was going to regret it.

All the more reason to get Princess Celestia back as soon as possible.

Hurricane looked like he was pondering through some options in his head to give a new set of orders when the rapid fire clip-clop of rushed hoofsteps coming from the hall behind them and a frantic shout diverted his attention. A yellow-furred, curly orange-maned mare with white freckles the pegasus trio recognized as secretary Smart Cookie sprinted around a corner and rushed up to them.

“Commander Hurricane!”

Hurricane turned to face Smart Cookie, eyes glancing to the scroll she had curled up and tucked under her hat and spotting the council’s seal.

“I need good news Mrs. Cookie, got a situation on my hooves that isn’t getting any better.”

He grumbled, earning a negative response by Smart Cookie. Her ears flopped down and she lowered her neck, making her already fairly short stature even lower.

“Unfortunately none to be had. New findings just came in for the meeting, Starswirl is urgently requesting your presence in it.”

“I need more information than that. What is going on Mrs. Cookie? I’ve got a missing, emotionally distressed demigoddess on my hooves.”

She sighed, holding out the scroll to offer it up to Hurricane and bowing her head down. Smart Cookie’s tone became drowned in a deluge of grief and hesitance.

“It’s Timbucktu…. We have a witness reporting in from a frontier it had been flying over. We… We think there has been an attack.”

Commander Hurricane took the scroll and tore it open, frantically reading through the outlined list of information written upon it in obvious haste. Usually Hurricane would chastise the old wizard or some of the others on the council for frivolous mannerism or details, wanting them just to get to the point. For the first time he was regretting that desire. Starswirl didn’t even bother with formalities or etiquette, just cutting to the horrific truth. Hurricane’s face noticeably paled, jaw dropping agape as he quivered with a mix of grief, worry, and hatred. Starswirl’s last line spelled it all out to the climax.

-”Timbucktu ghost city. Changeling horde confirmed to be behind attack. No reports of survivors.”-

==============

Northern Frontier

Unable or unwilling to fly much more, Princess Celestia stumbled along aimlessly through the forest like a wayward, heavy drunkard. Her steps were unsteady and wobbling, a side effect of the constant vertigo and weakness draining her. Mud and twigs marred her fur and clung to her mane, which was waving about noticeably frantic in four second spurts of rampant magic. Every four seconds the alicorn gasped, stumbled and fought to control her balance through the vertigo and deafening ringing in her ears. Every four seconds the spirals of her horn would violently ignite and she’d be forced to vent off the fluctuating magic before it could rip into her mind with a debilitating migraine.

Luna was gone and with the stress at both Starswirl endangering himself against the Sirens, Night Shroud’s unintentional antagonism, and remorse at accidentally harming the latter so suddenly she could only pray she hadn’t seriously harmed the stallion; Celestia was in both mental and physical agony. This was life now. Being a useless drain upon her family figures as they tried to care for her, a symbol of fear to a growing number of ponies, a physical threat to everything around her without her balance around. She could tell herself it wasn’t her fault. The founders cared for her because they loved her, Night Shroud and his group were just afraid due to a misunderstanding, and these magical shockwaves that tore out of her were due to circumstances beyond her control.

That didn’t mean she had been oblivious to said shockwaves carving a path of knocked-over trees, hurled dirt and gravel, and flattened shrubs that left little to wonder which way she’d taken through the forest. Pained tears running down her eyes, Celestia forced herself to stop and bear through another uncontrollable outburst, forcing all her willpower to keep the blast contained as much as possible. Managing to hold it in for several agonizing seconds, the alicorn directed the pressure upwards and launched it into the clear space above her. The blastwave of condensed magic and moving air crashed like thunder and blew a hole in the clouds far above the forest. The fantastic boom sent dozens of animals running for cover or more effectively, running as far away as they could from the alicorn. Celestia whimpered and sniffled her clogged nose, croaking an apology to a flock of songbirds she’d sent flying away for their lives. Unable to speak through a muted throat, she could only tilt her head down as she sobbed and hope somehow fate would hear her apology.

-I’m so-ory… I’m so-so ackg!... Sorry…-

Celestia looked behind her at the path of destruction she unwillingly wrought. Seeing the snapped trees, crushed shrubs, and craters carved into the ground gave her harrowing thoughts of what might have happened had she remained in a populated area. Ruining a forest with nopony or sapients in it might have been preferable to demolishing mainstreet Canterlot, but it was still a hated choice for the alicorn due to all the needless devastation. She’d just have to find somewhere even more remote, more solitary. The northern range was full of mountains. Celestia held her breath to keep from crying again as she looked up and saw the distant peaks.

-Y-Yes… I’ll just go there. I’ll fly… t-eleport… crawl, whatever I have to do. I’ll go up to the highest spot I can find and just stay there!-

Wiping her flooded eyes, the alicorn limped towards the spire of rock visible through the blown-down trees. Logic would beg to ask her what she was supposed to do for food or water when up there, or that she’d go mad from isolation if she did find a way to live. But at this point she was too far gone to care. The words of one of Starswirl’s teachings reverberated through her psyche.

-”You look like a pony but you’re not, not entirely at least. You’ll never be just like them.”-

Had she not been in emotional freefall or rock bottom, she might have remembered the follow up words; about how as an alicorn she embodied an ideal the races established when they came together to form Equestria, how she had the potential for greatness, and how her long lifespan would be a benefit to all those around her. Celestia tripped on her shaking hooves, falling into a muddy creek that covered her in chilled water and wet dirt. Looking as miserable as she felt, the alicorn slowly got back her footing and continued on while briefly stealing a glance at her own reflection in the waters below.

She was supposed to be seen as an ideal for all. Horn of a unicorn, wings of a pegasus, strength of an earth pony. Big, tall, radiant, and warm as a rising sun. A protector who’d live for generations upon generations alongside her sister in honor of their adoptive family. But deep inside, amidst all her turmoil and grief, Celestia felt a cold rage begin to fester and snuff out the warmth. She wasn’t a pony, she was an unaging creature that looked like one. Her height, her power, all exaggerations of what was the norm to create an unnatural beast.

Those poor souls who tried to raise her, they were duped into taking her in by whatever force or entity that birthed her. For all she knew they were part of some plot against the ponies that was still in action because she certainly would have damaged Canterlot more than Discord ever could have had she stayed!

Celestia beheld the crying, dirtied, abomination; one cursed to live for centuries alone. No sister, no parents, doomed to see any lovers or children, if she could even have any, grow old and die while she stayed static. Starswirl, Clover, Cookie, Platinum, all of them had been so wrong.

Being an alicorn wasn’t an idealized pony brought to life. It was doomed desire by something pretending to be one.

Celestia’s expression sneered, her lips curling into a snarl that was equal parts agony and hatred. Parts of her were furious at herself, parts of her furious at whatever equivalent to parents she had, furious at the ponies themselves; and other parts were beginning to understand why her dear Luna had changed so much. A change that was beginning to be very tempting…

Spent from the constant magic use and physical exertion, Celestia collapsed just after managing to pull herself out of the stream and onto the bank.

Unconscious, she didn’t see a subtle glow begin to move through the forest. Numerous plants began to regrow as the presence walked by and many animals previously scared off by Celestia’s unintentional rampage looked out from their hiding places in silent awe. A calm returned to the wilds as a glowing mass of pure light approached the fallen alicorn. Her time here was agonizingly short. They were far from the Everfree and her presence wouldn’t last long.

But she had to be here, at least for this.

=====================

Celestia cleaned of grime, muck, and twigs, laid against a large mass that lay beside her with the alicorn’s head propped up against a soft shoulder. Still twitching in her sleep from the same ever present nightmares that rained down upon her like the beams of the hovering moon that bore the mark of a dark alicorn, Celestia finally found rest when a voice as quiet as a falling leaf whispered something to her.

Time run out, Princess Celestia would briefly awaken from her slumber in a different state. Still exhausted and only half awake, the world seemed different. The agony in her head seemed gone as well the pressure born from her out-of-control magic. Parts of her still hurt and fractured, but not falling to pieces anymore. Mouth slightly agape, she reached up and touched at her horn to confirm it was there. Alone in the wilderness as she sat up in a half delirious state, she quietly took a moment to look around before gazing up at the moon hovering high above with unsure feelings.

She’d been having a nightmare, that much was certain based off fuzzy memory and logic of what she’d been having for the past weeks; but beyond that there was the slight nagging feeling that there was something else. She observed the forest around herself and it was obvious some things had shifted. The plants were grown back and flickers of eyeshine indicated some animals observing her from a close proximity. A flock of small birds chirped as they rested in a shrub to her right, tilting their heads at the sitting alicorn curiously, whereas she last remembered driving them away. And of course she was clean again, no longer feeling the aching muscles and migraines that accompanied overuse of magic. But there was something else less tangible, almost like a faint whisper in the wind which she looked to but saw nor smelled nothing. Her rage was hushed. The abyss she almost fell into, the same one that had swallowed up Luna… something had yanked her away from it.

She thought she heard a wind chime. For the briefest moment she remembered an after-curfew chat with Luna in a time that seemed so long ago. Her sister made an audacious claim, one the then filly-aged Celestia had scoffed at. She claimed she remembered a voice before the ponies found them. A voice that softly rung like a chime. Celestia’s face quivered and her long since silenced throat opened as she formed a single word. The first word she’d spoken since the eclipsed day following her sister’s banishment, muttered with a mix of disbelief and questioning before the urgency of rest overtook her again.

“... Mother?”

Celestia’s tired eyes beheld the world around her, trying to catch a glimpse of someone she previously thought impossible, before exhaustion forced them shut again.

=================

Later that same night

A series of echoing crashes crisscrossed the night as multiple small sonic booms went off above the massive cloud formation. A half-dozen pegasi, many sporting body armor, slowed themselves down to a hover as they closed in on Timbucktu. Or more correctly, the still-smoking husk of it. Commander Hurricane’s breath was labored for more reasons than the exertion from the flight, for when the pegasi landed the newer members weren’t alone in expressing shocked gasps at what was before them.

Timbucktu was a jewel city turned into a ghost town. Numerous buildings were still smoking, be it from changeling fire or overturned lanterns and torches. The streets were littered with broken weapons, torn cloths, overturned vendor stalls, and spoiling goods. The once-grand commons hall where Hurricane and Orion would converse and debate so much with each other and their subordinates lay smoking as little more than broken pillars, torn tapestries, and a shattered ceiling covered in magic burns. And there was something else, shriveled up and littering the streets and clouds that stole the breath of any whom saw it. History wouldn’t remember Timbucktu’s legendary fall in a mixture of myth and truth due to forgotten details, it would be so because nopony present wanted the full cost of the attack in those details to be known so vividly.

A tattered flag showing the city’s gleaming emblem was torn away from its bent pole, twirling in the wind before hitting the ground and rolling in front of the pegasi.

Steeling himself with mythical levels of nerve, Commander Hurricane barked his orders while he lowered the lance mounted to his side armor to a battle-ready position, just in case some of the growing shadows in the ruins decided to jump out at them.

“Search for survivors. If you find something do not keep it to yourself.”

“Yes, Commander!”

Several minutes later and the pegasi had fanned out, combing the streets and buildings while keeping mind to stay in visual range of each other. With it being plainly obvious it was an attack, and changelings at that by the looks of things due to some older members recognizing the green fire scorch marks and trademark dive bombing patterns from the troubling times years ago, they weren’t going to risk trying to investigate a darkened building or cranny out of eye and earshot of a comrade. It was common for raiders to leave a few behind for looting as well as the chance of a hysterical survivor lashing out on mistake.

Lifting an overturned vendor stand back up to its foundations, Ardent Sentry had to fall back on her training not to emote when her hoof brushed up against something dry, shriveled, and light. She stoically closed her eyes and shook her head, using her hoof to nudge a loose teddy bear back to its owner. Still keeping her nerve, the captain wasn’t able to stop a saddened sigh as she crouched down and closed a pair of jewel-like, paled eyes. Taking a brief moment to bow her head in a nod, she moved on to the next setting. Stepping up before a half-caved in house, Ardent Sentry brought up a torch and after striking a few sparks from the blunts of her wingblades, relit it and held it to the front of the pitch black interior. What looked like it had once been an opening leading to the second story, no doubt for the homeowners to fly up through to access a bedroom, had been crushed downwards and spewed out chunks of broken roof and warped cloud. The telltale scorched circle of magic that still bore green embers in a few spots easily allowed her to imagine what happened when multiple armed changelings smashed through the roof as a rain of fireballs and surprised those inside.

“He-llo? This is Commander Hurricane’s flight team! If there’s anypony in here, sound off!”

Her voice echoed through the derelict house, but received no response. She was about to head inside to investigate, setting the torch down beside the entrance, when the voice of Commander Hurricane caught her attention.

“Captain Sentry!”

"Commander?"

Ardent Sentry turned and saluted to Hurricane, who was standing at the front of the grand commons hall.

“Get over here and bring that torch! Private, you and Sergeant Firefly take over searching the house!”

Ardent Sentry did as told, picking up the torch and flying over to land next to Commander Hurricane. Taking the torch, he impaled it upon his lance to make an improvised, mobile light post before motioning for the captain to follow. Hovering over a fallen pillar, they surveyed the interior damage under the flickering firelight and moonbeams reflecting off the polished marble. The interior of the hall was just as damaged as the exterior. The only noise that permeated the premises was the hiss of passing wind coming through the compromised roof or walls and the distant echoes of the soldiers outside calling out in vain for any survivors. With the place looking the way it did, one could be forgiven for thinking they were hearing the ghosts of the fallen.

Much of the structure was heavily damaged. Dents and cracks smashed into the walls, collapsed ceilings, and overturned tables, shattered vases, and everything else not attached to the floor now scattered across it. Silent all the way through as they walked and hovered hall to hall, Ardent Sentry finally broke the quiet.

“Commander. With respect, why aren’t we searching for any survivors in here?”

Commander Hurricane didn’t break stride, hovering over a fallen pillar and entering the core chamber. Despite his professional voice, one could see his ears and shoulders lowering slightly as he spoke.

“There are none. Not in here. I’ve checked with the Private…”

Ardent Sentry pursed her lips, glancing over at what lay across the floor in the hall’s wide, circular inner chamber where the council was held. A dozen or so pony sized forms wrapped in whatever large amounts of cloth were on hoof; flags, carpets, and sheets. Due to the dead until proper arrangements could be made. Morbid, but still astute, she perked her head up to where Commander Hurricane was walking towards.

“Then what are we doing here, Commander?”

“Investigating. This is the heart of the city, some things that need a second look.”

“Seems like changelings though, right?”

Hurricane didn’t turn his back, instead gazing upon various tapestries and maps on the wall that were illuminated by the torch.

“Captain, you see any action against those things?”

“Some, Commander. I was just a private when Chrysalis attacked the fringes but I was in Canterlot trying to protect the refugees from Tirek the whole time. A few incursions did occur, just not helmed by Chrysalis. I petitioned to join the front lines but you always rejected them, Sir.”

Ardent gulped, hoping she didn't say anything offending to her superior. Commander Hurricane, either opting not to focus on the topic in itself or having more important things to worry with; ignored it.

“You ever seen a swarm attack?”

“No. I only saw their actions in the frontier after the fact, when they were keeping the gryphons or Saddle Arabians from helping when all the other chaos hit.”

“Well, you’re looking at a fresh attack now…. Fly up and straighten this one out.”

Hurricane grunted, motioning with his head to a large wall tapestry he was standing before. The binding for the top corners had come undone, bending the map over onto itself. Ardent Sentry nodded and got airborne, hovering over and doing so. The tapestry flattened back out, revealing itself to be a massive air current chart overlaying a sketched map of Equestria.

“Orion and I had this made when the resettlement started with dozens of scouting teams. He thought it be a good idea to see where was best to set up a new weather factory as well as easiest trade routes merchants could take to ride the currents.”

Ardent Sentry let her eyes survey the map, which had obviously gone through some revisions over the years due to the faded writing scrawled on it that had been erased and written over. Tracing Commander Hurricane’s vision of focus, she could see he was looking at the illustration of where Timbucktu was and following a particularly strong current leading away from it.

“What are you doing, Commander?”

“It’s obvious a massive changeling horde attacked here. And given what’s behind me, I know who was leading them personally.”

Commander Hurricane tilted his head back and Ardent Sentry looked. Illuminated by a large hole in the ceiling that looked like something on the inside smashed out of it, she could see a single large burn mark in the floor with tendrils radiating out of it. On instinct a bite of cold clawed its way down her spine. Scorch marks from magic blasts weren’t something remotely new to her tonight, but the scale of this one was easily four or five times the size of the others and it all radiated out from a single center point. Meaning it had all come from one source in one instant.

“Chrysalis…”

Captain Ardent Sentry muttered with a hushed breath, earning a shrug and nod from Commander Hurricane.

“Suspected it before, but that confirms it. That mark was probably from when she made herself known after disguising her way in here. Drained the room to husks, smashed out through the ceiling, opened the floodgates. It was her M.O. according to reports from the gryphons when she’d raze outer settlements or ambush groups that tried to come and help against Discord or Tirek.”

“H-How did she survive the war? Didn’t anypony try to track her down?”

“You said you were in Canterlot the whole time so you wouldn’t know. But pretty much everypony and whoever came to help us did. One can track changelings about as easily as somepony can catch smoke with their bare hooves. If they wanted to make themselves scarce, they could do so in an instant. Starswirl speculates somehow Chrysalis can talk to them all and command them with just magic, no speech or proximity required.”

“Like some sort of… mental… hive?”

“Not quite, but however she gave the command she could do it without needing to chat or be near the swarm to do it. They could spread out over a hundred kilometers and still keep coordinated. I envy that ability sometimes, but point is it made trying to track them impossible. Chrysalis could tell them all to fly in fifteen different directions and then meet up at one exact tree in the middle of nowhere.”

“So.. if that’s what we’re up against, how do we find them now? We can’t let-”

Ardent Sentry paused for a moment, glancing at the swaddled forms on the far side of the room with an ever present reminder of why they were pony shaped plaguing her mind.

“-this happen again.”

She muttered, earning a growl by Commander Hurricane as he lifted up a broken weapon the old soldier recognized as King Orion’s spear. Orion wasn’t much of a soldier, but it was evident he died fighting; an honor his friend intended to see to.

“It won’t, not on my watch. I'm not putting this lance down until it's over... Our mistake before was trying to track the changelings. Instead of trying to trace them when they are trying to hide, we needed to be ready for when they would strike next. Catch them in the act and end it once and for all.”

Ardent Sentry stole her breath and steeled her resolve at Hurricane’s gruff bravado. She narrowed her brow and tensed up in anticipation, visibly brimming to go into action at the drop of a horseshoe as Hurricane stabbed the spear point into a spot on the map multiple charted currents flew towards like arrows to a coordinate.

“Chrysalis will take the easy route if she thinks she can attack unopposed, following the strong currents. Timbucktu was right above multiple currents when it was attacked so she’ll go to the place multiple currents lead to next to make the flight easier. Changelings can’t go sonic like we can, so it’s all but assured she’ll go here.”

“And where’s that?”

Commander Hurricane traced a hoof under the inscription, the name of one of the first cities established in the western frontier all too visible in the torch light.

“Trot.”

=================

Princess Celestia’s eyes finally snapped open and she gasped through her nose to clear them of stale air. Every single one of her joints popped as she rose up. The world around her took time to stop spinning. Exactly how many hours had passed was unknown, but it being the first real sleep she’d had in weeks it felt like she’d awoken from a coma. A myriad of creatures which had gathered around her shifted calmly into motion, some watching her from the foliage while others whom had come to rest alongside her casually lumbered off to go about their business. At first when she saw them Celestia’s first instinct was to quickly spread her wings in a likely vain attempt to fly away before she accidentally sent out another magic blast. Except as she was about to try, and likely fail, to orient herself for lift off; a realization dawned upon the alicorn.

Celestia reached up and touched at her horn with a shaking hoof, almost in disbelief that the agonizing migraines and magical force seemed gone. She could still feel it, all that power, but it was likely the dam holding back the tidal wave had been restored. Her magic was her own again. Standing up straight, the alicorn tested her muscles and limbs to make sure she was still in good working order; finally having enough clarity of mind to care. She still looked like a wreck, but rest had re-energized her body so at least she wasn’t of the sense she was going to keel over at the next step she took.

It took time for her memory to catch up to her physicality. In an instant she turned around and scanned the forest with her eyes and ears, wanting so desperately to catch a glimpse of whoever or whatever she’d sensed and heard previously. But before she could entertain notions of possibly finding someone she’d previously written off as her sister’s projected dreams, memory of what happened before stopped her in her tracks.

The remorse is what she remembered first, then the grieving, the rage; and then the confusion.

She was not a pony, not a mortal. A mortal lived their life in their allotted time. They set a goal during said time. They built their legacy in progeny and action. And then they passed. In a way, while captained by a sapient mind, it wasn’t that different from the natural processes of all living things to carry out life and leave their mark on the following generation.

But she wasn’t something natural. Regardless of if she actually had parents or not, she was a fiction brought to an unnatural life. She had a lifespan far beyond those around her, so was she to live like them despite her end not being as forthcoming? She was something that would live many centuries before growing old, if she ever did that at all. Death might only come for her if she were killed. Did that mean her capacity for a legacy or goal should be different than those fragile beings that called themselves her compatriots? Did that mean that as something different she should have a different morality or view of time; or were such concepts even a factor to her?

What was the use of being raised to emulate the best ponykind had to offer if she wasn’t ever going to be a part of it?

Celestia regarded the sky high above, seeing a moon on the verge of sinking over the horizon still emblazoned with the image of a dark alicorn.

Her sister, the one being whom Celestia was like. She had been raised by the same lot that raised her, had gone through the same struggles she had, been held to the same ideals of a race not their own like Celestia had. Through peaceful times and times of struggle. Wielding elements of harmony… and then being struck down by them. If Luna was the closest thing Celestia had to her own being, did that mean she was fated to take the same path?

-Perhaps… if I’m not like them… Maybe, maybe what Luna wanted was natural to her and… and to me.-

The thought had such prominence Celestia didn’t know whether it was a terrifying dread or a stroke of enlightenment.

-If I’m stronger, if I’m… better. Maybe, I’m supposed to have absolute control. Force things to fix themselves… If they fear me..-

Celestia felt her breath grow heavier at the memory of both Night Shroud and his crowd as well as the hidden fears she saw on almost every pony who might have thought they looked at her wrong. The first group were at least vocal with their fear, surely it then seemed that the latter’s pampering and willingness to “help” her was just an act out of fear of retaliation. More confused than she thought she was, so much that she overlooked the love of those whom loved her, Celestia’s lips began to turn downwards into a frown.

-They all fear me… No matter what I’ve done, they’re terrified because I’m different and they know that. If that is how they all are, maybe that is what is natural for me.-

Celestia steeped in a myriad of emotions for a time before a looming shadow cast itself across her face and shielded it from the lights of the night. Gazing upwards at the obstruction with her confusion still stenciled across her face, Celestia beheld the bottom of a massive cloud complex. Standing by and watching the clouds go by as she recognized it as a settlement of some kind, she couldn’t help but have her own internal debating shift to her cutiemark. For a pony a cutiemark tended to be symbolic of their lot and purpose in life through their talent. Hers was a sun, earned when she managed to almost effortlessly raise it when teams of unicorns and Starswirl himself toiled to budge it. Starswirl said that in addition to her adeptness at moving it, the mark and its twin with Luna represented that the two were meant to be above and help watch over ponykind; just like how the sun soars above them in the day and the moon hovers over the world at night. All these years and she’d never questioned it….

-To be above them, what does that mean? That I am a guardian to what I’m not?... Or that I should even care about what’s below me?-

Author's Note

Proofed by Lance-Omikron and Faith-Wolff

Next time on The Eclipse Times!:
Captain Sentry will be a name history remembered for a reason. But with Princess Celestia questioning herself, will she do something history doesn't?

Eve of Light

Everything was burning. The streets, the houses, even the sky; flooded with the roaring red and yellow from the blood and fumes of the flames. Intense heat and blinding light overpowered Knight Shroud’s senses as he scrambled to try and find anypony to help. In some ways he almost wished the cackles of the fires and sound of rock splitting from heat stress was enough to override his hearing like his vision had. Timbers and masonry didn’t scream in agony when they burned, others unseen did. Gagging on the smoke and practically caked in his own sweat that made the smog stick to him, Knight Shroud stumbled out the door and into the streets that looked like they’d turned to Tartarus.

Through the agonizing light he could see her… It…. A blazen horror in the form of a giant pony. The towering form too large for an earth pony, spiraling horn too long for a unicorn and smoking wings more like what would expect of a monstrous eagle than a pegasus. All capped by an ever-blazing mane that set everything even remotely close to it ablaze or vaporized it on the spot. As she walked, the cobblestones underhoof cracked or melted. She breathed out the burning ash that wreathed her face, obscuring some features aside from the eyes. They were uncanny, almost reptilian at first with a burnt brown sclera and golden irises ringing slitted pupils. But with a single blink they were pure white, so pouring with power it was impossible to make out any features. Celestia, the living firestorm she was, was as terrifying and blinding as the sun that forever loomed overhead until the world was nothing but ash and dust.

It was the silence that followed the last of the burning that terrorized Knight Shroud awake. He lurched up from sleep, gasping for breath and feeling the sticky taint of sweat coating his fur. The first thing he witnessed as his wetted eyes opened again was the figure of an alicorn, one etched into the moon that hung over him. Knight Shroud lay still for a time, bathed in the silver light of the Mare in the Moon as he tried to take comfort in it. He closed his eyes and relaxed, feeling it. The pull, a draw to the moon as he felt to the night. The same draw that gave him the drive for truth, for justice, to form the Nights. In some ways he fancied maybe, just maybe, it was their lost Princess Luna, the alicorn so cruelly disposed of by her sister, that was pulling him; calling to him.

He’d had doubts at first, but like listening to whispers in his ear, he’d found his concerns to be valid and others willing to listen. No matter what happened, understanding was needed and they had to be prepared for the worst. In some ways he thought they needed to prepare more, hence the calling of the meeting as soon as his thankfully relatively minor injuries over his impromptu confrontation with Princess Celestia were bandaged. After what his subconscious just conjured up as his new greatest fear, they’d need everything that could get in case things went south; a very real possibility.

As he set himself to dress and clean the filth off him, he could at least take some small comfort in for whatever reason and however much time had passed, the sun still hadn’t replaced his precious moon in the sky. If anything, it meant they hadn’t run out of time before any burnings ensued.

Slipping his old helmet back on, Knight Shroud left his room and soon found himself at the meeting place for the cause; which was rather naturally a moonglade outside of the town and inns they’d been staying in. The Nights movement was growing in number every hour, with this meeting of the leadership numbering in the several dozen. In some ways Knight Shroud liked to think the group was a reminder of the pre-alicorn Equestria, pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies all spearheading a movement together without an alicorn at the apex. There was the martyrdom of Princess Luna of course being used as a rallying point, but more as a symbolic lead than an actual one. They wanted to know what happened and why, so the moon itself became the symbol. The moon was a bare surface for all to see to inspect down to the finest detail, with the night revealing all the stars in the sky. By comparison, the sun was a blazen sphere none could gaze upon without having to look away, so burning bright that it obscured everything else in the sky. And so, the hope of Knight Shroud’s movement was that the truth would be clear as the moon and night, no longer as obscured as the sun and day.

All he could do was hope.

Knight Shroud took his place in the circle of stones the others gathered around, banners waving behind their heads as he took mental inventory of them all. Knight Shroud was a keen study of body language, helped in charisma for speaking or judging the movements of another before it happened. And he was seeing a lot of fear or unease right now. Sure, many of those in attendance were clad in strong faces and tall postures, but numerous mares and stallions in sight were visibly reacting to something. Quiver in the eye, slight reflectiveness of sweat on the fur, ears twitching, tired darkening of the eyes, or muscles tensing; they were afraid of something.

Knight Shroud opted to break the conflicting murmuring and silence by clearing his throat, “Ladies. Gentlecolts. I see we all have been successful in coming here and judging from some new faces I see joining us, I am happy our efforts to earn more voices have been paying off. Rest assured my… incident… earlier has left me with no major injuries.”

Knight Shroud noted, motioning to some of the bandaging he had on his cheek and left foreleg; which were mostly from just getting cut on some broken wood Celestia’s shockwave had thrown him through more than anything else thankfully.

“Now, I feel we should gather up more to our ranks; at least a few hundred or so-”

A voice to his left and behind the inner circle cut him off, “We already number in the thousands! Thousands poised to act for justice!”

The cry went out with several huzzahs and cheers, earning a crooked eyebrow from Knight Shroud and some of the veterans in the inner circle the dozens or so meeting gathered around. Glancing at the source of the outburst with some awkwardness, Knight Shroud patiently waited out the cheering and made sure it had died down before continuing.

“As I was saying… Once we have our numbers, we need to organize and rally at Canterlot. With numbers at our back we can exude some force without resorting to forced coercion against our countryponies. We formed for answers and or justice, twenty dozen outside Canterlot Castle will make sure those within it try to dispense some more of both. But, I caution this is a trying time. We must be careful or we risk sowing disharmony when our group formed to promote the opposite. Then we can achieve what we desired.”

“Transparency and lessening of power for Princess Celestia,” another bat pony named Stella noted with a tap of her hoof on the central table.

Knight Shroud nodded to her, glad to see he still had plenty of rational folks rallied with him. Some of the younger or newer crowd were beginning to concern him. He could see it in their expression as he looked around. While the sense of unease in many of them was still extremely evident, a few of the new or youthful faces were looking increasingly invigorated, energized by adrenaline. The twitching in the nerves around their eyes, how quickly some were breathing, the dilated pupils; it looked frantic or even fanatical. He didn’t like it.

“Exactly. We don’t need to recreate what policy is going on now. Equestria is a great nation, we're not revolutionizing it, just reforming it if that's needed.”

Instantly Knight Shroud’s remark drew two extremely different reactions. Some, namely those in the inner circle or older new arrivals, smiled and nodded in agreeance after maybe a brief moment or two of pondering. But the younger and or new additions shook their eyes, stomped their hooves, or even sneered at the words.

“Why shouldn’t we?! She’s already attacked us!”, one shouted.

A stallion to her side, fidgeting and flinching from something he was remembering, shouted out as well, “Y-Yeah! She attacked Knight Shroud earlier and tried to blow up a rally!”

“Hey hey calm down now-”

“You said it yourself, she’s not even a pony!”

Knight Shroud inwardly growled at his words getting bent around by something he was rapidly putting under the ‘young punk’ label, “As for the attack, some of you must not have been watching as something was clearly wrong with her. Yet another factor for our rally to find out about. If it's something serious, we have a right to know. As for her being a pony, what I said she wasn’t ‘like’ any other pony, once. And that maybe certain rules should be given to Princess Celestia since she is aging so differe-”

He was again cut off by an uproar in the back, “She no princess, she’s a tyrant!”

“Princess Celestia has done many great deeds for Equestria. We should give her benefit of the doubt until proven otherwi-”

“Only a tyrant would overthrow her sister!”

“We don’t know exactly what happened with her and Princess Luna, that is why we are trying to figure this out-”, Knight Shroud grunted as he was put short by another shout.

It was useless as he tried, only getting cut off more and more as half the crowd whipped themselves into more and more of a frenzy.

“Nightmare Moon saw what the tyrant was doing! She was only trying to free us before it was too late!”

“Why should we reform a tyranny?! We need to dismantle it entirely, restore it to leadership by ponies, for ponies!”

“Yes, a republic! A republic guided by our true celestial!”, a young unicorn barked, motioning up to the mare in the moon.

Knight Shroud just watched it all, slowly shaking his head as some of his inner circle looked upon him apologetically for bringing this crowd. Glances cast to each of them with a shrug told the message of no hard feelings, even as Shroud impatiently waited to see if the out-crying broadcasters would run out of steam. He could clearly see their type as he studied each of them that shouted out, either to the crowd in general or each other. The levels of intensity, fear, and stress upon each seemed far too great for what they were shouting about.

-This isn’t them naturally getting worked up, something is doing it. It’s like they’ve been terrorized.-

But then one single line, a yelp from the back of the crowd that was practically blotted out by the shouts of another closer in distance and louder in voice.

“She will burn everything if we don’t stop her!”

“Eyes of darkness and fire!”

“A breaking of day!”

Knight Shroud felt like he’d been electrocuted, struck by lightning as his mind flashed back to the dream. More shouts came out, all perfectly aligning to what his dreamscape had showed him. True, it was hardly the first dream he’d had since starting this cause; but he’d chalked it up to stressful life creating a wilder imagination. But here and now, it was like every facet of his nightmare was being read off to him. And each time somepony named off a trait, be it the blank, uncanny expression on the nightmarish Celestia’s visage or the exact same burning flag he’d seen smoldering at her hooves; he saw them look up and glance to the Mare in the Moon. As crazy as it seemed, Knight Shroud almost thought the blankets of silvery rays coating many of them looked like strings to a giant puppeteer piece.

-They all had the same dream. How could that be?-

As more rabble ensued, Knight Shroud muttered a silent prayer of thanks when he saw his old friend, a green pegasus named Lightning Dash soaring towards them still clad in her Hurricane forces armor. True, she hadn’t joined the Nights formally, but it was more out of professional disagreeing rather than anything personal and they still kept in touch. Shroud, a former soldier before an honorable discharge, had hoped to use connections still from his old crew still in the military, like her, to maybe get some audience with Commander Hurricane or King Orion to win some influence peacefully.

His eyes instantly trained upon the scroll clenched between the blue furred, red maned mare’s mouth. She landed behind him and he sighed, “Please tell me you got something good.”

“What constitutes good?”, she shrugged as she hoofed over the scroll.

Knight Shroud glanced at the rabble rousers in the crowd still sputtering off while he started unwrapping the message, “Princess Celestia decided to speak and invites my associates and I for negotiations over tea?”

Knight Shroud knew that sure as Tartarus wasn’t happening from the somber expression on the typically energized pegasus’ face, even before he got the scroll open and read the first few lines. And when he did, the dark hued stallion practically turned white as the blood rushed out of his face. His hooves began to tremble, weak in the joints. A curious subordinate walked closer and tried to read as Knight Shroud finished, the shocked leader passing him the scroll to spread the same reaction to him. When Knight Shroud got both his hooves free of that terrorizing document, his entire body shook and he put a hoof to his forehead. Lightning Dash bowed her head as her jewel hued eyes bore a quiet tear. She had already read of what happened to her homecity, what had happened to her dear, grandfatherly king. And as Knight Shroud pushed his way past her and through the crowd, only one thought bore down on the former soldier’s mind.

How he was going to make it known to the crowd.

He stepped up onto the central table, standing above everypony not flying or hovering with magic. Some grew silent at his sobering appearance and downturned face wreathed in shadow. Others paid attention when he brought forth a great hurricane of voice from his throat.

“QqqqquuuuuuuuUUUIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!”

The shroud cast itself, and those covered obeyed. A full ten seconds passed in such silence one could have heard a pin drop from several dozen meters away. Knight Shroud took those ten seconds to collect himself.

“Earlier, at the waning of the day prior; a horror to contrast with the beautiful quiet of this night took place. According to witness reports as well as a personal inspection by Commander Hurricane himself, Timbucktu has been… eradicated. Changeling attack, Chrysalis has returned… There were no survivors. I am not overselling this. As of now, there are probably only a few dozen Timbucktu jewel-eyed pegasi in the world-”

Knight Shroud yelled, stealing a quick glance at Lightning Dash as some others did. The jewel eyed pegasus had her glittering eyes drowned with solemn loss, having been one of the 'lucky' Timbucktu natives to have been away from the capital when the attack and massacre went down.

“-And… Chrysalis was not stopped. There is good evidence to suggest she is on her way to Trot as we speak to do the exact same thing to that city. Then the next, then the next. Right now with Princess Luna gone and Princess Celestia… inactive… we’re vulnerable. Nopony else can use the Elements of Harmony, and if there are any we don’t have the time to find them. We Equestrians only have each other to act, to stop this monster before she sheds any more blood. Commander Hurricane is on his way right now with a combined force of pegasi, earth ponies, and unicorns; all rallying to Trot. And before me I see another combined force of pegasi, earth ponies, and unicorns. The only question I have is, will we take the same action?”

“Is this to win more to our cause?”, one voice piped up from the front rows, coming from another former soldier whom was clad from head to hoof in his now recolored guard armor; the celestial sun replaced by a crescent moon.

“No,” Knight Shroud barked with a shaking head, “If we do anything, we prove ourselves as true Equestrians in helping our countryponies. Chrysalis is a threat to us all. If she attacks Trot, she attacks all of us. So, effective immediately I’m calling for a renovation on the current agenda. Any of us with combat experience and or training along with anypony with medical or rescue work will rendezvous with me and the others in two hours at the south camp so we can form up with Commander Hurricane’s forces and reinforce Trot!”

But then, before the nods and determined looks could turn to cheers or planning for gearing up, a single word roared out from the middle of the crowd.

“Never!”

Knight Shroud whirled around, his face contorting with disbelief over what he just heard and all logic telling him he heard wrong. Some of the crowd pulled away to reveal a young unicorn stallion, dark blue in color with a purple mane. The unicorn huffed in breath, his wide eyes showing a mixture of fear and franticness that indicated enormous stress.

Knight Shroud steeled himself, motioning to the younger stallion, “...What… was that?”

“N-Never…”, the stallion sneered with flinches, “Celestia is a tyrant, a monster parading around in the form of a pony. She is no different from Chrysalis and sooner… or later.. She’s going to do to us what she did to her own sister!”

He barked frantically in paranoia, accentuating the last two words as Knight Shroud was at a loss for his own.

“I-It’s true! I saw it myself! Celestia was to be crowned Queen in a few years, she lusted for the crown and with the founders getting older, who do you think was going to replace them but Starswirl’s pet project?”, another voice calling out from a pegasus mare walking up to flank the first unicorn.

Knight Shroud sneered in disbelief as more and more rallied behind the two. He was going to note they were cherry picking facts, like how Luna was also to be given queenship when she was older and Celestia was just going to be crowned first on account of age gap. Or more directly where the mare had claimed to have ‘seen’ this she spoke of.

“If we go to Trot, how are we to know Celestia won’t just swoop in and ‘accidentally’ take us out like she will the changelings?!”

“-We don’t even know if Princess Celestia is going to be at Trot, Commander Hurricane has assumed she won’t be given her conditio-”, Knight Shroud was cut off. Not even his commanding voice able to rip through the mass hysteria that swept up a good portion of the crowd. If he were a superstitious stallion, he could have sworn he saw that part of the Nights group being cast in more moonbeams than the rest.

“-Then she’s leaving Trot to die! It’s a cull!”

“Princess Luna, a true princess, rebelled! Now we must too! Let the Tyrant’s lackies get thrown into battle! We are not them! We protect our own!”

“We are her Children of the Night! Break the day!”

The young, the impressionable, the scared, and if the back of Knight Shroud’s mind was true, the influenced; swept each other up in a cornucopia of hysteria, fanaticism, and misplaced belief. The Nights Rebellion truly began in that hour, and Knight Shroud was powerless to stop the powder keg from going up when one nightmare lit the spark. He could only shake his head in shock.

The Mare in the Moon practically looked like she was smiling.

========

Trot

Commander Hurricane could hate all the times he was wrong, which he wasn’t ashamed to admit had happened a lot in his more bullheaded, earlier years. But experience and age bore wisdom. He still hated, it’s just that now he hated being right almost all the time. A million questions, often similar in scope to the whispers of doubt he’d gotten but told nopony of upon discovering Timbucktu. As he and his forces descended upon the already panic-stricken and assaulted city, every burning home or equine scream was a plague of the mind and worry his decisions had costed them.

Commander Hurricane sneered and adjusted his lance which now bore the point of an old friend, King Orion’s spear, on the opposite end as a secondary weapon and counterweight. Going back to Canterlot to amass might have cost them some time, but given the living wave of buzzing blackness; pegasi alone wouldn’t have been nearly enough to face this horde. Hardened nerve became etched across his grayed face. He could worry about those who’d been harmed in the initial attack later and leave the wounded for the trained to tend to. He was a soldier amongst soldiers, and they had their job to do.

“FOR EQUESTRIA!”, he roared and charged into battle.

The sapient tidal wave of ponies echoed the Commander as they rushed in, pegasi flight teams zooming down from the sky, earth pony shocktroopers being deployed down from carriages some pegasi were carting, unicorn mages and guards teleporting or being airdropped in with their earth pony compatriots. By wing of air, hoof of land, and horns of magic they rushed in to fulfill their duties to fight or protect.

“F-O-R E-Q-U-E-S-T-R-I-A!”

=================

Be it because he was bruising his way through her drones or her cunning mind telling her the ponies would fold from lost morale at his loss, it was natural that Queen Chrysalis, clad in her war armor, rushed Commander Hurricane. Smashing through the side of a wooden storehouse, the changeling queen shrieked with manic laughter as she surged forward into Hurricane’s defense. The advantage in the battle was clear from the first few blows exchanged. A single hoof smack from the changeling toppled the large stallion over after swatting him out of the air, forcing Hurricane to roll away to safety and avoid being the epicenter to the crater Chrysalis’ follow-up stomp created in the cobblestone road. Whirling back to his hooves, Commander Hurricane bellowed and slashed out with the bladed portion of his lance. But, despite his own admirable strength and agility born momentum; the lance rather unceremoniously bounced off the side of Chrysalis’ helmet after only managing to crack one of its eye lenses. The dark magic embodiment of lust sneered, grabbing onto the lance by its shaft and ripping Commander Hurricane off the ground. As he furiously beat his wings to try and get clear, Chrysalis slashed upwards with her head and brought her horn into play in the most brutal way possible.

The forgers of Timbucktu were quite skilled in their craft, the Commander’s armor being one of their best works in both absorbing as well as defusing physical impacts and or magic blasts; even if it was originally only made with the intent to deflect off earth pony bucks or unicorn concussive blasts. The queen of the changelings was something else entirely. Commander Hurricane wasn’t impaled on her horn or sliced open by its scimitar-like shape as she intended, the armor spared him that fate. Instead he was sent flying back after a sickening crack indicated Chrysalis broke half his ribs with a blow that dented his chestplate and ruptured the padding under it. Beneath his armor the old soldier’s torso was soon becoming flush with ugly red and black from a massive bruise forming atop his winded chest.

Sliding across the ground, Commander Hurricane gagged and coughed, staggering to his feet. He wiped some blood off his lips, balling up a wad of sanguine and other ichors to spit it out.

Chrysalis’ mocking tone seeped across his ears, “Oooh, still able to stand? Now there’s the Hurricane that could stare down a flock of gryphons. But… that was a long time ago, my little pony.”

Chrysalis lifted up one of Hurricane’s shed, graying hairs that had fallen from his mane, giving it a bemused look before flicking it off into the wind, “And nopony can best time.”

Commander Hurricane leered, still choking on his breath as he backed away. Before Chrysalis could bemuse the possibility he was retreating, the pegasus stallion’s cold expression and fact he hadn’t lowered his lance spoke otherwise. Chrysalis rolled her eyes and paced after him, her wider stride and the fact she wasn’t having to move with multiple broken ribs meant she didn’t need any effort to keep up with her prey. They passed through the battle, into a quieter part of the city into the marketplace.

Commander Hurricane winced and lunged forward, swinging his lance in a wide arc that Chrysalis easily stepped back from. The lance spun around and snapped a tent pole, sending the cloth roofing crashing down. Queen Chrysalis grumbled, easily swatting the nuisance aside before it could fall upon her. When she regained sight of Hurricane, he’d taken the chance to back up further and she again pursued. Again he swung, momentarily blinding her, but the cloth debris hardly gave him any opening to retreat any significant distance. By the time they reached the end of the marketplace’s bazaar, they’d gone through fifteen small tents, Hurricane was huffing for labored breath, and Chrysalis was just annoyed.

“Tired, old stallion? I must say, you are proving far more irksome than I imagined…”

Magic hummed forth across her body, fueled by thoughts that lusted for what she desired as it was channeled as a ghastly green glow upon her horn.

A long tongue drew itself across her fangs as she slowly chased him into the last, largest tent, “You pegasi always did like your glory, so you need not make this difficult. Death by my hoof certainly will make you go down in history like your friend, Orion. You’ll end with your honor intact.”

Commander Hurricane flinched, letting his lip curl up into a hateful snarl. He muttered only a single, quiet phrase, “Give Tirek my regards.”

Queen Chrysalis rolled her eyes and fired a blast that melted Commander Hurricane, or rather the ground he’d been standing on a moment ago, in an instant. The pegasus champion surged forward at speed betraying his age and current condition, moving so quickly one could swear he caused a sonic boom in less than a quarter of a second. He lunged forward with his lance in a warcry, but rather than futilely stab into Chrysalis’ armor; he aimed higher and to her side. The point and edge of the lance moved with surgical precision, shearing through a strap keeping Chrysalis’ chestplate in place despite less than a half an inch of said strap being exposed. Hurricane zoomed past her in slow motion, contorting around and beating his wings to grab onto one of the big tent’s poles and swing around it to alter direction. The mastery of speed, force, and aim was fitting for the Commander’s legendary status. He nimbly vaulted himself off the pole while stabbing through it with Orion’s spear point, bringing it down behind him as he grabbed ahold of the falling fabric with his air wake. Shooting past the changeling, the pegasus forcefully ensnared her in the fabric.

Commander Hurricane could count the milliseconds tick by, feeling alive. This was the skill he’d honed after decades. This was what he brought forth to teach Pansy, Sentry, and multitudes of others. This made him feel like a young stallion again. For a brief moment, the mythical stone-face of the pegasi smiled as he flew upside down and looked at the beautiful night above. As he vaulted off the last remaining tent pole, Hurricane spun himself around like a drill and aimed his lance at the cloth covered mass of Chrysalis where he had aimed before when he sliced the armor strap off; only this time slightly lower.

The lance bit into something and there was an ungodly shriek that erupted from the body. But it wasn’t a death wail or a scream of agony, nor was the metallic clanging that followed there the lance tip had impacted the sound of steel biting flesh. At the last moment, young as he felt, Commander Hurricane was still well past his prime. In a last moment before impact, age and injury caused him to flinch.

Queen Chrysalis exploded out of the fabric, screeching in rage with Hurricane’s lance lodged in the edge of her armor. The demoness’ armor had slowed down the attempted impalement just enough for it to not bite through her chitin even when it severely dented said armor. But it hurt, and being harmed, let alone by a mortal, was more than enough for Chrysalis to emulate her old colleague Sombra in emotion. True, she wasn’t wrath like he was; but it didn’t mean the massive beam of magic she spewed out onto Commander Hurricane was any less dangerous. Unable to get out of the way due to exhaustion and being stuck in place due to his lance being lodged in Chrysalis’ armor, Commander Hurricane was engulfed in dark magic.

=================

Captain Ardent Sentry, Pre-Changeling Conflict

Several minutes later and the battle was not boding well for the Equestrians. Most of the civilians were out of harm’s way and the soldiers were fighting admirably, but the effect of the prior conflict was taking it’s toll. Chrysalis marched through, casually burning her way through a barrier erected by several unicorns. Ever since dealing with Hurricane, the Changeling Queen’s patience had run thin and her bloodlust ran thick. The unicorns, scampering back in fear after seeing the green changeling magic rip through their defenses as Chrysalis briskly walked towards them, had to be grabbed by a flight team of pegasi to avoid being flash-fried by a energy blast from Chrysalis. A large mass hefted itself off the ground to her right and Chrysalis’ eyes diverted to meet it. Several earth pony stallions and mares ripped half a stone pillar out of its foundations and shoved it over, collapsing the marble like a falling tree. Chrysalis sneered, taking her eye off the pegasi and unicorns to focus on the next distraction.

One of the unicorns paled in her face when she saw the explosion of rubble that followed Chrysalis backhoofing the pillar hard enough to smash it to pieces.

“Wh-Where’s the commander?! Where’s Hurricane?!”, she shrieked, clearly getting scared out of her mind.

Her companion pegasus wasn’t doing much better, eyes trained upon the battlefield as Chrysalis went on a bonafied rampage. She was an unimpeded force, able to shrug off what was thrown at her with nopony bold enough to try and face her head-on, only able to try and avoid her. The fear lead to a domino effect. Nopony wanted to fight Chrysalis directly so they avoided her attacks and presence. Nopony assaulting her meant Chrysalis could roam more. Chrysalis roaming more meant more areas affected and more ponies afraid of her. More ponies afraid of her in a larger area meant nopony wanted to fight her directly.

“Sh-Should we fall back?”

“Retreat?! To protect Canterlot maybe?”

“No!... Maybe, no point in dying so we can’t help anypony!”

“Where’s the Commander?!”

The voices spoke of helping the wounded and civilians, or of retreating to reinforce the capital; while all true, also were true to something unspoken. Morale was breaking down without command. Everypony had come rallying around Hurricane, and the storm had seemed to subside. The crowds began to fall back as Chrysalis bore down on them.

But as Chrysalis locked her glare down upon the ponies, a typhoon came to strike with a vengeance. A gray-blue blur slammed into Chrysalis’ side. The changeling shrieked, the edges of an iconic lance sparking off the edges of her green war armor. They struggled, Chrysalis shoving back against the lance’s shaft and firing a burst of magic. But her foe, clad in burnt gray and purple armor, nimbly dodged out of the way, spinning in such a way they smashed a hoof into her cheek. Chrysalis, while bigger than the pony, only had so much mass. Her head was forced back and the magic blast diverted harmlessly off into the sky.

The ponies, once tempting the idea of retreat, felt there mouths gape and eyes widen. Their expression turned to awe struck cheering when they recognized the distinctive armor and lance the gray and blue pony bore. While he wasn’t landing any dire hits as he weaved, lashed, dodged, kicked, and stabbed at the armored changeling, he was holding ground. Commander Hurricane was back on his hooves despite his burnt armor, and he seemed stronger than ever. He zipped around Chrysalis in a spectacle none had ever seen before, a lone warrior fighting a titan of terror like Chrysalis one on one. Hurricane launched himself back, skidding across the ground on sparking hooves. Not missing a second to act, he darted out of the way without a hint of pause, dodging a charging Chrysalis as she lunged past him while taking the chance to slash at one of her armor’s straps with his lance.

A bat winged stallion put his helmet back on as he landed in front of the crowd. Before any others could wonder what was going on if they recognized the newcomer, Knight Shroud let his eyes dart over to a fallen flag standard, showing the emblem of two alicorns of white and blue encircling one another. He hoisted it high and pointed back at the battlefield, shouting at the top of his lungs.

“No retreating yet! We got a fight to win so let’s get back in there!”

A chorus of bellows, howls, snorts, and winnys answered him with many ponies, soldier and local, hoisting back up their weapons, horns, wings, or even bare hooves before charging back into the fray.

They didn't nor couldn't know it wasn't Hurricane fighting Chrysalis.

=================

A short time earlier

Ardent Sentry blocked three changeling drones’ rushed attacks with her spear, kicking at its shaft to spin the weapon around and throw her attackers off balance. Fazed and stumbling, they were powerless before the powerful mare blitzed forward and tackled them through a wooden wall and away from the paramedic and wounded civilians they’d attempted to ambush. Stabbing the counterweight of the spear into the ground and kicking off to rotate around, Ardent Sentry smashed her hindhooves into the remaining support beam for the wall to bring the structure down on top of the marauders.

She covered her face to shield her eyes from the falling debris, wiping a bloodied cheek before turning back to those she’d help save.

“Get them out of here, now! South end has less fighting and earth ponies holding the line, take the side streets and keep running!”, she roared and was obeyed.

Casting her vision upwards, Ardent steeled herself as she saw several burning fireballs of green dark magic arcing down from the sky towards her. Ardent Sentry braced, twirling her spear as she calculated where to dodge and how to counterattack the pending seven-on-one battle to both not get overwhelmed as well as cover the civilians. Her questions were answered for her when the sound of a war horn called out and a mass of objects sailed in from the east. Some flew in on bat wings, others charged into the fray on dark hooves; with more appearing out of thin air in bursts of magic. Numerous dark hued ponies of nightly blues and grays piled into the fray, tackling, ramming, or blasting the changelings off course before engaging them.

One familiar voice rang out in unison with a crossbow bolt shooting over Ardent’s head, “Cover the medics! Take them down!”

Ardent Sentry whirled around to face a reloading Knight Shroud, still amped up on adrenaline and nearly whacking the bat winged stallion in the face. Shroud’s eyes nearly burst out of his head when she stopped the spear short of hitting him. He dropped his crossbow and threw his hooves up.

“Whoa whoa whoa! Friendly! Friendly!”, he yelped.

Mindful of who it was they were fighting, Ardent had to be certain with such a big force suddenly moving in from their rear flank. It could easily be a diversion tactic by a transforming changeling, sacrificing one or two of their number to launch a mass ambush.

“I’ll buy it but quick, give me proof,” she barked, “Name something Knight Shroud would admit to or know!”

After a moment of pondering, his head shot up with elation as he hoped he said the right thing, “I noticed there was something wrong with Princess Celestia in the square, she’s suffering from bursts of uncontrollable magic and her condition has been tight lipped as of late, right?”

Ardent Sentry paused for a moment before shrugging, pulling the spear away and holding out her hoof to her former coworker.

“You luna-tics got good timing, glad you’re here,” she sighed as Knight Shroud shook her hoof with a chuckle.

“Nice pun, but I think an hour or so earlier wouldn’t have been too bad either. We got a situation with some former colleagues of mine- Heads up!”, he barked, trying to shove Ardent Sentry out of the way and smack the butt of his crossbow stock into a dive bombing changeling.

While he did manage to do the first part, the changeling had far too much momentum for his hit to make much of a difference. It would have continued barreling towards him now, wreathed in green dark magic flames like some sort of evil meteor; had a spear not planted itself in the ground. Using Knight Shroud’s shove to spin herself around at her weapon born anchor, Ardent Sentry whirled around and smashed her hooves into the changeling’s side with all her might. Its chitin armor splintered and its path was diverted, sending it careening off into a market shack that tumbled down on top of it.

Knight Shroud breathed into still his pounding heart, which was beating hard for multiple reasons, before helping Ardent back up.

“Thanks.”

Reloading his crossbow, Knight Shroud surveyed the war zone. Through the pandemonium of ponies, changelings, soldiers, medics, and civilians trying to get out of the way, he was having trouble spotting the one form in particular he sought. His old commanding officer.

“Where is Commander Hurricane? I was trying to give him the command chain for my group.”

Ardent Sentry’s eyes dilated when his words sunk in and she was in the air in an instant. No words could escape her mouth, her throat clamped down upon itself. She looked to the city hall, the home district, the gates and walls, but bore no sight of Commander Hurricane. There was an explosion from the market distinct, where the tent stalls were. Her eyes trained upon it just in time to see a large, smoking mass go flying out of a green hued burst of magic she knew came from Chrysalis. She recognized who it was as they went sailing back and slammed through a partially collapsed, burned house.

She wanted to scream as she bolted off after it, call out several loud words of regret, anguish, or denial. But Knight Shroud didn’t hear her say anything as her tear hit the ground and he bolted after her.

Ardent Sentry kicked down the charred doorway and instantly scrambled inside. The house had partially fallen in on itself, some smoldering remains still bleeding smoke with the only light coming from streaming moonbeams thanks to the hole in the roof. Dropping her spear aside to less encumber herself, Ardent frantically dug into the rubble and debris. By the time Knight Shroud caught up, he saw her managing to lift and throw a heavy roof beam out of the way.

“Ardent what’s going on?!”, Knight Shroud gagged from the smoke and dust in the air. As he approached, he witnessed Ardent gather something up in her hooves. When he got to her side, his breath was stolen.

Commander Hurricane’s coarse breathing was the only noise inside the half destroyed house, as his head lay limp in Ardent Sentry’s lap. Neither was emoting, Hurricane only huffing for breath as tears streamed down the mare’s cheeks. Hurricane was in a worse state. The disjointed angle of one of his wings and hindlegs clearly indicated they were broken, bent around at the joint. Half his body was covered in still-smoldering burns with dried blood caking his cheek, neck, and shoulder. His armor had taken the brunt of the magic blast, but was partially warped and burned. Due to the unique forging of the armor in reaction to the dark magic that still crackled over it every now and then in small, sparking arcs; the darker hues had been stained with blotches of purple and gold.

Commander Hurricane looked up at Knight Shroud, one of his eyes swollen shut, and flinched. Sneering slightly to bite back the pain, he croaked out a phrase, “The battle?”

Knight Shroud’s lips quivered seeing his old commander like this as he saluted, steeling himself and carrying on, “Still.. Ongoing, sir. I’ve brought reinforcements”

“And Ch-Chrysalis?”

“Alive, Sir.”

There was an echo of a magic blast from outside. Judging from the volume and magnitude, it could only have come from the Changeling Queen rejoining the fray. Hurricane winced, narrowing his good eye as he tried to rise. Ardent Sentry kept him back down, scowling even as she cried.

“No!”, she roared, more frustrated than enraged. Hurricane growled and tried to rise again, only for the mare to force him to remain in her grasp.

“Stubborn old dog! STAY! DOWN!”, Ardent snarled with her eyes still damp.

Commander Hurricane fit that description, still trying to struggle up even as his strength left him. He collapsed, the graying soldier was spent. He could only talk in a quiet, broken tone, not as a legendary hero but as a tired old stallion.

“Fight’s… not-t.. finished. If I stay out, the troops will break. They’ll win.”

Hurricane looked to Sentry and they stared at eachother for a time. Knight Shroud observed the two, glancing between them slowly as the two held a silent conversation. Ardent Sentry and Commander Hurricane’s expressions ran the full gamut of emotions. Pleading to stoic. Somber to softening. Determined and concerned to relenting and grief-filled. He didn’t know what was being said, but they did. Ardent Sentry took Hurricane and her own helmets off, letting the two look at each other fully.

Liquid, a mix of red and clear, wept out of the edges of Commander Hurricane’s good eye as he closed it. An apology.

Ardent leaning in and put her forehead to the old stallion’s, an acceptance.

She laid him down as he rested, quickly but carefully taking off his armor. She threw her voice back to Knight Shroud.

“Strip me. Do you have any of those dye potions to change fur color you were passing around at Canterlot?”

More than a bit flummoxed by both the demand and the question, he nevertheless got to work and started undoing the straps to shed off Ardent Sentry’s armor.

“Y-Yes but I hardly see how that’s relevant!”

He fished out one of the vials, having not had the time to dump all his armor's pockets before heading to Trot, and Ardent quickly snatched it up. Not caring how long the effects might last, she ripped the cap off and chugged it down. Like a veil being drawn over, her orangey-yellow fur began to grow much darker, approximating the dark blue of Commander Hurricane out of either sheer willpower to look such or fortunate luck. Knight Shroud dropped Ardent’s chestplate and cocked an eyebrow as the now extremely Hurricane-looking mare looked to him with a sharp, unbreakable expression despite her dried tears. That was the look of somepony about to kill something or die trying. It only enhanced the resemblance. Even without the potion affecting the mane and tail, Knight Shroud had never noticed until now how similar Ardent and Hurricane’s mane colors were, near identical dual shades of medium blues.

Ardent slung the rest of Hurricane’s armor on top of herself, adjusting it some to compensate for a slightly smaller size; though she was a larger than average mare and filled the gear decently enough. She picked up and pushed her spear and his crossbow Knight Shroud's hooves.

“Watch over him or get him out of here,” she muttered.

He had a million questions rolling through his head, but he knew not to ask one. Instead all he did was nod his head, saluting.

Ardent Sentry picked up Commander Hurricane’s lance and attached it to the holster on the armor, pausing only when an outstretched hoof wrapped around hers. She looked down to see a calmed Hurricane gazing up at her. She leaned down to him and despite her wearing his armor, he saw a resemblance to somepony else. He closed his eyes as they embraced. He remembered two decades prior, when he was younger and quickly rising through the ranks. He went to his favorite tavern to celebrate alongside an old female acquaintance who worked there. A celebration that got a bit out of hoof despite the two lacking any feelings for one another. In the years after he’d written it off, as the chances were slim even when Speedy Service was with child. Timing seemed off and he was hardly the only stallion she’d slept with, let alone recently. But all these years he’d had suspicions ever since Service's daughter joined the guard and her having an extremely familiar mane and eye color was not lost upon him. Maybe said nothing because they hated him. Maybe they didn't want to alter his career or image. Maybe they didn't care. But all those suspicious were ones answered by a single two word phrase Ms. Service’s daughter whispered to him before he lost consciousness in her embrace.

“Rest, father.”

They would have a lot to talk about, if that chance came...

===================

If viewed from miles above, Equestria seemed almost peaceful despite the dour and chaotic happenings going on. The Mare in the Moon seemed to leer down upon the country as she hovered high above it. But that changed. High in the north, in the land were Timbucktu once hovered; there was a flash of light. Like a puff of flame, it was bright but soon went out. But before the darkness could settle back in again, another burst of light sounded off. Then another, then another, growing in strength. A pinprick of light emerged before drastically swelling in size, seemingly miniscule from the vantage point of this high an altitude, but distance meant such a flare of light had to been a fireball hundreds of meters wide. It swelled, compounding before a streak of luminance shot out of it. It raced across the landscape, going thousands of meters per second.

The resulting sound wave of the explosion was deafening for kilometers. In it and the light streak’s wake, Timbucktu had been completely destroyed. Cremated. The streak of light made her way Southeastward...

Death bore a fiery mane at day's break.

Author's Note

Proofreading by Faith-Wolff and Lane Omikron
Artwork by Faith-Wolff

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