The Rise of Passion

At Starlight's command, Double Diamond began to clean Fluttershy as the train came back to life. He used a damp rag and a bucket, both of which had been brought from the Crystal Palace as Starlight's grooming equipment. The bucket had originally been dry, just holding her brushes and things, but they'd filled it with water while stopped at Ponyville. They could just dump it off the back of the train when they were done, as it was mostly filled with semen, sweat and water. It was nothing that would cause harm to the gravel under the tracks, nor the soil beneath that.

Twilight explained to Fluttershy what was going on as best she could. Gallus wasn't paying that close of attention, as his focus had shifted to Smolder and Silverstream. He still held her leash, and she wasn't about to run off, but if she really wanted to pull away, she had the option. She didn't though, just holding Fluttershy's hoof for the whole ride.

When they finally arrived in Canterlot, they were met with nothing more than guards. As soon as the train had come to a stop, the Engineers and the conductor jumped off the train and were promptly detained.

"We have you utterly surrounded!" shouted the guard leader. "Come out with your hooves up! All of you!"

"I suppose we'll have to deal with this little annoyance," sighed Cozy. "I can't say I didn't see this coming." She turned to the rest of the car, looking around. "While most of you are unnecessary for this battle, only the one after, we should at least try to push through this. So here's the plan, for those of you that don't know: Sunburst will be in the center. He will protect you from harm. If you have not been given a role, stay close to him. Starlight will be on the left, providing an extra defense against the magic-users among the guard, Gallus to the right holding back their swords with his own. I will be leading and coordinating. Are we ready?"

"What if they come from above?" asked Fluttershy. "Or what if there are spears on the left and mages on the right?"

"I will coordinate," repeated Cozy. "If I have to move my sides around, I shall. But for the immediate future, Starlight shall be my shield and Gallus my sword. Trixie will cover the rear."

Gallus gave Twilight's leash to Sunburst, and he gave it to Flurry, who gripped it tightly. Fluttershy didn't want to leave Twilight's side, and if it was true that Sunburst was going to be shielding them from harm, she wanted to stay as close to him as possible. She didn't want to be in the fight, she wanted to hide behind the protective barrier.

Cozy walked out first.

"Hooves in the air!" shouted the guard. "Put your hooves up! Up!"

"Certainly," smirked Cozy. She flapped her wings and took to the skies. "Is this far enough up?"

"Come back down this instant and put your hooves over your head!"

Cozy did as commanded. "Do you feel safer, now?"

An arrow was loosed from the roof of a nearby building, coming to a stop right in front of Cozy's chest. She glanced between it and the guard in charge, and then to the archer who had fired it. "Between you and the archer, which one is more important for the defense of Canterlot, Lieutenant?"

"I'm a major!" he shouted back.

"So you're imperative to the defense of the city?"

"You could say that," he sneered.

"Good." With a flash of her horn, the arrow, which had merely frozen without losing its momentum, was turned around and fired back, hitting the pony who'd fired it. "Then he can spend a week in the infirmary, and the city will not fall."

That set the rest of the guards on her, which she repelled with her magic, blasting them all back in pulses.

"Come along, bedfellows," said Cozy, turning back to the train. "We have a castle to storm."

Sunburst came out with the bulk of the group, shields up. Gallus followed zealously, having taken the spear and armor from one of the guards that had flooded into the car from behind. Said guard was now unconscious on the floor. Trixie came next, and as Starlight came out backward, she released her force field that had kept the guards out of the room, turning it around and blocking off the incoming guards.

The guards kept charging at Cozy, Starlight and Gallus, rather than at anypony else. Gallus tried not to kill or seriously injure any of them, partially because it was distasteful, partially because he'd promised to minimize harm as much as he could, and partially at Cozy's command. When she was in charge, any defenses that were still intact could be used in her new regime.

Starlight just kept blasting. Her horn was beginning to turn red from the sheer volume of magic flowing through it. She was fatigued by the time they reached the central square.

Gallus was faring little better. He had been made to take to the skies and slash away at some pegasi. He did his best to bat them away from the huddled-up crowd.

"Gallus," called Cozy as they approached the castle. "Open that gate!"

With a salute, Gallus rushed ahead, dodging the rest of the guards, as it was faster to dive out of their way than it was to fight them. He flew over the wall and up the stairwell. When he arrived, he did have to knock aside the guards that were holding the gate closed. They had wedged the lever that held the winch closed and thrust at him with their swords.

It was not easy for Gallus to take them on. His spear was long and their swords were short. They had the advantage of movement in these tighter spaces. They also had the advantage of numbers. Luckily for him, they were gatehouse guards. They were not as well-versed in combat as he was, nor in as good a physical condition as he was. One was even a little bit fat. His biggest advantage, though, was that he didn't need to dispose of them, at all. He merely had to knock out the block on the winch and twist the wheel. The counterweights did the rest.

The portcullis was raised just long enough for the group to pass through, and Gallus closed it again by cutting the counterweights free. This locked out two-thirds of the guards, less the pegasi that could fly over the gatehouse. Gallus rejoined Cozy's group, as it was time to face Celestia and Luna.