Forgotten Legacy

Sunny! It’s a trap!

Sunshine’s warning cry blasted it’s way into my awareness, accompanied by a mental image of a map with a large thaumaturgic circle draw on it.

I leaped into the air and pulled on what little mana I had left to empower my Royal Voice.

"Fall back! Fall back to the ridge line!"

Luna and Twilight looked at me as though I had grown a second head.

“Why hast thou sounded a retreat?” Luna called.

“It’s a trap,” I said, turning my attention to the ground forces as they made an organized retreat. Strangely, the risen enemies did not pursue. They followed to a point and then stopped, milling about confusedly.

“How can you know?” Twilight asked.

“Sunshine and Starlight found something,” I said as we were flanked by Wonderbolts as we made our way to the ridge line. “We’re not close enough for perfect contact, so we’ll have to rely on the communication network.”

Just as we landed on the ridge line, the entire below erupted in blue light, the shockwave of mantic power flowing out ruffling the manes, tails, and feathers of the assembled army. I looked back, seeing the forms of the soldiers we had been fighting against dissolve away like grains of sand being carried by the wind. I looked on in horror as the tower of mantic blue light grew brighter with each destroyed minion.

“Maker,” Luna murmured.

“The whole thing was a diversion,” Twilight whispered. “If we had been in that area when the spell went off…”

“We might have been drained of our mana, at the least,” I said, feeling the spell tug at my horn slightly. “If not our life essence itself.”

The tower of mantic light began to fade, revealing the hidden lines of the circle that had lain under the snow, the heat of the spell having melted the snow around the area. On the far side of the battlefield, I could make out the armored form of a pony. It turned and galloped away.

“Oh, no you don’t,” I said, leaping to the air. With my mana so low from the constant fighting, it felt like I was trying to fly through mud. I had to keep pumping my wings to stay aloft, despite the updrafts I felt at times. I saw Twilight and the Dashes come abreast of me.

“This is weird,” Dash said. “It’s like my wings are made of lead.”

“Mana draining effect must still be wearing off,” Twilight said. “Magic helps us fly like we do.”

Hot Shot scoffed. “We’re not going to quit just because it’s hard, are we?”

In answer, I pumped my wings hard, feeling the muscles starting to burn from the extra exertion.

“How is she keeping so far ahead of us?” Twilight panted as we ran through the snow. Our wings had long since given up on us, the increased toll making us all land. A ridge started to grow before us, figures milling about on top. I slowed down, knowing how little mana I had left.

As we approached, I started to frown. The glints of the evening sun on the armor looked wrong. “Is it just me,” I stated. “Or do those look like…"

“Halt!" A voice called out from the side. We turned to see a member of the EUP advancing, lance lowered. “Advance and be recognized!”

Twilight and I exchanged glances and spread our wings to their full length. The soldier hurriedly pulled her lance up. “Your Highness!” she sputtered. “F-forgive me, I didn’t…”

“It’s ok, corporal,” Twilight said. “It’s been a long day for everyone.”

We walked up, seeing the resting soldiers and the valley beyond, a large blasted field of snow, ice glittering in the shape of a mantic circle.

“How did we go in a circle?” Dash asked. “We went in a straight line, I know we did.”

“Had to be a spell of some sort,” I said. “It’s the only explanation.”

“Stand ready!” a call came from down the ridge. I rushed over to see the ranks forming as a mass of red eyes boiled from a narrow valley to the west.

Luna walked down the line, wings spread and axe held aloft. Her voice thundered in the eerie silence.

“Soldiers!” she called. “Battle is to be joined again! Many times hast thou repelled them, and thou shalt do so again! For we art the ones that defied Sombra in the past. With us today stand the Elements of Harmony, their power ready to stand to our defense! Three Princesses stand with thee, so thou hast but one order!”

She turned towards the charging force, axe making a small swipe in the air.

“Hold the line!"

I was weary. I had long lost count of the foes that I had smote down with my hooves when my mana was expended. Even Luna had resorted to hoof to hoof combat when her reserves fell low. Celestia had lowered the sun and raised the moon, bright and high. Wonderbolts were trading strafing runs with the thestral guards of Luna’s personal group. Twilight was nearby, her left wing cradled gingerly to her side after a particularly nasty tackle from a risen Earth Pony.

One thing was sure though, we held the line. The ridge gave us the advantage of the high ground, and the strafing runs the Pegasi and thestrals were able to do ran both ways. Few of the enemy Pegasi were capable of flight, so we also held the air advantage.

But we suffered in numbers. It seemed that no matter how many we sent back to their rest there was another to take their place.

Something started to filter into my hearing over the sounds of battle. A voice, high and clear singing. As the voice grew closer, the zomponies we were facing began to lose their coordination, as though the magic binding them was being disrupted. The voice came even clearer.

Come, little children, I’ll take thee away,
Into a land of enchantment.
Come, little children, the time’s come to play,
Here in my garden of shadows.

I recognized the voice, it was Sonata.

“Is that Sonata?” Twilight asked. “She’s supposed to be back at the palace to tend to the wounded.”

The voice came closer, the song growing louder.

Follow, sweet children, I’ll show thee the way
Through all your pain and the sorrows.
Weep not, poor children, For life is this way,
Murdering beauty and passions.

She switched to a wordless pitch, the sound haunting and ethereal. A mist began to form around the battlefield as I heard voices start to harmonize with her. The front ranks of the enemy began to grow listless, standing still as the light in their sunken eyes began to flicker. The scrapes and bruises I had gained began to glow warmly, fading slowly. Wounds all over the ranks of the EUP or Crystal Guard began to heal over. I even felt a small increase in my mana reserves.

The three Sirens came forth, still harmonizing the song and accompanied by Starlight and Sunshine, also singing. Sunshine’s Element was glowing and she was carrying three red crystals with her magic. Sonata took back the song, her four companions switching to harmonizing the words.

Hush now, dear children, it must be this way,
So weary of life and deceptions,
Rest now, dear children for soon we’ll away,
Into the calm and the quiet.

I hope this isn’t an interruption, Sunshine asked me through the bond as she came up to stand next to me. I smiled and accepted the nuzzle despite her singing directly into my ear.

“Not at all,” I said, glad for the respite. I could feel my mana slowly recharging in the wash of healing magic. “What's with the recital?”

Necromancy works through negative energy and malice fed through mana to power the craft, she replied. I figured cancelling out the magic in a zero sum game would be the best way to help.

I caught the thought process. “And healing magic is comprised of compassion and positive energy,” I said.

She nodded, smiling. Azure had joined into the song, her clear soprano carrying the song down the ranks, the healing spell slowly expanding.

I’ve set up an enchantment on these crystals to link any Unicorns with mana left to carry the positive energy as far as the song carries, she said. It should destabilize them.

I saw the front rank of undead slowly lower themselves to the ground, eyes shifting from red to blue, lids slowly drifting shut.

Come, little children, I’ll take thee away,
Into a land of enchantment,
Come, little children, the night’s come at last,
Here in my garden of shadows.

Sleep now, dear children, your labors are done,
Close now your eyes and slumber,
Rest now, dear children, I’ll sing thee away
Back to the land of magic.

As she started the song over, I watched as the undead in the forward ranks closed their eyes as though sleeping, and the bodies began to dissipate. The following ranks closed in only to be caught in the same sonic lullaby as before. I joined in on the singing, as did Twilight and Luna and I heard the song begin to echo throughout the regimen from Unicorns, including Shining Armor’s tenor and the Alto voices of Rarity and Elegance.

Slowly, the army began progressing down the hill, slowly releasing the souls to their slumber. As the ranks slowly thinned, we saw some in the rearmost ranks begin to retreat.

Once the last of the undead still opposing us fell, we began to taper off the song. I looked around, soldiers dropping down to rest. The Bearers all gathered. I looked at them all. They all gave me a solemn nod.

I glanced at Sunshine. “You sure you’re up to this?” I asked.

She smirked at me and spread her spectral wings. “As long as we don’t get shot at again,” she said.

I looked at the retreating ranks. In the bright moonlight, I could almost make out the fringes of Goraumn’s Overlook in the distance.

It was time to bring an end to this.