Nebula's War

Over the next month, everypony's top priority was preparing for the battle with Nebula: when they weren't sparring, Azure and Jacob discussed tactics, EagleHeart and Trixie practiced surveillance spells, Aaron, Vesper, Eclipse and Night Shade gathered food and information in disguise while the others helped Nox build armor and weapons. One day, while sparring with Anamir, Silver heard a familiar voice coming from the blacksmithing tent.

"Silver, it's ready!" Nox shouted.

"Oh! Excuse me, Anamir, I'll be right back." Silver left the arena and approached the forge, his wooden leg clunking along the ground with every fourth step. As usual, the light inside the forge was tinged with orange, and there was a lingering smell of smoke in the air. However, Silver's attention was on a long metallic cylinder that lay on the table.

"Here it is, Silver, your new leg!" Nox announced. Silver couldn't believe his eyes: the prosthetic was the exact shape and size of his other leg, and surprisingly light. Its polished surface was especially impressive in the emerald green glow of the stone set into its side. The surface was sleek and smooth, and the rivets tickled Silver's hoof as he picked it up and set it into the stump of his left hind leg. He let out a small gasp as the cool metal touched his skin, but the thin layer of padding inside the cup felt soothing against his stump. As Nox helped secure the straps around Silver's waist, a slight tickling sensation shot up Silver's body.

"Oh! What was that?" Silver asked.

"It's probably the stone getting hooked up to your mind." Nox explained. "Try lifting your leg, see what happens." Silver thought of lifting his left hind leg to his belly, and to his amazement the prosthetic raised itself into the air and touched his belly. He thought about lowering the leg to the ground, and the prosthetic obliged. He thought about tapping his hoof on the ground four times, and the leg tapped the ground one, two, three, four times in succession.

"It might take a little getting used to, but it should work better than that peg leg you've been using. Do you like it?" With tears in his eyes, Silver extended his hoof and shook Nox's hoof.

"Thank you." Silver whispered. "It's absolutely perfect."

"Hey, why don't you test it out, walk around a little?" Nox suggested. Silver stepped outside and walked around the camp; the prosthetic was surprisingly light, and the padded hoof didn't make any noise as it touched the ground. Throwing caution to the wind, Silver extended his wings and leapt into the air, flying circles around the campsite. The prosthetic didn't weigh him down or alter his balance, he flew just as well as before the accident. Finally, Silver soared back to the ground and joined the others at the arena. Naturally, they noticed that Silver had a new leg, and they were quick to point it out.

"Silver, your leg!"

"It's all shiny and new!"

"I can't tell it apart from the real legs!"

"Nox has outdone himself!"

"Thanks everypony," said Silver. "But if you don't mind, I'd like to test its combat capabilities." Silver marched up to a sparring dummy and punched it in the chest; the dummy now bore a hoof-shaped print on its chest, but it was otherwise unchanged. He kicked the dummy, and it shuddered from the impact, but it did not fall over. Silver leapt into the air and delivered a roundhouse kick with his metal leg, and the head flew across the arena, spraying straw everywhere. He smiled at his friends, whose jaws were unhinged down to their chests.

"Works for me." Silver chuckled. "So, who wants to spar?" Silver had a hard time finding a willing partner in the following days; nobody wanted to be on the receiving end of Silver's roundhouse kick, but Azure trained him regardless. In spite of Silver's handicap, Azure didn't show Silver any mercy, which Silver appreciated: he didn't want to be treated any different than his friends, and every injury he sustained was a reminder that Nebula wouldn't be merciful, either. A week later, Azure announced that they were ready to train with real weapons: he set out gleaming swords, powerful bows with razor-tipped arrows and dozens of tiny throwing knives. Anamir and Aaron chose the bow and arrows; seven of them clattered to the ground before reaching the target, three more whizzed past the dummies' heads but the last two hit the dummies in the chest.

"Don’t let go of that bowstring until you're sure it's on target. Make every shot count." Melody and Chiarascura were drawn to the throwing knives, only half of which missed the target.

"You’re releasing too late." Azure remarked. "When your hoof lines up with your eyes, THAT'S when you let go." Instead of choosing a weapon, Jacob bounded up to a dummy in his hulking werewolf form, tearing to shreds with his claws and fangs.

"Not bad, kid. But in mind that your enemy isn't going to stand still and let you tear him apart." Naturally, EagleHeart and Trixie decided to fight with magic instead of weapons. They aimed their horns at two of the dummies and blasted them to pieces.

" I think you two would be better suited to sparring than target practice. Try dueling each other a few times a day, learn to cast and counter spells, and don't be afraid to give it your all." EagleHeart and Trixie nodded.

“Okay Vesper, this is your first time sparring with us,” Azure announced. “So show us what you’ve got. I’m holding you to the same standards as everypony else.”

“And I will do my best to earn your regard.” She said, bowing respectfully. She closed her eyes, breathed through her nostrils and produced a razor-sharp dagger. All of a sudden, Vesper opened her eyes, spread her wings and flew around the arena; she decapitated four dummies in rapid succession and impaled a fifth before returning to Azure.

“Good.” Azure remarked. Now it was Silver's turn to fight, but his spot was occupied by empty air. Azure turned around and saw Silver weighing each weapon in his hooves, unsure of which weapon to use.

"Come on, Silver! Pick a weapon and let's go!" Azure barked.

"But I don't know which one to use!" Silver sighed. "They all look so… lethal." Azure blinked a few times and shook his head, certain that he had misheard.

"I'm sorry?" Azure asked, trying to keep his temper under control. "Did you say that the swords, arrows and knives are 'too lethal'?" He raised his hoof to hit Silver for being stupid, but thought better of it.

"Silver, this is war. Your enemy isn’t going to play fair. You need to fight, or you'll die. Get it?"

"… Yeah, I guess you're right." Silver sighed. "I just… don't like the idea of killing. They say that it leaves a stain on your soul that will never wash away."

"Yes, but sometimes there are stains that you must live with." Azure sighed, and placed a sword into Silver’s outstretched hoof. "Here, try this on for size." As Azure and Silver walked back to the arena, Silver's eyes fell upon the wooden staffs that they used to spar with.

"Okay Silver, I want you to take that sword and-!" When Azure saw Silver holding the staff in his hoof, he put his hoof to his forehead and sighed through his nostrils.

"Silver, for the last time…!" Silver charged up to the last remaining dummy, jabbing and striking it with surprising speed. With every strike, the dummy became more misshapen, and it outright fell apart when Silver kicked it in the chest with his metal leg. Silver turned to look at Azure.

"You fight your way, I'll fight mine." said Silver. Silver fully expected Azure to yell at him or punch him or break the staff in two, but instead, Azure just shrugged and said,

"Fine." After two weeks of rigorous training, the team was ready: they had weapons, armor and the determination to kill Nebula and save Equestria. They stood at attention as Azure inspected their equipment.

"Are you absolutely sure that this spell will work?" He asked EagleHeart.

"I had to do some jury rigging to increase the range, but yes, the surveillance should project itself all across the nation." EagleHeart replied.

"Perfect." said Azure. "Remember, when I give the signal, you cast the spell. Aaron and Anamir, you're our sharpshooters. You'll go with EagleHeart and Trixie, shooting any enemy troops that you can see."

"No problem." said Aaron. "We've got your back."

“The rest of us will charge into the courtyard and attract everypony's attention." Azure concluded. "We'll probably have to fight off most of The Royal Guard as well as Nebula's cronies, but as long as we stick together and watch each others’ blind spots we should be safe. Are you ready?"

"Sir, yes sir!" The team shouted in one voice.

"Good. Then let's get going!" They marched out of the camp in single file, and upon leaving the forest, those who were able to fly carried those who could not up to Canterlot Mountain. Naturally, the sight of a dozen armor-clad ponies flying through the air attracted a lot of attention.

"I swear, these publicity stunts get crazier every year." Remarked a stallion in Canterlot. "It'd save a lot of time and money if they just put up banners saying 'Join The Royal Guard', we don't need these stupid-!" As Vesper flew low over Canterlot, she dropped Azure, who landed and marched down the street. Seconds later, Melody and Chiarascura dropped Anamir, who followed Azure down the street. EagleHeart and Trixie followed, paying no mind to the wide-eyed stallion.

"… Okay, that was pretty cool." He gasped as the team made a beeline for Canterlot Castle. Inside the castle, Nebula watched the procession in his King Blueblood disguise, making a noise between a purr and a growl in his throat.

"Sir, we just got word from Ponyville!" Announced a blank-eyed changeling drone. "Azure Night has been sighted."

"He certainly has." Nebula growled. "Assemble the troops, Maxilla, and have them meet me in the court yard in five minutes." At that moment, Azure and the others arrived at the front gates of the castle.

"Halt! Who goes there?" The castle guard demanded, and pointed his spear at the approaching militia.

"You know who I am." Azure growled, and watched as the guard's stoic face melted into a look of complete shock and amazement.

"Azure?" The guard choked. "I thought you were dead!" Azure rolled his eyes.

"I don't have time for this." Azure sighed.

"King Blueblood said that-!" But before the guard could regain his composure, Azure unsheathed his swords with surprising speed and crossed them against the guard's neck like a giant pair of scissors.

"…Okay." The guard squeaked, and stepped aside.

"Smart move." Azure marched into the courtyard with Chiarascura, Eclipse, Melody, Night Shade, Nox, Silver and Vesper close behind. Except for them, the courtyard was completely empty.

"It's quiet. Too quiet." Silver growled, and everypony turned to look at him. "Sorry, I've always wanted to say that."

"Stay on alert." Azure warned. "Nebula will have seen us coming, but it'll take him a few minutes to assemble the troops." Right on cue, the steady 'clop, clop' of four hundred hooves filled the air, and Nebula (still disguised as King Blueblood) entered the courtyard, accompanied by one hundred burly soldiers.

"That doesn't sound good." Nox said; as usual, his eyes were shut tight against the dazzling light of the afternoon sun, but he couldn’t mistake the sound of one hundred stallions marching toward him.

"Stand your ground, everypony!" Vesper announced. “We shall not let these interlopers prevail!” Azure stood his ground as Nebula approached, and the soldiers fanned out on either side. Finally, they stood twenty feet apart, staring at each other with unbridled hatred.

"Azure Night," Nebula announced. "For crimes against the nation, ranging from treason to attempted murder, I hereby sentence you to death. However," he continued, "I am not without mercy. I will give you and your associates one last chance to stand down, whereupon I will sentence you to life in prison. What do you say?" Azure looked at Nebula's army, and then at his feeble militia before turning back to Nebula.

"Charge." Azure growled. It was pure chaos: as his team of soldiers charged, Nebula loosed a shaft of crimson energy from his horn, but Azure ducked aside and the spell blew up a statue instead. "Remember: don't bother with the soldiers, just go for Nebula and the demons!" Azure shouted as he and his team charged into the fray. Azure shoved a soldier aside and injured another with a well-placed stab to the leg. Eclipse, Night Shade, Nox and Vesper flew over the soldiers' heads, kicking and biting as they went while Silver hit a soldier in the face with a well-placed roundhouse kick.

"I want you to know that I don't take any pleasure from this!" Silver said to the unconscious soldier. Melody and Chiarascura slashed at the soldiers’ legs and necks, taking care to injure, but not kill their opponents. Outside the castle gates, Aaron, Anamir, EagleHeart and Trixie hid on the roof of Canterlot Theater, where they fired arrows and magic spells at the enemy soldiers.

"They're outnumbered ten to one!" Aaron cried. "They can't fight forever. We need to help them!"

"We ARE helping, by fighting from afar." Trixie noted. “Arrows aren’t as effective at close range.”

“Trixie is right, Aaron.” EagleHeart sighed. “I don’t like it any more than you do, but we need to stay up here. When Azure gives his signal, we’ll send a live feed across the nation just as Azure exposes Nebula.”

"Well, I guess that makes sense…" Anamir sighed as she fired another arrow into the fray. "I feel bad just standing here while our fiends are in danger."

"Yeah, but what can we do?" Aaron replied. Back on the battlefield, Azure and the others continued to fight valiantly in spite of the overwhelming odds.

"Keep fighting!" Azure shouted. "Don't hold back!"

"But there are so many of them!" Chiarascura replied, and yelped as a spear grazed her leg. Melody growled and delivered a punch that knocked the offending stallion out cold. "We can't do this forever! We need a miracle." At that moment, a dozen soldiers broke out in confused murmurs as a red and white blob flew high above the courtyard. Silver peered into the sky for a moment, and then smiled.

"One miracle, right on cue." Silver said as he hit a soldier in the jaw with his staff. High in the air, the white blob detached itself from the red blob and landed with a dull 'thud' on the blood-spattered grass. Anamir stood up and charged into the fray, punching, kicking and tossing every soldier she could get her hooves on. Meanwhile, Aaron soared low over the field, scratching and biting every soldier he could find. Many of the soldiers collapsed, suffering from broken bones, lacerations and bite marks, but the ones who were strong enough to stand fought back.

“Well, Trixie can’t blame them for wanting to help.” Trixie said as Anamir and Aaron joined the battle.

“No, I suppose not.” EagleHeart replied. “But don’t lose focus! We need to be ready for Azure’s signal so that we can expose Nebula in front of the entire nation!”

“Stop right there.” Demanded a cold, buzzing voice. EagleHeart and Trixie turned to see a changeling drone with malice in his eyes and a black badge on his chest. “I saw you casting spells and arrows upon the battlefield, and I will not let you harm my master.” The changeling pawed the ground and narrowed his eyes.

“This isn’t good, Trixie.” EagleHeart whispered. “We need to get rid of him before Azure sends his signal!”

“Oh please!” Trixie scoffed as the changeling flexed his translucent wings. “Trixie has battled changelings before. They are nothing but oversized… glorified… butterflies?” The last three words came out hoarse, because the changeling was transforming before their eyes: he was growing larger, his tail and muzzle were elongating and his sky blue carapace was giving way to thick red scales. In seconds, the changeling had taken on the form of a fearsome dragon, which growled menacingly as he stalked toward EagleHeart and Trixie.

“But even Trixie’s made mistakes.” The changeling/dragon roared, but with a flick of his horn, EagleHeart summoned an emerald green band that wrapped itself around the dragon’s muzzle.

“Die, monster!” Trixie shrieked, and fired a spell that bounced harmlessly off the dragon’s thick hide. “… Trixie means, let’s be friends?”

“Go for the eyes!” EagleHeart whispered. Just as the dragon tore the band off its muzzle, Trixie fired a spell directly into its eyes. The dragon yelped and reared and swung its tail around, unable to see anything but a series of flashing lights. At the same time, EagleHeart leapt onto the dragon’s tail and ran up its body, firing spells left and right as he went. The dragon roared and clawed at its back, but EagleHeart was too fast; finally, he leapt off the dragon’s snout and landed back on the roof.

“Insolent bugs!” The dragon roared, and swiped at the duo with his razor sharp claws. However, he was brought up short when Trixie fired another burst of magic into his eyes.

“Look who’s talking.” Trixie laughed.

“Stop doing that!” The dragon growled and rubbed his eyes. “It’s getting annoying!” Trixie turned to EagleHeart and smiled.

“You know, he’s right.” Trixie said. “It’s time we end this.”

“Ladies first.” EagleHeart replied, and they both fired a concentrated beam of magic into the dragon’s face. The dragon gave a small yelp of pain, and then landed with a dull ‘thud’ on the theater roof before shrinking back into a changeling. Trixie trapped the changeling in a shimmering pink cage, and EagleHeart bound its legs and mouth before checking the status of the battle. Neither Azure nor The Royal Guard had slowed their assault, but Azure was no closer to exposing Nebula, either.

"Soldiers of Equestria, retreat!" The soldiers stopped fighting almost instantly, and those who were able to walk carried their injured allies to safety. Once the soldiers had regrouped on either side of the courtyard, Nebula and his six demons (disguised as soldiers) smiled maliciously at Azure's militia, who were beaten and bloodied, but not defeated.

“That’s enough, Azure.” said Nebula. “I refuse to stand by and let you harm my soldiers.”

“That’s a first.” Silver grumbled.

“Although I must admit that I’m impressed.” Nebula continued. "You've managed to turn your little friends into a fighting force on par with the best and brightest soldiers that our nation has to offer."

"Shut up and fight, Nebula!" Azure shouted and charged at Nebula, his swords swinging madly in his magical aura.

“As you wish.” Nebula chuckled, and loosed a shaft of crimson energy that hit Azure full in the face. Everypony gasped as Azure was knocked off his hooves and thrown through the air, landing in a crumpled heap on the stone walkway.