Siege of the Crystal Empire

by Mystic Mind

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Shining Armor, Crystal Ponies, Gore, Violence, Dark, Alternate Universe, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Princess Cadance
Length: 46153

The Crystal Empire has fought and won against many foes, but can they survive against an army of ghosts?

The Crystal Empire was once an open and welcoming place for all ponies to come and go as they please. But from the number of serious threats to the life of Princess Cadence, it has had to expand its defenses, becoming a sprawling urban jungle separated by massive walls.

This fortification could not have come a moment too soon. With the appearance of a strange unicorn, commanding an army of armored ghosts referred to as "Phantom Stallions", it is up to Cadence and Shining Armour to rally the greatest heroes the empire has ever seen to prevent it from falling into the hands of evil.

The Siege of the Crystal Empire has begun.

Published 2017-05-30 12:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2017-06-19 10:07:52 UTC

Chapter 2: Emerald Wind

(2: Emerald Wind

Any long-term citizen of the Crystal Empire knew about the regularity of snowstorms. However, in the many years Emerald Wind had spent serving the Crystal Empire as one of its leading Lancers, he had never seen one as volatile as this. Younger Crystal ponies wouldn't have noticed the early signs of a gathering storm, but to Emerald, one glance over the horizon was all he needed.

In addition to the usual relief crew for the return journey, a total of four Unicorn mages were assigned to Emerald's Crystal guard company, helping to clear away any snow drifts building up along the track. One look from the caboose's cupola would show anypony what the train crew were dealing with; near zero viability and snow drifts taller than the locomotive itself. It was not a position Emerald envied, though he did admire their dedication to such a gruelling task.

Staring at his reflection in the carriage window, Emerald fussed around with the belt keeping his sword and buckler in place. Though his coat was still the pristine as his namesake, his short mane had long since dulled to a light shade of grey. He knew he wasn't a young stallion anymore. He hadn't been for nearly two decades now. Most ponies would have long since retired, but Emerald was different.

He was not just a veteran fighter, but also a survivor of the Crystal Uprising; the day that set the wheel in time in motion toward liberation. Emerald closed his eyes for a moment, thinking back to that day. So many brave Crystal Ponies fought and died by his side, resisting the tyranny of King Sombra's enslavement. Amidst all the chaos clashing blades and explosions of volatile magic, the cruel, unforgiving stares of Sombra's personal guard remained etched into his memory, as clear as day. Were it not for the sacrifice of many brave ponies, they may have never caught the attention of Princess Cadence, heralding their return surface world.

Of course, it would be remiss of him not to recall the most unlikely twist in the Empire's saga: the return of the Crystal Heart by one baby dragon, forever immortalised with the title “Spike: The Brave and Glorious”.

Emerald let out a long sigh, his hot breath condensing on the glass. It wasn't that he hadn't considered retiring. There was no shortage of strong, capable warriors from both the Crystal Guard and the Canterlot Regiment to replace him; many of whom issued personal challenges for his position. Yet none of them could defeat him in single combat. As much as his old bones tended to creak and complain, he was still one of the most agile and tactically intelligent fighters the Empire had ever seen. How could he let himself fade away when major threats to the empire still roamed?

Sombra Guards, Ice Trolls, Pony generals, all the same. Every one of them rushing to display their combat prowess, and in doing so revealing their most glaring weaknesses. To say he felt something missing from between the empire's resurrection and the present day would be an understatement. Emerald gripped the bench with his front hooves, leaning back to keep himself stable against the train's rocking.

Something was off. There would always be some instability with train journeys, especially in weather like this. Yet he shouldn't have to be holding on this tight just to keep himself sitting upright. Perhaps it was experience talking, but there was just something not right about the way this train was moving. Pricking up his ears, Emerald closed his eyes and listened the rhythm of the train's wheels against each section of track. One, two...one, two... one, two...

“Everypony get down!” Emerald shouted, the more attentive of comrades dropping to the floor without a second thought. The rest found themselves thrown out of their seats when the carriage came to a screeching halt and derailed. Diving out of his seat, Emerald threw his front hooves around the bench's leg, holding on for dear life as the carriage tipped over on its side and skidded into a snow drift.

The next few seconds were a blur. Every unsecured item bounced around the carriage like balls in a pinball machine, the whole structure of the carriage creaking under the strain; yet somehow, it remained in one piece.

As soon as his head stopped spinning, Emerald rose to his feet, bruised and a bit shaken, but otherwise unharmed.

“Is everypony alright?” He called, hopping across the upturned benches. Most of the carriage occupants replied with a simple "aye, sir," but it was the pained groans of those not so lucky which Emerald was listening for. Bucking open a case next to the door below him, Emerald pulled out a first aid kit and threw it to the nearest able-bodied soldier. “I need at least three of you to care for the wounded. Make sure they are in a stable condition, then meet me outside as soon as you can. I suspect we have company.”

Busting a window open, Emerald led ten of his troops out into the snow. Miraculously, the Unicorn Mages had not only survived the crash, but were still maintaining their protective spell. Trotting over to the locomotive itself, he noted that the safety valves had burst open, spewing hot steam out into frigid air.

Two threats down, one to go. Or, more precisely, eight.

From out of the storm, a band of eight hulking shapes emerged; their tort blue skin wrapped around limbs as thick as tree trunks.

Ice Trolls. Gritting his teeth, Emerald reached for his weapon, only to realize a second later that he was not their target.

Rather, they were after the engine. Then, with a thunderous war cry, the trolls unleashed their fury.

The first two leaped on top, while the others surrounded the cab, all smashing at the engine with wild abandon. The crew tried to escape, scrambling over the locomotive's tender, but they didn't make it far. The trolls were too quick, grabbing them by the scruff of their neck. The crew squirmed, desperately trying to get away, but it was no use. The trolls flung them to the ground, pinned them underfoot and smashed them with their clubs again and again until they stopped moving.

“Unhand those ponies!” Emerald's voice snapped the trolls' attention to him. “If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!”

Unsheathing his rapier and slipping on his buckler, Emerald charged.

A troll reached for his throwing axe, but Emerald was faster, diving beneath its trajectory even before the weapon was thrown. As three others charged, Emerald leaped back up, shoving his buckler forward to parry the oncoming attack. Rearing up onto his hind legs, he thrust his rapier forward, stabbing through a troll's guard to skewer its armpit, pulling back a second later.

Once the troll had dropped its weapon, the crystal pony behind him joined the fray, timing the swing of his broad sword to chop off the troll's hand. His edge alignment was slightly off, preventing a clean cut, but the damage was done. The troll jerked its hand away, colliding with its comrade as it swept its club down and to the right.

The agile soldier took a wide step back to dodge, but even this clumsy strike was faster than anticipated. Though the hit was a glancing blow, it was enough to knock the wind out of the warrior's gut, leaving him gasping for air.

Seizing the moment, the one trolls who had climbed atop of the train leaped from its perch, swinging its club down from above its head and slamming into the back of the fallen soldier’s neck, snapping his spine and killing him instantly.

The remaining trolls clambered onto the locomotive and over the carriage roof, dropping down between their injured cohort and the pony soldiers who had yet to enter the battle. Now Emerald found himself surrounded; trapped between the troll with a limp hand and two others at full strength, with more on the way. If Emerald could not find a way to join them soon, there would be no hope left for survival. His joints were already aching from the attack he had made before, though through gritted teeth and focused mind on the cold beneath his hooves, he pushed the pain to the back of his mind, concentrating on the foes in front of him.

At present, the way they held their tight stances told Emerald that they were remaining on the defensive until they were certain his warriors were occupied. If he made the first move, he would have a higher chance of getting back up from everypony else. But by the same token, charging blindingly into a cross section of humongous trolls would be suicide. It would be much too easy for them to intercept his attack and strike back in multiple places.

Looking back towards his force, Emerald noticed that the unicorn mages who had been on the footplate with the crew had climbed onto the roof of the upright first carriage, both unharmed and powering up their horns once again now that they had a clear view of the enemy. Better still, the trolls hadn't noticed. This was their chance to end the attack before the spell casters at the back exhausted their manna. With a devious grin growing across his face, Emerald charged.

Just as expected, as Emerald turned towards the wounded troll, the other three moved forwards with full intent of boxing him in. However, for the first time in his life, the aches of Emerald's joints worked in his favour; limiting the speed of his run which made it easier to bring himself to a sudden halt. Skidding in the snow, Emerald turned his body sideways, directing the spray into the faces of the attackers closing in on him, blinding them and leaving them to collide into each other.

“Mighty wizards, unleash Tartarus!”

Not a moment too soon, a torrent of arcane brilliance rained down on Emerald’s foes, incinerating them and clearing the way for their commander to leap back into action. As a bonus, the trolls the pony attack force had engaged with had now become distracted, allowing Emerald to stab one in the back of the leg with his rapier, then knocking it off balance by striking the wound with his buckler.

Soon the troll forces were overrun, cut down by their blades while the mages shot down any that tried to trick the ponies into thinking they sustained heavier injuries than they had. Less than fifteen minutes after the train had derailed, the troll war band had been slain. With the skirmish over, Emerald's knees gave out, as he collapsed to the ground with exhausted breaths.

Dropping down from the carriage roof, a unicorn mage rushed to her leader's side the second her hooves touched ground. “Commander, are you alright?”

“I'm fine, thank you, Star Dust,” Emerald replied with an exasperated groan. His whole body ached and shivered from the cold, but otherwise he was unharmed. “What about the train crew?”

“They're earth ponies, sir. They're a pretty hardy bunch to say the least.”

“Well that's the last time I underestimate the stamina of a train crew,” Emerald chuckled and cleared his throat. “Let’s see if we can get this train back on the rails. I think Princess Cadence will want to know about what just happened. But first, give my compliments to the weather magic team. They've done an outstanding job today!”

Star Dust didn't reply.

“Officer Star Dust, can you hear—” Emerxald stopped mid-sentence when he noticed Star Dust's sudden change in expression. Her normally jovial smile was replaced with a blank stare, the pupils of her eyes vanished to be replaced only with a sunken white void where her spark of life once was. All around her, a strange purple essence began to rise, spiralling up from the bodies of the dead trolls and shooting off into the thick of the blizzard beyond.

“What the buck is going on here?!” Emerald yelled, forcing himself to his feet despite the protesting in his joints and muscles.

“Commander, I think you'd better come and look at this,” an orange-coated unicorn said, gesturing to the derailed wagon behind him.

“What are you talking about, Dawn Fire?” Emerald asked, glancing back between the bizarre expulsion of magic before him and the derailed wagon. The urgency of the stallion’s voice ultimately influenced his decision to turn his attention away for a moment, despite proper protocol dictating the priority of first aid. Moving over to the broken wagon, Emerald scanned through the inside to see what the soldier was talking about. “I don't see anything.”

“Precisely, sir,” Dawn confirmed. “The cargo of Canterlot armour; it's gone! And so is the body of Crystal Hoof. No trace of them, sir.”

“Damn those trolls to Tartarus!” Emerald swore, kicking a hole in the broken wagon to relieve his anger. “It was a distraction all along! The skirmish was little more than bait.”

Suddenly, a beam of purple light shot through Dawn Fire's hind legs, his agonized scream of pain turning everypony's attention back to the bizarre light in the snow. From out of the storm, an army of ponies covered from head to hoof in the Canterlot armour sets marched forwards, their eyes glowing with the same purple magic as they unleashed a sorcerous barrage down on his task force. Despite their efforts to shield themselves from the attack, the sheer power of the unsuspected opponents was far too much to defend against. One by one the soldiers fell in battle, until Emerald Wind was the last pony standing – the race-defining crystal sheen spread across his coat and armour protecting him from the worst of the attack.

There was nowhere to run. The storm was closing in now that the unicorns at the rear of the train had been killed. To Emerald, there was no other option but to make his glorious final stand here and now, taking out as many of the ponies as he could before he met his doom. “For Princess Cadence! For the Crystal Heart! For the Empire!” With this war cry, all thoughts of tactical combat were thrown to the wind. Single-mindedly, Emerald ignored the searing pain of the magical attacks as best he could, charging straight towards the advancing army and shoving his rapier into a pony's neck, slipping the blade between a narrow gap in the armour.

To his shock, the pony he had just stabbed did not respond. He couldn't have missed; the rapier went straight through where the soldier's neck should be. Yet it pushed forward, acting like the weapon was never there, snapping the thin blade in two. Tightening the muscles in his front hooves, Emerald put all his remaining strength into pounding his buckler against the pony's helm. After the seventh blow, the clips that held the helmet in place came loose, only to reveal a far more horrifying sight.

Nothing. There was nothing underneath the helmet. No head, no body to be attached to, not a single bit of pony flesh anywhere. This armour may as well have been containing a ghost!

As Emerald's back legs gave out, the ghost pony pinned him to the ground, lowering its chest to reveal a glowing gemstone embedded just below the neck. The elegant stone burst into life with a flash of magic, while a strange ethereal eye gazed down at the Crystal Pony commander. The more he looked, the more Emerald felt his head became lighter, his consciousness slowly fading away, along with his breathing rate.

Stop.

A mysterious whisper echoed in Emerald's ears.

That will do for now. Leave this one alive, and make sure he is granted safe passage back to the Crystal Empire. I want him to tell the Princess all about the Phantom Stallions that defeated him this day. Perhaps if his kind knows how hopeless it is to fight against me, they will make a wise choice to surrender to me without resistance.

The last sight Emerald saw before blacking out was the Phantom Stallions retreating; marching back into the blizzard, where the silhouette of a tall, long horned unicorn awaited them.

Chapter 3: Meteor Might

(3: Meteor Might)

With a heavy clang, the gates to the Crystal Empire slammed shut. These walls had only been finished less than a year ago; the final touch in the biggest expansion the empire had seen since its inception. From what little Meteor Might had heard from the delirious Crystal Pony Commander—and the traumatized train crew who had dragged him back home—she knew it couldn't have been completed sooner.

“Nervous, are we, soldier?” Shining Armour quipped, pointing to Meteor Might's shaking front hooves. Though he held the rank of Captain of the Guard among the Royal Canterlot Battalion, Shining knew the value of easing the tension before a battle with good-natured banter.

“Oh, no, quite the opposite, Captain,” Meteor said, lifting her helmet slightly to show just how wide her grin had grown, a slither of the braided ginger mane that contrasted her sunburst yellow coat showing through her visor. She was a big mare; bigger than the average stallion, at least. “I'm just excited for it all. Been workin' ta craft the best weapons a pony could wield in the Canterlot forges for, what, a decade now? Finally, I get to show me stuff in real combat! I simply cannae wait ta kick the flanks of these... 'Phallium Sallions', or whatever they're called.”

“Keep your eyes forward, Meteor,” Shining responded, leading by example as he kept his gaze locked on the enemy ahead. “And never underestimate your enemy, unless you want to die when you realise they can hit much harder and faster than you expect.”

With ranks of armoured ponies approaching the Empire at a steady pace, Meteor could only now get a good look at the creatures which had beaten up Emerald Wind so badly. If there was one feature about these ponies which stood out to Meteor more than any other, it was the fact that they had no eyes; or at least, not in the sense that would be recognisable to the average pony. Even given how much the helmets obscured their faces, the burning glow of magic bursting from their eye slits sent a shiver down her spine.

Meteor never really understood magic: few earth ponies did. But this was on a different level entirely. She had thought the description “Phantom Stallions” had only been a metaphor; maybe a reference or something to their combat prowess. That's how figures throughout Equestrian history were often remembered. But now? Now she had a distinct feeling that this name was all too literal. Although Meteor hoped that this wasn't the case, she wasn't about to let a few spooky spirits get the better of her. She had saved the massive claymare sword on her back for such a special occasion; a weapon forged by her own hooves on the day she obtained the hammer and anvil symbol that was her cutie mark.

Whatever the case with these... whatever they were, they were about to get a taste of a highland pony's fury! Just like her ancestors before her, her polished armour glistening under Celestia's sun, she would unleash the wrath of her blade on all those that dared spill the blood of her kin. Even without any facial expression, Meteor could already tell that whoever was commanding the opposition had made a huge error; even bigger than assigning of her gender as a stallion at birth.

By the glow of their horns firing bolts of dark magic at the empire's walls, they had revealed themselves to be an army which put all its ranged fighters on the front line. In fact, despite the long, uniform ranks, the entire army was prioritising magical attacks over melee combat.

Ha! This won't take very long, Meteor thought to herself as the echo of the battle horns rang through her ears; a beautiful trumpet which unlocked the key to her rage and sparking her muscles to life.

“Charge!” Shining Armor bellowed, leading the assault with his elite warriors in tow. Despite the unrelenting snowstorm minimizing visibility, the bright, sparking arcs of the enemy's attacks were more than enough to illuminate their location. Seconds later, the two forces collided, the front line of Phantom Stallions collapsing back under the mass of pony bodies. Now that he could see his enemy eye to eye, Shining was surprised to notice how little they had in the way of weaponry. Beyond relatively small spikes jutting from the front of their gauntlets, it was evident that magic was their primary form of offence.

Hiding behind the wide kite shield strapped to his right front leg, Shining levitated his broadsword with his magic, stabbing it through the gap between the Phantom Stallion's helm and gorget. But as Shining pulled the blade back out, instead of his opponent falling to the ground as he expected, it simply lowered its head, blasting his shield at point blank range with a powerful burst of magic.

Shining recoiled, tensing his muscles as he struggled to keep his footing in the snow. Undeterred, he scraped away the snow with his hind hooves, preventing himself from slipping before smacking the stallion with the brunt of his shield. The stallion once more charged its horn to shoot at the unicorn commander, but this time Shining was ready. Dropping to his knees, he dodged the magic missile, sweeping his shield in a horizontal moment, knocking the stallion off its feet and once more stabbing into the gap as it fell. When the tip of his sword protruded out from the other side of the stallion's neck, Shining was certain that now it had to be done for.

To his horror, the Phantom Stallion kept moving, sliding off the blade and rearing up on its hind hooves, punching Shining in the face with a strength that rivalled a buffalo. Spitting blood, Shining fell to the ground, the stallion stomping on him as it lowered its horn, aiming for the unicorn commander's head.

“Oi! Ghostie!” an aggravated voice called from behind. “How about ye get a taste o' my blade for a change?”

Standing upright, Meteor swung the claymare with both her front hooves, slicing through the neck of the phantom stallion with a force that tore its head clean off. Leaping in front of Shining Armour, Meteor swung her sword again, forcing another couple of stallions back despite her weapon only glancing off the side. “This is how the Crystal Empire does it's fightin', and don't ye be forgettin' that!”

“Meteor, look out!”

Shining Armour's warning came too late; the Phantom Stallion who she had just decapitated glowing with magic as its head re-attached to its body. As much as she wished her eyes were deceiving her, it was obvious to all that the rumours had been true. The enemy the Crystal Empire faced really was an army of armoured ghosts. As Meteor turned to face the reformed stallion again, it stabbed its gauntlets forward, piercing through the open spot under the earth pony's front leg. The Phantom Stallion followed up this same attack with a quintet of magic blasts that generated such intense heat, it shattered the armour off Meteor's back.

Pulling himself to his feet, Shining Armour dropped his weapon, drawing from the power within him to form a magical shield around Meteor as she fell forwards. When the barrage against her finished bouncing off Shining's defences, his next action was to shoot a bolt of magic up into the sky, calling for the army's unicorn mages to unleash their fury. Little did he know that this action would only make things worse.

Chapter 4: Stellar Shine

(4: Stellar Shine)

From high upon the walls of the Crystal Empire, Stellar Shine watched the battle unfold with great intent. As much as his heart yearned to be in the thick of battle, he was never one to disobey orders. Rules were rules, after all. However, that did not mean he was to simply stand there, mindlessly gazing over the action while the soldiers fought. To the untrained eye, the aquamarine unicorn appeared to stand like a statue, his limbs barely moving, even when ushering commands to the rangers spread out along the wall. Were it not for the wind blowing the short fringe of his light green mane, it wouldn't be a stretch for other ponies to assume their first officer had been replaced by a stone replica to take his place.

However, just because he was steadfast in obeisance, it didn’t mean he’d follow them to the last letter. Nopony had officially assigned Stellar to direct the archers to their targets, but by the same token, nopony had objected, either. Scanning the ranks of ponies below, he could already tell that something wasn't right. From what he could see through the storm, not a single Phantom Stallion had yet to be killed. By contrast, at least a dozen Canterlot Guardsponies, along with half as many Crystal Pony warriors had been grievously injured, if not outright slain. The lights from the ponies on the ground were bright enough to act as a beacon, helping the ranged warriors in using their magic to accurately aim their bows and send a hail of arrows down upon the enemy.

“Release!” Stellar bellowed, letting loose. Most of them whizzed through the air and met their mark, yet still not a single pony appeared to fall. What the buck is going on here? He thought to himself, a sentiment which was reflected in the eyes of his soldiers. His mind raced with strategic thoughts, each action being analysed and evaluated for their potential risks and benefits. He needed a way to turn the tide, while still remaining a hair's whisper within the boundaries of his orders. He’d exploit every nook and cranny of command for the sake of the Empire.

When the flare was launched, Stellar's mind clicked into place. This was the moment he had been waiting for. The time to show the Empire just what the shooting star of his cutie mark represented. “Officer Far Seer!” he called, his voice deep and smooth as silk.

“Yes, sir?” a smaller, red unicorn in leather armour replied, galloping towards Stellar.

“Scouting mission, report.”

“Weather makes it unclear, sir,” Far Seer replied, his cutie mark of a magnifying glass surrounded by a constellation, making him the perfect scout pony. “But as far as we know, the front lines stretch for approximately fifty meters each way.”

“Good. Everypony, listen up! Be ready to teleport on my command!"

“Sir, yes, sir!” the company of unicorns announced in response.

“Excellent. We shall spread ourselves across the length of the front line, single file behind the close combat soldiers. On my mark! Three, two, one, charge!”

In a flash of magic, every unicorn upon the walls teleported through the weather-resistant arcane bubble, landing on the snowy battlefield below. As each one returned to the physical plane, their horns burst into life, unleashing a barrage of magic missiles which rained down upon the Phantom Stallions. Stellar was the last pony to cast a spell, charging his magic at the tip of his horn until it had formed into a single rotating mass of mystical energy.

“Invaders of the Empire!” Stellar cried, his voice alone filling the hearts of everypony around him with fresh hope for a glorious victory. “Feel the fury of Tartatus itself descend upon you!” With one more charge, Stellar shot his magical airburst over the heads of his unicorns, splitting above the Phantom Stallions and cascading down as a barrage of shooting stars.

A haze of loose snow and ice whipped up in the wind, briefly obscuring the enemy. Yet Stellar did not allow himself the luxury of smiling just yet. He had to confirm that his company's attacks had indeed done their job first. When the weather finally cleared enough for the Empire's defenders to see the results, Stellar's eyes went wide with shock.

The army of Phantom Stallions stood, unscathed. Not only that, but their armour revealed a bright purple gem embedded in the centre of their breastplates, sucking in all of the magic which had just been thrown at them, their eyes shining with an evil gleam. Stellar looked towards Shining Armour, and by his expression, it was evident that they both knew their army was now in dire peril. Shining began to cast his shield spell once more, but his reaction was too slow.

Their metal horns glowing, the Phantom Stallions fired. In seconds, everything that the unicorn regiment had just attacked with was thrown back in their faces; those who weren’t protected by Shining Armour’s shield becoming incinerated to ashes by the blast.

But that was not the worst the phantoms had to offer. With most of the regiment decimated, not even Shining Armour could prevent mass panic setting in. Cutting their losses, the Empire's soldiers charged away from the remaining unicorns, colliding head on with the Phantom Stallions. The ensuing brawl was anything but a clean fight. Discipline and strategy had given way to manic swings, fuelled by desperation and fear. If magic wouldn't win the day, then all they had left was brute force. The Crystal Ponies in particular abandoned their swords, withdrawing instead the heavy maces and war hammers they carried as secondary weapons. Smashing their weapons with wild abandon against the Phantom Stallions, blow after blow crumpling their armour, only to confirm the horror that was inside. Or rather, the lack thereof. Though the damage slowed them down, as long as the swirling mass of magic within the stallions remained, they would continue to fight.

“Shining Armour, sir, look at that,” Stellar said as he galloped towards the Guard Captain, his eyes caught on the earth pony mare who persistently pummelled one stallion into the ground, simultaneously keeping others at a distance with the same arching swings.

“Not now, Officer Shine,” Shining rebuffed between shouts, desperately trying to restore order to his army.

“No sir, you need to see this,” Stellar insisted, stepping in front of Shining and pointing his hoof towards Meteor. “That stallion, it has ceased to move!”

At first, Shining raised a sceptical eyebrow, but upon another careful look, he gasped at the sight. The phantom stallion was in pieces. Though he knew for certain that this battle had been lost, the smallest glimmer of hope was more than enough for Shining to compose himself and fight back harder.

Taking a deep breath, Shining calmed his nerves as best he could. “Officer Shine, we have to get everypony back into the city right away. The walls will hold, but we need covering fire. Can you provide that?”

Stellar saluted his captain, enacting on his orders immediately. “All Unicorn soldiers, return to me!” It took several repetitions for Stellar to melt the hearts of unicorns frozen by fear, but through his persistence, the remaining fraction of his army returned to his side.

“Follow my lead.” Firing a beam of magic at the ground beneath him, Stellar ripped out a huge chunk of ice with his horn, levitating it as far above his head as he could manage before hurling it at the Phantom Stallions.

“Everypony retreat! Get back to the walls, now!” Shining bellowed. While some Crystal Ponies ignored their captain's words—too caught up in their rage against the invaders to abandon the fight—most of the army began their retreat. Stellar Shine and the Unicorn mages continued their bombardment; the destruction carefully calculated by their leader so to give enough surface for all living ponies to retreat, while also blocking the continued advance of the Phantom Stallions. Those still caught in the heat of battle soon met their bloody end at the hooves of the enemy, but thanks to the efforts of Stellar Shine, ever other soldier successfully made a tactical retreat, the few unicorns who fought in close quarters helping to teleport the mass of soldiers back behind the safety of the empire's walls.

All except for one.

The sounds of battle still ringing in his ears, Scouting Officer Far Seer stood surrounded by Phantom Stallions. Stellar could see in his wide eyes the mental damage that these armoured ghosts had done to him. When Seer tried to speak, the freezing gales robbed the words from his mouth. When he tried to move, the muscles in his legs felt like they had turned to lead. He tried to cast a spell, hoping to warm himself up and do something—anything—to get out of this situation. Yet still nothing happened. It was as if the Phantom Stallions had bled him dry of his magic, reducing him from a soldier of the Canterlot Guard to a withered husk; cursed to watch the events of the world unfold around him.

Amidst the swirling snowstorm, its rage building like the rising arcana within Stellar Shine, the First Officer channelled his thoughts down a narrow, white tunnel in his mind to a single destination; how to save his friend from a horrible end.

No.

This was not the end. Stellar wouldn't allow it. More than half of his company was already dead thanks to the Phantom Stallions, they would not be taking another.

“No!” That one word Stellar Shine bellowed contained more power than anything this battlefield had seen before. His cutie mark burst into life, pulsating with a brilliant light which broke Far Seer from his trance. His horn surged with power, summoning a blade of pure arcane magic that reached a height far exceeding the city walls behind him.

“In the name of Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armour, step away from that colt!” His body burning bright with fury, Stellar Shine swung his blade in a wide-angled arc, smashing through the ranks of Phantom Stallions with a mighty crash.

Far Seer dropped to the ground, covering his ears with his front hooves and shutting his eyes tight as a deafening explosion boomed overhead, hitting his opponents by a force greater than any storm the empire had seen before. When the dust of the explosion settled, Seer cracked open one eye, and to his amazement, found that he had escaped unharmed.

“Sweet Celestia, that was amazing!” Seer leapt to his hooves, momentarily forgetting about the battle from how awestruck he was at the devastation the first officer had wrought. The first three ranks of Phantom Stallions lay dead on the ground, the steaming husk of broken armour being the only remnants of their existence. They wanted magic so badly? Well, they got it.

Unfortunately, the amount of magic Stellar had expelled came at a heavy price. He was alive, but by the way he lay on the ground with all four legs splayed out to the side, sweating profusely as he began to hyperventilate, it was clear he’d need assistance to get out of here.

Well done, a strange, whispering voice sounded in Stellar's ears. Teetering on the edge of consciousness, his vision blurring and his body feeling light as a feather, it was impossible for Stellar to tell if what he saw next was real or some kind of delirium-induced hallucination. The ranks of Phantom Stallions parted down the middle, making way for the pony that was unmistakably their master. You destroyed my soldiers with magic. That is indeed very impressive.

The pony that stepped forward could only be described as a unicorn stallion in the vaguest sense; the way his pale blue coat hung off his bones, to describe him as malnourished would be a gross understatement. If it wasn't for his waning perception of reality, Stellar would have thought this was a pony on the verge of death. The unicorn was draped in a thick, velvet robe with a gold trim, identical to the livery of the Phantom Stallions. The most distinguishing feature was his horn; longer than Stellar had ever seen in his life, as if he had surrendered the bulk of his muscles to empower his appendage.

Far Seer leapt in front of Stellar, inspired by the same heroism that had just saved his life. With a flick of the skinny unicorn's wrist, Far Seer found himself pinned to the ground. As much of a frightening display of power that this was, what truly sent a shiver down Stellar's spine was not that the unicorn was capable of such strength. No, it was the fact the glow on his horn was faint, using only a minimal amount of magic to throw ponies around like rag dolls. Another flick of the stallion's wrist, and Stellar was in the air.

“Your magic,” the unicorn hissed, licking his lips. “So sweet. Such power. You can be useful for my needs.”

Stellar said nothing. Even if he wanted to, he was too weak to try and speak. He was ready to die.

“Go,” the unicorn rasped, just loud enough for both Unicorns to hear him. “Return to your Princess. Tell her that we will not leave until my thirst is quenched. The more she resists, the stronger I grow. Tell her of Moonshadow, the last disciple of Tirek, who has come to reclaim the power that is rightfully his!”

Lowering the hood of his robe, a third eye opened in the middle of Moonshadow's forehead, staring directly at Stellar Shine. Stellar tried to look away, but the eye, the swirling mass of magic which was its pupil piercing deep into his mind, it would not let him go. All around him, the world faded into a wash of swimming colours, robbing him of his senses bit by bit until he blacked out.

Chapter 5: Cadence

Author's Note

This chapter takes place several days after the previous chapter.

Chapter 5: Cadence

(5: Cadence)

An explosive boom violently shook the floors of the royal quarter, snapping Princess Cadence back to wakefulness just as she was about to doze off. Her only child, Flurry Heart, cried out in fear from the deafening sound of siege machines pummelling the outer walls.

“Hush now, little one,” Cadence whispered, rocking her baby back and forth to comfort her. “Nothing will hurt you, I promise.”

As much as she wished she could keep that promise, given how long the siege had lasted so far, Cadence couldn't help but fear how difficult it was becoming. She never thought the Crystal Empire would ever face such a terrible threat again after the defeat of King Sombra, but her dishevelled state was a testament to how dire the situation had become. It had been five days since the siege began, facing an enemy the likes of which she'd never seen before. They didn't tire nor grow hungry, only increasing their efforts to break through as time went on.

Gently placing her baby back down in her cot, Cadence gazed into the face of the grandfather clock and focused her magic. In ten minutes time, she would take a scheduled shift change with her husband, Prince Shining Armour, who was helping to buff the magical barrier generated by the Crystal Heart. Normally only used to shut out the freezing northern weather that surrounded the empire, now it had to be constantly monitored every moment the siege went on, lest the invading legion break through the physical walls and overrun the city.

Closing her eyes, Cadence connected her mind with her arcane power. A flash of pain shot through her horn, her magic flickering as she struggled to cast the shielding spell. Panting heavily, her knees quivering as she struggled to remain on her hooves, Cadence forced her will to draw upon what little stamina she had left to complete the incantation. Shining Armour had agreed upon the shift pattern to allow her time to sleep and recharge her strength, but with the constant explosions and sounds of battle coming from outside the walls, getting any meaningful rest was an impossible task.

Collapsing to her knees, Cadence barely managed to push the spell through, wrapping her daughter's bed in a secure pink bubble that would protect her from all outside forces. She had kept the city safe from dark magic once before: were it not for her efforts in keeping the barrier active, then Sombra would have easily recaptured the Crystal Empire, and if that happened, then there would be no escape. That had only been for a total of twelve hours, at most. This assault, by comparison, was pushing her far beyond her physical limits. If she didn't find a way to destroy the armoured legion soon, then the Crystal Empire would surely fall.

“Princess?”

A soft, gravelly voice caught Cadence's attention.

“Oh, my goodness, Princess! Are you alright?” The elderly crystal pony rushed to Cadence's side, wrapping his hoof around her shoulders to help her up.

“Thank you for your concern, Emerald,” Cadence said, still feeling unsteady on her feet. “But don't worry about me, I can still do what needs to be done. Rest assured, I won't fail you.”

“That should be my line, Princess.” Emerald gave Cadence a light grin and chuckled, allowing her to enjoy the blissful moment in an otherwise dire situation.

“What's the status on the Crystal Lancers, Commander? Are they ready to be redeployed?”

“Almost, Princess. The Canterlot division has done well to hold the line so far, but none of us have made any advances.”

“What about the distress message I ordered to be send out three days ago? Have reinforcements arrived?”

Emerald's face dropped. “The courier was sent out as ordered, but the only one who would risk blizzard flight was a local Mail Mare. We haven't heard from her since.”

Cadence's heart sank. Without reinforcements, the likelihood of a victory may as well have been zero. If it was possible for the Princess of Love to feel hopeless, she refused to show it. Better to encourage hope in her subjects than to concede to a crushing defeat.

“Have you found any new information to work out today's plan?”

“As a matter of fact, I have.” Emerald's face rose again. “Since the siege began, we have managed to learn some vital facts about these Phantom Stallions. Are you familiar with the name 'Meteor Might'?”

Cadence thought for a moment. It was impossible to learn the names of all her citizens, but this one in particular did stand out more than most. “Isn't she our head blacksmith?” she asked.

“Not only that,” Emerald continued, his heart swelling with pride as he recalled the tales of his friend’s heroism during his recovery. “She was the first pony to ever destroy a Phantom Stallion, even before First Officer Stellar Shine's heroic intervention. According to her, the phantoms all have a magical gem embedded in their breastplates. Destroy that, and you destroy the ghost within.”

“That must be the source of the magic that's keeping them alive,” Cadence said, though this brought up an important question. “Has the army made any more gains since receiving this information?”

“I have to be honest with you, Princess, results have been mixed. As you can imagine, it isn't easy to strike a killing blow in that one spot with any degree of accuracy. Though in the past two days, there has been an increase in the number of Ice Trolls who are aiding the army. The siege machines, from what I am told, are made mostly from materials raided from the train I was guarding.” Emerald broke his eye contact with Cadence, blushing with shame at the fact that his failure was directly tied to the start of the war.

Silence fell over the two ponies, the implications of this new information stirring around in their minds. Looking over to Flurry Heart, who had at last fallen into a peaceful sleep, Cadence took a deep breath and turned back to Emerald. “Can you take me to see Meteor Might and Stellar Shine? I want to thank them both personally for everything they've done so far.”

“Absolutely, Princess!” Emerald saluted and pushed open the chamber doors, holding it open for Cadence. “Right this way, ma'am. Your chosen heroes await.”

Cadence couldn't resist laughing at such a cheesy line, appreciating the levity the silliness granted. Now all she needed to do was transfer this moral boost to the rest of her soldiers.

Chapter 6: Infirmary

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 7: Awakening

(7: Awakening)

Darkness. That was all that Stellar Shine had been able to comprehend for the past four days. Anything beyond the floating void of pitch black was beyond all perception. He could not tell if his eyes were open or closed, not that it mattered, anyway. If he was conscious, then none of his senses indicated where he might be, if it was even on this plane of existence.

“...can you hear me?”

These were the first sounds Stellar heard in Celestia knew how long. Words that echoed through void without any specific direction. Did it even exist? Or was he starting to hallucinate again? His mind could have been compensating from the starvation of input.

“...get a response.”

These words, this talking, they were coming from somewhere, though it made little sense. A Response? From who? What was he supposed to say? What could he even say?

“...the light...”

Yes, the light. The one, dim twinkle in the sea of nothing. He didn't know how far away it was, but his eyes fixated on it nonetheless.

“Please...careful, Princess.”

Another voice, a little harsher than before, but still feminine. Almost familiar.

“Thank you for your concern,” now the first voice was speaking again, this time in full sentences. “But this is a risk I need to take.”

A risk? What was she doing? It must involve that light somehow, growing brighter the longer Stellar stared at it.

“I have been wondering something, though,” the harsher said. “Can't we just contact Princess Twilight Sparkle about this, 'Moonshadow' pony? She and her friends can just shoot it with that...rainbow of friendship thing...or whatever she calls it, then boom! Evil pony no more. Isn't that how it works?”

“Unfortunately not,” the soft voice replied. “The Phantom Stallions may as well be Moonshadow's personal bodyguards. My sister-in-law may be powerful, but she can't take on an entire army with just six ponies, even with the Elements of Harmony within them.”

“Bah, doesn't anypony know how those blasted Elements work?”

“It's a mystery even to Celestia herself.”

Celestia...Twilight Sparkle...more familiar names, Stellar thought, scattered memories flashing in his mind of the ponies in question. Yes, of course! They are the rulers of Equestria! The Princesses...of the Sun and of Friendship.

“I doubt we could get through to Princess Twilight with weather like this anyway,” a third voice added, this one aged and masculine in sound. The more Stellar listened, the brighter the light of the Princess got, and in turn, shooting off shafts of magic every which way, highlighting each memory triggered from the outside voices. “This is the worst snowstorm I've ever seen. It's a miracle that Stellar Shine didn't end up with hypothermia on top of the magic exhaustion he suffered.”

With each new world spoken, Stellar's world exploded with light, the individual memories shuffling into sequential order with each other. The heat from the luminous magic seeped into Stellar's muscles, fuelling the fire within him to reach out towards the light, pulling himself back into the waking world.

“C-Commander Emerald, Sir,” Stellar spoke, his voice quieter than the breathing of a new-born foal. His true sight had yet to return in full, but for the moment, it was plenty to distinguish the differences between the three ponies in front of him and his surroundings. His muscles groaned at slightest hint of movement, which Stellar did his best to ignore. “How long have I been out?”

“Easy there, officer,” Emerald said, the gentle tone of his voice making up for the lack of readable facial expressions. “You pulled an incredible stunt out there, for which you have my gratitude. But your magic levels are still low, so don't push yourself.”

“Princess...” Stellar bowed his head to the pink alicorn before him.

Cadence stepped forward, presenting a smile warm enough to thaw the nerves of any pony whose presence she bestowed upon. “It's okay, Stellar, don't worry yourself about any formalities. Just try and relax while my magic takes effect.”

“Please...princess...this is important,” Stellar said, a sense of urgency breaking in his voice between heavy breaths. “Mooonshadow is...claims to be...the last disciple of Tirek. Wants the magic...magic of the...Crystal Heart.”

Cadence let out a long sigh. It no longer surprised her that the Crystal Heart would always be a magnet for megalomaniacs, though just the spoken name of Tirek made her shudder. It was a name she had never hoped to hear again, as it had taken many months for Princess Luna to put an end to the constant nightmares about her magic being absorbed by that monster. It was only the fact that Tirek himself was still locked away in the pits of Tartarus which prevented the situation from being the worst-case scenario; though the fact that somepony possessed the power to rob a pony of magic in single breath was dire enough on its own.

“Thank you for the information, Officer Stellar,” Cadence said, doing her best to keep her heavy emotions in check. “Knowing this, I hope we can finally bring an end to this siege. As much as I wish to simply let you rest, I must ask that you return to the battle as soon as you feel fit enough. You are one of the most capable heroes the Crystal Empire has ever seen, and without the Elements of Harmony protecting us, you and your fellow soldiers are our last hope.”

Stellar reached over the side of his bed, grasping a bottle of medicinal blue liquid in his shaking hoof and gulping it down in one go. His mouth contorted in disgust at the bitter taste of the manna potion, though by the way his horn glowed in response, he took it as a necessary evil. “I have fought too hard to allow the empire to fall now. Whatever my condition, I pledged an oath to protect Equestria and its allies from all threats which may come. I don't yet know what I can do to keep the Phantom Stallions down for good, but by Starswirl's beard, I will find a way.”

Cadence smiled, relaxing her shoulders as some of the emotional tension left her body. She always was impressed by the dedication of her husband's soldiers. “I can't thank you enough for everything you've done so far. You take it easy for the next night or so, and I'll go and talk to the alchemist about getting you some more potions.”

“If I may make a suggestion, Princess,” Commander Emerald interjected. “So far, Stellar Shine has been fighting alongside the Unicorn Rangers division. We've re-purposed salvage from three of the enemy siege machines. Given his eye for accuracy, his leadership could be our key to victory.”

“So, whaddya say, soldier?” Rosebud added with a smirk on her face. “Think you can manage using that horn of yours for more than just magic?”

“Just watch me!” Stellar returned the expression as he rolled out of bed and onto his hooves. Despite his initial unsteadiness, the challenge of mastering a new perspective on the art of war was much too exciting to rest on.

“Excellent,” Emerald said, gratified that Stellar had lost none of his motivation. “Now, Miss Rosebud, if everything is in order, I think we shall take our leave. I shall personally report to you Meteor's condition once we find her.”

“Of course, Commander. Good luck out there.”

“Actually, Princess, I do have one more request,” Stellar said, unable to hide the smirk on his face. “When it comes to manna potions, do you mind at all if you could ask for blueberry flavouring? I never go to war without satisfying my sweet tooth, first.”

For the first time in heart-knew how long, Nurse Rosebud's office echoed with the sound of hearty laughter.

Chapter 8: Reforged

(8: Reforged)

Cadence and her chosen warriors were less than halfway down the central spire before they could hear the echoes of the forge below. The closer they got, the louder the sound of clanging furnace doors and hot iron striking metal became, drowning out the thunder of war outside. On any average day, a select few blacksmiths would work to create the empire's primary trade commodities in the form of crystal-based exports. But today, just as every day since the siege, every furnace blazed with the heat of a dragon's firestorm. The craftsponies within were either creating new armaments, or repairing old ones; an unending cycle of heating and cooling metal. Every time the enemy blasted away at the empire's defences, an identical number of hammers would slam on the anvils as a countermeasure.

Meteor Might was one such blacksmith. Not since her initial training had she been so focused on her work, setting aside no more than a minimal amount of time for all biological necessities before returning to her forge. If all the blood, sweat an' tears I've poured into these weapons are for nought, Meteor thought, a mantra she had been repeating to herself ad-nausea since her defeat in the first battle. Then I, along with the empire, am doomed. Hammering in one last bolt to fix the head of a pole-hammer in place, Meteor slotted the weapon on the rack beside her and called for the next round of would-be heroes to arm themselves.

“Good to see you're well, Meteor.”

Meteor didn't need to look up to know who the regal voice that was announcing his presence belonged to. It was Emerald, leading Stellar and Princess Cadence through the hall to see her, waves of hot air blasting through their manes.

“Good to see ya, too, Commander,” Meteor replied, dropping her hot tools into a barrel of water as she wiped the sweat from her brow. Though her vocal tone gave off an aura of confidence, both Cadence and Emerald could tell by her straight face and lack of eye contact that she wasn't a happy mare. “Be ya needin' me ta put more slackers back ta work again?”

“No, that won't be necessary this time,” Emerald laughed. “We do, however, still have great need for services, if you are able to provide.”

“What ye be needin’?” Meteor replied with a raised eyebrow, pointing her hoof to her flank. “What do ye think this is for? I ain't a specialist at gardenin', I can tell ye that!”

“So, you're the one named Meteor Might,” Cadence said, extending out her hoof, wearing her usual warm smile. “It's a pleasure to meet you.”

“Yeah, pleasure, sure,” Meteor huffed, paying little attention to the Princess as she pulled back a lever to open the furnace doors.

“At attention, soldier!” Emerald snapped, his calm persona suddenly flipping to one of relentless authority. “You will address the Princess with proper decorum. Now, take your bow and show some proper respect!”

“Ye really think I'm bein' disrespectful, huh?” Meteor's retort matched her commander's fury. “Then what in the bowels of Tartarus do ye think I'm doin' here?! My work, nae, this entire forge is my respect! I'm payin' me service to the empire by givin' everypony a sturdy weapon ta fight with. And in case ye haven't noticed, I'm pretty damn good at it, whether I take part in yer snobbish performances or not.”

“Why, you insubordinate little-”

“That'll do, Commander,” Cadence stepped between the two bickering ponies, bathing them both in the soothing light of her glowing horn. “Your concern is appreciated, but unnecessary. I never much cared for protocols, anyway.”

“As you wish, my lady,” Emerald bowed and took a step back, but didn't miss the chance to shoot a harsh glare in Meteor's direction.

“Anyway,” Cadence continued, clearing her throat. “How are your wounds healing? I see nurse Rosebud has removed most of the bandages already.”

“Rosebud?” Meteor sneered. “Bah! That old mare dunnae know a thing about recovery. Removed the bandages myself the moment I woke up. They just get in the way of me work anyway.” By the burn marks on her shoulders and chest, it was evident that Meteor had also performed her own, 'traditional' method of treating wounds.

“It's quite impressive how quickly you've recovered,” Cadence gestured her hoof across Meteor's body. “Though I wish I could say the same for other soldiers.”

Meteor didn't respond. Instead, she pulled out a red-hot piece of metal from the furnace, placing it on the anvil in front of her.

“I've also been told that you were the first pony to kill one of the Phantom Stallions,” Cadence pressed, hoping that appealing to the blacksmith's ego would get her talking. “That's why I'd like to personally welcome you back into service for the Canterlot Royal Guard with open arms. Your deeds are already serving as an inspiration to everypony in the empire; you're the talk of the town!”

Again, Meteor said nothing, continuing to hammer away at the semi-molten metal.

“You'll do no good recruiting her, Princess.”

The nasally voice of a lanky, red-furred Pegasus with a scruffy black mane caught Cadence's attention. He stood with his back to Meteor, working on a separate anvil behind her. “You're right about one thing, though: we've all heard about what Meteor supposedly achieved in battle. But considering how she refuses to talk about it, I'd say she's just trying to make herself look good. You'd be better off tryin' to recruit a preschool filly.”

“I heard that, T.K!” Meteor growled through gritted teeth, spinning around and pulling the leaver to the Pegusi's forge; searing his backside with a blast of hot air. “I best not catch ye bad mouthin' me again, lest ye want me ta show ya what it's really like ta put yer back into a job like this. Do I make meself clear?”

“Yes m'am,” T.K grumbled in response.

“Excuse me, T.K, was it?” Stellar spoke up as he approached the Pegasus, having abstained from the conflict up until now.

“Yeah, short for Turbulent Katabatic,” the Pegasus replied, trying to act cool, despite the obvious tinge of bitterness in his voice. “What's it to ya?”

“I know of a particular saying that makes its rounds through Canterlot. It may be considered old fashioned, but I think could be useful for you to know.”

“Really now?” T.K placed his tools down, raising an eyebrow and folding his front hooves over one another. “Well I may be just a humble Cloudsdale Pegasus, but I do have a few links here and there to high society.”

“Well, it's something I learned from my grandfather when I was just a little foal,” Stellar said plainly, ignoring the smugness evident in T.K's voice. “Never speak ill of an earth pony's work, unless you want to turn it into a competition.”

Any retort T.K could have made soon died; the sound of Meteor snickering behind the unicorn at the back-hoofed insult striking a heavy blow to his ego. He couldn't deny that any crafting contest between him and a skilled earth pony like Meteor would inevitably result in his defeat.

Emerald cleared his throat, returning everypony in the room to his attention. “Now then, I think that's enough arguments for one day,” trotting over to the weapons rack, Emerald slid his hoof into the open end of the twisted, basket-shaped metal guard of a freshly repaired rapier. “Meteor, you magnificent mare, you have done it again! This is quite a spectacular repair job you've done on this blade of mine.”

Meteor blushed. “Like I said, it's what I do.”

“Allow me to introduce you to my comrade, Stellar Shine,” Stellar bowed as Emerald mentioned his name. “He could do with a new armament of his own. Perhaps you could show us one of the more specialised weapons you've come out with recently?”

“Well you've certainly come ta the right pony,” Meteor twirled her blacksmith hammer in her hooves and puffed out her chest with pride. “But I'm gonna need a wee bit more info if I'm ta give yer partners-in-arms the right tools fer the job. After all, these Phantom Stallions are rather tough nuts to crack, even fer me.”

“You are as wise with tactics as you are skilled at the forge, Meteor,” Cadence said brightly. “Shining Armour tells me that Stellar is excellent with long-ranged weapons. Perhaps you could apply your skills to a new bow of some kind?”

“Oh, how you lot flatter me so,” Meteor said with just a hint of sarcastic disdain in her voice. “I may not be think I have just the thing.”

Hopping over her anvil, Meteor pulled open the latches of a large wooden chest and flipped over the lid. After shuffling through a variety of weapons that were not-so-neatly packed inside, Meteor pulled out a waxed long bow, along with a quiver full of arrows to go with it. “This should do ye nicely. I know the best bowyer in the empire, and this is one of their best creations. Be warned, though; I've given this thing ta some o' the strongest of stallions for testin', an' even they struggle with the heavy draw weight. The only thing missing is the blood of yer enemies splattered across the tip of her arrows! Think ye can fix that for me?”

Stellar levitated the quiver's strap over his shoulder and turned over his new bow in his hooves, inspecting every inch of the weapon. While he was no craftspony, he had been fighting in the Canterlot Royal Guard long enough to know a sturdy weapon when he saw one. With a fine string held taught between the arching stave that was almost as long as he was tall, it was obvious to anypony that this was a weapon better suited to use by Unicorns than any other race.

Casting a levitation spell, Stellar strung an arrow and pulled it back as far as he could manage, calculating the specific amount of magic it took to apply the necessary pressure against the draw weight. Scanning his eyes across the room, Stellar took his time to choose an appropriate target to practice on. When a tiny glimmer from further down the hall caught his eye, Stellar cut off part of his spell, shooting an arrow straight into the centre of a dead phantom stallion's breastplate, the direct hit piercing through the gem.

All those who witnessed the shot stared in amazement, save for T.K, who had fallen several feet to the ground after being startled by the arrow slicing clean through the tips of his extended flight feathers mid-flap.

“I think that'll do nicely,” Stellar said with a satisfied grin. “I will wield it with all the skill I can muster. For the Crystal Empire, and for all of Equestria.”

“I have no doubt ye will,” Meteor dusted her hooves together, but before she could return to her work, Cadence spoke up.

“There is one more thing I would like to ask you, Meteor.”

“Oh, cut the crap, Princess,” Meteor slammed her hoof down on the anvil, sparks of hot metal flying off from the impact. “I know what ye want of me, but the answer is no. I ain't returnin' ta that battlefield, ever. In fact, ye should count yerself lucky that I'm still workin' me flank off in this forge ta begin with!”

“How dare you speak to the Princess that way?!” Emerald yelled, his own strength of will being the only thing holding him back from decking the disrespectful earth pony in the jaw.

“It's okay, Emerald,” Cadence was quick to respond, placing her hoof on the commander's shoulder and doing her best to keep herself calm despite the rising tension. “I can handle this.”

“Oh, I bet you bloody well can,” Meteor sneered, slamming her hammer down onto another hot piece of metal. “Gonna cast one of yer fancy love spells on me, so we all do a little dance and sing about how oh-so-wonderful our new-found friendship is? I don't think so!”

Cadence's heart sank. She had a feeling that she knew what this was about, but she had to ask to be certain. “Meteor, I'm not sure what I've done to upset you like this, but...”

“Don't ye start playin' dumb with me, Princess!” Meteor slammed her hooves on the anvil, the force of the blow cracking its surface. “Ye should know bloody well know what the problem is! Back when I was a wee filly, enjoying a welcome school holiday in the empire, ye were the one who stepped in when me parents started fightin' for the tenth time that day. Any sensible pony woulda seen how much me dad was suffering! Always getting' an earful for how every little thing that wasn't right in the world was absolutely his fault.

“He coulda gotten outa there that day, but no. You just had to come along and cast yer fancy little love spell and poof! No more arguments, no more yelling, no more conflict over anythin', ever. Even as a filly I knew it weren't right to force ponies ta be happy like that; turnin' them inta love-struck zombies through fake feelings pulled out of thin air. Now tell me, why should I be puttin' my neck on the line against an army of near-indestructible monsters? Read my lips; I will not die for you!”

The entire forge fell silent, all work halting in shock at the ensuing drama. Even Meteor had stopped upon finishing her rant, breathing heavily as she fought back the tears welling up in her eyes.

“I know that apologising for my actions will not make everything better,” Cadence said, her voice heavy with regret. “I freely admit that I was once incredibly foolish with my magic, thinking that I could solve all friendship problems with a simple flash of my horn. Nothing I say or do will undo the damage I have caused. I won't ask for your forgiveness. Nor will I ask you to fight for me. Instead, I'm only going to ask that you fight for what's most important to you; regardless of whether it's for the empire, or those who live within it.

“You are an incredible fighter who has contributed so much to this war already, not least because of how you discovered the Achilles hoof of the Phantom Stallions. If you are willing to lead my people along with these two brave fighters behind me, then I'm certain that the war will end that much sooner. But ultimately, that is your decision to make.”

As Cadence turned to leave, Meteor dropped her hammer and pulled open the forge door. Throwing the unfinished weapon hilt into the inferno, she stood and watched the pre-heated metal begin to melt. As she gazed into the dancing flames within, a storm of thoughts raged in her mind; a front of memories, good and bad, of all the times she spent in the Crystal Empire. Her first encounter with a blacksmith demonstrating their craft, her bickering parents; the day she got her cutie mark, the day her mother berated her father over his incorrect predictions. So many memories. So much hurt, yet so much joy.

How could she let that die?

Slamming the furnace door shut, Meteor flung open the chest once more, pulling out a war hammer that matched her original claymare in size. “Make no mistake, Princess,” she said as she swung her hammer over her shoulder. “I will not be fightin' for you. But if I really am that important to preservation of the empire, then I will fight until my last dying breath!”

Cadence turned back and bowed to Meteor. “I can't thank you enough for everything you've done.”

“Well then,” Emerald cleared his throat with a sly grin on his face. “That is all well and good, but if you are to serve alongside me, I think you could use a little practice first.”

Without a hint of hesitation, Emerald lunged at Meteor, stabbing his rapier towards Meteor's heart; only to have it deflected by a twist of her body and a flick of her war hammer to knock the lighter weapon right out of the crystal pony commander's hoof.

“Is that practice enough?” Meteor asked, a quip that had the entire forge erupting in delighted cheers.

Chapter 9: Marching Out

(9: Marching Out)

The next morning, as dawn broke over the empire's skyline, the doors to the armoury swung open, revealing all the soldiers who were deemed fit enough to fight. With the loud clicks of his armour clasps, Emerald stood at the head of the army, leading both the entirety of the five-hundred strong force and a company of one-hundred specialist warriors which had been kept in reserve; the Crystal Lancers. Due to their naturally tough hides, the Crystal Ponies wore lighter armour than their counterparts in the Canterlot Guard, providing the flexibility that they needed to wield the signature weapon that made them the pride of the empire. Never had Emerald ever considered there would be a time where the sound of cracking gemstones would be satisfying to hear, but the desire to see his weapons pierce the heart of the Phantom Stallions had become the fuel for his battle-ready soul. By the way his soldiers carried flanged maces as their secondary weapon, it was evident that they were taking no chances when it came to a foe like this.

Behind Emerald, Meteor stood among the front ranks of Canterlot Guardponies—a mixture of Crystal Ponies, Pegasi and Earth Ponies who had banded together—the war-hammer she carried over her back was huge in comparison to the standard-issue heavy maces most of the ponies in her regiment held. The guardsponies who stood closest to the Lancers were the pole-hammer heavy infantry, their ranks packed much closer together than all other units in the army. They needed to be, as though they were no pushovers, Emerald knew that their lack of shields would always be an exploitable weakness. As long as they made use of their weapon's long reach, they would be ready to shatter the Phantom Stallions apart in harmony with their fellow warriors.

Despite not knowing any of the warriors by name, save for Emerald and Meteor, the way they carried their stances was enough to give Stellar the confidence that these were soldiers he could trust to hold the line. Combined with his responsibility to direct the attacks of the Unicorn Rangers from above, Stellar was determined to make sure that those who had once brought him to the brink of death would be little more than scrap metal by the end of the day.

There was no announcement to begin marching. There was no need. As the creaking doors to the upper district swung open, the ecstatic cheers of Crystal Pony citizens were all the empire's defenders needed to begin their march to war. The sound of applause could not hope to represent the vibrant emotions that these civilians felt towards the army. The seventh day of the siege had dawned, yet not a soul had given up, all displaying the same levels of motivation as they had back in the beginning. It didn't seem to matter how many ponies had died, or how many came back injured to the point where death was a preferred option. As long as there were troops to head back out the next day and defend their country, then there was hope.

Stellar also observed a particularly interesting phenomenon that was unique to the Crystal Ponies; their coats glowing at the peak of positive emotions. In fact, even their armour couldn't hide this magnificent shine. Quite the opposite; the armour amplified the glow. Stellar couldn't stop himself from grinning in wonder at this, even if his stomach still felt like it tied itself into knots. At the very least, he knew his brave face meant that his status as a hero would prevent Crystal Empire from falling for any terror tactics. They were far too hardy—though some would say stubborn—for that.

Even in times of war, the architecture of the empire had changed very little. Though he had been living here for several months now, he figured that after all that had happened so far, he shouldn't pass up a chance to admire its beauty one more time. Depending on how this battle went, there was a very real chance this would be the last time. From out of the central tower which housed the palace, each district formed with an ocean of sparkling blue towers, spread out in a snowflake pattern with broad archways between them to mark the threshold of solid crystals and selective greenery.

While many ponies elected to watch the march from inside the safety of their homes, Stellar could still see how much they were beaming with pride, showing none of the physical and mental toll he expected the siege would create. Once he arrived at the wall which separated the upper and middle districts—the third of three walls that had been constructed in the past year—the atmosphere made a dramatic change.

As the gates shut behind Stellar, the encouraging cheers of the crowd ceased, replaced with the distant echoes of war. All civilians, regardless of age, gender or physical ability, had been evacuated to the upper district for their own safety. The streets that would have been teaming with the hustle and bustle of everyday life were now deserted, leaving behind an eerie sense of stillness which made the shining Crystal Ponies duller by necessity. Just after passing through the second gate, Stellar's company broke off from the rest of the army, the rangers spreading out from the central boulevard to take up their positions along the outer wall.

This is it, then, Stellar thought to himself. Once more into the breach I go.

Chapter 11: Into the breach

(11: Into the breach)

As the ranged defenders spread themselves out, the rest of the army continued marching on, stopping a short distance away from the front gate. When it was understood that magic had a negligible effect on the Phantom Stallions, most of the unicorn soldiers had been re-assigned for support instead.

Each group of mages sat in a circle with their eyes closed, focusing every ounce of their power to reinforce the barrier, reducing the strain on Cadence and Shining Armour. With the gates locked down tight, the only safe way to transport the troops to and from the battlefield was through a portal, a combined variant of the typical unicorn teleportation spell. This was hardly the first time they had teleported ponies other than themselves, however Meteor could only speculate what kind of strain transporting so many ponies in one go would put on them.

Bringing the army to a halt, Emerald broke off from the lancers and removed his helmet to give his soldiers one final pep talk. “Okay everypony, listen up! You all should have been briefed on the battle plan, but no matter how much we think we may have the upper hoof, we must not get complacent. You are all some of the mightiest warriors the Crystal Empire has ever seen, taking blow after blow from these monsters, yet still returning the next day. So, no matter what stands in your way, we must make this our final stand! We must not stop until every last phantom is dead and the threat is extinguished! So, now that I have reminded you how incredible you all are, how about we beat those buckers back one last time, just to show them why they don't mess with us! What say you all?”

A war cry that was loud enough to deafen a dragon was all the conformation the Commander needed. Putting on his helm again, Emerald blew hard into the stationed battle horn, leading the Crystal Lancers to charge through the portal first, warping directly in front of the enemy masses. To his delight, the ghostly army had modified their organisation since the last battle, their numbers reduced to a degree that there was now a more even mix between Ice Troll barbarians and Phantom Stallions, with the hunched monstrosities scattered haphazardly in loose ranks around the ghosts.

A scar on the back of Emerald's neck flared up with pain, bringing back memories of his last encounter with Phantom Stallions. Gigantic chunks of ice whistling overhead reminded him that the skirmish he survived had not been a simple random act of violence; they were stealing resources in preparation for the war. Now it was time to deliver his retribution. Ahead of him, a double rank of Phantom Stallions stood as the first line of defence ahead of the trolls, their spiked gauntlets and glowing armoured horns standing in stark contrast to the primitive clubs and axes of their monstrous allies.

As the rest of the lancers emerged from the portal, they fell back into the wedge formation, relying on training regimens which had been passed down through generations of warriors since the Empire's founding. Forming the tip of the wedge, Emerald rammed his lance into the throat of a Phantom Stallion, the lumbering ghost too slow to dodge a full-speed charge from the veteran Cavalier. Emerald felt the impact recoil against him, but still he carried on, the phantom collapsing into a pile of empty armour at his hooves.

By the time the rear ranks of the Lancers reached their mark, the speed of which Emerald's Lancers had struck scattered the initial opposing ranks like snowflakes in the wind, with many trolls pushing their way past the Phantom Stallions to get in on the action.

Dropping his broken lance, Emerald skidded to a halt, rolling under the swing of a troll's club as his cavalry turned themselves around. Withdrawing his rapier and buckler, Emerald stabbed the underside of the blue beast's arm, forcing it to open its guard as it twitched in pain; a reaction which Emerald took advantage of, his next stab piercing straight through the heart. By now, all of the lancers had engaged on melee combat, shedding their broken armaments in favour of their heavy flanged maces and kite shields.

The Phantom Stallions were as resilient as ever, taking several blows to the front legs and head before openings presented themselves. The greatest number of casualties from the charge had been the trolls, their central front rank laying decimated as shards of splintered wood cut open arteries, staining the snow red with blood. Those on the front line that survived the initial charge soon met their end as well, their bones shattered under the impact of maces hewn and swung left and right.

Even with the front-line savages obliterated, there were plenty more trolls to replace the dead; striking back with equal fury, bellowing their ferocious roars as they swung around their war-axes over the heads of the Phantom Stallions with repeated, short, sharp strikes. With how random these attacks were, the Lancers found themselves forced to keep their shields raised as they pushed forwards, relying on parries and quick reflexes to counter attack. The few ponies unlucky enough to be caught by one of these attacks found themselves at the mercy of the troll's bloodlust, as even a glancing blow had enough force to knock them off their hooves and force their guard open, their thick hides doing little to prevent themselves being cut to pieces by their huge weapons.

Rolling under the sideways swing of a great axe, Emerald slashed his rapier at the tendons at the back of its leg, thrusting the weapon into the base of the troll's neck as it fell back towards him. Only after did he realise that the attack he had avoided cut deep into the neck of the pony behind him; the eyes of the Cavalier wide with shock as he met his grisly end. This gruesome sight only spurred Emerald on, smacking a Phantom Stallion on the side of the head with his buckler to get its attention. Even as the ghost pony began to reform, Emerald's expert strike had given him the opening he needed to thrust his sword through and shatter its crystal.

With all of the Cavaliers now engaged in combat, having split the opposing army in two, the Canterlot Guard made their move. Now that their full support was joining the battle, the cavalry finished off any invaders who broke rank before falling back to keep their formation intact, making way for the advancing phalanx. Half of the Lancers broke away and made a U-turn back to face the empire's walls, while the others stood firm, facing the enemy back to back with Canterlot Guard who proceeded to surround a broken section of the vulnerable army.

Emerald moved himself behind the interlocking shield wall of his fellow soldiers as they dug their hooves into the snow, using the strength of their formation to withstand the brunt of the Phantom Stallion's attack. The phantoms caught in their initial trap were a relative few, but with a proportionally larger chunk of the trolls caught between two pony forces, he could not see this support lasting long as they started to panic, with what little strategy they had before crumbling away, scoring no more than an odd lucky kill as they were cut down by the far-reaching pole-hammer heavy infantry.

Now that the allied pony forces were back together again, the true battle could now begin.

Chapter 12: Berserk

(12: Berserk)

With a swing of her hoof, Meteor brought her hammer down hard onto the helm of a Phantom Stallion, crumpling it under the blow’s force. With a short, sharp tug, Meteor pulled her weapon back and twirled, swinging her hammer back around to smash the crystal. Then, guided by her fury, she tore her hammer from her opponent and hacked away at an advancing troll. The beast stumbled sideways but didn't lose its balance, instead roaring into Meteor's face and throwing its axe down at her. Not to be put off by a single, ineffective hit, Meteor charged under the troll's swing, colliding shoulder-first into its chest, knocking the air out of its lungs.

“You'll have ta be quicker than that, slowpoke!” she quipped, turning herself around and kicking the troll with her hind legs as it toppled forward. With her foe slain, Meteor raised her armamentonce again, ready to take on whatever faced her next. Instead of a troll or a Phantom Stallion behind her, her eyes met with an addition to the Canterlot guard she had not expected to see. With a broad mace in one hoof and a dagger in the other, a Lunar Pegasus swept the leg of a Phantom Stallion out from under it, smashing each armour piece until it was little more than a crumpled heap of metal on the ground.

“Well aren't you the furious one, eh?” Meteor quipped, snapping a troll's tusk in half with her left-hoof, using it as a dagger to stab it through the heart.

“You're not exactly half-bad yourself,” the bat pony replied, her breathing barely above resting rate despite how much she was weaving around the enemy. Though she wore the golden armour of her Solar Guard compatriots, the short, purple quip of her hair and her grey fur remained the same. “Name's Moonlight Eclipse. I advise you to keep your eyes forward, lest you want the next troll to follow your lead and use its tusks. Believe me, it's not a pretty sight!”

“Keep yer worries ta yerself, lass,” one step to the right and Meteor smashed a bulbous nose in, the sound of crunching cartilage giving her a sense of satisfaction on par with the smell of hot metal fresh from the forge. “Ol' Meteor Might has been in plenty a fight in her time. I know full well not ta know not to lose sight of the enemy.”

“If you say so,” Moonlight shrugged and leaped at Meteor, throwing her mace at the shoulder of the very same troll her comrade had just wounded. “Can't hurt to have a reminder with these things runnin' around. They're the most stubborn gits I ever did see.”

“Well, when ya put it that way,” mirroring Moonlight's mace, Meteor swung her hammer around, matching the angle of attack so that both weapons smashed the fallen troll’s head in simultaneously.

“Incoming!” the regal voice of Emerald called out, a warning which the mares were right to take heed off immediately. A huge boulder of ice hurtled overhead, falling short of the walls and instead landing on top of the Canterlot pole-hammer regiment. Those at the edges of the formation were the lucky ones, escaping with thick shards of ice cutting through the weaker parts of their armour with explosive force. It didn't take long for the survivors to realise what had happened to the ponies who had drawn the short straw.

“Look, there, in the distance!” Emerald pointed his rapier over the ranks of the opposing army, drawing attention to a figure who cleared a window in the storm to make himself visible. From what Emerald and his troops could gather, the figure was indistinguishable from any other troll, aside from the fact that it was much slimmer. A vivid crest of white hair spread over his head, the brightness contrasting its long, dark, grey fur robes and wooden staff laden with dozens of grim ornaments wrapped around it.

“Well I'll be a griffon's uncle,” Meteor gasped. “That thing must be Moonshadow!”

“I thought Moonshadow was a pony?” Moonlight asked. “At least, that's what I heard.”

“Couldn't tell ya,” Meteor shook her head. “Emerald an' Stellar are the only two ponies who've seen Moonshadow face-to-face.”

“I... I can't be certain,” Emerald said, detaching himself from his unit momentarily to meet his comrades. His memories of the raid were hazy at best, most of the images pieced together from what other ponies had told him. “Trying to remember specifics just gives me a headache. But whatever the case, we cannot dawdle over speculation. This troll is a powerful player in this war, so the sooner we kill it, the sooner we'll have our answer.”

As rays of magic flashed from the enemy siege machines, the trolls began to retreat, disengaging from combat with any ponies who pressed on the assault. “Hold steady!” Emerald called. He was no fool. He knew the strategy these trolls were playing with like the back of his hoof. This was a tactical retreat, aiming to reform behind the Phantom Stallions who had the greater physical resilience. Breaking into a gallop across the front lines, Emerald called for the Cavaliers to push the remaining enemy flanks inward.

This would prove to be a costly mistake.

With a wave of his staff, the shaman conducted the weather like an orchestra, pelting the Lancers with an outburst of gigantic hailstones. The Crystal Ponies were used to harsh weather like this; they had trained in it from day one of their life as soldiers, priding themselves on their resistance to cold weather. However, even they couldn't withstand the magical onslaught that besieged them now. Blinded by the blanket of hail clattering off their armour, the Phantom Stallions struck back, blasting the lancers with magic missiles from their horns as they charged, scorching their armour to expose more vulnerabilities to smash through.

The Cavaliers did their best to hold the line, throwing themselves forward to meet the opposing charge, listening carefully with each attack for the cracking of metal that revealed the point where they would strike next. These were the skills that gave them a fighting chance, focusing more on the sound and the feel of their attacks than their sight to reveal when a phantom would falter. The two sides exchanged blow after blow, the spiked gauntlets punching into shields and the blunt weapons clanging with the violet armour. When one stallion fell, coughing up blood from his punctured lung, another mare behind him took his place, using both hooves to bring her mace down from an overhead swing to break the phantom's horn.

The phantom struck back with an uppercut to the mare's chin, knocking her down before it reared up to deliver the killing blow. Another Crystal Pony stepped between the duellers, taking the blow on their shoulder before returning the attack; swinging their mace from under the phantom and smashing its crystal. Though all three cavaliers were now bleeding profusely, they fought against both their wounds and the advancing phantoms to stand firm against the assault.

This is getting bad... Emerald thought to himself, biting his lip in frustration. Leaping back in avoidance of a troll's club, Emerald smacked the monster right between the eyes with his buckler, jumping onto its back as it fell forward in a daze and bucking at the back of its neck. From this point, he could see a trio of Phantom Stallions moving towards him, but more importantly, he gained precious moments to assess how his Cavaliers were holding up on their own.

“Heavy infantry units six and eight, prepare to separate from regiment!” In contrast to his outward display of stalwart confidence, inward Emerald was offering a silent prayer to the Crystal Heart that he had chosen the correct number of ponies to send and support the Cavaliers. “Heavy infantry unit three, follow them and offer support. I want the rest of you pole-hammers to cover their rear. Make sure they are not followed, and prepare to face the harsh weather!”

Meteor Might was among the first of the soldiers to follow Emerald's call for aid. Unbeknownst to Emerald, however, when Meteor laid eyes upon the unfolding, deadly duel between the phantoms and Cavaliers, something snapped in Meteor's mind. Something that had been building since the battle began. Suddenly, she felt a deep, primal desire to cover her weapon in the blood of the trolls, then smother it against the shattered pieces of the phantom's armour. Any thoughts that had once been processing Emerald's order faded away, replaced by the vivid image in her mind of licking splattered troll blood off her lips, standing victorious over the endless array of possible injuries that her enemies would die from. Most of all, it was the thought of returning to her Highland pony ancestors—carrying a strew of severed heads in her hooves—that was too much to resist any longer. Unshackling herself from the organisation of her allies, she charged after the first line of trolls she could see, the veins in her eyes bulging to swamp her peripheral with the red tint of berserker rage. Regardless of anypony else, she would slaughter everything that got in her way.

“Meteor, fall back!” Emerald yelled, though his voice fell on deaf ears, as Meteor continued to swing her hammer with all the grace and accuracy of a wrecking ball. Worse still, there was now a large gap in the ranks of Meteor's unit, the remaining ponies turning their shields inwards to protect themselves from their berserker ally, a fact which had not gone unnoticed by the Trolls. Now he had to rack his brain once again to make the best of this horrible situation. A flash of purple magic whizzing past Emerald's head derailed his train of thought, forcing his attention back on the Phantom Stallions that were trampling over the Troll he was standing on.

Emerald was out of options; he had to call for the rest of the army to re-join the departed units and focus on his own survival, lest they fall a divided nation. As the Canterlot Guard came to a head with the supporting Troll core, the heavy infantry moved into position with Moonlight in the centre, holding her wings in close as she kept herself low, out of sight among the cluster of reaching weapons. More than a dozen of the Crystal Lancers lay dead, their eyes wide open as the ice lay claim to their wounds. Their reinforcements had arrived, only to be greeted by a secondary fight amongst their short-ranged warrior counterparts. With Emerald trapped in his own fight against the Phantom Stallions, he couldn't give any corrections to his commands. The heavy infantry had to take the initiative, stabbing the trolls in the shoulders and on their heads with the sharp end of their pole-hammers.

This was Moonlight's cue to do what she did best; twist, roll and dive through every gap she could find, unsheathing a pair of stilettos that she kept hidden beneath her wings to cut-and-run through all of the Trolls that failed to notice her. Her attacks were swift, seeking more to wound the Trolls than to kill them, giving her compatriots the opening they needed to exterminate the interlopers themselves.

Now that the heavy infantry was given their edge, it was now time to turn her attention back to the primary cause of this little distraction; namely one out-of-control earth pony.

Chapter 13: Counter-attack

(13: Counter-attack)

When it came to Meteor's fight, there were few that could keep up with the sheer ferocity of her assault. Her wild abandon left her guard sloppy, allowing many of the Trolls that isolated her from her regiment to take pot shots wherever they could. The growing number of cuts and bruises only fuelled the fire of Meteor's rage, swinging her hammer in whichever direction the pain lead her.

To her credit, nothing the Trolls did to her came close to slowing her down, her feral screams piercing through the monsters’ psyche to keep an already disorganised shamble from getting too close. A swing to the left, a smashed face blinded, a swing to the right, arms laying limp, broken in several places. Now drenched in blood, the earth pony's onslaught was reduced to swinging her hammer around in circles, becoming a whirlwind of doom with not a care for friend or foe.

This was the breaking point for the berserker mare. With her sight clouded by the fog of war, her predictable attacks became easy to exploit; an axe slicing into her back followed by one just below her right-hind knee bringing her rampage to an end. Meteor's armour protected her from the worst of the cutting force, but the sheer brute force was enough to maim regardless. As she fell, Meteor threw around one final swing, the tip of her hammer's head colliding with the temples of both her assailants, their faces flattened with pieces of their skulls scattering across the snow.

Far from the Trolls to miss an opportunity for revenge, a horde rushed the downed earth pony, pushing and shoving each other as they bickered amongst themselves over who would get the killing blow. But this was a pleasure which they would be denied, as leaping out from the heavy infantry with wings outstretched, Moonlight stabbed her twin stilettos into the chests of a Troll pair.

With a speed that made her limbs a blur to all, Moonlight thrashed her four weapons around at every troll who tried to attack the mare-at-arms to bleed them dry. The moment her blades tasted Troll blood, they were already withdrawn, stabbing at every orifice and opening they could get at. In conjunction, a mace and a buckler were equally as effective, aiming to hit the same deep wounds which had just been opened up. The brute force Moonlight displayed may not have been comparable to Meteor, but her deadly focus would easily make her fighting style equal in the eyes of any seasoned warrior.

Moonlight had changed the fate of her friend single-hoofedly, as with their advantage lost, the Trolls were withdrawing, closing in their ranks to avoid the frenzied Pegasus. Pulling Meteor onto her back, Moonlight retreated behind the front lines to check her wounds. With the Lancers rescued, the Canterlot Guard were once again able to advance after the enemy, keeping the distance between them to an absolute minimum to prevent any more unwanted surprises, the heavy infantry returning to the army's flanks.

The tactical retreat of the Trolls had not gone unnoticed by Kur'zun. The ambush had failed, as had his weather magic in preventing the Crystal Lancers from receiving aid. Less than a quarter of the Crystal Pony lancers had been slain, and despite the resilience of the Phantom Stallions, the Empire's defenders were beginning to make headway. Moonshadow's magic allowed many of the phantoms to reform, but this power still had its limitations. It was time to switch to a different strategy.

Meteor awoke from her dazed state to the harsh embrace of the frozen ground. Her initial attempts to move were thwarted by heavy jolts of pain through her limbs, the arctic winds biting at the few exposed parts of her coat. In front of her were the scattered body parts of a slain troll barbarians, while behind her, Moonlight folded her wings as she came into land.

“Ugh, Moonlight, what-”

“Don't bother asking, we've got more important things to deal with,” Moonlight said, the annoyance in her voice not going unnoticed despite her extended hoof out to help Meteor up. “Can you stand?”

Meteor's muscles still felt they had been pelted with bricks, though for now it was at least at a tolerable level. Despite Moonlight's discouragement of questions, there was one on her lips which she just had to ask; “What do I need to kill, and where is it?”

Moonlight smirked, not knowing whether to be amused or frightened that Meteor hadn't lost an ounce of her fighting spirit after recovering from her rampage. “Spoken like a true Highlander. The Trolls’ days are numbered, and the Phantom Stallions will be next. Fancy finding Emerald to decide which need to go first? You'll forget all about your aches once you get back into the fray.”

The Phantom Stallions had at least moved away from the cavaliers, leaving the Crystal Ponies enough room to regroup and regain their lost momentum, aiming to start on a fresh cycle of hit and run attempts. Emerald had re-engaged in a deadly dance between three Troll warriors, ducking and weaving through their clumsy swings to cut away at their flesh. When Meteor and Moonlight stepped up to relieved two heavy infantry ponies from the front line, the Trolls were already dead, with more stepping up to take their place. Emerald positioned himself carefully in relation to the new foes, allowing room for the troops around him to meet their charge, killing them all with less than three strikes of their weapons.

What Moonlight said was true; fighting on did make pain easier to manage, at least in the sense of translating the pain of her wounds into bashing in the skulls of Trolls. Staring at the bloody pulp beneath her feet, Meteor's breath rate began to pick up again. She was starting to get a strong sense of déjà vu, though why was an answer she couldn't quite put her hoof on. Her rage stepping up a notch with each kill wasn't new, but Meteor got a distinct feeling that she needed to make up for lost time by making herself the bane of the empire's enemies.

“That's enough, Meteor” Emerald stepped in front of the earth pony, rebuffing her weapon with his buckler. “This must not turn into a war of attrition. Killing Moonshadow and destroying the siege machines must become our top priority. We have the advantage, but we're not out of the woods yet.”

“Well, if that's the case,” Meteor said, gesturing her hoof out to the chaos of the battlefield, “Why not press the assault and over run the catapults? We go in, swarm Moonshadow with his pathetic weapons an' watch them phantoms fall like dominoes!”

“I don't mean to knock your enthusiasm, Meteor,” Moonlight added, suppressing her frustration despite how much her comrade's reckless attitude grated on her nerves, “but Emerald's right. If we're not careful, we could find ourselves in an unfavourable situation and put more pony lives at risk. It may look like Emerald is holding back, but trust me when I say that I've known him long enough to understand when he has a grander plan on his mind. Worry yourself not, we will be victorious, if you just have a little more patience.”

Moonlight knew well enough from her training that, among the Night Guards, such brash disregard for orders would get a pony like Meteor reprimanded in a heartbeat. She herself had almost been evicted from the Canterlot Solar Guard; her insistence on using real wing blades in place of training armaments getting her in a whole heap of trouble. She considered herself lucky that Luna had taken Emerald's advice and chosen her for Night Guard transfer when she did, as the Moon Princess knew better than most how hard it was for hot-headed ponies to suppress their rage in times of strife.

Moonlight could remember in vivid detail the brutal training courses she had to fly through; filled with a menagerie of captive beasts—from cockatrices to hydras—that could only be killed by exploiting specific weaknesses, all the while maintaining absolute stealth. Though Moonlight knew nothing of Meteor's personal history, other than a brief mention of cultural origins, she hoped that the passionate earth pony would understand the need for more restraint.

“Patience...” Meteor sneered through gritted teeth. “The Crystal Empire has been under siege for six Heart-forsaken days and ye expect me ta be patient?!”

Swinging her hammer at Emerald, Meteor forced her commander back, the red mist seeping in to claim her mind for a second time that day. “I'll show ye all how we highland earth ponies do battle! Follow me if ye dare, ye lilly-livered, diamond dogs!”

“That's enough!” Emerald snapped, leaping in front of the raging earth pony before she could run off again. “I've had enough of your recklessness. Get back in line and show some damned self-restraint already, or I'll have you court-martialled after all this is done!”

“Stand our ground? Are ye havin' a laugh?!” Meteor spat in response. “These monsters won't stop until the empire is in ruins! How do you expect us to kill 'em if we just keep standin' around, waiting to be killed?”

“You really don't get it, do you?” Moonlight lunged at Meteor from behind, throwing a flurry of punches into the scars across the berserker's body to pacify her. “Aren't you the least bit curious as to how you got those wounds? The fact you have a fifteen-minute gap in your recent memory? Maybe if you actually stopped to think about the bigger picture, you'd realise how your rampaging is putting us all in danger!”

For the first time since the battle had started, Meteor found herself lost for words. The sharp tongue of her Lunar Guard compatriot had doused the fire of her spirit, quelled by the revelation that the passion she brought to the defence of the empire—not just her home, but her entire life—was a risk comparable to the Phantom Stallions. She looked around her, everypony besides Emerald and Moonlight too occupied with the fight to pay attention to any individual drama.

Returning her gaze to Moonlight, Meteor slumped down in the snow, her morale crushed under the weight of the thoughts storming through her head. “What now?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper above the chaos of war. “If I fight, I risk goin' berserk. But I can't just sit on my haunches an' do nothin'.”

“I can't answer that question,” Moonlight replied, softening the edge on her voice. “But you're a tough cookie, so I know you can learn to temper that rage of yours. For now, just follow my lead. Who knows? You might just learn a thing or two. After all, Emerald asked me directly to join this battle alongside him, so, if he thinks you're good enough, then I trust his judgement.”

The subtle grin that formed on the edge of Moonlight's lips gave a context to her words that Meteor hadn't noticed before. Just as she was a master of crafting weapons, so too was Moonlight a linguistic forger. There was one word which stood out in her mind more than any other; 'temper'.

“If that's the case,” Meteor said, her voice perking up with restored confidence, “then I think that makes me yer apprentice in warfare.”

“Now you're speaking my language! But first and foremost, we answer to Emerald,” Moonlight flexed her wings in preparation for returning to the fight. “So, commander, what are your orders?”

Emerald opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught in his throat when he spotted an ominous sign heading his way. Kur'zun was on the move, his magical blizzard intensifying with each wave of its staff. Worse still, random bolts of arcane magic sprouted from the tip, feeding the Phantom Stallions to speed up the recovery of those that had been damaged, but not slain. While Meteor gripped the hilt of her hammer tightly in her hooves, unaware of an additional spell the Shaman had cast to counteract the empire's recent gains. Sprouting from the ground beneath her, a twin pair of frigid, bony hands grabbed hold of Meteor's hind legs, releasing a burst of ice magic that froze her hooves to the spot. As the magical storm closed in around the imperial army, the Troll warriors retreated behind the Phantom Stallions, letting their fleshless companions take the brunt of the icy winds.

Catching a glance of his Cavaliers chasing after the retreating trolls around the opposing army's flank, Emerald tried to call for them to return, but his voice was drowned out by the roar of the magic winds. There was nothing he could do to prevent the Crystal Lancers from becoming engulfed in the whiteout. Standing side by side with Meteor and Moonlight, Emerald shivered against the extreme cold. When he saw the Phantom Stallions charging from out of the storm's cover, Emerald raised his rapier and prepared to retaliate. Meeting the enemy charge, he leant to the left to dodge the right-hook of a phantom, only to find that the swing was far faster than he anticipated. The spike of the phantom's gauntlet struck him in the shoulder, punching through his armour to puncture a vein in his front leg, causing blood to spring out from it. Crying out, Emerald did his best to ignore the wound as he continued to roll to the left, using all the strength in his opposite hoof to retaliate as he twisted his body towards the monster, stabbing his weapon into its gem just before he fell out of reach. Though his aim struck true, his movements still felt sluggish, his vision becoming blurry beyond a few meters beyond his outstretched hoof.

The fact that each of Emerald's successive attacks were slower than the last demonstrated a brutal reality; the shaman's spell was taking its toll on him. He looked to his battle companions for support, only for his heart to skip a beat when he realised that the elemental magic was doing more than just making them slower. No, from what little he could clearly see, the storm appeared to be literally freezing them in place, with both Moonlight and Meteor becoming consumed by a layer of ice slowly creeping up their bodies.

Emerald only had to look down to see that the same thing was happening to him, the hoof he raised to hold his rapier being the only one of his four limbs that had not been captured by the ice. Emerald pulled and twisted at his binds, trying with all his might to escape his frozen shackles, but his panic did nothing to stop its advance. All he could do now was pray to the Crystal Heart that he would die quickly, sparing him from the grisly fate of suffocation.

Emerald's saviour came in the form of support which he had almost forgotten about since the start of the battle. Just as Emerald closed his eyes, the ice now covering up to his neck, a single arrow shot down from the sky above, piercing the gem of a Phantom Stallion and pumping a surge of magic through its tip, causing the monster to explode in a shower of shrapnel.

From atop the walls of the empire, Stellar Shine grinned as a piece of the destroyed phantom went flying into the icy block, shattering the bonds and freeing Emerald in an instant.

“Gotcha.”

Chapter 14: Burning Arrows

Author's Note

This scene takes place at the same time as the previous chapter, rather than after.

Chapter 14: Burning Arrows

(14: Burning Arrows)

Stellar Shine patiently watched the battle unfold from above, examining every movement the enemy made to direct the archers to where most of the support was needed. The moment he saw Meteor fall to the berserker rage, Stellar lifted his bow to a steep angle, calling for his fellow archers to lay down suppressing fire on the rear ranks and keep the rampaging earth pony from becoming overwhelmed. Given how all the ground troops were moving to preserve the elite Cavaliers, Stellar knew that this was a vital point in the battle to maintain their chances for ultimate victory.

Far Seer, the small unicorn who he had rescued during the first battle, was by his side once again. Using his specialist spell, Far Seer bent the light over any given area of the battlefield, magnifying the image to make it easier for his regiment to accurately aim. With the shaman concentrating his weather magic over the empire's soldiers, the focused volley let loose by Stellar and his archers kept most of the Trolls at the back from getting involved in the battle. It didn't matter how many of the hits landed; the threat of being skewered by a hail of arrows was enough to prevent the reinforcements from moving.

As Stellar expected, however, the Phantom Stallions were harder to stop by this method. Stellar gritted his teeth in frustration. He needed to come up with something more effective, otherwise his archery skills would be useless in the grand scheme of things. To make matters worse, the three catapults Shining Armour deployed didn't seem to be making much of a dent in the opposing siege machines, magical weather notwithstanding.

Running back and forth between spells to relay Stellar's commands, Far Seer directed the catapult's fire, the collected boulders of ice launched to their maximum range. Though this ammunition was unlimited, the magic of the unicorns who made them was not. One look at the state of the Canterlot Mages added another layer of pressure to Stellar's responsibilities; their saggy eyes, heavy perspiration and flickering horns showing that their magic was beginning to run dry.

“Far Seer!” Stellar called, his younger friend rushing to his side.

“Yes, Commander Stellar?” Seer asked with a salute, keeping his posture stiff despite how his muscles were aching.

"What's your magic like?" Stellar's question was nothing like an order. "How much can you cast?"

“Difficult to say, sir,” Seer chose his words carefully, not wanting to disappoint his hero. “I can cover all the basics, if that's what's needed. Nothing particularly complex, though.”

“That'll be more than enough. All I need is a boost to an illumination spell; add a bit of light to your usual magnification to help me see through this storm. You can do that, can't you?”

“Just say the word, sir, and I'll give you all I have!” Seer chirped, his horn bursting to life.

In truth, Stellar had more than enough magic to cast the spell himself; but what he needed more was to see the attitude of his most dedicated ally setting up an example for all the other Unicorns around him. Some ponies would be traumatized by near-death experiences like Seer had been through, and Stellar could never blame them for it. However, this little pony was an exception; whatever his reaction was during the first battle, he had valiantly returned to fight each day thereafter, knowing little of what became of the one who saved him.

Now he was working extra hard to support his Commander and his fellow troops. His horn was glowing brighter than Stellar had ever seen before, grim and baring the physical strain the constant use of magic put on him. With his moral at an all-time high, Seer projected his magic out in a wide arc below the walls, piercing the snow-filled clouds with his contorted light to see how everything was turning out.

The sight of the ground troops becoming consumed by ice told him that their situation was far worse than he had anticipated. “That'll do, Far Seer. I can take it from here.”

While he returned to his regular duties—unaware of the magic traps below—Stellar followed his first instinct. He strung his bow and fired nearly a dozen arrows in the span of a five seconds, each one piercing the blocks of ice. Yet for all their penetrating power, they were no match for the magic that constantly replenished the cracks with new ice, keeping the prisons solid. Cursing under his breath, Stellar slammed his hooves on the edge of the wall. No matter how well the ground troops bested the enemy when it came to martial combat, the advantage of magic that the shaman had over them would make all their efforts null and void.

“Melt, you damn Celestia-forsaken piece of junk!”

Stellar shut his eyes and snarled, trying to suppress the throbbing pain in his head that Far Seer's thundering profanities only made worse. Were he a lesser pony, he would have long since trotted up to the colt and shoved a hoof in his mouth to just shut him up; a tempting fantasy, if only to grant himself a minor sense of control in this situation. Though he remained resolute with his self-control, Stellar still shot a furious glare towards his cohort. His anger dissipated when he realised what Far Seer was trying to do. Inspired by the sight of Seer melting ice off the siege machines with his magic, a hope for victory was born anew.

“Officer Far Seer!” Stellar called.

“Yes, sir!” Seer sprang to attention, regaining his composure.

“Enchant this arrow. Nothing fancy, just a minor arcane glow will do.”

“Of course, sir.”

With a veil of red magic swirling around the tip, Stellar pointed his bow over the walls, holding the weapon steady as he took aim. If his hunch was correct, then the storm obscuring his aim would make no difference. Releasing the bowstring from his magic, the arrow shot through the thick clouds, lighting up the target beneath it with an explosion brighter than a thunderbolt in a violent storm.

“Gotcha.”

The loudness of the explosion turned all heads of the Unicorns to that location, just the rallying cry that Stellar needed to begin the destruction of the Phantom Stallions.

“To me, my friends!” Stellar called, wasting no time in stringing another enchanted arrow. “Light up your arrows like a hearth's warming tree and fire on my command.”

Though some were slower to abide than others—staggering forward as they forced the last trickle of magic through their horns—all those who were able cast their spells. Their drab and exhausted expressions switched to that of elation the moment their shots connected, the magic absorption of the phantoms magnetizing the arrows to pierce their gems. Shot after shot, more phantoms fell, yet Stellar was not content to continue letting loose blind.

The more arrows were shot, the more the storm began to clear, gradually exposing the shaman who was the source of the extreme weather. Now with a clear view of the battlefield, Stellar could see exactly where Kur'zun stood, waving his staff in circles as if writing his spells in the air. With the ever-increasing body count of both Phantom Stallions and Trolls, Kur'zun was forced to direct more of his magic into buffing his soldiers. The missing limbs of the intact phantoms shot back into their sockets, their dents and breaks repairing with the refreshing magic. These were prime targets for Stellar Shine and his archers, with volley after volley skewering each one and destroying them from the ensuing surge.

“Focus volley, front and centre!” Stellar called, directing his archers’ hails to where the reforming ranks of the enemy was thinnest. The storm had shrunk from covering the entire width of the imperial army to a localised swirl closer to where Meteor, Moonlight and Emerald were breaking free from the ice. He could see the phantoms march through this cover—as they always had—but this time, rather than concealing their advancements, it became a dead giveaway to their position.

“I've got you now!” Stellar let out a hearty laugh with his next shot, releasing all the pain of his earlier headache into the force of his attacks, grinning with the thrill of battle pumping through his heart. “Far Seer!”

“Yes, sir!” Far Seer leapt to his Commander's side, shooting a trio of arrows in rapid succession.

“Scan the battlefield. I need an update on how our allies down below are faring.”

Seer's only response was to act on his orders, bending the light with his magic to gaze across the span of the battlefield. His silence ended when a beautiful sight caught his eye. “Commander Stellar!” he called with great elation. “Look there, far to the north-west. It's the Crystal Lancers!”

True to his word, Stellar could see most of the Cavaliers still lived, charging from behind the enemy. Looking through Far Seer's magnification, he could also see a factor that had to be an even bigger stroke of luck. Their lances had been repaired; the sharp tips frozen back on by the same spell which was intended to trap them.

“Far Seer, I have one more important job for you to do,” Stellar said.

“Just give the word, Commander!” Far Seer chirped in response.

“I need you to take temporary command of our archers. If I can get Emerald to lead his Lancers again, victory won't be far away.”

“C-Commander Stellar,” Far Seer stuttered, his ears flattening as he dropped his gaze to his feet; rubbing a hoof on his front leg as he tried to process his Commander's words. “I... am beyond grateful that you think I'm worthy. But I'm not so sure if I'm ready for this level of responsibility. You did have to save me from my own mental weakness just a few days ago, after all.”

Stellar lowered his bow and placed one hoof on Far Seer's shoulder, pushing his chin up once he had made eye contact again. “Though we have known each other for a relatively small amount of time, today you have demonstrated what you're capable of achieving so much with just the gentlest push in the right direction. Let me ask you, have you persisted through your physical limits to cast spells as ordered?”

“Of course, sir.”

“Have you provided me with vital information through the use of your talent this day?”

“I have, sir.”

“And do you know what the biggest threats we face are?”

“The Phantom Stallions, sir, without a doubt. But isn't commanding an entire regiment quite a step up for somepony like me?”

That was when Stellar's matter-of-fact tone turned into a sly grin. “Whatever do you mean, Commander Far Seer? You just explained to me precisely what I needed you to do. Now, how do you feel about translating all that to the rest of the archers, hmm?”

Far Seer opened his mouth to object, but he couldn't think of anything to object with. Whatever trick Stellar had pulled on him, he couldn't deny the logic his hero had used to boost his confidence. “I won't let you down, sir!”

“Just call me Stellar for now. After all, you are the acting Commander now, and I am but a humble officer, ready to receive your commands. So, what are your first orders?”

Far Seer thought for a moment, magic sparking around his horn as the idea came to him. “Alright, listen up, everypony!” he bellowed, his voice as firm as if he had secretly been a veteran warrior all this time. “Stellar has left me in charge while he helps Emerald and the troops down below. The Lancers are back with their hit and run manoeuvres, so direct your fire to the furthest possible units that become divided. Clear a path for them to re-join the battle!”

“Sir, yes, sir!” They showed no hesitation in accepting the change of command; instead pointing their bows to the sky and releasing their arrows atthe heads of the ground troops which Stellar had teleported down to join.

Chapter 15: Lancer's Revenge

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 16: Triumph

(16: Triumph)

The sight of the Lancers’ return came as the divine wish that the Canterlot Guardsponies had been seeking, their triumph against such powerful magic fuelling the flames of hope that burned within their hearts. With each thrust of his weapon, the strength of Emerald's senses came rushing back, the levity of each step he took providing a sensation which he imagined to be akin to a new-born Pegasus taking their first steps onto the fluffy foundations of Cloudsdale.

While all was far from perfect, with many frontline soldiers still trapped in blocks of solid ice, the waning storm made it evident to the Crystal Pony Commander that this new opportunity would be the turning point of the battle, one that would be foolish to waste. “Heavy infantry, surround the fallen and attack!” Emerald ordered, his grace and dedication in combat inspiring them all. “The rest of you, Guardsponies, push the enemy towards the Lancers and bring this battle to an end!”

Meteor, however, did not move from her spot. Scattered shards of ice lay clustered around her hind hooves, an avalanche of thoughts inspired by her paralysed compatriot directing her focus onto the many branching paths of possible tactical decisions she could make. Her head was throbbing from the weight of all the questions praying on her mind. What could Moonlight bring ta this fight? Would we be winnin' faster with her, or without her? One look beyond the front ranks, and she could see Trolls falling left and right, along with the Phantom Stallions behind them.

However, there was a particular detail that kept Meteor from rushing to join her comrades. Just as Emerald had ordered, the enemy was trapped between a shield wall and the pole-hammers reaching around the flanks, with not a single phantom able to break through the line. Many tried, relentlessly blasting their magic at point blank range while the Trolls tried using their weapons to disarm the Canterlot Guardsponies of their shields. All futile attempts, as most of the attacks were either parried through the reach of the pole-hammers, or outright blocked by the quick adjustment of the phalanx.

Meteor gripped her hammer tight. She could feel her heart tugging her towards the front lines, her muscles tense with anticipation. Just thinking about feeling that her carnage could bring got her blood pressure rising. But instead, she turned back towards the block of ice where Moonlight was trapped.

Though it was difficult to see, Moonlight's chest was rising and falling by a tiny amount; all the evidence she needed that her battle sister was alive. Pulling her hammer back as far as her front legs would allow, Meteor reared up and twisted her torso in the same direction, holding it for several seconds before releasing the pent-up energy like a coiled spring, smashing the weapon into the frozen prison. Winding up for another swing, Meteor kept the blows focused on the crater-shaped mark on the front, expanding the cracks with each hit.

“What in Celestia's name do you think you're doing?!” Emerald snapped, his head switching back and forth between the battle and Meteor.

“Giving us a backup,” she said, he attention unmoved from Moonlight.

“Oh, for crying out loud!” Emerald exclaimed, narrowly parrying a Troll's weapon with his buckler. “Meteor, she's dead.”

“No. She. Isn't!” Meteor huffed between each pound, refusing to entertain such thoughts.

“Why, you little...” Emerald trailed off, missing the stab and getting a face full of phantom fist in the process. Oh, forget it! Staring a phantom straight in the eyes, Emerald paid his retribution to the enemy that injured him with a smack of his buckler. The enemy ranks were now at their tightest, providing a barrier to the shaman who had turned his back on them, making a hasty retreat.

Oh, no, not this time! Emerald swept his eyes across the breadth of the battlefield, compiling the details of each battalion in relation to the foe. Come on, come on, where can I break you, this phrase echoed in his head, only for any answers to be blocked by the usurping memories of Moonlight. By any military standard, they were an odd pair of partners to have a friendship crafted by war. A Crystal Pony and a Bat Pony, back to back and trading attacks to keep the enemy away. Just like that, she was gone, her end ushered by the magic of a Troll shaman.

Could Meteor be right? Emerald wondered. Could she still live... through that? Emerald shook his head, rejecting the invasive thoughts away just in time for a Phantom Stallion to attempt a buck to his face. Dropping to his knees, Emerald slid under the attack, his returning thrust chipping the edge of the gem

“Push harder!” he called, all troops clashing their arms with the enemy, increasing the rate of which they gained ground. Emerald himself rolled away from the ghost, ignoring the stomping of its hooves as he righted himself. Dammit, Moonlight... Galloping past the rows of combatants with a Phantom Stallion in tow, Emerald felt the cold sting of a tear rolling down his cheek, with more soon to follow. Why, Moonlight? Why did you have to die like that? Why can't I forget you? Why can't I ignore these stupid emotions? Why...

The Crystal Lancers—his kin—were now just a stone's throw away. Surely, they would make him feel complete again. He could see that Garnet had noticed him, relaying the news to the rest of the Cavaliers. So very close, only for Kur'zun to show he had one extra surprise up his sleeve.

The shattered pieces of the blocks quivered beneath the hooves of the escaped ponies, the reserves of the shaman's magic pulling them into an airborne cluster, swirling over the heads of the defenders. Gripping his staff at the bottom end, Kur'zun lifted it above his head, then slammed the tip into the ground, releasing the shards to plummet down like a rain of daggers against the Crystal Ponies.

Emerald's armour protected him from most of the icicles, though even the toughness of his hide couldn't withstand the magical onslaught forever. Mere feet from his soldiers, a dozen shards struck lucky, stabbing through his armour to cut deep across his back. As blood seeped through the openings, pain shot through his body and slowed his movements to a canter. Though every step he took agitated his wounds, the sight of the Lancers shielding themselves from the deadly rain kept his desire to re-join them alive, dragging him on like a magnet to a metal shard, regardless of how heavy his limbs were starting to feel. Taking advantage of his weakened state, a unit of Troll barbarians split off from the regiment and charged at Emerald, axes held high to hew his skull in two.

That was until a flap of black, leathery wings swooped overhead, four weapons spinning around in the pony’s front four limbs, cutting the Trolls to ribbons in a flurry of blows. Meteor had been right; Moonlight was alive. Shivering and holding two maces in hooves blistered with frostbite, yet still fighting fit.

“What are you waiting for?” Moonlight yelled, standing guard in front of Emerald. “Join the other Crystal Ponies and kill that shaman. Go!”

For the first time in what had felt like an age, hearing somepony else give orders to him felt like a great weight had lifted from his shoulders. Though the pain of his wounds was still present, the icicles cutting into his flesh—causing his over-worked muscles losing some of their flexibility—the voice of his old friend was enough to spur him on, pushing his body as far as it would allow to help his Lancers.

“Need a hoof, commander?”

The last thing Emerald was expecting to hear trotting up to him was the gracious voice of Stellar Shine, though by the way he removed the shards and closed the wounds with his magic, Emerald couldn't have asked for a better pony to show up in his moment of need.

“Present for you, sir,” Stellar said, throwing a bottle of blue liquid into Emerald's open hoof. Without a moment's hesitation, he popped the cork out and chugged down the manna potion in one go, restoring enough of his stamina for the fray.

As Garnet lowered her shield, welcoming Emerald back into the fold, she caught the Troll shaman in a frustrated roar, baring his teeth as he spat orders at his troops in an unintelligible tongue. At long last, the source of all their hardships was in sight, open to feeling the wrath of the ponies he had subjected so much strife to. “Commander Emerald, sir!” she said as she threw up her hoof in salute, keeping her chest puffed out even as she let out a long sigh of relief. “Good to see you've made it to us in one piece.”

“Likewise, Garnet,” Emerald replied as he pointed his rapier at the shaman. “What say we deliver the Trolls some retribution, Crystal Empire style?”

“Whenever you're ready, sir!”

With Emerald heralding the charge of the Empire's fiercest once more, the image of the Crystal Heart shone in the centre of his mind's eye, its perpetual beauty shining with the pride of the nation it represented. The Trolls were terrified and scattered in all directions, inadvertently making themselves easy targets from above and below. As the once towering ranks crumbled away, the sight of Emerald's ultimate target only became clearer. A swirl of the shaman's staff unleashed a volley of frost bolts at the Lancers, a spell which would have been deadly were it not for the volume of magic he had expended during the course of the battle. If there was one thing that Emerald had learned from the reign of King Sombra, it was that all users of magic, no matter how powerful, had their limits.

Now that the Shaman had reached his, it was time for Emerald to make him pay for all the strife he had forced the empire to endure. “The strength of the Crystal Empire is ours to use!” Emerald called, his hoof itching to join the point of his rapier with the flesh of his opponent. “Spread out and clear a path for me! I'll show you young ones what it means to achieve glory in war!”

His orders were obeyed without question, his soldiers eager to see their champion in action, enduring the hits of the frost bolts as if they were a barrage of paper balls thrown by an unruly school foal. Gripping the staff with both hands, Kur'zun prepared to engage in a melee bout with him. Though his magic had waned, his light and slender figure still gave him enough agility to dodge the first thrust of Emerald's rapier.

Skidding to a halt around the back of his foe, Emerald swiped his blade in an upwards slash, cutting a piece of the troll's robe, missing the skin by mere centimetres. Leaning into Emerald's next attack, Kur'zun tried to force the momentum of the strike to lunge past, leaving an opening for him to retaliate. Though as Kur'zun swung his weapon in a wide arc, Emerald switched the direction of his assault, leaning away to roll backwards away from the sweep, twirling his rapier to stab upwards into the shaman's bicep.

Kur'zun's arm recoiled in pain, though by coincidence of this reflex, his staff was also pulled back, the strike to the flank catching Emerald by surprise and knocking him forward. Emerald thrust his rapier forward, spreading out his three remaining hooves in an attempt to keep his balance. Another smack of Kur'zun's weapon struck him in his rib cage, knocking the wind out of Emerald as he collapsed.

Kur'zun licked his lips. He had him at his mercy, and with so much potential for what he could do to him, he felt almost spoiled for choice. Though with how deep his breaths were becoming, the need to replenish some energy as a means of maintaining his status made one particular choice more desirable than others. Shooting off a large flare of magic to grab the attention of the battlefield, Kur'zun slapped the end of his staff into the back of Emerald's neck and pinned him down with his foot, fully intending to make a public spectacle of his ensuing self-indulgence.

Emerald squirmed, wriggling every muscle he could feel to get free; a difficult task, as his captor was, despite his lanky appearance, considerably heavier than he was. A violent shiver shot through his body as he felt the Troll peeling off the back of his light breastplate, the frigid tundra air biting at his skin. Though his chest was restricted, Emerald still did his best to relax his breath rate, as allowing panic to set in was not an option. His thoughts remained focused on the Crystal Heart, his biggest source of strength to resist against the Troll's magic. If he were to allow himself to die now, then Celestia only knew what kind of an example he would be setting for his fellow warriors.

Though it was beginning to flicker, Emerald could still feel the warmth of his innate magic present within his soul. Even as Kur’zun scraped his sharp tusks against the flesh on his back—deep enough to feel the pain, yet shallow enough to cause only minor bleeding—he knew that his own force of will was far from spent. He lay still for a few moments more, biding his time as he felt the shift in weight between each second the shaman's attempted torture. Emerald's moment came when Kur'zun was half way leaning over, positioning his tusks to scrape away at him again.

With every ounce of his available strength, Emerald twisted his body to the left, slipping out from beneath the shaman's foot until he was on his back, the perfect position to buck his hooves and snap the monster's tusks clean in half. Kur'zun reared back in pain, dropping his staff as he wrapped his hands around his broken teeth, just as Emerald had expected him to do. Seizing the moment, Emerald took his shot, grabbing his rapier and thrusting it forward, piercing the shaman's throat at the base of his windpipe.

“Today is where your reign of terror ends, Moonshadow!” Emerald yelled, using his best imitation of the royal Canterlot voice to ensure he was noticed. “I will never let another soul torment ponies of the Empire ever again!”

Between the coughs and wheezes that was the shaman's death rattle, he managed to force out one last, throaty laugh. “Moonshadow... I... be not-”

With those final words of spite, Kur'zun fell face first into the snow, the last of his magic evaporating from his mouth and nose as he died. With him, every single one of the Phantom Stallions that had not been destroyed also collapsed, the lights in their eyes vanishing as they left no more than a crumpled pile of armour where their ranks once were.

As Emerald stood up, he raised his rapier into the air let out an ecstatic roar of triumph. By all accounts, the Empire had won the day at last.

Chapter 17: The Trap

(17: The Trap)

A hearty roar of victory swept across the army of the Crystal Empire. The most powerful creatures they had ever faced had been defeated, and now there was only one task left to end the day; eliminate the siege machines that continued to bombard their city's walls, seemingly unaware at the massacre of Trolls that lay ahead of them. Pulling his rapier out from the corpse of Kur'zun, Emerald made his announcement to all soldiers who were still fighting fit.

“Prepare yourselves, my friends! Moonshadow is dead, and now it is time to make our final push and gain glory for the Crystal Empire! Lancers, reform into a single unit around me; we will storm their siege machines head on, while everypony else will sweep around them from behind. The Ice Trolls tried to destroy us, but now they shall face the consequences of their actions!”

'Glory' was an apt word for the emotional state Emerald found himself in. After so many years of inactivity and feelings of redundancy, the victory rush was such that upon putting his breastplate back on and re-joining his fellow Crystal Ponies, the wounds inflicted from his duel with Kur'zun were little more than an afterthought. He had gone above and beyond the call of duty for his Princess, and now it was time to cement himself as a hero for the ages.

By contrast, Stellar Shine could not allow himself to relax so soon. Every time he brought up the memory of Moonshadow, he felt a deep sense of foreboding seething within his soul. Though the image of Moonshadow he forced himself to recall—against the deep-seeded wrongness that such a thought inspired—was far from clear, he was certain that what he had seen was a pony, not a Troll, a fact which was contradicted by the unfolding events. If the shaman was not Moonshadow, then why did the Phantom Stallions die alongside him?

“Hey, Equestria to Stellar Shine!”

Stellar was pulled out from his self-imposed analytical labyrinth by the voice of Meteor Might, tears of joy streaming down her smiling face.

“We've won! Moonshadow is dead, now all that's left fer us is ta tidy up the leftover rubbish.”

“That is...surprisingly eloquent, my friend,” Moonlight said, mirroring Meteor's delight with a tight hug. “I never knew you had such a way with words.”

“I guess havin' what ye'd call time to chill out really helped, eh?”

“Oh, I am so going to get you for that one!”

Stellar stared at the two giggling mares with confusion. How could they be so happy when the battlefield was littered with the broken and mutilated bodies of their comrades? Then again, the whole concept of glory in war never quite click with him anyway. What did click, however, was the minute glow filling the blank eyes of the dead. This was an odd phenomenon, given how—in Stellar's experience—magic from a deceased pony would usually dissipate in an instant, instead of slowly expunging like the exhaust smoke of a steam locomotive.

“Is there a problem, sir?” Far Seer had teleported down to meet his brother-in-arms, his expression held in a soft frown as he enquired about Stellar's health. “Are you wounded?”

“No...” Stellar replied, though his voice was as vacant as his stare. Something was wrong. Deadly wrong. Though the battle had been bloody, every instinct from his years as a Canterlot Guarspony told him that this victory was far too easy.

“Stellar?” Far Seer asked again, dropping the formal pretences as his voice began to quiver. “What's that ma-”

“Everypony, get down!” Stellar swung his hoof around Far Seer, pulling him to the ground as the magic of the dead soldiers, both pony and Troll alike, burst out from every orifice and sucked the clouds with a blinding flash of light.

Stellar watched on in horror as the manna storm shot bolts of magical lightning into the Phantom Stallions, their scattered armour drifting back towards one another as the glow in their eyes returned, their unlife rekindled. Worst of all, with the charge of the Empire's forces towards the siege machines far at the back of what was the Troll army, they practically gave the phantoms an open invitation to encircle them in a fortress of dark magic and metal.

“Archers, shoot!” Stellar yelled at the top of his lungs, hoping to Celestia that his regiment could arm their weapons and eliminate the phantoms before they fully revived. Alas, they were too slow, as by the time they were ready to draw their arrows, the Phantom Stallions had already surrounded the defenders. Taken by surprise, the rear ranks of ponies crumbled beneath the empowered monsters, the surge of magic siphoned from the bodies of the fallen multiplying their strength and speed beyond what anypony knew they were capable of.

Only noticing the carnage of the Canterlot Guards once it was already in progress, Emerald scrambled to order his soldiers into an effective formation, using the main infantry to reform the base of the phalanx. Nearly three ranks of ponies were dead by the time anything resembling a formation came into shape. The tight space they found themselves in—assaulted on all sides by the phantoms while everypony rushed to get into the correct order—made it difficult for the pole-hammer heavy infantry to get an effective shot over the crowd of archers.

With the Lancers stuck towards the back, their casualties quickly became the heaviest, their speed, accuracy and general toughness counting for little against the supernatural enemy whose numbers had been restored. Within minutes of entering combat, despite Garnet's best efforts to direct them into a phalanx, more than half of the Crystal Lancers had died.

Both Emerald and Garnet could see the siege machines were tantalizingly close, a mere stone's throw away from where their warriors were being slaughtered, yet protected behind the wall of Phantom Stallions. With Stellar galloping at full speed towards them, dodging and weaving through the disorganised sputter of arrows falling short of their target, Garnet reared up on and grasped her mace with both front hooves, spinning herself on the spot and screaming as she poured all her frustrations into her wild assault. Standing behind her, Emerald took pot shots at any phantom attempting to get around her. Though only a small percentage of his attacks even connected, the fact that he was stalling the monsters long enough for her to do the killing was more than enough.

Despite the unhelpful situation, Garnet still fuelled her combat with a fierce optimism, her veins bulging with the roaring torrent of blood that gave her assault such power. "'Die, you mongrels!' she howled and struck at another opponent, bending their breastplate and slowing their charge mid-pace. There was no place she could think to be other than fighting for the Empire with the one who trained her. “Just like old times, isn’t it, Commander?”

“You could say so,” Emerald replied, smiling back at his cohort. “You remember the shield charge manoeuvre I taught, don’t you?”

“Do I ever!” Beaming with enthusiasm, Garnet lowered her shoulder onto the back of her shield and it into the enemy, the force of the blow toppling four phantoms onto each other in a domino effect. “After all these years, I’ve finally mastered the shield charge technique. Wouldn’t you say?”

“You don’t have need my approval, Garnet,” the soft edge of Emerald’s tone was anything but formal, despite its firmness making a clear display of the pride her felt in his oldest comrade. “You remember what I told you during the Crystal Uprising?”

Most Crystal Ponies preferred to forget the lifetime’s worth of horror they suffered under the tyrant Unicorn’s rule, but not Garnet. The reference to her daring escape from the dungeons of King Sombra Garnet’s heart with nostalgia. “The death of the enemy is its own reward, Commander!”

“See? I taught you well. Keep this up, and we’ll be out of here in no time.”

Suddenly, an ominous laughter echoing overhead warped Emerald’s optimism into a deep feeling of dread. Though there was some initial confusion as to where the sound was coming from, a purple mist descending from the clouds gathered around the foot of the siege machines, the swirling gas solidifying itself in the shape of a pale blue unicorn with an elongated horn.

“You Crystal Ponies have put up quite the spectacular resistance,” Moonshadow's raspy voice dripped with maniacal glee. “A valiant effort indeed. Such a shame that it is all for naught. Now that you have fallen into my trap, your empire will fall and not even your beloved princess will be able to save you now. But first, I shall indulge myself a bit and slaughter you all.” The tiniest spark of Moonshadow's horn was enough to command the Trolls who worked the catapults to push their machines forward, the blank whites of their eyes giving away that they were no more living than the Phantom Stallions.

Teleporting over the phantom ranks, Stellar joined the fray alongside Meteor and Moonlight, both of whom were faring better in their kills than those closer to Moonshadow. Meteor's heavy blows were followed up by a flurry of strikes from Moonlight, which worked well to prevent most retaliatory hits. When Stellar noticed that Moonlight's fast assault was made possible by the extra weapons she held at the tips of her wings, he realized that there was a tactical option which even Emerald hadn't realised yet.

“Ah, so the great Stellar Shine has finally revealed himself,” Moonlight said, stabbing the gem of a phantom whose front legs was in the process of returning to its torso. “We seem to be in a bit of a pickle, just in case you haven't noti-”

“Moonlight!” Stellar interrupted. “Lead air support, now!”

“Air support? What are you talking about? The skies are choked with...” it took a moment for Moonlight to realise that one thing Moonshadow hadn't done was whip up another snowstorm. Despite being one of the most powerful unicorns she had ever seen, command of the elements was something he did not appear capable of. Flipping her stilettos around, Moonlight presented them to Stellar to take. “I guess I won't be needing these. Fancy keeping them warm for me while I'm away?”

Stellar shook his head, pushing the weapons back to Moonlight. “No thanks, you'd best stick with them. Never know when they could be useful. Besides, I'm more of a ranger kind of pony anyway.” Stellar proved his point with a point blank shot at a Phantom Stallion, the arrow piercing right through its shoulder. It did nothing to slow it down, but it was enough evidence to convince Moonlight that Stellar would be able to hold his own in close quarters.

“Then look after Meteor instead. She's become rather special to me lately,” with a wink towards the yellow earth pony, Moonlight spread her bat-like wings and took off, calling for her fellow Pegasi to do the same.

Any questions Stellar had about the potential romance blossoming in such dire times found themselves shelved away in the back of his mind. He had bigger worries to think about, including a gamble which he hoped would buy his friends enough time to escape. Channelling a stream of magic to his horn, Stellar waved it in the faces of the Phantom Stallions to his left. “You want magic, you monsters? Then what in Tartarus are you waiting for? Come get it!”

Like a moth to the flame, the phantoms disengaged from combat with opponents and marched in Stellar's direction. He immediately gave chase, scoring a few easy kills as they returned to backing up the Cavaliers and the heavy infantry who fought to support them.

“Stay back, you fools!” Stellar cried. “Make a run for it and defend the walls! We cannot afford to let the Phantom Stallions get through!”

“Oh, no, you don't.” A blast of magic collided into Stellar with the force of a falling star, pinning him to the ground as his magic became nullified by the stronger arcane force. Moonshadow's hoof was rolled up into a fist, a mystical mimic spell transferring the physical movement into a magic attack with a force multiplied many times over.

“No! Stellar Shine!” Meteor called, smashing her way through as many phantoms as she could to come to his aid. Slamming her shoulder into one, Meteor sent it toppling head over hooves away from her, trampling over its armour even before it hit the ground. Using the broken creature as a platform to make a huge leap into the air, Meteor let out a war cry so ferocious that even Moonshadow took notice of her incredible rage. Yet despite her outward appearances suggesting she was slipping back into a berserker rush once more, keeping Stellar at the centre of her vision gave her just enough mental strength to hold onto her last lingering threads of sanity.

Meteor got a good, initial look at Stellar from the air, offering a silent thanks to the Crystal Heart that there weren't any obvious signs of injury; no broken bones or cut flesh, only one seriously dazed pony with a few arcane burns to his coat and magic streaming out of his horn. Gravity took hold of Meteor a second later, earning her name as she slammed her hammer into the ground, cracking the earth beneath her to drop Stellar into a small fissure of her own making, releasing him from Moonshadow's grip.

“Ugh...Moonshadow...” Stellar groaned, struggling to remain conscious.

“Stop talkin', ye silly bugger,” Meteor said, flinging Stellar onto her back. “We're getting outa here, now.”

Unaware of his injuries, Emerald continued to push himself harder to fight against the phantoms. Though with each swing of his weapon, the muscles in his shoulders and legs only became sorer, his breathing becoming more laborious as he forced himself to maintain his pace.

“Are you okay, Commander?” Garnet asked, throwing her shield in front of Emerald to block an enemy stomp. “You're not looking so good.”

“I'm...fine...” Emerald replied through heavy breaths, though it was obvious he was not. His wounds stung as some reopened, his inner magic dwindling away from the length of the battle, despite the boost Stellar had granted him. Worst of all, Emerald felt one side of his body starting to lag behind the other, his coat beneath his armour becoming matted with blood.

By the way his younger companions kept up their pace with far less effort, Emerald could no longer deny that he was showing his age, his injuries notwithstanding. Looking over the enemy troops towards the advancing siege machines—built from parts he had been present to witness being stolen—Emerald saw Moonshadow preparing to cast another spell, his attention focused on Stellar Shine and Meteor instead of the Pegasus ponies who were joining Moonlight in the air.

Emerald knew what he had to do. He had killed an enemy Commander before, so now he would have to do so again; just as his duty commanded.

“Moonlight!” he called. “Care to give me a leg up?”

Withdrawing her weapons, Moonlight circled around Emerald, reaching out to pull him into the air as ordered.

“Commander, what are you doing?!” Garnet yelled; she just didn't want to admit the answer. Old heroes like Emerald always did have their ways in making their mark on the history for the kingdoms they fought to protect.

“What a leader must do, Garnet,” Emerald's reply was flat and sombre. “I'm going to take care of unfinished business.”

“B-but Emerald...” Garnet's eyes began to well up with tears. “You...you can't...”

“Where do you want the drop off, Commander?” Moonlight asked, allowing herself to show only a fraction of the worry Garnet displayed. Individual heroics were rare amongst the Night Guards, though even if ignorance did play some part in her minimal concern, it was more to do with her nature and training that she followed orders without question.

“Right here,” Emerald said, pointing his rapier directly at Moonshadow. Though before Moonlight carried him away, Garnet spoke up one more time.

"Emerald?"

"Yes, Garnet?" he looked back at her.

Taking a deep breath to hold back the flow of tears which were refusing to end, Garnet saluted her commander. "In the name of the Crystal Empire, bring that foul Unicorn down!"

"I will, Garnet," he nodded. "Don't worry; you'll see what these old bones can do against enemy commanders."

And with that, Moonlight was off. Keeping her flight low to avoid the constant barrage of the siege machines advancing towards her—Moonlight flew over the ranks of Phantom Stallions, releasing her grip once she was certain Emerald would reach his target. Dropping fast towards Moonshadow, the commanding Cavalier thrust his weapon into the dark Unicorn's shoulder just as he landed on his hooves, piercing the flesh just below the neck.

True to his word, the Crystal Pony Commnder kept Moonshadow occupied, unleashing a series of stabs that pushed himself to the limit in both speed and flexibility, only for each one to be rebuffed with a flash of the dark Unicorn's magic. Despite being battered and bruised, his limbs aching all over, Emerald refused to give up, returning again and again to progress his deadly dance around the sorcerer. Lighting his horn, Moonshadow called upon a quartet of Phantom Stallions to aid in his defence, the monsters separating from the rear ranks to fight back against the Crystal Pony who threatened their master.

Though he couldn't protect himself from every attack, the spiked hooves of the ghostly warriors cutting deep gashes in his flesh and breaking several ribs as his armour began to crack, Emerald persevered. A phantom struck him in the back of his leg, breaking the femur in two, only for Emerald to use the direction of his reflex to swing around and stab the gem of a phantom. Another broke off his shoulder guard, slicing through the tendons in his left front leg. Yet instead of pulling away, he swung the limp limb around the phantom's neck, ignoring the burning agony of a ruptured vein to mount the creature and push its helm forward; just wide enough to thrust his rapier through the gap. Even as all four of his limbs gave way beneath him, the other phantom next to him bucked over the fallen, knocking the air out of Emerald's lungs. Still he resisted, spitting blood in its eye sockets; a temporary blinding to allow retaliation.

For every Phantom Stallion Emerald killed, two more would take its place, until after five straight minutes of combat, his wounds finally caught up to him. Pinned beneath the hooves of a Phantom Stallion, Emerald could barely lift his head any more, even as Moonshadow approached him with his third eye opening.

“You have caused me quite a bit of trouble, you little pest,” the sorcerer sneered. “But I will still get the last laugh. You and your disgusting Crystal Empire will fall to me, and the power of the Crystal Heart shall be rightfully mine. If you thought that you were wronged by the hooves of King Sombra; you cannot possibly comprehend the level of horrors that await those who will not bow to me. How does it feel to know that you are about to die for nothing?”

Sputtering up a stream of blood from his lungs, Emerald looked to Moonshadow and grinned. “I think you're mistaken. Just look behind you.”

When Moonshadow cast his eyes back to his army, he found that his siege machines had stopped in their tracks; the Trolls that operated them killed via slashed throats from the wing blades of a Pegasus pony. Emerald's plan had worked. He had kept Moonshadow's attention on him long enough to give his army a chance to escape.

In addition, Emerald had one final trick up his sleeve to cement his legacy. Closing his eyes, Emerald drew upon the last remaining glimmer of his magic, the green flicker behind his eyes giving him one last burst the strength needed to throw his rapier like a javelin. As it flew, the tip of the sword grazed past Moonshadow's neck, cutting open a wound that, while shallow, was deep enough to draw blood; the first and only injury Moonshadow had sustained the entire battle.

“There is... more of that... to... come…”

Unware of the duel unfolding behind her, Moonlight looped around to join her fellow Pegasi, swooping down to smack her weapon on the backside of a phantom's head to give Garnet an opening to finish it off. The three consecutive blows to its chest that Garnet provided went exactly as expected, but what she didn't expect was a fourth attack aimed at her. The heavy mace made only the smallest of glancing blows, though when it came to the delicate balancing act of flying, a clipped wing was enough to send her into a somersault with only minimal room to correct her path.

“Garnet! What in Equestria are you-” Moonlight was answered in the form of another swing of Garnet's mace, tears streaming down her face as she screamed with each attack.

“You Heart be damned monster!” Garnet wailed, aiming her attacks high to prevent Moonlight from getting back in the air. “Do you have any idea what in Tartarus you've just done?! You've sent Emerald to die! Why didn’t you rescue him?!”

“What kind of soldier do you think I am?” Moonlight shot back with a look of disgust identical to that she had given Meteor earlier. “It was his order! I can't disobey a superior command on the whim of another soldier. It's my duty as a Night Guard to follow the chain of command to the letter!”

“Of course, it is,” Garnet dropped her weapon and fell to her knees, her voice cracking as her eyes stung from the tears. “You don't understand him like I do. I saw it in his eyes. He's an old-fashioned hero, wanting to sacrifice his life in battle to save the rest of us...”

“But how do you know he’s going to die?” Moonlight tilted her head in confusion. “Surely, he's going to kill Moonshadow, like he did the shaman! Then this whole war will be over.”

“No!” Garnet screamed, swinging her hoof into Moonlight's cheek. “No, no, no! You still don't get it! He's just one pony, and Moonshadow is more... Moonshadow is...”

No other words needed to be spoken. Looking back, Moonlight couldn’t believe her eyes. Emerald, arguably one of the greatest heroes of the empire, was dead. Wrapping her hooves around Garnet, Moonlight embraced her in a tight hug, momentarily forgetting the battle while her comrades on both the ground and in the air did their best to slow the enemy's advancement.

“Get off me, monster!” Garnet screamed, shoving Moonlight away. Her heart was breaking, not just for what had become of Emerald, but also for the way she was losing control of her emotions; just as she had berated one of the Lancers for doing. “If we survive this, Princess Celestia will hear about this. She should have never accepted Nightmare Moon or her minions back into service! If it's the last thing I do, I will see you hung for your crimes!”

Garnet's threat pierced through Moonlight's heart with a cold far worse than her frozen trap. For years she had thought that old prejudices had been abandoned, so if she simply followed orders and fight for her allies, all past sins would be forgotten. Now she had to face a harsh reality; one that was entirely different to what she had imagined. She had been thrown through a loop at the worst possible moment – trapped under the weight of her own emotions as Phantom Stallions were regrouping around her.

A smack to the back of her head by the hoof of Meteor Might was what it took to bring her back to the present. “I don't know what's gotten into ye,” Meteor said in a voice that was a volatile mixture of concern, confusion and annoyance all at the same time. “But I cannae be carrying ye on me back as well. Full house at the minute. Emerald's given us an opening to retreat, but it won't be lastin' long. So, perk up and get a move on!”

Chapter 18: Scorched Earth

(18: Scorched Earth)

Stellar coughed violently and snapped out of his semi-conscious state. Bolting upright, his vision began to spin, with the only fixed point being the bright glow of a unicorn.

“Easy there, soldier,” the calm voice of a white unicorn in purple armour said. “We can't have you making your condition worse, when there's still a battle to fight.”

As his vision gradually solidified, Stellar noticed a plethora of magical flashes beyond the static glow of Shining Armour. These were due to a mass of teleportation spells; the magi who had been focused on buffing the Empire's magic barrier coming to the rescue of their warrior allies.

“Shining Armour?” Stellar asked. Though his head was still swimming, it had calmed down enough to understand get an impression of what was going on.

“Do you need another manna potion?” Shining asked. “I don't have many left, but given what you achieved today, I'd say you've earned them.”

“Hang on a second.” Realising where he was, Stellar jumped to his hooves, stumbling into Shining’s hooves as he tried to regain his balance. “Why aren't we still on the battlefield? Where is Commander Emerald?”

Silence fell between Shining and the Unicorn troops who had followed him down to the front gates. One look at their grim expressions told him that they would not be giving him good news.

“Emerald is dead.” Stepping into Stellar's field of vision, Meteor's voice was filled with a deep sense of remorse, her face a sorrowful grimace. “Sacrificed himself to allow us to escape, he did. Tried to kill Moonshadow. Only stalled him.”

“We need to get back out there!” Stellar tried to make a break for the gate, but Shining Armour blocked his path.

“Stop for a second and look where you're going!” A simple gesture to the walls gave Stellar all the information he needed about his current situation. The walls were starting to crumble, the front gates buckling inward with each smash of the enemy siege machines.

“I have failed,” Stellar dipped his head and dropped to his knees, expecting to be dishonourably discharged for his actions. “I willingly defect my leadership to you, Captain Armour.”

“That won't be necessary,” Shining said in a reassuring manner. “The siege isn't over yet. We're still standing, and we have an army that can still fight. Cadence chose you as one of the Empire's heroes. So, if we are still alive to defend the Empire, I believe in her judgement, and to that end, I believe in you as well.”

Stellar didn't reply right away; he needed a moment to contemplate the gravity of the situation. As much as he wished it was not so, there was no denying that Moonshadow was far too powerful for any pony to defeat one on one. Even with the combined power of Shining's army, Stellar was certain that it still wouldn't be enough. Emerald's death proved this; a fact which weighed heavy on his soul. Would it even be possible to win a war against a pony of such incredible power?

Yet, any thoughts of simply giving up were quickly dismissed. Stellar knew better than that.

It didn't matter what the state of his self-confidence was. He was alive. He was here, surrounded by ponies who were, as they had always been, ready to lay down their lives in defence of the Empire. What kind of pony would he be if he just shrugged his shoulders and did nothing when his initial tactics didn't go quite according to plan?

Even if he had been discharged right then and there, he would still be fighting. It was simply the right thing to do; the only thing he could see himself doing. “What are your orders, Captain?”

“First of all, just call me Shining for now. Second, we need a way to adjust the enemy numbers in our favour and slow down Moonshadow so Cadence has time to intercept him. So, Stellar, how would you achieve that?”

Stellar looked up at his surroundings. The lower district, like the rest of the Empire, had grown so much since the revival. If it wasn't for the sound of clashing weapons and war cries, the emptiness of the buildings would've had an eerie quality to them. Stellar's attention was pulled to the front gate just as a massive blast of magic ripped through the metal doors, beckoning a stream of Phantom Stallions to come marching in.

Looking over the front lines, Stellar could see many familiar faces spread out across the newly unified regiment, all charging into combat with their unique fighting styles and little concern for tactical organisation. Likewise, the unicorn mages jumped to their hooves, suddenly startled awake as their defensive buffer spells were broken. Grabbing whatever spare weapons they could scavenge from the fallen with their magic, they too rushed into close combat with little regard for their own safety. Many became easy prey for the Phantom Stallions, their flimsy robes providing little protection.

Stellar knew that this needed to change, now. “Shining,” he said. “I know what needs to be done.”

“Do tell,” Shining replied. “But hurry, I don't know how long the front lines are going to last.”

“Over there, second row on the centre-left,” Stellar said, pointing his hoof at the red unicorn he had saved during his first encounter with the Phantom Stallions. “That unicorn with magnifying glass and galaxy cutie mark. His name is Far Seer. Can you order the mages to fall back and then teleport him to me?”

Focusing his magic, Shining warped himself to Far Seer's position in a flash of light, warping back the second he saw his new orders being followed, the Phantom Stallions chasing the mages getting intercepted by their armoured allies.

“Wha... what's going on?” Far Seer asked in confusion. “Stellar? Captain Shining Armour? Did you just remove me from the fight?”

“I asked the Captain to do so, yes,” Stellar said. “I need your help.”

Far Seer through his hoof up in salute, “I'm at your service, Commander!”

“I need you to teleport a select number of heroes from the front lines. I will boost your magic to help complete the spell.”

“Consider it done, Commander! Just point me in the direction of the hero you want me to retrieve.”

“Good to see you haven't lost a shred your boisterousness, Seer!” Stellar added with a delighted grin. “First, you see the female bat pony over there, with the wing blades?”

“On it!” One by one, Far Seer teleported all of the heroes who had stood out most to Stellar over the course of the battle, gathering them in a circle around him and Shining.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Garnet snapped. “Moonshadow will be here any second! Do you want us to die?”

“I think you'll find we're all aware of that,” Meteor sneered in return. “Now how about shuttin' yer trap and lettin' Stellar speak?”

“Why, you little-”

“Enough!” The loud command from Shining Armour silenced the bickering ponies. “All units, hold the line until I give the word! The fight isn't over yet.”

“Thank you, Shining,” Stellar nodded to his Captain and turned to face his team. “You have all shown yourselves to be incredible fighters in this battle, and to say the Empire wouldn't be the same without you is an understatement. We may have had... a bit of a setback, shall we say. But just as the Elements of Harmony use their friendship to expel the evil from this world, so to must we aid each other to protect the Empire from the evil that seeks to destroy it. As long as our faith in the Crystal Heart remains unwavering, we can still win this war.”

“Nice speech and all,” Garnet interrupted, shooting a harsh glare in Moonlight's direction, “but if you want to convince me to work with that traitor over there, you're going to have to give me a much better reason than useless platitudes.”

Just lovely, Stellar sighed as he thought to himself, noticing how Moonlight visibly cringed at Garnet's insult. Another obstacle to deal with.

“Garnet, this is no time for personal grudges,” Shining Armour stepped in. “We don't have many options right now, so drop the attitude and listen to what Stellar is saying.”

“No, she's right,” Moonlight said, her monotone voice drained of its fervour.“I followed Commander Emerald's orders, and now he's dead. I've betrayed the Crystal Empire, so the best I can do now is die for it, just as Emerald did.”

Moonlight had been expecting to receive a face full of earth pony hooves for her actions eventually, which Meteor granted to her. What her sister-in-arms said after grabbing her head in her front hooves to force eye contact, she didn't see coming.

“Emerald chose his fate, and all ye did was what ye've been trained ta do,” Meteor said, even as the gap between the Empire's defenders and her became ever smaller. “Yer not wrong in sayin' that ye should do as yer commanders tell ye to; ye taught me that well enough. But sometimes rules are meant ta be broken. Emerald thought ye were dead inside that block o' ice! He ordered me to leave ya, but I said neigh ta that. Yer more important to the Empire alive than dead, so instead of blubberin' like a filly who lost her favourite toy, how 'bout we help each other ta decide when rules work for a given situation?”

“But...Garnet...”

“Sod Garnet! I've been livin' in ta empire long enough ta know that Crystal Ponies are even more stubborn than we Earth Ponies are! Now what do ya care more about? Fighting for the Empire, or what some grouchy old mare thinks about yer guts?”

“I hope you realise I'm standing right next to you!” Garnet growled through gritted teeth, twirling her mace in her hoof as she fought the temptation to smack both mares on the head with it. “Or are you really losing your sanity so much you've forgotten who you're talking to?!”

“Please, stop fighting against one another!” Far Seer pleaded, only for his words to fall on deaf ears.

“That's enough!” Shining's voice boomed with an uncharacteristic display of anger, grabbing the three mares’ attention yet again. “You want what's best for the empire? Fantastic, so do I! And as much as I hate to do this, I am pulling rank and ordering you all, both as your Prince and your Guard Captain, to forget about your useless grudges and work together as Stellar suggests. Moonshadow will be here any second, and without a cohesive strategy, we are doomed to failure. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir!” Moonlight and Meteor both saluted simultaneously, with Far Seer breathing a sigh of relief. Garnet took a few seconds longer to grumble under her breath before she did so as well.

“Good,” Shining said just as another explosion tore out a piece of the city walls, allowing yet more Phantom Stallions to pour in. “We haven't much time. Stellar, please inform us of your plans.”

Moving swiftly on without further acknowledgement of the interponyal drama, Stellar took a deep breath and gestured to the army in front of him, his team together looking over to where his hoof pointed. “Our army has made a valiant effort to fight against the Stallions using conventional warfare, but clearly, it wasn’t enough. Therefore, we must divide and conquer through scorched earth instead.”

“What does that mean?” Moonlight asked, tilting her head in confusion.

“It means he wants to blow everything up,” Garnet commented, holding back little of the sarcasm in her voice. “And somehow that will save the Empire.”

“What?!” Meteor yelled, her expression wide with shock. “Is that true, Stellar? Ye think destroying the city will protect it from Moonshadow?”

“Not quite,” Stellar replied, retaining a calm demeanour despite the heightened emotions around him. “Yes, we will be destroying parts of the lower district, but no, not entirely. It has to be done in a tactical manner. We don't have a hope of outlasting the Phantom Stallions in single combat, but if we reduce their numbers by burying them under tons of solid crystal? Then we have a fighting chance.”

“And what about Moonshadow?” Moonlight asked.

“That is where you come in,” Stellar paused for a moment, though his face was unreadable to anypony else. Moonlight wondered if even Stellar was starting to question the chances of his own plans succeeding, though she also knew that with the impending danger of Moonshadow on the horizon, asking questions of strategic validity was not an option. For now, it was easier to do what she had always done, and cling to the belief that her superiors knew what she was doing.

“There is no organisation among the Pegasi right now,” Stellar continued. “We also need to get word to the Princess that Moonshadow is heading straight for the Crystal Heart. That is, my friend, where you come in. Moonlight, I want you to be the one to deliver the message to the Princess. Fly towards the upper districts as fast as you can, and while you’re at it, tell your fellow Pegasus Ponies to follow Far Seer's directions and bomb these monsters back to Tartarus with everything they've got!”

“And after that?”

Stellar grinned. “After that, get your butt back here and help with the bombing! We're going to need all the help we can get.”

“You can count on me!” Moonlight saluted with childlike enthusiasm, spreading her wings to their maximum length and bolting off into the sky. Though the guilt over indirectly causing Emerald's death still lingered, she now knew that she had another chance for redemption; one that she wasn't going to squander in a hurry.

“Far Seer, stick by me. The rest of you, follow Shining Armour. I will direct him to where you are needed most, but for now, use the narrow streets to your advantage. Shining, I trust you are still willing to hold enough authority to organise the troops according to my directions?”

Shining Armour looked back at the empty buildings that made up of his home. Though he did not say it out loud, the single tear that he shed told the heroes of the empire how much his heart was breaking to know the necessity of the destruction to come. “Spoken like a true Captain,” Shining said, forcing a smile. Casting a spell to amplify his voice, Shining Armour made his commands. “Everypony, fall back and scatter! Form into units of three ranks each to block off every road you can. All Pegasi and archers, cover their retreat! This is our last stand; we either defeat the Phantom Stallions, or die trying!”

Shining's words came not a moment too soon, as with a blast of magic that obliterated the remains of the front gate, Moonshadow crossed the boundary into the Empire. Readying his kite shield, Shining turned away from his dividing army to face Stellar, saluting him just as he prepared to teleport away. “Heart watch over you, Stellar Shine.”

“Coming from you, that means more to me than words can express.” Returning the salute, Stellar and Far Seer zapped out of existence, reappearing on a roof between spires a second later.

Chapter 19: Bombardment

(19: Bombardment)

Through Far Seer's magnification spell, Stellar could get a clear view of what kind of odds the Empire was up against. Outnumbering his allies by at least ten to one, ponies who were previously on the front line now found themselves scrambling for cover as they chased them back into the city.

Circling above him, Stellar could see more than a dozen Pegasus ponies, all holding between their hooves large chunks of crystal and stone from what used to be the outer wall. “Far Seer, magnify the central boulevard for the flyers to see. This will be our first primary target.”

As Far Seer cast it over the wide street that cut straight through the middle of the lower district, Stellar shot off an arcane bolt in that direction, chipping off a chunk of the broad arch that, ironically, stood as the first symbol of the Empire's welcome that visitors would see. No words needed to be exchanged between Stellar and the Pegasus Guard, as a loud crack from the monument's keystone was all the signal needed for them to acknowledge their first target.

Climbing to the height of the district's tallest spires, the Pegasi folded in their wings to arc themselves into a dive, keeping the tips flared to maintain control until, upon reaching the fifty-metre mark, each one released their projectiles and pulled away, their muscles compressing from the heavy g-forces as they pushed out their wings to avoid being caught in the ensuing destruction.

With each bomb hitting their mark, the structure shuddered, cracks snaking through the supporting stones. Stellar could see that the Phantom Stallions didn't react to the bombing of the arch, a fact that the Pegasus Guard could also observe. Just as the phantoms marched below the iconic monument, the flyers combined their might to unleash one more tactical round of crystal projectiles, shattering the arch's keystone. Unable to support its own weight, it collapsed right on top of the enemy, crushing them beneath several tons of crystalline rubble.

“The boulevard front line is secured for the moment,” a Pegasus Guard said, descending towards Shining Armour two blocks away. “The arch is destroyed and the blockade is set. There are at least a dozen ponies spreading out behind the blockade as we speak.”

Shining cringed internally at this report, knowing this was just the beginning of their hard work’s demolition. “Excellent work, soldier,” he said, saluting the Pegasus. “Continue following Stellar's orders and regroup. We will set up the blockade's defence.”

From what he could see, Shining guessed that at least twenty-five ponies were following him, including both Meteor and Garnet. This was a vague guess at best, but with no time to count and the Phantom Stallions hot on his tail, all he could do was hope to the Crystal Heart that his estimate was an accurate one. “Everypony, listen up!” he announced as he turned to face his troops. “I want the rear half of this unit to follow me back onto the boulevard. The rest of you, destroy as much of the pavement as you can before the phantoms arrive, but hold your ground on even terrain. We need all the advantages we can get.”

Organising them according to the best ponies for the task at hand, the Earth and Crystal Guardsponies held their shields over their heads as they slipped past the unicorns to the front ranks. A higher portion of Crystal Ponies stayed behind within the defending unit, allowing the Earth Ponies whom had more training with Shining Armour to follow him directly. They gritted their teeth and channelled earthen magic through their limbs, the front rank of the Canterlot Guard furiously pummelling their hooves onto the pavement, forming a makeshift ditch within seconds. The Unicorn mages followed suit, blasting off chunks of the surrounding buildings with their magic to slow the enemy advancement.

Mindlessly, the Phantom Stallions charged, their singular focus on killing the Empire's defenders leading them straight into the ditch. From there, the core of the Canterlot Guard had the room to drop themselves on top of the phantoms, crushing them beneath a flurry of attacks while the heavy infantry swung their weapons overhead with ease. In the confines of the narrow street, the numbers of the Phantom Stallions counted for little, with each proceeding rank finding themselves beneath either a barrage of blunt weapons smashing their heads in, or the crystal rain of the towers' outer walls.

Teleporting to the next roof, Stellar saw how the phantoms were chipping away at the barricade as the Pegasus troops repeated their daring dives to reload their crystal payload. Holding himself close to the spire, Stellar kept his eyes on Moonshadow, observing and making mental notes of every move he made. With but a flick of his hoof, Moonshadow used his magic to fling any Pegasi unlucky enough to fly too close out of his way, sending them spiralling around in mid-air until they crashed into the nearest solid object.

He observed his terrifying display of power and lack of mercy. If he could not kill Moonshadow with an army, then he would do the next best thing; stall him until Princess Cadence arrived. Beyond that, all he could was maintain his faith in the Crystal Heart's power, while continuing to inspire it in others.

Following the lead of the magnification spell to mark their target, the Pegasus troops continued to bomb the central boulevard, reinforcing the barrier from behind to counteract the pounding hooves of the Phantom Stallions at the front. A few lucky shots even struck Moonshadow, for what little good it did. Seeing how many of his minions were tied up in trying to break through the barrier, Moonshadow gestured his hoof from left to right, his magic resonating within the Phantom Stallions to follow a new direction.

“Do you pathetic ponies still think you can hide from me?” he yelled with a sarcastic chuckle. “Your resistance accomplishes nothing, as my minions have served their purpose! You have failed, heroes. I will still claim the Crystal Heart and its power for my own!” With a single blast of magic, Moonshadow shattered the barricade, advancing towards Shining Armour and the defending unit with no more haste than an average pony going for a leisurely walk.

“Hold the line!” Shining called, levitating the remains of the barricade with his magic to construct a series of earthen shields in Moonshadow's path, all of which were effortlessly destroyed with a volley of dark magic bolts. Standing on either side, Garnet and Meteor raised their weapons, waiting for Shining's command to attack.

“I am prepared to die for the Empire!” Garnet said, her voice free from any hesitation.

“Aye! Same here!” Meteor added, grinning with anticipation of the fight to come. “But if our lives are gonna be forfeit, let’s give Moonshadow a damn good thrashing beforehand, what do ya say?”

“I like the way you think,” Garnet replied, giving Meteor a hoof bump.

Shining Armour wanted to object, but he knew full well it would be nothing short of a miracle if anypony made out in one piece. As he prepared his next spell, a magical flash caught the corner of his eye; Stellar Shine's teleportation spell.

“Shining, don't try and fight Moonshadow head on,” Stellar said matter-of-factly. “You know he is too powerful. We need you to direct the rest of our troops. We must leave him in the hooves of Cadence.”

“Stellar, I know I gave you the authority to direct this battle,” Shining replied, his voice cracking. “But you don't understand. This is my home, Stellar. Ever since the Crystal Empire was freed from the grasp of King Sombra, I have fought tooth and hoof against everything that has been thrown at us, from Chrysalis to Tirek. What kind of a Prince would I be if I didn't at least try to end the biggest threat to the Empire directly? I don't care how difficult it may be. I will perform my duty, no matter what.”

Stellar put his hoof on Shining Armour's shoulder. Moonshadow was still advancing, but with such little haste in his progression, Stellar could tell that he was messing with Shining; a taunt to lure in the Prince and kill him where he stood. “I have always admired the pride you have in your nation,” Stellar said, smiling as he made eye contact with Shining. “It's why I fight alongside you today. But trust me, Moonshadow will get what's coming to him. You said it yourself; our faith in the Crystal Heart got us here today, and it will continue to pull us through. Let’s give Moonshadow a taste of our power, but ultimately, if he wants to find the Crystal Heart? Let him. He will soon find out that he'll be getting much more than he bargained for.”

For the first time since the siege began, Shining Armour smiled back. This was not a forced smile put on to ease the worries of others, nor was it a nervous smile one would have when putting on a brave face. No, this was a genuine smile; one of assurance, and of security. Though he didn't know how it would come about, Shining knew that Moonshadow would not win. If not by his hooves, then by those of his wife.

“Warriors of the Empire, ready your weapons!” Shining called, bubbling the troops in his signature magic shield. “Crystal Ponies, to my side. Earth Ponies, behind us. Unicorns, shoot from the back. Pegasi, those that can hear me, throw everything you have on Moonshadow. For Princess Cadence!”

“For Princess Cadence!” the defenders reciprocated. Conjuring up a large swirl of magic, Stellar led the unicorns in unleashing a barrage of arcane missiles. However, Moonshadow was not the target in this case. Instead, they spread their magic in wide arcs, blasting away at the foundations of the former Crystal Pony homes. In a strange twist of fate, Stellar had realised that the presence of the Phantom Stallions had given the Empire's army a wild card to play in this final battle; with a minimal amount of magic being used during earlier fights, the unicorns now had plenty of manna to burn on the physical surroundings that the enemy could not withstand.

The timing couldn't have been more perfect, as with the base support obliterated, the thousand tons of crystal towers could no longer remain upright, crashing into each other in the middle of the street in a controlled demolition on top of Moonshadow. And in that briefest of moments, there was no movement from underneath. No immediate spell which would break the dark unicorn out, and no sign of his escape. Though as satisfying as it was to marvel at the results of their targeted destruction, any leader worth their salt knew that it would be foolish to get complacent. Shining Armour and Stellar Shine had both realised the mistake that lead to Moonshadow and the Phantom Stallions breaking through, and they both knew the old saying about those who did not learn from the past.

“Alright everypony!” Shining called. “Prepare for mass teleportation!”

Right on cue, a patch of rubble began to wiggle – a subtle movement, but enough to signal that it was time to get going. With the Unicorns surrounding their less sorcerous allies, a collective spell was cast with Stellar and Shining providing the trigger. Just like that, the ponies of the Crystal Empire had become reorganised once again. Shining Armour took one half into the unbroken tower to his left, while Stellar took the other half to his right. Just as planned, Far Seer was there to greet Stellar, carrying all the bows and arrows that had been discarded during the panic of the breakthrough.

“3rd West Street at the northern end and 5th East Street right in the middle have been blocked, Commander Stellar,” Far Seer said with a salute. “Phantom Stallions eradicated in both sectors. What's the next step?”

“Go and tell Shining Armour what you just told me,” Stellar replied. “Then prepare to evacuate everypony from the building, except for the mages and archers. After Moonshadow destroys these towers, we will focus on finishing off the Phantom Stallions.”

“And so we just let Moonshadow go?” Far Seer asked, his tone remaining flat to frame the question as a clarification of facts, rather than to cast doubt on Stellar's plans.

“Yes. But not without a little reminder that we aren't as insignificant as he'd like to think.”

Drawing their bow strings, the archers on Stellar's side kept their sights on the shifting mass of stone, only looking up to confirm that their comrades on the other side were also doing the same. The second they saw the tip of a long, pale blue horn, they opened fire, covering Moonshadow in a swarm of arrows. The dark unicorn pushed his way through, expending magic to shield himself from most of the hits. It was impossible for him to deflect them all; by statistical chance alone, some would have to hit their mark. This required extra magic to pull them out from whichever part of his body they pierced, then tend to the wound so that he didn't bleed out.

“You pests are beginning to wear on my patience,” Moonshadow sneered, using his shield as a basis to weave another spell. “You wish to die so badly? Then let me be the one to grant you your wish!”

With a shake of his head, the arcane bubble exploded, releasing a wild torrent of magic that tore away at the towers as if it had the consistency of wet paper. To his eyes, his attack had vaporised the defenders. If the building itself couldn't withstand his power, then there was no chance in Tartarus that a flesh and blood pony could have lived through it. The only anomaly he did notice was the lack of much residual magic where the pony archers once would have been. Though Moonshadow didn't care to investigate, instead using his horn to absorb the precious remaining scraps of arcane power.

How irritating, he thought to himself, grumbling as he shot off random bolts of magic at the surrounding rubble to relieve his frustration. Those ponies have kept me from my prize for long enough. I will not be denied the power that will finally grant me my divine ascension!

Turning back momentarily, Moonshadow fired a beam of magic towards two of the nearest Phantom Stallion units, reconnecting himself to the sorcery within his puppets and encasing them in an opaque bubble. Pulling at the strings of power, he flung his minions over his shoulder like a slingshot. Though he had no plan for where they would land, he was certain that whatever havoc they caused would be to his advantage.

Chapter 20: The Warning

(20: The Warning)

Moonlight's wing muscles seared with pain as she pushed herself to fly faster, weaving between each building in an effort to shake off the Phantom Stallions on her tail. Though she intended to fly straight to Princess Cadence, the constant flurry of magical beams being shot at her forced the Bat Pony to stick close to the towers; turning sharply around a corner to escape. Pushing herself into a shallow descent, Moonlight dodged underneath a magic missile, blasting off a huge chunk of the crystal building above her instead and falling onto the caster’s head.

“Serves ya right for trying to shoot me down!” Moonlight taunted and she bolted off, performing a barrel roll to dodge some of the falling debris. As much as she tried to minimize the strain caused by such manoeuvres, she couldn't deny that she wouldn't be able to keep such acrobatics for long. She needed a new way to escape her pursuers, and fast, before her wings gave out entirely.

With the sounds of the raging battle beginning to fade out, Moonlight knew that she was close to the second dividing wall. Letting the Phantom Stallions break through to the middle district would be a disaster, so she avoided that landmark for the moment, looping around the block as she brainstormed for methods of dealing with the monsters at her rear. Flattening her wing tips, she broadened her flaps to push her higher into the sky. Once she was clear of the tower's peaks, she skimmed just below the magic barrier and she levelled out into a glide, scanning the battle below to get a better impression of who was where. The scenery was an absolute chaos, with little to no environmental and navigational hints on who was friend or foe. Pressured by the magic bolts still whizzing past her, she chose her target at random, relying on her flight magic to keep herself steady while she performed a steep dive.

Moonlight dodged as many missiles as she maintained control, gritting her teeth and bearing the pain of those few which managed to graze her wings. Lifting her right tip higher than the left, Moonlight spun, using the last fifty-meters to gradually level herself out into the path of the Phantom Stallions. The high-impact blow struck at the base of their horns, knocking their helmets clean off, working as a signal for the nearby Crystal Ponies to seize the opportunity and destroy them.

Moonlight, however, could not afford the luxury of waiting to see if her attackers had been eliminated. Her entire body was awash with pain, her wings barely keeping her aloft as she contorted them against the direction of the spiral. She wanted to scream, but with the speed of her flight sucking the air out of her lungs the moment she exhaled, it was all she could do just to keep breathing while on the wing. Just as she crested over the flat roof between two spires, her wing muscles faltered under the strain, freezing up in a splayed position that sent her tumbling head-over-hooves and cracking the crystal surface upon impact.

Yet despite all of this, Moonlight still managed to remain conscious. Her head was spinning, all of her limbs throbbing with excruciating pain,her lungs contracting hard in a gasp for air. She was battered and bruised, but the glowing dark-blue aura of Princess Luna's magic protected her body from the worst of the impact damage; a force which would have killed many other ponies.

Her vision gradually rolled to a stop. Moonlight took a deep breath and rolled over onto her hooves, cringing from the pain in her wings. It hurt to even flutter them, but the thought of what kind of pain Moonshadow would bring if failed to warn Cadence gave her the perspective needed to continue. Turning in a circle on the spot to get her bearings, the glimmer of a shiny object in the corner of her eye brought a smile back to her face. It was the helm of a Phantom Stallion, one that she had kicked off in her attack.

This is perfect! Moonlight thought to herself. Princess Cadence wants a warning of the impending danger? I'll bloody well give it to her! I can't wait to see the looks on the citizen's faces when they see what I've got her!

Flapping her wings several times to judge how much pain she would need to get used to, Moonlight could easily tell that she would need to conserve her magic for now. Once she got herself back in the air, the Bat Pony soared on the warm, rising air currents blowing up from below to gain altitude, flapping only when necessary. Soon enough, she made it to the second wall, which from what she could see, was intact. She had beaten Moonshadow to the punch; now all she had to do was get to Cadence.

Flying over the wall, Moonlight allowed herself a momentary sigh of relief, fully unfurling her wing membranes to maximize lift without overstressing her flight muscles. Soon, everything fell quiet. Without the constant battering of the siege engines, the only hints of the war below were the distant echoes of magical explosions which, while noticeable, were much lower in volume than the unending stream of physical projectiles from earlier in the day.

Moonlight knew that this bliss wouldn't last, so she aimed to make the most of it; a desire cut short by an explosion that could only have one cause. Moonshadow was catching up, and though a quick glance behind showed her that—even at a modest rate of flight—she was faster, dawdling would mean certain death.

Flapping in shorter strokes to increase her speed, her wings still stiff and in pain from her earlier crash, Moonlight's first sight of citizens since the day's battle began showed them scattering in panic. “Moonshadow is coming, clear the area!” Moonlight yelled, descending to ensure all civilians could hear her. “Clear the central boulevard and take shelter wherever you can! Stay out of the monster's way, and let the Princess deal with him!”

Moonlight didn't need to repeat herself. Seconds later the central boulevard was abandoned, giving way Moonshadow unobstructed. Pumping her wings hard, Moonlight raced towards the third and final wall separating the upper district, along with Princess Cadence's palace. With one final look to judge the distance between her and the enemy, Moonlight could now be safe in the knowledge that, as long as she kept flying, she would be able to complete her mission.

Keeping the Phantom Stallion's helmet grasped tightly between her front hooves, Moonlight barged straight through the doors to the throne room, ignoring the shouts of surprise and raised weapons from the Crystal Pony Guards inside. “I need to talk to Princess Cadence, now!” she demanded, throwing the broken helm at the foot of the throne. Thankfully, Cadence was not far away, entering from a curtain-concealed room behind the throne.

“Moonlight Eclipse, am I right?” Cadence said, already inferring from the Lunar Guard's haste that this was a deadly serious situation.

“Yes, Princess,” Moonlight replied with a bow. “I came to warn you of impending danger.”

“It's Moonshadow, isn't it?” Cadence's voice took on a sombre tone.

“Yes. He's making his way through the middle district, and aims to take the Crystal Heart for himself.”

Cadence closed her eyes for a moment. She had never been a fighter. The cutie mark that symbolised her power as an Alicorn was focused on love magic: creating harmony between the ponies she watched over. But after being captured by Queen Chrysalis for a second time, she realised that she could no longer afford to be so naïve to think that, even with an army and powerful allies at her side, she didn't need to learn to protect herself. Despite Shining Armour's well-meaning protests, Cadence couldn't sit back and be a passive ruler any longer.

“Guards,” Cadence said. “Bring me my armour, then evacuate all citizens as far away from the Crystal Heart as possible. I will be defending it alone.”

“But Princess...” one guard protested, looking at the others in shock.

“No buts, soldier,” Cadence snapped back. “I can't afford to put more ponies’ lives at risk by standing back. Moonshadow wants to see how powerful the Crystal Heart is? Then I'll show him.”

The guards still didn't move, muttering to themselves about their duty to protect the Princess. “Will you lot just shut your traps and get moving?!” Moonlight yelled as she slapped a guard on the flank, her eyebrow twitching in irritation at such insubordination. “The Princess gave you an order! Now unless you mean to tell me you lack such faith in the Crystal Heart, I suggest you all do as she says! Hop to it!”

“Yes, ma'am!” they saluted, galloping out of the throne room to fetch the suit of armour which Meteor had custom made for the Princess.

“Thank you,” Cadence said to Moonlight, giving her a small smile. “You'd better get back to Shining Armour. He's going to need all the help he can get against the Phantom Stallions.”

“My pleasure, Princess, but if I may have a moment,” Moonlight dropped to her knees, hanging her head in shame over what she was about to recount. “I have a confession to make. Emerald Wind is dead, and it's my fault.”

“I don't follow,” Cadence gave Moonlight a confused look. It wasn't every day that ponies just walked up to her and confessed to killing such renowned war heroes. “Are you saying you murdered him?”

“Not exactly,” Moonlight let out an exasperated sigh. Unable to bare the weight of her sins any longer, she fell to her knees and let her emotions flow unrestricted. “Emerald... he died in single combat with Moonshadow, and... I carried him there. It's my fault that he's gone. I have betrayed, not just an incredible warrior, but one of the best friends I've ever known! I am ready to accept any punishment you see fit to bestow.”

Cadence stood in silence for a moment, observing the shift in Moonlight's expression from one of conviction, to one of guilt. From the tears bursting from the Bat Pony's eyes, it was obvious to her that she wasn't in the presence of a traitor. Moonlight had not stabbed her Commander in the back, nor had she abandoned Emerald in his time of need. All she had done, all she ever did, was follow orders in a manner stricter than any other soldier she knew. Trickling a small stream of magic from her horn, Cadence bathed her weeping subject in a calming mist of pink light; helping to alleviate some of the pain which afflicted her.

“So much has already been sacrificed,” Moonlight said upon regaining her composure. “So many lives, so much of what we've built over the years. Would Emerald approve, Princess? Of everything we've had to do survive this war? Oh, how I wish he was with us still, fighting alongside us...”

“He would,” Cadence draped her wing over Moonlight's shoulder, sitting next to her. “And he would've wanted you to do it again, as many times as necessary. I have no doubt he understood, as much as anypony can, the price of war. You've gone above and beyond the call of duty to serve the Crystal Empire, Moonlight. For that, I can't thank you enough.”

A relieved smile grew across Moonlight's face as she exhaled, finally able to rid herself of her guilt. “Thank you so much, Princess. I know now what needs to be done. I'll return to my friends and continue to give the Phantom Stallions a jolly good arse kicking, just as Emerald taught me!” With another quick bow, she rose to her hooves and turned back to the door. “Oh, and Cadence? Good luck.”

“Good luck to you, too, Moonlight. Heart be with you.”

Encouragement spoken, Moonlight took to the air once more. Feeling refreshed by the magic of the Crystal Heart that radiated from the Cadence's strength of will, Moonlight took a small detour to hide behind an abandoned tower left of the central boulevard. Moonshadow had just broken through the final wall, making this the perfect situation to give the dark unicorn a little parting gift. Reaching behind her wing, Moonlight pulled out a small throwing knife, having snatched a few from one of the guards just before they had rushed off to get Cadence's armour.

Holding her breath and steadying her hoof, Moonlight aimed her knife at a specific spot just below the back of Moonshadow's neck. Certain that she had not been noticed, she threw the dagger and pushed her hooves against the tower wall, launching herself into a speedy ascent to get as much distance between her and Moonshadow as she could.

The sudden scream of pain was music to Moonlight's ears. The proceeding explosion of crystal and stone from the dark unicorn lashing out at her; not so much. Thankfully, due to Cadence helping to restore her magic back to full strength, she was nowhere to be seen by the time her target figured out the direction her attack had come from. To Moonshadow, this was little more than an irritating insect sting, one that was dealt with by squashing the bug that caused it. But it didn't matter. There were to be no more setbacks or distractions. It was time for him to claim the prize he had been waiting so long to hold in his hooves.

Chapter 21: The Final Stand

(21: The Final Stand)

Side by side, Garnet and Meteor fought like they were joined at the hip. Whichever direction a Phantom Stallion would come from, one of the pair would be there to cover the other's flank. With a third squad of Phantom Stallions destroyed, the two mares led a force of twenty warriors, consisting mainly of Crystal Ponies, but with at least seven of the remainder being a mixture of Earth Ponies and Unicorns.

“Unicorns, keep yourselves in the centre,” Garnet ordered. “We've got a lot of climbing to do, and I don't want to see any of you falling behind when we spring our trap.”

“I gotta say, I never thought I'd be havin' as much fun smashing armour as I do making 'em,” Meteor quipped, destroying the gem of the last phantom in its current unit. “It's surprisingly satisfying!”

“Well, don't get too wrapped up in smashing yet. We need to find the next bunch of Phantom Stallions and get them to follow us.”

“That won't be hard,” Meteor gestured her hoof off to her right. “Here they come now!” As if on cue, two regiments of Phantom Stallions arrived from the streets either side of the spire.

“Aren't we a lucky bunch,” Garnet grumbled sarcastically. “Looks like the blockades have forced them back to us. Meteor, help me bust open this door, then everypony else, follow me inside!”

“Strike the walls with me on the count o' three,” Meteor ordered to her co-led troops. “One, two, three!” The synchronicity of the strike couldn't have been more perfect, all attacks hitting their mark with a combined force that broke in not only the door, but a large gap in the wall with it, giving each pony enough room to follow their leaders through.

“Follow me, everypony!” Garnet commanded. “And don't stop until I tell you to!” galloping up the stairs, the Phantom Stallions swarmed in after them, homing in on the residual unicorn magic to follow the same path as Garnet and Meteor. Being simple ghosts in armour, they suffered no encumbrance through their chase up the stairs, unlike the living ponies they followed.

“Keep them at hoof's length, everypony!” Garnet yelled between laboured breaths. Cantering up multiple flights of stairs after a long day of battle was taking its toll, but not enough to stop her from scraping her mace against the walls as she went along, flinging the broken pieces of crystal at the phantoms to slow them down.

After four flights of continuous climbing, they reached the first floor, where Garnet called for them to halt for a quick respite. “Is it time to set our plan into action now?” she asked Meteor.

“As good a time as any, I'd say,” she replied and punched a hole in in the wall; placing inside a small trinket that she had collected from a Phantom Stallion earlier that day. “All unicorns, focus your magic on this gem. This'll be the first of the manna bombs we set today, but make sure ye leave a trail o' that arcane magic o' yours ta make sure they're all connected.”

A few of them looked at each other with some degree of confusion, with one speaking up to voice his concerns. “But won't that just empower the Phantom Stallions as they chase us?”

“Precisely,” Meteor grinned, much to their chagrin. “That's where the manna bombs come in. They'll be followin' the trail like a moth to a flame, and when we set 'em off, BOOM! No more Phantom Stallions.”

Though there was still some feeling of insecurity in the air about this plan, the sound of synchronized, mechanical hoofsteps meant that fulfilling Meteor’s order was the safer plan. It only took a couple seconds to enchant and cover the gem, weaving a constant line of magic as Garnet led them up to the next level. Following her example, the heavy infantry at the rear swung their pole-hammers against the banisters; a tactic which required the whole regiment to run at a slower pace and prevent any unwanted glancing blows to their allies. Luckily, the various trips and slips that Phantom Stallions fell victim to easily compensated for this delay. When the ponies made it to the second floor, another manna-bomb was laid, but instead of continuing up to the next level, Garnet directed her troops to the wall opposite of the bomb.

“Bust that wall down, now! Don't stop until daylight floods this room.”

Breaking through the layer of crystal revealed that the only solid matter beyond was either the hard ground over two-hundred meters below, or over to the next tower, which was still further than any pony without wings would likely be able to jump.

“Crystal and Earth Ponies, reform behind and keep us guard,” Meteor said. “Unicorns, get yer creative thinkin' caps on, 'cause we need a bridge that will support all of us.”

This was a relatively simple task; levitate as much of the material from inside the building as they could get their magic on, then fuse it together in one straight path with the heat radiated from the spell. What was not so easy, however, was keeping the Phantom Stallions in one place. Despite the skill of the Guardsponies when it came to fighting in tight confines, the fact of the matter was that they were still heavily outnumbered.

The heavy infantry kept themselves closer to their unit's flanks, some swinging over the heads of their comrades, tasked with smashing the ghosts over their friends’ heads. In turn, the Canterlot Guard formed the bulk of the miniature phalanx, the ponies on the front ranks closest to their longer-ranged compatriots kneeling to strike at the chests whenever they were given an opening.

Meteor and Garnet once more stood in the middle of the front rank to keep their defence organised. Meteor's weapon was the longer of the two, and so for the first five swings, Garnet waited until her sister-in-arms had hit her target to make another attempt at attacking. After a set number of Phantom Stallions had fallen by their hooves, Garnet made a point to keep a close eye on how Meteor was reacting to the kill streak. She could see the thrill of her expression as the ecstasy of her battle rush built up within her. Meteor's war cries grew louder hit by hit, Garnet decided that it was time to intervene. Rolling beneath Meteor, Garnet raised her shield to block the overhead slam from her hammer, levering it away in a parry as she spun around to take the kill Meteor was about to make for herself.

“Hey, what gives?” Meteor snapped, surprised by the sudden interruption.

“You're starting to drift into the berserker rage again,” Garnet replied, making sure to show no emotion in her voice. “Keep it together. We can't afford to lose you to the madness now.”

Taking a deep breath as Garnet stepped back into line, Meteor focused on blocking attacks from the Phantom Stallions until she had decided that her nerves had sufficiently calmed. “Thank ye for the heads up,” she said. “Just next time, try not ta take such a risk ta keep me calm? I don't want ye to be gettin' hurt at my hooves either.”

Smiling in acknowledgement, Garnet swung her mace at the opposite side of the Phantom Stallion Meteor was attacking, meeting in the middle with a loud crunch that flattened the monster's shoulder like a pancake. Once the gem was disposed of, the two warriors raised their weapons, preparing to face their next attacker. That was until one of the unicorns called to them that the bridge was finished and ready to go. “Everypony, fall back across the bridge!”

“And Unicorns, occupy the Phantom Stallions with somethin' for the moment, will ya?” Meteor didn't need to ask twice. A quick volley of magic missiles blew the stairs above them apart, the falling pieces of the ruined structure creating enough of a temporary barricade to allow them all to make a run for it.

Galloping across the bridge in the same order that they had fought in, the bridge held firm despite it shaking under the constant pounding of hooves. Garnet and Meteor were the exception to the order, slipping through the ranks to pass the mages and lead everypony across. Any satisfaction they could have gotten didn't last long; on the other side, more Phantom Stallions appeared around the corner of the opposite spire. Trapped, Garnet blurted out the first order that came to mind.

“Everypony, halt! Unicorns, prepare another mass teleportation spell!”

“But Commander, we dumped much of our manna with the construction of this bridge,” one of the mages protested. “I don't know if we'll have enough power to transfer everypony across safely.”

“Listen, ye stupid foal,” Meteor growled, grabbing the collar of the stallion's robe. “I dunno if ye've noticed, but we happen ta be trapped on a flimsy stone bridge between two towers filled Phantom Stallions. Unless yer decidin' ta sprout wings and become an Alicorn all of a sudden, the only other option is ta jump down. Ye be wantin' ta make a mess of yerself on the ground below?” The unicorn shook his head. “Good, me neither. Now get ta work with ye spell, before this whole thing collapses.”

He gulped. Maintaining a long stream of magic between volatile explosives had been draining enough, but now he and the other casters needed to re-focus their manna on transporting the small squad of ponies to an unseen location. Weaving his arcane power around the bodies of each soldier, the mage drew from the essence of his Unicorn allies, extending a directional line to their intended destination.

Despite the shaking of his nervous hooves, once the mage could feel the layline form, he pushed a surge of magic through his horn, combining with the other unicorns to zap them all out of existence. Too late did he realise the unseen consequences of a powerful spell on magically constructed ground.

Just as the teleportation itself began, the bridge gave way, crumbling beneath their hooves. The sudden drop broke the unicorn's concentration, the magic slipping from his horn's grasp to spill out in every direction, including along the thread connecting the manna bombs. In the blink of an eye, he found himself laying on the floor of the target building, with both Meteor and Garnet offering a hoof to help him up.

Once he regained his senses, the mage looked back across the bridge – or rather, what was left of it. “Head count,” Garnet ordered. “How many have we lost?”

“Looks ta be about seven ponies all together, Garnet,” Meteor said, trying to keep steady on her hooves after the disorientating teleportation. “Somethin' in the spell must've gone wrong. Mostly the heavy infantry Earth Ponies—as well as a few o' the Unicorns—along with all the Phantom Stallions that were followin' us.”

The mage opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Time had slowed to a crawl, robbing him of all expressions beyond a look of stunned silence. “Oi, get yer head together there, soldier!” Meteor yelled in the unicorn's face, the distance he covered in a startled jump proving that he was back to the present time. “Accidents happen, and ye got most of us through. I'm not lettin' ye waste time dwellin' on the dead, so let’s get a move on before more Phantom Stallions find us. An' speak o' the draconequus...”

The re-emergence of synchronised hoof beats reinforced the urgency of Meteor's words. As before, the duo of warrior mares led their strike force up the stairs, but this time they made no attempt to slow down the enemy. They had no idea how many there were or if there were any above, so the only sensible option was to gallop lightning fast.

When they finally reached the top floor, a small ladder and a latch was the only visible access to the roof, so it was up to the unicorns once more to blast a way out. When a large enough mound had been made, the Phantom Stallions caught up. A mad rush ensued as the Crystal Empire's defenders scrambled up to the roof above, only to find themselves trapped between the enemy and the tower's edge.

“I think I see it now...” Garnet said with a nervous chuckle. She had done all she could to protect her troops, throwing everything she had at the enemy to keep them back. But in the end, it came down to who could outfight whom. “I guess this is what Emerald meant when it came to a heroic last stand, eh?”

“Aye. It's been a good run,” Meteor quipped back, though both ponies could tell how much fear they were refusing to show. “Let’s show these monsters that we won't be goin' down quietly!”

Raising up their weapons, the remaining warriors clanged their shields together, spreading their hooves in a wide stance as they held themselves against the onslaught of Phantom Stallions. All they could see ahead of them was an endless stream of armoured ghosts spewing out from below. Pushing herself right to the edge of sanity, Meteor flailed her hammer around, smacking just about anything that got in her way, forcing Garnet to do her best to dodge her attacks as much as she did the phantoms. The power and skill protected some of the ponies from immediate death, but without the significant backup of the heavy infantry, those on the flanks were struck down, walked over by the overwhelming volume of the assault.

Even Garnet and Meteor were facing their physical limits. Attacks from the front they managed to fend off – but those encroaching on the side could push through their guard, stabbing them multiple times with their spiked gauntlets until they faltered. Clinging onto their weapons, the two heroes readied themselves for the end.

Except that their deaths never came. Instead, a huge, white-coloured magical bubble surrounded them and their troops. Looking up, everypony in the regiment could see Shining Armour and Stellar Shine standing in front of them, all the while watching a torrential downpour of rock and crystal rain upon the Phantom Stallions, dropped by a combination of Pegasus soldiers and the Unicorn mages of Stellar's force. The Winged Cavalry had arrived.

But what caught Garnet's eye was a single, shadowy figure. She danced between both the phantoms and the seemingly endless stream of projectiles, stabbing the gems of each monster with her wing blades in rapid succession. It was Moonlight, back from warning Princess Cadence, now flexing herself in every direction to eliminate all those that threatened the life of her friends.

“Is everypony here okay?” Shining Armour asked. Despite a few pained groans, all ponies who could reply did so, showing themselves to be alive, though hardly well.

“What in heart's name-” Garnet looked up at Shining and Stellar with bewilderment.

“Let’s save the questions until we get out of here, okay?” Stellar interrupted with a cocky smile. As Moonlight leapt into the air, she flew over Shining's bubble when Stellar cast his own teleportation spell. Unlike the exhausted Unicorns of Garnet and Meteor's squad, Stellar had been conserving his magic heavily, transportation of over a dozen ponies in one go with little effort.

Once they were a safe distance away, Garnet looked over to the tower in front of her, watching as the Unicorn archers added their own incendiary arrows to the mix, erupting the entire top floor into a series of arcane explosions, destroying it and all the Phantom Stallions upon it.

“That should give us quite the advantage,” Shining said, liquid pride streaming down his face as he watched the fireworks show.

Pulling herself to her hooves, Meteor stepped forward to get a better view of the action. “Yer right, it is quite the impressive show of force. Thanks for the rescue, Commander. I owe ye one.”

“Don't start getting too sentimental on us you soppy git.” A familiar Trottingham accent gave Meteor an injection of joy that she hadn't felt in weeks. Spinning around, she practically pounced on Moonlight, embracing her friend in the tightest hug she had ever given a pony before.

“Oh, give over!” the Bat Pony giggled. “You do know you can show your appreciation without breaking any of my ribs, right?”

Now it was Meteor's turn to start sobbing. “I thought I was a goner, but ye came to ma rescue, just like a valiant knight in all those storybooks I read as a filly!”

“And that's why I became a Night Guard,” Moonlight returned Meteor's hug. “I'm glad you're not badly hurt, all the same.”

“As am I,” Garnet trotted up to Moonlight, bowing her head with flattened ears. “I think I owe you an apology, Moonlight. Emerald was my teacher before I joined the Crystal Lancers. To cut a long story short, he... meant a lot to me, meant a lot to us all. To see somepony just nonchalantly fly him to his death like that? I... it... shook me a bit, let’s put it that way. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is-”

“That you're as stubborn as a mule when it comes to protecting ponies you care about?” Moonlight interrupted, meeting Garnet's gaze with a childish grin.

“...Yes,” Garnet replied, blushing as she made eye contact. “I'm sorry.”

“Apology accepted!” Moonlight pulled the mare into the cuddle pile.

A small flash of light announced the arrival of another familiar face – Far Seer, who had been just prior being directing the arrow volleys. “Nice to see more ponies embracing the magic of friendship around here,” he quipped with a light-hearted sarcasm. “Though I don't think our job is finished quite yet, is it, Stellar?”

“Indeed, it isn't,” Stellar Shine replied, the confidence he carried in his voice giving him the same feel of authority as Shining Armour by this point. “We've dealt some heavy blows to the Phantom Stallions, with minimal losses of our own. Now it's time to finish this war once and for all!”

A euphoric cheer rang out from everypony around. Indeed, the final battle was at hand, but not quite in the way anypony expected.

Chapter 22: Clash of the Titans

(22: Clash of the Titans)

Step by step, Moonshadow drew closer to the royal quarters. Looking around him, he found the place deserted; no guards fighting for the Crystal Empire's honour, no civilians fleeing for their lives. Even the sound of war was but a distant rumble in the background, audible only due to the deathly silence of the upper district. The thought occurred to him that the defenders had given up. Witnessing the power that he possessed, they had come to the wise decision of surrendering, offering their strength to him on a silver platter.

This, he admitted, was a rather arrogant assumption. Even he wasn't so conceited as to assume the former slaves of King Sombra to give up so easily – not when they had put up such a heavy resistance. Yet, it would also be honest to say that he was merely observing the evidence. After demonstrating that he would not be stopped, regardless of what was done to him, Shining Armour and his cohorts had simply run away.

Thinking about it a little more, however, Moonshadow concluded that splitting hairs over motivation was a pointless task. He had won. The Crystal Ponies were in shambles, and nothing was left to stand between him and his prize. Licking his lips, Moonshadow could practically taste the might of the Crystal Heart, its sweet magic soon to bring him what he desired the most: Alicornhood.

Bursting through the doors to the throne room, Moonshadow once again found that not a soul was to be seen. Now he was starting to get a little suspicious. Flaring his horn, the only active magic he could detect was that coming from up a flight of stairs behind the throne itself. That was where he needed to go. Grinning with mad anticipation, Moonshadow galloped up through the spiralling passage that lead around the royal spire, and upon reaching the top, he came face to face with the one pony who had not decided to flee.

Princess Cadence. Clad in thick, pink-coloured plate armour that sparkled with her magic, she stood with her wings folded behind her back, her face locked in a stern expression that lacked even a hint of fear. “So, you must be the gracious Princess Mi Amore Cadenza,” Moonshadow sneered sarcastically. “How lovely of you to greet me in person. Would you per chance be here to hand the Crystal Heart over to me personally, and apologise for all the trouble you put me through getting here? That would be such a kind gesture, which I would be remiss to reject.”

Cadence's reply came in the form of a blast of magic power to Moonshadow's face, a hit which he endured with only a slight flinch. “Well then,” Moonshadow continued, wiping the dust from the burn mark off his face. “I guess I was naïve to think you had become wise enough to bow to me. No matter, it's not as if you can stand in my way for long.”

“You have terrorised my people long enough, Moonshadow,” Cadence yelled, narrowing her eyes at the unicorn before her. “So many ponies have sacrificed their lives to keep me safe and preserve their future. I can't be content with sitting back and let yet another pony with a god complex threaten us with slavery ever again!”

This statement made Moonshadow laugh. Yet it wasn't a laugh of mockery or of intimidation, but a genuine laugh of glee at Cadence's words. “You think I have a god complex? Oh my, Princess, you are sorely mistaken. I don't simply think that I'm a god.” with a shrug of his shoulders, Moonshadow let his robe fall to the floor, revealing both his cutie mark—a single, slit eye engulfed in a ball of dark magic—and one other, more grotesque feature. Just below his shoulder blades, a pair of stubby Pegasus wings lay flat, sown into his flesh like a mangled rag doll.

Cadence threw a hoof over her mouth, stifling the urge to throw up at the macabre sight. She could only imagine what kind of horrific surgery he had underwent to mimic the appearance of an Alicorn, a mental image which she tried hard to suppress. “You really are a monster!”

Moonshadow laughed once again, this time with more mockery in his voice. “I am only a monster to those who don't understand the potential my power holds. Though I will admit I do find your level of distress to be entertaining. I could have easily squashed you like the bug you are the moment I got here, but in the end, I just couldn't resist playing my little game to watch you all squirm.

“However, I will share some comfort with one important fact: these wings are only temporary. Once I absorb the Crystal Heart's power, I will become the Alicorn I was always meant to be! What do you think your precious 'sister', Twilight Sparkle, will say once she realises that there is more to magic beyond your pitiful 'friendship'?”

Any one of Moonshadow's comments could have set Cadence off, but if there was one thing she would never stand for, it was insulting her beloved sister-in-law. Flaring her wings, Cadence launched herself at Moonshadow, smacking him in the face with both front hooves to send him cascading back down the stairs. The dark unicorn summoned up his own magic, righting himself and retaliating with a blast of his own; an attack which Cadence narrowly managed to avoid.

“I think it's time to bring this little game to an end.” Cracking open his third eye, Moonshadow's horn exploded into a surge of sorcery, his entire body pulsating with power as the raw magic collected around his vestigial wings. Now that his aura enhanced his flight appendages, Moonshadow took to the air, flying at a blistering speed towards Cadence, firing out a flurry of missiles towards her.

Summersaulting over the attack, Cadence let out a series of her own magical blasts to the back of Moonshadow, burning at the fur on his front legs as he swung around to block them. Some of this power was thrown back in Cadence’s direction, so she wasted no time in teleporting down several meters before swishing her wings down, charging Moonshadow to slam her front hooves into his belly. The dark unicorn struck back immediately, a sorcerous blade extending from his horn to cut into the armour covering Cadence’s shoulder. Though the Princess refused to move, instead exchanging a flurry of blows with her adversary as she powered up another arcane beam.

“I don’t think so.” Opening his eye just a hair’s width further, Moonshadow’s body exploded with dark magic, knocking Cadence back several feet and absorbing the magic lost from her partially-cast spell. Flipping over numerous times before she regained level flight. Collecting her magic in an arch above her horn, Cadence formed an arcane boomerang, throwing it just as Moonshadow released his shield of sorcery. True to form, the speed of the throw sent it spinning past Moonshadow the first time, only for it to loop back around and dig into his back.

The dark unicorn grunted in pain, yet still was strong enough to shrug off the attack. Lighting up his horn, Cadence readied herself for the next spell. It was only after several seconds of nothing happening that it occurred to Cadence that Moonshadow’s attacks need not be direct, either. Just above her, she could see a huge pulsating disc, with arcs of magic streaming around its surface. Grinning, Moonshadow added one more bolt to the collection, shattering the disc to unleash a rain of missiles down upon his foe.

Turning up her wings, Cadence dipped into a dive, too slow to dodge the airburst and instead taking the brunt of the hit across her back, her armour preventing the flesh at the base of her wings being burned too badly. Biting her lip, Cadence felt her wings seizing up with the sudden flush of pain. She could see that Moonshadow was already on her tail, diving after her as he prepared to fire off another round. Casting the first spell that came to mind, Cadence twisted over in mid-air and threw up a rounded magical shield in front of her face, timing it to coincide with Moonshadow's assault, giving him no time to modify or cancel the spell.

A split second after the missiles had been released, they bounced off Cadence's reflection spell, reversing their course to instead explode into Moonshadow's chest. With her wings still refusing to move and the ground coming up fast beneath her, Cadence expanded her spell to encase her entire body, slowing herself down enough so that the levitation bubble took the brunt of the impact.

Shaken, but otherwise unharmed, Cadence could see that as Moonshadow landed ahead of her, he hadn't been seriously injured by his reflected attack. The scowl on his face showed that he was hardly pleased, leading to him opening his third eyelid a fraction more. With more of his sorcery flowing around his body, Moonshadow shot a continuous beam at Cadence, which she countered in equal measure by mimicking it. There they stood in a stalemate, pumping magic into their beams to push the other back, the ground tearing away to form a crater at the point where two powers collided.

“Give up, Princess,” Moonshadow hissed as his side of the beam inched forward. “You have failed, your heroes have failed. You are only prolonging the inevitable!”

“No!” Cadence screamed, pushing back with all her might. “The destiny of the Crystal Empire is not as set in stone as you think it is! Whatever it is you want with the Crystal Heart, I refuse to let it be taken from us again!”

“You still don't understand, little Alicorn,” Moonshadow's third eye was now opened half way, with ethereal tendrils snapping out to absorb a portion of Cadence's magic. “Magic belongs in the hooves of those powerful enough to control it! If it wasn't for your sister and the elements of harmony, then Lord Tirek would have shown you all what can be achieved with all the world's magic in one place!”

Thrusting open his eye to its full power, Moonshadow engulfed the magic of Princess Cadence, blasting her away into the tower behind her, leaving a smouldering trench in her wake. Now with the full extent of his power released, he grabbed Cadence between his tendrils, lifting her off the ground and pulling at her wings and horn, swaying back and forth to the crescendo of Cadence's agonized screams. “You have no idea how long I have waited to be granted my Alicornhood,” Moonshadow said, his voice transformed from a throaty husk into a deep, guttural growl. “I have watched two pitiful ponies transform into Alicorns now, and from what was their power granted? Friendship! A flimsy platitude for ponies who cannot ascend on their own might. And now I hear that you have given birth to an Alicorn?! A useless babe has a greater claim to royal status than me?! This cannot stand! I will not allow it!”

Cadence's thoughts turned to her daughter, Flurry Heart's cries echoing in her mind. Just the concept of what Moonshadow would do to her baby filled her with a greater terror than she had ever felt before. Even the soul-numbing fright of being trapped in the crystal caverns beneath Canterlot was nothing compared to what she felt now. Her magic draining from her body, her vision began to blur as Moonshadow opened his mouth wide to consume it. She tried to move, but no part of her body was responding. Her skin was starting to sag, her breathing becoming more laborious as her life force was robbed from her.

Yet, the very thought of Flurry Heart allowed her to recognise that there was one form of magic that Moonshadow could not take from her. Despite his insane rants about friendship substituting for the lack of magical ability, Cadence knew for certain that this was far from the truth. As Twilight Sparkle had taught her many times over, friendship was magic. Remembering what Meteor had said to her in the forge the previous day, it was clear to her that unity could never be forced through the usage of magic.

No, it had to be earned; a force forged in unison through understanding and striving for mutual peace. As long as she drew breath, the love for her sister, her husband, her people; all of this would never die. It was far from dead when she confronted Queen Chrysalis, her heart was filled with it when she defended her empire against the spirit of King Sombra, and it was flowing through her soul even after she channelled all her magic into Twilight to protect it from Tirek.

That was why she was here, dressed up in battle armour for the first time in her life, while hundreds of her fellow ponies fought and died in her name. What she felt within her, a mixture of pride and love for all those who laid their lives on the line to protect their home, was her last line of defence. Feeling the power of the Crystal Heart rise within her, Cadence shot off a single bolt of pink magic, striking at an open wound directly on the back of Moonshadow's neck.

Moonshadow roared with pain, his magical limbs retracting as Cadence's power seared away at his flesh. “What is going on?!” he screamed. “The magic I behold is far beyond what any pony could hope to achieve! What have you done to me?!”

As blood began to ooze down his back, the stitches on his wings snapped apart one by one, the vestigial limbs falling to the ground, burned away to ash. Moonshadow stumbled backwards in a daze, the magic he was just consuming now streaming out of every orifice, returning to their rightful owner.

Standing over him, Princess Cadence's coat and armour sparkled with the radiant shine of the Crystal Heart's magic. “Do you see now, Moonshadow?” Cadence asked, her voice calm and collected despite the seething anger she had inside for him. “You are wrong. Magic is more than just the raw power of the arcane. It's the very force that binds us all together to create a harmonious nation. Contrary to what Tirek may have told you, there is no magic greater than friendship. Give up now, and you will be cleansed of the evil he has infected you with.”

In reply, Moonshadow simply laughed, coughing violently as his magic continued to bleed from his body. “You really are a fool,” he said, his body dissolving. “I am Tirek's power. I have long ceased to be just a mere unicorn. Though you may have changed the fate that was to grant me, Alicorn power, your empire is still... doomed...”

And with those final words, Princess Cadence pulled her hoof in as she inhaled, then extended it back out as she exhaled. A calming technique, as with a sombre look on her face, she lit up her horn with a gentle glow to end Moonshadow's suffering. Right before her eyes, he vanished, his body disintegrating as the last remains of his magic blew away in the wind.

After a weeklong trial of pain and suffering, Princess Cadence had come out on top, unaware of what was to be Moonshadow's final act of revenge.

Chapter 23: Ascension

(23: Ascension)

The news of a victory against Moonshadow raced through the entirety of the Crystal Empire, and for the second time that day, the light in the eyes of the Phantom Stallions vanished, leaving behind piles of empty armour in their combat formations. Despite the cheers of the surviving soldiers, Stellar and his team of heroes knew better than to celebrate too early. A repeat of the events from which they narrowly escaped would mean certain annihilation, so Stellar maintained his level of vigilance, just in case Moonshadow had one more ace up his sleeve.

“Maintain formations!” Stellar called to all ponies within ear shot. “Walk through each rank of Phantom Stallions and shatter their gems. Make sure that none of them are able to revive.”

“What's with the caution, Stellar?” Shining Armour asked. “The phantoms are dead, Cadence defeated Moonshadow, what more could there be?”

“Ye weren't there when the Phantom Stallions first stopped movin',” interjected Meteor with a cautious look on her face. “Moonshadow set a trap for us, lettin' us think they were dead when they weren't. It's how they got to break through the walls.”

“Good point,” Shining acknowledged, though his voice still conveyed a greater sense of relief compared to his friends. “Let’s make this fast, then. I'll go check on Cadence and inform her of the clean-up duty. Though I'm super sure that she's going to grant you all some prestigious positions of honour when all is said and done!”

Garnet blushed a shade of pink so bright that it was visible even through her red coat. “It would be an honour, sir,” she said alongside a formal bow.

“Oh, enough with the formalities already,” Shining chuckled, patting Garnet on the shoulder with his hoof. “After all we've been through today, I've honestly had enough of all these ranks and orders. Besides, I think you'll find that Twily prefers more casual conversations when making new friends.”

Garnet's eyes lit up like a hearths-warming tree. “You mean, you're introducing m-me to P-Princess Twilight Sparkle?!”

“Oh, trust me, my sister will be on the first train from Ponyville the minute she hears about what you've all accomplished today!”

Garnet didn't say another word in response, simply staring at Shining with her mouth hung open and her right eye twitching. “I think ye've broken her, Shining,” Meteor joked, prodding her. Every member of her group burst into laughter, with even Stellar Shine allowing himself a moment of amusement despite the uncertain situation.

Clearing away the enchanted armour would take some time, but now that there was no resistance left to give, it was a relatively simple task. Looking up towards the higher districts, Shining saw his wife gliding down towards him; battered and bruised, but if the wide smile of relief was any indication, she was doing just fine.

The joy that Shining felt in return faded the moment he saw what was following her. Unbeknownst to the Princess, a large, shapeless mass of dark magic floated behind her, descending towards the ruins of the battle just past. “Cadence, look out!” Shining screamed at the top of his lungs. A single glance over her shoulder was enough to get Cadence flying faster away from the sorcerous cloud. Yet as she gained distance from the object, it became apparent that the final remains of Moonshadow was not chasing her at all. In fact, it passed directly overhead of Shining and the army, pulling every piece of the Phantom Stallions armour into its void.

Watching on with a mixture of equal parts curiosity and horror, Stellar teleported himself from rooftop to rooftop, following the path of the abomination until it had consumed all Moonshadow's former army. When the last piece of armour had been absorbed, the ethereal mass began to take shape, three-hundred meters tall and one-hundred meters wide. Around each of its six limbs, flashes of gold and purple popped out, the shadow of its wings blotting out all light beneath as its tail wrapped around the tallest spires.

With its claws grasping against the edge of each building, the metal dragon reared its curving neck, opening its wide jaws to reveal teeth the size of an average pony. It let out a roar that was deeper and louder than any living thing of comparative size. Beating its wings, the Phantom Dragon hauled itself into the air, forcing all ponies caught within its wake to grab hold of the nearest pinned-down object, holding on for dear life as they tried to avoid becoming blown away.

“Everypony, group together and surround this thing!” Shining Armour commanded, a split-second decision to take charge of the fight, while putting a minimal number of ponies directly in harm’s way. A nigh-impossible task, he knew, but it was the first tactical decision that came into his head, and the fact he had never seen a dragon like this before certainly didn't leave him with many options. “All ranged units, shoot it with everything you've got!”

Teleporting in front of the dragon's head, Stellar met with Far Seer and Princess Cadence to fire off a series of magic missiles, empowering the barrage of arrows to strike at the new enemy with maximum force. However, it soon became apparent all their attacks were for naught, as any damage that they may have done was barely a chip in the armour of such a huge creature. The dragon threw back its head to take in a deep breath, and Shining Armour threw up a shielding spell just in time to take the brunt of a black fire blast. Shining cringed and gritted his teeth, his legs shaking under the strain of using so much magic to block this attack. Cadence used her own magic to aid with the spell, feeling the searing heat seeping through the shield and singing her mane. When the breath attack came to an end, so too did Shining Armour's shield spell, his vision blurring as he wobbled on his hooves. He had exhausted a large quantity of his magic, and the dragon's last attack had worn his manna reserves down to the bone.

Lashing its tail from side to side, the Phantom Dragon smashed straight through two towers behind it, the structures sending the ponies on the ground scrambling away to avoid getting crushed. Hovering in mid-air, it swiped its claws inwards, cutting through ranks of fleeing ponies with each slice. No part of its body remained still, the gigantic monster granting the final wish of its master to see the Crystal Empire burn.

And burn it did. Fires blazed through the streets behind the army, trapping them between a rain of molten crystal ahead and towering walls of flame behind. Even if they could escape, there would be nowhere ]to go, as it meant risking a frozen death in the tundra outside the protective barrier, the citizens in the upper district being left to die in agony. Garnet, Meteor and Moonlight did their best to combat the fires, using the charred remains of the lower district to throw onto the blazing paths; even a magical fire needed air to react to.

Yet for every section of blaze they managed to put out, the burning rain sprouting from the dragon's mouth replaced it with a new inferno in dozens of places at once. Moonlight did her best to weave through the falling rubble, but much like her unicorn comrades, her stamina was starting to wane, her reflexes dulling with each adjustment to the flight path she made. She tried to climb towards the other Solar Pegasus guards, but a burning piece of rubble came hurtling down from the sky, striking her left wing and sending her plummeting down in an uncontrollable dive. It had broken the long, supporting bone of her wing in two places, leaving her with only her right wing to try and direct her down safely; an effort that resulted in her crash landing right in front of Meteor and Garnet, who's dented armour and burnt hooves made evident that both were at the end of their rope as well.

“Moonlight!” both Meteor and Garnet cried together.

“I'm... okay...” Moonlight said weakly. “Still alive... but not in great shape...”

“Stay behind us,” Garnet said, the pony who had just an hour earlier viewed her as a traitor to the Crystal Empire, now throwing her shield over the downed Bat Pony to protect her with the same level of concern as with her closest allies. “You've done all you can. Rest up while we take it from here.”

“Well, it's not like I have a choice, now, is it?” Moonlight chuckled, putting on a brave face despite the amount of pain she was in.

“Come on ye massive flamin' beast!” Meteor roared, even now refusing to show an ounce of fear at a seemingly impossible situation. “Ye ain't gonna hurt my friends anymore as long as I'm still standin'!”

By this point, everypony could see how most of the Unicorns were starting to lose focus on their magic, with a faint flicker dying on the tip of Far Seer's horn representing how they were all fighting a losing battle. But what truly made Far Seer's heart sink was seeing Stellar fall to his knees next to him, trying and failing to summon enough magic to attack the dragon with. Looking up to see the monster looming overhead, shooting flames in every direction, Far Seer's blood ran cold, no longer able to deny the stark reality of the situation.

“We're doomed,” Far Seer said in a monotone voice, staring blankly into the abyss of his own emotions. “There’s nothing we can do to kill this thing. We’ve fallen, we're all going to die.”

“No...” Stellar forced the words out of his mouth, a grimace of determination still etched on his face despite everything he had been through. “We're... not done just yet.”

“How the buck can you say such a thing?!” Far Seer threw his hooves over Stellar's shoulders, shaking him hysterically as he yelled. “Nothing we do even comes close to hurting that... that thing! How can you look with your own two eyes and think we're anything other than doomed to Tartarus once the dragon is done with us?! We're doomed! Dead! Done for! Finished! The end! Game over!”

“That's quite enough,” Far Seer's only stopped his frenzied ramble when he heard the voice of Shining Armour, who somehow was remaining calm despite the circumstances. “I've overheard many Crystal Ponies offering the same sentiment before, but we have always found a way to come out on top.”

“B-but sir...”

“Shining is right,” added Princess Cadence. “It was because of you and your friends that I was able to defeat Moonshadow. You all gave me the hope I needed to fight back. Now it's time for me to return the favour.”

Tentatively pulling himself to his hooves, Stellar Shine took a deep breath and collected all of his remaining magic at the tip of his horn. Thinking back to his first encounter with the Phantom Stallions, he knew that he still had one last spell to cast that had the potential to save the Empire. Only now, he not only had an entire army's worth of ponies to draw magic from, but he also had the royal couple to inspire all those living within it to come to his aid.

Wordlessly, he fired a beam of magic straight up into the sky, past the Phantom Dragon to pierce through the protective weather bubble. Laying their horns against his, both Cadence and Shining Armour channelled their magic into the spell, their coats shining as they thought back to every single pony, living or dead, who had fought to defend their home. It was an incredible spectacle which drew the eyes of every pony across the city. One by one, everypony felt the magic of the Crystal Heart surging through them, their souls connected as all their fears and sorrows became washed away with the power that they willingly gave.

A beautiful rainbow streamed down from every corner, all citizens adding their power, including Flurry Heart, raising from her cot to let out a jovial giggle as her extra wave of Alicorn magic caused Stellar's beam to burst onto a dazzling flash of light. Wrapping around his entire body, the power of everpony lifted Stellar off the ground to begin a transformation. His cutie mark glowing, sunbeams washed over him, his turquoise mane growing into long, shimmering locks, granting him a pair of ivory-white wings to match the new colour of his coat. In an ironic twist of fate, the very goal that Moonshadow had sought to obtain had been granted to the pony who had used the one form of magic that the dark unicorn so adamantly rejected; the magic of friendship.

Stellar Shine's ascension to Alicornhood was complete, and he wasted no time in using that power on the rampaging enemy that was the final legacy of Moonshadow. Drawing upon his newfound power, Stellar Shine fired a single cone at the dragon which pierced straight through its heavily armoured chest, melting away at its outer shell and snuffing out the unholy light within. With a final roar of agony, the last remaining threads of magic that was Moonshadow became cast away into oblivion.

When Stellar fluttered down to land, he found every pony he had fought alongside, including Cadence and Shining Armour, bowing before him. At first, he blinked a few times in confusion, the notion that he was now technically classed as royalty taking a few seconds to sink in. Clearing his throat, Stellar addressed the crowd with his best imitation of the Royal Canterlot voice. “Citizens of the Crystal Empire, you may rise and greet your new...” he hadn't even gotten half way through his sentence before bursting out laughing; the first time he had truly laughed in over a week. “I'm sorry, I don't know how Luna can speak like that with a straight face!”

“Oh my gosh, Stellar Shine!” a familiar highland pony voice called to him, just before he found his face buried in a jungle of yellow fur. “Maybe I should be callin' ye Prince Stellar Shine now. I dunno, but what ye just did was the most amazing thing I ever laid eyes upon!”

“Oi, oi, careful there, Meteor, you don't wanna break the poor fellow,” Moonlight quipped, her broken wing having been healed from the magical spectacle. “I speak from experience when I say that newly transformed wings are indeed quite delicate structures.”

“Oh, sorry,” Meteor blushed as she released Stellar from her hug. “Guess I got a bit carried away, eh?”

“Oh, no, who will save the new Alicorn prince from the overly affectionate Earth Pony?” Garnet added with deadpan sarcasm. “Honestly, I haven't known you long, but you seem like the type who will never stop being happy.”

“Hey, don't we have a reason to celebrate today?” Meteor retorted, though before she could argue any more, she found herself being pushed out of the way by Far Seer.

“Seriously, where are everypony's manners today?” he said with more than a hint of annoyance as he rolled his eyes. “Shouldn't we all shut up and listen to what our royal leaders have to stay before we start bickering with one another?”

“It's alright, Far Seer,” Stellar said with a gentle smile. “It's been quite an ordeal to get through today, and quite frankly, I don't feel much like royalty. You are all my friends for contributing so much to winning this war, yet I hardly even know you! If Princess Cadence thinks it’s okay, how about we all take a nice, long break in Ponyville? We could go and meet the sister-in-law she holds in such high regard.”

“You know, I've never really been a pony who likes royal formalities anyway,” Cadence added with an awkward chuckle, rubbing her hoof on the back of her head. “As far as I'm concerned, you are all heroes, and don't need my permission to go anywhere!”

“Though I think we have a bit of cleaning up to do first,” Shining Armour added. “Can't leave all these Crystal Ponies homeless, now, can we?”

“Oh, come on! Janitor work?!” Meteor moaned, crossing her arms in a huff. “I guess that's what I get for skippin' cleaning duty in the forge last week.”

Shining armour stifled a laugh, holding his hoof over his mouth. “I swear, Meteor, I should introduce you to Twily's friend, Rarity. You two are like polar opposites!”

“Hey! No fancy fashionista is gonna be critiquing the style of my armour!”

Out of all the mental images that Meteor could have given her new found friends, the idea of Rarity making a fashionable line of battle armour was enough to send everypony around her into a fit of laughter.

Chapter 24: Coronation

(24: Coronation)

Shuffling her notes for what may have been the fifteenth time that day, Twilight Sparkle wiped the sweat from her brow. To say that the triumphant tidings from the Crystal Empire had been a relief would be an understatement. The purple Alicorn couldn't remember a time when she was last stressed out so much! For the first time since representation of the Element of Magic, there had been a potentially world-ending threat that she could do absolutely nothing to stop.

Now, seven days after the final battle's conclusion, she was about to come face to face with the biggest surprise to come out of the whole event; Equestria now had six Alicorns in total. Granted, from what Cadence had told her, absorbing an entire empire's worth of magic would do that to a pony, but it still wasn't something she expected all the same.

A series of loud knocks on the door made Twilight jump, her notes flying everywhere. The door swung open to reveal it was just Spike and Starlight Glimmer, though this did little to stop her heart from thumping like a stomping Yak. “Oh, sorry to disturb you, Twilight,” Starlight apologised, reflecting both Twilight's emotional relief and stress, though for differing reasons. This new Alicorn would need to be filled in on her shaky past and subsequent redemption, something she wasn't looking forward to; seeing as, 'Hi, I used to steal cutie marks and travel back in time to make Chrysalis win, but I'm all better now!' wasn't exactly the most pleasant of ice breakers to start with. “Princess Celestia said that we can begin the ceremony whenever you're ready.”

“Oh, y-yes! The ceremony, of course,” Twilight stuttered, frantically running around her room to pick up all the scattered cue cards. “I'll be there in just a minute, don't panic!”

“Err, Twilight, I don't think Starlight is the one that's panicking,” Though it may have appeared that Spike was pointing out the obvious, he was usually the one to help keep Twilight grounded, sometimes literally. “Are you sure you're okay?”

Skidding to a halt, Twilight pulled her hoof in and took a deep breath, following Cadence's calming technique to get a hold of herself. “Sorry, Spike, and thanks for the heads up, Starlight. I should be thrilled to see that Cadence and Shining Armour are safe, not to mention how they're bringing with them a brand new Alicorn! I just can't decide what I'm supposed to say. Do I congratulate him on a battle well fought? Do I talk about his cutie mark and what that means to the Crystal Empire? Do I pay my respects to the dead? I just have too many options!”

Starlight let out a frustrated sigh. “Twilight, get yourself back on the ground, first.”

Looking down, Twilight suddenly noticed that if she kept flying without realising it, she would be close to hitting the roof. Once she was back on the ground, she once more shuffled her notes, trying to calm down. “Sorry, Starlight. You understand what it's like to suddenly come face to face with an important pony the you only learned existed of a short time ago, right?”

“Of course, I do,” Starlight said, giving Twilight a sympathetic smile. “That was me with you when you convinced me to give friendship another shot. And if you could give me a chance to find some amazing new friends, I'm sure you'll do just fine with a war hero.”

“Besides, if anything, Stellar Shine is gonna be the one who will be nervous about meeting you! You're quite a well-regarded hero among the Crystal Ponies too, y'know. Second only to me, Spike the Brave and Glorious, of course.”

Twilight chuckled, as she had wondered when Spike would take the opportunity to remind everypony about his hero status, not least after helping Thorax to eventually become the leader of all reformed Changelings. “You're right, Spike. I'm sure with you, Starlight and the rest of my friends by my side, it'll be a breeze making a good first impression.”

With her notes finally ordered in terms of importance, Twilight made her way down to the ballroom, where upon pushing open the double doors, she saw Princess Cadence, Shining Armour and Stellar Shine stood up on stage, flanked by both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Walking down the middle of the room through the parted crowd, she could hear the familiar voices of her friends chatting away with the other five heroes of the siege; all of whom Stellar had named personally as the primary reason he had been able to achieve victory against Moonshadow.

“So, lemmie get this straight,” said Rainbow Dash to Moonlight, who looked to be far more patient with Dash's comparisons to her own abilities than many would have been. “You're telling me you raced this super powerful unicorn all the way up to the top of the Crystal Empire, and made it back in time to save your friends?”

“Aye, that I did,” Moonlight said, breaking eye contact with Dash as her face flushed an awkward shade of red. “Though I'm not much of a speedster like you are, Dash. That's why I became part of the Lunar Guard. Playing to my strengths, you know?”

“Hey, don't sell yourself short! What you did was an awesome achievement, and any Wonderbolt that's worth their stuff should know it!”

“Um, excuse me, Moonlight?” a soft voice from one shy yellow Pegasus spoke up next to the Bat Pony. “I don't know much about the Lunar Guard, but, Princess Luna does tell me that you occasionally speak about protecting Vampire Fruit Bats. Is that true?”

This was a question that made Moonlight's eyes light up with joy. “Oh, my goodness, I thought nopony would ever ask me about that! Mind if I pop round your cottage after, Fluttershy? We have a lot to talk about!”

“Of course,” Fluttershy said with a soft smile. “I have to admit, bats do scare me a little bit, but I'm always open to learning more about how to best take care of all kinds of critters.”

Closer to the stage, Meteor Might and Garnet Plateau were chatting with Rarity and Applejack, both of whom were giving them quite the intense barrage of questions. “So how did yer clan go from bein' humble farm ponies to tough-as-nails warriors?” Applejack asked. “I can't imagine the Equestrian Highlands bein' a particularly easy land ta be growin' crops in.”

“Ha! Ye'd be surprised what a little bit o' elbow grease can do for ye,” Meteor replied, flexing the bicep of her right-front leg for emphasis. “But to answer ye question more directly, ye ever tried fightin' off some nasty pests with one o' ye farm tools?”

“Boy, have I ever! You don't wanna know what I wanted to do to get rid of them Vampire Fruit Bats before Fluttershy stepped in. No offence to her, but I'd be more than happy never seein' one o' them near my farm ever again.”

“Ugh, tell me about it!” Rarity exclaimed with her usual over-dramatic flair. “I respect how much Fluttershy wants to protect all animals, but I simply cannot stand such ghastly creatures.”

“Well that's kinda the point, isn't it?” Garnet added. “Pests happen, and if throwing around the nearest sharp object is what takes for them to scram, then by all means use it!”

“And ye've gotta learn ta make tools somehow,” Meteor said, pointing to her cutie mark. “Hey, Rarity, ye think that maybe I can become an Equestria-renowned blacksmith like ye are with yer fashion designs?”

“Well, I would hardly consider myself to be that famous...” Rarity trailed off for a moment, caught off guard by the sudden high-class recognition of her creativity.

“If you ever need to wear a fancy dress while charging into battle with a giant hammer, I think we all know who are the best ponies for the job!” The absurdity of Garnet's statement gave all four ponies a good laugh, for the moment taking their newfound celebrity status with a pinch of salt.

Just below where Stellar was standing, Far Seer found himself regaling a wide-eyed pink Earth Pony and an intrigued, light-blue Unicorn with the tales of the battle past. “I gotta tell you, I don't think I've ever done that much teleporting in my life!” Far Seer said, making wide sweeping gestures to emphasise the grandiose nature of his actions. “Say, Trixie, why haven't you ever performed at one of Pinky Pie's parties? With your kind of stage show, it'd make quite the spectacular performance!”

“Well I-” Trixie began, before she found herself cut off by Pinkie Pie popping up in front of her to give a (needlessly elaborate) historical recount of her relationship to Ponyville.

“Oh, didn't you know? Trixie ran out from this town when one of her boasts about fighting an Ursa Major backfired, then she went all evil and tried to enslave the town because of becoming possessed by an evil Alicorn amulet, and it's only because of Starlight that she made a true friend and now she's a hero because she along with Discord, Starlight, and Thorax defeated Queen Chrysalis and now she's one of Starlight's best friends since the Changelings are all good now!”

“I... see...” Far Seer said, not wanting to admit that he only understood approximately half of what Pinkie Pie had just said. “Well, I suppose as long as you're on good terms with everypony, that's what really matters. Wouldn't you agree, Trixie?”

Blushing slightly, Trixie nodded. “Trixie has more than made up for her past sins, and now she intends to learn some of the spells a great hero like yourself has mastered. All to provide an entertaining show for everypony to enjoy, of course!”

“Oh! Oh! We should totally do a show together for the brand-new-Alicorn-prince-coronation party I'm going to hold tonight!” By now, Pinkie was bouncing up and down on the spot with excitement, which Far Seer had to admit he found to be rather endearing, despite being a little odd.

“I'm so glad to see that everypony is getting along already!” Twilight said, stopping at the bottom of the stage to reflect upon the relaxed atmosphere. Though she couldn't be certain, she had a feeling that after the news of Flurry Heart's crystalling, most of the Ponyville citizens had expected there to be more Alicorns popping up every now and again. Whatever the locals may have thought, Twilight's heart swelled with pride when she saw Stellar Shine making a series of funny faces at Flurry Heart, who was having just as much fun as he was by the way she wiggled on Cadence's back in a giggle fit.

“Twily, you made it!” Shining Armour called, dressed in his best red jacket and shield emblem sash draped across his chest. “Is your speech ready?”

Trotting up onto the stage, Twilight turned to face the crowd, and with a thumb up from Spike, she gave her answer. “Yes, I think I am. What about you, Stellar Shine?”

Stellar nodded. “As ready as I'll ever be. I have to admit, as clichéd as it sounds, I never expected in my wildest dreams to ever become an Alicorn like yourself!”

Twilight chuckled. “You know, I thought the exact same thing when Princess Celestia hosted my coronation. If you ever need to compare notes on how to handle royal responsibilities, feel free to stop by Ponyville any time!”

“I'm sure I'll keep that in mind, Princess Twilight,” Stellar replied, a little awkwardly. “Because, if I'm honest, I don't know the first thing about being royalty!”

“It's not nearly as hard as you would think,” Twilight reassured the new Alicorn. Clearing her throat, she levitated a few of her cue cards in front of her face, though one more look at the crowd made it clear she knew exactly what needed to be said.

“Attention, citizens of Equestria and the Crystal Empire! We are here today not just to usher in a new form of royalty, but to honour all of the heroic ponies who fought to protect the Crystal Empire from one of the biggest forces of evil there has ever been. Though there are many threats in this world that we would never hope to encounter, the fact that these ponies combined all of their talents to help end the war is simply amazing! But if there is one thing that I am proud to have helped ponies learn, it's that the magic of friendship can triumph against seemingly impossible odds.

“The Crystal Heart gets its powers from the love and devotion each citizen of the Crystal Empire has toward one another, and as we have seen time and time again; that power can bring out the best in everypony when it's needed most. And so, as the Princess of Friendship, it is my honour to crown our newest addition to Equestrian royalty, Stellar Shine, Prince of Light!”

A massive cheer rang through the crowd, breaking into a thunderous applause as Twilight placed a crown of crystal on Stellar's head, the shooting star of his cutie marked adorned on the top. Bowing to each other, Twilight took a step back to allow Stellar to say a few words of his own.

“I have to be honest, there isn't much that I can say different to what you heard when Princess Twilight was crowned. What I will say, however, is that all I have ever wanted in life was to protect the Crystal Empire, my home, from anything that would dare to threaten its citizens. With this newfound power and position, I don't intend to be fading away from the front lines of battle at all. In fact, now that I am an Alicorn, I have even more reasons than before to do everything I can to protect the peace and harmony of our two co-opting nations. That is why, despite my royal status, I won't be accepting any military rank higher than that of Shining Armour.

“If Emerald Wind's death has taught me anything, it's that when we work together as equals, there is no longer any need for sacrifices, selfless as they may be. With His Majesty's permission, I would like to be the Captain of the Guard for the Crystal Empire division, inspiring others to put all differences aside and fight for the common good, and forming the order of the Crystal Paladins. In addition, I would like to erect a statue of Emerald Wind as a memorial to him, so that come next Crystal Empire Day, all citizens of our nations can come to both appreciate what we have lost, and celebrate what we have gained during the Siege of the Crystal Empire!”

“Three cheers for Prince Stellar Shine!” Shining Armour and Cadence said together, the crowd following their lead and cheering for one of the empire’s newest and most accomplished heroes. Stellar had set out to make his city proud by protecting all, and he sincerely hoped that if Emerald was watching over him from the next life, he would be proud as well.

(The End)

Chapter 1: Moonshadow

(1: Moonshadow)

The Crystal Empire. A shining beacon of solace in the hostile, frozen wasteland beyond the northern border of Equestria. Miles upon miles of hilly tundra to one side, towering mountains of rock to the other. Were it not for the dreams of a once nobel king, civilization would have been unthinkable.

What little did survive outside of the empire's magic dome would find no friendship here; only monstrous brutes wherever shelter could be found.

As vicious winds of a howled across the land, a lone equine figure fled from the snowstorm, dressed only in a black cloak to shield him from the elements. Finding shelter within a high cave, it didn't take him long to stumble across the locals. A pair of hulking bipedal figures stepped out of the darkness to greet him. From their long, protruding tusks and bulbous noses, he recognized the creatures to be trolls.

“Little pony far from home,” the first troll slurred, as if mocking the common tongue with each syllable.

“Perhaps pony just lost?” the other troll pondered aloud.

“Little pony stupid, more like it,” the first troll grinned. “This be no place for ponies like you. Best be runnin' home now. Ya wouldn't want to be hurt, would ya?”

The pony spared the brutes a glance, but otherwise payed no heed to such thinly veiled threats. “I have business with your mage,” he said, his voice husky, yet calm voice. “Please, take me to him.”

The first troll narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth. “What could little pony want with the Shaman?”

“That is not of your concern,” the pony said, his voice void of emotion. “But it will be to your benefit.”

“Stand down, you two.” The new voice was somewhat more eloquent than the first two, but still carried the unmistakable lisp of troll speak. “He tells the truth. He comes to help us.”

“You sure, boss?” the second troll asked, looking down at the Shaman. He was much skinnier than his guards, holding a staff made from pony bones in his frail, four-fingered hand. “Since when do ponies help trolls? This don't feel right.”

“Your concern is noted, big one,” the pony answered, lowering the hood of his cloak to reveal a short, tattered, mane; midnight blue in colour, and draped over an unusually long horn. “However, the only ones to fear me are those who will not submit.”

A flash of magic sparked from the unicorn's horn, and suddenly the trolls were gasping for air. They looked down at their hands, only to see their flesh degrading at an accelerated rate. They tried to scream, but nothing came out, their eyes rolling back into their heads as they fell limp. Their bones shattered as they hit the ground.

Kneeling before the troll's withered bodies, the unicorn lowered his horn and began to weave a new spell which, upon casting, opened up a third eye in the centre of his forehead. Rising up from the bodies like smoke from a flame, raw magic flowed around his horn and into his third eye, draining his victims' magic until they crumbled to dust.

“An impressive skill if I ever did see one,” the shaman commented, sifting the body guards' ashes through his fingers. “Somethin' ya could've easily done to me. So why didn't ya?”

“Oh, it is quite simple,” the unicorn said, gesturing towards a dozen equine figures marching into the cave. “My name is Moonshadow. What if I told you that my powers could bring the Crystal Empire to its knees?”

Chapter 10: Shaman

(10: Shaman)

For the third time that day, the furious winds which kept the snowstorm active around the Crystal Empire began to wane. Though it was slight—a drop in speed that only the most trained of Pegasi would have been able to spot—it was enough to make Kur'zun, the Elementalist Shaman of the Ice Trolls, to step out from the shelter of his cave and deal with it. As he channelled the power of earthly magic through his staff, hooking it to the necessary elements of the landscape, a stab of pain struck through his mind.

The glow on Kur'zun's staff faltered for a second, dimming, but not vanishing as he pushed himself to hold onto its power. Each day he refreshed his spell, the pain grew stronger, adding to the strain that such a large casting area took to maintain. Yet with persistence, Kur'zun forced the magic out from his body, speaking the words that kept the storm at its maximum intensity. Dropping to one knee, Kur'zun leant on his staff, breathing heavily in reaction to his decreasing manna levels.

“Ya war against the empire be takin' far longer than ya said it would,” Kur'zun groaned as Moonshadow trotted up behind him. “Looks ta me like ya underestimated the strength of these ponies.”

“To you, that may appear to be the truth,” Moonshadow said, keeping any emotion in his voice concealed. “But to me, feeling the magic of the empire through my creations, I can tell that while they are tougher then they look, this is still only a temporary setback. Don't forget that I can sense far more than your mortal eyes will provide you.”

“Yet ya still insist on keepin' yer army on the march, no matter the losses? How long can ya keep going like this?”

“Much more than the likes of that faux-princess Cadence.” For a moment, Kur'zun thought he heard Moonshadow give away the tiniest bit of anger towards the ruling alicorn. “I am far from spent yet, don't you worry.” To prove his point, Moonshadow sparked a flash of magic, removing all feelings of fatigue or exhaustion from Kur'zun in an instant.

“Every time I start doubtin' the power ya possess,” Kur'zun smirked, “ya just keep provin' me wrong. Though my question still stands. We already rolled out the siege engines we built from the captured materials, as ya commanded. What more can we do ta make our war a success?”

“Do you really have to ask? There is only one piece left to be placed on the board.”

“And who or what do that be?”

“You.”