Everfree Village

For the first time in a long time, the two humans in Ponyville had a truly peaceful night. Each held their own fuzzy pony against their body, both enamored with the mares they had met. While they were usually at least somewhat alert in their village, they had not a single care during this night. When the morning light finally reared its head, they were well-rested and not ready to give up the warm body they were holding. Eventually they had to get up though, for one reason or another.

After having showered, Barbara went to a window to peer out of it, only to be shocked at what she saw. Rohan, who was on the opposite side of town, ended up sharing a shower and an easy breakfast with Fluttershy. The plan was to head towards the castle to see the princess, but as Rohan stepped out of the door, he saw something he didn't like. While both he and Barbara were in different locations, they both saw the same unsettling thing: Large dark storm clouds flying unnaturally low over the forest.

Fluttershy had stepped lightly out her door. They were headed to Twilight's castle and she noticed the forest was stormy today, but that didn't bother her; it just did that sometimes. She walked to the end of her garden and stepped onto the main path, then suddenly realized she was alone.

"...Rohan?"

She looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen. She heard a distant thump from her cottage and trotted lightly back to her door.

"Oh, did you forget--EEP!"

A towering shape hurled itself at the door and she barely scrambled out of the way as Rohan barreled past her, vaulted over her garden fence, and sprinted directly into the Everfree Forest. She sat stunned on her haunches for several seconds, then her eyes widened and she leapt to her hooves.

"R-Rohan!?"

She broke into a gallop, leapt over the fence, spread her wings and followed as fast as she could, calling out after him nervously.

"Rohan, wait! What's wrong, where are you going? Rohan, please, it's dangerous out here, wait!"

He either didn't hear her or didn't care, moving frightfully fast, plowing over bushes and tearing through branches as if Nightmare Moon herself was nipping at his flank. Horrified, Fluttershy suddenly realized he was running straight for a Hydra den. It wasn't very near, but at the rate he was going and with the noise he was making, he'd lure the monster onto him within a minute!

Fluttershy slammed onto all four hooves, her chest heaved, and the forest echoed with her thunderous scream.

"ROHAN!"

Rohan turned back to her with a start, but the panic was written all over his face. All he knew was he knew he needed to get to his village as fast as possible and he was fully prepared to run head-long into danger to do it.

"Fluttershy, go back to ponyville! I have to get back to my village, they'll need me! Those clouds are Roc's clouds! I have to go!"

He turned back to go in his original path, then he noticed why she had stopped him. This was the area in which forests gave way to the swamps, a home to the large lizard-like creatures such as the hydra. Only problem was that Fluttershy's scream would have alerted every monster in the area to their presence though, which meant it was time to move, in one direction or another.

He had turned away from her and the pegasus advanced on him slowly, her voice soft but intensely sonorous.

"How is getting yourself killed going to help your village, Rohan? Take a deep breath and think." She was close enough to lunge and grab him if needed, but she hoped she wouldn't have to. "We have about thirty seconds before several Hydras rise from their dens and spot us. Come back to Ponyville, Rohan. We can help your village. Your death will not."

Silently, she begged him to listen. He would never forgive her if she used the Stare, but if it was the only way to save his life...

"I-I can survive the forest, I have survived the forest for years... I-" With a deep sigh, he turned back towards Fluttershy. She was right, as reckless as he was being. He was probably going to get himself killed. This wasn't like a hunting trip, where he was slow and careful.

"We have to get there somehow. I can't just leave them. The priest, shaman, and all of our guards might not have it in them to fend off a flock of those monsters..."

She beamed up at him, then her eyes darted around and she bristled nervously. "We'll help them, I promise, but we need to help ourselves, first." An ominous growl rolled out from their left and was answered by two more on their right. They had only a hoofful of seconds to get behind the cover of the nearby trees. Fluttershy sprang into the air and backed away rapidly, her eyes pleading Rohan.

Suddenly one of the heads lunged out to try and snap its jaws around his body. Rohan ducked and, picking up a stone, he lodged it into the beast's nose and and took off for the trees as it yowled in pain. If nothing else, it had bought them time to get further into the thick of the forest where it would likely not try to chase them.

"What do we do, Fluttershy? My people don't come this far out for a reason, so I'm at a loss as to how best to navigate back. Unless you know a way, then we have to enlist aid, but I'm worried that may take too long."

Fluttershy's only response was to rush down the trail of half-destroyed vegetation Rohan had left in his wake. Hydras were just below dragons on her list of creatures to avoid and now that she'd turned Rohan around her fear was rapidly overwhelming her. Most beasts she could lull and calm down and most of the rest she could Stare into submission, but she couldn't look at three heads simultaneously.

There was a loud crunching, cracking noise from behind her as the hydra clawed and tore madly at the densely packed trees and the poor pegasus squeaked and accelerated into a full, reckless gallop, branches whipping at her face. She didn't even dare look behind her and a short moment later she burst out of the trees and plowed headfirst into the thick belly of Harry the Bear, who had heard her whimpering and crashing and come to investigate.

Instincts kicked in faster than thought and Rohan tackled the bear. No sooner than he had his arms around Harry's neck did he realize it was Fluttershy's and he loosened his grip. "I'm going to have to get used to you having a bear for a friend, Fluttershy. The ones in the forest are... not so friendly." He gave Harry a quick scratch for his troubles and slid off of his back to stand by the bear and Fluttershy.

Harry had fallen heavily to his haunches and glared at Rohan, hugging his favorite pony close to his chest. Rohan was forced to wait nervously for one painfully long minute before Fluttershy calmed down enough to hug Harry back and convince him to release her. As soon as she was free, she slammed into Rohan's chest and hugged him fiercely, a tiny half-sob of relief leaking out of her. He wasn't quite ready for the burst of speed that was a worry filled Fluttershy, so she had managed to knock the wind out of him.

"Oh Rohan... don't ever do that again, I thought I was going to lose you!" Almost immediately, she pulled back and stared into his eyes. "We should hurry to Ponyville, I'm sure Twilight will know how to help."

At the castle, Barbara had already gotten Dash and Twilight up out of fear of something happening. Now they were in the map room and Barbara was standing at one end with the two ponies sitting at the other.

"Those clouds are not natural clouds, not natural to that forest at all! I'm telling you two that it's the Roc's and if they go to my village without Rohan or myself, then it will be severely weakened. People will die, Twilight! We have to do something!"

Twilight sighed and rubbed her head with a hoof, "But Barbara, those clouds are normal. The Everfree Forest does exactly that every couple of weeks, and always has!"

The Chief looked about ready to strangle the alicorn so Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and flew up to set a calming hoof on her shoulder.

"Look, Barbara, I'll fly out there, see if they're normal storm clouds or not. You know I'm fast--I'll be back in two minutes, tops. Try not to kill her without me, okay?"

She gave Barbara a little peck on the nose, then zoomed off toward the high ceiling, slipping out a door in the roof designed for easy pegasi access. She knew her human was seriously upset about this so she narrowed her eyes and put on an extra burst of speed toward the distant storm clouds.

As Dash neared the clouds, a bolt of lightning suddenly shot out of it in her direction. While she had the speed to dodge, she hadn't been ready for a large, crow-like monster of a bird to fly out of the cloud. Like Barbara had said, it was easily the size of a house. It's wings crackled with electricity that seemed to surge from its wingtip to its core and back. It snapped its beak at Dash, trying to peck and bite at her. Given its size, she wouldn't have expected it to be fast but it proved her wrong; no matter what she did, it stayed right on her tail.

While it chased her around, Dash would see the big bundle of clouds continuing its path through the Everfree. Either the birds were smart enough to use group tactics, or only this one bird happened to notice dash and decided it wanted to ruin her day while the rest continued on their path. The only time it let up on its chase was to hurl a bolt of lightning from it's wingtip at her in hopes it would hit.

The pegasus was agile enough that she could reliably dodge the enormous bird's attacks. However, she couldn't maintain a straight line without risking a hit from those lightning bolts, and she knew she needed to build up a bit of speed and then she would be free; the Roc was far too large to be aerodynamic, no matter how strong and agile it may be.

"Alright..." she growled under her breath, "Try this on for size!"

She angled sharply up, continuing to dodge and luring the bird higher and higher into the sky. It pecked at her relentlessly, but soon they were as far above the clouds as the clouds were above the ground. Dash watched the beast carefully for her moment, then in a flash, her wings flared and she reversed direction at the exact moment it lunged forward. She zipped between its legs, thick as tree trunks, and burst through its tail feathers to distract it for just one more precious second.

Rainbow Dash poured everything she had into accelerating into a dive. She tore through the air and within seconds she felt the air piling up before her. She eased up ever so slightly, maintaining her speed just below the threshold for another rainboom. The ground approached rapidly and she hoped the Roc was far, far behind. She couldn't turn her head to check - the wind would snap her neck in an instant.

Then Dash heard its distant bellowing and breathed a short sigh of relief. She made an almost undetectable adjustment of her wings and she began slowly leveling out, bleeding minimal speed in the broad curve. By the time she'd slowed enough that she could flap her wings freely she had nearly made it back to the castle.

Twilight Sparkle fidgeted nervously. Barbara was clearly furious at her and she desperately wanted to befriend this strange species.

"Look, if Dash confirms what you say is true, I swear I will do everything within my power to help, but... I'm sorry, Barbara, but I just can't believe Ponykind has never encountered these Thunder Rocs before. There's no mention of them anywhere! I just need some confirmation, that's all."

Slamming her hands on the table, Barbara's frustrations came to a boil. She could no longer keep anything contained, especially not when being told "I don't trust your word" in a round-about way.

"My people could DIE, Twilight! Instead of trusting me and sending help NOW--" With a deep breath, she tried to calm herself at least enough to not yell. She didn't want to hate ponies either, but Twilight was not making things easy.

She jabbed a finger at the alicorn princess, "If a single person dies, I'm holding you personally responsible, since you could send help on the "off chance" that these monsters do exist, yet you don't. We have a saying, Twilight: Better to be safe than sorry."

Twilight faltered for a moment, her ears folding back, then she narrowed her eyes and placed her forehooves on the wide table. Her wings flared angrily but she kept her voice under control.

"Barbara, I cannot simply brush aside the collective knowledge from all of Equestria just because you say so. You know how fast Dash is; a minute or two will not significantly alter the outcome of--"

Rainbow Dash burst through the door, slammed Twilight to her back and stood over her, pressing their muzzles together.

"SHE WAS BUCKING RIGHT, TWILIGHT."

Barbara thumped a fist into the stone map, "I fucking told you!"

Twilight ignored the human. She saw real terror in her friend's eyes, and Rainbow Dash never showed fear. She shoved the pegasus aside, got to her hooves, and took one short breath to steady herself. Then she raised her head, spread her wings, and addressed her friend seriously.

"Then this is a threat to Equestria, Wonderbolt. Get a hold of yourself and give me a sitrep."

Dash's eyes widened. Twilight only got all formal like this when she was deadly serious. She shook her head, then focused sharply on Twilight's face, straightened, and nodded to her Princess.

"Y-Yes ma'am. It's a flock of dark grey birds, about five to eight times my size, same proportions as a crow. Extremely strong and agile in close quarters, slow in straight lines, but they shoot lightning from their wingtips after about a half second wind-up period. At least four, no more than twelve, couldn't tell as they shroud themselves in dark clouds. One separated and chased me. I barely escaped - two could probably kill me."

Twilight nodded curtly, "Thank you, Dash." She turned to Barbara and said hurriedly, "I apologize for doubting you, but no time for that. Quickly, how dangerous are they from the ground and how well can your people handle them ordinarily?"

Barbara took a short breath to get herself under control, then responded in the same tense concise tone the others were using, "We've learned that some metals can draw their lightning to an extent, so we try to use that to force them to come to us. Once on the ground, they are still quite tough. A spear doesn't easily penetrate and they can harden with wing feathers to protect themselves. It takes our heaviest hitters to take them down, and even then its a struggle."

Barbara looked at the map with worry in her eyes. Two of their best fighters were gone, nowhere to be seen. She had to hope their their people saw the clouds and evacuated to the tunnels for safety.

"I don't think I've ever seen a group bigger than six or seven of these at once. When it gets that big... well, best way is to ground them and only commit to one or two, while trying to annoy the others without being killed."

"Thank you." Twilight closed her eyes and lowered her head for the space of three breaths. When she looked up again, her eyes were hard.

"SPIIIKE!" she yelled, then immediately turned to the pegasus, "Dash, fetch Spitfire and Thunderlane, all three of you suited up. Tell her I said it's a signal 3, she'll understand. Go."

Dash nodded and flew off immediately just as Spike poked his head inside.

"Spike, tell Starlight to bring Kalshaen's Galvinizer. It's an emergency, RUN."

His eyes widened and he scampered down the hallway. She suddenly flew up and hovered in front of Barbara. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it and lowered her gaze, eyes glistening.

"Barbara, if anyone dies, I--"

Rohan crashed his way into the map room to find Barbara and the princess with her. On the map he could see them zoomed in on the storm clouds, making it obvious what they were doing.

"So you already got help? Good, we don't have a moment to lose, we need to get to the village before the Rocs do or they will destroy the village!"

Barbara, who had already been part of the planning, beckoned Rohan over in a calm manner.

"We're preparing for battle as we speak. I'm sure Twilight and Dash won't keep us out of the fight. I'm itching to teach those birds a lesson they won't forget!"

Fluttershy trotted into the room behind him, took one look at Twilight, and immediately gave her a big hug. When they released, she looked up at the two humans, quickly reading Barbara's physique as she had done to Rohan in the clinic.

"So, um... I don't suppose we could try making friends with the rocs?"

Before Barbara could start laughing, Rohan grabbed the woman's shoulder and shook his head. She could tell that he didn't want her to take light of the situation, despite the outlandish idea.

Twilight sighed and wrapped a wing around Fluttershy's barrel, "If we found them alone, maybe, but our first task is protecting the humans. I'll focus on stunning, blocking, and scaring off the rocs, but if they're as dangerous as Rainbow Dash says, we may have no choice to use deadly force."

Rohan added, "If they had a friendly bone in their body, I'd think we might have seen it by now. They've always attacked us unprovoked, probably seeing us as prey. You would think they would back off when attacked or when there is a lot of resistance, but they are tenacious and don't like to leave until forced out or until they feel sure they can't get a meal of any kind." Rohan looked to the map and furrowed his brow. He'd wished he could just talk to the birds and tell them to leave, or at least figure out why they were so aggressive but he didn't have Fluttershy's animal talents. "I'm sorry, but there's going to be a fight for sure and someone, whether it be human or Roc, will most likely die today."

The pegasus sighed and nodded sadly, then seemed to come to a decision, turning somberly toward Rohan. With an air of ritual, she slowly extended a wing and nosed through her feathers almost as if she was preening. Twilight gasped softly and raised a hoof to her muzzle as she recognized what she was doing. Fluttershy carefully took hold of one of her longest primaries, tensed, then yanked it sharply from her wing with a wince, her fur bristling. She stared up at Rohan and spread her wings wide, the empty space jarring in her delicate, neatly groomed figure. She released the feather, flapped once and, as if guided by an invisible hand, the feather floated gently up and pressed itself to Rohan's chest.

He held out a hand to stop her once he realized she was going to yank it, but it was too late. Instead, he pressed the feather to his chest as it floated up to him and felt it in his fingers.

"But... your wing... You need these precious feathers to fly. Why are you..." His mind came to two conclusions before he could really ask the question. With a small smile, he knelt down next to Fluttershy and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Hey, I'll be coming back. Rocs are dangerous, but I've come through before. I will keep this with me though, as incentive not to mess up out there."

Fluttershy blushed and averted her eyes, not able to speak. Twilight stepped forward, rubbed her withers with a hoof, and spoke in a hushed, almost awed tone.

"You wouldn't know... of course not... That was an ancient pegasus tradition, Rohan. What Fluttershy just did... she just pronounced herself utterly and entirely yours, pledging herself to you and you alone for the rest of her life." She stared up at him, dumbstruck. Fluttershy had never even had a crush and yet this man had won her heart so completely in one day? "It's... it's the most devoted expression of love known to Pegasi kind. W-Wear it in your mane, if... if you accept."

Twilight's ears twitched. She could hear Starlight's hooves coming down the hall.

Rohan looked to the mare, wanting to ask if she was really sure, but he already knew the answer. Something like that wouldn't come without thinking about it at least a little. He, like her, had never experienced the kinds of feelings he had the day before. So, with a giddy expression, he stuck the feather behind his ear and in his hair.

"I hope this will do, I'm not sure where else I can stick it that it will stay. I could let you pick the spot though, if you'd like."

Her teal blue eyes glittered up at him and she silently reached up to pull him into a tight embrace, then without another word she turned and galloped out the door. Starlight skidded to a halt as she barreled past, rolled her eyes, then turned into the room and froze again. Her magic winked out in surprise and Twilight yelped, catching the small amulet she'd been carrying a mere inch from the floor.

Starlight looked down, aghast, "Twilight, oh my gosh, I'm sor-"

She waved a wing impatiently, "No time, come here," then she pointed to a spot on the map. "As soon as the Bolts arrive, I need you to use this to teleport them, me, and both humans to this precise location. Can you do that?"

The unicorn blanched slightly, "I... maybe? That's awfully far..."

"You know the amulet will give you more than enough magical energy, all you have to do is direct it. It's an emergency, Glim, lives are at stake." Twilight pressed a hoof against her muzzle, "I trust you."

In three bright flashes of blue, Spitfire, Thunderlane, and Rainbow Dash landed sharply in front of Twilight and saluted with a wing in perfect unison. Then Dash's eye caught the pale yellow feather tucked behind Rohan's ear, met his gaze, and her eyes widened, composure slipping for a brief second.

Twilight stepped toward them and her horn flashed, zapping each of them harmlessly in turn.

"Okay, that should help you avoid the lightning. It's not perfect, but it'll help."

She turned to the humans and took a sharp breath.

"Everypony ready?"

Rohan and Barbara both nodded and shared a glance.

"We'll need to rush into our homes to grab our weapons. If anyone needs a spear, they are in the smithy, a stone building that's at the end of the road. The spears can easily draw lightning away from you, it's good to simply toss one when they try to fire at you."

The Wonderbolts nodded curtly, but they shared a glance and knew they'd only be slowed down by spears, and Twilight didn't expect to need anything but her magic. She collected everypony together and turned to her friend and pupil.

"Tell Lodestone and Granite to come to the village once the shipment is ready, okay? Teleport us now."

Starlight Glimmer nodded seriously and floated the amulet's thin, silvery band over her head. The moment it settled around her neck, it began to glow vividly, the exact color of her magic shimmer. Her eyes widened and she gasped as her horn began to glow - not surrounded by an aura as when using her magic, but glowing from within, as if it had become translucent and a steady flame was set in her skull.

She turned to face the group and lowered her horn, concentrating intensely. The inner glow of her horn flickered, dimmed, then suddenly burst out, surrounding her horn in a familiar magical aura, but so bright they had to squint to see her. Their skin began to prickle as energy built around them, Starlight began to slowly float into the air, her mane and tail billowing in a breeze none of them felt, then her horn flashed, they heard a sharp CRACK, and all six figures vanished.

They reappeared on the pathway the led towards the mines behind the village. It was the least likely to be populated and also wouldn't draw unneeded attention. The storm clouds were still a small ways off, but not far enough for people to not be worried. Horns were being blown and people began to panic and run towards the mines for shelter. Most paused as they noticed the group, but the chief was quick to answer.

"INTO THE MINES! IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIVES AND THAT OF YOUR FAMILY, RUN INTO THE MINES FOR SHELTER!"

Her bellow was all it took to get the people moving again and both she and Rohan ran towards their homes with the ponies in tow. Once they had their gear, they brought the ponies to the middle of the village where much of the guardsman were located.

"Men! The ponies will be helping us fight off this threat! They have come from the other side of the forest to act as saviors! Any who take an issue with them, takes issue with me!"

All of the guards put a fist to their chest in a salute and grabbed spears for themselves.

After a brief moment of shock at the scene around them, the Wonderbolts launched into the air, keeping to a tight formation. Spitfire scanned the village and noted the Rocs' location, then hurried back to Twilight, who was hovering a few feet in the air so no humans would stumble over her as she made her plans.

"Princess, the Rocs are flocked together and in that direction, about a minute away, maybe less."

Twilight nodded, "Where's the nearest wide area clear of many homes or trees?"

"Just past those huts is something like a small plaza or market."

"Thank you, Captain. Dash described her encounter? Good - don't risk anything more than one on one odds. Avoid lethal force but if it's needed do not hesitate. If any of you are injured, get to me and I'll 'port you home. Be safe out there."

Rainbow Dash met Spitfire's eye and at her nod, hovered forward and gave Twilight a quick, tight hug, "You too, Twi."

She fell back into formation and they flew off in a relatively slow patrol around the immediately vicinity, mostly ignoring the humans but occasionally giving a wave or a salute when one called out.

Twilight landed beside Barbara, who was barking out an almost non-stop string of commands to every human in sight.

"Chief, I'll be in the plaza over there, I need space for my magic. Here..."

She held out her hooves and, as her horn flashed, a tiny orb of what looked like glass appeared in each hoof.

"Give one to Rohan, put them in a pouch. If things become desperate, touch it and say my name."

"Got it- WHO TOLD YOU TO STOP MOVING! GO GO GO!"

She had happened to see a human who lollygagged when he saw the princess. Most of the guards did when they saw any pony they saw, since it was still a new thing to see larger groups of ponies. While Twilight wouldn't know what they were doing exactly, she could see that they were sticking longer spears into the soft dirt. From her knowledge of how electricity works, she figured that the humans had thought to create something to act as a lightning rod that would ground most of the bolts harmlessly.

All too soon the storm clouds loomed over the village and lightning shot out from the sky. Several huts were hit, causing them to burn, but some of the bolts were redirected at the spears acting as lightning rods.

Twilight immediately teleported to the room of the hut Spitfire had pointed at, then to the ground of the plaza. Several humans gawked at her sudden appearance, but with the Rocs upon them, they quickly ignored her. The alicorn hovered in the clearest space she could find, closed her eyes, and focused intensely on casting the spells she had planned, first of which would alert her if any Roc's attention turned toward her.

As the Rocs drew near, the trio of pegasi flew off in a wide arc away from the dark clouds. They almost seemed to be running away, but when the lightning struck, they accelerated at an incredible rate directly toward the center of the storm. At such a speed the Rocs hardly even saw them before they were gone, the Wonderbolts plowed into the center of the storm and a significant chunk of the clouds vanished, dissipating in an instant and revealing the five enormous birds.

Spears were hurled up at the beasts as two of them descended upon one group. While one stuck deep into its body, another bounced off it's chest as the bird grabbed two men in its talons. They tried desperately to get it to let go before they were too high but were too late. They were dropped about fifteen feet from where Twilight focused, their bodies making a sickening crunch as blood splattered around their lifeless bodies.

Twilight had cast the attention spell and another to weaken all flames within a large area around her, but the third spell fizzled as the bodies hit the ground near her. She startled but flew to them quickly, then grimaced and turned away when she saw the unnatural angle of their necks. She returned and quickly cast one of her spells out of order: within a wide range of her, approaching the ground beyond a certain speed would rapidly slow you down. She was proud of the kinetic transfer in that one.

The other roc tried the same thing with Barbara, though she was much more prepared. As it swooped down, she ducked and swiped at it with her axe, chopping off a talon and making it screech in pain and anger. Landing beside her, it tried to peck at her, only for her to catch its beak in her hands. Her arms began to glow and soon she pushed it back, allowing Rohan to leap in and take a stab at it. The spear went straight into its chest, though it wasn't enough to kill the beast, just wound it.

In the air, the Rocs took to chasing the pegasi in a vain. They were faster than the birds, but that didn't stop them from pecking and slashing at them, nor did it ease the lightning bolts coming their way.

The Rocs had done exactly what the Wonderbolts wanted: separate. Their first task was to distract and delay, easing the pressure on the princess and humans. They stuck to a loose formation, spreading their trails extra wide so their forms were blurred by the overlapping blue beams, so a good half of the lightning bolts passed harmlessly through open air between them. One beam of lightning managed to graze Thunderlane's flank, but Twilight's protective ward dissipated most of its bite... though it did nothing to soften Spitfire's harsh rebuke.

The bird fighting Rohan and Barbara kept at its assault, pecking and lashing out at them. They were skilled enough to dodge and stop its attacks with their weapons, angering it to the point of shooting a bolt of lightning at them. With no small amount of panic, they jumped away, causing its lightning to hit another human before jumping into one of the lightning rods nearby. Barbara raised both hands above her head and, with all her fury, launched her axe at the bird with tremendous force and lodged it in its head, killing it instantly.

With no luck in the air, the three rocs retreated to their clouds and seemed to reform what was missing with a smoke they emitted from their beaks. This time it was larger than before, nearly covering the sky above the village. A terrible caw broke through the clouds as lightning began to rain down chaotically. People scrambled to get closer to the lightning rods, but many were being struck by lightning before they could reach.

The last of the rocs, having already killed a few people nearby, spotted Twilight further down the path and started to fly her direction. It tried to shoot a bolt, only for a spear to fly between them and for one of the guards to step in its way.

Twilight felt the Roc's gaze on her but her next spell was very important--it would make the attraction of the lightning rods far more powerful, and she only needed a few more seconds! Her focus held as it drew nearer, her horn glowed with energy and she prepared to loose the spell... then a guard stepped into the Roc's path to protect her.

She gasped and her magic wavered but she just barely managed to control the fluctuation. The man held up his spear, roaring defiantly as the Roc bore down on him. The spell flowed out of her and freshly thrown lightning bolts suddenly turned sharply in the air, each angling toward the nearest rod. The spear deflected harmlessly off an impenetrable beak and as if in slow motion she saw those terrible jaws descending toward the man's head.

Abruptly something snapped inside the alicorn. Pure force of will emanated from the tip of her horn and a thin violet line materialized, connected her directly to the creature's life force. With a casual flick of her thoughts, she dismissed its life and the body instantly collapsed, thudding to the ground and narrowly missing the man.

Princess Twilight Sparkle was now floating several feet in the air. Her eyes had turned solid white and gazed unblinking at the world. Her mane and tail had stretched out and thinned, becoming translucent, but through it the sky looked like dusk.

With lightning no longer an option, the rocs swooped down to try and attack the humans directly, but the one thing they didn't count on was an angered alicorn. Their bodies fell quicker than they imagined and when they hit the ground they found they were too heavy to stand. Twilight was literally manipulating gravity around them, forcing them into the dirt with such force that it was almost crushing them. Even then they persisted, trying to peck at whatever was near, firing smaller bolts of lightning from their wings only for them to hit the lightning rods. Before long they were unconscious and no longer a threat to anyone.

The Wonderbolts stopped dead in the air, watching the Rocs fall as if the very concept of flight had been taken from them. From above they could see a faint purple aura rippling out from where Twilight had been casting her spells, invisible from the ground. Rainbow Dash saw something was wrong and immediately dove for her friend, ignoring the shouts of her captain.

Dash had only just made out the solid white orbs of the alicorn's eyes when there was a bright flash and Twilight's unconscious body suddenly thudded to the ground, looking exactly as she ever had. She was at her side in seconds, shaking her shoulder.

"Twilight? W-What happened, what's wrong? Twilight, wake up!"

Spitfire slammed into the ground and roughly shoved Dash aside, then pressed a hoof to Twilight's neck.

"She's alive, Rainbow," her voice held a thinly restrained fury, but she didn't want to appear unprofessional around the humans, "We'll discuss your subordination later. Form up around her."

Spitfire only called her 'Rainbow' when she was genuinely furious. Dash gulped and silently fell into place as the three of them stood in a protective triangle around Twilight. Guarding the fallen princess was now their sole responsibility.

Barbara and Rohan rushed over to see Twilight on the ground unconscious. They knew from experience that magic took a lot of energy and she had just defeated the rocs with ease. Once they heard she would be fine, however, the breathed a sigh of relief.

"What will happen to those birds there? They are still alive and are likely to attack when they manage to free themselves."

Spitfire shuffled her wings, unconcerned, "Hay if I know."

Dash timidly raised a wing. Her captain nodded permission but she knew behind those goggles was an icy cold glare.

"I saw Twilight just before she, uh... collapsed. Something is strange here, she's never done any magic like that before... at least, not without the elements."

She rubbed her mane awkwardly and wished she could take her own goggles off, but she knew Spitfire wouldn't give the all clear until Twilight was safe, even if the Rocs were no longer a threat.

"But since this one here is dead, I'm guessing she wanted those other ones alive. If it were up to me I'd see about binding them... or maybe bury them up to their necks."

Spitfire waved a wing dismissively, "Do whatever you want with them, it's none of our concern. Our orders were to simply to neutralize the Rocs. Without new orders our duty is solely to the Princess, no more. If she doesn't wake within a minute, we're flying her back to Ponyville for her own safety."

"That makes sense, she should be-"

Both of their clans symbols began to glow on their body as they drew nearer to Twilight. Magic literally flowed from them and towards Twilight, causing her eyes to flutter.

"Or... maybe you can give us a little time. Rohan, take her to the cave, please. I'll stay out here with Dash and the others. The spirits of the cave might want to meet her, I think."

Nodding, Rohan stepped toward the princess to pick her up. Spitfire immediately took flight and her crew followed suit an instant later, the three of them hovering around Rohan. Spitfire's voice was quiet but so tense her neck actually bulged with the effort of speaking.

"We will not be separated from our Princess. If she goes anywhere, it will be on my back. Put her down. Now."

There was a tense silence as Barbara bristled angrily and Rohan waited for her order. Spitfire tensed, subtly adjusting her hover in a way that ordered Dash and Thunder to prepare for combat. In the absolute stillness that followed, Twilight's weak, whimpering voice was clear as a silver bell.

"L-Let him... carry... Dash comes... t-too..."

Her breath wheezed out as she lost consciousness again. Instantly, Spitfire backed away from Rohan and Thunderlane moved to her side. Dash hesitated, unsure what to do and Spitfire waved a hoof flippantly.

"Go on, Crash. Princess beats Captain, right?" She turned to Barbara and gave her a tiny, polite bow, "My apologies, Chief. Protecting a fallen Princess is our highest protocol, we must protect her at all costs. Rohan can carry her into the cave, but Dash will stay with her at all times. I hope you understand."'

“I get it, she’s hurt and it’s your duty. Don’t have to explain to me, but next time...” She patted Spitfire’s shoulder and stopped beside her to say one last thing before passing. “Next time remember your tone when speaking to friends, especially those you already know are on your side and don’t necessarily know the exact rules you play by.”

Once they were down the path a ways, Barbara looked to Dash with a grin and gave her a nudge on the shoulder. “You and your friends made that fight much easier! It’s just too bad I didn’t have more time to show off my stuff to you.”

Dash chuckled, "Well, I'd say maybe next time, but... hopefully not, huh?"

As the group approached the entrance to the cave, Dash fell back and hovered near Rohan's shoulder, occasionally glancing at the yellow feather still carefully held behind his ear. After a moment, she drifted a bit closer and spoke quietly, in a friendly tone, as if trying not to openly embarass the man.

"So... you and Fluttershy, eh? I'm happy for you two... she needs somepony besides her animals."

“Her gesture did take me a bit by surprise, though I share the sentiment. She’s a wonderful mare and life is short. I only hope I can make her happy in life.”

Barbara looked between them and almost made a comment to Dash, but held her tongue on it. Instead she stepped closer to Dash to speak softly.

“Before I forget Dash, I would like for you not to talk bout this place. The spirits housed within are special to us, they gave us the ability to protect ourselves and have provided guidance far beyond what we expected. If something were to happen to them... well, I’m fairly certain everyone would lose hope.”

The pegasus nodded seriously, "Don't worry, I got tons of secrets already and haven't spilled a single one."

Barbara seemed satisfied and stepped forward to grab a torch from a nearby bin. She cursed as it flickered and spat, refusing to light without a struggle.

Dash finally removed her goggles and hovered over close to Rohan's head again, though he was a bit confused when she didn't speak and only watched him with a mild interest. When she finally did speak, her too-calm voice made him vaguely uneasy.

"So she gave you her Primary after the first day, huh? Must have been one hay of a night..." She looked up at Barbara, who had finally gotten a small corner of the torch to catch and was trying to carefully spread the tiny flame.

"If you break her heart I'll bucking kill you."

Her voice was casual, almost flippant. She sounded as if she were commenting on the weather, or reading a fact from a book. When he looked, her expression was calm and friendly, but her eyes... her eyes were like dark coals of a forge that had burned low but would flare up instantly with one press of the bellows. Her hover seemed to falter briefly, her wings hesitating at the top of their swing, feathers spread wide to catch the air... and for just a second, Rohan could clearly see a gap, a space in her feathers where there had once been a long, blue Primary.

“I wouldn’t expect any less of one of her friends. If I break her heart, I deserve it.” His eyes flicked to where her primary was missing and he wondered if she lost it in battle or if she gave hers away just recently. He didn’t see Barbara with one, yet they seemed oddly close, especially when Barbara came to collect the Pegasus and let her ride the woman.

“I wonder if we’ll see all the clans this time. Feels like it’s been ages since all of them came out at once! Oohhh, I wonder what clan you would belong to? Maybe the wolf clan prides itself on being fast and working well in a team.”

Dash was all smiles again and wiggled closer to Barbara's neck, hugging her head between her forehooves and chest. "I dunno, maybe! Wolves are awfully slow compared to me though, I should be... maybe falcon clan or something." She spread her wings behind her and echoed a falcon's scream, making Barbara giggle. Rohan could now see how carefully she spread her wings, manually spreading the feathers to flush out the hole and make the wing appear almost perfectly smooth again. She had let him see the missing space!

She glanced back over her shoulder, wings still spread, and her smile vanished, her eyes dull and weary. As she held his gaze for a brief moment, he noticed her eyes were budding with tears. She turned away, casually flicked her wings in such a way that they just barely brushed her face, then tapped the Chief's head, sounding as cool and cheerful as ever.

"You have got to give me a tour after this, Barb. I mean... what even IS that?"